STM 37

“As if that could happen.” I sighed and ordered the gem expert.

“If you’re done verifying it, put it down.”

“No, not yet…”

“You said it’s genuine, right?”

“Yes, but I think I should examine it with specialized tools.”

Even as he spoke, his fingers kept caressing the gem, as if he couldn’t bear to let it go. Beside him, the priest’s hand twitched, he too, was tempted to touch it too.

Are you both some kind of Gollum, why are so obsessed with the diamond?

The color was beautiful, but to me, it was just another diamond. No, not just another one, because the diamond’s screams grew even louder. Soon, the air in front of me would be filled with nothing but exclamation marks.

“Put it down.”

“But…”

“Do you not trust Adeye?”

He flinched. Fortunately, the family name worked. The expert paled and quickly set the diamond back down on the soft cloth.

“I’d never dare distrust Matriarch Lantuya.”

He shook his head violently, terrified. His eyes were still fixed on the diamond, reluctant to part with it, but he took a step back. Watching his trembling figure made my own thoughts waver.

Doctor Kim, just what kind of person have you become in this place?

At least those two Gollums finally backed off.

But my peace didn’t last. Once the gem started talking, its voice wouldn’t stop echoing in my head.

[Uhh, I want to go home. I don’t want to stay in this filthy world full of humans any longer. Uhh, when can I go home? Someone please take me home… Uhh, I miss home, uhhh~]

The cries felt almost tangible now, like pain etched into every word. I turned my head, trying to ignore it.

Pull yourself together. You came to Tubain to save Earth, not to grant wishes for spirits.

But the diamond’s cries wouldn’t stop. How long was it going to cry like that?

[After being caught by that demonic human, I’ve been trapped in this useless stone for 124 years, forced to stay among these disgusting humans. Uhhh, I’ve cried for 124 years, but no one could ever hear me, uhhh~~~]

A sigh slipped from my lips. 124 years of crying, and no one heard it… damn. Well, you’re quite old.

“Where’s your home?”

[I want to go home, uhhh~]

Ah, so it couldn’t hear me. I braced myself and stepped closer to the diamond, ready to risk the curse.

A scraped knee or two won’t kill me.

I thought boldly and touched the diamond with my fingertip. Then, it said something completely unexpected.

[How dare you touch m…oh? Huh? A clean human?]

“I’m clean?”

[Yeah. You have no lust, you’re a clean…oh?!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can hear me?!!!!!!!!!!!]

“I can, so keep your voice down.”

[A human who can understand me!!!!!!!!!!! A clean human with no lust!!!!!!! You’re a eunuch!!!!!!!!!!!]

“I’m not! I’m not a eunuch!!”

I yelled before realizing it, but the diamond just kept shouting.

[Take me home!!!! Eunuch human, take me to my home!!!!!]

“I said I’m not a eunuch…”

[Uhh, I’ve been stuck among these horrible humans for 124 years!!!! Waaah, I can finally go home!!!! I can go home because I met the eunuch human!!!!! Uhhhhh~~~]

Maybe it had no ears, because it clearly didn’t hear a word I said. I gave up and asked instead,

“Where is your home?”

[Home!!!]

“I mean, where exactly is your home?”

[Home is home!!!]

“…”

[Eunuch human, hurry and take me home!!!!!]

I put a hand to my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. For a moment, I’d thought this was the most coherent non-human being I’d ever met. I was wrong.

Damn it, please don’t tell me it’ll take ten years to find this thing’s home.

Fortunately, contrary to my worries, I found the diamond’s home within thirty minutes. It happened when I was carrying it across the temple’s back garden, heading toward the central hall for the auction.

[Oh?!!! That’s the energy of my home!!!!!!]

The diamond screamed right beside a small pond. …So it really was that easy to find?

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“So you’re saying we should withdraw the gem we donated to the charity auction? When it’s just about to begin?”

Solongo, who had just returned after greeting the high priests, asked me with a baffled look.

“Can’t we?”

“No.”

I knew she’d say that. Buy I had a plan B.

“Then what if I buy it back during the auction?”

Solongo’s eyebrow twitched. I shrank a little and asked quietly,

“Would my allowance not even come close?”

“Your allowance is pocket change, Lord Lu, but no matter how much it is, buying back the item ourselves would look bad. And have you forgotten the purpose of this auction?”

“I haven’t forgotten. But you said they don’t reveal who donated it, right? As long as the temple keeps quiet, isn’t that enough?”

Well, that was true, but Solongo still didn’t look convinced. She nodded reluctantly, though her face showed she wanted to ask why.

But most of the guests were beginning to take their seats, so there wasn’t time to explain further. Fortunately, Solongo didn’t ask for answers. She slipped away and quietly passed my suggestion to the temple staff, then returned.

“You may participate in the auction.”

Her whisper made me let out a long sigh of relief. The diamond displayed at the front table was still screaming for me to take it home, and if I ignored it any longer, I really might fall into that pit of misfortune it kept threatening me with.

“This next item is a rare treasure that has been lost for a long time and only recently resurfaced. ‘The Demon King’s Tear.’”

As the auctioneer’s announcement echoed through the hall, the seated guests all straightened in unison, eager to catch a glimpse of the gem. Murmurs spread across the room, and as the noise grew louder, the auctioneer raised his voice to regain control.

“Now then, let us begin the bidding. The gem has been appraised, so we’ll start at 50,000 gold.”

50,000 gold. Considering that the price of a single house in the capital costs around 20,000, it was quite a hefty sum. The murmurings grew louder.

I turned on my lights and scanned the crowd. I had deliberately chosen a corner seat at a diagonal angle, where I could see everyone clearly.

All right. Who is the traitor…?

“50,000!”

The gem expert raised his hand first. Was he kidding me? I barely resisted the urge to storm over there and rip off his wig. But before I could even glare, another bidder spoke up.

“5..50,100 gold!”

Gollum 1, the priest.

Those idiots.

And the priest had the nerve to raise the bid by only a hundred. Even as he hunched his shoulders in embarrassment under the stares around him, he couldn’t hide the greedy fire in his eyes that burned toward the diamond.

I could understand the expert, but that priest? What money did he even have? Was he planning to sell his organs?

The diamond recognized the voices of the filthy humans who had touched it before, screaming again, and started hurling curses.

Then new bidders joined in, and the price quickly rose to 100,000 gold.

When the amount climbed too high, the gem expert looked tearful and gave up. I expected him to take out a loan and keep going, but the priest was different. He stubbornly kept his hand raised, trembling with determination.

He was supposed to be a mid-level priest. Where did he even get that kind of money?

Gollum 1’s obsession made me frown, but aside from him, there was no one else suspicious.

“There’s no one who matches the conditions, or even comes close,” Solongo murmured beside me. She was referring, of course, to the conditions that identified the traitor.

“What if they sent a proxy?”

“Except for one, all the bidders are just gem-obsessed humans. It’s hard to see them as proxies.”

“And that one?”

“That priest.”

Ah… Gollum 1. I looked at him again, trembling as he bid another enormous amount.

“No, that priest looks the most obsessed right now.”

So obsessed that he might have lost his mind. What was strange was that the other priest next to him didn’t even try to stop him. Maybe they were both rich?

“Yes, the bid is 231,000 gold. Anyone else?”

Gollum 1’s hand shook as he looked around the room. No matter how much people lusted after gems, that was too much money for a single diamond.

A few of the competitors sighed or crossed their arms, conceding defeat. Maybe the traitor hadn’t shown up today after all.

“If there are no other bids, then ‘The Demon King’s Tear’ will be sold for two 231,000…”

“400,000 gold.”

I raised my hand.

Across the room, Gollum 1 jumped to his feet, pointing at me with a face full of shock, as if he was about to shout that I was the donor.

Of course, thanks to Solongo’s earlier arrangements, another priest immediately covered his mouth and dragged him back down to his seat.

Money really is the ultimate power.