Chapter 22

I will translate the provided text into English, maintaining the original formatting and structure:

---

9/19 update.

I have added a character introduction as an interruption to the 21st episode.

This is a bit before Loid reported to Chris and the others.

In this place, the elders were gathered to discuss matters concerning Ishtarka.

"Who would have thought it would come to this?"

The one speaking was the Duke Amour, the leader of Euru. When he received this news, he thought it was some kind of joke.

The news reached him through many people, and it finally arrived at his doorstep.

Initially, the letter was sent to the person in charge of diplomacy and trade from a merchant claiming to be from a trading city. To Euru, it was a bit of an exaggeration to call it sea algae, but it was just a pretty stone. Since the merchant wanted to buy this stone, Euru welcomed it with open arms.

As the transaction was nearing its conclusion, a message bird arrived with a letter, and they were told to contact them. At that time, Euru thought it was a very polite transaction. They were asked to wait for a while as preparations were needed, and about a year passed since the last letter. Then, a message came from the other message bird.

"Duke Amour, shall I convey the words of Lord Warren, the Chancellor of Ishtarka, which arrived today?"

"Yes, please do."

"We, Ishtarka, will announce that we are officially trading with Euru, and we will disclose the payment amounts and conditions related to both parties in this transaction. We hope for further development of both parties. This is to be considered an 'agreement' of the terms, and we would like to move on to the discussion of excavation and other matters... Oh, we did it, Duke Amour!"

"Yes, it has been a busy time, but it's all worth it now that the transaction is settled."

Duke Amour sighed with great relief. He never thought he would be trading with a powerful country like Ishtarka. Duke Amour was not foolish and was good at reading the flow of events. Even for him, this transaction was unpredictable until the end.

"Haha, well done, Duke Amour. But this will greatly benefit our country, and we can use the name of Ishtarka."

"Indeed, life is full of surprises."

Haim had not publicly announced the matter with Olivia, so of course, Euru had not been informed either. From Euru's perspective, the only fact was that the people from Ishtarka, who were conducting research in the trading city, had discovered Euru's sea crystals through the guild, and the negotiations began.

"Since the matter is settled, there is one more thing."

"Is it about Duke August?"

The attendant was talking about Duke August. Duke August was thinking that, in case of an attack from Ishtarka, he wanted to evacuate Crown. Since it was possible to travel to Ishtarka from Euru, Duke August had prepared a considerable amount of money and intended to cross the sea from Euru.

"I have a proposal."

"Go on."

A well-dressed noble who was attending the meeting spoke.

"Would Duke August, a prominent figure of the powerful country Haim, feel about knowing our trade with Ishtarka?"

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"I don't think it's something to be said lightly."

What he meant was to use Duke August as an advertisement, saying that Euru is friendly with Ishtarka. Of course, cautious opinions followed one after another.

"However, I don't think there will be a problem. Lord Warren of Ishtarka has already agreed. We have also been given permission to mention Ishtarka's name. Therefore, I don't think it will be a problem."

Duke Amour said this. If the transaction details were still being finalized, it would have been a problem. But now, with the official approval from Ishtarka, it should not be an issue, according to Duke Amour's opinion.

"Indeed, you are right."

"Yes. Since we have received official permission, it should not be a problem no matter how we convey it."

Listening to Duke Amour's opinion, the participants gradually leaned towards his view. Warren had already responded that the conditions were "agreed" upon, and the transaction was already in motion. The next step would be small communications regarding excavation and other matters.

"Then what should we do? Should we request that Duke August be allowed to board Ishtarka's ship?"

"It might seem disrespectful to Ishtarka."

"It should be fine. We should consult in advance, but since it's a member of the ducal family, I think Ishtarka would not treat them rudely if they pay a proper price."

The elders exchanged opinions, and ultimately, they decided to consult with Ishtarka first.

"Duke August said that his grandson, Crown, wants to meet his intended partner. Indeed, it is Haim... The ducal family of Haim seems to have connections with the nobility of Ishtarka."

"Haha, it's quite enviable for us."

"Then let's consult with Duke August. Prepare the letter."

After that, Duke August was so surprised that his eyes nearly popped out when he received the news. However, he was relieved to find out that it was possible to travel to Ishtarka safely. He asked Aine to convey Crown's words and decided to first confirm if they would be accepted.

---

A few days after hearing about Crown from Chris, Aine was heading to the town below the castle. Since he couldn't go alone, Chris accompanied him as a guard.

"May I ask a question?"

"Yes, what is it?"

Chris, who was acting as a guard, was wearing a helmet to hide his face. This was to prevent him from being recognized as a guard.

"Do you want to go to a place that sells magic stones?"

"Yes."

Aine had a reason for coming to the town below the castle. He was looking for magic stones, specifically ones he had never seen before. Since Silvado had given him a reasonable allowance, he planned to buy anything that caught his interest.

"Do you prefer a high-end store? The ones that sell items starting from about 50,000G?"

"Yes, that's about right. I've already checked the Big Bee and Ripple Mimic, so I want to look at a high-end store."

Aine was looking for a high-end magic stone store. High-end magic stones have several uses.

For example, for display. They can be placed on a special stand made from sea crystals and enjoyed. High-end magic stones are powerful, so they are not suitable for being displayed in a market. Small, weak magic stones in the market are safe as they are not activated and do not emit toxins.

Another use is as fuel. Although they don't look good, high-end magic stones are mainly used as fuel because they can produce high output and are highly valued.

The last use is for noble magic items. Noble magic items are also decorated with engravings and are aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, the magic stones used in them are also chosen for their appearance.

"When you left the castle, did the king give you enough allowance?"

"I think it's enough. Grandpa said to buy a few that I like, and Mom said to come back without you if necessary."

"U, uh... why do I have to..."

Of course, the last part was a joke. But Olivia never stopped teasing Chris. It was almost a daily routine for her.

By the way, Aine calls Silvado "Grandpa" because Silvado himself requested it. Despite his appearance, he is very kind to his family and prefers not to be called "Your Majesty." He asked Aine to call him "Your Majesty" only in public.

"Is this it?"

"Yes... that's it..."

Majolica Magic Stone Store. Aine's destination was a specialized store that sold high-end magic stones. He urged the still slightly dejected Chris to enter.

"Welcome!"

*Click.*

Aine closed the door. He closed it because he had found something strange.

"Hey, Chris? I wanted to go to a magic stone store, not a place with special preferences."

"N-no! This is a legitimate, well-known high-end magic stone store!"

Chris denied it vehemently. But Aine's reaction was not entirely unreasonable. The person who greeted them was a muscular man with his upper body bare, wearing suspenders and hiding his nipples with magic stones.

"I'm coming in..."

Determined, Aine opened the door again. It seemed that his first impression was not a dream, as the man welcomed him again.

"I thought you closed the door suddenly, is something wrong, little customer?"

"Um, yes, nice to meet you."

"Long time no see, Majolica."

Chris confirmed that no one was in the store and took off his helmet.

"Ah, Chris. What brings you here? ...Are you accompanying this boy?"

"Yes, well. It would be best not to pry too much."

Aine was recognized as the crown prince, but his appearance had not yet been revealed to the public. His name was known, so there was a possibility of being recognized.

"Hmm... well, it's fine. I won't ask where you're from or what your name is."

"Thank you."

"So, what brings you here? Are you looking for magic stones?"

"What brings you here?" Majolica asked. The magic stone attached to her suspenders glowed. Aine couldn't understand how it glowed or why it needed to glow.

"Yes, I came to see magic stones."

"Really, you?"

"I 'also' am."

"Alright. Feel free to look around, but remember, don't touch them. They are dangerous, so don't take them off their stands."

"I understand. Um... is it okay?"

"Alright. Be careful."

Majolica couldn't use Aine's real name, so Chris responded a bit suspiciously. Aine calmly replied.

"What do we have here?"

Aine initially thought that the place with various magic stones would be overwhelming with smells. While he did sense many smells, he could control his absorption, so it wasn't too overwhelming.

*...*

Majolica's store was filled with many magic stones. There were golden magic stones that looked like pure gold, ones with lightning-like patterns inside, and a red-black magic stone in an engraved glass case. And...

"Steak...?"

Aine felt that a 30cm grayish glowing magic stone was steak.

"Oh, you're sharp. That's indeed a White Bison, good job noticing."

"I've been studying magic stones."

"Good. Magic stones are wonderful! They are the essence of life, the best gemstones!"

Aine was a bit taken aback by the sudden high energy, but he agreed that magic stones are the essence of life. He thought about how the existence of a Big Bee, which is a large bee but tastes sweet, might be related to how it lived.

"Yes, that's true. The White Bison must have been cooked deliciously."

"Oh, you're right... The White Bison is a high-end ingredient. A White Bison that can produce a magic stone of this size must have been incredibly delicious."

"Would you like to purchase it?"

Aine had wanted this, and Chris's words made him decide to buy it. Despite enjoying many gourmet dishes at the castle, the taste from magic stones was incomparable.

Finding a magic stone that was essentially steak. Although it might seem cruel to call it steak, it was all Aine could see.

"Yes, how much is it?"

"The White Bison is rare, but the magic stone itself isn't that valuable... Since you're with Chris, 30,000G is fine."

"Um... yes. Is this enough?"

Aine handed over 30,000G. Chris was momentarily worried if it was enough, but Aine seemed to have plenty left.

"Yes, that's perfect. I'll wrap it up for you when you leave. The White Bison isn't particularly powerful, so it can be packed in a regular box."

Majolica was talking about the magic power of the magic stones. High-end stores often use special stands because even non-activated magic stones can leak some magic power. The White Bison, while rare, wasn't particularly powerful, so a regular box was fine.

"Thank you."

"Do you need anything else, boy?"

"I'll look around a bit more."

After asking Aine, Majolica went to the counter to box the White Bison magic stone.

"Aine, be careful not to let the smell of the magic stones give you away..."

"Sorry, I was a bit hasty."

Chris whispered, reminding Aine to keep his ability secret. This matter was currently classified.

---

After nearly an hour at Majolica's Magic Stone Store, Aine had enjoyed many magic stones. In the end, he bought the White Bison and another 20cm magic stone from a Green Wyvern.

The Green Wyvern had a somewhat fried chicken-like smell but wasn't as appealing as the White Bison. It was also powerful but didn't leak magic power, so it could be packed in a box. It cost 52,000G, a bit expensive.

"Shall we go back, Chris?"

"Yes. Majolica, can we get the items we purchased? I'll carry them."

"Sure."

*...*

Majolica went to the back of the counter to get the boxed magic stones. Aine, watching her, felt something like a voice coming from the direction of the red-black magic stone in the engraved glass case he had noticed when entering.

"Sorry for the wait... Oh, boy, are you interested in that?"

"Um? Yes, I just thought the case was impressive."

Aine couldn't say he heard a voice, so he lied to Majolica.

"It's been about five years. This magic stone came to my store after traveling through Ishtarka... no, the continent of Ishtar."

"Traveled through? Did something happen to it?"

"Not you. Not you, they say in their dreams. Everyone who has held this magic stone has had the same dream."

Aine thought it was a rather ominous story. Did Majolica have a similar experience?

"This is a special case, a seal. I made it after the magic stone came to my store. I'm good at this kind of work."

"I see. So if it wasn't sealed, would you hear the voice too?"

"It seems everyone who heard it did. It's a strange story... to hear a voice just because you have a magic stone."

For Aine, who could sense the smell and taste of magic stones, it wasn't particularly strange, but his interest in the magic stone outweighed his appetite.

*...*

He still felt something from the magic stone. It didn't seem evil or harmful, but Aine couldn't shake his interest in it.

"Majolica, how much is that magic stone, including the case?"

"Sorry, boy. I didn't hear that... What did you say?"

"Please, stop! What if something happens?"

"Majolica, how much is that magic stone?"

Majolica didn