I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 80

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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 80

When a Dwarven blacksmith appraised a gemstone, what mattered most was its utility and grade.
Tales from those who knew nothing of the craft? Such stories didn’t alter a gem’s hardness or durability.
He had no desire to hear more. Just as Baltar was about to dismiss her, Mariane whispered to him while fanning herself with her fan.

“Where would one find a gem that satisfies everyone perfectly? Though perhaps a perfect business partner might exist.”
“I fail to grasp the meaning behind such words.”
“I can procure any gemstone you desire. Not just throughout the Heishal Empire, but anywhere in the world.”

As Mariane turned to leave after offering to await his response,
Oldman’s Representative arrived, as if taking up the baton in perfect timing.
She handed Baltar a wooden jewelry box and spoke.

“Pearl earrings from the Shusubia Archipelago.”
“….”
“….”
“…Have you nothing more to say?”
“There is an appraisal certificate beneath the wooden box.”

It was far superior to Count Trabel’s eldest daughter’s jewel presentation, yet the representative remained frustratingly silent.
Baltar had taken to creating opportunities for her to speak, so concerned was he that she might face Baron Oldman’s reproach.
But what came back was merely guidance on the appraisal certificate enclosure.
“Did you open it?”
“No. Why bother, when I’m sending it back anyway?”
Baltar answered Marshall’s question. His declaration of a perfect jewel had been merely to provoke the people of the Trabel Estate—whatever gem they sent, he intended to return it with a letter stating it fell short of Dwarven standards.
“In any case, they’re careless about everything except blacksmithing. Still, I should verify the contents myself. What if they’re playing tricks?”
Click.
The moment Marshall opened the velvet jewel box, she found herself momentarily believing the Milky Way itself lay within. The interior was lined with black velvet, and small luminescent stones had been placed to cast their light upon the diamond displayed at the center, creating a structure where the gem’s radiance was perfectly reflected.
True to its highest grade, the diamond’s brilliance was utterly indescribable.
Inside the lid was a business-card-sized paper affixed with neat cursive script detailing information about the jewel.
“The Diamond of Balance, it says. No matter which facet you examine, the number of cut surfaces is identical, achieving perfect symmetry that leans toward neither side. A practitioner attained enlightenment regarding the world’s principles from this very form, it claims. Truly, the sort of tale that would drive nobles to distraction.”
“That practitioner nonsense again. It’s nothing but the affectation of a blacksmith showing off his craft.”
Baltar grumbled.
Marshall’s hand touched the wooden jewel box. It was austere, adorned with nothing in particular.
“Just a precious metals storage case, then. No appraisal certificate?”
“It’s supposed to be beneath the wooden box.”
“Beneath? There does seem to be something wedged here.”
Marshall withdrew the envelope wedged into the groove on the outer bottom of the wooden box. It appeared to contain an appraisal certificate inside.
Baltar muttered.
“Pearls are never perfect. They’re far too fragile, far too sensitive. Even the pearls of the Shusubia Archipelago, for all their superior hardness compared to other pearls—”
“Master Baltar.”
“—even that hardness merely approaches that of other gems—”
“Baltar. Stop your grumbling and look at this.”
Baltar turned his head at Marshall’s words. What she slid across the table toward him was the appraisal certificate and a single sheet of paper creased as if folded in half.
….
Baltar’s hands trembled as he picked up the paper. Marshall laughed softly.
“You’ve lost, Master.”

———-
Dear Master Baltar,
The ownership of Crest Mine will soon change hands.
Could there exist a more perfect jewel than the pearl I have sent you?
———-

***

Days later.
A letter from the Dwarves arrived at the Trabel Estate.

———-
Pearls require no human hand to achieve their perfect form,
making them truly the most flawless of all gems.
I would be delighted to begin with modest quantities of trade.
———-

It was Baron Oldman’s victory.

***

“Kkhehehe….”
Count Trabel’s laughter had grown increasingly varied with each passing day.
I sat on the sofa and asked my grandfather beside me.
“Grandfather, you must be pleased to have begun trading with the Dwarves?”
“Pleased indeed. When they arrived with such an absurd alias, I wondered if they were treating this whole affair as child’s play.”
“Hehe. I worked really hard on it!”
Grandfather grasped my head and shook it gently. I’d recently discovered that this was his gesture whenever he wanted to shower me with praise.
“Have you decided which mine you’d like to claim?”
“Yes!”
“Then point it out for me.”
Grandfather gestured toward the map on the table as he spoke.
Since I’d already made my decision, I pointed to a location without hesitation.
Seeing the location, Grandfather murmured in surprise.
“Crest Mine? An iron mine, not a diamond mine?”
“I prefer iron~ It has so many more uses.”
“Unpredictable child. I don’t quite understand your reasoning, but a promise is a promise—I’ll transfer it to Baron Oldman’s name. Zena Chaser will assist with its management.”
Zena Chaser.
The name of my former temporary representative who had now become my official one. She was said to be a rabbit-human hybrid.
‘She said she’d come introduce herself soon, didn’t she? I’m so curious…!’
Grandfather’s lips twitched with barely contained curiosity as he asked me.
“Tell me. Berry. How did you know the Dwarves would favor pearls?”
“How did I?”
“Yes, as you said, the judgment criteria lay with the Dwarves. You were certain the answer was pearls, weren’t you?”
“Well….”
I deliberately pretended to ponder my response.
In truth, the pearl earrings were merely a plausible answer. I had no way of knowing whether the Dwarves truly favored the pearls of the Shusubia Archipelago.
‘All I’m certain of is that the Dwarf clan leader is searching for something in Crest Mine.’
So when Marshall Grandmother visited Leaf Village, Theon’s hometown.
A memory had naturally surfaced upon seeing my grandmother, a Dwarf hybrid. At the time, I’d dismissed it without much thought. It hadn’t seemed important when I was preoccupied with the Wild Dog Tribe problem.
‘I was trying to remember only information about Crest Mine~ but it turned out other memories were helpful too!’
It was a memory from when I was nine years old.
The Crest Mine, once an unremarkable iron mine, struck it rich when a new vein was discovered.
Thanks to that discovery, it became a designated field trip location for the Trabel Estate’s Education Hall. On the day we visited the mines, the Twins and Calips played a prank that left me stranded on a nearby mountain—and that’s when I witnessed something extraordinary.
Two short Dwarves, each shouldering a massive pickaxe, climbing the mountainside!
Unlike Marshall Grandmother, who was half-Dwarf, the Dwarves’ appearance was utterly terrifying.
Convinced I’d be devoured if discovered, I held my breath and eavesdropped on their conversation.

– We should dig far from the entrance today.
– Damn those Trabel folk. They swarm here the moment the new vein turns profitable, making such a racket.
– But Chieftain, we’ve been searching for over ten years. If it hasn’t appeared by now, doesn’t that mean it’s not here?
– No. It’s definitely inside this mine.

I didn’t know what “inside” meant, but the threatening undertone seemed to work.
‘Did Zena Chaser not tell Grandfather about this?’
When Grandfather reacted with surprise at the map marking the Crest Mine, it was clear he didn’t know I’d sent such a note to the Dwarves.
I’d asked the temporary representative—someone Grandfather had assigned—to write it with the understanding it would be reported back to him.
‘Zena Chaser really does keep her mouth shut!’
Though I couldn’t be entirely certain, I’d need to be careful.
Still, her work so far had been trustworthy.
I hadn’t yet answered Grandfather’s question.
I smiled brightly and spoke.
“I received advice from the Chief Designer of Trang Clothing Shop!”
“…Trang?”
“Yes. She’s the designer at Father’s regular clothing shop, and she’s incredibly skilled. Since jewelry isn’t my area of expertise, I followed the professional’s advice~ As for the pearl earrings, I remembered that Aunt Mariane won them at Priscilla’s charity auction last time, so I purchased them from her jeweler!”
“Hm, jewelry purchased that way pleased the Dwarves? You certainly have good fortune.”
“Is that… a compliment?”
“Yes. It’s a compliment. Fortune is a skill too.”
Grandfather seemed bewildered, yet he spared no praise for me.
I watched his expression carefully before asking.
“Aunt Mariane must be quite upset. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“What could possibly be wrong with me?”
“Aunt Mariane is your daughter, after all.”
“She fell prey to her own greed.”
Though he said so, it was clear something weighed on his mind.
Tsk. Foolish girl, Grandfather muttered, clicking his tongue.

***

Crash!
The glass slipped from Mariane’s hand and shattered against the mirror, fragmenting into countless pieces.

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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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