CH 185

“Well…”

Parting from Lucille, I left the library and headed for the office.

After all, I didn’t really understand what this ring was or what the ghost (temporary) was. Even so, it all ended today. I’m a little worried about this ring, but since I picked it up on the premises of the Clan House, someone from the clan probably dropped it, and if it’s not Lucille’s, it’s better to deliver it to the office as soon as possible…

When I entered the office and looked around, I found Mimi-san today. Has the discussion about the Golden Dragon settled down?

I haven’t been able to see Mimi for a long time, so maybe I’m lucky.

“Mimi-san, is now a good time?”

“Yes, it’s okay.” (Mimi)

“Actually–“

So, I explained how I picked up the ring. Of course, it was only about the ring. There was no need to talk about anything else.

I gave the ring to Mimi-san, and she took it in her hand and examined it from every angle, looked inside the circle, and tapped it with a metal rod that she had taken out of nowhere.

“This is not the property of anyone who belongs to the Golden Dragon’s Claw.” (Mimi)

“…Well, but I picked it up in the courtyard of the Clan House, you know?”

I’m confused by her unexpected words.

If they are not any of the clan members’ property, then they must be of the guests who came to the clan that day?

…No, her words are a little strange before that, or what is it…

“How… can you be sure that this is not the property of anyone in the clan?”

I ask what I’m wondering.

It is usually impossible to know who has what items, so how can she be so sure?

“Because I am in charge of everything in this clan.” (Mimi)

“I see.”

I see… No, wait, not yet! I was almost convinced for a moment because she answered so confidently, but that’s not right, is it? She knows it, right? Even, if she was in charge of everything, she couldn’t possibly know all the items each clan member had, could she?

“By the way, I haven’t received any reports that a guest dropped a ring, so it’s not the property of any outsider.” (Mimi)

“…So, who does this belong to?”

When I asked her that, she said, “Well…” and then returned a question to me.

“Rook-san, when did you pick up this ring?” (Mimi)

“When… it must have been a few days ago, it was the night the day when the Golden Dragon appeared…”

“I see. In other words, you didn’t report it for days after you picked it up.” (Mimi)

“Umm…”

It hurts when I say that …

Now, how should I make an excuse? Mimi laughed, saying, “Well, this is all I need to do to be mean.”

“I think this ring is probably made of Orichalcum.” (Mimi)

“Really? Orichalcum?”

I was surprised to suddenly hear the name of the legendary metal.

Orichalcum is a metal like the material of the legendary sword that a hero has, right? I remember that it was a mysterious metal with a legend that it was used in Atlanta or Atlantis or something like that on Earth. I think I heard somewhere that it is real in this world, but I didn’t know this would be made of that…

But what the heck does it mean?

“Orichalcum is a rather precious metal. So, the clan is aware of the existence of Orichalcum items in this area. Besides, if an item made of Orichalcum had gone missing, there would be an uproar by now. The fact that this has not happened means that the ring most likely does not belong to anyone, or that the owner cannot come forward.” (Mimi)

“I see…”

How is it possible that it belongs to no one? And it also smells a little dangerous that the owner can’t come forward…

“Rook-san. Did you know that dragons are a symbol of good luck among adventurers?” (Mimi)

“Yes, I believe it’s because they shed their scales and claws during migration, is that right?”

Cyrus-san told me about this a while ago. He said that dragons are an object of awe and a symbol of good luck at the same time.

Even if you don’t kill a dragon, you can get rich off of a single scale that happens to fall off during its migration.

But what does this have to do with the topic at hand?

“It is true that all dragons often drop scales and claws. But that’s not all that dragons drop.” (Mimi)

Mimi-san paused, then continued, holding up one finger and waving it lightly from side to side.

“Dragons have the habit of collecting treasures for some reason.” (Mimi)

With that one word, I could guess what she wanted to say.

In other words, on the day the golden dragon flew over this town, it dropped this ring, and I happened to pick it up, and this happened.

But how is such a coincidence possible?　I’m sure it’s possible for me, who has the ability of [Luck]…

“Currently, I don’t hear about any Orichalcum ring being stolen, and I don’t have the authority to take it from Rook-san, so I think it would be best if Rook-san keeps the ring.” (Mimi)

When she said that, I couldn’t help but let out an indescribable, “Haa…”.

“You don’t seem very happy. Normally, if someone had had unexpectedly obtained Orichalcum they would be quite ecstatic.” (Mimi)

“Well, there are a lot of reasons.”

To be honest, there are so many things about this ring that I honestly did not feel happy about it.

Anyway, if I don’t confirm the effect of this ring early, I wouldn’t know if and what kind of effect it might have. “It doesn’t make sense to just have weapons and armor!” Isn’t that right? Would it even have any effect if I don’t equip it? …No, if I think about it, the ring is neither a weapon nor armor… I don’t think it’s a dud…

Thinking about that, I thanked Mimi-san, and when I was about to leave the office, Mimi-san said, “Oh, that’s it.”

“I hope you will moderate your nightlife.”

Mimi giggled and went back to her work.

For a moment, I didn’t understand what she was saying, but then I understood what she meant, and a cold chill ran down my back.

Maybe she really is “in charge of everything in this clan.”…