Chapter 17
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How to Survive as the Villain's Younger Sister
Episode 17
In my past life, I never possessed such an item.
That's why my existence was so arduous.
I couldn't fathom why I could use an artifact from my previous life now.
'First, I should examine the map!'
The Parkision Territory was etched upon the map like a painting.
Countless red flags dotted its surface like stars.
'Huh?'
Something felt amiss.
'With this many treasures scattered about, the Parkision Ducal House claims poverty?'
Why hadn't they excavated these treasures from the beginning?
It made no sense.
'Wait? There's text written on the flags?'
I began reading the inscriptions on the flags.
[Ancient Relic – Water Bowl (D-Rank)]
- A dog's water bowl from five hundred years ago
- Possesses some value, though excavation costs would exceed its worth
[Mirror of a Wealthy Man from a Century Past (F-Rank)]
- An artisan's mirror adorned with various jewels
- Notable detail: The mirror shattered during a marital dispute
The item name "Gold Rush" was utterly misleading for such worthless relics.
This isn't what I'm searching for!
There must be treasures worthy of a fortune!
'No wonder the house was destitute....'
As I sighed, a solitary flag of deep black caught my eye.
It was planted in the basement of the Parkision Duke's Mansion itself.
'A different color standing alone? There's definitely something here!'
My intuition stirred with promise.
I hastily read the description inscribed upon the flag.
[Masterless Sovereign's Territory (Legendary-Rank)]
- A territory housing the treasured collections of a mythical-age sovereign
- Warning: Restricted access zone. No liability for death upon entry.
And I immediately retracted my previous sentiment.
Promise? What promise was there!
My soaring expectations came crashing down.
Had the heavens truly abandoned this Ducal House?
Despair consumed me.
'I'll watch the family crumble before my sister kills me.'
I turned my attention to the remaining flags.
Flags bearing identical inscriptions were planted haphazardly across the terrain.
But I hadn't examined them all until the end, precisely because of where these flags were positioned.
'They're all planted on barren farmland.'
Mostly wasteland.
Even the fields that were actually cultivated yielded pitiful harvests.
'There's no way a jackpot item could be in a place like this.'
I'd be grateful if nothing emerged but trash masquerading as relics.
I read the flags without much expectation.
['Night Spirit Stone' Burial Site (SSS-Rank)]
- A location where the highest-grade spirit stone created by a fallen spirit lies buried.
- A relatively recently formed mine that has never been excavated.
- Finders keepers, as they say!
"!"
Night Spirit Stone!
My small mouth fell open in shock.
It was literally a spirit stone created by a fallen spirit.
Ordinary spirits possess the attribute of light.
They are fundamentally benevolent and nature-affine beings.
But when a spirit falls for some reason, it acquires the attribute of darkness.
Spirit stones are no different.
Ordinary spirit stones revive surrounding natural materials.
Moreover, they serve as energy sources like mana stones and are used for purification and medicinal purposes.
Conversely, Night Spirit Stones absorb the vitality from their surroundings and grow stronger.
Their effects are far more potent than ordinary spirit stones.
'In other words, Night Spirit Stones are incredibly valuable items!'
It's rare for spirits to fall in the first place.
'Either they suffer something truly terrible and become corrupted, or they were inherently wicked spirits that succumbed to evil.'
I knew of two examples.
Both were uncommon cases.
Therefore, Night Spirit Stones command whatever price one asks.
'Which means we have one in our territory!'
That's why the land was so barren.
The Night Spirit Stone had drained all the vitality from the farmland!
'If I just excavate the Night Spirit Stone, I can earn money by selling it, and I can also revive the soil that's lost its vitality!'
This is truly a windfall!
The problem was how to convey this discovery to Alexis....
* * *
"I love digging! Can I dig really, really deep?"
"If you wish."
Alexis answered reluctantly.
Beyond the mansion, to the north lay a desolate wasteland.
'That's one of the places where Night Spirit Stones are buried.'
If I suddenly claimed there was a Night Spirit Stone beneath the wasteland, they'd grow suspicious.
'So I'll have to dig it up and show them myself.'
Though I'll need to dig quite deep.
But I have the item 'Pickaxe of Desire (Lv. 1)'!
Having obtained the location of the Night Spirit Stone deposit, I scurried to the desk and retrieved paper and pen.
"Since we made a promise, let's draw up a contract."
"A contract?"
One of Alexis's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"You want me to guarantee that I'll give you the wasteland north of the mansion?"
I nodded.
"Yes! That's all I need. I promise I won't take anything else."
Upon hearing those words, the sharp edge in Alexis's demeanor vanished.
Dain asked in a bewildered voice.
"Miss, do you understand what you just said? You're about to write a renunciation of inheritance."
I nodded with a confident expression, as if to say 'I know all about it.'
"Yes! Since Sister promised to give me the land, I'm promising Sister that I'll only receive that from her."
"You don't need to write a renunciation agreement."
Alexis, who had been silent, spoke.
"Besides, you're the second child—you have no inheritance to claim. I'll give you the wasteland, so don't bother with unnecessary contracts."
I was taken aback.
'I thought she'd be pleased if I offered to write a renunciation!'
Neither Alexis nor Dain seemed particularly willing.
I hesitated, then spoke honestly.
"But if we don't write this, Uncle will bother Sister again."
"Is that what worries you?"
"Yes. I'm afraid of Uncle. I don't want to see him."
I spoke with my head bowed low.
A sigh escaped from above my head.
"Fine. Then we'll write the agreement."
* * *
I gazed blankly at the vast expanse of blackened earth.
My inheritance from Alexis.
The wasteland north of the mansion.
'There's truly nothing here. Not a single blade of grass.'
There weren't even insects.
'They must have spat and fled too.'
Dead earth devoid of any trace of life.
'Even if the soil's fertility is exhausted, life returns when the land is allowed to rest.'
The land here could not be otherwise.
Black spirit stones buried beneath the ground were draining the earth's vitality.
'Since those spirit stones are scattered throughout the territory, the land has no choice but to be barren!'
As a result, the territory perpetually suffered from grain shortages.
The Parkision Ducal House spent enormous sums importing grain each time.
The Imperial Palace and other nobles used this as leverage to pressure the Parkision Ducal House.
The territorial residents starved to death constantly.
Even in the original story, this problem was never resolved.
'I need to find the night spirit stone quickly and return.'
I had slipped away from the new handmaidens under the pretense of taking an afternoon nap.
I pulled out the 'Pickaxe of Desire' from my inventory.
'Oh!'
It was large and menacing in appearance, and quite heavy.
[Pickaxe of Desire. (Lv. 1)]
- Grows stronger the more it's used (0/100)
- Finds treasures with remarkable precision.
- Currently Level 1. Can mine pretty stones.
"Huh?"
Pretty stones?
What I need to find are spirit stones!
'Is this actually a good item?'
It seemed I would need to level it up to find spirit stones.
'That (0/100) indicator. I'll need to fill it by swinging the pickaxe 100 times, right?'
Reincarnated as the youngest daughter of the Parkision Ducal House, and now I'm digging in a wasteland.
'What a rare experience this is....'
I resigned myself to my fate and gripped the pickaxe.
Clink!
"Yelp!"
But this thing was far too heavy.
Even though it was just dirt, it kept catching and wouldn't swing properly.
'Is this a defective item?'
I grumbled and jabbed at random spots.
Thunk, crack, thud!
'This is a scam!'
Frustrated, I hurled the pickaxe away.
In that instant, the flying pickaxe spun gracefully like an acrobatic feat before embedding itself softly into the ground.
"?"
Curious, I approached and grasped the pickaxe to pull it out.
Whoosh!
This time, the pickaxe came out remarkably smoothly.
Moreover, it was light as a feather, fitting perfectly in my grip.
I felt like King Arthur drawing Excalibur itself.
"What's happening?"
Suddenly, the item description came to mind.
[Finds the location of treasure with uncanny precision.]
Could there actually be 'treasure' beneath this spot?
My eyes gleamed as I began swinging the pickaxe with renewed vigor.
Unlike before, the earth where the pickaxe struck felt soft as gelatin.
* * *
Thunk!
[Pickaxe swing count: 97!]
Every time I struck the ground, a notification window appeared in the air above me.
I had already dug so deep that my small frame had vanished from sight.
Sweat poured down my face, and my cheeks flushed crimson with exertion.
[Pickaxe swing count: 98!]
[Pickaxe swing count: 99!]
[Pickaxe swing count: 100!]
[Congratulations! You now possess the 'Pickaxe of Greed (Lv. 3)'!]
- Pickaxe of Greed grows faster and stronger with each use (0/100)
- Can independently locate the finest treasures.
- Currently Level 3. Can mine spirit stones and precious gems.
- ※Automatic pickaxe swinging enabled!※
"Huff... huff... finally...!"
I hurled the pickaxe aside and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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