STM 36

“Right. And if the traitor is desperate to please Tairok, they will definitely try to get his hands on this gem and offer it to him.”

Then the traitor will show up at the charity auction. I clenched my fist and nodded.

“I’ll go.”

“Good. Go and see for yourself who ends up with the cursed gem.”

“Yes, cursed… what?”

“They say the gem has a magical power that draws people to it, but those who touch it become miserable. Well, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Well, you had the gem yourself, Doctor Kim, and nothing bad happened, right?”

“That’s true.” Doctor Kim gave a small nod.

“I bought it, but I never looked at it or touched it in person.”

“……What?”

“It’s just superstition, so don’t worry. Like those silly beliefs about dying if you write your name in red ink.”

I started eating again, but the bread felt dry in my throat. Writing names in red is really forbidden, though. I held back the urge to argue and brought up the topic I’d forgotten.

“By the way, when exactly is the non-wine party…?”

“Cough~!!”

Ding! Ding! Ding!

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“Tairok won’t be coming.”

This time Solongo spoke with full confidence, even clenching her fist.

“That money-crazy man never goes anywhere he has to spend instead of earn. He’s never attended once before.”

Good. Then I really wouldn’t have to run into him this time. All I had to do was deliver the item and watch the auction to see if the traitor appeared. It sounded simple enough, at least until the carriage stopped in front of the temple.

“You must carry it yourself.”

Solongo told me this as if it were obvious. Behind us, servants unloaded a massive black chest from the following carriage. From inside, they carefully took out a very small gem box.

Why was that tiny thing packed inside such a huge crate?

My curiosity grew as I looked inside the chest. Around where the gem box had sat, there were rows of bottles placed. But those bottles looked strange…

“Is that holy water?”

When I pointed at them, Solongo nodded casually.

“Yes.”

“Why surround the gem with holy water? Because of superstition?”

“The servants were nervous, so we did it for their peace of mind.”

“Ah…”

“The curse that brings misfortune only applies to those who touch the gem directly, so you don’t need to worry. You’ll be holding the box, not the gem itself.”

“But Solongo…”

“Yes?”

“Why are you standing so far away?”

At this rate, I’d need a megaphone just to talk to her. But instead of answering, Solongo urged me impatiently.

“There’s no time to waste. You must go inside the temple, so pick up the box. Hurry.”

For a moment I barely resisted the urge to write Solongo’s name in red ink.

Fine. It’s not like I’ll actually get cursed just by holding it.

And exactly ten minutes later, I witnessed misfortune right before my eyes.

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“Oh, so this is… the Demon King’s Tear.”

The priest who saw the gem inside the box widened his eyes in awe. The temple must have been trying to show consideration, thinking I’d brought a valuable donation, because they gave me quite a nice room. Everything was decorated in white, clean and solemn.

In fact, the entire temple was like that. From the entrance, massive white pillars and shining steps greeted us, polished until they gleamed.

Looking around the spotless temple, one thought came to mind: temples are rich.

It must cost a fortune to keep this place this clean. The priest, wearing robes that looked just as expensive, couldn’t stop gasping in admiration.

“It’s really … really beautiful.”

The gem looked like a black diamond, but inside it, multicolored light seemed to swirl, its hue changing slightly depending on the angle.

It was beautiful, but to me, it was no different from a glossy black bean. I just thought, It must be really expensive.

But the priest beside me was reacting way too much. His gaze stayed glued to the gem as if enchanted, and then, unable to resist, he finally reached out his hand.

“Are you going to touch it?”

I asked without thinking, and the priest nodded without even looking at me.

“Yes, I need to inspect the donated item.”

It didn’t look like an inspection, more like he was about to pocket it. His eyes were practically rolling back. And the moment the priest cautiously reached out to touch the diamond, something happened.

[Ahhh!!! Take your filthy hands off me!!!!! Don’t touch me!!!! You dare lay your unclean soul on me!!!!! Aaagh!!! I said don’t touch me!!!!]

Only words appeared before my eyes, yet the screams felt as if they were echoing right beside my ears. My gaze immediately turned to the diamond. The priest, still enraptured, was about to lift the gem.

[Aaagh!!!!! Disgusting!!!! How dare a filthy soul filled with lust touch me!!!!! What kind of human is this, so defiled?!!!!]

It was the priest. I forced myself to ignore the barrage of shrieking words and stopped him.

“Have you finished checking it?”

“No, not yet…”

“If you’re doubting its authenticity, then bring in a professional.”

At my words, the priest reluctantly set down the diamond he had almost lifted.

“Hmm, it looks genuine, but for certainty’s sake, I’ll return later with an expert.”

[You filthy human!!!!! I’ll bring misfortune upon you!!!! Wherever you go today, you’ll trip and fall again and again!!!! Ten times, a hundred times!!!! Fall until your knees crack and your hands bleed, you vile soul!!!!]

The diamond absurdly cursed. So, it was true that the owner of this thing became unfortunate? And from such a tiny gem, too. But it was almost petty for a curse.

[You’ll stub your toe until it swells and throbs all night, and the pain will keep you from sleeping! In the end, that toenail will pop right off!!!!]

It was horrifying, the curse had much unnecessary detail.

“Then, I’ll return shortly… ah!”

The priest tripped over his own robe and fell flat on his belly.

[Hahaha!!! You fell?!!! That’s what you get, you foul creature!!!! It’s all because of your filthy, lust-ridden soul!!!!]

I was about to get up to help him but stopped midway.

How depraved are you?

I didn’t even want to touch him, so I only told him to take care and sat back down.

[Dirty human!!!! Never touch me again!!! The scab on your scraped knee will stick to your robe, and when you try to peel it off later, it’ll hurt so bad it’ll make your skin crawl!!!!]

Another curse, painfully specific. At this point, I couldn’t help wondering if this came from personal experience.

Was there a human soul trapped inside?

But that seemed unlikely, considering how much it loathed humans. Either way, I decided I’d never touch it.

Besides, the gem seemed able to hear only the voice of whoever touched it. I’d carried the box all this time and stayed in the same room, yet it hadn’t reacted to me. My guess was confirmed a short while later, when the priest returned.

He limped as he entered, no longer alone. A middle-aged man in ornate clothing followed him.

“I’ve brought someone who can verify the authenticity of the gem.”

Even as the priest explained to me, his eyes remained fixed on the diamond, that same bewitched look still in place.

Maybe he was some kind of gem fetishist who reacted like that to every gem?

My doubts vanished when I saw the expert’s eyes. The moment he laid eyes on the diamond, they burned with greed.

“Ah! This is…”

[Aaagh!!!! Don’t touch me!!!!! Ugh!!! Who is this filthy human now?!!!! He spies on his partner every night as they sleep with someone else, then touches himself in secret!!!! Aaaagh!!!! His soul is revolting!!!!]

The diamond was screaming again. I wasn’t much better off myself, now burdened with knowledge I never wanted , the gem expert’s sexual preferences.

“Yes, the hue is unmistakable. This mysterious color exists only in the Demon King’s Tear. Ah, it’s really beautiful.”

[Get your hands off me!!!! Wherever you go, a strong wind will blow and send your wig flying!!!! Filthy man!!!! Dust will whip into your eyes, and when you rub them with your dirty hands, you’ll scratch them and be unable to open them properly for days, you disgusting human!!!! Put me down!!!!]

‘Could you tone down the exclamation marks a little? It’s exhausting.’

[The punctuation represents the intensity of its voice. Please specify another form of expression you’d prefer.]