Chapter 27 – A Lucky Day

The private room at the Pranecia Cathedral.

A very expensive space, accessible only to high-ranking nobles, ensuring complete confidentiality and treatment without leaving any scars.

Looking at Stella, unconscious after being fully healed without a trace of injury, I let out a sigh.

“Sarah.”

“Yes.”

“How did you know I was there?”

“I sensed both black magic and your mana simultaneously, so I rushed over.”

“And Yurasia?”

“I explained things to her thoroughly before I left. She’s fine.”

“Is that so…”

She’s not even trying to hide her involvement anymore.

I sighed again and glanced at Sarah.

I expected her to be capable, but I hadn’t imagined she could detect black magic from such a distance.

“Well, thanks to you, things went smoothly. Thank you. Good job.”

The reason we were able to quietly bring the bleeding Stella to the cathedral without causing a scene…

Sarah had brought a leather sack, and we stuffed Stella inside.

Luckily, she had already passed out.

“…I apologize for acting on my own judgment.”

“It’s fine.”

I patted Sarah’s shoulder as she bowed her head and leaned back in the chair.

Earlier, on my way back to the dormitory with Yurasia, I had spotted a scruffy-looking figure in a navy hood.

And two black magicians tailing her.

So I sent Yurasia ahead and decided to follow Stella myself—and, well, here we are.

I had tried to keep a distance so the black magicians wouldn’t notice, but I ended up being a bit too late.

Still…

What the hell was she up to, running around with two black magicians—4th Circle ones at that—following her?

“…Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine.”

Sarah’s cautious gaze rested on me.

“What you did wasn’t wrong, my lady. They were black magicians who tried to harm your friend. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

“Ah.”

From her perspective, it must seem concerning.

A girl who had spent her entire life cooped up in the family estate, swinging a wooden sword, had just killed someone.

But I don’t feel guilty.

Wrong? What I did was the right thing.

Killing a black magician is a good deed, not something to feel burdened by.

I’ve killed just as many humans as I have demons.

Black magicians, regular magicians, adventurers, knights.

I even killed humans who didn’t side with the Demon King.

And they were often worse than the ones who did.

At least I could understand those who joined the Demon King.

But those who betrayed their own kind? They were the worst.

Even the most sadistic member of our group couldn’t stand them.

So I killed them. A lot of them.

So, really…

“I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me.”

“…If you say so, my lady.”

Despite my assurance, concern lingered in Sarah’s eyes.

Oh well. I guess it’ll stay that way for a while.

I chuckled, popping a grape-flavored candy from the shelf into my mouth.

Rolling the candy around my mouth, I glanced at Stella, who was still unconscious.

“Was that alley her home?”

“I don’t think so. The back alleys are used for black markets. No one lives there.”

“Black market?”

“Yes. Occasionally, you might find decent items, but most are fake or illegal.”

“So, it’s run by scammers? Do they deal drugs or something?”

“…Yes. They sell drugs, slaves, and the remains of demons, among other illegal goods.”

“Hm…”

Drugs.

Stella doesn’t seem like the type to use drugs.

She’s a bit scatterbrained, but not messed up.

She probably went there because things were cheap, not realizing she was getting scammed.

And slaves? No way she could afford those.

Same with demon remains.

“So, what was she doing there, then?”

And why couldn’t she defend herself from the black magicians?

Stella is 3rd Circle and casts without incantations.

Silent Casting.

It’s a talent that greatly speeds up spell casting.

It makes no sense that someone with her ability couldn’t block that spike earlier.

Sure, the black magicians were 4th Circle, but the one I killed was a battle mage—one who uses magic for close combat.

And I killed him before he could attack Stella.

That means she was only facing one 4th Circle magician. Even if she couldn’t win, she shouldn’t have lost so easily.

Was there betrayal involved? Did she know them beforehand?

Or did she rely on something else?

An artifact.

A defensive artifact.

“Sarah, defensive artifacts—are they usually jewelry?”

“Yes. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings—most are made as accessories.”

“Hm…”

I stood up and brushed Stella’s hair aside. No earrings.

I checked her fingers. No rings.

No bracelets, either.

A necklace?

I reached for the collar of her worn-out shirt and tugged it down.

“…Wh-what are you doing?!”

Stella’s eyes snapped open.

“Oh, just checking something.”

“W-wait—!”

Our eyes met at close range, and Stella pulled the blanket up to her chin in a panic.

Ignoring her, I pushed her hands aside and looked under her shirt.

As expected, there were three necklaces around her neck.

Are these the artifacts? I can’t tell just by looking.

But they must be. There’s no way she’d wear three necklaces for vanity when she can barely afford food.

I grabbed the necklaces and yanked them off.

The flimsy gold chains snapped easily. They looked like cheap gold-plated junk.

I sighed.

“What’s this?”

“Huh?”

Stella, clutching her body and blushing furiously, finally came to her senses.

“Uh… artifacts.”

“Defensive ones?”

She nodded slowly, scanning the room nervously. When she spotted Sarah, she flinched and hugged the blanket tighter, but relaxed again when Sarah bowed her head.

“Uh… where are we?”

“Pranecia Cathedral. Sarah, these aren’t real artifacts, are they?”

I handed the necklaces to Sarah. She glanced at them briefly and shook her head.

“No. It’s a common scam among low-level adventurers. They disguise junk jewelry as enchanted items.”

“There you go. How much did you pay for these?”

Stella’s face contorted as the realization hit her.

“…Two hundred thousand Sel each. Four hundred thousand for three.”

“What kind of math is that? Did you steal one?”

“W-what?! No! They said if I bought two, they’d give me one for free…”

“What kind of idiot gives away a two-hundred-thousand Sel item for free? Aren’t you supposed to be a genius magician or something?”

“That’s not…! I… I trusted them! Maybe it was just a mistake! Maybe the person who sold them to me got scammed too!”

Instead of getting angry, she deflated like a balloon.

“Who sold them to you?”

“…That’s a secret.”

“How are we supposed to get your money back if you don’t tell us?”

“W-what? Get my money back?”

“Yeah, the money you got scammed out of.”

“I wasn’t scammed! They’re not like that! If I explain, I’m sure they’ll replace them!”

Is she naïve or just plain stupid?

“…You’re an idiot, aren’t you?”

I meant to say naïve, but the words slipped out.

Oh well.

“W-what?! Don’t call me that!”

“Do the people who sold these to you happen to be your parents?”

Her face twisted painfully at the mention of parents.

That answered my question.

Not her real parents, probably—just con artists who acted like it.

Did they target her because of the Verheigen name? Or was she just an easy mark?

Both.

If I were a scammer, I’d go after a clueless kid like her too.

“Fine. Deal with that yourself. Now, why did you go to the back alley?”

Stella, who had been on the verge of tears, suddenly remembered her original goal.

“Oh! Right!”

She rummaged through her hood, then sighed in relief when she found what she was looking for.

“Thanks, by the way.”

“Yeah.”

I’ve noticed she’s annoyingly polite—always thanking people, even for the smallest things.

“Now, tell me. Why did you go there?”

“…Do I have to?”

“If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone you went to buy drugs.”

“Drugs?! I would never—”

“I know. But I’ll say it anyway.”

“Who would believe that?!”

“Why wouldn’t they? Think about it—you went to the black market, wearing a hood. Then black magic was used. And who found out? Me, Eliaernes Eustetia. And there’s even a witness.”

I glanced at Sarah.

She hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

“So I ask you why you were there, and you don’t answer. What’s everyone going to think? That you were trying to hide something from the Eustetia family—something to do with demons, monsters, or the Demon Realm.”

“Ugh…”

Tears welled up in Stella’s eyes, and she clutched the blanket tightly.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally whispered:

“…The lottery.”

“What?”

“The lottery! I won the lottery! I just… I couldn’t claim it because I’m underage, so I went there to ask someone to get it for me! Why?!”

“…How much?”

“Five million Sel…”

“…And you got stabbed in the leg by a black magician while trying to claim it?”

“Hwaaahhh!”

Stella finally broke down, sobbing loudly.

Good grief. This kid is way too pitiful.

I sighed and gave her a gentle pat on the back.

“So… Sarah, can you help her claim the winnings?”

“Yes, I’ll go and retrieve it right away.”

“Thanks.”

I extended my hand to Stella, who was still sniffling and hiccupping.

“Give it here.”

“Sniff… sniff…”

With trembling hands, she reached into her hood and pulled out a crumpled, sweat-dampened piece of paper.

“This is the five-million Sel ticket?”

“Yeah… It’s third prize… And… and Sarah… I’ll give you 10%—no, 15%! Thank you… Thank you so much…”

“There’s no need for a fee…” I trailed off, sighing deeply. “Just keep it all.”

“But still…”

“You’ll need it to pay for your treatment, right?”

Stella blinked, her tear-filled eyes wide with confusion.

“Huh? Oh, right… How much was it?”

“How much did it come to again, Sarah?”

“Seven hundred thousand Sel.”

“That’s the amount.”

Hic.

With a tiny hiccup, the lottery ticket slipped from Stella’s fingers and floated limply to the floor.