The Sun's Jewel
I came to my senses and found myself walking with Arin to meet the chieftain.
“Why do I have to come too…” Arin whispered to me.
“You want me to go alone?”
Would that really be so bad?
“Please, come in.”
Bori, who had been speaking with the chieftain beforehand, poked his head out and called to us.
As we stepped inside the tent, a hunched old man was staring in our direction. On the wall hung a bizarre mask carved from an entire beast’s skeleton. So this was the chieftain of the Red Tent Tribe.
“This man also serves as the tribe’s shaman.”
“A shaman?”
In other words, the old man was both the tribe’s representative and the one who handled all their mystical affairs. That explained the terrifying mask.
With Bori acting as interpreter, we began our conversation with the chieftain.
“I am Chieftain Magram. Blessed messenger of the Sun God, I welcome your visit.”
Though he was a gaunt old man, his eyes held the vitality of someone far younger. There was a certain power in every word he spoke.
“In place of our warriors, I offer you praise for your valor.”
Surprisingly, Arin responded with humility.
“If it’s about defeating the cockatrice, everyone’s help was crucial. I couldn’t have done it alone.”
For a brief moment, our eyes met. Arin gave me a meaningful smile.
“The demon of the earth has long been the terror of our tribe. Countless people have been torn apart by its beak and claws. Without your aid, we would have suffered even greater losses. We wish to repay your courage.”
The chieftain gestured to one of his attendants. Soon, the attendant brought forward a wooden box wrapped in a pelt.
“That’s…” Bori visibly trembled with excitement. “What is it?”
“It is the Sun’s Jewel. An artifact crafted during the era of the old kingdom. It must be one of the tribe’s greatest treasures…”
The chieftain opened the lid of the box. A dazzling crimson light spilled out in every direction. For a moment, we were all lost in the jewel’s beauty.
“Whoa…”
I had no idea how these cave-dwellers—who had never once seen the sun—knew what it looked like. But the Sun’s Jewel truly resembled a tiny piece of the sun itself. A brilliant red opal that burned with the colors of sunset. It was a breathtaking gem worthy of its name.
◈ A jewel that burns with the radiance of the sun
◈ Contains the power of the earth
“O Queen of Fire.”
The chieftain addressed Arin directly.
“In the name of the great Sun God Kwas, we have guarded the nobility of the sun until the will of the heavens reaches this land. O Queen of Fire who appeared after slaying the demon of the earth. Now it is your turn.”
Arin gave a light bow and accepted the Sun’s Jewel.
“I don’t really get what you’re saying, but… basically this jewel is mine now, right?”
The chieftain nodded. Arin tucked the jewel away and left the tent.
When we returned to our lodging, the Dungeon Seekers swarmed around the jewel in excitement.
“Ooh! This brilliant glow! Brother, this is definitely Artifact-grade!”
“Indeed, my brother. Something you might only see once every ten years!”
The Dungeon Seekers practically drooled over the Sun’s Jewel, proudly displaying their inner otaku tendencies. It was exactly what you’d expect from people with the Seeker of Truth trait.
Honestly, it didn’t do much for me. A jewel was just a jewel. The only thing I was curious about was how we’d split it up and sell it for cash.
The alchemists had a short but intense discussion about the jewel.
“Matter is essentially energy. Especially with gems like this, which can accumulate power over long periods of time, their alchemical value is enormous.”
“With red opal, we should be able to extract the power of the earth.”
Whether they were Dungeon Seekers or alchemists, everyone grew incredibly serious in front of a precious gem.
…I was technically a high-education class too. Should I say something?
I decided to check the status window first.
A jewel crafted with astonishing skill. Not only is it elegant and beautiful, it contains the energy of the earth, giving it tremendous alchemical value as well.
I used the status window like a cheat sheet and spoke up.
“Ah. If we sold this at a jewelry store, we could probably get more than 3600 ron.”
Instantly, every Dungeon Seeker and alchemist turned to stare at me.
“Hahaha. Mister Hajun, you really know how to joke.”
“This isn’t something you can put a monetary value on.”
“You’re not actually planning to sell it, are you?”
The party members answered with fiery passion.
“Of course not!”
“Why would we sell this?”
“…”
Was I the only weird one here?
Bori spoke with fervent enthusiasm.
“This obviously belongs in a museum!”
Arin gave him a strange look.
“What kind of nonsense is that? I’m using this as an alchemical ingredient.”
“Y-you’re going to use it as a material?”
“Yeah. I’m going to melt it down and make an elixir with it.”
The Dungeon Seekers clutched the backs of their necks and collapsed in shock.
“Ugh! Do you have any idea how archaeologically valuable this item is?”
“I don’t. What would I know about archaeology?” Arin grumbled.
That foul mouth of hers really hadn’t improved at all, even after nearly dying.
“Then let’s just sell it like Mister Hajun said! Why turn it into an elixir of all things…”
“It’s my item and I’ll do what I want with it. Why are you all talking so much?”
If the chieftain had been here, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hold back his tears. This was clearly something the cave-dwellers had treasured for a very long time. But in front of these wicked Dungeon Seekers and alchemists, the Sun’s Jewel was nothing more than an item.
“Listen carefully. I’m going to melt this down to create an elixir. Then I’ll use it to make healing potions and flesh restoration potions to treat the people injured fighting the cockatrice. That’s the end of the discussion. Got it?”
“That’s…”
Bori and Doran couldn’t really argue against that. It wasn’t like they were so obsessed with archaeology that they’d oppose using it to save lives.
“It is a shame, though…”
The Dungeon Seekers eventually agreed to Arin’s plan.
“Miss Arin is right. In the end, the Sun’s Jewel is still just an object.”
Arin and Maya’s eyes met. Maya hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“But… do you even know how to make an elixir?”
To create an elixir, one needed the special skill called Magnum Opus. It was an advanced technique known only to Master Alchemists. Did Arin really know something that important?
Arin slowly nodded.
“I learned it. From Dad.”
“…I see.”
Maya slowly clenched and unclenched her fist. Her back looked strangely drained of energy.
“Well, I only know the theory. I’ve never actually done it before.”
Arin cleared out a suitable open space. Her bag contained portable lab equipment she had brought from the surface. She set down small scales, a heater, and other tools.
“Then I’ll…”
“I’d like you to assist me, sis.”
Maya froze. The technique for making elixirs must never be leaked to the outside world. For security reasons, the manufacturing process was kept strictly confidential. Asking Maya to assist meant she was willing to show her the entire Magnum Opus process. Maya wasn’t some clueless beginner; at her level, she could probably memorize and replicate it almost immediately.
“But…”
“I can’t do it alone. There’s too much preparation. Or do you not want to make the elixir?”
“…”
“We have to save Roa too. And we need to restore the petrified cave-dwellers. That’s what alchemists are supposed to do, isn’t it?”
I was a little impressed by Arin’s words. Maybe it was because she had studied under a Master Alchemist, but her sense of professional duty was truly admirable. She was right. Every explorer had their own role to fulfill. Right now, the only thing an alchemist could do was create an elixir to heal their party members.
Maya hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright. I’ll help.”
“Then let’s start by bringing in the cockatrice corpse. I’ve been thinking—if we extract the power of the earth from it, we should be able to create something quite effective.”
The alchemists moved about busily. I stepped outside the tent with the dwarves and let out a chuckle.
“This worked out well. If they make the potions here, we won’t have to rush back outside.”
“It’s a shame about the jewel… but there’s no helping it.”
The Dungeon Seekers still couldn’t let go of their lingering attachment to the gem.
“Just accept it. If we’re lucky, we’ll find another jewel somewhere.”
After two years of this explorer life, I’d learned one thing: the ones who couldn’t let go of their greed usually died quickly. Sometimes you had to be willing to throw away what you wanted.
We stayed in the cave-dwellers’ village and helped the alchemists with their elixir work.
Inside the tent, only silence lingered. The two alchemists worked on the elixir in complete concentration. Materials and experimental tools were scattered across the floor. Complex alchemical circles and mana reactions filled the air.
“I’ll tell you what to do next. We need to extract the power of the earth from the cockatrice meat…”
Arin gave instructions to Maya exactly as written in her small notebook. Like most alchemical knowledge, the Magnum Opus process was written in metaphorical and symbolic language, essentially encrypted. Magnum Opus was a journey toward a certain realm. There was no single set path, just like there was no single way to cross a pathless forest to reach your destination. That was why a Master Alchemist’s intuition and judgment were so crucial during the manufacturing process.
Maya interrupted Arin.
“We can’t do it the same way we make reagents from other magical creatures.”
“…Then?”
“The petrification ability contains the power of the earth, but it also holds a fair amount of curse power. We need to separate those two forces first.”
Arin closed her notebook with a snap.
“You’ve studied a lot, haven’t you, sis?”
Arin was a skilled alchemist who had studied Magnum Opus. Gauging Maya’s level of knowledge wasn’t difficult for her.
Maya answered calmly.
“I studied on my own. There were books written in ancient languages.”
“You didn’t ask Dad to teach you? He would have if you asked.”
“…”
Maya fell silent. That was when it happened.
“Sis.”
Arin threw the notebook onto the floor. The look in her eyes as she stared at Maya was fierce. She gazed at her with eyes that seemed to burn.
“I’ve been wondering about this for a long time. Why do you always avoid answering whenever the guild comes up? You could have learned Magnum Opus from Dad. You could have become the guild master. But instead, you became an explorer.”
“…”
“Is it because of me? Are you stepping aside because you want to give me your position?”
“Arin. That’s not…”
“Then what is it! Stop being so frustrating and just say it!”
Arin practically growled. Maya hesitated, unsure what to say in response to her younger sister’s reaction. Arin had followed her all the way to the abandoned Sokoban mine out of worry. She wasn’t going to back down until she got a satisfying answer.
Maya let out a sigh. She hadn’t wanted to talk about this with Arin of all people. But she couldn’t lie to the sister who had overcome a life-or-death crisis with her.
Maya answered honestly.
“You know how my mother passed away, right?”
“I heard it was from a chronic illness.”
“I have a similar condition. It’s not going to kill me immediately, but it’s not something I can live a long life with either.”
“…What?”
Arin was stunned. It was an answer she had never expected. She had never once considered that possibility. She had simply assumed Maya avoided her because they had different mothers. That was the atmosphere Arin had grown up in.
“What are you talking about? A disease?!”
“I’m sorry for hiding it. I didn’t want to tell you because it has nothing to do with you.”
Arin weakly sank into a chair.
“Does Dad know?”
“Yes. He’s the one who’s been treating me all this time. But he says he can’t cure it completely.”
“So that’s why you avoided the guild master position? Because you thought you’d die sooner than me?”
Maya took a small, deep breath.
“I know I don’t have much time. I wanted to use it effectively. Rather than receiving training to become guild master, I thought it would be better to explore dungeons.”
“Do you think something new will come out of the dungeons?”
“You never know. If I could find alchemical texts from the old kingdom… there might be a way.”
Arin let out a hollow laugh. Maya’s plan sounded reckless and far-fetched.
“If it were me, I would have become guild master, earned a fortune, and then sponsored explorers.”
“…I thought it was a burden I had to carry myself.”
“So basically, you didn’t want to accept help from others. You wanted to solve everything on your own, so you kept playing explorer.”
Arin picked up the notebook and gently tapped Maya’s chest with it.
“You’re such an idiot. A real idiot.”
“Arin…”
“You never said anything to me… Am I just some machine that runs the guild? You pushed all your responsibilities onto me and then went off to do whatever you wanted…”
Maya quietly pulled Arin into her arms. She could feel hot tears soaking through her chest. Arin was crying without making a sound.
“All this time… I hated you. I really, really hated you…”
“I’m sorry.”
Maya’s voice scattered emptily into the air.