Chapter 14
“Yes, it’s definitely an item that came from the Land of Death.”
Charlotte stood proudly as she spoke with conviction.
“I even had it appraised by someone trustworthy. They said the leather binding and the paper manufacturing method are techniques that can no longer be reproduced today.”
Then she put on a pair of gloves from a shelf nearby and asked,
“Would you like to take a closer look?”
“I would.”
Damian nodded. Charlotte pulled on the handle beneath the glass display and carefully took the book out.
The moment I saw it up close, I became even more certain — it looked exactly like my diary.
Then… could my diary also have come from the Land of Death?
Damian lightly placed his hand on the cover.
“Are you not interested, my lady?”
While Damian was calmly examining the book, Charlotte turned to me and asked. I hesitated for a moment before gathering courage.
“N-no, it’s just… I’m afraid I might damage it if I touch it.”
“Don’t worry. Simply touching the cover won’t harm it.”
Even so, I hesitated. Seeing that, Charlotte smiled gently and added,
“Would you like to see the inside?”
“Yes.”
When she smiled at me, my face flushed with heat. I was acting like a total child.
As soon as I answered, Damian lifted his hand from the cover. Charlotte carefully opened the book.
The inner cover was blank—no writing at all.
She flipped through a few more pages, but it was the same. Yet even the inner design was shockingly similar to my diary.
Still… could this book also contain text visible only to its owner?
“…Just a blank book?”
Damian, who was looking over her shoulder, spoke up.
“Yes, but because of its design and paper composition, it still holds great academic value.”
Damian crossed his arms, his interest clearly waning.
“Is it more efficient than the technology we have now?”
Charlotte, still absorbed in flipping through the pages, didn’t notice his tone.
“If we could commercialize it, we could reduce the amount of leather wasted on book covers by about thirty percent. The paper is also thinner, yet denser, so it doesn’t allow any bleed-through.”
After saying that, she cleared her throat and smiled brightly.
“By the way, the appraiser who examined this book is here at the salon today. If you’d like, I could introduce you.”
“Sure.”
A spark of interest appeared in Damian’s eyes. He clearly wasn’t interested in the book itself — but an artifact appraiser was another matter entirely.
I glanced again at the book. It looked so much like mine. There’s no way I could take my diary into the Imperial Palace now.
I thought it’d be fine since no one else could read it, but…
Pleased by Damian’s response, Charlotte pulled back the curtain and led us to one of the tables.
On the round table sat tea and an assortment of pastries. Several people were chatting pleasantly.
Charlotte whispered,
“You may introduce yourself as Baron Wijes.”
Then she raised her hand.
“Mikhail.”
At her calm voice, a man with a messy mop of brown curls quickly looked up.
“Ah—yes!”
He wore large round glasses that made his eyes look even wider. His voice came out louder than intended, and he immediately blushed.
“S-sorry, my voice was too loud, wasn’t it?”
Behind those lenses, gentle green eyes sparkled nervously.
Charlotte stifled a laugh and said kindly,
“It’s fine. Actually, I wanted to introduce you to someone.”
“Me?”
As confusion filled his tone, Damian extended his hand first.
“I hear you’re an appraiser. I’d like to hear exactly what it is you appraise.”
Mikhail blinked in surprise and looked at Damian. Still smiling politely, Damian added,
“I am Baron Wijes.”
“Ah!”
Mikhail jumped to his feet and bowed so abruptly that his glasses slipped off and fell.
“Your glasses!”
He fumbled around in a panic, feeling the air until he bent down to grab them. The sight made the people around the table laugh.
Without a trace of amusement, Damian bent down, picked up the glasses, and handed them back to him.
“Thank you!”
Mikhail hastily put them on again and beamed.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, my lord! They say you have an incredible eye and exceptional judgment. It’s an honor to meet you!”
Still grinning, he clasped Damian’s hand enthusiastically.
“I don’t hold any title myself. Please, just call me Mikhail.”
The way he smiled — so open and genuine — reminded me of a big, friendly dog. There was one just like him back at Estelle’s orphanage.
Now that I saw him up close, he was a bit thinner than Theo or Damian, but still tall with lean muscle.
Even standing face-to-face with Damian, he didn’t seem intimidated.
So this is the appraiser, I thought.
He didn’t look the part, but if he was trusted to evaluate items from the Land of Death, he must be very skilled.
Damian’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“Very well, Mikhail.”
He gave another polite smile and then released his hand.
“I have some questions — would you mind if I asked?”
Mikhail nodded quickly, his curls bouncing.
“Of course! Ah, but perhaps we should talk over there, where it’s quieter?”
He pointed toward a less crowded table, but Damian shook his head.
“No, you seem to enjoy sweets. Let’s stay here. My wife likes sweet things too. Don’t you?”
His voice was honey-smooth, and I almost shivered at how convincingly gentle it sounded. But I covered my mouth shyly and played along.
“Yes, I’d like to stay here.”
Charlotte laid her hands on the shoulders of the people sitting at the table.
“Mikhail, have a chat with Baron Wijes. Everyone else — come with me.”
The others obediently stood up and moved to another table.
I felt a bit awkward, as if we’d just chased them away.
“You didn’t have to—”
“It’s fine,” Charlotte said cheerfully. “I arranged this place myself. Enjoy your talk.”
Thankfully, neither she nor the others seemed to think much of it.
So, in the end, only the three of us remained at the dessert table.
Mikhail blinked a few times before asking cautiously,
“Forgive me, but… what did you want to ask about?”
Leaning slightly back in his chair, Damian spoke without hesitation.
“The Land of Death.”
The Land of Death? I turned my head sharply toward him.
I hadn’t realized he was this interested — enough to bring it up so directly.
Did he know more than just that it was once a magic empire?
If the reason Estelle was sent there had anything to do with this, then this conversation could be important. I listened carefully.
“Yes… I’ll answer if I can,” Mikhail said nervously.
“How do relics from the Land of Death enter the Empire?”
The question came so suddenly that Mikhail’s eyes went wide — mine too.
Damian’s face, in contrast, was completely serious.
“The border touching that land is sealed by elite troops. And it’s crawling with monsters. So how are these artifacts getting in?”
Was this concern for national security — or just personal curiosity?
Mikhail looked flustered.
“I-I don’t really know! I’m just an appraiser—”
“But isn’t that your livelihood?” Damian interrupted with a faint smile.
“If you don’t even know where your appraised items come from, can you truly call yourself a skilled appraiser?”
He straightened his posture slightly, as if preparing to stand, and Mikhail’s face turned pale.
The tension was so thick I could hardly breathe.
I’d heard Damian could be cold, but seeing it firsthand was something else.
Finally, Mikhail blurted out,
“T-treasure hunters bring them in.”
“I already know that. Who are they?”
Damian leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, his gaze sharp.
“I’ve tried to make contact, but they’re elusive. For people skilled enough to explore the Land of Death and avoid monsters, they leave surprisingly little trace.”
My throat felt dry; I reached automatically for my teacup.
Shrinking in on himself, Mikhail replied,
“They’re not based in the capital, you see. Actually, they don’t belong to any country.”
“No country?”
“Think of them as wanderers. Nomads without nationality. They probably spend more time inside the Land of Death than outside it.”
“So, to meet them, one would have to travel to the border?”
At that, Mikhail frowned in thought.
“Yes, I suppose so. But there’s no guarantee you’d find them… Encountering them would be pure luck. Even I don’t trade with them directly — only through merchant guilds.”
