Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

The young master’s achievements were truly remarkable.Among the resources he had brought back from the three northern strongholds were dangerously destructive sap and mysterious powders.Many of these materials had yet to be fully understood, but most exhibited unusual properties that had never been seen before.Perhaps, while researching those resources, someone had discovered—or even created—a substance that reacted to sacred energy by glowing.That discovery must have given them the idea to pull off this elaborate scam using the so-called magical rock tablets.“The theory about its reaction to sacred energy is still just speculation, but one thing is absolutely certain.”That stuff is fake.When I declared this with confidence, Evo sighed and covered his face with one large hand.“…Instead of calling it ‘fake,’ let’s say ‘counterfeit.’”“But the meaning is the same, isn’t it?”In fact, calling them counterfeit was being too generous.“I can prove right now that those are fakes. Right here, on the spot.”“…Lobel. When you say things like that, I have no choice but to believe you.”“You don’t have to believe me. You should believe me—because it’s the truth.”I’ll show you myself.Seeing my unwavering confidence, Evo’s stance seemed to waver.Well, it made sense. Back when he stayed at Denkart, hadn’t we studied various disciplines together?He knew I wasn’t just pulling baseless claims out of thin air.Still, being cautious and skeptical by nature, Evo didn’t jump to a conclusion right away.Instead, he turned his gaze toward the scammer merchant and the surrounding nobles, observing the situation in silence before murmuring in a low voice,“…I did think it was odd that there hadn’t been any breakthroughs in their research. But to think that all this time…”“Those tablets are absurdly expensive. The moment they figured something out, their first instinct would’ve been to squeeze as much profit out of it as possible. The powder can come later.”That stuff was practically priceless.Initially, it had become a trend among the royal family and high-ranking nobles to gift these tablets to their children upon reaching adulthood.But over time, as their rarity increased, the price had skyrocketed beyond reason.“They probably gathered all the genuine tablets they could find, mixed them with counterfeits, made their fortune scamming people, and once enough time passes for suspicions to die down…”“……”“…they’ll announce the ‘discovery’ of that powder as if they just developed it. Or they might use its reaction to sacred energy to create something new and sell that instead. Either way, they win. They might even end up as rich as Denkart.”I had said the last part as a joke, but honestly, the more I talked about it, the more ridiculous it all seemed.Wow. This was beyond shameless.And they were bold enough to pull this off inside the Black Market, of all places.They weren’t just scammers; they were brazen scammers with no conscience whatsoever.Meanwhile, nobles were still eagerly purchasing the tablets.A massive-scale fraud was happening right in front of us.“If you forge it into a sword or armor, it becomes even more durable than mithril! If you’d like to test it, go right ahead!!”There was nothing to test.Any noble with enough wealth to buy those tablets would naturally forge their weapons from high-grade mithril.So, of course, their durability would surpass regular steel.And since these nobles weren’t about to march onto a battlefield anytime soon, they wouldn’t even realize the tablets’ supposed magical properties were a lie. They’d just assume the tablet was what made their equipment sturdy.“Look at this refined, traditional engraving! Even though the ancient magical script of the fallen kingdom is no longer understood, these are still valuable collector’s items. Display one in your estate, and your prestige will surely—”Refined and traditional? Please.The tablets this merchant was selling were so degraded that the engravings were barely legible.That was simply the nature of magical rock tablets.Their structure was solid, but their surfaces were fragile and difficult to maintain.To preserve their smooth texture, they had to be treated with powdered magical grass from the lost island kingdom. But ever since that kingdom was swallowed by the sea, proper maintenance had become impossible.That’s why most tablets had rough, blurred inscriptions, making them difficult to decipher.They were never meant to be used for serious research.Most likely, the fraudster had just scratched out some random engravings without even bothering to use proper techniques.“The divine blessing is imbued within them! Surely you’ve seen weapons and armor crafted with magical rock tablets—they glow with sacred light when taken to the temple, proving the gods’ favor!”The scammer’s triumphant voice rang out across the deck.He spoke with the absolute certainty of someone convinced they’d never be caught.‘…The lack of physical evidence is a bit of a problem. That sacred energy reaction is tricky.’However, that wasn’t an issue. It was something I could handle myself.The real problem was Evo.Clicking his tongue, he looked conflicted.He was hesitating over whether to intervene or not.And honestly, it made sense. There was a reason for the saying, Sometimes, it’s better to just stay out of things.From Evo’s perspective, it would be easier to just ignore this and move on.If he got involved, he risked making enemies of the Black Market itself.And if the scam continued, the real damage would fall on the Black Market’s reputation, not on Evo personally.Even if we reported it, what was the point if there wasn’t even a bounty reward?Worst-case scenario, the Black Market might even get angry at Evo for stirring up trouble.‘And Evo isn’t exactly the type to jump into situations like the young master would.’But I had my own reasons for not letting this slide.So, as Evo struggled with his dilemma, I quietly thought about how to convince him.But then, unexpectedly, Evo spoke first.“If we resolve this, let’s split any reward money fifty-fifty.”Slowly closing his eyes for a moment, he then opened them with a firm gaze.“What do you need me to prepare?”

****

First, I asked Evo to summon a Black Market official.If we waited until we reached land, the scammer might try to escape or pull another trick, so we needed to resolve this immediately.More importantly, since the tablet sales were still ongoing, I didn’t want any more victims.But I had underestimated the influence of Hornet.The Black Market officials arrived at the scene far faster than I had expected.Just as I had discussed with Evo beforehand, I planned to remove the scammer from the public eye and present the evidence in a quieter location.That way, it would be easier for the Black Market to handle the situation—any unnecessary commotion would be a problem for them as well.But, as expected of a seasoned con artist, the merchant wasn’t going to cooperate so easily.“Where in the Black Market has there ever been such a slanderous accusation? Who dares to take me away? Everyone here knows that I’ve traded thousands of parchments’ worth of goods! Is there a single merchant present who doesn’t recognize my name?”Even the Black Market officials looked troubled.They had rushed here purely on the strength of Hornet’s name, but they weren’t able to immediately determine the truth of the situation.And, like any good scammer, the merchant quickly shifted to threats—this time directed at Evo.“Hornet’s leader. You have no idea how reckless your actions are. You’ll regret this dearly.”Unbelievable.He was stalling because we lacked solid proof.“The moment we dock, I’ll demand a formal trade tribunal. I’ll make sure you pay twice over for the humiliation I’ve suffered today.”I had expected resistance, but his shamelessness was downright nauseating.‘I was trying to handle this quietly… but now, I have no choice but to step in myself.’I reached for the tablet on the carpet, intending to prove its falseness with my own hands.But the moment I did, the merchant noticed with startling speed and exploded in a fit of rage.“How dare a mere servant interrupt a conversation between distinguished individuals? You wretched brat! Where do you think you’re putting your filthy hands? You’re touching my goods without gloves?! Get that fool out of here immediately!”The merchants from his faction glared at me menacingly, moving in to restrain me.But before they could lay a finger on me, a solid figure stepped in front of me.“The leader of Hornet speaks now, bearing the full weight of his name.”The chaotic atmosphere shifted in an instant.Even I was caught off guard, staring at Evo’s broad back as he stood protectively in front of me.“If my servant has made an error and insulted you unjustly, then I will personally compensate you with up to ten times the current market price of these tablets.”His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable edge, resonating across the deck.‘…Why?’I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt.This wasn’t the kind of calculated move Evo would typically make.For a merchant, reputation was everything.If I was mistaken, or if I failed to provide evidence, Evo’s credibility would be ruined.It would have been wiser to corner the scammer with persuasion rather than gamble Hornet’s name like this.Especially against someone as influential as that merchant…‘…Did he really trust me that much?’For the first time, it occurred to me that perhaps Evo and I were closer than I had assumed.Maybe I had been too caught up in my preconceived notions from the original story, building unnecessary walls between us.Just as I was starting to feel unexpectedly touched, a chilling voice cut through the air.