STM 35

“Inside each noble house where the divine beast’s energy is strong.”

“…..Ah.”

“It’s useless in Kun, where the divine beings have disappeared.” But Rick’s disappointment was palpable. Tairok added dryly, Rick’s eyes widening slightly.

“And the Central Temple.”

“If it’s the Central Tempe… that’s great! I can find it right away, right? Of course, it’s a large area, but it still narrows the scope. It would be nice to have a compass or something to help find the entrance.”

“It is said that among sacred relics with strong divine power, there may be one that reacts to the entrance.”

Sacred relics imbued with divine power were rare, and finding one would be difficult, but it was still better than having no clue at all.

So Rick was delighted, but Tairok looked out the window, seemingly bored by the topic. He seemed lost in thought.

“Did something bother you today?”

“No.”

Tairok replied curtly, brushing his wet hair back with his hand.

“Were you wondering what happened at Lord Gumber’s summer villa?”

“No, not that, but during the monster hunt. What could the Grand Duke possibly care about at Lord Gumber’s villa?”

“…….”

“Oh, right. Did you see Adeye Lu there today? How was he?”

Tairok remained silent, his gaze still fixed on the window. Didn’t he want to see if Lu had really changed? Rick tilted his head and passed along the rumor he had heard.

“They say he’s changed after he almost died, but he still seems obsessed with men. They say he was laughing and running around with them at the summer villa before disappearing into the maze. I wonder how messy it must have been in there…”

“Rick.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to sleep with Adeye Lu?”

What the…

“Absolutely not. Why would I?”

“Then don’t worry about whether Adeye Lu kissed someone or got his lip bitten.”

No, wait. Who was the one who ordered me to watch and report whether he had changed or not?

Rick felt wronged, but his superior didn’t even smile. Tairok’s face stayed blank as he stared out the window, looking faintly irritated. Then suddenly, Rick noticed something strange.

Kissing is one thing, but biting lips?

“I’ll be going to the Central Temple on the day of the New Green Festival. I heard there’s a charity auction being held there.”

Tairok spoke abruptly, then lowered his gaze to the letter in his hand. Rick immediately realized that his friend’s letter contained information about the auction.

“Yes, it’s an annual event. Is there something that caught your interest?”

Tairok silently set the letter alight and watched it burn before turning his eyes back toward the window. He probably didn’t realize it himself, but it had become a habit to always check outside whenever he had the chance.

It didn’t look dark now, but that was where the Kun family’s ancestral castle stood, a cursed place no one could enter anymore.

Only a few direct descendants of the Kun family remained in that vast fortress. And Tairok had come this far with one purpose only, to lift the castle’s curse.

To do that, he had thrown himself into the monster hunts that everyone else avoided, reaching the very peak of swordsmanship. Everyone was captivated by Tairok’s dazzling smile, blind to the darkness hidden beneath it.

But Rick always felt uneasy whenever he saw Tairok’s expressionless face as he looked toward that cursed castle. Would the day ever come when the curse would be broken?

Then Rick heard the name of a gem.

“The Demon King’s Tear.”

“That was… something the late Emperor owned…”

“Yes. It was one of my father’s possessions.”

A twisted smile spread across Tairok’s face as he recalled the dead Emperor.

Rick’s expression, on the other hand, grew serious. Whatever memory Tairok was recalling, it wasn’t a good one.

“That gem is an ominous object. Isn’t it said that its owner is doomed to misfortune?”

“That’s why my father liked it so much.”

“He had bold taste.”

“No. It was arrogance. He took the throne in the name of Kun, but he was terrified of being ignored because he couldn’t use the power of the divine beast. He treasured that gem only to show off that he was immune to curses.”

Rick coughed and avoided answering, but inwardly he agreed. The Emperor had not been chosen by the divine beast, but through cunning and manipulation he had still managed to climb to the highest seat of power despite being unworthy.

He had always been jealous and wary of his younger sister, who possessed the divine beast’s power. She, however, had no attachment to authority and ignored his paranoia completely.

But that only made the Emperor’s inferiority complex worse. His warped resentment eventually turned toward his own son.

Tairok, chosen by the gods.

The Emperor felt inferior to his son and convinced himself that Tairok would one day threaten his throne.

Although Tairok was the legitimate heir as the son of the Emperor’s official wife, he was cast out of the royal family and forced to grow up in the Kun family’s territory.

Perhaps because of that, Tairok – then and now – seemed to have no interest in the throne. What mattered to him was the Kun house, the one that had accepted him.

This was a place he vowed to protect, even if it meant one day sitting upon the throne he despised.

“But not long after my father acquired that gem, the divine beast disappeared.”

Tairok gave a cold laugh. The Kun family, stripped of its divine power, was forced to step down from the throne.

Unable to accept it, his father clung to power until he died a ridiculous death.

“Judging by how he ended, maybe the gem’s curse really worked.”

“It’s all superstition.”

Tairok smirked at Rick’s reply.

“Even if it’s true, I don’t care.”

“……”

“Get ready to participate in the auction.”

“Are you really going to bring it back?”

“That gem is known only for its curse, but there’s something people don’t know. It’s an item with strong divine power. Quite a lot, actually.”

“Ah, this could be the compass that helps us find the entrance to the Forest of Crimson Waves. That gem must be incredibly valuable. I wonder who owns it.”

“They say the owner is someone who’s crazy about money.”

Rick glanced down at the burned letter still in his hand. It even contained information about the owner. He was astonished by the intelligence network of the sender.

Because the auction strictly concealed the names of donors, items sometimes appeared on the black market. That was the reason this charity auction always drew such attention.

“So who is it? The one obsessed with money?”

Tairok’s lips curved slightly more. He looked at Rick as if asking why he hadn’t realized the clue already. Rick’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

“Is it Adeye Lantuya?!”

‎

‎

‎

“Attend the charity event.”

One morning, Doctor Kim gave me an order. I immediately frowned and showed my displeasure.

“I already showed up at a social gathering.”

“And then you shut yourself up in the mansion for ten days. You weren’t even training.”

I felt a little resentful because I had spent those ten days working out and studying this world.

“It’s better to train at home than to go out and get noticed by the traitor. By the way, I heard there’s a non-wine party going on…”

“Cough, cough!”

Ding ding ding ding ~!!

As Doctor Kim coughed, the bell rang and the healers rushed in. Meanwhile, I sat quietly, shrinking under Solongo’s scolding glare.

I didn’t even say much this time.

By the time Doctor Kim’s condition improved, it was already mealtime.

As soon as I opened my mouth to bring up the topic from earlier, Doctor Kim cut me off and spoke first.

“This event is a charity auction held at the Central Temple. I’ve put up a particularly important gem. You must go yourself, not through a proxy. You’ll carry the gem personally and deliver it.”

I stopped eating and looked at her, but Doctor Kim pointed her fork toward my plate to ask what I was waiting for.

“What are you doing? Eat.”

Yes, I should eat. But I kept glancing at her. Fortunately, it seemed to have been just a simple cough, and she looked fine.

“How important is the gem you’re donating?”

“It belonged to the former Emperor Kun.”

I was about to spear a pickled plum with my fork when I stopped. Doctor Kim seemed to have made up for her inability to make kimchi by filling every meal with various pickled vegetables.

“Did you take it in exchange for a debt? By selling it cheap or something?”

Doctor Kim looked offended at my casual remark.

“I bought it through an intermediary.”

“So you did get a good bargain.”

“…Back then, I only thought Kun was my enemy.”

I asked seriously, placing some pickled vegetables on my mashed potatoes.

“Have you taken a lot of stuff like that?”

“There’s quite a lot.”

“Oh… right.”

“The item for this auction is a gem the former Emperor especially cherished. Because of that, it became a symbol of the Emperor himself, which means Tairok, the Grand Duke of Kun, will definitely be interested in it.”

I offered some advice while chewing my crunchy pickled vegetables.

“If Tairok likes it, just give it to him as a gift. You need to earn his favor anyway.”

“He doesn’t know I’m the owner.”

Ah.

“Besides, auction items are kept secret until the day they’re revealed, so Tairok won’t even know it’s being sold. This could be an opportunity.”

“What kind of opportunity?” I asked with my eyes. Doctor Kim clasped her fingertips together, her eyes sparkling.

“This gem being auctioned is pretty big news. And I’ve deliberately included my name in articles once or twice before. If it were me, I definitely would have included this one too.”

“Are you saying this is a future that only the traitor know?”