After getting past the wizards' endless expressions of gratitude, I returned to find myself standing in front of the Grand Duke before I could even catch my breath.
“That hammer.”
That was the first thing he said after a long silence.
I trembled from the tension in the heavy atmosphere, and I trembled at the sound of the Grand Duke's voice.
"Yes…?"
“This ultra-light parthanum hammer.”
“Yes, yes...”
I was on my nerves.
Although I couldn't detect any anger in the Grand Duke's facial expression, I couldn't raise my head, as my guilt weighed down on me.
After another short silence, his voice came back again.
“Liam, doesn’t this look familiar?”
huh? familiar?
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Liam interjected, looking particularly annoyed, then cleared his throat and began to give a long, detailed explanation.
“This hammer was a gift from Sir Bruschetta, a skilled craftsman from the Kingdom of Millefeuille, to commemorate the birth of the late Grand Duke. It is an ultra-light Parthanum hammer specially made of the finest quality, capable of breaking any magical restriction.”
One moment please. I did not expect this turn of events.
I stared at Liam with my mouth open in shock, but he continued, unaware of my despair.
“It is a masterpiece of astronomical value, so much so that the craftsmen themselves have given up on appraising it! Anyway, this parthanum hammer, which cannot be found anywhere else, is a valuable piece left to the family by the late Grand Duke.”
“Yes, it seems to be that exact thing.”
So, it is a relic of the late Grand Duke? And...a masterpiece of astronomical value?
I didn't want to believe it, but the result was that I used the Grand Duke's property without permission.
…impossible. Please tell me it's a lie. Bonita said it was just junk lying in the warehouse.
I gave up trying to understand Liam's quick explanation and swallowed my tears.
'What should I do?!'
But the more I realized the truth, the colder my blood seemed.
After all, the penalties for theft in the Kleitanic Empire were extremely severe compared to other countries.
And here I am, stealing a nobleman's property and using it without permission?
If I'm unlucky, it could result in the death penalty.
Moreover, who knows when something wrong might be discovered, putting my life in danger!
“I need to fix what I messed up.”
The instinct of someone who would rather stay at home and just want to live in peace and quiet was a strong warning.
“Ah, hmm! Actually I had something to say to Your Highness. I was going to tell you earlier. Ha-ha, ha-ha.”
"…What is this?"
“Well… I would like to pass on one of my wish tokens to Your Highness. Is that appropriate?!”
In fact, this was nothing to be too concerned about.
Of course, the Magic Tower's 'unconditional assistance' meant that giving up one of my three wish tokens was a bit of a waste...
But if things didn't go well this time, it would be the Grand Duke who would bear the consequences.
“Princess, the scope of help you can ask for from the Magic Tower with the title of ‘Ear of the Magic Tower’ is extremely wide. Are you sure you want to do this?”
The Grand Duke seemed very surprised at my suggestion.
Yes, I understand. I know the value of this souvenir well without having to explain to the kind Grand Duke.
“But it is not more important than my life...”
I want to live.
“Yes! I have three, so giving one of them to Your Highness seems only fair.”
“Hmm.”
“I would also like to express my gratitude for your generosity in condoning my unauthorized use of your property...”
In short, that's it.
I'll give you a wish code! Please forgive my unauthorized use of your property!
As if he understood the implication, he narrowed his eyes, looked me up and down, and finally nodded.
“…Princess Karima. I accept this with gratitude.”
“Haha, nothing. So I… um, can I go pack now?”
"Help yourself."
"Yes! Thank you!"
I bowed my head and hurried to my room before he changed his mind.
Even though we seem to be on good terms now, in the world of the powerful, the moment something goes wrong, they will pounce on us!
I will eliminate all risk factors and live a safe life at home!
So sacrificing one wish token is nothing.
……truly.
* * *
In short, the comic book was a huge success.
After the Grand Duke took a copy from me, I paid a high price to the Magic Tower for a small edition of Volume 1, and all copies were sold out within a week, covering the printing costs and more.
I regretted distributing it only to a few large bookstores in the Grand Duchy of Blair and the capital, in case of poor reception.
“Please give us the opportunity to stock comic books in our store!”
The mailbox at the Grand Duke's residence was overflowing with letters, and some even used rare teleportation spells to visit him and request selling rights…
Naturally, demand for the next volume increased.
“We need to work harder.”
“Let us grind our bones into dust.”
The artists involved in creating the comic book had more passion and dedication than anyone else, with an emphasis on meeting deadlines.
They even finished the second volume ahead of schedule and immediately started the third volume without interruption.
The Grand Duke, in charge of distribution, began to reduce his already busy days even further. And…
I wasn't much different.
“Uh, oh…”
I woke up at dawn again today.
It was six in the morning
It rolled on the floor, but the intense sunlight illuminating the entire room made it useless.
“Ha, please...”
It was fine when the Grand Duke gently moved me from the dark prison cell I was staying in, but the problem was that this room faced directly into the sun every morning.
Especially now, during the height of summer.
The frequent forced awakenings were pushing me to the brink of a nervous breakdown.
I want to sleep more.
I closed my eyes tightly and tried to force myself back to sleep, but I couldn't beat the constant sunlight, and eventually I got up.
“I, I didn't want to live like this.”
I sighed as I spoke.
I thought things would get a little easier after the Magic Tower case was over, but after a busy day, I came back to find that it was four in the morning.
However, I couldn't put down the comic book, and forced myself to read it, until dawn broke shortly afterwards.
Considering that once the sun rises, falling asleep again becomes impossible, I recently felt as if my lifespan had shrunk by at least ten years.
While I was clutching my head in pain, Bonita entered the room.
“Miss, it seems you didn't get enough sleep today either.”
She also had dark circles under her eyes, extending to her chin.
This was her reward for being the one in charge of transporting the hot chocolate and staying up all night alongside the artists collecting gossip.
Bonita, staggering like a living dead, placed a simple breakfast in front of me and kept yawning, unable to fight her sleepiness.
“Yes, I'm dying...”
I pointed to the window as if to prove a point.
The thin lace curtains did little to block out the intense summer morning sun, which was quite evident to Bonita.
She stared at the bright window with tired eyes, and muttered in a gloomy tone.
“If the curtains were a little thicker, it would be better.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, it is good for the house to be illuminated, but for people who live in special circumstances like us, there is a need to live in darkness even during the day...”
“Ah.”
While I was listening to her, an idea suddenly occurred to me and I opened my mouth.
Blackout curtains!