Pearls with Excellent Freshness

Translated by Mlzkzr

Edited by Mlzkzr

In the city of Pindus, at the familiar brothel.

After nominating Orthia and spending my time leisurely as usual, she suddenly straightened her posture in front of me, put her hands together, and bowed her head. (TN: This guy always go to a brothel…… what a life!!)

“Hermes-chan, I have a request for a lifetime!”

“How many times has it been in your lifetime”

I was lying down with my chin on one hand, but I got up and looked at Orthia.

She hanged her head and glanced, at my complexion as if peeking with upturned eyes.

Orthia, who is a prostitute but has more charm than sex appeal, even if she frequently asks me for a lifetime

“It can’t be helped, tell me”

I’ve come to feel like that.

“To be honest, I want a Terme pearl.”

“Terme pearl? You want an accessory?”

“Yup, there are a few various colors. I won’t look good without it.”

“Fumu”

Accessories for women, well, there’s probably such a thing, too.

“I won’t ask you in detail about that, but how much does it cost”

It’ll be easy if I can solve it with money, or rather, it’s very welcome.

That’s what I thought, but ――

“It’s already sold out, on wherever I go. That’s why, I want you to get it.”

Orthia bowed again with her hands joined together.

I immediately became vigilant.

“Get it, you said?”

“The Terme pearl is said to be inside a shellfish named Terme. I want you to get that shellfish. ”

“……Is it difficult to get the shellfish?”

“Etto, I guess it’s easy for a man?”

“……”

I hesitated; I wonder if it’s really easy.

I somehow feel like there’s going to be a trap…… but.

“In short, you want that pearl.”

“Yup, this is, my lifetime request!”

“Understood, I’ll do something about it.”

I decided to undertake Orthia’s wish.



I leave the brothel, and return to the mansion.

I thought about various things on the way.

I was thinking that there was a trap, but if it’s really that difficult, it’s fine to say that I’ll get it with money in some way or the other.

Even if it’s sold out for the commoner and not available, it won’t matter for a Baron’s social position.

Rather, it’s exactly right for me who act as a selfish head.

Therefore, I undertook it.

First of all, if there is a risk that my true strength will be revealed, I’ll solve it with money.

When I was settled on that point, I came back to the mansion.

“Welcome back, Master!”

Midea was waiting for me in front of the mansion.

Like a puppy that found its owner, she rushes over with sparkling eyes.

“I’m back”

“Where did you go, Master”

Even as I heard that, her eyes were sparkling.

To a girl with such eyes, I can’t really say “I went to a Brothel”.

“More than that, Midea, do you know the Terme pearl?”

“Yes, it’s the pearl inside a Terme shellfish, right. It’s so beautiful, that it shines at night or even in the dark.”

“Muh…… is it difficult to take?”

“Terme shellfish is very easy, you know.”

“Hee?”

It’s an expensive item that glows at night, so I thought that it would lead to my true ability being revealed, but is it easy after all?

“For what reason did you ask such a thing, master?”

“No, I need it for a little bit, so I’m thinking of getting it.”

“Eeeeehh!? That’s not good!”

Midea suddenly started to get angry.

“It’s fine to leave it to those of master’s servant to take what anything you want, you know. For master to say that, it’s like cutting a radish with a holy sword.”

“I understand that it was not that much, though you were exaggerating.”

“It’s not an exaggeration!”

Midea further insists.

Fumu, it’s really easy for her to get so angry at that place.

Then, let’s take it lightly and give it to Orthia.



The next day, I put together the stories which I heard, and came to Mount Lykaion in the territory.

According to the story, it seems that Terme shellfishes live in places where there are hot springs, and not in the sea.

Also, while being wary that it will not be in the hot spring that turns animals into monsters, I climbed a mountain where the smell of sulfur is strong.

“Etto……  it’s nice to search where the hot springs are oozing out, I guess?”

I search around in the mountains based on my intel.

Then, like a geyser, I found a place where hot springs were blowing out like water pillars.

As I approach the center where it was blowing out ―― there it was.

A hot spring spouted out the same as before, in which its surroundings was flooded out and a soaking shellfish was there.

“Interesting, the shellfish is really stitched”

This was also according to the prior information.

Terme shellfish are bivalves like clams, but although the two shells of such are tightly closed, they are stitched.

Therefore, even while standing, I can see that something is shining inside the shellfish that has fallen on the ground.

I bend down, and take a shellfish.

“It really is easy”

Climb the mountain, look for a hot spring, and pick it up.

It was really easy.

If you ask how strong it is, it is at a level of degree that is difficult for a prostitute who is perfectly indoor to take.

Alright, let’s bring this back ―― at that time I thought so.

The shellfish open a little, and its body inside pyu! And it spit something out.

I avoided it quickly, and the spit splattered on the ground.

No way, venom? I thought so, so I crouched down and confirmed it.

“I wonder if this is just a hot spring”

I became wary again for a moment, but I eat a letdown again.

Any time now, soon.

“It’s becoming more and more stupid to be vigilant.”

Then, I muttered with a bitter smile.

In the first place, it’s fine to dispel my precaution with Midea’s reaction.

Midea already believes in me as much as she was like a devotee of me, and it would be really easy for such Midea to get more shellfish as long as she was mad.

I smiled bitterly, but, there was nothing wrong with it on its being easy part.

Let’s do simple things normally.

Nothing can be a plus or a minus.

The shellfish spitted out the liquid again, so I held my hand under it and caught it.

It’s just a hot water, and it’s like having it inside its mouth, but …… it’s gross.

I wanted the pearl, so let’s bring only the pearls back home.

I opened the shellfish.

It opened much easier than a clam.

The shell had a two-level structure.

There is a smaller size bivalve inside the bivalve, which looks like a jagged tooth.

The moment I opened it, the shell in the interior tried to bite the pearl.

I reached it out quickly, and snatched the pearl.

“Dangerous, what was that, it will destroy itself the moment it’s about to be taken hah.”

I throw the Terme shell in which the pearl has been picked out near the geyser.

I, went down the mountain with only the pearl.



Inside the brothel, at Orthia’s room.

“Hoi, Terme pearl. This is good right.”

“Thank you! ――wait eeeeeeehh!?”

Tentatively, I put the pearl in a jewelry box.

Orthia, who received and opened the jewelry box, raised a scream.

“Thi,this is! Terme pearl!?”

“Indeed, but?”

Isn’t she surprised, of what she asked for.

“How did you get it?”

“How, you said ……”

…………No way.

I felt unpleasant sweat streaming on my back.

“Hey Orthia, how do you get the pearl out from its shell? Normally”

“By letting it dry up, you know. If you try to open it normally, the shell will break the pearl, so you need to dry it slowly over the course of a month, wait for the shellfish to die, and then take out the pearl.”

“…… Is it no good to open it normally?”

“It’s not no good, but you’ve got to be really fast. If it’s a punch, the shellfish must be hit as 100 times as fast for a second* ―― lie! Is this like that!?” (TN: 0.01 seconds)

Oh god, I just noticed it.

“No, no, no, that was not the case.”

“You kidding…… wait a minute”

Orthia put down the treasure chest, and closed the windows of the room one after another.

What is she doing―― I immediately knew it.

When the room was completely closed and it got dark, the pearls glowed.

It was staggeringly, shining.

As if there was a small sun inside the room, it was shining.

“Amazing! It’s not really dry.”

“What will happen when it’s dry?”

“Its radiance will drop, you know. Since you’ll have to take it out after it dies.”

“…… Geh”

Does that mean, that a guy who knows about the Terme pearls, knows how it was fetched when he sees it in the dark.

This is bad, super bad.

“Hey Orthia, that is something I didn’t raise ―― ”

“Chu”

Orthia approached, and kissed me on the cheek.

In the light of the Terme pearl, Orthia’s face looked more beautiful than ever.

“Thank you, Hermes-chan. I am so happy.”

“……Uhh”

Orthia has a lustrous smile; it was hard for me to say that she shouldn’t have such a face ……