Ch. 195
Everyone had already pocketed plenty, but when Lox started fuming, they reluctantly put the treasures back down, sneaking nervous glances his way.
Ugh, those timid idiots.
What’s so scary about Lox?
I was still behind the pillar, snorting to myself.
“This is the final warning! If anyone acts on their own again, I’m done handling the money! No more accounting! No inventory checks! No ticketing, no schedule management, no travel plans! You can all wander around lost for all I care!”
…Okay, that was a little scary.
Planning was such a pain in the ass.
And since our next destination was the capital—to watch the duel between the [Swordmasters]—having the team’s one and only organizer go on strike would be a huge problem.
I quietly slipped out from behind the pillar and stood next to Ash, pretending to be one of the innocent ones who hadn’t stolen anything. By now, all six of us had gathered.
“Uh… Lox? I found something. You might want to see this.”
“The Goblet! Don’t tell me you found it?”
“No, just a skeleton over there. Probably the dungeon’s master.”
The one speaking was Gale, casually lowering a golden spear about his own height.
Where the hell had he picked that up?
—
The dungeon’s master had died lying peacefully in bed—maybe in their sleep, maybe from some old illness.
Time had stripped the body down to bare bones. Clothed bones, sure, but bones all the same.
There wasn’t enough left to tell their name or even their gender. They didn’t seem like a corpse—more like an eerie, lifeless painting.
“Let’s offer a prayer.”
We formed a circle around the bed, holding hands with whoever was next to us.
With our heads bowed, we paid a short, silent tribute to the dead.
Lox and Ash took their time, staying solemn, while I quietly broke away and started rummaging through the books scattered on the floor.
Most were useless, but just in case, I grabbed anything that wasn’t crumbling to dust.
By the time I’d picked up twenty, they were too heavy to carry—so I split the load between Ash and Chad.
Not that I asked for permission.
“Lady Geenie?”
“What! I didn’t take anything, I swear!”
“Isn’t it amazing? We’re standing atop ancient history itself—thanks to you.”
For a moment, my conscience twitched. Lox’s sudden change in attitude threw me off so much I instinctively took a step back and hid behind Ash.
What the hell was wrong with him?
“No need to be so wary. I just realized I never properly thanked you.”
“…Uh, don’t mention it?”
“You possess an extraordinary gift, and we’re fortunate to have you with us.”
“Eh… well… we wouldn’t have gotten here without that letter, or your map reading, or everyone else’s persistence. You all did the finding part. I just opened the door.”
“…”
“…Why did everyone go quiet?”
“Is she sick or something?”
“Is she gonna die tomorrow?”
“Oh gods, it’s a curse! The kind that changes personalities!”
Even when I said something nice, they acted like it was the end of the world. Sure, I only said it to balance out my karma for stealing the ring, but still.
When I acted polite, there was always a reason.
Back at the academy, whenever I suddenly behaved, Master Yael’s eyes would practically pop out of his head as he frantically searched for whatever disaster I’d caused.
“Well, we’ve paid our respects. Let’s resume searching for the Goblet! Everyone, spread out!”
Wait—so that moment of “respect for the dead” was just a setup for a work order?
Of course. Typical Lox. Betray Ash and I’ll bury you alive.
First things first, though—we had to get out of here.
“Rai?”
[No need to ask, Master! The other one’s in that statue!]
There were two treasures here Rai couldn’t consume.
One was the ring I’d taken.
The other was likely the [Goblet of the Golden Star].
And now, Rai was pointing straight at a plaster statue shaped like a man raising a cup high.
“Aha.”
Without hesitation, I walked toward it. The men started watching, realizing how confidently I was moving toward a target.
“So that’s where it was hidden.”
The statue stood slightly taller than me, crafted in near-human proportions.
I brushed it lightly—white powder came off on my hand.
A brittle material.
Lox, ever wary of my destructive tendencies, was already staring nervously, hand half-raised to stop me.
Too late.
They must’ve forgotten—I’d been infamous for breaking things since I was nine.
“What are you—wait, don’t—!”
The hollow plaster statue toppled easily with a loud crash, breaking apart into pieces.
No one even flinched anymore when I destroyed something.
“There she goes again.”
“Guess something pissed her off.”
“How are we supposed to understand her? It’s easier to understand a cat.”
“Geenie, as long as you don’t kill anyone, do whatever you like.”
Except Lox, of course.
“Have you lost your mind! That was an ancient artifact!”
“Knew you’d say that!”
Sure, I’d just caused a scene—but I had a reason this time.
…Well, I always did.
I kicked aside the debris, reached down, and pulled out a gleaming golden cup from the rubble.
Then I smirked triumphantly.
Because we’d finally found it.
“The… the…”
Watching their faces shift through disbelief, awe, and sheer joy was almost more fun than finding the treasure itself.
I brushed off the white dust clinging to the cup, revealing intricate engravings.
A golden pentagram circled the rim, small red jewels lined its surface, and inside the cup shimmered a depiction of a starlit blue sky.
There was no doubt.
It was the [Goblet of the Golden Star].
“Here. Found it.”
I gave it a quick glance, then tossed it casually toward Lox.
—
The goblet, shaped like a small golden wine cup, traced a short arc through the air before landing neatly in Lox’s arms.
Caught completely off guard, he nearly dropped it, clutching it to his chest with wide eyes.
He stared at it in disbelief, trembling.
“The… Golden… Star…”
Was he even breathing?
At first I thought he’d frozen up in shock—but no. He was hyper-focused, analyzing it.
Before I knew it, he’d pulled out a measuring tape and magnifying lens, inspecting every detail from every angle, verifying authenticity before letting himself feel any joy.
And when he finally concluded it was genuine—
“…Lox, are you crying?”
[He says it’s allergies, Master!]
“Hey guys! Lox is crying!”
[Lox the crybaby!]
I announced the wonderful news as the others came running—but apparently, I was the only one amused.
“People can cry when they’re happy!”
That was Enk.
“Don’t be mean! Our Lox deserves this!”
Chad.
“Damn… you’re really that happy, huh?”
Gale.
“Geenie, teasing someone for crying is childish.”
And that last one—Ash, of course, with that annoyingly calm tone.
Their reactions were the exact opposite of what I expected, and I couldn’t help pouting.
Seriously? They make fun of each other all the time, but when ‘I’ do it, suddenly I’m the villain?
Unfair!
…Accurate, but still unfair!
“Come on, just look at him! How can I ‘not’ tease him when he’s hugging it and sobbing like that?”
Seeing Lox clutch the goblet to his chest, shaking with suppressed sobs, and somehow ‘not’ laughing? Impossible!
Teasing him was practically a public service!
[Probably not.]
[Definitely not.]
[Anyway, Master, why’s everyone so weirdly quiet now?]
I was wondering the same thing.
I’d found the treasure—we should be celebrating! Yet everyone’s faces had gone solemn.
They stood around me and Lox in silence, gazes heavy with disbelief.
I expected cheers. Instead, I got reverence.
The air only grew heavier.
“…Why the long faces? Smile! Don’t kill the mood.”
As someone perfectly capable of reading the room, I stopped laughing and frowned.
If they stayed serious, I’d just look like the crazy one.
“It’s just… hard to believe.”
“Yeah. We’ve been searching so long, it doesn’t feel real.”
“We always dreamed of finding it, but actually holding it…? It’s a legend. No one’s seen it in over eight thousand years. Said to have risen with the continent itself, a divine gift… Even now, it feels like a dream.”
Was that really worth getting all somber about?
As someone who’d once fed dragons for fun, I couldn’t relate.
Guess I was used to impossible things by now.
Even Ash looked shaken—though in his case, it was subtle. His eyebrows were raised a touch higher than usual, which for him meant shock.
Normally, the guy only showed emotion when I touched him—then his face went red and he stammered. Otherwise, calm as a lake.
It only made me want to mess with him more.
“Hey, by the way.”
“Yeah?”
“How did you even know the goblet was inside the statue?”
“Right, you walked straight to it!”
Ah, finally. Some well-deserved admiration.
I puffed up proudly.
“Call it instinct. Everything in here was made of treasure, but that statue was cheap plaster—and it was raising a cup. Obvious, right?”
“Whoa…”
“Impressive.”
[You fraud!]
Just as I was basking in the praise, a certain someone interrupted.
[Shameless! You took ‘my’ discovery!]
[Silence, insolent spirit! Watch your tone with your master!]
[I’m the one who found it! I led you here! You stole my credit!]
[What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is also mine! Haven’t you learned that yet?]
[Urgh…!]
[The spirit does the work, the master gets the praise. That’s how it’s ‘supposed’ to be!]
Of course, that’s not how it’s supposed to be.
[You wicked master!]