Salvation Through Delusion C41

Chapter 41

 

“Would a gift from family ever come with hidden motives?”

 

Family—did she mean the Ma Trading Company? But why would they give something identical to the Tear of the Demon King, and why now of all times?

 

A flurry of suspicions rushed through my mind. And just then, the thief who’d been hiding behind everyone else—Ariona—finally stepped forward.

 

“It’s a fake gem. Worthless, really.”

 

Now that others had shielded him long enough for him to regain his composure, he looked straight at me, calm and steady.

 

“But still, it’s something my teacher gave me. It’s precious to me.”

 

“If it’s so precious, you should’ve taken better care of it. Why sneak around trying to compare it with another?”

 

“I just… wanted to see the Tear of the Demon King with my own eyes. It’s such a rare divine relic…”

 

“That’s right!”

 

Gollum No. 1 suddenly blurted, voice rising with panic.

 

“The Tear of the Demon King is an extremely sacred relic of immense divine power! It must never be destroyed! And yet you would throw it into a pond? Why a pond, of all places?!”

 

“Because,” I said flatly, “it looked pretty when I passed by.”

 

Gollum No. 1’s face twisted in frustration.

There was nothing quite as effective as pure nonsense for shutting people up.

 

But not everyone was so easily silenced. Ariona’s blue eyes filled with disdain. Just like teacher, just like student—those same contemptuous eyes.

 

Whatever. I had no intention of letting go of the gem anyway. I turned to him impassively.

 

“Do you agree, then? That the Tear of the Demon King shouldn’t be thrown into the pond?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He nodded firmly, then met my gaze directly for the first time.

 

“Why do you want to throw it away, Lord Rue? You, of all people, who love gems so much?”

 

“Because it’s cursed. No matter how obsessed I am with jewels, I wouldn’t keep one that harms others or brings misfortune. However…”

 

I trailed off deliberately, and Ariona’s expression froze. His eyes trembled faintly, as if sensing something ominous. Because, of course, I was smiling.

 

“It is a sacred relic, after all. You’re right—it wouldn’t be right to toss something filled with divine power into a pond. But I made a public promise under the Adeye name, and I intend to keep it. So, let’s compromise. I’ll throw this fake one away instead.”

 

The moment I raised my hand holding the diamond, Gollum No. 1’s horrified protest erupted.

 

“No! You can’t throw away something so—” hic.

 

He clamped a hand over his mouth, realizing too late that he’d slipped.

But everyone else had already heard enough.

To them, his outburst sounded like an admission of guilt.

 

The High Priest’s sharp gaze cut toward him, then turned to me.

 

“Are you trying to protect your honor, Lord Rue, or mock mine?”

 

Both, obviously. I barely resisted the urge to say it aloud.

 

“High Priest, I merely wish to keep my word—and to protect this precious relic as well. But if anyone here dislikes my alternative, please, speak up.”

 

“I don’t dislike it,” came a sudden, unexpected voice.

 

The room froze over.

A cold, heavy presence filled the air, freezing every drop of tension mid-breath.

 

Everyone turned—and collectively drew in sharp breaths before bowing low.

 

“Grand Duke Koon.”

 

The High Priest was the first to bow, followed quickly by everyone else.

 

“What brings you here, Your Grace?”

 

“With all this noise,” Tyroc drawled from the doorway, arms crossed and leaning lazily against the frame, “how could I not come take a look?”

 

“Take a look,” he said—as though he were spectating some street performance. The High Priest’s face tightened, though she quickly turned to him, feigning indignation.

 

“Lord Rue has wrongly accused my disciple of theft. Even after the misunderstanding was cleared, he tried to seize my disciple’s cherished possession by force. I merely sought to stop him.”

 

Solongo’s hands clenched into fists. But no matter how unfair her words were, we couldn’t fight back—not with Koon Tyroc here, the man infamous for hating the Adeye family.

 

Still, I tightened my grip around the diamond in case he decided to confiscate it.

If it came to that… I was ready to swallow the damn thing whole.

 

“I know,” Tyroc said mildly, “but I happen to like his idea.”

 

The silence that followed was absolute.

The High Priest’s side looked stunned, while Solongo and I narrowed our eyes, suspicious this might be another trap.

 

The High Priest broke the silence first, voice tight.

 

“I cannot allow my disciple’s treasured possession to be discarded so carelessly.”

 

“Treasured possession,” Tyroc echoed, stepping forward. He picked up the fake diamond from the table, examined it briefly, then smirked and flicked it aside.

 

“So this is the Tear of the Demon King? Hardly impressive. I can’t feel a shred of divine power from it.”

 

He turned his mocking smile toward the High Priest.

 

“Why don’t we take a look at the precious gift you gave your disciple, then?”

 

Her face remained calm, but her brief hesitation was all the answer I needed—she was rattled.

 

So, Tyroc could sense divine power.

Still, even before his high status, her arrogance didn’t falter.

 

“There’s no need for Your Grace to concern yourself with such vulgar matters as gem appraisal.”

 

“Watch your words,” Tyroc said coolly. “That ‘vulgar gem’ belonged to my father.”

 

“…You misunderstand me. I had no intention of belittling it.”

 

The High Priest bowed stiffly.

 

“I merely wished to make clear that this is a simple matter—one that will be resolved once my disciple’s belongings are returned.”

 

“So you’re saying your disciple’s trinket is worth more than another’s honor?”

 

“…No, Your Grace.”

 

“Then throw it away.”

 

His tone was brief, final, and absolute.

 

No one dared to move.

Just like that, Tyroc ended the entire debacle—effortlessly, almost absurdly so.

 

…What the hell was his angle this time?

 

I was just as stunned as everyone else, but this wasn’t the time to grab him by the collar and demand an answer.

The chance to do that came soon after, though—and in a setting I would’ve happily avoided.

 

“Why here?”

 

Tyroc’s voice broke the silence as we walked side by side behind the priests, following them toward the pond.

 

I didn’t want to be walking next to him, but telling the Grand Duke to “get lost” wasn’t exactly an option.

So I kept my eyes straight ahead and replied curtly,

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Why the pond? Do you see something?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then do you hear it?”

 

Damn it. How did he always know?

I swallowed my surprise before answering,

 

“No.”

 

“I see.”

 

What do you see, exactly? I glanced sideways and met his gaze.

 

“What?”

 

“You’re cursing me with your eyes.”

 

I looked away. “This is just my normal expression.”

 

“No. Your eyes used to be empty. But since you came back from the brink of death…”

 

He paused, and I bit my tongue to stop myself from finishing his sentence with something snarky.

What, they’re full of hatred now?

 

But his next words weren’t what I expected.

 

“They’re worth looking at.”

 

I stared at him, thinking I’d misheard. But his expression, calm and unbothered, held no trace of mockery.

 

Even so, I wasn’t about to drop my guard. Who knew if “worth looking at” meant “worth killing later.”

 

“I didn’t know being insulted was your idea of flirting,” I muttered.

 

“Are you interested in my preferences?”

 

“Not remotely.”

 

“Then don’t speculate about them.”

 

“Apologies, Your Grace.”

 

He gave me a look, surprised by how quickly I folded.

 

“You’re agreeing awfully fast.”

 

“Because you’re right.”

 

“I usually am.”

 

“Yes, so I’ve noticed.”

 

After that, we walked in silence for a while.

The quiet was uncomfortable, but I figured I’d use the next opportunity to slip closer to Solongo.

 

Then Tyroc spoke again.

 

“You really came back from the dead, didn’t you?”

 

I hesitated, realizing it was a broad question. Then I shrugged.

 

“Something like that.”

 

“Then you owe me.”

 

I stiffened at that, and when I scowled, his lips curved into an amused smile.

 

He looked like a kid who found joy in teasing others.

I couldn’t stop myself from snapping back,

 

“Yes, I owe you a great debt.”

 

“If you really want to repay it,” he said quietly, “tell me what the gem’s been saying to you.”

 

“…It hasn’t said anything.”

 

The sudden sharpness in his question caught me off guard.

I stared ahead, feeling his gaze burn into the side of my face. Before I could tell him to stop staring, his voice dropped lower.

 

“Whatever it says, don’t be swayed.”

 

Swayed?

 

I turned toward him, but he kept his eyes forward.

 

“Beings that aren’t human think differently. Even if they don’t mean harm, they can still destroy you.”

 

“I know.”

 

“The same goes for their realms. Step too close without an invitation, and you’ll die before you realize you’ve crossed the threshold.”

 

His voice was calm, but beneath it was something unexpectedly heavy.

 

A trace of sorrow.

 

Like someone who’d already lost a person that way.