“I want you to obtain an Artifact that will nullify the effects of lethal poison, as well as being an exquisite accessory.” Grannis Walter, the head of the House of Duke Walter, stated his request to the merchant he had befriended.
“An exquisite accessory, sir? I would believe something of that nature to be unbelievably pricey.”
“I realize that. But money is no object in this case.”
Enchanted items all shared a common weakness, which was that if the magic item itself was destroyed, then their ability would also be lost. There also existed Artifacts with self-repairing abilities, but those were exceptions to the exceptions. Generally speaking, it was said that the most important thing in preserving a magic item was making sure that the item itself didn’t break. In other words, there were many an enchanted magic item that were prone to having crude designs. That trend was especially prominent among the Artifacts that currently existed, so an Artifact that was also an exquisite accessory piece was extremely rare. If it were an accessory and Artifact as two separate entities, then it would go for anywhere from a few hundred gold pieces to a few thousand gold pieces, but if it were an item of that nature that was two-in-one, then ten-thousand gold pieces would be the bare minimum. It was a price that not even Duke Walter was able to easily pay, and he would need to sell other pieces of art that he owned in order to raise the money. However, there was a reason why he was willing to go that far to attain this kind of Artifact.
“I want to have my beloved daughter take it with her.”
“Would you happen to mean...”
“...Quite. She is to be wed in the neighboring nation.”
They were at war with the neighboring nation, with skirmishes still continuing. It was a result of both nations struggling for fertile land to use to compensate for the food shortage brought on by the population boom—a struggle that lasted for over a hundred years and had caused both nations’ resources to slope toward a decline. In order to resolve this stalemate, the king made a decision. That decision stated that a girl of royal blood was to be wed to the prince of the neighboring nation to serve as a symbol of goodwill between the two countries. And the girl chosen for that task was Duke Walter’s beloved daughter. The fate of the two nations was on her shoulders. While it was an incredible honor to him as a Duke, as a father... it was a very painful choice. Although many people desired peace, there were people who also still wanted war, and from those war-hungry people’s perspectives, the daughter of Walter was nothing more than a nuisance. It was the same as the Artifact. No matter how powerful of an effect it possessed, it couldn’t utilize its power if you destroyed the main component of the item. That was the reason he wanted an Artifact—one that not only could his daughter, who would be exposed to poisoning attempts on a daily basis now, could walk around with anywhere she went, but one that was discrete enough from a single glance.
“The wedding date is six months from now. I beg of you to produce something before then. If you succeed, I promise you that I will make it worth your while.”
“Very well, good sir. I will try my very hardest to find the best of items that suit the young miss,” said the merchant under the Duke’s employ as the Duke bowed to him, but Artifacts themselves only popped up on the market in sparse supply every year. Not only that, but considering that the Duke was specifically after an Artifact that nullified fatal poisons and doubled as a piece of jewelry, it was rather dubious as to whether anybody would even offer one up for sale anytime soon—let alone in the next few years. Regardless of price being no object for the Duke, that wasn’t helping him obtain his coveted item—all the while, the day of his daughter’s wedding drew nearer with each passing hour.
That was, until one day, when a social gathering for aristocrats and nobles was held in the imperial capital. Normally, the Duke couldn’t afford to spend time enjoying social gatherings in any capacity, but as a Duke, he also couldn’t afford to easily brush the event aside and not show up. There was also the chance that one of the aristocrats there knew about the kind of Artifact that he was after. Staking his hopes on that possibility, Duke Walter attended the gathering, but...
“An Artifact that both nullifies the effects of deadly poisons, and also functions as a beautiful accessory?”
“Yes, I wish to obtain it for my daughter.”
“...For Lady Liliane, I see. For a matter such as that, I, well...”
“It’s fine. You are not obligated to tell me anything. This is a great honor, and I myself know that you have pressing matters. I simply remembered that you are well-versed in artistic pieces yourself, Lady Charlotte.”
“Lady Liliane has been a wonderful friend, so I wish to help if at all possible, but... you must forgive me. I do not have a clue as to where to find an item of that caliber.”
“No, I should be the one apologizing for asking such a strange question out of the blue.”
She was the lone daughter of the House of Count Warren. Duke Walter tried his hand at asking someone who was on friendly terms with his daughter, but he hung his head when he realized he wouldn’t be getting the information he seeked.
“Duke Walter, I understand how you must feel. Tomorrow is the day of the auction in the imperial capital. It is just an assumption, but perhaps they will have something that fits Lady Liliane’s needs.”
“An auction...? Yes, I could see that....”
If there were any eye-catching goods like an Artifact that people wanted, it was common for auction-goers to be notified ahead of time so that they could prepare the funds necessary to purchase them. Not having any information come in at this point in time meant that it wasn’t likely that such an Artifact would be appear, but... that didn’t mean that there would be nothing there worthy to give as a gift to his daughter. Duke Walter said his thanks to Charlotte and excused himself. However, the area he moved to allowed Duke Walter to witness something unbelievable occuring in a seat surrounded by people.
Duchess Roadwell was boasting about the gift she had received from her husband to the other aristocrats. The former Duke Roadwell was a great man and was quite friendly to Duke Walter, but... the Duke Roadwell that succeeded him was always at odds with Duke Walter.
He probably just acts stubborn so that no one may take him lightly, seeing as he succeeded the title at such a young age, Duke Walter thought, never approaching him until now. However, today, he had a specific reason to do just that.
The item that Duchess Roadwell was boasting about was the very same item that Duke Walter had been searching for in order to give to his beloved daughter.
“Well? What do you think of this Artifact that I’ve gifted my wife, Duke Walter? Not only a beautiful accessory, but also nullifies any deadly poison.” asked a voice suddenly, right behind the Duke. Realizing that he was being mocked from such an antagonistic tone of voice, Duke Walter squandered his swelling annoyance to turn around.
“My, my, if it isn’t Duke Roadwell. Might I be able to help you?”
“Oh, not really. I just heard word that you’ve been looking for the same Artifact as me and just haven’t been able to find it.”
“Oh-ho...” Duke Walter wasn’t about to make any ridiculous requests for him to sell it to him. And even if he did make such a request, it would only help to stroke Duke Roadwell’s ego. While it was uncertain as to where that information was leaked, it wasn’t hard to imagine that Duke Roadwell had gained information about the item Duke Walter was looking for beforehand and bought it just to get in his way. Duke Walter was positively brimming with disgust.
“I believe searching now would be quite the task, but I do hope you do not lose heart, Duke Walter. If you are motivated, as I am, then I believe that obtaining something of the sort is doable, at the very least.”
How dare this impudent welp mock me so brazenly! Duke Walter almost allowed his thoughts to escape his mouth in fury, but he stopped himself just moments before he could. What Duke Walter needed to do now was find out what he could do for his daughter. With that in mind, he swallowed his anger and prepared to make his exit, but that was when...
“Oh, right. I almost forgot. I don’t think it’s really possible for me to buy up two of the same item, but what do you say to me introducing you to the merchant I asked to reserve it for me just in case?”
“...Oh? Well, I would appreciate that, but...” This clearly wasn’t a gesture of good will, which prompted Duke Walter to keep his guard up, as he wasn’t privy to exactly what this man was ultimately after. His precaution ended up being meaningless, however, because his offer was out of the pure goodness of his heart—at least, that was what he hoped. In actuality, Duke Roadwell already had everything set up, so he was simply showing his hand as a courtesy, meaning that...
“That merchant’s name? Why, it’s...”
The name that he informed Duke Walter of with a devious grin was that of the merchant he had befriended. That night, said merchant appeared at Duke Walter’s estate without even being summoned. There, the Duke met with him, using reason to contain himself from exploding in anger.
“...Duke Roadwell boasted about a certain item to me at today’s social gathering,” he said, glaring at him as if to say that no further explanation was needed. However, his glare was met without an ounce of hesitation by the president of a company who was starting to stand out in the imperial capital nowadays.
“...So they did boast about it, did they? I know how you must feel now.” It seemed like he was practically trying to start a fight.
His voice shaking, Duke Walter asked just to be absolutely certain. “So you sold the Artifact to Duke Roadwell?”
“Indeed, it was I who sold it.”
“Then, do you plan to tell me that you have another of the same item? Tell me, Gratt.” Considering that he was a merchant, it was inevitable that he would sell to a higher bidder, but Duke Walter was never even given the news that he had obtained it.
Depending on your answer, you may come to regret it, he thought, giving off an aura of intimidation. Despite a major aristocrat’s pressure being powerful enough to leave any normal man quaking in his boots, the merchant that Duke Walker befriended—the president of Gratt Commerce—remained unconcerned.