/
“Haaaaa.”
I let out a long, drawn-out sigh once more.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Perhaps unable to resist against the overbearing sighs, Charon took the bait.
“Truthfully, I didn’t want to say this because I know it will only worry you, but…”
“What is it?”
“That sacred relic is not just an ordinary one.”
“Huh. What else could it be? Of course, any sacred relic can’t be ordinary—that’s why it’s priced at 500 million shillings. Please, you don’t need to say such nonsense…”
“It’s cursed.”
As he was insisting that I was just saying nonsense, the man’s sarcastic tone trailed off and came to a halt.
He blinked a few times as he stared blankly at me.
“Excuse me? What do you mean, cursed?”
“That sacred relic over there. It’s the truth. It’s actually cursed.”
“W-What kind of curse?”
He pretended to stay calm, but he couldn’t stop his voice from trembling.
“It’s a curse that would only serve to hurt whoever possesses that gemstone. It feeds on the vitality of that person, only increasing the size of the curse as time goes on.”
“…Is that true?”
“Absolutely.”
“You’re not just trying to trick me?”
Scamming a scammer so blatantly and shamelessly…
Of course, that’s exactly what I’m doing.
I’m just hitting this guy in particular on the back of the head though, and he’s a conman.
It’s not like I’m going to do the same to any other stranger. It’s just that, Charon was here in front of me, and that jewelry store owner was the one who led me here.
Just as Angel Girl N*ti¹ would pray, ‘Lord God, grant me permission to be a righteous swindler today as well.’ Stealing back what’s originally been stolen should be allowed.
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Charon with a stern gaze.
* * *
“Me, trick you? I wonder.”
“……”
“You. Aren’t you feeling a little under the weather these days? Something like a small but grating headache, or an upset stomach that’s preventing you from digesting well. Perhaps it also could be that you can’t fall asleep as easily as you should.”
At Roella’s ensuing words, Charon was promptly rendered speechless.
‘How did you know?’
It’s just as she said.
He’s been suffering from indigestion these days.
As a matter of fact, he’s just experiencing this because he ate too much greasy food not long ago, but Charon could not think that far back.
“How did you…”
Charon’s reply made Roella grin.
‘How did I know? Well, headache, indigestion and insomnia are three of the most common chronic diseases among adults.’
There’s a high probability that at least one of those would hit the mark.
However, she hid these thoughts of hers and smiled relaxedly.
“Because I am the saintess. I see everything. And, within the last thirty years, someone close to you died, correct?”
Once again, Charon was taken aback by Roella’s astute supposition.
“I can’t say that we were close, but my grandfather passed away twelve years ago.”
“No wonder. I could feel a sorrowful soul hovering around.”
He gasped.
“You can see my grandfather?”
“I can’t certainly say that it’s your grandfather’s soul, but there is a restless soul hovering around because of how wronged they feel. Did your grandfather suffer a lot before he passed away?”
“Oh my goodness. You’re right. He died of an illness, but he suffered a lot before he passed on.”
“As expected.”
When Roella calmly replied, Charon covered his mouth with both hands.
He completely forgot that most people suffered before they passed away.
‘Her Eminence the Saintess is truly different, as expected. There’s nothing she doesn’t know!’
This made him pause for a second though. Did this mean that what she said about the sacred relic was true? Was it actually cursed?
Reaching this conclusion, Charon quickly became distressed.
His hands were trembling so much that he couldn’t control them. He asked Roella,
“T-Then, what Your Eminence said about the sacred relic…”
“Of course, it is nothing but the truth. Have I uttered any falsehoods thus far?”
“…None at all.”
“See? Actually, you’re in a bit of a critical situation right now.”
“Pardon?”
“The sacred relic has already taken much of your vitality away. Now that I see it, I believe that our God, Luqera, has sent me here to save you.”
Instantly, Roella’s words brought emotional tears to Charon’s eyes.
“S-Saintess…!”
Flummoxed, Charon hurried towards her from behind the counter then immediately knelt before her.
“Saintess! What must I do now?!”
“Ohh, don’t get too close. Please kneel two steps away.”
Charon followed her obediently and scuttled two steps back on his knees.
Inwardly, Roella was feeling relieved.
She was worried about the possibility that this wouldn’t work, but seeing how it’s going so far, it seemed like there was nothing she should be worried about after all.
Now, all that’s left was to drive the final wedge in.
“You have an apple tree in your backyard, yes?”
“No, not a single one.”
Charon replied, tilting his head to the side in his confusion.
For a split second, doubt flashed through his tearful eyes, but Roella was not phased a single bit.
“Quite so. If you did, you’d definitely be in big trouble now.”
¹ Angel Girl Neti is the Korean version of the 90s anime ‘Kaitou Saint Tail’.