The [Finding Ritual] had a limited range, and that range depended on many factors, such as proficiency with the ritual, the strength of one’s spirituality, compatibility with the surroundings, physical condition, and so on.
The complete Finding Ritual was rather complicated and difficult to perform outside, so Eleanor could only use a simplified version. Its effective range was fifty meters, which was already proof of her exceptional talent.
To save time, Eleanor had worked out several places where she was most likely to strike lucky, such as the front of the manor house, the garden pavilion, and the manor gates… These were the places where people were most likely to drop coins or jewelry.
She tried the area in front of the manor house first, praying for the ritual to lead her to valuables. The silver chain dangling from her fingers remained perfectly still, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Nothing? That’s normal. The area in front of the manor house is cleaned more thoroughly than anywhere else. Unless something fell into a hidden corner, the servants would definitely find it.
She moved on to the garden. There were plenty of shrubs and patches of grass there. No matter how diligent the servants were, they couldn’t possibly find every dropped item. Besides, some things might even have become buried in the soil.
She performed the ritual again, earnestly reciting the incantation in Hermes within her mind.
The silver chain still showed no reaction.
“……?”
Eleanor walked all the way to the manor gates, then back to the front of the house. By the time her feet began to ache, she had performed the ritual five times without finding a single thing.
How could that be?
Could there be something wrong with my ritual?
Pretending to admire the clear sky after the rain, Eleanor stood beneath Elisa’s balcony and performed the [Finding Ritual] with complete concentration.
…Spirits wandering nearby, tell me the whereabouts of my favorite pet…
The silver chain swung upward, pointing toward Elisa’s balcony.
So the ritual clearly works. Why can’t I find any treasure?
Eleanor was utterly baffled.
Could it be that this manor is simply kept unusually clean, and I’ve been so unlucky that there just happened to be no valuables within range every time I performed the ritual?
Hmph. No difficulty can defeat this young lady! Even if I have to exhaust all my spirituality and search every inch of the manor, I’ll find what I’m looking for!
A manor this large can’t possibly have no lost items whatsoever, can it?
Challenge accepted. [Finding Ritual], activate!
The air around the manor was fresh after the rain. The grayish-white haze that perpetually shrouded the royal capital had vanished for once, revealing the scenery along the distant horizon.
If Eleanor had merely been taking a stroll, she would undoubtedly have felt refreshed and delighted.
But she wasn’t taking a stroll. She was treasure hunting.
Why is there seriously not a single lost item anywhere in this manor?! After wandering around for an entire hour, Miss Eleanor was beginning to lose it.
I even searched the servants’ quarters! I didn’t find so much as half a penny!
How is this possible? What kind of people live in this manor? Does nobody here ever drop anything?!
After circling around to the secluded rear of the manor house, Eleanor crouched down and rubbed her ankles. She wasn’t accustomed to walking for long periods, and now her feet were sore and her legs ached.
Her physical exhaustion only made her more unwilling to give up. If she came away with nothing, then all this suffering would have been for nothing!
Miss Eleanor glanced around, then quietly removed one of her earrings.
She raised her hand and tossed it away.
As the saying goes, a thief never leaves empty-handed… Pah! I mean, Miss Eleanor never returns empty-handed! If there aren’t any lost items in the manor, then I’ll lose one myself!
The earring, adorned with tiny blue diamonds, traced an arc through the air and landed beneath the grass before rolling into the bushes. A flash of blue glimmered briefly, then vanished completely from sight.
Perfect!
Rather than retrieving it immediately, Eleanor continued onward.
I’ll make another circuit first, forget where the earring landed, and then come back for it.
If I still remember where it is and then use the [Finding Ritual] to look for it, wouldn’t that be like.. …completely pointless!
Miss Eleanor walked to the garden and happily admired the rain-battered flowers for a while, then went to the front courtyard and gazed at the distant scenery.
Finally, she returned to the rear of the manor house and took out her silver chain.
[Finding Ritual], activate!
Where are you, my little treasure?
The silver chain dangling from her fingers swayed briefly, then fell still again without pointing anywhere.
Not here? Looks like I really did forget where I put it.
Eleanor walked a hundred meters farther and performed the ritual again.
Come out, my blue diamond earring!
The silver chain still showed no reaction.
“.…..?!”
After changing direction twice more and performing the ritual two more times, Eleanor was forced to admit something.
My blue diamond earring is gone!
I only just received that as a gift!
Did a servant pick it up? Impossible. There’s no way a servant could have discovered an earring hidden in the bushes in such a short time.
Did some kind of mystical accident occur?
In Mysticism, anything could happen. One had to possess a heart that remained unmoved by the unexpected.
She comforted herself with that thought and removed her other earring.
She tossed the remaining earring beneath an ornamental tree, this time firmly memorizing its location.
At this point, there’s no use keeping just one earring anyway. Might as well keep treasure hunting.
She hurried around the manor house in a full circuit, walking until the soles of her feet ached, then returned to the ornamental tree.
She opened her slender hand, let the silver chain dangle from it, and performed the ritual.
The silver chain showed no reaction whatsoever.
She crouched down and searched through the dirt beneath the ornamental tree, but found nothing.
Miss Eleanor couldn’t accept it. She clutched her forehead and staggered to her feet.
My blue diamond earrings!
Why are they gone?! What in the world happened?! Does this manor eat lost items?!
She gripped the necklace at her chest, tempted to try a third time, but the ache in her legs and what remained of her rationality stopped her.
Damn it, what the hell stole my earrings?!
***
[…Simon captured a wild blue diamond earring.]
[…Simon captured the blue diamond earring’s companion.]
[Simon prayed to the heavens, thanking nature for its gifts.]
What, blue diamond earrings?! How much must those be worth?!
Holding up the [Searl Daily] and reading [Simon’s Log], Elisa grieved inwardly.
Those were found on my estate! That was all my money!
She sighed deeply, folded the newspaper, and turned toward the bedroom balcony.
Mabel stood on the balcony, staring absently out at the courtyard, unusually quiet.
So even this lively, mischievous noble young lady has a quiet side!
Elisa smiled and asked, “How’s the view?”
“Not good.” Mabel sounded a little disappointed. “I can’t see Mr. Simon.”
So you weren’t looking at the scenery at all!
And is it really okay for you to say that so openly?! Where’s the modesty befitting a noble young lady?!
And just what are you planning to do with my male servant?!
Elisa changed the subject. “What do you do to pass the time when you’re at home, Mabel?”
“Read novels and play cards.” Mabel scratched her hair. “Father said he won’t let me out until the picnic a month from now. Haah.”
The picnic a month from now was the event Mabel and Eleanor had invited Elisa to attend at the literary salon.
This event, organized by Mabel and Eleanor, was certain to attract ladies of even higher status and greater influence.
Elisa was convinced that this would be the second crucial milestone in her entry into high society, so she had to take it seriously.
She was about to ask a few questions about the picnic, but Mabel wasn’t particularly interested and instead began talking about the Eastern District.
Mabel returned to the bedroom and sat down on the sofa. “After I went home that day, I told Father I wanted to provide aid to the poor in the Eastern District. Father said that would cost our family nearly half of its available cash, and the poor from all over the country would flock to the Eastern District. Our family simply doesn’t have enough money.”
For a moment, Elisa couldn’t tell whether Mabel was genuinely complaining or just humblebragging.
Helping every poor person in the Eastern District would only cost the Percy family half their cash reserves? There are hundreds of thousands of people there!
Elisa began wondering whether she should pay the Baron’s residence a little visit on some dark and moonless night.
“In the end, Father only let me put up a hundred thousand pounds to establish a workplace injury foundation. It’ll help poor families whose members are injured while working in factories.” Mabel sighed.
A hundred thousand pounds!
I don’t even have fifty thousand in total right now!
Elisa felt that she could use some financial assistance herself.
“Haah. Why does my family have so little money?” Mabel looked deeply troubled.
How much more money do you want?! Are you planning to buy the entire kingdom?!
Elisa felt like fighting this damn rich young lady to the death.
Eleanor’s arrival prevented the tragedy just in time. It was getting late, so she dragged Mabel along to bid Elisa farewell.
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