Chapter 28
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#28.
From time immemorial, merchandise has been the very barometer of a Spirit Enthusiast's devotion.
I smiled wickedly, having prepared my trump card to capture the heart of Spirit Enthusiast Henry Corner.
Behold—Spirit merchandise!
Before me lay a fossil I had manipulated together with the Spirits.
"Don't you have anything else? No matter how I look at it, this just looks like a bear's paw print."
I tapped the stone imprinted with the footprint and pressed the Spirits for answers. They circled around me, speaking.
— No, that's wrong. The glittering powder there is our trace! Don't compare us to bears!
"Then sprinkle more of that sparkle on it. It needs to look convincing."
The world I came from was a place where craftsmen possessed the skill to make the false seem more real than reality itself.
After all, deception comes easiest when appearances are convincing.
No matter how much the Spirits insisted this was genuinely their trace, if it didn't show, Henry Corner would never believe it.
When I made such unreasonable demands like a ruffian, the Spirits fluttered their wings and displayed their displeasure.
— Why? Why don't you just have us materialize and bury ourselves in mud?
"Oh? You can do that?"
— That's too much!
— Don't say such harsh things with that pretty mouth!
— Red hair and blue eyes, and yet you're like this?
The Spirits pleaded in trembling voices.
I couldn't fathom why red hair and blue eyes were relevant to their complaint, but I figured it must be a Spirit preference.
Since they'd genuinely taken offense to what I'd said half in jest, I laughed awkwardly.
"I was only joking. By now, Henry Corner should have heard the news, don't you think?"
I had deliberately spread rumors through Shuri and Vivian, so he should have learned of it by now.
If so, I needed to provide him an opportunity to meet me.
If I remained confined to the Hotel, it would be difficult for Henry to approach me.
While Arkid was away meeting with the administrator of the Evis Mine, I planned to venture into the City Center under the pretense of restlessness.
By creating several regular outings like this, I calculated that Henry would be able to encounter me at the right moment.
And indeed, on my third venture out, Henry, having taken the bait, came seeking me.
"Pardon me, are you the Grand Duchess?"
A man approached me while I was browsing goods in a General Store.
His shabby appearance caused my escort Knight to block him and create distance. Then Henry spoke.
"I, I'm absolutely not a suspicious person! I merely wished to ask the Grand Duchess something...."
Henry's face bore urgency as he was dragged away by the Knight.
I gestured to the Knights to stop and ordered them to bring him before me. He then released a sigh of relief and stood in front of me.
"Who are you?"
"Ah, I am Henry Corner of Baron Corner's House. I assure you I'm not a suspicious person, Grand Duchess."
"You approach suspiciously and then claim you're not suspicious—how am I supposed to believe that?"
At my cold response, Henry floundered, his eyes darting about.
"Well, Baron Corner's House does sound somewhat familiar."
As I displayed a slightly softened demeanor, Henry brightened and explained various matters about his family.
It was an act that revealed the certainty of my identity. I listened quietly to it all before posing a question.
"So, what was your reason for wanting to meet me?"
"Well... it may be presumptuous, but I recently heard you discovered a Spirit fossil. Would it be possible for me to see it?"
"My, has word of it spread so quickly already?"
When I responded with feigned innocence, Henry continued while nodding his head.
"The truth is, I have a great interest in Spirits. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd very much like to examine it."
"Too much trouble?"
"Ah."
Henry's lips parted as though he hadn't anticipated such a response. I crossed my arms and spoke.
"It's hardly proper etiquette to demand to see something without offering anything in return."
"I apologize. I'm afraid I don't have anything suitable to offer you at this moment..."
Henry began rummaging through his wallet to retrieve gold coins. In that instant, I spotted the very object I'd been eyeing.
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"That pocket watch at your waist right now. Give me that, and I'll show you the fossil. I'm even open to negotiating a trade."
"You... truly mean it?"
Henry's face brightened as he unfastened the pocket watch from his waist. It was a compass of his own creation.
It was a magical artifact designed to chime whenever it detected land blessed by Spirit power—an invention that had even received a patent from the Imperial Court.
In the novel, it played a decisive role in proving that Spirit protection had been bestowed. I pointed directly at the pocket watch with my finger and spoke.
"Yes, that one. As it happens, I've been needing a watch. You don't look particularly flush with funds anyway, so that should suffice."
As I spoke with an air of benevolence, Henry hesitated and murmured.
"Ah, if that's the case, I should give you a different watch instead. This one isn't an ordinary timepiece for telling the hour."
Such an unnecessarily virtuous person!
It seemed he couldn't bear the thought of giving a fake watch to the young Grand Duchess, no matter how urgent the circumstances.
I suddenly grabbed Henry's wrist as he tried to fasten the watch back to his waist.
"What kind of person gives something and then takes it back?"
"Pardon? But I haven't actually given it to you yet..."
"I like it. I've been searching for a watch with this particular design for ages without any luck."
As I spoke stubbornly, Henry explained calmly.
"As I mentioned just now, this isn't a watch meant for telling time."
"Then what is it?"
"It's a sort of detector that identifies land blessed by Spirit protection. If you press this button here..."
Ding-ding-ding!
When Henry pressed the watch's button, it suddenly chimed. Henry jumped in surprise and glanced around nervously.
I too widened my eyes, not having expected him to press the button so suddenly.
That watch was a tool for alerting one to the presence of nearby Spirits and a detector for discovering traces of them.
With such a watch suddenly sounding an alarm, Henry appeared quite flustered.
But that was only momentary. Henry assumed the watch had malfunctioned and muttered to himself. For someone who knew the truth, it was simply amusing.
"Huh? Why did it suddenly chime? Is it broken?"
It's not broken.
Spirits are fluttering about beside you.
I glanced at the swarm of butterflies hovering curiously around the watch beside Henry, their delicate wings catching the light. The Spirits circled the timepiece, their laughter tinkling like bells.
― How fascinating. There's Delus flower pollen inside the watch. Or wait—is it dried flowers ground into powder?
― Mmm, it looks delicious! I wonder what powdered Delus flowers taste like?
Abandon any notion that Spirits possess purity. They are beings defined solely by their gluttony and endless chatter.
The reasons the Spirits lingered near Henry were far from innocent, but I chose to overlook it for now.
I toggled the button repeatedly on and off, watching Henry's bewildered expression, then spoke.
"So will you give it to me, or just talk about it? I'm not nearly idle enough for games, young master of Baron Corner's House."
"Ah, understood. I'll give it to you."
Henry switched off the button and handed me the watch. It seemed he'd finally resolved to simply give it to me rather than endure any further pestering.
I swiftly pocketed it. For him, with the blueprints in hand, it was merely another watch to recreate—but for me, it was an invaluable tool.
"Good. Follow me."
Once I'd secured the watch safely and turned to walk, Henry fell into step behind me.
During our journey by carriage, Henry seemed anxious, repeatedly wiping his hands on his handkerchief.
Understandable, really—we were heading toward traces of beings we'd searched for over such a long time. I regarded him calmly and spoke without inflection.
"You seem quite interested in Spirits, judging by the fact that you carry such a watch."
"Ah, actually, that watch is an invention I created myself. It's a device that reveals the location of Spirits."
"If that were true, it wouldn't go off at random moments."
"Ah."
"Then what's this powder inside the watch? The color is quite unusual."
Even though the Spirits had mentioned it was dried Delus flowers, I feigned ignorance and asked.
As I showed interest in his invention, Henry's eyes brightened and he began to explain eagerly.
"Ah, that's dried Delus flower. According to records I discovered, Spirits are fond of flowers. Since the appearance resembles Delus flowers, I utilized that flower to create the watch."
Watching him speak with such enthusiasm, my eyes widened in surprise.
"Delus flower pollen? You're telling me this is Delus flower?"
"Yes. The records stated that the flower was tinted with rainbow hues. They also mentioned it displays remarkable vitality even in cold conditions."
"That's strange. If what you say is true, why haven't I experienced any allergic reaction? I should have had symptoms the moment I touched the watch."
At my casual murmur, Henry asked with a puzzled expression.
"An allergic reaction?"
"The truth is, I have an allergy to Delus flowers. Since it happens to be the symbol of the Grand Duchy, it's caused me considerable inconvenience."
I sighed heavily as I spoke. Henry appeared flustered and at a loss.
It seemed he was worried that he'd inadvertently put me in danger.
But my reason for bringing this up wasn't to burden him with guilt.
Rather, it was a pretext to keep him close to my side. I let my brow droop slightly as I continued.
"Moreover, this time Delus flowers suddenly bloomed in the Mine and then vanished just as mysteriously—such an inexplicable phenomenon makes me cautious about venturing outside."
At these words, Henry's pupils gleamed. I had him hooked.
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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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