1.
I quietly swallowed.
It had definitely worked.
Dolores and the princess alike—the moment they saw it, their eyes softened.
Then...
I heard a faint sound from the direction of the throne.
The Emperor had lifted his back from the throne and leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the earrings.
Without a word, he slowly shook his head.
A broad smile spread across his face.
I took the case I had shown the princess and headed to the table where the appraisers sat.
The elderly man with the monocle made room for me.
"This way..."
When I set down the case, the elders all leaned in at once.
From this point on, it was out of my hands.
For a while, everyone simply stared at the earrings.
"...Huh."
"...Good heavens..."
Then, one by one, they pulled out their tools.
Some used magnifying glasses, others lenses, analyzing the earrings with their own instruments.
Only the murmurs of the appraisers echoed through the audience chamber.
"The level of craftsmanship..."
"Good heavens, truly..."
"The thickness is perfectly uniform. How is that even possible...?"
"Even pouring it into a mold would make this difficult..."
More and more unfamiliar instruments piled up across the table.
Then...
"...Look at the back of the gemstone."
"The back...?"
"I said turn it over."
Click.
Someone carefully turned the earring over.
"This is insane..."
One elderly man blurted it out in an agitated voice before hurriedly covering his mouth and looking around.
Understandable. I hadn’t expected anyone to recognize it.
The back of the gemstone contained a secret technique of the elves.
"...Impossible. Was this truly made by human hands...?"
"Is the appraisal report ready?"
"Be quiet. Let me look a little longer."
Just as I watched them at ease...
"Excuse me, but..."
The princess suddenly approached and spoke.
"When will this be finished?"
"We are nearly done, Your Highness."
"...Yes."
Even after receiving her answer, the princess did not step back.
She took one step back, then returned again.
Then a massive machine someone had brought out was placed atop the table.
It was bigger than I had expected.
Its exterior was made of iron, with something like a spring mechanism fitted into its side and a narrow slot at the top where paper would come out.
So that was what an appraisal device looked like.
The old man in the monocle stood before it and spoke.
"This appraisal device is the Empire’s finest. It will print the equipment’s name, grade, and Origin Script."
I flinched slightly at the mention of Origin Script.
But it would be fine.
I raised my head.
"Furthermore, we shall compile the opinions submitted by the appraisers and present an overall evaluation based on their average."
Tap, tap, tap.
The appraisal device began operating with the earrings placed on top, while the appraisers each wrote something down and submitted it to the old man.
How much time passed?
Just as I began to feel the princess’s impatient footsteps growing more intense...
Whirrr...
The appraisal device printed out a report.
The old man flinched when he saw it.
You read it, didn’t you?
The old man could not take his eyes from the sheet for some time before feeding it into another machine beside it.
Rrrrk, rrrrk.
Sheets of paper poured out in a stream.
It seemed to be a copier.
The printed sheets were distributed among the people.
One appraisal report ended up in my hands as well.
─────────────────
[The Cradle of Earth] [★★★☆☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Divine Artifact]
─────────────────
I chose the earth and laid its sprout within.
For the hands that made it thought of only one person throughout the process.
Silent even when trampled, opening her embrace even when dug into—
A tribute to that warm and gentle earth.
─────────────────
『I will make you something that will leave you unable to think of any other shabby accessory.』
- [Formal Blacksmith L] -
─────────────────
Okay.
A three-star piece of unique equipment.
Nothing had been distorted or anything.
The problem was...
『I will make you something that will leave you unable to think of any other shabby accessory.』
Obviously, that line.
Considering who had given the princess the shabby accessories she wore before...
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter erupted from the direction of the throne.
It was the Emperor.
He was openly laughing.
I turned toward him with a bewildered expression.
The prince, who had put on considerably more weight than before, was also looking at the paper and holding back his laughter.
Finally...
I turned toward the princess.
Flutter...
She was tightly clutching the appraisal report in one hand, biting her lip while fanning her face with the other.
Her face was red. I had never seen her look so flushed and lively.
Just as I began to feel that the atmosphere was taking a strange turn...
"Yes, yes..."
The Emperor swallowed his laughter and wiped at the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.
"An accessory made exclusively for my daughter, Lustia."
I wanted to correct him.
It had been made for Gaia.
The Emperor composed his expression again and shifted his gaze to the appraisers.
"So."
He asked in a raised voice.
"What is your assessment?"
The old man looked down at the paper in his hand.
It appeared to contain all the evaluations the other appraisers had written earlier.
"...If I may."
He appeared ready to recite the written evaluations one by one.
"First, allow me to speak of the craftsmanship."
"Speak."
"It employs a technique that draws White Iron into threads and intertwines them, yet the thickness of those lines does not vary from beginning to end."
The old man’s voice trembled slightly.
"I have worked in this field for forty years, yet I have never once seen a three-star piece of equipment possess such exquisite precision."
"..."
"Next, the gemstone."
Rustle.
The old man turned a page.
"The outer surface was polished smooth and left unassuming, while every facet that creates light was contained on its reverse side."
His explanation continued.
Gemstones, craftsmanship, construction, and more.
It felt as if every aspect I had considered and pondered was being reevaluated through someone else’s eyes.
It wasn’t bad.
Someone was interpreting and analyzing all the details I had put in.
It was like my efforts had borne fruit.
Their conclusion was simple.
The old man folded the paper in his hand and bowed.
"To summarize our assessment."
The audience chamber fell silent.
"The work of these fingertips can scarcely be called human. It incorporates pinnacle-level craftsmanship the likes of which we have never dared behold."
"Three stars alone cannot contain the worth of these earrings."
"And the divine power contained within them is of a measure we dare not calculate."
"Thus, the conclusion we have reached is..."
The old man raised his head.
"They are divine artifacts that would not fall short even when compared to the depth of a five-star accessory."
As soon as his assessment ended, Richard entered carrying something.
Two saplings.
Each sat in a flowerpot, with a bud at the tip of its branches.
I had asked for them in advance before entering.
The miserable appraisal devices of this era could not clearly verify an item’s abilities.
So I had to show them this way.
What people trusted more than words from someone else’s mouth was...
‘What they saw with their own eyes.’
There was always something more certain.
I walked over to them.
I took out two accessories from my clothes and laid them side by side next to the pots.
One was the Moonlight Essence Necklace.
The other was the Sun Rising Pendant.
I could feel everyone’s gazes on me.
Facing those gazes, I picked up the Sun Rising Pendant.
"This is what Her Highness the princess used to wear."
Wrap, wrap.
I wound the necklace around one of the pots.
Then...
As though it had been waiting for precisely this moment...
Sssssh...
The leaves began to wither one after another.
The green leaves turned brown.
The flower bud lost its strength and drooped its head.
"Good heavens..."
"How could such a thing...?"
Ten seconds? Fifteen at the most.
Within that time, one sapling died.
The Emperor’s expression turned bitter.
He had once again witnessed with his own eyes that the accessory he had gifted had drained life force.
I removed the pendant.
Then I stood before the sapling beside it and placed [The Cradle of Earth] atop the Sun Rising Pendant for a moment.
‘Set blessing target.’
I thought this should do it. Setting the target did not seem like it would be difficult.
Hummm.
Sure enough, it gave a brief hum.
This time, I first hung [The Cradle of Earth] on the sapling.
Then I wound the Sun Rising Pendant around it.
How long did it take?
Enough time passed that it should have withered long ago.
Then...
Sss...
The tightly closed flower bud...
Pop...
Pop...
Begun to unfold, one layer after another.
This time, instead of draining vitality...
It had changed into something that gave vitality.
The most intuitive change possible—two complete opposites.
It was a clear difference anyone could see.
"..."
"..."
Everyone’s attention converged here.
Now I could explain it in words.
I stepped away from the flowerpot.
"[The Cradle of Earth]. These earrings protect the target chosen by the wearer. They also infuse the wearer with vitality."
I pointed once at the fully bloomed flower.
"As you can see, it cuts off the interference of the Moonlight Essence Necklace and allows the Sun Rising Pendant to fulfill its purpose."
I looked first toward the princess, then toward the prince.
"Therefore, these earrings are for Her Highness the princess."
"..."
"And the Sun Rising Pendant is for His Highness the prince."
"..."
And finally...
The last item left on the table.
The Moonlight Essence Necklace.
Tremble, tremble...
Ridiculously enough, as though it understood its own situation, the necklace was trembling.
This was rather awkward.
I couldn’t exactly say we should destroy it.
It was an accessory of a goddess, after all.
Well, it was pretty...
I sorted out my thoughts briefly and spoke.
"...This necklace."
"..."
"It would be best simply to put it on display."
For some time after I finished speaking, not a sound was heard.
Then...
Someone rose from the direction of the throne.
It was the Emperor.
Step.
He began descending the stairs.
A faint smile rested on his lips.
Without realizing it, I straightened my back.
Swish, swish.
Halfway down the stairs, the Emperor lightly raised one hand and waved it.
At that single gesture...
The appraisers all bowed and began withdrawing.
The servants, knights, and appraisers left the room.
Everyone except the imperial family, Richard, and Dolores departed.
Thud.
The door shut.
Six people remained in the vast audience chamber.
The Emperor, the princess, the prince, Richard.
Dolores and me.
The Emperor descended the stairs and stopped before me.
Up close, he seemed even larger.
Looking down at me, he slowly opened his mouth.
"...Was the Three-Lion Emblem not enough?"
I froze for a moment.
I tried to understand what he meant.
Was he testing me, or was he genuinely curious?
[It was a gift far beyond what I deserved.]
"It was a gift far beyond what I deserved."
"..."
The Emperor looked down at me with a smile.
Then...
"To my eyes, it seems it was not enough."
He stepped closer to me.
"For you to bring me something like this..."
"..."
"I have no idea what I should give you this time."
Only then did I understand his intention.
I let out the breath I had been holding.
‘...He’s praising me...’
He was simply saying it because he liked it.
I steadied my breath and raised my head.
"Your words honor me beyond measure."
"...Whenever I deal with you, I do not feel as though I am dealing with a child."
That was a compliment, right?
The Emperor folded his arms.
A smile still lingered on his lips.
"What do you need?"
"..."
"For more than ten years, nothing in this Empire could resolve this. I summoned physicians and laid every priceless thing I possessed before them."
He continued calmly.
"Yet not only did they fail to improve, I nearly took my own children’s lives with my own hands."
"..."
"Therefore, I have no intention of discussing compensation. That would become a transaction, and the moment it does, I become a father who put a price on his children’s lives."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
He seemed to be considering something.
The Emperor raised his right hand and placed it over his chest.
"Thus, I declare here and now."
"..."
"Theodore."
Flinch.
At that name...
The princess, prince, and Dolores all trembled.
[That’s the Emperor’s... name...]
Along with Yuna’s message...
"In the name of Theodore, Emperor of the Empire..."
He smiled and met my eyes.
"Whatever you ask of me, I shall grant it."
My throat went dry.
I wasn’t stupid enough not to understand what his words meant.
A blank check.
There was no way I could ask for something as small as an ultra-high-temperature blast furnace now.
When he had invoked his own name—when he had invoked the name of the Emperor—asking for some trifling reward...
Would be rude, if anything.
In that case...
What I had been thinking about all along.
What I had discussed with Dolores.
Something greater than that.
"...I will make a request."
"Speak."
"The mining rights to the magic stones in the Velua Mountains, which the imperial family manages and controls..."
I lifted my head and met his eyes.
"The mining rights to the magic stones of the Velua Mountains."
The air in the room froze.
Magic stones.
The mineral used as the raw material for Enchant Dust.
『The Heirs of Fire must properly regulate both the quantity and quality of Enchant Dust.』
As one of the Heirs of Fire, I had a duty to manage it.
And...
Because I intended to raise all of Dolores’s equipment to the highest level at which I could work on it, I wanted to secure the raw material for the most important Enchant Dust.
Gathering it from the market would not be nearly enough.
So I had to seize the source.
There were two major sources.
One was the Velua Mountains in the Empire.
The other was the Kargon Mountains on the eighty-ninth floor inside the Tower.
I had no means of dealing with the inside of the Tower.
So naturally, my target was the mining rights to the magic stones of the Velua Mountains.
And naturally, mining there was currently handled under contract by the headquarters of the Dwarf Company.
However...
This was where it became important.
"I understand that the contract expires at the end of every year."
I raised my head.
"Therefore, I ask..."
"..."
"I wish for House Dolores to acquire those mining rights."
The imperial family never grants mining-rights contracts longer than a year at a time.
Even when they were renewed consecutively, they were merely new contracts.
So my original plan had been...
‘Please grant us priority in contracting for next year’s magic-stone mining rights.’
That was what I had intended to say.
But...
One or two years would not truly be meaningful.
More importantly...
If the contract was short, I would have to compete for it again every time.
I had no idea what the Company might do in the meantime, and there was no guarantee that His Majesty would still be here then.
Now, while he was extending this blank check to me...
‘Because if not now, I will never be able to say it.’
I drew one breath.
That was why the words that left my mouth could not be the same as what I had practiced.
"Will you grant us a long-term contract?"
The first step of the Heirs of Fire.
One of the key sources of Enchant Dust, the foundation of the Dwarf Company’s enchantment business.
I intended...
To take it from them.
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