Ch. 213
As I leaned toward the window, eyes still hazy from a recent yawn, Ash squeezed his eyes shut and muttered in defeat.
“…Of course not. It’s too much—too good, even. How could that be? How could I ever…”
I felt unbearably pleased whenever Ash yielded to me despite his own nature. He was cautious, I was recklessly impulsive—completely incompatible. Yet he still crumbled under my will, doing as I wanted even when it wasn’t in his nature. Watching him rub his face with those large palms, struggling against himself just to accommodate me, made my heart swell.
[Oh no! Rai, this is bad!]
[What is it, Master? Did Magi show up?! Where? Where?!]
[No—Ash is too cute.]
[……Pardon?]
[Ash is so cute I want to pounce on him! Isn’t he just adorable and lovable?]
He’s cute because he likes me too much.
Men are best when they’re like giant puppies. It’s thrilling.
[Haa… I want to kiss him and make him cry…]
[This is a crisis. My one and only Master is a complete pervert!]
How could I torment Ash and make him cry even more?
I grew restless, wanting to see him cry just because he liked me so much. Ah… is this love?
[Nope.]
[No?]
[Master, I thought you were just a mild pervert, but you’re a full-blown menace. Ash! You probably can’t hear me, but—run away! At least you should run—Ack!]
[You’re asking for it!]
[Spirit, save me!]
Rai was definitely partly responsible for my sadistic tendencies.
…Though I can’t say I never had them to begin with.
—
Thanks to the overwhelming power of money, we entered the capital quickly and were met with one good piece of news and one bad piece.
The good news: we managed to secure the final remaining inn in the capital.
The bad news: the inn was extremely low-class and in miserable condition.
As I frowned deeply in displeasure, Gale—who had secured the inn—fidgeted and desperately listed anything that could possibly count as a “merit.”
“It’s… a bit dirty, but look! You wanted to visit the bookstore, right? The bookstore is super close! And there’s a library too!”
“What’s the point? The central plaza and the arena are unbelievably far.”
“But you get a private room. Do you know how hard that is to get right now?”
“…Wait. Is that a rat?”
A gray creature the size of a grown man’s fist casually waddled across the floor.
A rat that fearless meant the hygiene here was catastrophic.
“…The meals here are cheap! The cheapest in the area!”
“I want to eat something delicious somewhere without rats, even if it costs more…”
I prefer expensive and delicious over cheap and miserable.
“Isn’t it exciting to sleep alone?”
“I’d prefer a big room where we all sleep together…”
“I messed up… Can’t you just yell at me instead?”
Quiet sighing seemed more painful than being yelled at. But getting angry wouldn’t magically improve the lodging.
I’d been looking forward to staying in the capital… I let out a deep sigh, and Ash stepped in—because he was the only one who could soothe me.
“Still, it’s something that we secured an inn at all. Isn’t that right, Geenie? Tonight, we can sleep in a real bed. Isn’t that good enough?”
“…The bed is good, but…”
“We can eat food from outside. I’ll make a reservation at a nice restaurant. I’ll find something you’ll like. Will that help?”
“Hm…”
“And we can take a horse to the arena. Also… you can use our four-person room alone if you want.”
Sometimes, the situation itself doesn’t matter as much as the fact that the people around you are doing their best.
Care and sincerity carry their own weight.
I decided to stop complaining.
Still… what a tragedy it is to have money and not be able to use it. Next peak season, I’m buying the best inn in advance.
“Fine. I’ll settle for this. Good job, Gale.”
“Phew…”
These guys were suffering, trying to keep up with a noble lady’s whims.
“Ah—and here’s the remaining jewelry. Take it. I don’t want to hold onto something worth this much…”
“You take it.”
“…What? This much? Are you kidding?”
“I have more. I couldn’t bring much from ‘there,’ remember? I’ll give it to you.”
“Milady…”
Gale suddenly dropped to his knees in an exaggerated gesture, clasped his hands together, and almost crawled toward me.
“Just tell me. What other terrible deeds can I commit?!”
“Why are you like this? It’s creepy. I’m younger than you, you know?”
“My soul is yours.”
“Get lost! I don’t need it! What a cheap soul!”
Ash was enough as a servant.
When I looked over, Enk was staring at me with eyes sparkling in anticipation.
He clearly had some Gold left too. Ugh, like a pack of paupers.
“Fine, here. You can have some too.”
Still, considering the fact that they hadn’t run off with the money, I decided to be generous.
“Lady Geenie! My savior! My employer! Greater than any lord! I shall worship you as a god! I am your slave!”
“Me too! I may be a commoner, but tell me anything—I’ll do it!”
“Easy, you idiots… heh.”
I knew they were half-joking, but seeing Enk and Gale act like they’d peel out their liver for me was entertaining enough to make me laugh.
(T/N : Haha, as always the interactions and banters between them are top-tier)
Time was terrifying—I’d grown fond of these guys.
What I liked about them was that they didn’t lie. And none of them ever harbored sexual fantasies about me. They saw me as a whimsical companion, not some unreachable figure.
They just saw me.
“Hey! What about me?”
Right. This guy was here too.
Chad. The biggest, roughest-looking, but ironically the safest man here. Oblivious and shameless.
“You… I’ll consider it when you become more perceptive.”
“Then will you invest? I’ll open a skewer shop in your name. Geenie Skewers! How’s that? The Geenie Skewer Shop? Geenie & Skewers. Skewers & Geenie!”
“How much will it take for you to not use that name?”
Laughing and chatting like that made me forget my frustrations with the inn.
Then suddenly, I felt it—the subtle quiet around Ash.
“Ash? You seem… a little upset?”
His expression looked the same as always, but I had a feeling. Ash forced a normal smile, but I wasn’t fooled.
And I had the ring.
I reached out with my right hand and grabbed Ash’s forearm.
If he looked up in reflex, the truth would spill out.
–It’s pathetic to be jealous over something so trivial. I hate seeing her close with everyone…
Oh.
–I have to stop. Stop… Surely she wouldn’t trust Chad or Enk with her hair. She’s so careless she might actually ask them… Chad has lots of younger sisters, so he’s good at hair… Ugh, just imagining that is depressing. I’m not normal either.
…Really? That’s what he was worrying about?
Being popular was exhausting. I quickly lost interest in Ash’s tiny insecurities.
I turned instead toward someone I now had to part with.
“Akia, are you heading to the hospital now?”
“Yes! My accommodation is there. It’s a bit far from here, but… let’s meet again soon! I’ll treat you to something delicious. If I ask my teacher, he’ll know a good place.”
“Okay, see you later.”
I gave Akia a brief handshake with my left hand.
My ring was on my right hand, and I had to touch bare skin with that hand to read minds.
I didn’t read people’s thoughts casually.
It took a lot of mental energy, and there were times when I could understand someone’s heart without using the ring.
Looking into Akia’s regretful eyes—this time was easy.
“You mustn’t overwork yourself! Your internal injuries aren’t fully healed yet. Promise me you’ll take your medicine. If you feel nauseous or uncomfortable, come to the hospital immediately, okay?”
“I think I’ve heard that about ten times now.”
“It feels like Miss Geenie listens with one ear and lets it out the other! Promise! Just because you don’t feel sick doesn’t mean you should use magic—Spirit Magic as usual. You know the hospital’s location, right?”
“Yes, yes.”
I had enough medicine for three more days, so after that I’d be able to use my strength freely again.
No doctor watching meant this world belonged to me.
“I’ll take Akia to the hospital and come back. Everyone, get some rest.”
“Huh? Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”
“There are lots of security guards and knights on the streets, right? And plenty of nobles. It’s safe. Akia, if you’re still worried, bring one more person.”
“It’s okay! Helikke is known for its excellent security. Chad coming with me is more than enough. Everyone, please rest and recover from the trip.”
At that moment, my senses tingled.
Chad—since when did he start calling Akia by name? He definitely called her Doctor before. And he was conveniently creating time for the two of them.
I wanted to reach out with my magical right hand and see what was going on in that head of his… but Ash would scold me if I touched Chad, so I’d save it for later.
I waved goodbye to Akia and Chad as they left the inn, my right hand with the ring twitching like it was itching to be used.
—
Finally, Helikke. The capital of Heidrike, home of Toomdra. The third largest metropolis in the Elan Federation.
As expected of a major city, the bookstore was larger than I imagined and impressively well stocked, which pleased me.
The two-story bookstore even had an entire section dedicated to ancient treasure research.
I easily found the book I wanted.
“This is it!”
「Ancient Treasure Compendium — Rings and Necklaces Edition」
I had figured out most functions through experimentation, but I still wanted precise information about my ring.
Thankfully, countless experts had studied ancient treasures, and related books had been published for thousands of years, so information wasn’t hard to find.
There were about a hundred times more books on ancient treasures than on Spirit Magic. In fact, there was too much information. The book I grabbed was as thick as my wrist.
For the first time, I felt grateful to history lovers. Thanks to their meticulous organization, everything was neatly compiled.
“Oh, this one? No. Then this one… hm. No.”
I flipped through page after page.
Rings were one of the most common forms of treasure, and many were considered treasures even without enchantments.
Some were famous because a notable figure owned one, or a queen praised it as the most beautiful. Others gained infamy because every owner mysteriously died, as if cursed.
Each ring had an illustration and explanation, but too many looked similar to mine.
Silver body, smooth teardrop-shaped transparent gemstone.
“Hm… this one is close, but mine doesn’t have any inscriptions. This one says something is engraved…”
[Master! That one!]
Rai had transformed into a small snake again.
He knew it was easier to smuggle a snake into a bookstore. This wasn’t the first or second time.
“That’s not it either. Look at the description. This ring was made by dwarves 4,200 years ago. The dungeon we excavated was at least 8,000 years old.”
[But it looks similar.]
“It’s harder to find than I thought. I figured it would be quick.”
Annoyed, I flipped ahead four or five pages at once.
Then I stopped—and stared.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the unusually large illustration on the page.
It was exactly the same.