Translator: SumTLMan
“Who is Little Treasure?” Angel asked in confusion.
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “You may treat it as that dog hole you saw a moment ago.”
On hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, their expressions subtly nuanced. A dog hole actually has a name? And such a, well, cute one at that?
Come to think of it, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s description of Little Treasure did not sound like a mere hole in the wall, but rather a conscious lifeform… or perhaps some mechanical puppet?
The Sovereign of Wisdom also noticed the group’s puzzlement over the name “Little Treasure”. He had not intended to elaborate, yet a sudden thought occurred to him…
Perhaps this was a fine opportunity to clarify?
After weighing his words, the Sovereign of Wisdom said: “You appear quite fixated on Little Treasure’s name? If it knew your reaction, I surmise that, even had Big Treasure tried to stop it, it would have swallowed you whole on the spot.”
“Big Treasure? Little Treasure? Don’t tell me there’s also a Middle Treasure?” Daus quipped.
The Sovereign of Wisdom cast a sidelong glance at Daus: “There is no Middle Treasure, but there is a Second Treasure.”
Angel: “We meant no slight to its name; we were just surprised that even a dog hole could bear such a cute title.”
“They are by no means ordinary holes.” The Sovereign of Wisdom eyed the Black Count meaningfully: “If they truly were mundane passages, why would you keep constant watch over their movements?”
The Black Count: “With doubts comes investigation, naturally we want to learn more.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “That is reasonable, yet while you observe Little Treasure, Little Treasure is likewise observing you. What you take for a dog hole is in fact its eye, its mouth, its ear, indeed, its weapon.”
Angel: “Is it an alchemy creation?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom shook his head: “No. It has a body, you have already seen it, have you not?”
Seeing Angel still perplexed, the Sovereign of Wisdom did not continue explaining Little Treasure’s anatomy but returned to the earlier point: “Just now you called its name ‘cute’?”
Angel: “Is that a problem?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “Of course not; I too feel the name is cute. Yet Little Treasure dislikes hearing its name called cute. It yearns for a name resounding with power and majesty; on hearing the word ‘cute,’ it will gulp people down.”
At this the Sovereign of Wisdom’s eyes narrowed with a smile: “Does not such conduct make it even cuter?”
Angel: “……” Do we perhaps have very different notions of cuteness?
The Sovereign of Wisdom continued on his own accord: “Little Treasure’s full name is One‑Eyed Little Treasure. Its two elder brothers are, as I mentioned, One‑Eyed Big Treasure and One‑Eyed Second Treasure.”
“Compared with the mature, steady Big Treasure and the deep, silent Second Treasure, Little Treasure is downright mischievous. Perhaps that is because, being the youngest, it is most doted upon.” The Sovereign of Wisdom smiled: “Its mother spoils it; naturally I spoil it as well, I watched it grow up. So when it plays the occasional prank, I tolerate it.”
“Speaking of pranks, I suddenly recalled a funny episode involving Little Treasure.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s tone was casual, as though narrating an anecdote; yet within the privacy of his mind he tensed, crafting every word with greater care. He must make what followed sound entirely offhand, no one could perceive how much he actually cared.
“A funny story?” Angel knowingly prompted.
“Exactly. You once told me Cecia showed you my research topic, did she not?”
Angel nodded. Although the Sovereign of Wisdom’s wording was imprecise, he had seen that niche topic in a magazine even before meeting Cecia, when he had seen it hardly mattered.
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “That topic is the least conspicuous and least valuable portion of my study on the ecology of Wizard Eye Ghosts, yet it is also the most interesting.”
“I actually consider it quite valuable,” Angel replied sincerely. He agreed that the paper titled —Record of Different Postures in Wizard Eye Ghost Fusion— was inconspicuous, but valueless? He disagreed.
It was that very study which had allowed Angel, without alerting the vain Wizard Eye Ghost, to obtain the silver pendant belonging to the Wood Spirit. Any paper that could make its way into the column —Overlooked Handy Tips for Wizards—, no matter how inconspicuous, was still a “handy tip.”
“You find it valuable?” The Sovereign of Wisdom froze for a moment, then wore a look of enlightenment: “I see, youthful enthusiasm makes such ‘interesting’ topics appealing. Understandable.”
At first Angel failed to catch his meaning. Only when the Sovereign of Wisdom winked did he realise the man had misconstrued something…
Angel tried to explain, but the Sovereign of Wisdom’s leisurely expression seemed to say: go on, explain whatever you please, I understand, I believe you. Angel swallowed his explanation. Fine, let him misunderstand. Explaining would only prove he’d grasped the unspoken subtext. Better to leave the Sovereign of Wisdom to think he was merely “youthfully enthusiastic,” even if such praise was back‑handed.
Angel declined to pursue the matter; the Sovereign of Wisdom was unbothered. Having arranged his diction, he continued: “As for that interesting study, though I deemed it of little worth… What fun is there in enjoying an amusing topic alone? Naturally it must be shared.”
“So I decided to submit it to a certain magazine.”
“Submission is a trivial task unworthy of my personal attention, so I entrusted the manuscript to Little Treasure. Unexpectedly, the editorial office requested a pen name. That rascal… alas.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom sighed, wearing the doting expression of an “indulgent father bothered by a cheeky child”: “Without my approval Little Treasure simply used a private nickname by which its brothers sometimes call me.”
He recounted this with nonchalance, yet upon the points “without my approval” and “chosen by Little Treasure” he deliberately displayed helplessness, deepening everyone’s impression.
“And thus arose that somewhat bizarre… pen name.”
When the story ended the others showed little response; only Daus’ face lit with sudden insight: “So that’s how ‘Blue Fatty’ came about. I had thought…”
“What had you thought?” The Sovereign of Wisdom smiled at Daus, eyes brimming with affection.
A shiver raced down Daus’ spine; involuntarily he stammered: “N‑nothing, really. The name actually sounds rather pleasant.”
Angel watched Daus turn tongue‑tied and could not help musing: the pen name even the Sovereign of Wisdom himself was too embarrassed to utter, and Daus had blurted it out, no wonder he would be remembered.
Yes, Angel had sensed the Sovereign of Wisdom’s sensitivity about the pen name from the very first meeting, when the Sovereign of Wisdom asked what information he had gleaned from Cecia. The awkward emotion that flickered when the pen name was mentioned had been stark.
Back then the Sovereign of Wisdom had not known Angel possessed perception far beyond the norm and had not hidden his feelings, so Angel had seen everything. Later, once the Sovereign of Wisdom consciously masked his emotions, Angel gradually found them more difficult to read, but he had already learnt his lesson: never mention that pen name before the Sovereign of Wisdom.
Now the Sovereign of Wisdom had brought up the paper of his own accord; at first Angel was bemused, but as the tale unrolled, from Little Treasure’s mischief to the submission incident to the origin of the pen name, Angel understood: the Sovereign of Wisdom was loath to be misunderstood and seized this chance to clarify. Yet even in explanation the Sovereign of Wisdom avoided voicing the pen name, showing just how much it mattered to him.
Daus had tugged the tiger’s whiskers; pity him indeed. Angel could only pity him in silence; outwardly he followed the crowd, wearing the look of one happily watching a naughty child’s antics: “So the pen name was Little Treasure’s doing, what a rascal.”
Apparently oblivious to Angel’s perception, the Sovereign of Wisdom, having secretly marked down Daus on his list, promptly shifted the topic: “Little Treasure’s mischiefs are legion; this was but the tip of the iceberg, hardly worth mentioning.”
Angel muttered inwardly: Hardly worth mentioning, yet you mentioned it.
“Back to the main point: your earlier conjecture is both right and not entirely right.” The Sovereign of Wisdom looked at Angel.
“You said the clan of One‑Eyed Little Treasure is her chess piece, that description is correct. This species emerged from the ruin site; most likely she brought it from some other world.”
“However, not every member of the clan counts as her piece.”
Angel: “Little Treasure is not her chess piece?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “Little Treasure heeds her, but it also heeds me.”
The meaning was plain: even if Little Treasure became one of her trials for Angel and the rest, the Sovereign of Wisdom had ways to make it stand down. Thus Little Treasure could not be considered her piece.
Angel: “Then which piece of hers is…?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s answer was veiled: “Whether Big Treasure, Second Treasure or Little Treasure, each is a small hole, you have encountered such holes all along your journey.”
“Your true trial lies in a great hole.”
A great hole? Angel frowned. He remembered the Sovereign of Wisdom had mentioned one existence earlier: “Their mother?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom neither affirmed nor denied but proceeded to introduce their mother.
“Their mother is named Younus, a hole far larger than they. If she exerts herself she can swallow almost half the underground sewers.” The Sovereign of Wisdom: “Her devouring is quite extraordinary, ignoring every defense. If you fall within her range, no matter how strong you are it avails nothing.”
“And anything swallowed by her can be released only by herself or by her, the one in the ruin site. Even I am no exception.”
Though the Sovereign of Wisdom did not explicitly say the challenge came from Younus, once he began detailing her ability everyone assumed she was virtually certain to become one hurdle imposed by her.
Daus: “Then can’t we simply avoid the area where she lurks?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “Little Treasure, Big Treasure and Second Treasure can all close their holes, do you think their mother cannot close and conceal hers? And I have said her devouring range is vast; if she hides along your inevitable route, will you notice her?”
Daus: “Then does she have no weakness?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom cast a meaningful glance at Angel: “That is your trial.”
Angel, suddenly singled out, looked bewildered: “My trial? Not our trial?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom ignored the question and sighed sentimentally: “Younus has accompanied me longer even than Big Treasure. Her contribution to the underground sewers is immense; she obeys me most of the time, yet…”
He left the sentence unfinished, but the unsaid was obvious. Younus obeyed the Sovereign of Wisdom, but she obeyed Her even more.
“I can tell you only two points. First, my great hall has been remodelled; she will neither enter it nor pass through it. Second, while hidden she cannot open too wide a maw, though filling a corridor poses no problem. When she shows her true body, the speed at which her mouth expands is limited; it does not instantly reach its maximum.”
“Oh, one more thing: you must not kill her. In fact, saying so is pointless, you cannot kill her unless… his power is sufficient and he can pinpoint her true body.”
The “he” in the Sovereign of Wisdom’s mouth was none other than the person he was now looking at, Kael.
“Yet even if he could, you still must not kill her, nor should you injure her if it can be helped.”
Angel: “Why not?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “Big Treasure, Second Treasure and Little Treasure obey me, but they obey their mother more. Believe me, if you fight openly you will much rather face Younus alone.”
When he spoke these words the Sovereign of Wisdom’s face was solemn; he was genuinely warning them. This meant once they harmed Younus her three children might all turn upon them, and the Sovereign of Wisdom had called each of those three… dangerous. Why dangerous, he would not say.
At this point the Sovereign of Wisdom paused for a long while, apparently granting them time to discuss. Through their mental connection the group began analysing the Sovereign of Wisdom’s information.
For now one thing was clear: Younus was certainly one of her trials, and perhaps not the only one. Big Treasure, Second Treasure and Little Treasure might also serve as trials; yet if they did, the Sovereign of Wisdom could persuade them to pull their punches.
Younus they must face, but they could not harm her. According to the Sovereign of Wisdom, the sole way to pass the trial was to reach the Sovereign of Wisdom’s great hall. Younus would not enter it; once there, the trial ended.
Yet the Sovereign of Wisdom had made plain that even when concealed Younus could fill an entire corridor. In other words, even if they discovered where she hid they could not traverse the passage.
So how were they to reach the Sovereign of Wisdom’s great hall?