A few days later, on a clear afternoon, I took Shirley with me to Cobalt Street.
"Th-This place is..."
Cobalt Street was known for its antique trade, drawing a crowd of wealthy merchants and nobles even by the standards of the bustling capital.
Shirley, having just arrived from a village without so much as a doctor, stood utterly stunned by the dazzling, vibrant spectacle around her.
"Don't space out. Keep up."
"Y-Yes, Your Highness!"
Leaping down from the carriage at the entrance of Cobalt Street, I headed inside with Shirley, my newly minted knight, following closely behind.
I strolled along at a leisurely pace, keeping an eye out for treasure.
Plenty of items caught my eye at a glance, but none of them truly impressed me.
I had come here to find a gift for Brother Henry.
Even if it had been on His Majesty's orders, on paper, he had put down the Almeria rebellion in my stead.
I had to show some token of my gratitude, or it would reflect poorly on me.
That was why I was searching for a worthy treasure, but...
"Hm? Look over there..."
"What is the matter, Your Highness?"
"We're going into that shop."
"Understood."
Though puzzled, Shirley followed behind me.
I led her into a certain establishment.
It was the very antique shop I had visited with Brother Oscar in the past.
"Oh, well if it isn't the Thirteenth Imperial Prince! Welcome, Your Highness."
"Alan, was it?"
"Yes! Right this way, please."
The moment we stepped inside, the shopkeeper, Alan, greeted us with an excessively low bow and ushered us toward the back.
He led us into a VIP room.
I was shown to the seat of honor, and moments later, a servant brought out a beverage.
I could tell from the aroma alone that it was black tea brewed from extraordinarily fine leaves.
Shirley, meanwhile, stood behind me with her hands clasped behind her back.
A knight has no seat when attending their master. Alan, well-versed in dealing with high nobility, naturally understood this and treated Shirley as though she were nothing more than thin air.
"What might Your Highness be looking for today?"
"I want to get a gift for my brother to show my gratitude. Do you have anything good?"
"Would that be for the Eighth Imperial Prince?"
"No, Brother Henry."
"Ah, the Fourth Imperial Prince! We have just acquired several fine pieces recently. Would you be so kind as to wait a moment?"
"Sure."
When I nodded, Alan stepped out of the room.
A few minutes later, he returned with several servants in tow.
Each servant carried an item.
There were jewelry boxes, framed paintings, and pieces so large they had to be wheeled in on carts.
He had likely brought out the absolute best treasures the shop had to offer.
Among them, one item in particular seized my attention.
It rested on a cart, concealed beneath a cloth.
Intrigued, I pointed at it and asked Alan, "What's that? Its presence is on an entirely different level from the rest."
"Oh, as expected of the Thirteenth Imperial Prince! You saw right through it at a single glance."
Alan wore an expression that was half salesman's flattery and half genuine astonishment.
With a quick glance, he signaled the servant to pull away the cloth.
Revealed beneath was a transparent statue of a goddess.
"Is this... glass?"
"It is indeed."
"A goddess statue made of glass, not crystal? Something like this was actually crafted?"
"Your surprise is entirely justified. This is a surviving masterpiece by the legendary artisan Lindsey. Only Lindsey possessed the skill to craft a goddess statue from glass, and the technique is now lost to history."
"I figured."
I stared intently at the statue.
Just as I thought—there was a faint aura radiating from it.
It gave off a subtle presence remarkably similar to that grimoire.
Having sensed that, I had singled it out to be shown first.
"Lindsey's works are exceedingly rare to begin with, and it is said that only two such goddess statues remain in the world."
"I see. All right, I'll take it."
"That will be ten thousand Rien, however..."
"Here."
I pulled a leather pouch from my coat and tossed it to Alan.
"There's more than ten thousand in there. Keep the extra as a reward for bringing me a gift for my brother."
"Thank you ever so much!"
Alan's face crumpled into an ecstatic, beaming smile as he caught the pouch.
"As for the statue, have it delivered to my estate later—"
"So this is where you were, Noah."
Just as I was finishing my sentence, a man walked in from the entryway.
Sporting his trademark gentle smile, it was my eighth older brother, Eighth Imperial Prince Oscar.
"Brother."
I rose and gave Oscar a slight bow.
"I heard you were here when I walked into the shop. Did you find some good trea—sure...?"
The moment Oscar laid eyes on the glass goddess statue, he froze solid.
An expression of utter disbelief washed over his face.
"What's the matter, Brother?"
"This is Lindsey's goddess statue. Is it authentic?"
"Yes, presumably."
As I replied, Oscar glanced toward Alan, as if my word alone wasn't enough.
Though caught off guard, Alan nodded hastily.
"Y-Yes, Your Highness. I would never dare present a forgery to an imperial prince... Is something amiss?"
"Haaah..."
Oscar let out a deep sigh and sank into a nearby chair.
"Good grief. You mean to tell me both of the only two in existence have now surfaced?"
"You know about the other one?"
"I own it."
Oscar offered a wry, helpless smile.
"Because it's a glass statue by Lindsey, I knew two had originally been crafted. But since not a single one ever turned up even here on Cobalt Street, I was convinced the one in my collection was the last surviving piece in the world. To think another was still out there..."
"I see."
I could understand Oscar's disappointment.
The fewer copies of a treasure exist, the higher its value climbs due to rarity.
Among those, an item that is "one of a kind" commands an astronomical price.
When there are two, if each is valued at one, the moment one is destroyed, the remaining piece's value multiplies tenfold or more.
That was the fundamental nature of treasures—and antiques.
"Brother."
"Hm? What is it?"
Without a word, I walked over to the glass goddess statue, lifted it up, and—smashed it onto the floor.
"Ngh!"
"Eeeeeeek?!"
"Y-Y-Your Imperial Highness?!"
Ignoring the panicking Alan, I pulled another pouch containing around a hundred Rien from my coat and pressed it into his hands.
"Relax. You can keep the full payment from earlier. This is extra, for your trouble."
"F-For my trouble?"
"A second goddess statue surfaced, but unfortunately, it shattered. I want you to spread that rumor—keeping it within Cobalt Street is fine."
"...Brilliant."
Oscar nodded, looking thoroughly impressed.
"No, that's incredible, Noah. Truly remarkable. By destroying it and ensuring the news of its destruction spreads, the value of the statue I hold will unquestionably skyrocket."
"Treasures are first come, first served. As long as the value of yours goes up, Brother Oscar, that's all that matters."
"Knowing the concept is impressive enough, but having the resolve to actually carry it out on the spot is even more astonishing. Splendidly done. I only grasped that level of pragmatism after coming of age and taking charge of my fief."
Oscar stood up, casting merely a passing glance at the shattered fragments on the floor.
"I'll repay the favor in time. Until then."
With that, Oscar took his leave.
After instructing Alan to clean up the mess and select the next best treasure to deliver to my estate, I exited the shop with Shirley.
"U-Um... Your Highness?"
Once we were back out on the bustling Cobalt Street, Shirley spoke up, her voice laced with hesitation.
"What is it?"
"Wh-Why did you do something like that?"
I glanced around.
The street was filled with unfamiliar faces; there was no danger of being overheard.
"At the end of the day, it's just an object."
"B-But it was an extraordinarily priceless treasure, wasn't it?"
"A real treasure isn't something like that."
"Huh?"
Shirley looked thoroughly bewildered.
I glanced at the status screen that remained ever-present in the corner of my vision.
My unique status, with a "+" marked beside every standard attribute.
I had this power.
"A true treasure isn't a mere object. It's people."
"People?"
"People who swear their loyalty to me. Like you, for instance."
"M-Me?!"
"Yeah."
I nodded.
Indeed, to me, real treasures were human beings.
If shattering a single glass statue could secure the favor of Brother Oscar, it was a bargain.
"..."
"What's wrong, Shirley?"
"I'm just... deeply moved! You sound just like the wise rulers from the legends!"
"Is that so?"
"You're incredible, Your Highness... I swear to follow you for the rest of my life!"
"Right."
I had only broken the statue to get into Oscar's good graces, but it seemed I had won Shirley's heartfelt devotion as a bonus.
With Shirley trailing behind me, we left the clutter of Cobalt Street behind.
For some reason, Oscar's earlier words echoed in my mind.
Coming of age, and taking charge of one's fief.
The day would eventually come when I would have to travel to Almeria to govern my lands.
In the Empire, that transition was customarily set for when imperial royalty reached adulthood.
Until that day arrived, I wanted to gather even more treasures—more people. My path forward had never been clearer.