Interlude: Ripples
“A Prayer Ring?”
“What, you’re telling me the great Shadow Thief Sharururuun doesn’t know about such a treasure?”
In the fountain plaza, a bald man and a pretty small-town girl were conversing in whispers without looking at each other directly.
“Pippin! Don’t call me that in public.”
“C’mon, no one’s listening.”
Pippin waved off Sharururuun’s objection.
No one seemed to have noticed anyway. Their voices were masked by the sounds of the fountain, and they were both using “Ventriloquism” to speak without moving their lips.
“So what’s the story with this ring?”
“It’s a Sacred Treasure they were keeping hidden away in Parion Temple. Word is it’ll be on the auction block.”
Sharururuun remembered the rumor that Parion Temple had been involved in the chaos at the end of the year.
It made sense to her that they might have to give up one of their treasures as a result.
“And what about it? Surely you don’t wanna team up?”
“Heh, and if I said I did?”
Sharururuun’s eyebrows furrowed a little. “You, Pippin the Phantom? I wouldn’t believe it.”
“You give me far too much credit, madam,” Pippin said jokingly. “We might not stand a chance when it’s within the multilayered barriers of Parion Temple…but when it’s being transported to the auction house or during the sale, I’ll bet you could steal it easily, right?”
“Of course. That’s why they call me the Shadow Thief.”
Sharururuun stole a glance at Pippin’s face.
Noticing her, the man smirked.
“It’s being kept in the Dragonseal Chest, the one they say could trap even a dragon.”
“I’m amazed you know about all this…”
“Just one of my many talents.”
“Yeah, sure. So what’s the deal with the box?”
Knowing Pippin wouldn’t disclose his sources, Sharururuun pressed him to go on with the more important details.
“The Dragonseal Chest can’t be opened unless you know the proper sequence. If you try to break into it, the ring inside will vanish into another dimension.”
“You really think I’d be able to open a box like that?”
Sharururuun nipped that in the bud. She had confidence in her lock-picking and magic trap–disarming abilities, but even she didn’t think she could open some legendary treasure chest that could seal a dragon.
“Of course not. There’s this thing called the Dragon’s Eye, see. They say you can use it to figure out the proper sequence to open the Dragonseal Chest.”
“Isn’t that a royal treasure of some kingdom or other? What, you want me to go all the way there to get it?”
Pippin’s eyes twinkled mischievously at the girl’s reluctant frown.
“No need. As it happens, the Dragon’s Eye is in this very city right now.”
Knowing Pippin, Sharururuun was able to easily guess what came next. “What, the castle?”
“Heh-heh. See, this is why you’re my rival.”
“Well, that’s the only place the Phantom can’t get into, right?”
“It’s not that I can’t,” Pippin huffed. “I’d just be found out right away.”
“So you want me to go in and get it, huh?”
Pippin nodded confirmation.
“If you’re gonna send me running around like an errand girl, I’m assuming you’ve got a reward to make it worth my while, yeah?”
“Of course. I’ll get you elixirs, magic jewels made by Master Gemma, whatever you’d like.”
“I don’t need either of those. All I ask is for you to help me out with a job in return. It’s simple, really, just retrieving one person from an ever-so-slightly dangerous place. Should be a piece of cake for you, right?”
“Certainly. I’ll go to a demon lord cult’s base, a labyrinth, whatever you want.”
The pair exchanged the underground gesture for establishing a contract.
“Still, you have an awful lot of information. Did you know all this in advance?”
“Yeah, I happened to find out about it ten years ago now. I’ve been waiting for it to leave the temple ever since.”
“Uh-huh, right.”
Sharururuun sensed a darker past behind Pippin’s words, but she didn’t push him about it.
“All right, I’m counting on you to get that Dragon’s Eye. Before the auction begins, please.”
With that, Pippin abruptly vanished from her side.
“Please, eh? Not a word I’ve heard from him before.”
With that, Sharururuun peeled off her pretty-girl mask, her plain features vanishing into the crowd.
While the thieves were setting their plot into motion, the nobles and merchants had begun to make their moves as well.
In one duke’s home…
“A Prayer Ring…what a troublesome item.”
“Troublesome, sir?”
His right-hand man looked at the head of the family inquisitively.
“Indeed. If it falls into enemy hands, they may very well use it for ill, and yet, we would have little use for it if we acquire it ourselves.”
“Are you quite certain, sir? In my humble opinion, it is an excellent item for healing incurable illnesses, lifting curses, avoiding an accidental death, and so on and so forth.”
“Hmph, keeping a cure-all or an elixir on hand is plenty for the likes of illnesses and curses. Even death can be dealt with if one bargains with the right temple. A ring that grants wishes if one prays to the gods is too much power for human hands.”
The lord sighed.
“Then we shan’t be making a move to bid on it, sir?”
“…Alas, we cannot ignore it. It would be too dangerous if it falls into the hands of those fools in the west or some other riffraff. If only His Majesty takes an interest, then there will be little to worry about…”
With another sigh, the lord ordered his right-hand man to make preparations for bidding.
Meanwhile, in yet another duke’s home…
“A Prayer Ring, you say! We must win it, no matter what it takes!”
“But, sir, we have already spent the emergency funds of our royal capital manor on military action. And it would be quite difficult to have more transported in from our hometown…”
The duke’s aide cautioned his frothing master.
“Grrr… At this rate, it will fall to that old bastard in the east.” He scowled and muttered, “We must prevent that much at the very least…”
The aide watched quietly as the duke began plotting away.
“I simply must have it! I shall prove to the world that ours is the greatest company in the royal capital!”
An elderly merchant, wizened as a dead tree, slammed his hands on a heavy desk.
This old mercantile was one of the very top competitors in the royal capital.
“B-but, Grandfather… Such a valuable item is sure to catch the eyes of the pedigreed nobles—no, perhaps even His Majesty the king will bid on it, will he not?”
“Harrumph! Have you knotholes for eyes, boy? The kingdom has only just built several massive airships, to say nothing of the recent demon attacks. There can only be so much wealth remaining in the royal treasure troves. No, the real problem is the feudal lords and viceroys…”
The old merchant sneered.
“…But the lords are of no consequence. Duke Ougoch suffered a demon lord revival and an attack from the giant monster fish Tobkezerra. Never mind Duke Vistall, under threat of civil war from his own son. Marquis Ganika is beset by pirates and monsters, and Marquis Eluette is too reliable to go after such a thing. Some of the counts might try for it, but their assets in the royal capital will be far more limited than in their own realms.”
The merchant’s grandson nodded meekly.
“Few of the pedigreed nobles have enough cash on hand to compete. But we mustn’t discount the viceroys, especially Marquis Ashinen from Labyrinth City and Count Hohen from the trade city. We must prepare art that might catch the eye of Ashinen and jewelry that will interest Hohen’s wife so that we can deplete their might.”
“As you wish, Grandfather. Allow me to make arrangements for the jewelry. No doubt Uncle can find suitable works of art.”
“Indeed. Remember to make payments cash-only, not credit.”
“…Yes, of course.”
The grandson hesitated for only a moment to respond to this difficult last request.
Higher-ranking nobles tended to prefer buying on credit, essentially putting it on a tab; it was usually difficult to get payment from them until the following month.
“Heh-heh-heh. Now our company name will finally shine at the top of the royal capital. We won’t be compared with that stubborn oaf or the damn weasels anymore.”
The old merchant’s cackle echoed in the presidential office.
However, not all of the other companies had taken interest.
“A Prayer Ring? Leave that for the nobles and merchants who can’t see past their next move.”
This president glared coolly at the grandchild who had come running to make a breathless report.
“It’s far more useful to acquire elixirs and Champion’s Swords.”
“Will there be Champion’s Swords at the auction?”
The magic Champion’s Swords that the Echigoya Company sold wholesale to the kingdom were extremely popular among knights and military nobles. However, supplies couldn’t keep up with the demand, and nobles who got their hands on one would never part with it, driving many to seek out resales at outrageous prices.
“Yes, a few, but they’re also offering to sell them at any quantity for three hundred and fifty gold coins exclusively for cash buyers.”
“Three hundred and fifty?!”
Ordinary mithril-alloy swords went for around 120 gold coins, and even labyrinth-made Magic Swords ranged from 200 to 300 on average. This seemed an absurdly high price by comparison.
“At the very least, it seems they’ll sell us four hundred, perhaps even five if we make a compelling case.”
“B-but if the Echigoya Company sells these directly to nobles…”
“I’m sure they would not approach our company in the first place if they intended to do such a thing. That company seems to highly value fair relationships with fellow merchants, being the auspices of a Hero and all. Even if they were to jump the gun on us, they would never do anything to prompt people to talk behind their backs.”
The grandson fell into unhappy silence, looking unconvinced.
“Still hung up on the ring, are we?”
The president sighed inwardly at his grandson, who couldn’t even disguise his expression.
“Even if we were to acquire the ring, what then? We’d only end up selling it off to someone else. Rather than form a single debt of gratitude from someone with one ring, it’s far more advantageous for us to use the Magic Swords to build relationships with many military factions and high-class nobles.”
The grandson’s eyes widened at this remonstration.
“If you are to carry on this company someday, you must always be several moves ahead. No successor of mine would be fooled by the promise of instant profits.”
“…Of course. I must study more diligently.”
His grandson nodded sheepishly, and the president seemed pleased.
“Sheshesheh, seems rumors of a happy little ring are going about, eh?”
At a weaselfolk merchant company, the president and his confidant were also discussing the Prayer Ring.
“They say it can grant any wish. Quite fascinating, indeed…”
“But I believe it would be more profitable for the company to bid on Magic Swords or self-defense tools. Rumor has it that there will be Champion’s Swords on the auction block, too.”
Being from another nation, these merchants couldn’t acquire a Champion’s Sword through any standard means.
Since the knights and nobles who acquired them would never let them go, bidding on them at the auction was their only option.
“Sheshesheh, I know that, of course. The ring will no doubt be the last item at the auction. It would be foolish to give in to greed at the cost of the company’s profits.
“Money must be used wisely,” he added with a shrewd smile.
“What is His Majesty thinking?!”
In a room of the royal castle, the opulently clad first prince was flying into a rage.
His servants held their breath in fear of the prince’s disfavor.
“How can he not realize that leaving a dangerous object like a Prayer Ring to chance is tantamount to putting the kingdom itself in peril?!”
“Y-Your Highness, I am sure His Majesty has his reasons…”
The pale-faced first wife of the king timidly attempted to pacify the prince.
Though he was first in line to the throne, it was still disrespectful to openly question the king’s judgment. The servants in this room were all deeply loyal and had served the family for many years, but if this information were somehow to get out, it could easily give the other heirs leverage to make their own case.
“I know that much, obviously. But right now, His Majesty…”
…is being fooled by a charlatan who claims to be the ancestral king Yamato.
The prince kept this thought to himself, as the return of the ancestral king was a secret known only to the king and certain royals and statesmen.
“…As if any human who isn’t undead could sleep for hundreds of years.”
“Your Highness?”
The queen looked worriedly at the muttering prince.
“It’s nothing. If His Majesty will not act, then I will. For all we know, some scoundrels might come up with a nasty plot to try to steal the throne.”
With that, the prince thought of the nobles in his own faction.
The king’s first wife slipped out of the room with all but the bare minimum of servants to leave the prince to his thoughts uninterrupted.
Even those in high places had their own troubles to attend to, it seemed.
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