The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go Chapter 38

 

Cedric inquired urgently as Paul lowered his head and spoke in a whisper. He nodded slightly and sighed after listening to Paul.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m going out for a second,” said Cedric.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

It looked like some urgent news had arrived.

 

As I watched Cedric leave the store after apologizing, I pushed the ring he had taken out to the side and called the store owner.

 

“Hey, do you have a blue sapphire here?”

 

“Ah, sapphires aren’t usually used for wedding rings… Wait a minute.”

 

“No, it’s not for a wedding ring.”

 

I refuted adamantly, hearing those words and vehemently waving my hand in the owner’s direction as he prepared to leave the counter.

 

The purpose of visiting the jewelry store was shrouded because of that kid, Cedric.

 

“Anyway, really…”

 

I should have answered sooner when he first offered to test a ring when we sat down for a brief time.

 

[He probably wouldn’t give up anyway.]

 

Caliberne sounded lucrative as she clicked her tongue.

 

“What’s wrong with you?”

 

[You’re weak in front of the Emperor. You already said no at first, but he pretended to act pitiful, so you fell for it quickly.]

 

‘… It didn’t agree that quickly.’

 

I responded timidly at Caliberne, then looked to confront the store owner.

 

Because it was clear that if I didn’t explain quickly, it might well continue to be misunderstood.

 

“Oh, if it’s for an engagement ring… However, the current trend isn’t sapphire—”

 

How could I explain to him this? I wanted to tell him that Cedric and I weren’t in a relationship, but when he asked if it was an engagement ring, I was really speechless.

 

It took a lot of effort for me to soften my stern appearance and say ‘No.’

 

“No. I’m really sorry, but I’m not here to buy a ring, but a magic stone.”

 

But I managed to interrupt him and spoke to the excited-looking jewelry store owner instead.

 

Then, for some reason, he wore a really dissatisfied look.

 

‘What did you expect?’

 

“Should I go to another store next time?”

 

I chose to ignore this problem, though, as there were no stores comparable to this one.

 

The jewelry was of great quality and not readily apparent, and the business was hidden away in an alley.

 

And even though I came without a disguise, he seemed to have no idea who I was.

 

Therefore, I won’t have to worry about unusual rumors spreading even if I keep purchasing jewelry from this store.

 

“Oh, a magic stone? Please wait.”

 

The owner, who was visibly pleasantly surprised, quickly erased his expression and disappeared behind the counter with a serious expression.

 

When he returned, he was holding several blue sapphires.

 

“I brought as much variety as possible, but…”

 

The shop door opened as I was counting the sapphires, which appeared to number in the dozen or so, and a well-dressed man and woman entered with their arms crossed.

 

“Welcome.”

 

The owner greeted them with a pleasant smile, but they ignored him and looked through the display case arrogantly.

 

“I heard the most valuable Titian diamond was in stock here.”

 

The man who spoke of the purpose of visiting the store shrugged off, and the owner nodded his head, signaling at me.

 

“Oh, could you pick up one for a second? I’ll be right back.”

 

Nodding towards the owner as he approaches the man and woman asking for something.

 

“Are you talking about Titian diamonds?”

 

Soon after, the man and the owner had a few more words, and the man demanded that the owner bring jewels in an overbearing approach.

 

When the woman who had been clinging to the man made eye contact with me while I was picking a sapphire, she whispered to him with an eerie smile.

 

“Oh my, wasn’t that girl Ciel Minerva?”

 

“That’s right. Why did we come to a place like this when a woman called a knight doesn’t suit this?”

 

She covered his mouth and spoke in a whispering posture, but it was a voice that could be heard by anyone.

 

“I can hear you guys, you know,” said Ciel.

 

I was already familiar with this kind of thing because I often heard stories behind my back as if they were deliberately slurred by the nobles.

 

“She’s alone, too. Who comes to a shop like this these days, without a lover or fiancée?” The woman giggled and said.

 

“I don’t know. I heard she’s trying to seduce His Majesty, but did it eventually fail?”

 

‘Hey, look at this! I’m not flirting with him, he’s the one seducing me!’

 

As expected, the rumors amongst the aristocracy are slow.

 

Those who didn’t belong to the aristocratic group were forced to communicate only with one another, alleging that their level was low.

 

Despite having the upper hand and the game gradually changing, the imperial faction was trapped in their world and had no idea how the real world works.

 

At that time, when I thought, ‘If you don’t know well, you should stay still,’ the man smiled and whispered to the woman.

 

“Even the sapphire you’re buying was cheap without decoration.”

 

For reference, ordinary people don’t know, that mana gemstones were far more expensive than ordinary jewelry of the same size.

 

Even if I explain it to the aristocrats who only play and eat and never go to the front lines, they would never understand.

 

‘There’s no other way to be eaten by these humans.’

 

I placed the sapphire I was looking at on the display case and smiled at the owner who had brought the diamond.

 

“Well, here’s the Titian diamond with outstanding transparency, color, cut, and size, and a market price of 60 million Kerta.”

 

After hearing the owner’s explanation, the woman exaggeratedly covered her mouth.

 

“Oh my god! 60 million Kerta!”

 

The man, satisfied with the woman’s reaction, threw out a check and told the owner.

 

“I’ll pay you in a lump sum here.”

 

“Excuse me.”

 

At that moment, I interrupted the man and called in the owner.

 

“Aren’t you going to sell that diamond to me?” said Ciel.

 

“What?”

 

“I’ll buy it for twice the market price. Sell it to me.”

 

Immediately, the owner’s mouth opened wide.

 

Not only that, but the faces of the men and women who were about to buy diamonds gradually hardened.

 

“I still have a long way to go to be surprised by such little amount.”

 

If there’s no one next to me to buy it, I could buy it.

 

Of course, there was no reason to buy it, so there ought to be someone who would use a cauldron to distribute the jewels. However, the shop owner was engaged in a conversation with the servants through a glass window, so let’s proceed.

 

“Well, the guests who came first still have priority…”

 

The owner looked back at the man with a gaze of no idea what to do with the jewelry.

 

“Really?”

 

I purposefully pretended to be displeased as I browsed the showcase’s diamonds.

 

“With these sapphires, ah, no. How much were all the jewels in this store?”

 

“Hmm, why are you…”

 

“Just tell me,” said Ciel.

 

“That, that…”

 

The owner swallowed his saliva and spoke in a trembling voice,  “400 million… I think it’ll be 470 million Kerta.”

 

“470 million? It’s cheaper than I thought.”

 

The nobleman’s hands began to shake violently as if there had been a tremor when he heard that I had mentioned it was less expensive than I had anticipated.

 

“If I’m going to buy them all, why not sell them all to me?”

 

To the owner, who was standing blankly holding the jewels, I spoke in a calm voice.

 

“If you want, I’ll count it higher than the market price.”

 

The owner was no longer concerned about the couple.

 

He spoke with an extremely perplexed gaze as he tightly gripped the diamond he was attempting to give them.

 

“Are you really serious…?”

 

“I’m serious.”

 

The owner bowed and shouted to both male and female guests in response to my unwavering response.

 

“I’m sorry, but today’s business is closed, so please leave now, sir.”

 

The corners of my lips rose slightly as I stared at them in a daze.

 

‘As expected, I like being young and rich.’

 

I thought to myself as I saw the back of the man and woman leaving the store without gaining anything.

 

At first, they held out swearing.

 

They seemed like their soul had left as they exited the shop, but they soon realized that the owner was not paying any attention to them.

 

There were so many gems, so I told them to take only the magic stones and send the rest to the imperial palace.

 

“Are you still talking?”

 

Across the street, Cedric was seen standing in front of the carriage, continuing to speak with Paul and several other guards.

 

It seemed that their work wasn’t over yet. Sera, who had been in front of the window before, could be seen running from afar.

 

Someone grabbed my shoulder from as soon as I attempted to wave at her.