The One and Only Sami Chapter 10

“Ha, haha… honestly, where do you hear such stories? Traveling merchants? Or is it from storytellers and buskers?”

“…”

Razard casually patted Sami’s hair. His touch was that of a man accustomed to caressing others. A soft fragrance still lingered on his fingertips.

Ah.

Sami only realized it now, facing him so closely. This wasn’t Razard’s personal scent.

His fingers.

The fragrance was bleeding from the rings on his fingers.

“Oh…”

Sami had never heard of a story where jewels gave off a scent. Razard followed the movement of Sami’s eyes, then waved his ring-clad hand in front of the boy’s face.

As before, his ten fingers were adorned with elaborate rings—two or even three on each. Every single one was set with a large, beautifully crafted gemstone.

Though it was excessively, almost overflowingly ornate, the countless jewels didn’t look out of place on Razard. Every time his hand shifted direction, a mysterious, sleek luster shimmered.

As Sami stared blankly at the light, mesmerized, Razard smirked and slowly folded his fingers one by one into a fist.

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

“Is the fragrance coming from the jewels? Is that, uh, magic too?”

“…”

Razard smiled quietly. He had been arrogant and relaxed the whole time, but this smile felt different in nature from the ones before.

“I’ll give Bisan this much—he’s got a knack for picking people.”

“Pardon?”

Instead of answering the question, Razard rubbed a ring.

“Marut.”

As if in response, the gem glowed. Even though Razard was standing in the shade of the palm leaves, the jewel sparkled brilliantly as if it were drinking in the full sun.

“Lovely, isn’t it? There aren’t many people who possess this many Maruts. Not even the magicians.”

Razard, who had been staring at the Marut, looked into Sami’s eyes. Eyes that were a deep yellow, like gold.

“And this is exactly what I’m going to ask of you.”

⚜️

“Sami.”

“…”

“Sami!”

“…”

Hibi, a maid his own age, called him several times, but Sami was just staring blankly while mashing boiled beans. A fishy smell wafted from the hot, steamed beans.

As Sami stirred and mashed, Hibi—who had been adding spices to kill the smell and seasoning the pot—finally poked him in the ribs.

“Gyah!”

“You’ve been daydreaming this whole time. I knew it… something happened while you were out on that errand, didn’t it? Tell me! Come on!”

“Well…”

Something definitely happened. Something huge had occurred, yet it felt as if it had vanished without a trace, leaving everything looking perfectly normal.

The moment he had answered “Yes” to Razard’s “favor,” Sami found himself standing in front of the Salif estate in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but the basket in his arms was filled with all sorts of rare, precious fruits instead of the oranges the magician had shriveled.

Though he took a scolding from the strict head servant, Harna, for not bringing exactly what he was sent for, he managed to avoid major punishment thanks to Young Master Antar’s intervention. Antar pointed out that since he’d brought fruits more valuable than oranges, they should let it slide as long as he hadn’t stolen them.

I wish he’d just filled it with oranges…

If Sami’s usual behavior had been poor, this incident would have surely caused a misunderstanding. After all, when asked where he got the fruit, Sami couldn’t give a single straight answer.

‘On the way back from buying oranges, I met a bad magician and almost got hurt, but another man—well, not a magician, but anyway, someone who can do magic—helped me fly away on a carpet, we spent some time at an oasis, and then I closed my eyes and opened them to find myself in front of the house with these fruits.’

From the first word to the last, there wasn’t a single part of that he could actually say out loud.

“No, it’s nothing…”

Sami put unnecessary force into the spatula he was using to stir the beans. While he scraped the bottom of the pot and pounded the beans up and down, he recalled the last thing the man had said.

‘You have a nice scent. Just like the jewels in these rings.’

Just thinking about that conversation made the back of his neck feel itchy for no reason.

But he couldn’t help it. When he thought of Razard’s voice whispering right in his ear… among all the smooth-talking idlers staying at the inns, none had a voice that resonated quite that sweetly. It was a strange voice, as if the fragrance itself had seeped into the sound.

Sami absentmindedly brought his wrist to his nose and sniffed. Now, he couldn’t smell anything but the fishy steam of freshly boiled beans.

‘Your scent is unique, so I’d like to take some of it.’

‘How do you take it?’

How had the man smiled then? Regardless, he thought it had been a rather kind smile.

‘There’s a way. Today isn’t the day, so I’ll see you next time.’

‘If there’s a way to take it, you’re welcome to, but I…’

Sami had hesitated before speaking cautiously.

‘It’s hard for me to make time to see you, Razard.’

‘What?’

‘In the morning I have to sweep the floors, then gather eggs, help with meal prep, run errands for the Madame and the Young Master…’

‘Are you seriously worrying about that right now?’

Even though it was a perfectly natural thing to worry about, the man had laughed as if he couldn’t believe it. The way his lips curled up when he laughed was almost terrifyingly handsome.

‘I’m not exactly a man who exists within the bounds of a “normal” routine, am I? You’ve experienced exactly how we met and how we got tangled up—didn’t you feel anything?’

Razard made no effort to hide the fact that he was special. His attitude showed zero humility, yet it didn’t strike Sami as particularly rude. Perhaps because it was simply the truth.

‘Just keep doing what you do. I’ll find you.’

After promising to meet again and being dropped right at the estate, the present moment—boiling beans with Hibi—felt strangely surreal.

What kind of daily life does a person lead if they don’t have to boil beans to eat or walk down bedroom hallways to sleep?

“Daily life…”

“Sigh.”

Seeing him mumble like someone lost in a dream, Hibi realized the conversation was a lost cause. She gave up on talking to Sami and silently squeezed a lemon.

“Your twentieth birthday is right around the corner, and I have no idea where your head is at.”

⚜️

“Welcome back, Master.”

A man whose hair, skin, eyes, and even clothes were pitch black bowed respectfully toward Razard.

Razard gave a half-hearted acknowledgment of the greeting and flopped onto the bed. A subtle fragrance lingered around the lavish bed covered in animal furs. He waved his hand through the air to clear the faint, veil-like mist of smoke.

“How is the East?”

“I attempted to locate a Marut, but the site had already been plundered by a magician.”

“Is that so?”

Razard’s gaze, which had been fixed idly on his own fingertips, stopped cold. Though he was looking at his neatly kept nails, the glint in his eyes was like a man inspecting the edge of a blade.

“So even after I killed so many, there’s still a magician left with enough stupidity to try.”

“Shall I hunt the magician down?”

“No, forget it.”

There were things to prepare for the upcoming banquet. Tasks so important that there was no value in wasting time chasing down some low-life magician.

“Instead of chasing things that move, it’s better to search the remaining labyrinths. And…”

Razard tilted his head back and let out a long sigh. When he inhaled again, the whites of his eyes momentarily stained black.

“I found something useful. It’s going to be much easier to obtain Maruts from now on.”

The breath he exhaled was laced with a strange color. A pungent, violet-hued vapor. Razard scowled and pressed his lips thin.

The man standing in the shadows bowed and vanished backward, melting away as if he had never been there to begin with.

Left alone, Razard buried himself deep into the furs and slowly opened and closed his eyes. Despite receiving disappointing news, he wasn’t in a particularly bad mood. It was likely because of what had happened today.

‘Is the fragrance coming from the jewels? Is that, uh, magic too?’

He had picked up a treasure far beyond his expectations on a street he’d been wandering without much thought.

“To think he can sense the scent of a Marut…”

Today, even the nails that were turning black and the thick, swirling breath felt welcome. For the first time in a while, Razard smiled with satisfaction. In the luxurious room warmed by the reddish glow of the lamps, Razard alone was black and blue.

He exuded an atmosphere quite different from when he was under the sun. Razard tapped his fingers rhythmically, as if keeping time with a jaunty tune. Every time the lamplight flickered, the shadows tracing his silhouette swayed restlessly.

“Yes, I really must have him soon.”

His voice was low, as if whispering to someone. Since he was alone, it remained a mere soliloquy.

No one heard him. But as if in response, the lights in the room died down. Soon, the brilliantly lit room faded into darkness, leaving only white moonlight resting on the floor.