Ch. 251
It was too peculiar to be a scam or mere hyperbole.
Other than the promotional text, the poster listed no date, no place, no time. In short, it meant this was a special market that only those in the know could attend.
There was no need to think further.
This was a poster distributed by the black market.
“It seems you wish to attend the auction.”
“It’s the black market, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Of course! There was no way a black market would miss out on a festival this big.
It was a time when nobles from all over the continent flocked in, rolling in big money.
Even a fool would know it was the perfect time to open a black market.
It was a golden opportunity for the fence as well.
If not for a stage as grand as this, when else could he sell off an item like the ‘Veiled Mirror’?
And there were no better people to buy and sell illegal goods with than foreign nobles on a trip.
“However, it is a market held mainly for nobles, so it is difficult for commoners to attend……”
“I know that much. That’s why I’m asking you to find a way for me to attend. I don’t care how much money it costs.”
The people of the Information Guild openly loved this side of me. Having overflowing money was the same as having overflowing charm.
“In that case, we will look into it with all our might. We will do our best to ensure you can attend without any issues.”
“Find out when and where it’s being held, and also if it’s true that the Veiled Mirror will be there.”
“Understood.”
“Since it’s a black market, they’ll sell it by auction, right?”
“All items are sold exclusively through auction. As it is within our jurisdiction, we have already identified the location where it will be held.”
A smile spread across my face. The fact that it was an auction meant the mirror was as good as mine.
***
Veiled Mirror.
It is said to be an item left behind by a great mage from ancient times named Yuliant for her beloved man when she went off to the God-Demon War.
Normally, a curtain is drawn within the mirror, reflecting nothing, but it possesses a special power to show the image of the person its owner wishes to see when a certain condition is met.
It is presumed to be an item she left behind, worried her beloved man would miss her.
It cannot be used without wielding Mana, and it is restricted to only showing people one has actually met.
The dead or those under a powerful protection Magic cannot be seen.
One cannot speak to the person beyond the mirror; only viewing is possible. The other person is unaware that they are being shown.
Though it takes the form of a mirror, it cannot be used as one, and it has been enchanted with Reinforcement Magic so that it will not break from any considerable impact.
Its utility is somewhat ambiguous and its restrictions are many, so compared to its relatively unique type of power and historical value, it is not a treasure highly valued by explorers.
Several hundred years have passed since it was lost, but as no one has stepped forward to actively search for it, its whereabouts remain unknown.
Little else is known.」
The complete collection of the Ancient Treasure Book I had bought at the bookstore a while back was proving useful once again.
As I was flipping through the book, thinking it was a good purchase, Akia, who was sitting right behind me, let out a scream.
She was as horrified as if a monster had appeared.
“This is a disaster! Now that I look closely, there are so many places that have been cut off!”
Akia, who had been examining my hair with a comb and scissors, looked as if her world had ended upon realizing the condition was more serious than she thought.
“Wh-what happened here… and why is this side like this?”
“That part got singed by electricity and melted.”
“What? Were you struck by lightning?”
The opposite.
It got singed while I was casting lightning.
Ador, the Spirit of electricity, possessed great power, but had the shitty characteristic of not being able to control it well.
I answered dismissively, my eyes still fixed on the book.
“Jam got in the other side, and I didn’t notice for a while, so it hardened… I cut it.”
Akia and I were sitting on two chairs by my inn room window, one in front of the other.
“Then you should tie it up, usually!”
“It’s too thick, so it comes undone quickly. And when I tie my hair up, it feels like I have a broom attached to the back of my head. It’s a nuisance.”
“Then you can braid it, can’t you?”
“To braid it, you first have to comb it well, and that’s a pain.”
“But… but…! Even so, it’s a waste to cut it short!”
Akia was trying her best to persuade me, going on and on about what an ideal shade of gold my hair was, and how rare naturally wavy hair like this was.
“Fortunately, you have a lot of hair, so I can thin out the inside a bit, and this part is the most serious… I don’t think you necessarily have to cut it into a bob to match this. How about cutting the other side to a similar length to create side bangs? Then it’ll look natural without having to cut it all off.”
“Side bangs?”
“You could also think of it as bangs that come down to your chin. I’m sure it’ll look great on you!”
As soon as she heard about me from Chad, she had rushed over, insisting she wanted to help even though I said I was fine.
Honestly, did those two have so little to talk about? What do you do on a date that makes my hair the topic of conversation?
“I told you to just give me a bob if you’re going to do it. It’s all raggedy anyway, so I was planning to trim it short once.”
“You can get a bob anytime! But it takes a long time to grow it back, you know? So you have to decide carefully.”
“I’m going to live a long time, so it’s fine. I have plenty of time.”
There were the parts I’d cut because they were tangled, the parts I’d cut because they got caught on something, and from what I could remember, there were more than ten spots I had cut off a finger’s length.
It was about time for a clean, decisive chop. But I was met with Akia’s fierce opposition.
“D-did you know? They say that if you cut well-combed hair, all the good things that happened while it was growing will fly away.”
“Who cares about the past. And they say the bad things fly away too. So it’s fine to cut it. I don’t have any memories of it being particularly well-combed, either.”
“……But Geenie, you’re a noble, aren’t you? If you cut your hair short, everyone will think something happened to your family.”
“Who cares what others say?”
“Even if that’s not the reason! Geenie, you have a tendency to treat your own body too carelessly!”
I’d heard that a lot.
Especially from Ash.
“Who wouldn’t try to stop you when you’re trying to cut it off so easily? Above all… blonde hair suits you so well, Geenie.”
“Everything suits me. The face completes the hairstyle.”
(T/N: The ever narcissist Geenie. Dont change, don’t change. )
“……Geenie! I’m begging you this earnestly! Please! Just trust me this once. If you still don’t like it after I’ve trimmed it, you can cut it into a bob then, can’t you? Huh? I’ll stake my life on doing my best!”
Was it really something to beg so earnestly for?
I was a little pushed back by Akia’s intensity, and it was getting tiresome to argue any longer, so I nodded.
“Fine, then.”
I let her do as she pleased.
It was hair I was going to cut anyway, so I didn’t care what happened to it. It would be better than it was now, no matter what.
Turning my gaze back to the book, I thought about how I’d rather be finishing the documents I received from the Information Guild yesterday.
If Akia hadn’t shown up so suddenly, I would have finished them.
They contained a lot of sensitive information, so I couldn’t read them when someone was around.
Things like how much Elan’s first prince loathed the second prince, using legitimacy as a pretext, how he persistently made an issue of the second prince’s birth, or how many actual assassination attempts there had been.
Compared to that kind of content, it was hard to focus on the treasure book I was already reading for the second time.
“Hee-hee-hmm.”
As I was listlessly turning the pages, Akia started to hum. There was no way she was that happy just cutting my hair, so…
“Akia?”
“Yes, Geenie?”
“What do you like so much about Chad?”
“……Why are you asking so suddenly?”
“It seems like you two are getting along well. You always look happy, and so does Chad.”
I closed the book, shut my eyes, and felt Akia’s careful hands combing through my hair.
“Do I look that way…? Does Chad, too?”
“He grins like an idiot all day after he sees you. It’s no fun because he just giggles no matter what I say. He won’t even rise to the bait if I try to pick a fight.”
“Chad likes you too, Geenie!”
“Why am I suddenly part of this?”
“I was sad because I thought you found me bothersome… and he told me that you probably like me more than you let on. That you’re just naturally aloof. He said it’s true you’re picky, but for that very reason, if you really disliked me, you wouldn’t have even allowed me to be by your side.”
“……What does the likes of Chad know.”
That clueless brat, how dare he.
“Chad… at first, he was just someone I didn’t dislike. But the human heart is a strange thing. Once ‘not disliking’ changed to ‘liking’… things were different. It started to grow, and there was no room for it to become small again. Because he’s a good person.”
“Hmm, you’re a doctor and he’s a former mercenary, right? Technically, he’s unemployed now… isn’t a wandering traveler who could die at any moment the worst kind of romantic partner?”
Until they achieved some plausible feat, a traveler was no different from an unemployed person.
Of course, Chad was one of the party who found the Goblet of the Golden Star, so he would become an adventurer remembered in history, but until Lox returned from the capital after the appraisal, everything was a secret.
Naturally, to Akia, Chad was just one of the countless aimless travelers on the road.
“I don’t mind. I like the fact that Chad is a traveler. He’s doing amazing things that I could never do, isn’t he? I don’t dislike brave people.”
“Do you know he has a lot of younger sisters?”
“I like that he has a big family, too. I’m from an orphanage, so I’ve always wanted something like that.”
“What, are you really thinking about marriage?”
I tried to turn around but was held by Akia and made to face forward again.
“You can’t move!”
I could tell just from her voice.
That she was very, very embarrassed right now.
“I’m just curious because you like Chad. I’m not strongly against it, but, hmm… isn’t it too early to be thinking about that?”
“……I know, but… this is my first time in a relationship, so… I end up thinking about all sorts of things… No, we’re not even dating yet, but… please keep this conversation a secret!”
This world didn’t have a custom of dating for a long time.
It was common sense, and normal, to decide on marriage within a month or two of meeting. Marrying someone you’d never even met was also common.
Anyway, I thought they were dating since they met up all the time, but they weren’t.
That Chad kid is so slow.
“Um, Geenie? Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you today…”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing much, but I bought a new blue dress. It’s a very beautiful color. It’s knee-length, and the material is cool, so it’s light. It has a little bit of handmade lace, so you have no idea how pretty it is. Also, it has a satin ribbon to wear around the neck.”
“……Good for you?”
Is she bragging about buying new clothes?
I couldn’t figure out what Akia was trying to say. I could only feel her growing more and more nervous through the hands combing my hair.
“I’ll lend it to you!”
“Why…?”
“I won’t charge you for medicine anymore, and I’ll give you free check-ups for life… so please go to the Flower Crown Festival with me tomorrow night!”
I wondered what it was she was saying without taking a breath, but it wasn’t a difficult request at all. I accepted it nonchalantly.
“Sure, why not.”
“Really? Thank you!”
“Asking me out on a date, you’ve got some nerve. This is my first time going on a date with a girl…”
“That’s not it!”
“Huh?”