Chapter 105: The Ruby
The transaction was brazen, a highwayman’s bargain dressed in silk. Did this mean that if Gremory told me to die in the future, I would have to offer up my life to her on the spot? The thought was a cold, iron knot in my gut.
But I had no other choice. I had already rejected her offers several times. Though Gremory’s smile remained, a constant, chilling mask of amusement, I knew that to truly anger her would be a swift end. I would die, right here and now, in this miserable ditch.
Speaking of which, a summoner like me—whose ritual was a shambles, whose etiquette was a complete mockery, who had dared to talk back and argue with an archdemon in her own presence—was likely a creature without precedent. It was a miracle I was still breathing. In fact, this Lady Gremory seemed rather pleased. She appeared to relish my discomfiture, my helpless hesitation. What a truly wicked sense of humor.
I could only conclude that archdemons were beings that humans could never truly comprehend. I couldn’t grasp what made her angry or what brought her joy. My profound impression of the fickleness of these beings had only just begun to form.
“Very well, I accept your terms. I will fulfill one of your requests in the future,” I said, the words tasting like bitter ash. I was forced to agree to this transaction, a debt whose price was yet unknown. I would agree for now, and hope to find a way to pay a cheaper price later.
Only later would I learn that an experienced summoner could actually propose the price themselves. When I found that out, I realized what a fool I had been, waiting for the archdemon to state her terms and losing the bargain before it had even truly begun.
“Excellent. The deal is struck. You owe me a price, and what I give you… is this.” With a lazy flick of her wrist, a magnificent ornament materialized in Gremory’s hand.
It was a ruby, a gemstone the color of fresh blood. Its facets caught the faint, sickly light of the sewer, gleaming with a sinister beauty. The base of the ruby was carved into an intricate, beautiful shape, and from it hung four delicate, platinum-gold chains. It looked like a high-class accessory, something a princess or a noble girl might wear to a royal ball.
“This is a casting implement, the equivalent of a magician’s wand. It will aid you in your sorcery. However, considering your identity as a witch should not be revealed, I’m giving you an implement that is easy to conceal,” Gremory said, her slender fingers holding the ruby out to me.
I took the gem, my own hand trembling slightly. This was incredibly useful. As a novice just starting out, I lacked everything. Gremory giving me a casting implement was like a life-giving rain in the midst of a drought. I still remembered the witch’s words: It’s so troublesome to cast spells without a wand. Her own implements had likely been confiscated when she was captured, which was why she had to come here to find her notes. If she’d had a proper casting implement, Jared and I might have been in real danger. That battle with the witch had been a stroke of incredible luck, a desperate, last-ditch effort that had only succeeded due to our combined fury, good fortune, and her own weakened state.
However, I really wanted to complain about the implement’s appearance. “Um, Lady Gremory, how am I supposed to wear this?”
“The gem goes on the back of your hand. Then you wrap two chains around your palm to fasten it, and the other two tie around your wrist,” Gremory explained. So, it really was a hand ornament. I tied it on the back of my hand as she instructed, and felt a profound sense of wrongness. My thin, delicate arm, my old and worn cloak, and this beautiful, priceless accessory were completely at odds. It looked utterly ridiculous.
“Um, Lady Gremory,” I asked with a wry smile, “you said a wand was unsuitable for concealment, so you gave me this. But… do you really think this hand ornament isn’t conspicuous?”
I didn't need to even think about it. No matter how you looked at it, I was not the person suited to wear this. If I wore this ruby out on the street, I would instantly become a beacon for every thief and cutthroat in the city. Everyone would know that such a gemstone could not possibly belong to a poor child. And even if it did, no one would be held accountable for snatching it.
“That is because your disposition is unworthy of the aesthetic I have given you. You should strive to become a person who can match its beauty,” Gremory stated, her mocking tone as cold and hard as the gem itself. It seemed she simply adored these kinds of ornate, magnificent accessories. Getting her to change it for a simple wand was likely impossible, and I didn’t dare make another request of this capricious archdemon.
After thinking for a moment, I simply tied the ruby to my forearm. That way, the large sleeve of my cloak would cover it, concealing it perfectly, just like how Jared hid his dagger.
“Tsk, tsk, truly no taste at all,” Gremory said, shaking her head, clearly disapproving of my attempt at a clandestine approach. She herself was incredibly flamboyant, adorned with a dazzling array of gems.
Sis, if I had your strength, I thought, I could also openly wear priceless gems and a magnificent evening gown… wait! I would never wear a dress, I’m a man!
In any case, that’s what I did. This hand ornament was now my property, and I could do with it as I pleased.
“Alright, since the deal is done, I’ll be going. Oh, right, that implement has a portion of my destructive power sealed within it. Also, remember you still owe me a price.” With that, Gremory dissipated in a flash of fire and brimstone.
“She’s gone?” Jared cautiously eyed the summoning circle, which was now extinguished. The blood on it had dried, and the high-end cosmetics box had vanished without a trace.
“She’s definitely gone,” I said. She had left so decisively. Perhaps she didn’t want to linger in this foul-smelling sewer ditch for a second longer than she had to. After my brief contact with this noblewoman among archdemons, I felt I had some understanding of her peculiar personality. She adored beautiful, expensive things, loved to be draped in gold and silver, and lived a life of opulence. I suspected that the witch’s notes about summoning her in a graveyard were entirely wrong. The most suitable location would be a magnificent palace, preferably with a grand ball and countless attendants to adore her.
I would need to carefully sift through all the information I had in the notes and reconsider everything. But for now, obtaining this casting implement was an unexpected joy. I hadn’t expected to gain anything from this perilous transaction, but to my surprise, I received an implement, which was exactly what I lacked. It was a small comfort, at least I wasn't leaving empty-handed.
“Whew, that demon was terrifying, truly. I almost thought she was going to eat me,” Jared said, finally seeming to relax, his voice filled with lingering dread.
“Why are you so scared, brother Jared? That demon was quite easy to talk to, and she was beautiful,” I said, a little confused by his terror. A pretty big sister like her, just my type.
“Beautiful? Are you sure? All I saw was a skeleton wreathed in flames, with a terrifying black and red energy churning inside it!” Jared said, his face pale with horror.
I was immediately lost in thought. My perception of reality was different from Jared’s once again. But this time, my vision was the more normal one, and his was bizarre and grotesque. Why? Was the demoness deliberately showing him a horrific form? Or was there something else at play, a deeper mystery in the way we perceived the world?
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