Chapter 3 | The Assassin Grabs the Forbidden Fruit
We were eating breakfast at the inn. I didn’t have high expectations for the food, but it wasn’t bad. They had obviously considered nutrition, and it was adequately filling.
“Hmm-hmm-hmm.”
Dia was humming cheerfully, most likely because of our love-making session last night. She didn’t get in that kind of mood very often, but once that switch was flipped, she always gave herself over to me completely.
Tarte watched with clear jealousy. Dia and I hadn’t told her about what we did last night, but she had caught on somehow.
“Um, are we returning home after this?” Tarte inquired.
“As soon as I send my letter,” I answered.
I was very anxious about the Fruit of Life. Worst case scenario it could break my Leather Crane Bag from the inside, so I couldn’t put off studying it much longer. The Leather Crane Bag was valuable to me, and replacing it would be extremely difficult. I didn’t want to use it if possible, but I had no other safe means of storing and carrying the Fruit of Life. I did cover the Fruit of Life with a special alloy, but I didn’t know how much that would actually accomplish.
“Wanna buy some souvenirs?” Dia proposed. “I think it’s important to do nice things for your parents once in a while.”
“In this town? I don’t recommend it… How about we look at some street stalls on the way to dropping off my letter? That should give you enough of a chance to find something,” I responded.
“Sounds good. If I don’t see anything I like, I won’t force myself to make a purchase!”
Our plans were made, and we were done eating. It was time to depart.
We walked down the main street, heading for the post office. As evidenced by our passable accommodations being considered the best lodgings in town, this settlement was unsafe. To paint a picture of how bad public order was, a woman walking alone in public might as well have been putting herself on display in a brothel. If one was naive enough to think they could walk the streets unaccompanied, that would be it for them.
I’d met the ruler of this domain before, and he wasn’t exactly one to live by societal rules. The policies here were loose, a reflection of his character. No one who came here was rejected, whether they be criminal or foreigner or whatever else. Laws didn’t really exist, either. Everything that happened to you was your responsibility. If you were robbed, beaten, or worse, all you could do was cry yourself to sleep.
A decent person would never come to this town. The population was made up almost entirely of those with nowhere else to go, or the sort with businesses that were illegal in other places. Illicit goods were easily procured here, and ill-gotten gains served as the primary industry.
Simply put, this town was trouble, and we witnessed that firsthand in the form of the incessant pests that approached Dia and Tarte as we strolled. I was sure each had their individual motives, but they all knew that two beautiful young girls would fetch them a great sum, and no one would blame them for kidnapping Dia and Tarte.
Even people were commodities in this town. Beautiful young girls sold well. To these pests, abducting people and hawking them felt no different than picking up money left on the street.
“You’re showing these people no mercy, my lord,” said Tarte.
“Whoa, you sent him flying, too. Look at that parabola,” remarked Dia.
“They leave me no other choice,” I explained.
Dealing with every one of the disgusting men who approached us would be exhausting, so I decided to knock each of them out with a wind uppercut to the jaw before they could get a word out. Dia and Tarte were more than strong enough to protect themselves, but the carnal lust of these men seemed to frighten them, and they clung to me for protection. The pests were guilty in my eyes the moment they scared Dia and Tarte, and I was going to make each of them pay.
Dia came to a stop a little farther down the street.
“Wow, that’s a beautiful necklace. The gem is really nice, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. It’s so cheap, too. The price could easily be three times more expensive. Should I buy this for Mother?”
The “Mother” she was referring to was mine. Dia and I were pretending to be siblings, so she called her that in public to ensure our cover wasn’t blown.
I followed Dia’s gaze and saw a perfectly ordinary stall selling a necklace that was nice enough to impress her elite sense of aesthetics. Not only was it fine enough to be worn among high society without any shame, it was liable to garner admiration from other aristocrats. It was that luxurious of an item.
“You should forget about it,” I warned her.
“Huh? I promise you this is genuine. I’ll prove it to you if you don’t believe me,” Dia objected.
“That price on an item of that caliber means it’s dangerous—stolen. Remember what I told you about this town?”
“Oh, yeah… You’re right. Anyone with a trained eye would know the necklace’s origin at a glance.”
There wasn’t much mass production in this era, especially when it came to finery. Almost all high-quality items were unique works made by famed artisans. As such, wearing stolen jewelry in high society would mean swift discovery, and you’d be made a laughingstock. Word spread quickly between nobles.
Normally, stolen jewelry would be broken up and sold in pieces. However, while this necklace did use a nice gem, its value came from its exquisite design and superior craftsmanship, so taking it apart would significantly reduce its value. That was why it was left whole and put up for sale at a discount price.
The only people who’d buy that necklace were those in a position where it didn’t matter if they wore pilfered goods, or the few who desired such pieces for private collections.
A balance was struck in this stolen valuables market between thieves who desired safe exchange of illicit items and consumers after quality items for cheap. An example of the latter would be a noble from a remote, rural region. The risk of people discovering that they wore swiped trinkets was low, so they could go peruse a market like this with impunity.
“Well, that sucks. I thought it would be nice for Mother to have at least one nice piece of jewelry to wear,” Dia lamented.
“Mom just isn’t into that stuff,” I responded.
House Tuatha Dé held the lowly rank of baron, but thanks to our medical technology and secret assassin operation, we earned significantly more than most viscounts. We could live in luxury if we so desired, but my mom wasn’t interested in that.
“That’s exactly why I wanted it. She’ll never dress up unless someone pushes her to, so I thought this was a good opportunity. I know it’d make her happy if it was a present from you,” Dia explained.
She was probably right. Mom didn’t care about draping herself in expensive things, but other nobles mocked her for not doing so. I wanted to stick it to those idiots.
“…Okay. I’ll ask Maha to send me some nice gemstones from Milteu. Mom would probably feel guilty and refuse a necklace I bought, but she’ll happily wear something I make.” Having reached my decision, I promptly walked away from the stall.
“You’re not going to buy one here? Look at how cheap these jewels are,” said Dia.
“I suppose I could. No one would realize the gems were stolen, and it would be cheaper. However, I don’t like the idea of Mom wearing something purchased here. And most importantly, I’m going to make our engagement ring, too. I’m sure you wouldn’t like that to be crafted from stolen materials,” I responded.
“Y-yeah, you’re right. Wait, what did you just say?! Engagement ring?! How could you be so casual about that?! You’ve never mentioned a ring!” Dia exclaimed.
“We were on the topic of jewelry, and after watching all these men approach you, it occurred to me that an engagement ring would serve as a nice deterrent to keep their kind away. I actually planned on making it sooner, but we’ve been so busy that it slipped my mind.”
Dia and I were engaged. Siblings getting married wasn’t rare in Alvan, so there was no need to hide it. On the contrary, the ring would be a convenient way to ward off unwanted men.
“…I’m so happy. My heart is racing just thinking of having a symbol of our engagement.” Dia took the hem of my jacket with her eyes cast down.
“I’m going to make you a really great one. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
This was going to be our engagement ring—I had to make it special. I was going to fixate on every aspect, down to the materials incorporated. I would also use the giant network of my company, Natural You, to obtain items of the highest quality.
I figured I might as well give the ring offensive magic capabilities while I was at it. Fahr Stones could store magic, but there were gems capable of retaining mana as well, and they could even be engraved with formulas.
“Congratulations, Lady Dia.” Tarte smiled, yet there was a slight trace of sadness and jealousy in her expression that only an expert like me could have noticed.
I gave a strained grin and patted her on the head. “Don’t act like you’re not a part of this. I’m going to make you one, too, of course.”
Tarte put her hands over her mouth and looked up at me. Tears began to streak down her face. “U-um, well, that would make me very, very happy, but I’m a servant, and a commoner… I-is that going to be okay?” she asked timidly.
“Of course. Or do you not want to marry me?” I replied.
“Of course I do!!” she practically shouted.
Wow, that was kind of scary. Tarte looked like a child who thought her toy would be taken away.
“That side of you is simultaneously annoying and adorable, Tarte,” Dia teased.
“Yeah, sure is,” I agreed.
Pouting, Tarte responded, “Ohhhh, you two are so mean.”
The three of us laughed together. Dia and Tarte were adorable and very special to me. I would do anything for them.
I delivered my report to the royal capital using a carrier pigeon. Once that was done, the three of us returned to the Tuatha Dé estate. I then used a telecommunications device in the domain to call Maha and inform her of my budget and the gemstones that I wanted. With that done, I headed to the mountain behind my family’s manor.
Tuatha Dé citizens were prohibited from entering this place, and I’d instructed Tarte and Dia not to come near me no matter what happened, too. That meant that whatever transpired, I’d be the only one hurt.
“I don’t know what awaits me with this thing, but it’s not gonna be good…”
It was finally time to take the Fruit of Life out of the Leather Crane Bag. Anticipation and fear swirled in my gut. This was the power to summon the Demon King. Who could say how great it was?
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