I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 141

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 141

“My jewel—! …Is it all gone?”
The mysterious customer remained seated on the floor, shouting until Morkan and the con artists chasing him disappeared from view. Alone in the quiet shop, the customer chuckled to himself. The fangs visible between his lips were sharp.
“Greedy fools.”
Jeffrey pulled back his hood. The Wolf Tribe’s ears, standing at attention, twitched. Normally, the rats wouldn’t dare approach Jeffrey, a Wolf Tribe hybrid. That’s precisely why Jeffrey had come here as the representative.
This was information that Tory’s informants must never discover.

“Jeffrey, have a fence appraise this for me.”
“What is it?”
“The Jewel of the Sun. Genuine.”

It was something I’d seized from a man named Kaesin who had come looking for Baron Oldman the night before last.
Theon’s plan—that bad people would bring the jewel themselves at the scent of 10 billion Cona—had worked perfectly. Of course, it was unexpected that the very first person to arrive would bring the genuine article.
Thanks to that, my plan proceeded smoothly. Having already obtained the genuine jewel, I could now peacefully put Kaesin and the others who had come seeking Baron Oldman to sleep.
“They have no idea they’ll be caught soon.”
Everyone who had come after Baron Oldman’s fortune was now asleep in the building’s basement, having inhaled the sleep-inducing incense. It was a substance that induced sleep for 72 hours and had excellent fatigue recovery effects.

“Good day, sir. I heard that if one comes here, the Jewel of the Sun can be appraised.”
“…The Jewel of the Sun? How would I appraise that, customer.”

Just moments before.
Morkan, who had been wary of the thoroughly disguised Jeffrey, had his eyes widen at the sight of the Jewel of the Sun that Jeffrey presented instead of answering. Its radiance was distinctly different from other counterfeits. The blend of orange and gold light created the illusion of gazing upon a tiny sun itself.

“Would it be possible…?”
“Well, hmm. Let me take a look.”

Morkan, who appraised the jewel that Jeffrey had brought to the shop counter as if bestowing a favor, swallowed hard.
He would need to go into the back room and undergo precise appraisal to be certain, but the Papper Kingdom’s con artists were in that room. The moment he carried the jewel inside, they would undoubtedly swarm him like a pack of hyenas.
‘It looks genuine.’
Morkan was 90 percent certain this was the Jewel of the Sun. The remaining 10 percent nagged at him, but it was impossible to create a counterfeit of this caliber in just two days. Even if it had been made in advance, such a conveniently timed coincidence—a counterfeit existing in Belodia at precisely this moment—simply couldn’t exist.
‘Should I take a gamble?’
Since I had some acquaintance with Baron Oldman, he wouldn’t kill me for bringing what looks like a counterfeit. Probably.
Morkan fidgeted with the jewel while observing the stranger before him. For an adult male, his frame was rather small. My back still ached from being pressed down by Baron Oldman’s entourage last time, but with my quick legs….

“Um, customer. I’m sorry, but could you take out just one box from that shelf over there?”
“A box all of a sudden? …Once the appraisal is finished, you should return the jewel.”
“Heh, do you think I’m going to steal this jewel? What’s the point if you don’t trust people? The thing is, I need something from inside that box for the appraisal. It would be convenient if you could take it out for me.”
“…Please don’t do anything strange.”
“Strange? That person is quite suspicious…!”
“What, what—. …You thief!”

The moment Jeffrey turned his back to retrieve the box, I slipped out from behind the counter and made off with the jewel.
’10 billion Cona!’
If I went to Baron Oldman with this, 10 billion Cona would be mine. Morkan ran for his prize, with the con artists chasing after him.
“Just as Berry’s plan.”
Jeffrey picked himself up and brushed the dust from his robe. The tail hidden beneath it swished softly.
They said this operation had Baron Oldman’s cooperation, but would a nobleman who loved money really lend out a genuine jewel so easily?
The answer was no.
“Does she still think I don’t know?”
I had known for some time that Baron Oldman was Berry’s other identity. I’d overheard her talking with Theon at Stone House several times, and the scent of Berry had lingered on Baron Oldman’s body when I’d happened to encounter him.
“My ears and nose can’t be deceived.”
Theon seemed to have caught on, but Berry was still intent on treating Baron Oldman as a stranger in front of me. I didn’t point it out because seeing her like that was endearing.
Swish swish. My tail waved more vigorously than before.

***

“It’s an honor to have the young lady of the Trabel Family and her companion visit our humble Shipyard. I’ve turned forty-three this year, but this is my first time meeting such distinguished individuals. I’m truly honored.”
“Please, we’re the ones who feel reassured having the owner show us around personally.”
“Oh my, how gracious! To receive such trust from the young lady… I’ll do my very best to show you everything. I heard you’re looking to commission a yacht. Would it be alright if I showed you the yachts we’ve created here at the Shipyard? Think of it as seeing the basic design. From there, you can add or remove whatever you’d like.”
“Hmm.”
I rested my chin in my hand and turned my head as if surveying the surroundings. My eyes met Theon’s, and in the sky where sunset was beginning to paint the horizon, Jack Jack circled overhead in flight.
‘Zena Chaser’s side is ready.’
So now I just need to persuade the Shipyard Owner properly?
I observed the owner, who was dressed as if he’d paid attention to every detail from head to toe. From watching him these past few days, he treated his work clothes like they were part of his body. The fact that he’d put on formal attire meant there was a chance he’d accommodate some requests.
“We can see the finished product later. Today, could we see the actual work site where the ships are being built?”
“Pardon? Well, I’m sorry to say, but the work site isn’t exactly clean enough to receive a young lady. I should have prepared a proper viewing environment beforehand, but since there haven’t been any nobles wanting to see the actual work process…”
“That’s fine. My grandfather said I should see the manufacturing process from start to finish before deciding to purchase something like a ship.”
“…Count Trabel said that?”
“He said that’s the only way to find a ship you can truly trust. Isn’t that right, Theon?”
“Yes.”
The owner seemed to hesitate at the mention of my grandfather’s words, but then nodded and said he would guide us to the ship-building area. On the way there, he asked carefully.
“Then… would the Trabel Family be covering the cost?”
“That’s likely.”
“Ah, then the rumors must not have been true after all. I had a feeling. Please, feel free to look around.”
The owner’s face brightened with relief. Though he didn’t show it openly, he’d clearly been worried about my financial situation.
He must have been uncertain whether the youngest granddaughter, cast out by Count Trabel, was a customer who could actually afford a yacht. And because I was a direct descendant of the Trabel Family, he couldn’t treat me carelessly either.
“I’ll look around freely.”
I smiled brightly at the owner.
The Shipyard barely scraped by, avoiding losses by the skin of its teeth. Lacking funds to modernize the aging facilities, the owner had even taken on personal debt to gradually replace the old equipment one by one for safety reasons.
‘He should be receiving several times the yacht’s price.’
As we approached the work site, the owner grew increasingly anxious, and finally stopped in front of a makeshift observation platform covered in patched wooden boards.
“It’s not much to look at, but this is our work site. We finished a delivery this morning and cleaned up for the next project. The workers have already left for the day—”
“Then who are those people?”
“Pardon?”
The Shipyard Owner turned his head at my words. I could see people running toward a building outside the work site.
“Oh, that’s not part of our Shipyard grounds. There are a few residential homes nearby…”
“Stop right there!”
“Morkan!”
Morkan was rushing toward the building entrance. Just as he was about to grab the door handle, shouts came from the mouths of men presumed to be swindlers from the Papper Kingdom, threatening Morkan.
“You’re going to keep the Jewel of the Sun all for yourself?!”
“And you think the elder will be safe?!”
“We’re witnesses! You’re the one who made those counterfeit coins that were passed to the Trabel Family!”
That’s it.
“Theon.”
“Yes.”
At my call, Theon broke into a run.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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