Chapter 75 – ​75

In ​front ​of ​Elon ​stood ​a ​bust of someone ​unbelievably ​ugly. ​If ​it ​had been modeled after ​a ​real person, the ​sculpture was such ​a ​mess ​that ​it ​wouldn’t ​have been surprising ​if ​the ​subject had sued ​them.

Until a moment ago, ​the stage ​had been ​filled with ​sweet melodies. ​But ​as ​Elon stepped onto ​the stage ​where the musicians had ​all vanished, accompanied by ​the hideous statue, the ​attention of ​the ​people dancing and enjoying the festival ​shifted toward him.

The area ​in ​front ​of ​the ​stage, where the ​music had ​stopped, ​became eerily quiet. ​Faces ​were filled with doubt, and ​some people ​began ​to boo Elon.

Thinking ​he ​had ​come ​up ​to sell ​the ​Relics of ​Yanli, which had devolved into mere trash, ​a series of ​protests followed, telling ​him not to ruin ​the festival ​with useless antics.

However, ​it ​was Euro who ​had put Elon ​on the ​stage. ​Those who ​had ​prepared and ​were ​operating the ​festival ​knew ​this fact, so ​they ​could not ​drag ​Elon ​off ​the stage despite the pouring jeers.

Euro stood at the very front with Melione, gazing at the nervous Elon. Unlike the last time they had met, he was dressed quite neatly, and he shouted while holding a hammer high in the air.

“These Relics of Yanli, which my crew and I risked our lives to bring back through towering waves, are not trash!”

Elon’s voice trembled as he shouted loudly. At this, Euro let out stolen contenta small laugh. Even though he [visit our site]knew there was treasure inside the statue, Elon somehow seemed lacking in confidence.

‘It’s not like it’s a random box, so why is he so nervous?’

Euro had already broken all the dozens of statues he possessed. Not a single one of them had been a dud.

In the first place, if a statue contained nothing, its weight would differ from the others, but there had been no such case so far. In short, every single one he broke was a jackpot.

Elon desperately shouted that the Relics of Yanli were not trash, to which someone yelled toward the stage.

“Hey, get down from there with your trash! What kind of disgrace is this on the day other ships are setting sail? Are you trying to curse us to return with nothing but trash too?”

“Yeah, it’s bad luck! Take it down and get out!”

Melione turned his head and stared at the people hurling jeers. Since many ships set sail to coincide with the spring festival, it seemed everyone loathed the Relics of Yanli, which had driven many people to bankruptcy.

“Don’t worry, there are no duds,” Euro said to Melione, who then looked at him.

“Bad luck? What nonsense. The moment that statue breaks, stolen contentthe sailors will want stolen contentto set sail immediately.”

“Is that why you insisted on waiting for the spring festival?”

“Yes, because everything needs a story.”

Euro’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the stage rather than Melione. Anyone can stand on a stage. However, to become the protagonist of that stage, one must have a story befitting the role.

Having stood on stages many times, Euro knew this well. Although he had ultimately failed to become the protagonist, it was because he had accumulated stories that he was able to reach the final round in the end.

“I read it in a book once. There was a cursed diamond in a certain country. It was called the diamond that brings misfortune, and they said everyone who owned it died.”

“…….”

“But everyone wanted that diamond. Moreover, it was sold for a high price every time. The reason they wanted the gem, even while enduring the curse, wasn’t because of its size or beauty.”

At that moment, as if he had made up his mind, Elon bit his lip hard and brought the hammer down on the statue. With a loud crash, the statue shattered into pieces, and gold coins and jewels poured out like rain.

The people stared at the glittering gold and gems, half-dazed. Elon dropped [stolen content]the hammer from his unauthorized copyhand and collapsed onto the floor. It seemed his tension had finally snapped.

Cheers, sounding almost like screams, erupted from all directions, and Euro clapped his hands amidst the chaos. Euro and Melione were the only ones remaining composed during the sudden event.

“It’s because of the story the jewel possesses.”

“…….”

“What people want isn’t a shining jewel. It’s the story entwined with that jewel. All jewels are bright and beautiful. But a jewel with a story is special.”

Euro gazed at Melione. Among the gathered crowd, he was the only person not looking at the stage. He was simply looking at Euro.

“Because it becomes a unique existence among common jewels.”

“…….”

“As does the person who possesses it.”

Color returned to Elon’s face as he watched the people cheering [Read on Read BL Novels]and scrambling. He crawled awkwardly toward the unauthorized copyspilled gold coins, grabbed them with both hands, and began scattering them wildly.

Gold coins rained through the air, and people reached out frantically toward the sky. As the crowd surged, Melione wrapped Euro in his arms. Trapped in that embrace, Euro moved wherever the pushing crowd shifted him.

“I-It’s real gold! Hurry and pick it up!”

“My goodness! How can this happen—hey, stop pushing!”

A chaotic scene unfolded as if a storm had hit. Those who grabbed the gold coins from the ground burst into laughter, and some even found rings or necklaces. It was a complete windfall.

The people, highly agitated by the pouring rain of gold, let out cheers. However, held in Melione’s arms, Euro quietly listened to the sound of his heart. He had no interest in the gold coins or the jewels. Just the fact that he was burying his face in the man’s chest and listening to his heartbeat made his mind go hazy.

Elon scattered the gold coins he picked up from the stage down to the crowd. The front of the stage was a sea of people, and Melione hugged Euro even tighter to ensure he wasn’t hurt. After some time had passed, the crowd began to disperse, each person holding something in their hand.

Elon, still breathing heavily from the excitement, suddenly discovered a single gold coin wedged between the stage planks. He quietly picked it up, descended from the stage, and looked for Euro.

Only then did Melione slowly release Euro from his embrace. Whether it was due to the heat of the crowd or the tropical night, Euro’s face was flushed red. Melione gently brushed back Euro’s slightly disheveled bangs, and at that moment, Elon approached and greeted them.

“I greet the Duke and the Duchess.”

Bowing his head to the two, Elon took out the gold coin he had saved and held it out toward Euro.

“Thank you, Duchess.”

“I already received the payment for the information.”

“Please think of it as a commemorative coin.”

Euro tried to refuse the gold coin, but as Elon insisted, he had no choice but to accept it.

“My wife and daughter have returned to Silon. Thanks to you, the three of us were able to be together for breakfast this morning for the first time in a long while.”

“That’s great.”

Seeing Elon’s beaming smile, Euro offered his sincere congratulations. He was glad that Elon wasn’t the type of person to take everything and run.

“I don’t know how I can ever repay this kindness….”

“Kindness, please. By the way, why did you bring such a huge statue? You should have kept some for yourself instead of scattering it all. Wasn’t it a waste?”

“A waste? I already have more than enough. I can return the invested money several times over and still have enough left after paying off all my debts.”

“Of course you should have some left. You shouldn’t spend wildly just because you’ve come into a lot of money. If you spend it like water, you might not have any when you actually need it.”

“I only need enough money to marry off my daughter.”

Elon’s face turned bright red, and he breathed in and out raggedly, as if choked with emotion.

“I can’t tell you how stupid I felt. To think that I and my crew suffered so much, carrying things that were practically trash….”

Elon had been the captain of a large vessel and had worked on trade ships for a long time, but after he brought back the Relics of Yanli, no one entrusted him with steering a ship.

In the first place, while he had the title of Captain, he wasn’t wealthy enough to own a ship, so he had lived having given up the work he had done his whole life.

“I wasn’t wrong, Duchess. Right?”

“Elon, even if the Relics of Yanli had been nothing more than ugly statues, I couldn’t say that what you did was wrong.”

“…….”

“Because the fact that they are the Relics of Yanli doesn’t change. It’s just a pity that their value wasn’t proven until now; that’s separate from the life you’ve lived.”

Euro patted Elon’s shoulder with comfort, and at this, Elon bowed his head and burst into tears.

“Don’t cry. You don’t need to be grateful to me; you made a lot of money thanks to this.”

“…….”

“Putting you on that stage was just a plan to sell the jewels at a high price. It wasn’t because I had some grand plan to specifically clear your name.”

“But… I am grateful.”

“Even if you sell everything, make sure to keep [unauthorized copy]a necklace or a ring to Read on Read BL Novelsgift unauthorized copyto your wife and daughter. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to pass them down through generations?”

If he did that, another story would seep into the jewels. Even if they weren’t sold for a high price in the future, they would become a precious heirloom of someone and never lose their luster.

Meanwhile, those who had invested in Elon flocked to the stage after the amazing event. Most of them were the ones who had rejected the Relics of Yanli, telling Elon to pay back the investment in cash, and their expressions were quite a sight to behold.

Among them were people who had even sold the statues they had received to Euro. As people crowded around Elon, Euro quickly stepped back with Melione. He feared that the crowd might surge toward him as well.

The stage, where Elon’s performance had ended, was once again filled with musicians. They began to play, and simultaneously, the selection of the May Queen, the highlight of the festival, began.

Melione followed Euro, who was pulling him by the hand rather than the arm, and suddenly looked down at their joined hands. It was because it strangely bothered him that there were no matching rings on either Euro’s hand or his own.