Carbuncle Stones were valuable due to scarcity in the market. Thinking about this logically, it was chiefly the wealthier class who wished to flaunt their vanity or nobles that would buy gemstones like these. If everyone had the same thing, then people would stop being as interested. Therefore he’d tried to sell them for way below market rates, but this had the effect of convincing people that they were either counterfeit or came with a catch, thus resulting in no one buying any. How ironic it was that he’d been unable to sell these because they were too valuable.
“Was that beefy orc-like guy one of your merchants? He seemed pretty pissed off,” I said.
“He was the only one I could rely on at the beginning. I regretted my first dealings with him, but I couldn’t just fire him halfway...”
“You should choose your associates better.”
“Agreed. But that’s why things got so complicated...”
Interestingly enough, the slime’s estimation that the gemstone was the real deal and my own opinion that there was more to it than meets the eye were both correct.
“But...I don’t care about that anymore. I know how this sounds, but I’ve earned more than enough from him.”
“Mifoo...”
“He’s fine after I give him food, but after a while, he’s in pain again. He wasn’t like this at the start.”
The carbuncle put its head onto Tiesel’s hand and started purring blissfully. Looking at them like this, it was like watching a pet and its beloved owner.
“That was why I asked Erifell if she knew anyone knowledgeable about monsters, and that’s how you ended up coming today.”
“I see,” I said.
A rare monster was in pain. Sure enough, the only one you could really ask was a monstermancer at this point.
“If you’ll look at him, I’ll happily give you the ring I just showed you. If you sell it in Clovel, then I’m sure you can still fetch a lot of money. The rumors have started to spread, so you’ll have to be quick.”
“Talk about a good deal.”
Now that I knew where they were coming from, this didn’t seem like a bad deal. They were bona fide Carbuncle Stones and I was sure they could be sold for their proper price outside of Esma.
“What are you gonna do once the carbuncle gets better? Make some more gemstones?” I asked.
To be honest, I was really against telling Leen about this. I didn’t care in the slightest if some carbuncle was worked to death, but considering Leen’s policy, I expected she would fly into a rage if she saw a monster be used for human greed. Given that I’d come here through Erifell, I couldn’t really keep it a secret anymore, though...
“If possible...I’d like to return him to his home.”
Tiesel then stood up and began rifling through his shelf. From the back he pulled out an old, locked box. It wasn’t covered in dust, so I imagined it was opened regularly. Before I could ask what it was, he opened it up.
“You wouldn’t know this, but the Kreyon family are former nobles from the Kanyma Kingdom in Lirabell. We lost a political war and our family was dismantled, but my sister and I managed to escape east to Corsueny.”
Inside the box was something that glittered with such radiance that I thought I was seeing things: it was a tiara. The silver frame had decorations so fine that even I could tell were impressive. However, what caught my eye were the Carbuncle Stones inlaid all across it. It wasn’t just one or two—no, there were dozens of gemstones that glittered with the light of the sun, all created by the sleeping carbuncle on the desk. It was a high-quality piece that would make you laugh at the trifling matter of the Carbuncle Stone market collapse in Esma. The thing was that items like these, decorated with multiple same color Carbuncle Stones, were worth a huge amount. Even ignoring that, I doubted there was another piece of jewelry in the world that used the same number of Carbuncle Stones as this.
This was so expensive that no one person could ever hope to afford it. It was a special crown on par with crowns made for countries who wanted to flaunt their power without a care for the cost.
“The symbol of the Kreyon family was a sunstone, so the tiara passed down in our family was said to have gleamed like the sun. Unfortunately it was lost during the political power struggle...”
“Mm... Mifoo...”
The carbuncle continued to make its silly sounds. I wondered if it was having some kind of dream. Tiesel gave another wry grin and stroked its head once more.
“The fact that my Sphere turned out this color and the fact that this little guy came to me when Sharney got engaged seemed like fate. I thought that maybe I could re-create our family tiara with enough Carbuncle Stones.”
“And now that you have, you don’t need the carbuncle anymore?”
“Yeah. I realize I pushed him really hard so that I could complete the tiara in time for the wedding.”
Tiesel’s smile hinted at the guilt he felt. Or that was the best way I could think to interpret it.
“The pragmatic part of me tells me that I should simply dispatch him now that I’m done with him... Or rather keep on forcing him to make Carbuncle Stones until he dies.”
I watched Tiesel close the box and return it to the shelf.
“But after a year with him, I’ve developed an attachment. And I’m grateful, of course. That’s why I want to fix him up before returning him home. If I send him as he is, he won’t be able to move and might get gobbled up by another monster.”
“Yeah, it does seem to be having a bit of trouble sleeping...”
What Tiesel said made sense and I could understand it, but still...
“Can I ask something?” I said.
“Of course.”
“You’ve told me a lot, but you mentioned stuff that you could’ve kept secret. All that about you being a former noble or your sister getting married doesn’t really mean anything to me.”
Tiesel could’ve just asked me how to cure a sick carbuncle. Of course, it was the client’s choice to disclose as much as they wanted to, but all the same...
“Also, you didn’t need to show me the tiara,” I said. “What would you have done if I set my eyes on it?”
An adventurer used their skill and respect as a guarantee for their work, but this tiara had enough worth that those things didn’t matter—it was well worth stealing. I could’ve taken it, traveled far away, and made a fortune selling it. That was the kind of item we were dealing with here. I’d intended to tell Tiesel my pragmatic reasoning on the matter, but he stared at me wide-eyed and placed a hand on his mouth before bursting out into laughter. He could barely keep it in, and it was so raucous I was afraid it would wake up the carbuncle. It flapped its legs before falling still and falling asleep again.
“The hell are you laughing about?!” I said.
“Ha ha ha... Come on, Hakura. You were thinking so hard about what to get a girl as an apology gift that you asked a waitress at a restaurant! No way you have the guts to do that!”
“If you’re itchin’ for a fight, I’ll take you here and now.”
Stealing this tiara and giving it to Leen was on the cards.
“I’m joking! You’re an upright adventurer. Pragmatic and capable. I’m well aware of how difficult it’d be to steal this tiara and keep your identity hidden the whole time.”
“Tch...”
Tiesel was a fellow adventurer, but he was also my client, so I couldn’t sock him. Erifell had issued me the quest, so if she found out I’d turned into a thief, then I’d have more problems than just going on the run.
“Yeah, but telling you about the carbuncle was a big risk too, no?” Tiesel said. “I just...”
“Just?”
“I just wanted to show off the amazing thing I’d made for my sister.”
“Right, I see...”
That was the real reason he’d prattled for so long. I wanted to punch his stupid, smug face, but I refrained from doing so out of respect for Sharney and her upcoming wedding.
“Anyway, I get the picture now. But I’ve got a little issue of my own,” I said.
“Which is?”
“The monster specialist isn’t me, but my friend.”
“...The one who you’re in a fight with right now?”
“Well...I thought she might put it aside if she took on a quest...”
However, I was utterly terrified of talking to her now, two days after pissing her off originally. I could only pray the slime had smoothed things over on my behalf, but if she still wasn’t on speaking terms, I might not see the next sunrise.
“Do you have a plan for how to make things up to her?”
“I bought a present on the way here...but I dunno if she’ll like it.”
I thought that Tiesel, with his sister, might have some useful advice, so I showed him what I’d bought. He looked at it for a while, then nodded after some thought.
“It’s not bad. I suppose it’ll depend on her taste whether she likes the design,” Tiesel commented.
“You think?”
“Want me to make it a bit more fashionable?”
“Huh?”
“I’m the one who made the tiara, you know? I’m quite good with my hands.”
I ruminated on his proposal. I wanted to increase my chances of fixing Leen’s mood as much as possible. Therefore I went with the pragmatic option and took Tiesel up on his offer. I handed the item over.