DBOFS 19

Chapter 19

“My goodness, if that’s the ‘Tear of the Black Mermaid’…!”

“Yes. A holy relic still imbued with divinity thanks to the blessing of the First Saintess.”

Gasp. Admiring sighs erupted from all around. Someone murmured,

“I heard the rumors that it went missing were false, and that the temple secretly had the real one…”

“That’s a lie,”

Duros said with a triumphant expression.

“The temple never had the real one.”

“What? Are you saying the temple spread false rumors?!”

“Yes. If they truly possessed the real thing, then why is there not a single person who has seen it?”

Wow. I crossed my arms in admiration. This bastard sure talks well.

“This ‘Tear of the Black Mermaid’ is an item we managed to recover through great effort in the southern desert. Those damned barbarians stole it after the Great War!”

Duros cried out with a determined expression.

“How could we let a relic of the Empire remain in the hands of savages? Our merchant group dedicated all of our wealth and resources to retrieve the ‘Tear of the Black Mermaid’!”

It was a passionate speech. If this were an election, it might have deserved a round of applause.

“All to present the most magnificent treasure to Your Grace!”

“So,”

But the former Duke—the actual audience of this speech—still wore an indifferent face.

“How much do you want?”

It was a clear indication to skip the rambling and get to the point. Duros bowed his head as if waiting for this moment and said,

“The labor and assets we poured in were considerable… We believe a minimum of 10 billion marks would be appropriate.”

10 billion marks! The amount was so outrageous that no one could even gasp. They just stood there, mouths agape.

“If it’s genuine, fine,”

The former Duke responded plainly, in contrast to the shocked crowd.

Judging by his reaction, the historical significance of the necklace, which supposedly belonged to Empress Aeyaas, and its value as a sacred relic were enough for him to consider it worthwhile.

“Wow, that’s crazy.”

I let out a dry laugh and muttered to myself. That thing’s totally fake.

“…What did you say?”

The once-noisy room had gone quiet. The former Duke’s voice rang in my ears.

‘Ah, did I say that out loud?’

All eyes were now on me.

Even better. I smiled sweetly at the former Duke, who was finally looking directly at me.

“That thing’s a fake.”

The heated air immediately froze. Every gaze in the room turned to me, filled with shock, suspicion, anger, and mockery.

“Jade.”

Among them, only Harris’s strawberry-colored eyes held even a flicker of concern.

Also a hint of disapproval.

‘Did Harris catch on too?’

Well, Harris is a genius. Maybe he noticed something. After all, this isn’t an ordinary forgery.

But he didn’t say anything, even after I spoke.

‘Well, I guess any affection he had left must’ve disappeared after his dear grandfather treated him so coldly.’

Still, Harris was too calm for someone who was just upset.

Sure, he’d shown emotion when the former Duke refused to greet me earlier, but he remained silent when he himself was ignored.

‘…Maybe he expected this.’

It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The former Duke Godwin had ignored the fact that Harris lost his position as heir under the pretense of illness, and even when Harris was imprisoned in a dungeon, he turned a blind eye.

Given his level of intelligence and proximity to the territory where Harris was locked away, there’s no way he didn’t know.

‘Bastard. Like father, like son—scum breeds scum.’

So Harris probably had no expectations of his grandfather.

‘Whatever you’re hoping for, it’d be better to let it go.’

When the former Duke called for him earlier, Harris said he was only here because I had fainted from a fever, and that he had no intention of going along with my plan.

‘Should I be relieved that I fainted?’

Or should I say it was for the best—forcing him to realize even his grandfather had abandoned him?

‘Maybe it would’ve been better if he were angry.’

But I was the one fuming. How dare they treat my Harris like this!

At first, I was worried he’d snap and destroy everything, but now, this awkward situation seemed like the better option.

“Is that true?”

“Pardon?”

When I looked away from Harris, the former Duke’s purple eyes were burning with intensity as he stared at me.

Definitely Harris’s grandfather. Most people would be trembling in fear right now.

But I’m the same girl who talks back to Harris, remember?

“Oh, yes. It’s absolutely fake.”

At my calm answer, his piercing gaze turned to the merchant Duros. The tension escalated as Duros quickly knelt and denied it.

“N-no! I swear on my merchant guild, it’s not—!”

The former Duke simply raised a hand. The aide next to him immediately clamped a hand over Duros’s mouth.

“Mmph!”

As if no one could speak unless granted permission.

“Can you prove it?”

His face clearly said, ‘If you can’t, it’s your turn next.’

“If you’re lying, I’ll rip that wicked mouth of yours apart.”

Sching—!

The knights waiting silently in the room all drew their swords in unison.

Whoa, that’s terrifying.

I let out a short laugh and asked,

“And if I’m right, what will you give me?”

“How dare you! There’s a limit to insolence…!”

Enraged by my question, the tip of the sword was now pointed directly at me.

“Enough.”

Harris’s voice was ice-cold. From his shadow, black magical energy snaked out like tendrils and twisted the weapons out of the knights’ grips.

“……!”

“Grr…!”

Crack—

The knights gritted their teeth, resisting the force, but their swords trembled as if they were about to be ripped away.

“Harris.”

I whispered as I placed a hand on his shoulder.

Of course, I’m grateful he’s standing up for me. But…

‘If Harris loses his temper and destroys everything, it’ll only benefit that scumbag Duke Godwin.’

Surely Harris knows this.

“….”

Perhaps that’s why, even though he looked incredibly solemn, Harris withdrew his power the moment I stopped him.

“…Urgh!”

But when he released it all at once, the knights stumbled, unable to regain their balance immediately.

Though they quickly corrected their posture like well-trained warriors, the brief loss of control was clearly humiliating.

‘Ha. Serves you right.’

Lately, I’m starting to think red is becoming my favorite color.

“You dare use your powers in front of me?!”

The former Duke barked, but Harris fired back without hesitation.

“And who threatened my Guide while I stood right here?”

“You little…!”

Uh-oh, this might turn into a grandfather-grandson brawl.

“His Grace has agreed to give the merchant 10 billion marks in exchange for the ‘Tear of the Black Mermaid.’”

I stepped in front of Harris and pointed at the necklace.

“Then surely the value of my words, which challenge the authenticity of that necklace, is worth just as much.”

“Nonsense! How can your forked tongue be worth that—!”

The Duke’s retainer couldn’t hold back, but—

“Silence.”

“….”

The moment Harris’s red eyes turned toward him, the man went quiet. That’s the presence of an S-rank esper for you!

“So, Your Grace, what will you offer in return? If I’m wrong, you said you’d tear my mouth apart. What will you place on the other side of the scale?”

“….”

The former Duke Godwin’s face grew darker with every second. An invisible pressure seemed to crush me.

“Ugh!”

“H-hah…”

Even the retainers around the room were pale and breathless.

‘Okay, this really is suffocating.’

Is this what “killing intent” feels like? Still, I’m the one who almost died from Harris’s rampage on the day I transmigrated.

Not to mention, I survived a monster outbreak and a castle-destroying battle.

‘You think something like this is going to make me back down?’

I’ve basically developed fear resistance at this point.

“Your Grace?”

I tapped my lips meaningfully and asked,

“What will you stake?”

Tilting my head like a scale with hands outstretched, the Duke let out a scoff and twisted his face.

“Fine. What do you want?”

“…!”

“Your Grace!”

“I want your word. Promise me, and swear it on the name of Godwin.”

The moment I said “swear on the name of Godwin,” the retainers burst out in protest like they were having seizures.

“H-how dare you!”

“That arrogant wench—!”

“Shut your mouths!”

Harris growled fiercely, and silence fell over the room.

The former Duke glanced at Harris and said,

“Fine.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

I didn’t drag it out. I pointed at the Duke’s aide.

The aide looked baffled—‘Why me?’—but came closer after the Duke nodded.

I whispered quietly into his ear,

“…You have it, don’t you?”

“We do, but… what does that have to do with anything…?”

I just smiled in reply, and the aide left the room.

“There are a few reasons I suspected the necklace.”

I brushed my fingers over the dazzling necklace.

“First, Empress Aeyaas’s necklace was lost during the Great War.”

My fangirling over <Shicheon-Gwi> was about to shine. Just as my fingers touched the black pearl, Duros flinched.

“Something that disappeared in that chaotic era couldn’t possibly look this pristine today.”

Duros immediately retorted.

“That’s not true! Even barbaric tribes would’ve treated such a valuable item with care!”

Getting flustered, he quickly added under the Duke’s glare,

“O-of course, a few gems and bits of gold were slightly discolored, so we made some minor restorations… But that’s normal for any recovered artifact!”

Technically, he wasn’t wrong.

But usually, treasures like this are broken down and sold piece by piece. If it’s a historic item, replacing the original gems reduces its value significantly.

And Duros hadn’t disclosed that in advance.

That’s deception.