A familiar brothel in the city of Pindos.
　I was spending my time as usual, picking out Ortia, when she suddenly straightened up in front of me, clasped her hands together and bowed her head.

'Hermes, I have a lifelong favor to ask!
How many lifetimes do you have?

　I was lying down with my cheekbones, but I got up and looked at Oltia.
　She bowed her head and glanced up at me with her eyes.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work for you.

All right, let's hear it.

　It makes me feel like.

'Actually, I want some pearls from Thermae.
'The Pearl of the Terme?　Are you going to make it into an accessory?
Yeah, there's a lot going on. I can't look good without it.
"Hmm.

　An accessory for a woman, well, that's what it's all about.

'I won't ask for details on that sort of thing, but how much does it cost?

　If it's something that can be solved with money, it's easy, and I'm more than welcome.
　That's what I thought--

They're sold out, everywhere you go. So I'm asking you to go get it.

　Ortiz lowered his head again as Ortia clasped her hands together.
　Instantly I was alarmed.

'Get it?'
The pearls of Terme are in a shell named Terme. I need you to get the shell.
...How hard is it to get that shell off?
'Um, is it easy for a guy to do that?'
....

　I'm lost, is it really that easy?
　I think there might be some kind of trap........

'The bottom line is you want those pearls.
Yes, just like this, please for life!
Okay, I'll take care of it.

　I've decided to take on Ortizia's request.

　　　　　☆

　I left the brothel and headed back to the mansion.
　I thought a lot on the way.

　I thought there was a trap, but if it was really that hard to get, then I could do something about it with money.

　Even if the common people can't get it because they're sold out, it doesn't matter if you're a baronet.
　Rather, it's just right for playing the selfish head of the family.

　That's why I've accepted the job.

　I'll ask first, and if it's something that could give away my abilities, I'll pay for it.
　When I got it all together, I came back to the house.

Welcome home, master!

　Midea was waiting for me in front of the mansion.
　She runs up to me with her sparkling eyes, like a puppy that has found its owner.

'I'm home,'
Where have you been, Master?

　His eyes were sparkling even as he listened to it.
　I couldn't indeed say to a girl with such eyes, "I've been to a whorehouse.

'More importantly, Midea, do you know about the Pearl of Terme?'
Yes, it's the pearl in the shell of a Terme. They are very beautiful and glow in the dark, even at night.
Mmm ... is that hard to take?
Terme shells are very easy to make.
"Huh?

　It's an expensive thing with the characteristic of glowing at night, and I thought it would lead to my ability being discovered, so I got nervous, but was it really that easy?

Why are you asking me that, Master?
No, I'm going to need it for a few things.
'What?　You can't do that!

　Midea suddenly became angry.

''That kind of thing that anyone can do is something that can be left to a master's servant. If a master says it, it's like cutting a radish with a holy sword.
It's an exaggeration, but I've learned it's a waste of time.
I'm not exaggerating!

　Midea argues further.
　Hmm, it's really easy for her to get that angry with me, isn't it?

　Then I'll just go lightly grab it and give it to Ortia.

　　　　　☆

　The next day, I packed up what I heard and came to Mount Licaion in the territory.
　From what I've heard, the Thermae shells don't live in the ocean, but where there are hot springs.

　I climbed up the mountain with a strong smell of sulfur, wary that it wouldn't be a hot spring that would turn animals into monsters again.

''Well you want me to wade through the hot springs flowing out of it, right?''

　Based on the information, we looked around in the mountains.
　Then I found a place that was spouting hot water like a geyser, like a water column.

　When I got closer to the center of the spouting - there it was.

　There was a shell in the soggy, waterlogged area where the hot spring had erupted just before.

'Interesting, the shells are really knitted together.'

　This was also just as we were informed beforehand.
　Terme shells are bivalves, like clams or something like that, but the two shells are tightly closed but braided together.
　Hence, even while standing, you can see something shiny inside the shell on the ground.

　I bend down and take one of the shells.

'That was really easy, wasn't it?'

　We'd go up the mountain, find the hot springs and pick them up.
　It was really easy.

　If I had to choose, it's about as difficult as it gets for a prostitute at the extreme end of the indoor spectrum.

　Okay, I'll take this home - and that's when I thought.

　The shell opened a little and the body inside snapped open!　And then he spat something out.
　I quickly avoided it, the vomit splattered on the ground.

　Is it poisonous fluid?　I squatted down to check it out, though.

'It's just a spa?'

　For a moment I was alarmed again, but then I was shrugged off again.
　It's about time.

'I'm starting to feel like an idiot for being wary.

　He mumbled with a wry smile.

　In the first place, I can let my guard down with Midea's reaction.
　I'm no longer a believer in me as if Midea is my follower, and since Midea got angry like that, it would be really easy to get the shells.

　I grimace, but there's nothing wrong with being easy.

　It's a normal, easy thing to do.
　There's nothing positive or negative about it.

　The shell spit out another spit of liquid, I held up my hand to catch it.
　It's just a hot spring, it's like having it in your mouth but this is annoying.

　You wanted the pearls, then let's just take the pearls home.

　I opened the shell.
　It opened much easier than the clam.

　The shell had a two-tiered structure.
　Inside the bivalve is a smaller bivalve, which has jagged teeth.

　When I opened it, the shell in the back tried to bite the pearl.
　I reached out and snatched the pearl.

'Oh my God, what, it's going to destroy itself if it's about to be taken?

　I took the pearls out and threw the therme shells down by the geyser.
　I walked down the mountain with only the pearls.

　　　　　☆

　Inside the brothel, in Ortiz's room.

"Here, the pearl of the Terme. That's it, isn't it?
'Thank you!　--What?

　A pearl that I put in a jewelry box, just in case.
　After receiving it and opening the jewelry box, Ortia shouted out.

''This!　The Pearl of the Terme!
Yeah?

　You asked for it. What's the surprise?

How did you get it?
How can I...

　................no way.

　I felt a nasty sweat running down my back.

I'm not sure how to get the pearls out of the shell.　Normally, (...)
They dry them out. If we try to open them normally, the shells will destroy the pearls, so we let them dry slowly for a month and wait for the shells to die before we take them out.
Can't I just open it like a normal person?
Not bad, but very fast. With a punch, you'd have to be fast enough to hit him a hundred times a second, or the shell would be--oh no!　This is so!

　Shit, they've noticed.

'No, no, no, no.'
Oh, my God, just a minute.

　Ortiz put down the treasure chest and went around closing one window after another in the room.
　It was easy to see what - what he was going to do.

　When the room was completely closed and dark, the pearls glowed.
　It was awful, awful.

　They glowed as if there was a little sun in the room.

'Wow!　It's really not dry.
What happens when it's dry?
The glow fades. You have to take it out when you're dead.
...geez.

　So somehow, anyone who knows about the pearls of Terme can figure out how to get them out of a dark place.

　That's not good, that's very bad.

Hey, Ortiz, I didn't give you the pearls, did I?
Snap.

　Ortia moved closer and kissed my cheek.

　In the light of Terme's pearls, Oltia's face looked more beautiful than ever.

'Thank you, Hermes. I'm so happy.''
Ugh.

　Ortiz smiling glowingly, it's hard to tell you not to look at me like that.......