Requiem Of A Failed Hero

"Whassup man? How are you? I heard from Elijah that you were in a pretty bad shape yesterday but you look very fine to me."

The attendant said as Raith entered Eleanor's shop.

Mael was a close friend of Raith. In fact, the first friend he made when he entered Cavanaugh.

The young guy looks had a nature of pulling people closer to him, he just wouldn't stop smiling despite the situation. His Bob cut and bright eyes gave him the look of a young person but Raith was only one year older than him.

"Forget about that."

Raith responded as he reached the counter and sat on the stool.

"Well, something good must have happened because you look very good, although these clothes seem to be getting smaller for you."

"Uh?"

What Mael just said alerted Raith.

There's no way he's clothes would be small, they were the clothes he just bought recently before being banished from the house after four years of his archon trial.

"That can't be."

He stepped down the sitting stool and realized the tip of his pants was not even touching his ankle and left the space between it and his brown loafers exposed.

"You are right."

He muttered in response to Mael.

'Did I get taller?'

He wondered for a while before finally taking his seat again and leaning towards the counter. Mael also leaned towards him.

"What?"

"I have some things I want to sell."

"Well, you can always sell anything. Why are you acting so sus?"

"The thing is... they are extremely rare things. Like very rare and I want this to be between us."

Mael retracted his body from his leaning position and inspected Raith with his gaze.

"What are you up to Raven Raith."

Raith removed the black backpack and placed it on the table.

"I was chanced to discover some items in the mountain yesterday and I think they are cool. Can you like... help me appraise them and tell me how much they are worth?"

Raith unzipped the bag as he suggested in whispers to Mael.

"Come on, Man. You know I can't use the shop's equipment for personal reasons."

"Shuuu..."

Raith silenced him and instructed him to look into the backpack with his passionate stare.

Mael every time has proved to be incapable of turning Raith down anytime he asked for a favor.

He sighed and looked into the backpack

"Oh shit!"

He jolted back in shock. Even he could recognize the glittering of silver.

"What?"

Raith asked dazed, he wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from just looking.

Looking was supposed to make Mael want to help him since the items were in fine shape even if they were centuries old.

"What do you mean 'what?' Dude don't tell me you don't know that this is silver?!"

"Yes it is?"

"Man... we are not just talking about any kind of metal. We are talking about one of the rarest metals in the entire world. High rankers would pay millions to obtain it because when reinforced by even a blacksmith with basic skills, they are durability is crazy man, like very crazy."

"Ah... I see"

'So it was this valuable.'

"Damn, I forgot you used to be a damned noble who had everything he needed. Well, welcome to our world man... but where did you get this?"

He asked peeking into the bag again after burying his face in his palm.

"I told you... in the mountains. Yesterday."

He paused and stared at Raith.

"Then why didn't you sell them yesterday?"

'Right, why didn't I sell them yesterday...'

Raith avoided his gaze with a pretentious giggle.

"Well, you see... ah, that damn Elijah, how can I trust him."

He responded just in time to save his lie.

Mael, gaze was still on him after his convincing response.

"Hm, I'm sure with something like this, there will be a lot of story surrounding it. I just hope it's not stolen because only high-level heroes can possess something like this and if they catch you. Both our heads will be flying off our necks. Follow me"

He said, carelessly lifting the backpack, immediately the weight of it pulled him down, staggering him forward a step.

"What the– this shit is no joke if it is this heavy."

He commented while adjusting his posture and lifting the bag well.

Raith walked hastily to the end of the counter and entered the lonely brown door on the broad wall of the shop's reception.

...

(Inside, the room behind the counter)

The room's interior was painted white and orderly a table and chair to the left corner of the wall opposite the door, and adjacent to the table and chair was a shelf around four feet tall which housed few books. Other stuff that was situated around the room was covered by a big white sheet.

"Hey man. Don't touch anything or I will kill you."

Mael warned him as he removed the white sheet from a tall machine.

The base of the machine was like a mini refrigerator and from the base several black wires and rods connected to a monitor.

"Wow. What is this?"

Almost everything about the machine amazed Raith who had never encountered something like this.

"Damn ex-noble, this is a gradiometer."

"Gradiometer?"

"Like it is used to measure the grade of items. When items are created by craftsman-type heroes, this can also determine the grade, although it is pretty much useless since a hero with an appraisal skill can do all the work. But the associations still make use of it, but a larger one though... this one is just mid."

He educated Raith briefly and opened the bag, first bringing out the helm.

"Damn, man. This shit is heavy. I can tell even by this alone that it will definitely be a high grade. Maybe rare or unique."

Raith kept quiet while Mael put the helm into the base of the device and closed it. He pressed a few buttons on the base after closing it then awaited the monitor which had on it:

[Processing...]

They waited a few more minutes in silence and at last.

[Item grade is not within registered grades]

[Grade cannot be determined]

Mael's jaw dropped.

"What?"

Raith asked, concerned.

"Bro! This machine is supposed to be able to measure at most a legendary-grade item. But it says '...not within the registered grade?' Raven, did you really steal this? If I die–

"Maybe it's broken?"

Raith suggested kicking the base of the machine in different areas.

Mael who was still rambling pulled him away and bit him on his leg.

"Ouuuu!!"

"Are you crazy?!! Do you want to get me fired?"

"What the actual fuck Mael."

"Okay, okay, let's calm down."

He said with a brief and deep inhale and exhale moment.

"You are the one that needs to calm down."

Raith muttered, turning his face to the side –away from Mael.

"What are we going to do about this then? Should we try the rest?"

"The rest are made of silver too... I don't know about this claw weapon though."

He said examining the claw weapon.

'When did you even bring that out?'

He put the claw weapon and repeated the same action.

[Processing]

They patiently waited —but this time Mael couldn't help his frequent foot taps, he seemed to be waiting anxiously instead.

[Grade of the item has been determined]

"Yes!"

He threw his hands in the hair and retracted them immediately with a clenched fist and a big smile on his face, a jubilation as though he had scored a goal.

'It's not even his...'

[The item is a legendary grade]

[Other information about the item cannot be determined]

"What the actual fuck!–