A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 104: The Pendant of Zurin

Cleo then said. "It smells like… the same thing. The same scent as that celestial sword you carry."

At that, Kael froze. "You sure?"

Cleo replied. "It took me a while to confirm the similarities again and again. I'm sure that whatever is in her mindscape has the same origins as your Sword of Zurin."

In an instant, the puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind. He didn't know how, but everything made sense now. His gaze shifted to Mia, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. His hands clenched into fists.

Mia, still unaware of what was happening in Kael's mind, thought he was reacting to her story. But Kael wasn't thinking about her story anymore. He was thinking about the possible treasure of Zurin. Well, according to Laura, the pendant of Zurin is the only one that is lost in history.

Suddenly, without warning, Kael started clapping in rhythmic intervals. The sharp and short beast, pausing in irregular intervals, echoed in the room as he used the clap language.

Kael: Do you carry a soul-bound weapon or artifact?"

Mia's eyes widened in surprise. She clapped back in response.

Mia: "Yes."

Kael nodded, his heart racing with the revelation. He started clapping again.

Kael: "Is it a pendant?"

Mia's eyes widened even further, clearly taken aback by the accuracy of his question. She clapped, slightly hesitating.

Mia: "How did you know?"

Kael, still calm on the outside, gave her no answer. Instead, he clapped again.

Kael: "Do you know where it came from? Its origin?"

Mia's face softened as she continued to respond with the clap language.

Mia: "No… I don't. It was given to me by my late master."

Kael's mind buzzed in confirmation. It was indeed the pendant of Zurin, the lost treasure.

Once they merge the weapons, he might be able to possess the strength to face the demigod. But the only problem was that the pendant was a soul-bound treasure. How was he supposed to get it from Mia and assimilate it with the sword of Zurin?

First of all, it was just a gift from her master. A precious memento. Secondly, if she knew that it was a celestial treasure, would Mia easily hand over such an item to him?

But what if he gave the sword of Zurin to her instead?

The thought occurred to him, but he also remembered that she was in no state to fight, not now. Even if she regained her strength, she was still only a Tier-8. How could she deal with the Clowns of Ark or any other threats that might come after them? At best, she might be able to face Jagger. The demigod? Forget about facing him…

Hence, it had to be him who needed to wield the merged celestial treasure. But at the same time, he couldn't let her know his secret identity. What should he say that would let her voluntarily submit the pendant to him?

After a bit of deep thinking, Kael turned his gaze back to Mia. His hands clapped with deliberate intention as he said. "During my travels, I came across a cursed idol. After breaking it with someone's help, I released the spirit inside. I formed a contract with it."

"Hmm?" Mia watched him, still uncertain of his intentions but intrigued by his words. He was curious about his story but at the same time, wondered why he suddenly changed the topic.

Meanwhile, Kael continued, "It is the one who told me about the scent of the treasure you carry. The connection you share with it." Followed by his statement, he shut his eyes briefly and called out, "Cleo, come out."

In an instant, the black cat appeared on his shoulder and looked at Mia with its large eyes.

Mia blinked in surprise. "This…" She observed the black cat curiously, but when her eyes met with its eyes, she felt pressure on her soul, as if the cat was looking through all of her secrets. It was the same feeling as when she encountered the Supreme Pontiff of this organization that imprisoned her.

Taking a deep breath, Kael then clasped his hands together, his voice steady but intense as he asked her. "Mia, do you trust me?"

Mia, her eyes still tired but unwavering, nodded firmly. Her response was immediate as if the question was something she had been ready to answer all along. "I do, more than anyone."

He stared at her, almost questioning his own resolve before pushing forward. "Then… I need you to give me the pendant."

Mia blinked, surprised by the request. "What?" Her voice was barely a whisper, confusion creeping into her tone. "But… Why?"

Kael didn't flinch. His gaze remained steady, focused on her. "Cleo here would like to unlock its true power, and together, it will help us escape."

Mia's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. "Unlocking its true power?" She couldn't help but give another look at the black cat, which raised its paw and licked it as a habit.

The pendant, the soul-bound treasure, was more than just an artifact. It was a part of her, a part of the bond she shared with her late master. But there was no doubt in Kael's words, no hesitation in his voice. She could see confidence in his tone.

Despite her confusion, she found herself nodding. "Okay. I trust you." Her voice softened, almost as if she had to convince herself as much as Kael.

Kael didn't waste a moment. "Now." He stretched his hand forward.

Mia didn't hesitate either. She closed her eyes and summoned her soul artifact—a brilliant pendant that rested around her neck. It glowed faintly, shimmering as though it were alive.

As she took it and handed it to Kael, her fingers trembling slightly. Clearly, she was reluctant to part with such a treasure, even if it was temporary.

Kael, meanwhile, looked at the pendant for a moment before raising it up to his eyesight. Cleo touched it into its paws and took it with her to Kael's mindscape. This is one of Cleo's abilities, apart from possession. She didn't even need Mia's permission to take her soul-bound treasure into Kael's mindscape as long as she touched the treasure, although the spirit didn't have the capability to suppress the treasure and break that bond.

Mia's eyes widened when she saw that. "Wow!" She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as she had never witnessed such a scene in her experience as an adventurer. "I must admit, I was slightly skeptical when you said that this cat of yours can unlock the treasure's capabilities, but seeing this… it's just…" She now had full confidence in her brother.

In Kael's mindscape, as soon as Cleo brought the pendant into this space, the sword of Zurin, which was simply floating and nothing else, reacted. It glowed brightly. As if the pendant responded to the call of its fellow fragment, the pendant also glowed, leaving Cleo's side and flew toward the sword.

Meanwhile, back in the distant chamber where the priest and Jagger were watching, the priest's gaze had been locked onto the crystal ball for the past several minutes. He had been silent, his eyes scanning the movements between Kael and Mia.

When Mia had handed Kael the pendant, the priest hadn't immediately recognized its significance. He hadn't realized its power or its true origin, but something about the way the pendant glowed—something about the way it seemed to pulse in Kael's hand—caught his attention for sure.

He frowned, furrowing his brows. The pendant didn't seem ordinary, but he couldn't sense its full power through the crystal ball. He hadn't seen it up close, and so, for a moment, he thought it might just be another rare artifact. However, he had been certain of one thing: the pendant was soul-bound. He could tell by the way Mia had summoned it, the way it had responded to her touch.

A soul weapon—very rare indeed. You don't need mana to store it or summon it back. All you need is willpower.

Nevertheless, as a demigod, he had witnessed a lot of soul-bound treasures in his life. So, his attention to that treasure was short-lived.

But the priest wasn't prepared for what came next. The cat spirit on Kael's shoulder took the soul-bound weapon with it. How?

"Nemesis…" It was the first thing that came to the priest's mind as soon as he saw that. He very well knows more than anyone the full extent of the Nemesis species as his organization played a big role in sealing them into artifacts.

As the priest's heart skipped a beat in realization, with a knowing grin, the priest leaned back in his chair, his lips curling into a sinister smile. "Plans change," he murmured under his breath. His eyes glinted with a new kind of interest as he gazed at Kael's figure in the crystal ball. "Nemesis species can accept only those with bloodlines or powerful souls as their masters. This one might actually be more suited to the host."