Even Though He's Not a Crow (1)
Almost no one in the village was unaware that Patrick had a fondness for small, glittering objects. Whenever he spotted something eye-catching while wandering around, his eyes would light up and he'd tuck it into his pocket like a man who'd just discovered treasure. From the start, Patrick had never tried to hide this particular taste of his. On the contrary, he openly urged guests who visited his home to take a look at his latest find. Of course, nearly all of it was junk.
“Heh heh. So this is why he gets along so well with the children.”
A few villagers, upon seeing his collection, concluded that his tastes were no different from those of a ten-year-old. Yet no one whispered behind his back that he was greedy or materialistic, because what he liked was quite literally “things that sparkle and are beautiful,” not things that were expensive or valuable.
“Ooh! Coral!”
“Haha, I thought you might like it, so I brought it on purpose. It got caught in the net—a piece with quite a lovely red hue.”
“Such a precious thing…! Shall I give you some soap in return? Or perhaps some lotion? Ah! How about lip rouge? Your wife would surely enjoy it! If not that… let’s see, I don’t have many medicines prepared. Ah! I do have some digestive medicine!”
That single piece of red coral was more than enough to make his eyes spin with delight. Just as Halmae’s eldest son had expected, Patrick bounced around the room in excitement. When told that a merchant had said it held no value as a gemstone, Patrick simply replied that expensive things only made him worry about thieves, so he was rather glad it wasn’t valuable.
“Ah, then I’ll gratefully accept a few packets of that digestive medicine. And also…”
“Yes?”
“My mother slept quite soundly the night after she visited the building you built and took a steam bath.”
“Ah, Halmae… I mean, the elder?”
“Yes. So I was wondering if you might allow my mother to use the steam bath here before the Village Hall is finished. Of course, we’ll provide proper compensation! You mentioned needing firewood—we brothers will prepare that as well!”
Patrick thought Halmae had raised her children exceptionally well.
Her second son is so diligent as the morning exercise instructor, and the eldest is no less impressive. What kind of blessing does that old woman have?
It was no exaggeration when the other elders in the village looked at her with envy. In the end, what truly lifted a parent’s shoulders wasn’t a talented child, but a dutiful one.
“No need for compensation. I’ll gladly accept the firewood, though there’s no need to bring it every single time.”
“Pardon?”
“The Village Chief already stopped by this morning. In exchange for letting the village elders use the facility, he promised to regularly supply firewood.”
“Ah! The Village Chief…!”
Halmae’s eldest son clapped his hands together with a loud smack.
“As expected of our Village Chief!”
“By the way, does coral appear in the waters around the island? I’ve heard it grows in deep places.”
“Ah, the precious kinds treated as gemstones live in deep waters, so fishermen like us can’t just go down and harvest them whenever we please.”
“But this one…”
“It’s luck, pure luck. Heh heh. As I mentioned, every so often a broken piece gets caught in the net. Even then, it rarely has any real value. Still, it looks rather nice, doesn’t it?”
“Needless to say!”
Grinning as he imagined adding the splendid coral fragment to his collection, Patrick suddenly paused.
But coral is supposed to sparkle like a gemstone, isn’t it? This one’s luster feels… off.
The coral’s geometric red branches were captivating in their own right, yet they lacked the glossy sheen of the red gemstone coral he remembered. The accessories he’d seen on YouTube had sparkled just like rubies.
Ah, right. They said it had no commercial value. Still, I like it. Heh heh.
Patrick carefully carried the coral fragment—nearly the size of a child’s head—and cleared a space for it on the middle shelf. That shelf was already crowded with gleaming seashells, polished pebbles collected from the beach, and beautifully patterned clamshells. The lower shelf held treasures gathered from the mountains and fields: oddly shaped stones, dried flower petals of rare colors sealed in glass bottles, and hardened tree resin. The very bottom shelf displayed gifts from the villagers—misshapen pearls said to have no market value, colorful glass marbles, metal buttons, and faded teacups lined up in a row.
“I’ve collected quite a lot. Maybe I should build another cabinet?”
He hadn’t set out to collect anything in particular, yet one entire storage unit was already full. Even if none of it was worth money, collecting was ultimately about personal satisfaction.
“Ben’s been carrying around an unusual bird feather lately. How should I ask for it?”
Maybe offer him some sugar-coated crab apples and bring it up casually?
“Hiss— I doubt he’d fall for something that small…”
Lately, Ben seemed to have caught on that Patrick was after the feather; he hadn’t been bringing it along when he visited. Patrick spent the afternoon deep in thought.
“You’ve got some fine fellows here.”
“Don’t they? So do give us a good price, haha!”
“When have I ever shortchanged you in our dealings?”
“Exactly. That’s why everyone on this island trades with the Oren Merchant Group.”
“Bwahahaha, quite right, quite right.”
While the merchant group’s workers unloaded fish from the boat, Oren and Halmae’s eldest son chatted amiably.
“By the way, is there anything else this time?”
“Pardon? Anything else?”
“Well, around this time of year, coral fragments sometimes get caught in the nets, don’t they?”
Oren asked with a subtle tone. During summer, large typhoons or whirlpools occasionally formed near Dunbrook Island. When the waters churned, fragments of coral that grew in distant deep seas would sometimes break off and end up tangled in the fishermen’s nets.
“I heard there was quite a large whirlpool this summer as well?”
“Ah, yes. During the rainy season, a massive whirlpool formed near the island. We were worried sick that our boats might break apart.”
“Right, right. That’s why I asked. Among those coral fragments, there might occasionally be one of value.”
“We’re always grateful that you appraise them for us, haha. Where else would simple fishermen like us find a jeweler willing to listen, if not you, Vice Leader?”
Halmae’s son spoke with feigned humility, though this part was sincere. The elders said that after a powerful whirlpool, coral fragments or strange deep-sea fish would sometimes appear in the nets. But what did country island folk know about the value of coral? They used to throw them back into the sea, worried only about damaging their nets. It had only been a few years since Halmae’s eldest son learned that coral could be worth money.
— That net’s completely torn because of that damn coral.
— Coral? What coral?
— It gets caught in the nets sometimes. This time it made a huge hole, so now I’ve got to mend it, elder.
— Could I… take a look at it?
— Already threw it away.
— What? Goodness, man! From now on, if something like that gets caught, you must bring it to me. Not all coral is treated as gemstones, but if you find the right piece, it could change your life!
— Y-yes…?
— Coral is a gemstone?
Unfortunately, coral worthy of being treated as a gemstone was rarely seen.
— You can tell just by looking that this one has no luster, right? It’ll be difficult to sell as a gemstone.
— Ah, I thought so. I was already wondering if gemstones ought to sparkle more. Haha.
— Still, there are nobles who keep unusual things as decorations, so I’ll purchase this one.
— Really?
— Of course. However, since it has no real commercial value, it would be awkward to use the merchant group’s funds. I was thinking of buying it personally. Can’t have the group suffer a loss, after all.
Halmae’s eldest son looked at Oren’s good-natured smile and thought what an honest man he was.
— And let’s keep this transaction between us. If the leader finds out, he might suspect I’m lining my own pockets, which would put me in a difficult position. The leader trades with Dunbrook Island out of a sense of loyalty—if he gets the wrong idea, it’ll trouble you as well. Understand?
After all, it was merely a trade for a drink or two—essentially barter. What was there to misunderstand?
— Ah, of course!
Faced with Oren’s status and the fear that their only regular trading partner might disappear, the eldest son found himself nodding without realizing it.
Surely it’s nothing suspicious?
The money he received for the coral fragment was a large sum for a poor fisherman, yet objectively it was just enough to buy a few bottles of good liquor and some meat—an ambiguous amount that raised no suspicion. After that, the fishermen began to regard coral fragments as being worth about as much as “a delicious city meal.”
“We did catch one this time as well, but…”
“Oh! Where is it? Let me appraise it!”
“Ah, there was someone who wanted it, so I gave it to them.”
“……Huh? Someone who wanted it……?”
“Yes. Someone who collects trinkets. He was overjoyed, placing it beside his seashells as decoration. Haha. It was worth giving as a gift.”
“……I see?”
Oren’s eyes narrowed briefly before returning to their usual expression.
He doesn’t seem to have noticed.
Oren clicked his tongue inwardly.
If I demand it back right now, he’ll grow suspicious. I’ll have to drop hints gradually.
Oren had no intention of giving up his lucrative side income.
“It looks like deer antlers!”
“No, it looks like a mushroom, doesn’t it?”
“Idiot! It’s coral, coral!”
“But it’s red?”
“If there are white corals, there can be red ones too.”
“There aren’t any red corals in the front sea, though.”
“Well, that’s true, but……”
While crunching on fruit coated in transparent sugar, the children each offered their opinion on Patrick’s newest treasure.
“Is it good?”
“Yes.”
“Ben, you too?”
“Huh? Yes!”
“Then how about I make this as a snack for the whole week?”
“……What do you want?”
“Oh, it’s not like I want anything in particular. But Ben.”
“Yes?”
“Why didn’t you bring that feather today?”
Ben’s face crumpled in dismay.