"Should we take these scales on the ground?"
Rudeus pointed at the scales the Hydra had left on the ground and asked Radeus.
The vast palace no longer resembled its former self. Broken pillars, scorched earth, gold melted into lumps-traces of fire were everywhere.
"Take them. Take whatever treasure hasn't been burned away, too, though there's not much left!"
Radeus looked around. The dazzling array of treasures that had once been piled into little mountains was now reduced to a meager handful.
It really was a pity, but the thought that he still had the Shirone Kingdom as his backyard made it a little less painful.
"All right!"
Rudeus nodded and picked up the scales at his feet.
The scales felt heavy in his hand, their edges gleaming with a cold, dim light. Their appearance alone made it clear they were worth a fortune.
Mahoraga also went through every corner of the palace, picking up everything that was still reasonably intact.
The sight of the fifteen-meter-tall behemoth crouching in the ruins and rummaging around was rather comical, but it searched with utmost care, not even passing over half a gold ingot.
These things could not go into Shadow Space, or a certain Goddess would most likely eat them. They could only carry them out.
"That's everything, right?"
Radeus asked, looking at the small pile of treasure in Mahoraga's hands.
"Yes, master. There's nothing left!"
Mahoraga nodded, its manner deeply respectful.
"Then let's go!"
The two of them and Mahoraga took the Teleportation Circle out of the sixth-floor palace and returned to the hidden chamber on the fifth floor.
At that moment, beside the Teleportation Circle in the hidden chamber, Elinalise was checking Zenith's physical condition.
The others stood in small groups, none of them speaking.
Every so often, everyone's gaze