I’d taken precautions precisely to avoid this sort of misunderstanding, yet my voice rose defensively at having my pure intentions twisted.
“If that’s really what I wanted, wouldn’t I have openly said I wanted to visit the treasure vault?”
“People who plan to deceive usually say exactly that.”
“That’s not true! Besides, I can’t leave before our contract ends anyway—I made a promise to you.”
“At least you’re aware of that much. Let me make one thing clear: even if you touch the treasures, I have no intention of letting you leave before the contract expires. Meaning, we’d have to keep working together in an uncomfortable situation until then.”
“Why are you already assuming I’ll touch your treasures?”
In the end, it wasn’t until I’d written and signed a formal promise not to take anything from the vault without permission that Kalz finally agreed. Seriously, he had zero trust in people. Though I couldn’t complain much; after all, this was probably my own karma catching up to me.
“So, what exactly do you need? The vault key?”
“You don’t have to give it to me personally. Just unlocking the door will be enough.”
“Understood. I’ll inform Almond. All valuables are managed by the butler anyway.”
“Thank you.”
The very next day, Butler Squawk came looking for me. I hadn’t expected him to show up so quickly.
“The master told me you wanted to see the treasure vault?”
“Yes, but please believe me—I don’t have any other intentions.”
“It seems the master gave you quite the lecture. He enjoys teasing, so don’t take it personally.”
Thankfully, Butler Squawk didn’t seem suspicious at all.
“It just so happens I have some free time today. Let’s head there in the afternoon. I’ll come find you after lunch.”
“You’re coming with me? You only needed to open the door.”
“It’s your first time there, so having a guide might help. Or is there some reason you don’t want me tagging along…?”
“No, none at all!”
“Haha, just joking. I’ll see you later.”
What exactly had happened to my image around here?
After lunch, Butler Squawk came by, and I followed him out. The path was familiar, yet somehow exciting, knowing where we were headed.
“Are there many valuable items stored in the vault?”
“Quite a few. I oversee exactly 1,037 items, and most are stored in the vault.”
“Over a thousand? Isn’t that an incredible number?”
“Not all of them are priceless treasures, though. Some are just old family heirlooms.”
Still, that certainly wasn’t a small number. Could I really inspect everything within a day?
“Speaking of which, where exactly is the vault? I don’t recall seeing it before—is it outside the building?”
“No, it’s somewhere you know very well, Briel.”
“I do?”
Now that I thought about it, the route we took felt strangely familiar—like my daily walk to work. Eventually, Butler Squawk stopped right in front of the kitchen.
“Here we are. Let’s go in.”
“This is the kitchen. Are you sure the vault is here?”
Confused, I followed Butler Squawk inside. He headed directly into the pantry, where the food supplies were kept.
“Briel, do you see the door on the floor?”
“Where…? Oh, now I see it. Under those boxes?”
“Exactly. That’s the entrance to the treasure vault.”
Which meant…
“Do we have to move all those boxes first?”
“Yes, we should hurry. We need to get inside before Elizabeth finishes her break.”
I stared at the heavy stacks of boxes and sacks piled in multiple layers over the door, letting out a weary sigh. It was obvious Butler Squawk’s clawed feet wouldn’t be of much use here, which meant I’d be handling this all on my own. But there wasn’t another option, so I reluctantly rolled up my sleeves and began hauling things aside.
“Huff… huff… Butler Squawk, it’s all cleared.”
“Excellent work. Let’s proceed.”
Butler Squawk gracefully flew down, hooked the door handle with his claw, and opened it effortlessly. Descending the ladder fixed to the wall, we emerged into a spacious passageway.
“This tunnel is longer than I expected. Does it connect to other places?”
“Yes. Technically, this route is only accessible to the head of the family and the butler, so please refrain from wandering elsewhere.”
“I understand.”
It reminded me of the dungeon-like place I’d seen before. I supposed it made sense for a castle of this magnitude to have secret passages. After walking behind Butler Squawk for a short distance, we reached a large iron door.
“This is the treasure vault. Allow me to open it.”
With a heavy creak, the door swung open, revealing the vault’s interior. I stepped inside cautiously, looking around with curiosity.
“How is it? Does it match what you imagined?”
Instead of responding, I gave an embarrassed smile. Honestly, this wasn’t the glittering heap of jewels and gold coins I’d envisioned. But then again, it wasn’t like they were storing stolen loot here.
In reality, the vault looked more like a museum exhibit. Despite being underground, the ceiling was impressively high, and various items were neatly arranged in orderly rows.
“Where would you like to start?”
“I’d like to see the artifacts first. There might be something useful for breaking the curse.”
“Very well. The artifacts are stored in a separate room inside. Follow me.”
Considering the scale of the vault, I had expected a lot—but even so, seeing the room filled from floor to ceiling with artifacts made my head spin. Any one of these could probably support an entire family comfortably for years. No wonder Kalz’s arrogance didn’t stem solely from his broad chest.
The bigger issue was that I had no clue what any of these artifacts actually did. Just as I hesitated, wondering where to begin, Butler Squawk offered his help.
“If there’s anything you find confusing, please ask me.”
“Oh, well then… Is there an artifact here capable of breaking magical spells?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
Butler Squawk lightly flew off, quickly returning with a small box.
“This artifact is known as Rustaph’s Tear. As you can see, it’s shaped like a necklace. The red gem in the center is a magic stone imbued with protective magic that wards off negative influences.”
“Then could it possibly…!”
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem able to reverse the transformations placed on the master or any of us.”
“Oh… I see.”
Of course—otherwise, they wouldn’t have simply left it unused here. Perhaps I should shift my focus.
“How about an artifact that can locate something?”
“We certainly have that as well. Just a moment… Ah, here it is. This is Halla’s Magnifying Glass. If you write down the name of what you’re seeking and burn the paper with the magnifying glass, it will show you exactly where it is.”
“Does it work for anything?”
“Yes, it can locate objects as well as people. However, there’s an extremely specific requirement for the user.”
“What’s the requirement?”
“To properly explain that, I should first tell you about Halla herself.”
Huh? Was such a detailed explanation really necessary? He could’ve just told me the requirement directly.
“Halla is actually a deity worshipped in the Eastern continent—a goddess symbolizing benevolence. According to mythology, Halla possesses a unique ability…”
“Oh…”
Honestly, it felt like a waste of time, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt Butler Squawk. Reluctantly, I listened at first, somewhat irritated—but before I knew it, I’d become completely engrossed in his story.
“…And that’s how Halla’s Magnifying Glass came into existence.”
“So, this artifact can only be used by female worshippers of Halla?”
“Exactly.”
Which meant it was utterly useless to us.
“Ah, but speaking of artifacts related to searching, there’s another interesting item… This is Korosa’s Compass.”
“Can anyone use this one?”
“Yes, although it does have certain limitations. Korosa was a famed explorer from an ancient kingdom—”
Again? Was he really about to launch into another backstory? I anxiously considered interrupting him this time, but in the end, I didn’t. Butler Squawk looked so genuinely excited that I felt guilty, and truthfully, once he began, I found myself wanting to hear how the story ended.
This cycle repeated every time we moved on to another artifact. By the end, I was nearly in tears, finally realizing the truth.
Butler Squawk was a chatterbox.
Not just a chatterbox, but one with a genuine talent for storytelling.
Or maybe he was simply an artifact fanatic? Whatever it was, I hadn’t known it until today. Ultimately, the only thing I gained from the visit wasn’t a clue to break the spell but rather a series of fascinating stories.
“Oh dear, look at the time. There are still so many artifacts left to see.”
“You’re right. What a shame.”
“If you’d like, we can come back again tomorrow.”
“Haha… sure.”
As Butler Squawk’s beak curled happily into a bright smile, I awkwardly smiled back. Was he seriously planning to join me again tomorrow? Then again, even if I came alone, I wouldn’t have the slightest idea what anything was for, so I supposed I had no choice.
