Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Contract (2)
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The Vicander Family had treated Rose with extreme stinginess, offering her no support whatsoever.
She had managed her tuition with a scholarship, but she had to cover living expenses and other costs herself. So Rose made and sold magic tools in her spare time or filed patents to earn money.
It must have been an unbelievably impoverished life for a lady of a noble house.
"Use this opportunity to buy all the new research materials you need for magic studies."
"Pardon?"
"You need proper equipment to work efficiently. It'd be best to set up a new room rivaling the Academy's magic studies lecture halls."
A suitable person came to mind immediately.
"I know just the fellow. We'll commission him to build a magic studies lab."
"......"
"While we're at it, let's put it in the east wing, close to Madam's room. There are plenty of empty rooms there anyway."
Thinking of the layout brought another idea.
"One room won't be enough, will it? Have him knock down some walls to expand it."
"Uh......"
"The construction will take some time. I'll push them to hurry as much as possible. Until then, you can use the room right next to yours."
Even with the astronomical costs involved, my words flowed without hesitation.
That was why Rose was struggling to keep up, panting in surprise. But to the lord of the Schmichael Ducal Family, this was pocket change.
Good. With the facilities sorted, next up is stocking them. After that, we'll need mana stones.
"What kind of mana stones have you been using?"
"Fr-fragment mana stones."
Even in her fluster, Rose answered my questions faithfully.
"As you know, mana stones are incredibly expensive consumables. But if you design the magic tool well, even fragments can achieve decent efficiency......"
Clink.
I pulled a pouch from my pocket and placed it on the table in front of Rose.
"Wh-what is this......?"
"Open it."
Rose hesitated but slowly tugged the pouch's drawstring. The mouth opened, revealing its contents.
100% pure mana stones from the Calmar Mine.
"Eek!"
A bizarre shriek burst from Rose's mouth.
"Th-this, this, this......!"
Rose pointed at the contents with trembling fingers, babbling incoherently.
"T-top-grade! Ca-Calmar!"
"That's right."
Her reaction was as if she'd lost the power of speech. Seeing her so shocked made the preparation worthwhile.
"They're all yours."
"----!"
Rose's body bounced off the sofa. For a split second, there was a full handspan of space between her and the cushion.
"A-all of them?"
"Yes."
"My goodness......"
Rose pressed a hand to her chest. It was clear she was trying to calm her racing heart.
"May I... touch them?"
"They're yours now, so no need to ask my permission."
"Really? Oh, no."
Rose clutched the pouch with flushed cheeks. She swallowed dryly, then gingerly pinched one mana stone between two fingers and lifted it out.
"Wow......"
The mana stone in Rose's fingers emitted a clear glow.
The difference between a mana stone and a regular gem lay in whether it contained mana.
Lower-purity mana stones had less mana and poor generation efficiency, so the mana inside appeared faint and flowed sluggishly.
By contrast, the one in Rose's hand revealed a vivid swirl of mana when held near candlelight.
"I've never actually seen a real Calmar mana stone before......"
"Never at the Academy?"
"I have seen one. The professor bragged about it endlessly."
Rose's face soured as she recalled the memory.
"He absolutely wouldn't let anyone touch it and just told us to look from afar. So I barely got a proper look."
"Now you can handle them to your heart's content."
"I never dreamed I'd get to use Calmar mana stones myself."
Rose turned the stone this way and that, gazing enraptured at its depths.
"It's overwhelming. This mana density, this flow. Nothing like fragment stones."
"Earlier you said fragments could achieve decent efficiency."
"To do that, you have to pour immense effort into the magic tool's design itself. It has to be precise, delicate, without any excess. It's incredibly hard."
A sigh like a complaint slipped from Rose's lips.
"They'd run dry after a few uses, so I'd ration them carefully. If the professor left any scraps from experiments, that was a real treat."
"I see."
"And now this pouch full? You could buy a mansion on prime capital land with these."
Various families owned mines that produced gems and mana stones. But these top-quality ones came solely from the Calmar Mine in the north of the Schmichael territory.
The Schmichael Ducal Family held exclusive mining rights and monopolized 90% of the distribution. It was the source of their power and wealth.
"Don't you have a mansion in the capital? You seem like you'd want one."
"......I forgot for a moment that Your Excellency comes from a whole different league."
Rose gave a hollow laugh before answering.
"The Vicander Family isn't flush enough for that. So whenever I went to the capital, I'd have to find a short-term place to stay."
"I see."
I'd assumed every noble family had a capital mansion as a given. On top of that, a few villas.
For a founding merit family like the Schmichaels, it was par for the course. My Academy friends had all been from top kingdom houses, so I'd thought everyone lived like that.
"Anyway, with mana stones this quality, the kinds of research I can do will skyrocket."
Rose pulled herself together and began examining the stone closely.
"Instead of squeezing every last drop of mana, I should focus on designs that let it flow smoothly."
Her green eyes gleamed with a new light. The sharp, passionate gaze of a true magic studies scholar.
"There'll be enough mana to run the tool and still have surplus, so overcharge risks. Mess it up, and the circuits could overheat."
"Hm."
Circuit overheating was a familiar term to me, who'd never scrimped on mana.
'Your Excellency, please stop pouring mana like there's no tomorrow! It'll overheat and explode!'
'There might actually be no tomorrow.'
'......'
After blowing up a few magic tools,
Mathias had scoured every magic tool shop in the kingdom. He'd brought back the dusty rejects from shop corners.
'Pardon? You want to buy these? Finally getting rid of those useless thi— Er, sorry.'
'These really suck up mana like crazy, right?'
'Yes. That's why people call them brutish magic tools—'
'Perfect fit for my master. He's incredibly brutish... Er, bold.'
Through that process, the magic tools in my hands were, if nothing else, doing their jobs admirably.
"You're right, Your Excellency. Better to buy new magic tools. Mine won't handle stones like these."
Rose stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"With these, I could even add the constant-recharge function I shelved before."
This was the most she'd ever talked.
As the homeland of top-quality mana stones, magic tool research thrived in Schmichael territory too.
Reading their reports, I could follow most of what Rose said. It also showed her deep understanding of magic tools.
"Before, I'd only infuse mana during operation. But these could store excess after charging. And......"
Seeing Rose's cheeks flush as she confidently and animatedly shared her thoughts felt unfamiliar. But not unwelcome.
In fact, it was quite nice. So I just watched her chatter away.
"If I layer the circuits in doubles or triples, stacking them...... Ah."
Feeling my gaze, Rose's words slowed.
"I... talked too much, didn't I? I got carried away without realizing......"
"Not at all."
Her ducking her head and gauging my reaction again was somehow displeasing.
"It's fine. Keep going."
"No, really. My apologies."
Rose awkwardly put the mana stone back in the pouch, handling it carefully as if it might shatter.
"I'll bring more if you run out."
"Wha—no. This is plenty. I might not even use them all."
Rose waved her hands frantically. Then she cradled the pouch protectively in both arms, a satisfied smile on her lips.
She looked like a squirrel delighted with an acorn stash to last the winter.
"Is it really okay to give me so many? I'm worried it might cause trouble for Your Excellency."
"Then should I take them back?"
I asked with mock seriousness, and Rose's eyes shook wildly.
"I-I knew it. Right? Because of me, Your Excellency would......"
"—No, it won't."
Bad joke.
Missing my regretful look, Rose tried to hide her disappointment and held out the pouch.
"You can take it back."
Her face was like a squirrel reluctantly pulling acorns from its tree hollow.
"B-but... could you leave me just three? No, if that's too much, even one......"