Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 40

Chapter 40

I turned to the entrance and saw Alec, one of the actors who played ‘the rough and ignorant mercenary,’ peeking in.

When I made a circle with my finger, he nodded with a bright expression. The awkward and shy demeanor from the beginning was gone; he seemed quite relaxed now.

Seeing his face reminded me of how we had gotten here.

“Huh? Weren’t we going to the Imperial City?”

After deciding to help Isana, we immediately discussed our future plans. Unlike me, who expected to return to the Imperial City right away, Isana shook his head. He said it was too risky to return so soon because the Grand Duke’s forces had already taken control of the city, and pursuers were after him.

“Then what are we going to do?”

“I’m thinking of visiting my brother, Cael.”

“Brother?”

Then the knights spoke up.

“Are you referring to Duke Cael de Clomore, His Majesty’s cousin? The fifth Sword Master of the continent, known as the Iron-Blooded Knight?”

“Hee, a Sword Master?”

Sword Master was a term used in this world to describe someone who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. It was every knight’s dream and a symbolic existence. Isana smiled gently at me, who was showing curiosity, and nodded.

“He’s a cousin on my mother’s side. His father, the previous head of the family, was the most loyal subject of the late Emperor and had ventured onto dangerous battlefields several times in the past, following the late Emperor’s will. His son, Cael, is the same, very steadfast and loyal to the Imperial Family. The late Emperor always said they were people he could trust.”

“I see. So, you’re going to ask him for help?”

“Yes. More than anything, it’s important to establish my support base right now. The Clomore Duchy, ruled by Cael, has the largest and most powerful military force among the duchies in our Swalt Empire. Moreover, he personally has quite close relationships with the imperial families of other empires. I heard that he and the current Emperor of the Alphonse Empire graduated from the same academy. If he takes my side, many members of the Aristocratic Council will be swayed.”

Isana seemed excited to be explaining about his proud cousin. However, in contrast, the knights wore somewhat uneasy expressions.

“But, Your Majesty… Hasn’t Duke Cael been in seclusion within the duchy for several years now? He hasn’t even sent word when such a thing happened to the late Emperor.”

“That’s right. His seclusion has been so long that rumors of his serious illness are openly circulating within the duchy. You might not even be able to meet him if you go.”

“Moreover, the Clomore Duchy is so far away that it’s hard to reach within a few months, and the route is known for its treacherous terrain. If you were to injure yourself…”

The words that followed were all filled with concerns about this decision. However, Isana dismissed their worries at once.

“What you say isn’t wrong. But wasn’t this something we started with a firm resolve anyway? He is one of the few people in this empire that I can trust right now. If I can’t even persuade a family that has been loyal to the Imperial Family since ancient times, which noble in the Imperial City would ever look back at me?”

“……”

The knights couldn’t refute and closed their mouths. They seemed to reluctantly acknowledge that point as well.

No one in the Imperial Palace is on Isana’s side. That was evident enough just from the current situation. Not a single noble had helped him from the time he escaped the castle to get here. I didn’t know whether to pity Isana for losing his base to that extent or to admire the Grand Duke for seizing control of the Imperial City so thoroughly.

But right now, they were forgetting the most important problem at hand: they had been starving for several days and had no food left.

As a spirit, I could live without eating, but the others were humans who needed to consume nutrients. When I pointed that out, Isana and the knights exchanged embarrassed glances.

“Ah, that’s right. Then we need to get some food from a nearby village…”

“Do you have money to buy food?”

“……”

“Besides, you’re not thinking of going down to the village in those clothes, are you? This area is full of small private houses. If suspicious people flock together, someone might report you, right?”

“……”

As expected, they didn’t answer.

What they were wearing now were simple, form-fitting cotton clothes. They were originally worn under armor, so they were essentially in their underwear. They said they had discarded all the armor they had been wearing to avoid being chased. It was an obvious choice to avoid being conspicuous, but the result was quite embarrassing.

At least Isana and the spirit caster, Peris, were dressed normally, but even those two didn’t have any accessories to sell. They had fled in such a hurry that they hadn’t been able to pay attention to such things.

In the end, after much deliberation, I decided to unleash my secret collection that I had gathered before. I opened the jewel flowers I had collected from Ebas Eden.

“Here, take it.”

“……!”

“W, what is this, Lord Elquines?”

What I handed to Isana was a rose made of red ruby. The people who saw the sparkling jewel were speechless for a while. Especially Isana, who received it directly, was frozen in place.

“Do you think this is enough to use for expenses?”

“M, more than enough. I have never seen such a beautiful jewel in my life. Are you really giving this to us?”

“I’m lending it to you specially. But don’t feel burdened. I’m planning to get it all back from Isana later.”

“Lord Elquines…”

The knights all looked at me with faces filled with emotion. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, how much is this jewel worth? Actually, I hardly know anything about the prices here.”

“W, well. We don’t know that much either…”

“It does look very precious.”

“May I take a look?”

Then Peris, who was a little further away, quickly approached and asked. As soon as he received the jewel, he exclaimed with admiration.

“Oh my! This is a truly magnificent jewel. Such clear radiance and an exquisite rose shape… Could this be the famous Bria’s Jewel?”

“Bria’s Jewel?”

“Yes? Don’t you know? ‘Bria’s Jewel’ is a treasure with the legend of the goddess. It is said that the goddess of light, Bria, was picking flowers and putting them in a basket when she accidentally spilled them on the ground, and they fell into the human world and became jewels. That’s why they are characterized by having the shape of a flower like this one. Moreover, like living flowers, no two are exactly alike, even if they are the same kind. It’s a very rare jewel that is not easy to obtain, and some wealthy people collect only Bria’s Jewels.”

‘Hmm, that seems to be the flowers from Ebas Eden?’

I was sure of my guess. No matter how I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any other jewels like that. Perhaps the flowers that had flowed out of the spirit world for various reasons, like now, had become known to people in that way.

“I’ve seen imitations a few times, but this is the first time I’ve seen the real thing. It really looks like a living flower turned into a jewel. No wonder such a legend is attached to it.”

‘Well, of course. Because it’s a real flower.’

But I didn’t bother to tell them this. Peris and the knights were just enjoying the joy of seeing the legendary jewel in person, and they didn’t seem to be curious about how I came to possess it. Maybe they just took it for granted because I was the Spirit King.

“If it’s rare, the price must be quite high?”

“Yes, of course. Rather, it seems like it’s too expensive to be a problem. I don’t know if there is a wealthy person in this remote area who can buy it with cash…”

“Then we can just lower the price a lot and sell it. If it’s such a famous jewel, wouldn’t anyone want to buy it?”

“Hmm, that’s true, but it’s a bit of a waste to dispose of it that way. It’s a jewel that can fetch at least a hundred gold in the city.”

Peris wore a truly regretful expression. Of course, I was just puzzled because I didn’t know how much value that was. In comparison, the other knights looked very surprised.

“A, a hundred gold?”

“I can’t believe it. That small jewel is that expensive?”

“How much is that?”

As the Emperor’s direct bodyguards, they must be used to a somewhat luxurious life. Seeing them so surprised made me feel uneasy for some reason. As expected, Peris’s answer that followed was quite shocking.

“With a hundred gold, you can buy a small mansion in the city.”

“Gasp! Y, you can buy a mansion?”

“Yes. But you shouldn’t be so surprised. The base price is a hundred gold, and it can go even higher if it goes to auction. Bria’s Jewels are quite popular among noble women and collectors. Especially the larger and more unique flower shapes are more expensive. Some are traded for as much as a hundred thousand gold.”

“……!”

I was speechless at the enormous amount that easily exceeded my expectations. Well, when I thought about it, jewels were expensive items on Earth as well. Especially diamonds, which could cost tens or hundreds of millions depending on their size and type.

If it was known as the goddess’s jewel, it wouldn’t be strange to have even more value than that.

‘……Let’s not touch the flowers as much as possible in the future. It doesn’t seem good for my heart.’

I quietly resolved to do so in my mind.

After a brief discussion, it was decided that Peris would go down to the village to sell the jewel. One reason was that he was more knowledgeable than the others, but more than anything, his clothes were the most decent.

I was worried about whether he would be suspected of possessing an expensive jewel, but fortunately, Peris dismissed these concerns. Because Bria’s Jewels were not made by jewelers, they were known as products of ancient civilizations. So, the circumstances of acquiring the jewels were all different. Some were found in dungeons where treasures were hidden, and some were accidentally discovered in the soil while plowing fields. Rather, he explained that because he looked so shabby, he would simply be regarded as a lucky person.

As he said, the jewel was easily sold without any problems. Although the amount received was less than half of the original market price, it was a satisfactory result because it was enough for the expenses to be used for the time being.

On the way back, he prepared spare clothes for the knights to change into, and from the next day, we began a full-scale food purchase operation. The goal was to select a few people to form a team and tour several villages disguised as travelers. In case of an emergency, Isana was left in the cave.

Thus, the current inexperienced young master client and three free mercenaries were born.