𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕𝟓

ᴀ𝐰𝘦𝔟𝐬𝘵𝙤𝙧𝚒𝐞𝚜.ċ̇𝙤ᴍ

Lantern of the Glowing Night.

Taking the form of an elegant ring, its appearance was exactly as I remembered it.

「. . .𝙎𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜.」

Lantern of the Glowing Night first appeared in Volume 3 of the series, as a prized possession of the story’s boss, the vampire princess Beatrice.

A special-grade cursed tool that strengthens the bond with one’s familiars and further amplifies their power.

Beatrice, wielding it, demonstrated her overwhelming might, truly befitting the title of a calamity.

「𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.」

To put it simply, Lantern of the Glowing Night was what’s commonly known as a 「𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢」.

And I know how to meet those conditions.

To me, right now, it was an item more desirable than any treasure.

「𝙏𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄’𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.」

Although the host was introducing a top-class cursed tool to the crowd, I paid it no mind and kept my eyes fixed on the Lantern of the Glowing Night, which was placed at the back, adorning the display.

From the looks of it, they didn’t seem to fully grasp its value.

It was placed away from the main items, as if to accentuate them, displayed alongside other items of lesser value.

“Junior. Your expression is strange.”

” . . . . . . “

Perhaps I was staring at it too intently. I hurriedly calmed my heart and shifted my gaze to the other items.

The three cursed tools the host introduced were indeed of considerable quality, to the point where calling them national treasures would not be an exaggeration.

“These items were all bestowed upon knights by previous generations of kings, but since their owners are currently unknown, they are being held in safekeeping by the state. Someday, they will surely be used for the sake of the country again.”

Indeed, cursed tools of a certain level or higher often require specific users or special activation conditions. The host’s words seemed to stir up excitement, and a small murmur of admiration could be heard among the audience.

Like that, we finished viewing the exhibition and left the venue.

“Whew, that was great. The faint, lingering spiritual power. Those who haven’t experienced it wouldn’t understand.”

” . . .Only Sophie would say that. Others wouldn’t be able to feel it even if they saw it.”

Indeed, I didn’t feel such sensations either. It could be a difference in sensitivity, or perhaps it was simply a personal perception unique to Sophia.

“What about you, Kang Yoon? Was it alright?”

” . . .It was a good experience.”

Above all, discovering the Lantern of the Glowing Night was an unexpected gain.

Truthfully, I hadn’t been actively searching for it because I didn’t know its whereabouts, but it was definitely an item I wanted to obtain if I could.

I had even considered hiring someone to look for it at a later date.

「𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚.」

It didn’t seem like they were treating it as anything special, but with this, it was clear that simply buying or trading for it would be impossible.

To obtain the Lantern of the Glowing Night, I would have to approach it from a completely different angle.

Seeing my absent-minded expression, Arietta muttered with a dubious look on her face.

“Junior, I’m telling you in advance, stealing is bad.”

” . . .What are you talking about? It’s nothing like that.”

Upon returning to the hotel, I locked myself in my room and pondered deeply.

「𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.」

No matter how much I tried to rationalize it, it was far too precious an item to simply give up on. As I thought about it, I suddenly recalled my conversation with Arietta earlier.

「. . .𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙩?」

In the first place, it’s a cursed tool that will eventually fall into the wrong hands and wreak havoc in the world. Wouldn’t it be better if I stole it and put it to good use?

It was a thought bordering on self-justification, but to be honest, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

I can say with certainty that there’s probably no one who could utilize the Lantern of the Glowing Night better than me, or who could use it for a more righteous cause.

That’s how compatible it was with me.

「. . . . . .」

I continued to ponder for a long while after that, but no matter how I thought about it, the conclusion was the same.

「𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩.」

I resolved myself to steal the Lantern of the Glowing Night.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

𝘢ᴡ𝐞𝙗𝙨𝔱𝘰ṙ̇i̇̇𝕖𝕤.𝐜𝘰𝘮