Oliver had decided to believe Val’s explanation, but he wouldn’t feel at ease unless he had confirmed the existence of the mentioned artifact with his own eyes.
Val had stored the [Upgradable Cursed Sword] in the pocket dimension of the [Void Orb] before he lost consciousness. He could show it to Oliver at any time and be done with this investigation, however, he hesitated.
Oliver’s question was simple but it wasn’t easy to answer.
Firstly, what Val had said about [Voidslayer] was a lie, and if Oliver had the ability to determine the true worth and effect of a cursed artifact, he would catch on to his lie, and the situation, which had just calmed down, would immediately become tense.
Secondly, Voidslayer was an upgradable level-2 artifact with a spirit. If Oliver recognized its true value, who was to say he wouldn’t covet it? It was much safer to keep its existence hidden until he had gained the strength to protect it.
Voidslayer seemed to have sensed Val’s hesitation, as it conveyed encouraging words to him, “Master, you can show me to him. What you’re worried about wouldn’t happen! I am a spirit sword. Fooling the senses of a wizard isn’t hard for me.”
“You can do that?” Val asked in a slightly surprised tone.
They were conversing telepathically, thus, Oliver was unaware that a conversation was being held.
“Not only can I fool him into believing that I am just a cursed artifact, but I can also exhibit traits you lied that I have,” Voidslayer replied.
“You’re more capable than I originally thought,” Val said in praise.
He had initially based its abilities on the description provided by the system when he cast Detect on it. However, it was a wrong move. After all, Detect doesn’t reveal everything about a person or an object. He needed to test out the extent of their potential himself.
“You’ve been staring ahead dazedly for a while now. Is there something wrong?” Oliver asked, breaking Val’s train of thought.
He turned to Oliver and lied with a straight face, “I was remembering where I put it before I lost consciousness.”
As he lied, there was not a single hint of guilt in his expression. Val’s acting was flawless, honed over years of training. The training was forced upon him. But he gradually came to accept it as he realized it was helping him. He had become so proficient in acting that now it was impossible to see through his facade using common and professional means.
Despite having a minor degree in psychology, a profession that was available only to the most privileged member of society, the wizards, Oliver failed to grasp he was lying. Not to mention, Val had just woken up. He should be feeling disoriented. So it sounded reasonable that he couldn’t immediately remember where it was.
“Did you remember where it is?” Oliver asked.
Val nodded, “It’s so precious that I dare not lose it. Just before I lost consciousness, I stored it in the safe confines of my family heirloom.”
He then summoned Voidslayer and handed it over to Oliver.
Oliver took the sword, probing it with his soul power. Voidslayer felt offended by his action.
‘Molesting me as soon as he grabbed me…’
‘This kid is a pervert!’
‘And perverts deserve to be punished,’ Voidslayer thought indignantly.
The next moment, Oliver was startled as he found his soul power going haywire all of a sudden. His soul power was flowing out of his arcane heart and being sucked by the magnified sword held in his hands, even though that wasn’t his intention. Although he tried to stop it, his efforts were fruitless.
Afraid that he would be sucked dry if this continued and enter common as a result, he quickly let go of the sword, causing it to clatter to the ground.
Simultaneously, Voidslayer used a dust-sized particle of its spirit the size of a mountain to strengthen Oliver’s arcane heart.
It performed this trick in order to fool Oliver into believing that it was a cursed artifact that was capable of enhancing a wizard’s power but requiring an equal exchange in return
As Oliver experienced the slight increase in his strength, he was fooled into believing that this artifact was exactly as magical as Val had described.
Oliver looked at the sword on the ground, then back at Val. The exchange he’d just experienced matched Val’s story perfectly.
Moreover, what Val feared didn’t happen. 𝑶𝓋𝓵xt.𝑐𝑜𝚖
Oliver didn’t feel greedy for it. While it was indeed an artifact that could amplify a wizard’s abilities, it required an equivalent payment in exchange, which lessened its value quite a lot. Also, Oliver would never steal from Val as he wanted him to become a part of his Famiglia. He wanted to rope him in so naturally, he wouldn’t give him a reason to feel offended or act in a way that would sour their relationship.
Val’s eyebrows raised when he saw Oliver treating the spirit sword like a plague.
“What made you drop the sword?” He asked Oliver.
“I just experienced its effects firsthand and it startled me,” Oliver answered him.
Inwardly, Val chuckled as he realized that Voidslayer must have done something to spook Oliver.
“Master, I have fooled him into believing that what you said is true. Moving forward, he will not doubt you,” Voidslayer conveyed to Val through their mental link.
“Good job, Voidslayer.” Using the same link, Val praised it, keeping their conversation hidden from Oliver.
Oliver picked up the sword and returned it to Val. Then, he began to sincerely warn Val.
“You mustn’t tell anyone about what this artifact can do. While it requires an equal exchange to strengthen a wizard’s arcane heart, there are many old fogies in the wizard community with ample wealth who wouldn’t hesitate to kill for something like this.”
“Why so?” Val asking.
“Their lifespan is nearing its end and this artifact may appear as the only thing that could extend it. Basically, in their desperation, they wouldn’t think twice before committing a crime,” Oliver explained.