TFJB 07

Chapter 7

“Lululu. One gold coin per star, gold coin, and more gold coins.”

I was humming a tune while stacking coins I collected today.

—BANG!

“Hey, I’m here!”

As always, Riki barged through the door.

“Riki. I’ve said it before, you’re supposed to knock before entering a lady’s bedroom.”
“Yeah, yeah, got it.”
“What if I was changing clothes?”
“We’re both girls, so what?”
“Right! Between girls, that’s fine… Wait, what? You’re a girl?”

I jumped up from my seat. Riki stood before me, chin tilted up, looking defiant.

“What… what do you mean?”

She was about my height, slim, with tanned skin, short hair, fierce-looking eyes, and a mischievous smile that didn’t match her eyes… She looked like a street urchin!

“Esmeralda, the famous astrologer, didn’t know that?”
“W-Well, I guess not.”

I quickly checked Riki’s profile:

• Name: Riki

• Race: Human

• Age: 13

• Gender: Female

• Hometown: Peta

• Traits: Swiftest child head of the household, miser, loves sweets, blind devotion, informant, awakened one (shadow thief)

‘She’s really a girl?’

Her gender couldn’t have changed in a month, so this was clearly my carelessness.

‘Ugh, just because she wears pants, has short hair, and a rough mouth, I assumed she was a boy. I was trapped by stereotypes! Modern human, complete failure.’

Riki smirked as I slapped my forehead in frustration.

“You’re right about guessing a lot correctly, but your behavior when we’re alone seems shady…”
“Oh, it’s hard to always act like an elegant and solemn astrologer.”

I wasn’t a great enough actress to hide my true self as Esmeralda all day. Pretending was enough while on duty.

“Polite behavior only needs to show when communicating with the stars, right?”

…That was my excuse.

“Anyway, Riki—not ‘Riki-kun’ but ‘Riki-chan’—why did you suddenly barge into my room? Bored?”

Riki pointed at the gold coins on my desk as if she’d remembered something.

“I just thought of this… Fake coins have been circulating in the Gray Fortress lately. Check to make sure you haven’t been affected.”
“No way. I only get gold coins.”
“They’re counterfeiting gold too.”
“What? Not silver or copper coins?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, forging gold coins with the Emperor’s face is a serious crime.”

…That thought made me instantly suspicious.

This place, the Gray Fortress, was a criminal’s paradise. Nothing here was surprising.

‘With scoundrels everywhere, it’s likely someone doesn’t care about counterfeiting or offending the crown.’

My reasoning was flawless.

I immediately grabbed Riki by both shoulders.

“Riki, how do you check for counterfeit gold coins?”

My blood, sweat, and tears went into that money! It must be flawless!

“Hmmm, this is…”

Checker, a man with messy gray hair, adjusted his monocle.

According to Riki, he was the most famous fence in the underworld, staying in the Gray Fortress for days at a time to make various deals.

Riki was confident that with Checker’s keen eyes, any fake gold coins would be detected.

“All sixty-two gold coins I brought have been checked.”

Checker placed the last coin on the desk and roughly removed his glasses.

“Seventeen out of sixty-two are fake.”
“What? What?”
“Can’t you hear? Seventeen out of sixty-two are fake.”
“Wha… what?”

My ears were fine, but my heart wasn’t.

“My money! My precious money!”

Seventeen coins I earned through honest labor were gone. My teeth ground in frustration.

“I worked for free seventeen times?!”

I had wasted precious time and effort. My head was boiling.

Meanwhile, Checker scooped up the seventeen fake coins—or whatever they were—and pocketed them.

“I’ll return the fake coins to the lord of the fortress.”

I raised my hand before he left.

“Question!”
“What is it?”
“Can the scammed coins be compensated?”

Checker looked at me indifferently.

“I don’t know. Ask Kin.”

Then my task was clear.

“I’m going to the lord now, right? I’ll go with you!”

Not just a single copper coin, but seventeen gold coins lost?

No matter how rich I became, I could never accept such a loss.

Never, never.

‘I won’t tolerate it!’

So, lord or Kin, I’ll go to anyone!

“Another batch of fake coins appeared.”
“I thought we collected them all.”
“Your money hasn’t been checked yet.”

Checker pointed at me.

I awkwardly waved my hand, realizing it was the moment to greet him.

“Ah, hello… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

It was my first time facing Lord Kin of the Gray Fortress since the curse incident.

He had completely ignored me, even though my feet were trapped in the fortress.

“I heard you’re making some profit here.”

…Never mind what I said earlier. He seemed to be closely observing my every move. I suspect Riki was reporting.

I hesitated before speaking.

“Well, as you know, I’m making some profit… but I just heard that seventeen of the coins are fake.”
“So?”
“Can I get compensated?”
“Compensated?”

Kin’s eyebrows twitched, and the left corner of his mouth tilted.

I noticed a faint scar on his cheek.

‘It must’ve been a serious wound to leave such a mark. Even with scars, handsome men just look more menacing.’

I was lost in such foolish thoughts and only realized later that Kin had been smirking at me.

“You got scammed, yet you want someone else to take responsibility? Ridiculous.”
“Ugh.”

Kin’s words reminded me of something I had forgotten.

‘This is the Gray Fortress! Normal laws don’t apply here!’

Here, if scammed, it’s the victim’s fault; if beaten, it’s the weak’s fault; if pickpocketed, it’s the owner’s fault.

No way I’d get compensation for fake coins here!

“So, the stars you serve never told you you’d receive seventeen fake coins?”

Kin even reversed the interrogation onto me.

“That’s because I don’t always use my power. Even though I’m an astrologer, I’m also an Awakened One. How could I always keep my abilities active?”

Cold sweat ran down my back, my mouth dry. Checker, quietly observing, suddenly interrupted.

“Stars? What are you talking about?”
“She’s a famous astrologer in San Pedro who couldn’t even predict being scammed.”
“An astrologer from San Pedro? I’ve heard of her.”

Checker fiddled with his chin, snapped his thumb and forefinger together, and exclaimed:

“This is the ‘Mystical Esmeralda’? Heard she has an incredible charm… but she looks ordinary.”
“Isn’t that a bit rude for a first meeting?”

I pouted, but neither Kin nor Checker cared.

“Hasn’t the counterfeit coin incident been a while?”
“Somewhat.”
“Inspecting coins every visit is tedious. Is that all your ability can do?”
“I have only one body, and more important tasks exist.”
“And your subordinates?”
“They’re useless.”

Kin clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Checker glanced at me and spoke:

“Then why not try a new tool? The astrologer from San Pedro.”