I Want to Speak
Stefano’s continued explanation was, in effect, a process of confirming James’s hunch.
“If Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man, helped prepare the Last Supper with the disciples, then the Holy Grail could well have been a crude vessel made of gold. And considering that he took the cup with him after the supper, it’s possible the original Grail belonged to him. During the meal it was only being loaned out, so he likely wouldn’t have minded if the cup was made of gold.”
“……”
“You could say the Holy Grail is the result of Jesus Christ’s preference joined with the hearts of the disciples. In form, it is very much like Jesus Himself, whose outward body was a dwelling place for the Lord’s spirit.”
However hard he thought about it, James kept leaning toward the idea that the water glass was the Holy Grail.
Dammit... what if my water glass really is the one?
As James frowned, Stefano changed the mood on purpose.
“For reference, there’s also the popular belief that the Holy Grail grants its owner limitless wealth.”
“……”
Someone was standing in front of James, offering twenty million dollars for a small plot of land that was barely fit for anything beyond a house site. If not limitless wealth, it was certainly increasing his assets by a considerable amount.
Money is literally pouring in...
“It’s also said to grant eternal youth and a healthy body. It’s an interesting theory, in its own way.”
James absently rubbed his cheek, because the priest’s wild-sounding words somehow didn’t feel entirely false.
Come to think of it, my skin has been getting smoother lately...
“Ah! And especially, it’s known to bring happiness to its owner...”
These days had been happier than any others in his life. He had reunited with Su-ji in Korea and spent peaceful days with her, and in the meantime, he had learned new advanced magic, satisfying every last craving a magician had for the pursuit of truth.
This is pretty much conclusive...
No matter how he looked at it, the water glass really did seem to be the Holy Grail.
“But all of that is unverified rumor. The Holy Grail, as spoken of at the Last Supper, is the sign of the covenant by which the Lord sacrificed His body and blood for us, forgave the sins of mankind, and promised those who believe in Him the eternal joy of Heaven. However mysterious the legend may be, we cannot believe everything, can we?”
Then... does that mean I’ve won a ticket to Heaven?
When Stefano saw that James seemed to be listening carefully, he added further explanation.
“...For all Christians, including those in Vatican City and Rome, the Holy Grail is proof of Jesus’s actual existence, and proof of God’s boundless love in carrying out the work of redemption for us. The Grail, by its very existence, is a sacred relic worthy of reverence.”
“...Tch.”
Even as James worried over how to put it into words, Stefano kept talking. It was, in his own way, a process of persuasion.
“The Vatican has spent centuries trying to find the Holy Grail of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the point at which the records always vanish is the same. We always have to stop at the records of Merlin, the man closest to King Arthur.”
“!”
Why is Master being dragged into this too!
“His records are always vague, buried in mist. They are so difficult to trace that even whether his name is true remains uncertain.”
Of course they are. Master erased his own records from history with magic.
“But the Holy Grail, which was recovered by King Arthur’s secret fortune and the Knights of the Round Table, was most likely kept by Merlin. That means the Grail is likely to be found where Arthur’s gold coins were discovered in large numbers.”
The connection between the gold coins bearing King Arthur’s likeness and the Holy Grail had been tied together through his master, Merlin.
“...Phew.”
Stefano had been inferring the truth of everything from the past without ever seeing it himself. That was because James had found his master’s treasure and taken the Holy Grail for himself.
...He really is sharp.
“Surely... surely you don’t have it?”
“That’s...”
James had been intending to tell the truth. Using the Holy Grail as a water glass was embarrassing enough on its own. And it hadn’t even been used only for drinking water. When he had stayed in England, he had once put it in the refrigerator to chill the cup before drinking beer from it.
It was insanely cold...
“I...”
Knock, knock.
Then, with a knock, the door was flung open.
“Brother Jake! I made sure no one could come in—”
“Oh! Priest Stefano?”
“Madeline Swan, you...”
Madeline of the British Museum had arrived. Just as the Vatican had come to meet James, the man who had made the auction request, the British Museum was likewise not taking this artifact lightly.
“I wondered who had the audacity to cut off the British Museum and snatch the client away without any manners...”
“Sister Madeline. I didn’t snatch anyone away.”
“No, you did. I heard the Vatican Museum had decided to buy the land where the client found the gold coins.”
“……”
Stefano looked at Jake, but Jake only wore the expression of a man who couldn’t help it.
From this point on, the one who needed Sotheby’s help would not be the Vatican Museum alone. The British Museum would be the same. That was why he couldn’t tell Madeline the truth either.
“Shouldn’t competition be fair?”
“...You’re late, Madeline. The client has already decided to sell the land to the Vatican.”
“The client hasn’t signed anything yet. Then doesn’t that mean the opportunity is still there?”
“……”
It was true. James was supposed to meet the Vatican’s representative, who had offered twenty million dollars, and only then sign the contract. Nothing had been decided yet.
“Please. Sister Madeline. We were in the middle of an extremely important conversation with the client. If you’d just give us a little time...”
“Don’t call me sister now and act familiar. I’m here on official business.”
“...Phew.”
“Then I suppose I can take a seat too?”
Madeline sat down without waiting for permission and asked Jake for a favor.
“Jake. Bring me a cup of black tea. I expect this conversation to last a while.”
“...I’ll be right back.”
“……”
“……”
With Madeline seated, Stefano could no longer continue speaking. The anti-tap device that had been set on the table disappeared back into his leather bag.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Clink.
“Thank you.”
Even in the bleak atmosphere, Madeline sipped the black tea Jake had brought and opened the conversation.
“Shall we start with the client’s land? The gold coin auction will be handled separately by Sotheby’s anyway. Though of course we’re the ones who’ll take that too, hahaha.”
Before James could speak, Madeline was already at it again.
“Oh, right. I haven’t even asked your name. We can’t keep calling you the client forever, can we?”
“Ah. I...”
The Jake who had been about to set down the tea and leave spoke instead.
“James Kane is famous in Las Vegas as the magician of telekinesis. You seem not to know that, Madeline?”
“Ah, yes. I know, I know. James, it’s a pleasure. Your magic show is truly splendid. Why wouldn’t I know you, when you put on such beautiful performances with lovely women and dazzling tricks? I’m a fan.”
It was meant as a bid for James’s goodwill, but she had read the room badly.
What? Women?
Madeline said it confidently, claiming to be a fan, but she clearly didn’t know James at all.
There’s never been a woman on my magic show in its entire history.
Most magicians used beautiful assistants to seize the audience’s attention, but James had always run his shows alone. He couldn’t let anyone catch onto his magic.
Minus fifty points for the British Museum.
Madeline was unknowingly tearing James’s image to shreds.
That’s not even close...
Jake also knew at once that Madeline’s description was completely wrong, but he had no intention of correcting her.
“Ha... then I’ll be going now... Please continue.”
Once Jake left, James leaned back against the sofa and fell into thought.
I don’t care who buys the house site...
The Holy Grail was what the Vatican wanted so badly.
I can’t just hand it over to the British Museum...
Before he could even finish the thought, Madeline’s loquacious mouth was moving again.
“I think the British Museum can make a better offer than those tightfisted Vatican people.”
“Haha. Surely not.”
He doubted she could offer more than the Vatican, which had proposed twenty million dollars for a small plot of land.
“Priest? Just how much are you planning to give James?”
“...No comment.”
Stefano was using the same phrase James had used earlier.
“Pfft.”
At James’s laugh, Stefano answered with a faint smile. It looked as if they were deliberately leaving Madeline Swan out, and she couldn’t possibly fail to notice.
Clink.
At their exchange of glances, Madeline set down her tea and said coldly, “Doesn’t the fool get called a fool for a reason?”
“...That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”
However angry she was, it wasn’t something one should say to James’s face.
“What exactly do you think is buried there that you’d hand it over so readily? Do you think I’d call you a fool for no reason? If you’ve got a brain, use it.”
“……”
James thought to himself, and only to himself.
The fool isn’t me. It’s you people.
To James, the fools were the ones trying to buy a patch of empty land and even pay above the asking price for it.
“Just telling Sotheby’s exactly where it was found from the start was the mistake. If people have any sense, they should hide that sort of thing, shouldn’t they?”
“What if there’s nothing there?”
“Hahaha. Experts are different from ordinary people. An ordinary person might never find it, but an expert can.”
It was the claim that, even if James as an ordinary person couldn’t find it, experts equipped with all kinds of devices could uncover much more.
“Is that so? Then there’s no reason not to sell it to the British Museum either.”
“!”
Stefano’s shocked expression swung toward James. This time, James gave him a slight smile in return.
Now isn’t the time to laugh.
It is exactly the time to laugh.
“The Vatican’s offer for the land purchase is twenty million dollars.”
“I, if you say that...”
Stefano tried to interrupt, but James plunged into the negotiation without restraint.
“How much will the British Museum offer? Naturally, it’ll have to be higher than the Vatican’s bid.”
“Wow. The tightfisted ones have really opened up their hearts.”
But she didn’t look surprised.
“Then the British Museum will offer twenty-five million.”
At Madeline’s words, Stefano’s face stiffened as he spoke.
“...Thirty million.”
“Hey! Priest!”
“Did you call me? Sister? Ah, should I call you Madeline? Since this is an official setting.”
“What exactly are you trying to do right now...”
“Didn’t you say this was a competition? I am competing fairly.”
“……”
The land auction had broken out right in front of James’s face.
“……”
No... Father, please stay quiet.
Even though James had planned to hand over the Holy Grail on his own, without Stefano needing to push, they were pouring fuel all over the burning auction.
James was not the only one who wanted to stop the auction from spiraling out of control.
“Mr. James, let’s discuss the land separately and decide afterward. This doesn’t seem like the right time. Priest? I think it would be better if we consulted among ourselves first and then informed the client.”
If they handled this emotionally, they might end up paying far too much for the land.
“...Let me say in advance, the Vatican has no intention of yielding, Sister Madeline.”
In the middle of that tension, James stood as if to give them room.
“The two of you can settle it. I’ll step out.”
Then he walked outside at once and faced Jake, who had been waiting.
“Jake.”
“Ah. James.”
“There’s an auction going on inside over who gets to buy the Texas land. I think Sotheby’s ought to step in.”
When it came to auctions, that meant Sotheby’s.
“Haha. Can we take it that James’s land still has priority with us?”
It had been promised to Sotheby’s in the first place.
“Of course. It looks like it’ll end up going to Madeline, so feel free to squeeze them as much as you can.”
“Thank you, James. I’ll mediate. For reference, there may be a small fee involved?”
“As much as you like.”
“In the end, the fee will be taken from the buyer anyway. Haha. Leave it to me.”
With even Jake thrown into the auction, James could wait outside and gather his thoughts.
My drinking glass is the Holy Grail... the Grail that held Jesus’s sacred blood...
Though Stefano hadn’t brought it up yet, the large golden plate used for serving food had been part of the same set as the Grail.
And the paten on which the Eucharist was placed too...
James had no idea how to return those two sacred relics to the Vatican, when their value was so lofty he couldn’t even begin to put a price on them.
“Oh, Lord. Why have You given me such a trial...”