LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 23: What Can't You Buy With Money? (2)
Realized all 3 of the milestones are met! Give me some time tho… (Updating next milestones)
“I can’t even begin to understand… not even the first step.”
Esme, holding the magic book I brought with the help of Armonia translated into the common language, struggled for ten minutes before finally speaking.
Reading the magic book comfortably in Esme’s room instead of the library, without having to worry about others, is really nice.
“A bit difficult, isn’t it?”
“No, no, no! Murmur! This isn’t about difficulty. Is it even understandable?”
“Murmur can use it.”
“Ugh…”
Esme looked at me, then back at the magic book, shaking her head.
“If someone else said they could use this magic, I’d think they were lying. It’s that difficult.”
“I’m sorry, Esme.”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s read it together again later. I managed to understand the dual casting part at the beginning.”
Esme fanned her face with her hand, then lifted the magic book with both hands to show Pearl, her maid standing behind her.
“Pearl, what do you think? Can you understand it?”
“Ah… I’m sorry, Miss. I’m not interested in magic in the first place.”
I read it once and learned it simply, but ‘Gentle release’ is indeed a difficult magic.
It’s no wonder only the high-ranking people of the Holy Kingdom can learn it. It’s a complex and difficult magic that only such people can learn and use.
That’s why when I learned this magic in the Demon King Route, I could cause such a tremendous incident.
“But Murmur… it’s only been about a week, right? How did you translate it so neatly into the common language?”
“I used magic.”
A convenient excuse, indeed.
“With magic?”
“Yes, I used a magic that helps with translation and another that helps with transcription.”
“Heh… still, you did well. Murmur! Thanks to you, I can read this magic book as my mother wished!”
Her bright smile was cute, but Esme hugged me like a teddy bear and rubbed her cheek against mine.
I’ve been saying she looks like a giant walking sheep doll since last time.
“Ugh… Esme, Murmur has something to ask.”
“Soft… what is it?”
“Do you know about Sitri?”
Esme, who was rubbing her cheek against mine, blinked and looked at me.
“Of course, I do. Who wouldn’t know Sitri?”
As expected, she’s famous. Well, it would be strange if the main heroine of the Demon King Route wasn’t famous at the academy.
“She’s an incredible kid in many ways, isn’t she? Personally… how should I put it? Hmm…”
“Does Esme dislike Sitri?”
“It’s not about liking or disliking…”
Esme lightly clapped her hands.
“… It’s just that she feels hard to get close to.”
“Why? Why do you think that?”
“Well, I don’t think badly of her, but…”
Esme’s lips twitched slightly.
“I don’t know much about Sitri. Other than liking money, she doesn’t talk much about anything else.”
* * *
“How would you like to have a pleasant tea time with me? Murmur-yang?”
“Ugh…”
Sitri was as scary as I had expected.
Nikea was busy talking to a noble who had come to the Academy, and Esme said that she was busy today trying to solve the paperwork problem that arose when Colette ran away, and as soon as she left, Sitri clung to me.
“Murmur is busy right now.”
“Even in your busyness, it will be a pleasant tea time that you will be satisfied with for making a good choice.”
Sitri grabbed my left hand and pointed to a table in the distance that was already set.
Starting with a large-looking whipped cream cake, there were mountains of cookies and scones, and even a pie with white steam rising from it.
This doesn’t feel like a tea time, but a dessert party.
─ Gurgle!
“Oh my! You seem to be hungry? Murmur-yang?”
“Ugh…”
Murmur’s stomach made a thunderous sound without any tact.
What should I do?
If I don’t receive the gold pouch, my favorability won’t go up, so should I just eat a little?
After all, if I don’t receive that gold pouch, my favorability won’t increase, right?
“… Okay. It seems like Sitri worked hard to prepare it.”
As soon as I turned around, Sitri smiled brightly and half-dragged me to the table where the tea party was ready.
“Thank you for attending the tea party, Miss Murmur.”
Balkan, a butler whose white hair suited him very well, looked at me and even gave a rather handsome smile as he greeted me.
Come to think of it, there was definitely a strategy like this.
There was a table that organized the situations where you only accepted items and gold provided by Sitri in a way that barely prevented your favorability from increasing, in order to get at least a little bit out of it.
The tea party was definitely on the side that wouldn’t increase favorability.
“Please eat as much as you like, Murmur-yang. Oh, by the way, the raspberry cookies over here are hard to come by. I had quite a hard time purchasing them.”
Sitri lifted a cookie and took a light bite.
“This pie and cake are also expensive and rare desserts that a normal student wouldn’t be able to easily afford even if they saved their allowance for a year.”
“Yeah, I’ll eat well.”
In the end, she says it’s expensive. Anyway, I was really hungry, so I didn’t refuse and took a fork to the pie and cake.
“Munch munch… It’s delicious.”
“I’m quite happy that you are enjoying it as I expected.”
Sitri, who had a satisfied expression, no longer touched the desserts piled in front of her.
“…But Murmur-yang? Do you remember the conversation we had last time?”
“Munch munch… Munch, no?”
“Ugh… It was about joining forces for Professor Malea’s upcoming joint assignment.”
She still hasn’t given up on that story.
“Murmur already has friends to solve the joint assignment with.”
“Are you talking about Esme-yang and Princess Nikea? Heh heh, you can get a better score if you join me.”
“Murmur doesn’t think so.”
“No! It’s a predetermined outcome! Balkan!”
When Sitri clapped twice, Balkan, the butler who was standing next to her, took out a black bag from behind his back and unfolded it in front of me.
It’s already started. There’s a reason why people on the community call Sitri ‘item-obsessed girl,’ and some people who are a bit harsh call her ‘cash-grabber.’
“Professor Malea’s joint assignment this time is about defeating the monsters prepared in the Star Shadow Forest and finding the treasure!”
Sitri took out a magic tool from her bag that looked expensive at first glance.
“Murmur-yang. Do you see this magic tool? This magic tool, made in the Magician’s Tower, has the power to accurately detect the location of monsters! I bought it for a whopping 5 gold!”
Really? Isn’t she getting scammed?
How much was the value of 1 gold again? Was it the value for a family to live an ordinary life?
“Now, look here. This dowsing rod here has runes engraved on it. I bought it for 3 gold, so it can definitely find hidden treasure chests.”
“That’s amazing.”
“And also, do you see this chain mail? This armor is an amazing item made in the ‘Stonefire’ forge!”
Sitri’s boasting about money was endless.
The more ridiculous thing is that these items are actually effective. From the dowsing rod to the magic tool that finds the location of monsters.
Each one would be a key item to breeze through this joint assignment.
“And, also… Do you see the weapons over here? There’s even a staff with many convenient features engraved on it for Murmur-yang.”
“Yeah, I understand. But Murmur doesn’t need it.”
“You… don’t need it?”
“Yeah, Murmur can do well even without that.”
It’s really a shame to Sitri, but I already know the location of the treasure chests and monsters, the names of the monsters, and their weaknesses, which will give me the highest score.
With Esme’s elemental magic and my summoning magic, I’ve already estimated that we can defeat them without too much difficulty.
“…That can’t be. This joint assignment is going to be quite difficult because you have to compete against other teams.”
“Yeah, it’s okay. Murmur can do it.”
“Where on earth does that confidence come from… Where in that small body does it come from?”
Sitri’s expression was openly distorted.
Did I look too indifferent at the items that other students would have clapped and begged to be on the same team for?
“Hmph… …Okay. Murmur-yang? Then, do you see this paper here?”
Sitri handed me a blank piece of paper and a pen through Balkan.
“Write down what you want.”
“You’ll buy me anything?”
“Hee, heh! That’s right! Starting with the birthday presents that Murmur didn’t receive! I’ll give you a gift that even Princess Nikea can’t buy!”
Sitri’s eyes sparkled. And she regained her usual poker face, which made it difficult to know what she liked.
“The only price Murmur-yang has to pay me is one thing! Be my teammate for this joint assignment!”
Sitri’s persistent behavior made me chuckle a little.
There’s a reason why this child thinks she can solve anything with money. When I first played the game, I didn’t know that, so my reaction when I saw events like this was just being happy that I was getting free money.
Anyway, Sitri is the ‘adopted daughter’ of the ‘Crimson Brand Duchess,’ so she thinks she can do anything with money. The Crimson Brand Duchess is the owner of the ‘Crimson Nexus’ trading company, which is thriving greatly in the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and various kingdoms.
Since the person she can call her mother is someone who handles and manages a huge amount of money, it’s probably natural for her to act like that.
In the world that Sitri has lived in, she must have seen how many times even the noblest and most honorable people collapse helplessly in front of money.
“Okay.”
“Heh heh, don’t be shy and write down anything you want.”
And I also know Sitri’s secret ‘identity’ very well.
I know very well the reason why this child is desperately trying so hard, and why she wants to be recognized by the ‘Crimson Brand Duchess’ by getting good grades at the Academy.
I have no intention of being close to Sitri in the future, and I have no intention of raising her favorability at all, but knowing her unfortunate fate, I can’t help but worry about her. As an adult, it’s obvious that a child is going to suffer, so it’s a bit frustrating.
Okay, I’ve eaten a lot of delicious cake and cookies. I’ll give her a little help.
“Here you go.”
She’ll definitely have a hard time in the joint assignment, and giving her this much advice won’t change the main story much.
I’m just advising Sitri to eliminate an opponent who will disappear anyway, even if I don’t intervene. It’s a win-win. Sitri won’t get hurt, and I’ll feel better.
Honestly, I got some delicious cake, so I should at least do this much.
“Murmur-yang, what item did you want to have, let’s see…”
I jumped up from my seat and waved my hand at Sitri.
“I ate well, Sitri. See you later.”
“W-wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!!! Murmur-yang! T-this is! It’s not an item you wanted!?”
“Yeah, I know. But Murmur doesn’t want anything. I’m just telling you this because I’m thankful for being invited to the tea party.”
“Ah, you’re telling me… W-what does this mean? In the first place, this isn’t an item, it’s a p-person’s name!”
Running away from the flustered Sitri was easier than I thought.
* * *
Sitri twirled her red hair with her left hand and stared at the blank piece of paper in her right hand.
When Murmur, whom she had painstakingly invited to the tea party, picked up the pen, she was excited, thinking that she would finally be able to get what she wanted.
But now, looking at the paper in her right hand, she couldn’t help but think that she had been played from beginning to end.
“What on earth is going on…”
For Sitri, who thought that anything could be bought with money and that there were no gifts that wouldn’t work, Murmur’s actions were too bewildering.
Sitri, who wanted to clearly grasp Murmur’s power and potential, and the truth of the rumors about her, was burning inside.
“Miss… what are you going to do?”
“Balkan, are you also bewildered by the contents of this paper?”
“Rowan is a student who is supposed to help you in this joint assignment, isn’t he?”
Sitri stared down at the paper, which had the name of a ‘student’ she had already neatly bought out with money.
『Rowan is a bad friend. Be careful.』
“I think Murmur already knew.”
“Are you saying that she already knew who you would be teaming up with?”
“…Come to think of it, she refused outright from the beginning, didn’t she? She might have noticed right away that I wanted to test her strength.”
Sitri took out her wallet from her chest pocket, put the paper that Murmur had given her inside, and sighed.
“What are you going to do about Rowan?”
“Rowan’s family has been working for Crimson Nexus for a long time. In other words, he’s not someone who can say anything bad to me.”
Sitri continued with a story that would naturally come out of her common sense.
“It’s going to be a bit of a creepy story, but it seems like Murmur-yang was planning to make me fall into suspicion and exclude Rowan, who would be a great help in this assignment, so that I wouldn’t get a good score.”
Balkan looked a little surprised.
“She really is worthy of being a descendant of a Demon God… I don’t know how she knew Rowan’s name and how she knew the details of the joint assignment as if it was obvious.”
Sitri hugged herself tightly with her now free hands and raised the corners of her mouth.
“Don’t you keep feeling that she’s someone I should serve!? Balkan! Murmur-nim is really amazing! She’s definitely a descendant of a Demon God!!!”
Sitri slightly closed her sparkling eyes and murmured softly.
“As expected… a being who will become the Demon King is extraordinary even from a young age.”