Obern straightened up.
After staring at the empty cabinet for a long mont, his eyes tracing the barren shelves where his possessions should have been, he walked steadily out of the vault. His footsteps echoed against the marble floor, each step deliberate and asured.
And stood right in front of the banker, who had been hovering nervously near the vault entrance.
Usually it's not noticeable in everyday situations, but Obern is quite tall, his fra built like an oak tree that had weathered countless storms.
Even though the banker wasn't short by any ans, the difference in eye level was clearly felt, forcing him to tilt his chin upward to et Obern's gaze.
That sharp nose bridge and deep eyes, set in a face weathered by years of calculated decisions, seed to pierce right through the banker's professional facade.
Even a banker who had been through thick and thin, dealing with countless difficult clients over the years, couldn't help but feel intimidated by the sheer presence before him.
Obern didn't grab his collar or yell at him - that would have been too obvious, too expected.
He just raised his hand, slow and deliberate, and neatly adjusted the banker's slightly crooked collar with careful precision, as if straightening a painting on a wall.
The banker froze in surprise.
"The items I ca to retrieve..."
"..."
"Why are they missing?"
After a mont of silence.
The banker hastily waved his hands.
"Wh-What do you an? Our Imperial Bank's rental vaults boast the highest security..."
Now he emphasizes his bank's security, words tumbling out faster and faster as Obern continues to stare down at him silently.
To summarize his long-winded explanation, which andered through details of enchanted locks and unbreakable seals, the items were exactly as they were when first stored. His voice grew quieter as he reached this conclusion, perhaps realizing how it sounded.
Which would an it was an empty cabinet from the start. The implication hung heavy in the air between them, making the banker's earlier confidence seem almost laughable.
"Look!"
The banker showed the docunts he was holding.
──────────────
Type: Antique
Item: Cabinet
──────────────
"Seeing that the contents aren't listed... surely it was empty from the start."
It had been decades since Pelerian rented the vault here.
The banker before us might not even have been born then...
"Are you joking? Then what's this?"
Obern pointed to the bottom of the docunt.
──────────────
Estimated Value: 500 Gold
──────────────
500 Imperial Gold equals roughly 5000 Silver .
In a world where a low-ranking official's annual salary doesn't reach 100 Silver , how could an empty cabinet be worth 500 Gold ?
"Uh..."
While we thought that, the banker made a strange expression.
"For an antique cabinet from the old kingdom, I believe it could be worth that much."
"..."
Is that so?
Both Obern and I are commoners, so we don't have that kind of financial sense.
"But!"
Obern said that and paused for a mont.
He was clearly asking for help.
Pelerian spoke with certainty.
"No, the contents have definitely been stolen."
"No, the contents have definitely been stolen."
The banker asked with a troubled expression.
"Then what were the original contents..."
"..."
How would we know that!
Obern just glared at the banker with a terrifying expression.
I was a bit confused too.
'Master, don't you not know what was in it either? How are you so sure?'
"I'm not just being contrary."
Obern returned to the cabinet and stood quietly.
After hearing Pelerian's words, he let out a small sigh of relief.
"Any magician would recognize this cabinet."
"Pardon?"
"It's an item that can store more than its size would suggest. A very practical drawer and if it was truly empty from the start..."
Obern gently stroked the cabinet's handle.
And when he infused mana according to a specific pattern.
Click.
The handle turned.
And when we opened the cabinet again.
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"Gasp!"
The empty cabinet was now full of gold, silver, and treasures.
Obern swallowed hard and spoke in a dignified voice.
"Th-They stole the original contents but didn't know its storage capacity is double what it appears."
It was a cabinet with built-in spatial magic.
Items stored when no mana is infused.
And space available when opened with mana infused - it was a cabinet that could hold twice its apparent volu.
"Still, this might be its original state..."
The banker wouldn't back down.
He ant the cabinet might have been empty before mana infusion from the start.
"No."
But Obern firmly denied it.
Then he opened the originally empty cabinet and reached deep inside.
He ripped off a thin paper that was attached to the top of the cabinet.
"Do you see this?"
What he held was a talisman with red writing on yellow paper.
"It's preservation magic. A talisman attached to prevent damage to the contents."
"..."
"Why would there be a preservation talisman on an empty cabinet?"
"Ah, uh..."
It was excellent refutation.
Except for Obern's hands and feet trembling after witnessing the treasure.
The banker seed to have made up his mind.
To brazenly deny everything.
"No matter what you say, what isn't true isn't true. Our Imperial Bank..."
This is getting nowhere.
Then there's only one answer.
「Using Invisible Hand lv19.」
Closed the open vault door.
Bang!
"If the vault's security is so impressive..."
"Ah..."
"Then there shouldn't be a problem if screams echo from here."
To repeat, Obern is tall and quite intimidating when serious.
"Break a few fingernails and teeth, and he'll talk about what's hidden."
'Good good!'
I grabbed the banker's arms with two invisible hands.
My magic had improved enough that I could restrain a desk worker like him.
"Wh-What are you doing!"
The banker started screaming when restrained by sothing invisible.
"Aren't you afraid of the consequences? If you oppress an innocent citizen like this, prison..."
"Consequences?"
Obern snorted.
I slithered out of his sleeve and climbed onto the banker's shoulder.
"S-Snake!"
'Are you afraid of snakes?'
His good reaction makes want to play along.
I lightly licked the banker's cheek.
Hmm, tastes like lies.
"Waaagh!"
"Do you know who I am?"
Obern said without even wetting his lips.
"W-Who are you..."
"I am the prince's advisor from Solion, a magician invited to the Porcelain Room, and Lord Pendragon's representative."
Amazing shalessness.
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