The Reason I Keep Avoiding My Childhood Friend

“It’s okay. Let’s just look at it for a while.”

Kir took my hand and strode along. And I was dragged along by Kir’s power.

“I can’t.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve looked at it many times, but I’ve never been caught.”

How many times have you seen it! Never got caught! Can a person called the Grand Duke manage the treasure house so poorly? After a moment of irritation, I could see why Kir was confident.

“Let’s go! Come here.”

Believe me! No one could beat Kir, who laughed. Kir, who has the momentum to break through the universe and rule the galaxy, is invincible.

No no! It wasn’t because of my selfish desire to see the treasure trove. I was led by Kir’s hand and stood in front of a door larger and darker than anywhere else.

The surroundings were so dark that I wondered if the treasure trove was originally in such a secluded place.

Well, it’s strange if it’s decorated brightly and colorfully when it’s not even an exhibition hall. Also, if they openly decorate the treasure trove, it might end up like an advertisement saying, “Please rob here.”

Kir put the key in his hand into the keyhole. There was a click, and the key turned. I reflexively grabbed Kir’s hand. His purple eyes were asking ‘why’. My fingertips tremble.

This may be the last chance to stop.

It’s a big deal if I get caught, but when will I get a chance to look at a treasure trove in my life? The thought went through my head. Not only that. But if I get caught, I might really die? Still, Kir would stop it. Didn’t this kid bring me here? In between, my mind went back and forth.

“What’s wrong?”

When I couldn’t say anything out of worry, Kir, who was tired of waiting, groaned. A sense of emptiness suddenly came to his expression, which had no guilt whatsoever. His face was clear enough to make my anguish seem insignificant.

Oh, I don’t know. I had already come this far, and if Kir was insisting that I was an accomplice, I would have nothing to say.

“Count to three and open it.”

Kir looked at me, asking what I was doing, but I needed to prepare my mind. I gestured with my chin to him to count quickly, but he still listened.

“One, two, three!”

The door made an old screeching sound, but as soon as it opened, there was no sound. Since it was of a Grand Duchy, it seems that the management is thorough.

The inside where I went in was amazing. It was said to be a treasure trove, so I expected that treasures would be hectically piled up in a narrow interior like an antique store.

However, the sight that caught my eye was like an art exhibition. The treasures are neatly organized so that I can appreciate them one by one, and they even have an explanatory note attached. Not a single speck of dust seemed to be thoroughly managed.

“What do you think? Isn’t it nice?”

I was awakened by Kir’s proud voice. I was surprised to find fewer treasures than expected, but I just nodded. The quality will be different as the number of items is small.

“You can start this way.”

It seems that there was a route to look around. Silently holding Kir’s hand, I followed as he led. The first thing I saw was the shining armor. Perhaps it had never been used. It was still smooth with no scratches. It was overly shiny and looked like a decoration, with no practicality whatsoever.

“This is what the previous emperor gave to my grandfather.”

Unlike Kir’s short explanation, the explanation was long, saying, “The imperial family gave a special gift for a blah blah reason.” This really makes me feel like I’m at an exhibition. There were also candle holders and some kind of tableware set in the storage room. There were jars and sculptures, and there were many strange things.

Among them, what was surprising was the portrait of the first king, the size of which could easily be the size of a door. I don’t know how confident one was to have made a portrait of that size, but seeing Kir’s bottomless confidence, I wondered if that level was natural for people in this family. Is his confidence inherited?

Kir, who brought me, didn’t seem to be very interested in the treasure trove. He said he had been here several times before, but it seemed that he had already watched it enough to get tired of it. I left Kir and looked at things in earnest.

There are also masterpieces sent by the imperial family or famous masters. However, unless the value was converted into money, in my eyes, it just looked like an antique.

Of course, it was interesting because there were rare items related to historical facts that I knew. It was a different feeling to see the meaning and see it without knowing the meaning.

But should I say it’s surprising? I don’t know how much these antiques cost, but nothing flashed like jewels or gold to fill my heart just by looking at them. Perhaps that was why a strange sense of disappointment came. Kir brought me to a museum instead, not a treasure trove.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yes. There were many meaningful things. Shall we stop? What if we get scolded later?”

“Are you disappointed?”

Kir observed me, perhaps reading the energy in my voice.

“I think it’s great. But unexpectedly, I was surprised that there were no jewels.”

It was not something I had to endure, so I readily admitted it. Then, suddenly, Kir grinned. Would that be the look on the face of a person holding a fun secret alone? The smirk was cheeky. As I squinted, Kir pulled out the key again and pressed it against the wall. Then there was a hole to put the key in.

Huh? Maybe a secret room?