Muyoku no Seijo wa Okane ni Tokimeku

Chapter 87: Leo talks to the guardian of the beads (2/2)

The cool, handsome man shocked her by fully engaging in lewd banter.

"Wh-what...? Corrosion? You mean it's rotten? Your... well, your... um, your jewels...?"

"Ah. So that's it? You couldn't quite pinpoint the exact symptoms, then."

Leo was stunned that her absurd question was affirmed so easily. Safita was glaring at him, as if to scrutinize him, but Leo had bigger problems to consider.

(What... What should I do...? I didn't mean for this to happen, but somehow, this man is suffering from these kinds of symptoms...)

Lena once warned Leo that lifting the ban on curses could easily lead to misunderstandings, and she was right. The use of Elandric language, which did not filter out offensive terms, had created a major misunderstanding.

Leo was terrified. He had unintentionally triggered something he never should have.

"Even if you didn't realize it was corrosion, you at least saw that the jewel was weakening, that it was failing. If the organizers can't maintain these things properly, the ritual can't be completed—so you think the spirit of light didn't appear because it was a golden spirit?"

"Um, no, I... er..."

Leo was flustered, overwhelmed by Safitha's rapid-fire questions. He tried desperately to form a rebuttal.

(I never said I could see the state of your jewels. Even if your jewels were weakening, I didn't plan to insult you or imply anything offensive. And when I said it looked like a golden spirit, it wasn't an insult. I just happened to activate my treasure-hunting mode, so the spirit of light seemed to appear as a golden spirit.)

Leo tried to gather his thoughts. Then, as if against his will, his mouth spoke what he was thinking.

"I...! Just because your jewels may have rotten, it doesn't mean you're, you know, impotent or anything like that! There's no need to be so hard on yourself!"

Safitha dismissed Leo's attempt at reassurance with a mocking laugh.

"Do you understand the gravity of the situation? If we lose the treasure, it could threaten the survival of Eland!"

"Th-that's... possible, I suppose..."

If the prince lost his jewels, then there would be major issues for the succession of Elrand. Leo was rendered speechless, so Safita let out a blood-curdling scream.

"I, under the name of my protector Manashirius, was to protect the treasure at all costs, but now..."

Then Leo suddenly recalled Safita's full name.

Safita Manasirius al-Eland

"Safita, No-Jewels..."

The name seemed to carry a sense of destiny. Leo's face must have revealed his thoughts because Safita quickly cut him off, his eyes burning with anger.

"You dare... Are you trying to comfort me? Do you think you could understand my suffering? We need the jewels...! We need them!"

"Y-yes! I understand! We do need them! You're right!"

Leo tried to appear sympathetic, as if that might help him avoid Safita's wrath.

In truth, Leo was growing increasingly empathetic toward Safita. The fear of losing his jewels and the fear of failure were things only those who had experienced them could understand. Leo was fortunate enough to have been saved, but Safita had not been so lucky.

Safita's twisted smile and sudden advance took Leo by surprise.

"You seem very eager to comfort me. But do you understand? This is all your country's fault!"