ORPDRL Chapter 31

 Episode 31

[Letty, did you brush your teeth before lying down?]  

[Yes.]  

[Don’t lie!]  

[How did you know?!]  

[There’s a smell that people give off when they lie. You’ll be able to sense it too when you grow older.]  

‘It must be the 'lie smell' Mom talked about!’  

“Oh dear, look at the time.”  

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable with Letty sniffing around with her small nose, the head merchant checked the pocket watch in his hand, using time as an excuse to step off the podium.  

“Well then, since all the elders are gathered, let’s unveil the highlight of this visit!”  

Standing at the front of the stage, the head merchant raised both arms dramatically to capture everyone’s attention. At his signal, staff members struggled to carry a large painting and placed it down.  

“Everyone, behold! Feast your eyes on this magnificent artwork!”  

The head merchant, flushed with excitement, pointed at the painting as the curtain was pulled back.  

‘It looks a lot like Letty’s drawing.’  

The painting, with splashes of paint here and there, featured lines and circles on the edges. It looked remarkably similar to what Letty had drawn while playing with Dolores.  

“This masterpiece was created by the artisan Aliereto, who personally witnessed the descent of the divine spirit to the continent! It is one of the few remaining works of Aliereto across both the Eastern and Western continents!”  

To ensure the elders could hear him clearly, the head merchant even picked up a megaphone as he began his speech.  

“It may look like a child’s drawing at first glance, but you must understand that this is the work of a true genius. The color harmony! The depth hidden in its simplicity! The chaotic and passionate emotions reflected in the carelessly drawn lines! Of course, I’m sure the members of the Grand Duke’s family would recognize its artistic value without my explanation.”  

The head merchant added that the red dots on the edges represented a fusion of the divine spirit’s anger and joy, as well as the liberation of the beastfolk. His passionate speech was so convincing that even those initially disappointed by the painting’s simplicity began to take notice.  

“Oh my! One can truly feel the artisan’s passion.”  

“Ah, now that I look again, it encapsulates an intense sense of liberation.”  

Some genuinely admired the painting upon closer inspection, while even those who remained unimpressed feigned astonishment, lest they be regarded as people unable to appreciate art.  

“If you finalize this investment, I will sell this painting exclusively to the Grizzly Dukedom for just 100,000 gold coins.”  

The head merchant’s shocking proposal left the elders wide-eyed. Given that even Aliereto’s mere sketches commanded prices exceeding a million gold, this was an extraordinary offer.  

“As you well know, this painting’s true value would exceed several million gold coins if properly appraised.”  

The head merchant, addressing the elders of the Grizzly Grand Duchy—who rarely interacted with other families or the outside world—continued his speech with an air of superiority.

“This is a special sale offered for the future friendship between our Frode Merchant Guild and the Grizzlies’ Grand Duchy. Think of it as a gift from our guild to your Grand Duchy.”  

It was a gift, but one for which they still expected 100,000 gold coins.  

The head merchant’s tone suggested that the offer was advantageous for the Grizzlies, and the bulky bear-beast elders began murmuring among themselves.  

“Do we even have enough spare funds in the grand duchy to afford that painting right now?”  

The Grand Duchy's finances had been steadily declining due to Grisys lack of leadership as the head of the family.  

“Aren’t we poor?”  

One elder voiced their concerns about the grand duchy’s finances.  

“Not exactly poor! While we haven’t been able to increase our wealth, we are still resource-rich. We can afford to buy the painting. Besides, reselling it could yield a great profit, so isn’t it worth purchasing?”  

“Indeed, it’s about time we invested in art as well. I’m tired of hearing people call us ignorant brutes!”  

Some elders, already swayed by the merchant’s words, spoke out enthusiastically in agreement.  

‘Grandpa’s not here...’  

Letty glanced at the elders, shaking her head. Brunhardt wasn’t among them. This meant there was no one to stop the elders from falling for the merchant’s scam.  

‘Letty has to intervene.’  

She couldn’t just stand by and let them squander what little they had left. Letty gulped nervously, stepping forward.  

“Don’t!”  

“Eek!”  

Tinker, who came flying in, grabbed Letty’s hood and pulled her back while clicking its tongue.  

“You can’t step in here! Haven’t you ever read childcare stories?”  

“What’s childcare stories?”  

Tinker poked Letty’s innocent forehead and explained.  

“They’re stories where the main character is a kid like you. In this genre, if a kid like you tries to solve a problem openly, it always creates enemies!”  

“Enemies?!”  

Letty held her cheeks with both hands, startled by Tinker’s warning.  

“Plus, you don’t have the protagonist’s luck like Tierra does, do you?”  

“Then what do I do?”  

Letty frowned as she listened to Tinker.  

She understood that if she stepped in, the merchants would undoubtedly get angry. But she also couldn’t just leave the Grizzlies to be swindled like that.  

‘If this continues, the family might actually collapse.’  

Moriel was already eyeing the Grizzlies’ Grand Duchy greedily. If they got scammed, the family might be ruined before Tierra even had the chance to appear!  

“Hmm, hold on. The answer is always in books.”  

Tinker dove into its subspace storage and began rummaging through its collection of books.  

“Hmm…”  

Most of the books were unsuitable for Letty, being rather scandalous in nature. Delving deeper, Tinker finally emerged, holding a bright red bowtie.  

“You should use the Grand Duke.”  

Tinker tied the adorable bowtie around Letty’s neck, then led her to crouch behind the chair where Grisys was sitting.  

“What’s this?”  

Letty fiddled with the bowtie that tickled her chin, squinting curiously.  

“Turn the button here, like this, and then just say anything.”  

Following Tinker’s instructions, Letty twiddled with the button in the center of the bowtie.  

“Ah, ah. Fairy, you’re stupid.”  

She said the first thing that came to mind—an insult directed at Tinker—and was startled when the words came out in a completely different voice. Her eyes widened in shock.  

“What?!”  

“Cool, right?”  

Pleased with Letty’s reaction, Tinker proudly circled around her before pointing dramatically at the air.  

“The truth is always one!”  

The voice-changing bowtie, while likely infringing on some copyrights, was one of the best tools Tinker had insisted on bringing.  

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