Chapter 28

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 28

Chapter Title: The Priceless Partanium Hammer

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Pushing my way through the wizards' endless stream of thanks, I made it back—but before I could even catch my breath, I found myself standing before the duke.

"That hammer."

It was the one phrase he uttered after a long silence.

I'd been trembling in tension amid the heavy atmosphere for what felt like ages when his voice made me jolt.

"Y-Yes...?"

"That super-lightweight Partanium hammer."

"Y-Yes..."

It felt like sitting on a bed of nails.

There wasn't any obvious anger on the duke's face, but with my guilty conscience—like a thief jumping at their own footsteps—I couldn't bring myself to look up.

After another short silence, his voice rang out once more.

"Liam, doesn't it look familiar?"

Huh? Familiar?

"Yes, exactly, Your Grace."

Liam, who struck me as especially smug just then, chimed in before clearing his throat and diving into a long, winding explanation.

"That hammer was a gift from Sir Bruschetta, a master craftsman of the Millef Kingdom, presented to commemorate the previous duke's birthday. It's a supreme-grade super-lightweight Partanium hammer capable of shattering any magical restraint."

Wait a minute. I'd never even imagined a plot twist like this.

I gaped at Liam in shock, but oblivious to my silent plea, he kept right on talking.

"It's a masterpiece of such astronomical value that even artisans would weep over it! In any case, that inimitable Partanium hammer is a cherished heirloom the previous duke left to the family."

"Indeed, it looked exactly like that one to me."

S-So, it's the previous duke's heirloom? And... a masterpiece worth a fortune?

I didn't want to believe it, but the conclusion was clear: I'd used the duke's possession without permission.

...No way. Please tell me it's not true. Bonita said it was just some junk tumbling around in the warehouse.

I gave up trying to follow Liam's machine-gun barrage of explanations that followed and swallowed my tears inwardly.

'W-What do I do!'

But the more I grasped the reality, the colder my blood ran.

And small wonder—the Kletan Empire was infamous for meting out harsher punishments for theft than any other nation.

Especially since I'd stolen a noble's possession... and even dared to use it without authorization?

If luck wasn't on my side, it could mean the death penalty.

And right now, my life hung by a thread—one wrong move away from snapping!

'I have to make this right.'

The homebody instinct craving a peaceful, quiet life was blaring a dire warning.

"Um, Your Grace! I actually had something to tell you. I was going to bring it up first. Haha, hahaha."

"...What is it?"

"So... I'd like to transfer one of my wish tokens to you, Your Grace. Would that be okay!?"

Honestly, it wasn't even worth agonizing over.

Sure, the Magic Tower's 'unconditional assistance' was a big deal—sacrificing one of my three wish tokens stung a little...

But if things had gone south here, the Duke of Brail would've been left holding the bag.

"Princess, the aid you can request from the Magic Tower via the title 'Ear of the Magic Tower' is vast in scope. You're still willing to do this?"

The duke seemed genuinely surprised by my offer.

Yeah, I figured as much. I knew the true value of these wish tokens full well, even without him kindly spelling it out.

'But it's not worth more than my life...'

I want to live, okay?

"Yes! With three of them, isn't it only right to give one to Your Grace?"

"Hmmm."

"And I'm so grateful for your magnanimity in overlooking my blunder of using your possession by accident..."

That was the gist of it.

Here's a wish token! Please turn a blind eye to me using your stuff without permission!

Seeming to catch my drift, he narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down before finally nodding.

"...The princess has a generous heart. I'll accept it gratefully."

"Haha, think nothing of it. Then, may I... go pack my things now?"

"Go ahead."

"Yes! Thank you!"

Fearing he might change his mind, I bowed like a shot and bolted for my room.

Sure, things looked amicable now—but in the world of the powerful, one tiny slip and you'd get torn to shreds!

I'm going to eliminate every risk and live out my days as a safe, secure homebody!

So handing over one wish token? No big deal at all.

......Really.

In conclusion, the comic was an absolute smash hit.

With one wish token pried away by the duke—leaving me just two—I'd paid a hefty sum at the Magic Tower for a limited print run of Safety Rules of the Haunted Duke's Castle Vol. 1. It sold enough in under a week to more than cover costs.

It was almost a shame I'd only distributed it to a handful of major bookstores in the Brail Duchy and the capital, just in case the reception tanked.

"Please give our bookstore a chance to carry the 'comic book'!"

Letters poured in until the duke's mansion mail overflowed. Some even used rare teleportation circles—hardly ever invoked—to show up begging for distribution rights...

Naturally, demand for the next volume only skyrocketed.

"W-We have to work even harder!"

"Let's grind our bones to dust!"

The artists working on the comic threw themselves into deadlines with more passion than anyone.

They even wrapped up Vol. 2 ahead of schedule and dove straight into Vol. 3 without a break.

The duke handling distribution started carving his already packed days into even tinier slices. And that...

...wasn't any different for me.

"Ugh, uwaaa..."

Today too, my eyes snapped open at dawn.

It was six in the morning.

Tossing and turning was pointless—the fierce sunlight flooded the entire room.

"Sigh, please..."

The duke had graciously sprung me from that dark prison-like room I'd been in before, which was fine. The problem? This place was a prime sun trap, facing east every morning.

And right now, it was peak summer with the longest days.

My nerves were fraying thread by thread from the nonstop forced wake-ups.

'More... I wanna sleep more.'

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force sleep, but in the end, I couldn't beat the relentless sunlight prying my mind awake. I dragged myself upright.

"I don't wanna live like this."

A lament slipped out the moment I opened my mouth.

I'd hoped things would ease up after the Magic Tower saga, but hectic days always ended with it being four a.m. already.

And I still couldn't quit the comics—forcing myself to read until dawn broke was par for the course.

Given the room's setup, once daylight hit, sleep was off the table. Hadn't my lifespan shrunk by a good ten years lately?

As I clutched my head in misery, the door opened and Bonita stepped in.

"Miss, you didn't get a proper night's sleep again, did you."

She looked just as bad, her dark circles drooping down to her chin.

It was karma from shadowing the all-nighters artists to snag gossip—before she knew it, she'd become their dedicated hot chocolate runner.

Zombie-like, she staggered over and set down a simple breakfast in front of me as I somehow sat up straight. She couldn't fight the yawns spilling out one after another.

"Yeah, I'm dying..."

I pointed blatantly at the window.

Making sure she could clearly see the midsummer morning sun spearing through the delicate lace-trimmed curtains.

She stared blearily out the bright window and muttered in a gloomy tone.

"If the curtains were even a little thicker, it'd help."

"Huh?"

"Sure, bright houses are nice and all, but people in our... unique situation need darkness even during the day..."

"Ah."

Listening quietly to her words, I suddenly blurted out the idea that hit me.

'Blackout curtains!'