Chapter 38

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 38

Chapter Title: A Demon's Price

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He answered cheerfully.

"Jewels!"

I tilted my head.

I'd thought a demon would have piles of jewels at least.

Bune cupped his chin with his hand and let out a deep sigh.

"We each have different powers. Some can make love come true, others can kill your enemies. Unfortunately, I don't have the power to make jewels."

"If you ask a devil who can make jewels, wouldn't that be great?"

Bune lightly tapped my nose and said,

"Aside from a few exceptions, we can't meet each other without a medium like you, little one."

"Ah."

I nodded and looked up at Bune.

His eyes were glistening with desperate longing for those jewels.

After watching the innocent handsome man on the verge of tears for a while, I nodded and asked the most important question.

"Then what will you do for me, Bune?"

He grinned, lifting the corners of his mouth.

***

The next day, in the greenhouse.

I'd stuffed sautéed lamb into my mouth from the morning.

The table was laden with all sorts of dishes, but my fork kept heading for the meat. Next one meat again. The one after that, meat. And the next, meat too.

[Little one, you need to eat a variety to stay healthy.]

Bune's voice echoed in my head.

I'd worried he might stick around in human form forever, but luckily he could make his body vanish.

'Shut up.'

He let out a dejected sigh in response to my curt reply.

But I was just as gloomy.

Summoning a demon required an enormous amount of holy power—so much that it was hard to maintain adult thinking.

I needed three or four times the usual sleep and food.

From yesterday's Q&A with Bune, I'd learned a ton about demon summoning.

1. Demons require a special mineral (or jewel) as a conduit to summon. You can't choose which demon; it's random.

2. Once summoned, the conduit mineral (or jewel) loses its function.

3. Only one demon at a time, and it vanishes after granting the wish.

4. During the summoning period, I can borrow the demon's power through my holy power. But summoning and maintaining it drains holy power too, so make it vanish quick. If my holy power runs out completely, I'll go mad.

Truth be told, I'd been a little hopeful.

Maybe with Bune's help, I could flee into exile right away.

But Bune's ability was 'summoning the souls of the dead.'

'Something like sharing unknown info or teleportation would've been nice.'

Hearing my thoughts, Bune sighed mournfully again.

But honestly, I was the truly, truly miserable one!

I'd thought asking for jewels would be a piece of cake, but the gem Bune wanted was insanely hard to get.

'How am I supposed to get the Tear of the Goddess?'

It was the world's one-and-only sapphire.

And of all places, the temple owned it.

'The temple that has it is nearby... should I steal it?'

Having lived as a beggar in my past life, theft was my specialty.

As I pondered, someone entered the greenhouse.

"Hello, little one."

I widened my eyes.

It was Cattleya.

"How'd you get here?"

"I collapsed leaving the castle last night. They rushed me to the castle infirmary for treatment, and I just got out. I wanted to greet you."

"I see."

I nodded and popped the last bit of lamb into my mouth.

Lea asked, "Shall I bring more?" I nodded, and she left the dining area.

Now, only Cattleya and I remained in the greenhouse.

She clasped her hands and said, "By the way."

"I have good news."

"News?"

"Yes. The temple heard you displayed tremendous holy power and they're thrilled."

"...What?"

"They sent a letter saying Your Grace needs to verify your holy power and asking him to come to the nearby temple."

Then she leaned in close, smiling with crinkled eyes.

"With that much holy power, you might get summoned to the central temple right away. Congratulations."

"..."

"While you're at the central temple, I'll take good care of Your Grace and the young masters."

Cattleya stroked my hair.

"Got it, you little rat?"

She must have been seriously twisted up from yesterday's events.

She'd even tossed aside the clumsy mask she'd been wearing.

'Cattleya or the baron couple must've tipped off the temple.'

Since yesterday's plan failed, they were using the temple to oust me.

Cattleya tapped my cheek.

"A lowly commoner orphan like you, who do you think you're messing with? Think your holy power erases your trash origins?"

"..."

"Know your place."

I'd been pretty lenient with Cattleya until now.

She was just a kid, and I hadn't really suffered from her antics.

But I wasn't the type with endless patience.

The kind Leblain who put up with everything because she was a child? She was gone.

The moment Cattleya tapped my cheek again.

"Kyaaack-!"

I tumbled under the chair, screaming. Outside grew noisy, and the door burst open.

"Little one?!"

The nearby servants and aides rushed in.

Henri was there too, holding a book.

"What happened?!"

I pointed at Cattleya.

"She hit me."

Her face drained of color as she flailed her hands.

"Wh-what...? No!"

Henri strode over and gripped her wrist.

Oil stained her palm—the grease from the lamb sauté on my face.

"N-no, I didn't... that's not..."

I smirked inwardly, unleashing my full beggar-gang intimidation tactics from my past life on those who bullied me for being a beggar.

'I'm the drama queen of this turf, punk.'

***

The Willston couple was summoned immediately.

They panicked at the sight of Cattleya kneeling in the greenhouse, with Ishak and Henri wearing murderous expressions.

"Mother!"

Cattleya burst into tears at the baroness. The couple hugged their daughter and demanded,

"What on earth happened?"

"She hit Leblain."

Henri's icy words hardened the baroness's eyes. Cattleya shrieked like she was screaming in terror.

"No! I'm innocent! I was just... just trying to wipe something off the little one's face...!"

The momentarily flustered baron shot me a glare with a 'knew it' look.

"Little one, enough is enough! You knocked her down yesterday, now framing her today! What grudge do you have aga—"

Slap!

Ishak backhanded his cheek.

Aura-infused, the baron sprawled onto the greenhouse grass.

He clutched his cheek in disbelief.

"Wh-what... what is this..."

"That's a hit."

Ishak pinched the grass stuck to the baron's face between thumb and forefinger and flicked it off, then continued.

"This is wiping."

"Pardon?"

"Where does your daughter need to touch to wipe crumbs off a kid's face?"

"Obviously the fingertips..."

Ishak grabbed the trembling Cattleya's wrist and shoved it at the baron.

"Where'd the grease on your daughter's hand come from? Huh?"

The baron swallowed hard at her glistening palm.

As he couldn't answer, Ishak muttered, "Guess I need to demonstrate again."

The baroness stared at her daughter in disbelief.

"Is it true?"

"..."

"Cattleya!"

Realizing no excuse would work, Cattleya bit her lip.

"I just patted her cheek lightly!"

"Why would you do that?!"

Touching others without permission was rude enough; patting cheeks was worse.

And I was the lady of the Duvered main house. Unforgivable.

Cattleya glared at me through her tears.

"She's the bad one! She stole what's mine!"

"She...?"

"She's just a commoner orphan! Way beneath me—it should've been me as the Duvered lady! You, Father, and even Duke Roman said so. You said you'd make it so the duke had to take me in...!"

The couple's faces turned ashen.

Cattleya's words were a bombshell.

Twisted maliciously, it became 'trying to install a branch family as head to swallow the ducal house'—a direct challenge to the duke's authority.

Ishak and Henri eyed the bawling Cattleya and flustered couple with vicious glares.

"Brother. How many can we drag in here?"

"Leave it to me. Everyone who hounded Leblain yesterday gets swept up."

They lightly fist-bumped, and Ishak bolted from the greenhouse.

"Your Grace!"

Off to Father.

The castle turning into pandemonium goes without saying.