My perfect chest closed its lid and returned to its original position. Eva looked at me vacantly. Silence reigned over the lounge. Perhaps satisfied with a meal of two, the chest stayed completely still. Or maybe it would move the moment one of us turned our backs on it? Liz had definitely been trusting my judgment back there. Makes sense, since I was the one who brought it over and all.
To think someone as acclimated to crises as Liz would be eaten so easily. She could’ve tried to fight it! She could’ve been her usual violent self!
“K-Krai, what in the world is this?”
Eva looked at me with unconcealed fear, something I rarely saw from her. I wanted to tell her to calm down, but I was too uncalm to get the words out of my throat. But this was fine. I was sure of it. Liz had survived being swallowed by dragons, so I was sure she could shake off being eaten by a treasure chest. As for Tino, she would just have to do her best!
So what is this thing?
I looked at the man-eating treasure chest that was pretending to be a very normal treasure chest. I was aware of monsters that could disguise themselves as treasure chests, but I didn’t think that someone like Liz, who had been through many gauntlets and developed quite a nose for danger, would be so easily fooled.
Calm down. Get a hold of yourself.
Not even my best would do us much good here, and there was a good chance Liz was still trying to break out.
“I-I’ll call someone. Someone who can destroy that thing. I’ll call Ark!”
“Oh!”
That was a good idea. But how was Eva calmer than I when I was supposed to be the one accustomed to crises? While keeping an eye fixed on the treasure chest, Eva moved towards the exit. Then, the moment she made a break for it, the chest closed the distance in an instant and ate her up. I felt like I might vomit.
“Shit. Am I dreaming? Wh-What a gluttonous treasure chest. How much does it hold?”
The treasure chest resumed its state of disguise.
You’re not fooling me. Not one bit! I have no idea what I’m going to do if Ark ends up getting devoured. Heck, how is this thing’s capacity clearly greater than its size?
That was when Lyle’s party entered the lounge.
“Agh, when did Krai get here? What’s that chest over there? Augh!”
Before I could say anything, the chest flew at them and swallowed the whole lot of them in one bite. What incredible capacity!
Why? They weren’t even running. Oh man, is it trying to erase any witnesses?
It was all my fault. All because I had been drawn in by the allure of wanting to look cool.
“Oh my, Krai, what are you doing here all by—”
“What’s this treasu— Ack!”
Marietta and Sven were both eaten upon arrival. I no longer knew what was what. This was a terrifying thing if it could eat a Level 6 hunter like it was nothing. When I thought about it, I realized that everyone was getting eaten while their attention was on me. If they had the state of mind they took when raiding treasure vaults, I was sure this wouldn’t be happening.
Maybe I should just let myself get eaten right off the bat?
Of course this happened after I had returned the Sounding Stone. Since I was planning to spend the day shut in my room, I didn’t have any Relics on me. Though I’m not sure I could’ve handled this even if I had any Relic of my choosing!
“If you’re so voracious, you should just have a chocolate bar...” I whispered, unsure what else I could do.
I can’t imagine humans taste very good.
The next moment, the treasure chest leaped forward, landing right in front of me. Startled, I took a step back. And the chest did nothing. I had stopped moving out of sheer resignation, but after a few moments, the chest still hadn’t done anything. After gobbling up Liz and everyone else, was this thing really not going to eat me? Was it a gourmet?
God, to think this thing too heavy for me to lift, yet could move like a snake and hit the ground without making a sound. That sort of stealth horrified me.
Wait, hold on.
My eyes opened wide. I took a deep breath and made up my mind. I gently touched the lid of the chest, opened it just slightly, slipped a chocolate bar through the gap, then closed it again. For something so heavy, its lid was pretty light. Even I could lift it.
“I could hardly ask for a better treasure chest. Large capacity, silent, automated functions. I suppose it’s also perfectly secure?”
The treasure chest didn’t respond. How could it? It was a treasure chest after all. It couldn’t talk for the same reasons the Carpet couldn’t.
One of the most famous Relics was the Magic Bag, a bag that held much more than its appearance suggested. I had just one, and it was only capable of holding specific items, but these bags were rare, coveted, and very useful. Magic Bags were the sort of Relics where, even though one that could store anything would sell for upwards of a hundred million, they rarely made their way onto the market.
Thinking about that, I came to understand how this chest so easily got the jump on Liz. It was because this wasn’t a monster or a phantom. It wasn’t a monster or a phantom, so she deferred to my judgment.
Are there Magic Bags that can hold living creatures?
Once again, I opened the lid. Inside was impenetrable darkness. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been much research into what went on inside Magic Bags. This was in part because they usually couldn’t hold life-forms.
I thrust my hand into the darkness and retrieved the chocolate bar I had put in moments earlier. There were some junk items that didn’t let you remove what you had put in, but it appeared this chest wasn’t one of those. My Carpet, who spent his days indulging in debauchery with his girlfriend carpets, could learn a thing or two from this chest.
“I can add and remove as I please. Perfect.”
With a slight snap, I bit off a bit of the chocolate bar and savored the sweet sensation. I started craving some tea when I came to my senses. I didn’t need a chest that could swallow thieves and assailants!
I threw my arm into the chest.
“Eva. I want Eva. I want Eva...”
My fingertips came in contact with something soft and warm. I tightened my grip and pulled with all my might. Exiting the darkness, Eva popped into sight. Confused, she just sat on the floor until she eventually came to understand the situation and let out a deep sigh. Eva with her glasses crooked was a very rare sight.
“I-I thought I was going to die. It was pitch black, and I had no clue which direction was which.”
Thank goodness she’s alive.
It seemed her memories were also intact. It was probably some function of the chest that allowed me to fish her out all by myself. What a quality item.
Eva must’ve been scared, as I noticed tears at the corners of her eyes.
“It’s a Magic Bag, so there’s no way you would’ve died.”
“This is a Magic Bag?! Really?!” She ran up to me. “Y-You should have said so! I was incredibly scared!”
I guess she had regained her strength. I let out an internal sigh of relief as I apologized to her. I had also been incredibly scared. Liz and the others were hunters, but Eva was just a clan employee. With so much less mana material (among other things), that must’ve been a nightmare. Even the Safety Ring I gave her probably wouldn’t have been much use!
Did the chest not eat me because it saw the church give it to me? Or is it because I complimented it? A real opportunist, this one.
I took a deep breath and muttered a certain name as I stuck my arm in the chest.
“I want Liz. I want Liz...”
After learning what had happened, Sven let out a groan. “I get it now. J-Just more of your antics...”