Chapter 62

Thank you for visiting today.

The surroundings were already dark, and the temperature was gradually dropping.

Ist, a city far from the capital, had a cooler climate compared to the capital, making it harder to feel the warmth of spring.

They took multiple breaks, starting by sharing the knowledge they knew. Professor Oz, as expected, was a man of vast knowledge and quick understanding.

The crimson fox's magic stone, which he had seen earlier, was immediately resealed due to the uncertainty of what might happen.

"Let me summarize. The most pressing issues for His Highness the Crown Prince are two-fold. First, the phenomenon of his own monsterization, and second, the matter of the crimson fox. I have compiled this based on past cases of the Demon King, focusing on the crimson fox."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Regarding the crimson fox, could you come here again the day after tomorrow? I will prepare the materials I have researched so far."

"That would be very helpful!"

Today was all about sharing knowledge. While Ein and the others discussed new information and matters related to the Demon King, it was clear that the time was not enough to fully understand the results of Oz's long-term research.

Oz had numerous research achievements, and it was necessary to compile them. Hearing that Oz would prepare the materials, Ein genuinely expressed his gratitude.

"By the way, would you like to hear my opinion on monsterization?"

"Do you know something!?"

"Among researchers, it is called a taboo. Despite the deep darkness, many such experiments have been conducted in this magic city. ...Have you heard of Lady Katima?"

After a long conversation, Oz was already allowed to call her Katima.

"...Yes, but I believe only a limited number of people in this city know the details. I have never heard of them myself."

"That's right. In Ist, only a select few have heard of this valuable and truly taboo information. It dates back over 100 years... By the way, is it alright with your time?"

It was already dark outside, and the twilight lights had long since disappeared. Despite taking breaks, they had been talking for a long time, and Ein was concerned that they might be tired.

"I'm still fine... No, you're right. I'll go back to the inn today. I've taken up so much of your time, Professor, and it was sudden."

"Not at all... In that case, I will prepare it on special paper!"

Oz stood up and went to the case where the magic stone was stored. He pressed his fingers on the thin drawer at the bottom, and a clicking sound echoed as the drawer automatically opened.

Fingerprint recognition? Ein was surprised by the technology.

Several sheets of paper were taken out from the drawer. Oz took them and went to the desk where he usually worked.

"I will create a blood seal. Could you please provide a drop of blood? I will register your biological information, and if anyone other than the registered person touches it, it will burn and disappear."

"I will do it."

Ein thought about providing his own blood, but Chris offered to provide hers.

"Understood. Please come this way."

Oz called out to Chris, who approached him and placed her finger where he indicated, providing her blood.

"Thank you, it's done."

"Huh...? Already?"

"Yes. Thanks to technological advancements, we can now obtain blood without causing pain, and this new technology is used even in small places."

"...I am truly impressed."

Chris, who had not noticed the blood being drawn, was amazed by the speed and the lack of sensation. Ein and Katima thought they would like to experience it too, even though it was no longer necessary.

"Here, the printing is complete. Please take this. This bag will not cause the contents to burn if someone other than Lady Christina touches it, but I ask that only Lady Christina remove the contents."

"Understood."

"...By the way, Professor Oz. From my memory, blood seals were quite expensive..."

Katima had an idea about the cost and the quality of the document. She had been captivated by the blood-drawing magic device but now realized that it might have been expensive.

"As you say, Lady Katima. This paper is made with high technology and materials to protect the confidentiality. It costs about 200,000G per sheet, so please don't worry."

"...I see. I will pay for it, Professor."

"Absolutely not, Your Highness. For three sheets, it's just 600,000G, so please don't worry. You have provided us with new information worth much more. Depending on the research, it can cost up to 1 billion G per day, so please don't worry..."

Indeed, the research institute of Ishtarka was at the pinnacle, and the research costs far exceeded Ein's imagination.

"Such a high cost..."

Research, no matter what, requires money. Not only are materials that cannot be mass-produced used, but each verification also requires the use of valuable monster materials to ensure accuracy. Considering this, 600,000G was a small amount for a researcher like Oz.

Ein, who was slightly dazed, had successfully obtained the materials on monsterization. To be safe, Chris would carry the envelope containing the documents.

Feeling apologetic for the sudden visit, Ein decided to return to the inn. He thanked them multiple times and made a promise to discuss the crimson fox the next time he came.

* * *

When Dil led them, they couldn't take a good look at the inn.

They rented a spacious room for the nobility, but they immediately gathered their belongings and set off. Each of them had their own room for the night.

Ein wanted to read the materials he had received right away, but Katima had other plans.

"We've arrived! So, Ein, I'm borrowing Dil."

"Your attitude has changed so much? And you can use such language?"

On the way back, Katima had been silent. There was a reason for this. She had borrowed several of the latest technology books from Oz. She seemed to be so happy just looking at the covers of these books that she had a relaxed, cat-like expression, as if she had been given catnip.

As soon as they arrived at the inn, Katima reverted to her usual tone, which Ein couldn't help but point out.

"Me? Uh, Lord Ein...?"

Ein didn't understand why Katima wanted to borrow Dil. He first asked her why, looking at the confused Dil.

"Why are you borrowing Dil?"

"I'm going to read this now. As a researcher's courtesy, it's only right to share my thoughts with Professor Oz. So, I need to ask you to do some errands for me."

Chris was needed to read the blood seal, so Dil was the best choice.

"...Dil, is it okay?"

"Of course, yes."

"Then let's go! Come on, Dil! Follow me!"

"Huh... Katima-sama!?"

Ein was amazed at the strength coming from her small body. Katima grabbed Dil's waist, who was nearly 170 cm tall, and dragged her to the room with great force.

"...Room assignments. It's comfortable, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is..."

Ein and Chris headed to the other large room. When they opened the door, they were greeted by the atmosphere of a magic city, a place where new technologies are born.

The luxurious interior was certainly opulent, but a large, beautifully cut glass case was visible, with two faucets below. It was probably a water tank that provided hot and cold water separately.

A shower room was set up in the corner, but there was no visible source of water. They would have to experience it later to understand the mechanism.

"This room has a completely different atmosphere."

"There are many magic devices, which is typical of Ist."

Feeling the fatigue from the long journey, Ein moved a little faster and sat on the sofa.

"Hehe... Thank you, Ein. I'll prepare some drinks for you."

"Thanks, Chris. Just plain water would be fine; my throat is dry."

"Understood."

Although it wasn't often shown, Chris was actually skilled at preparing tea. The royal guards were trained in such manners.

Among them, those who had more frequent interactions with the royal family, like Chris and Dil, were trained even more rigorously.

"Kyaa... I... I'm sorry."

"What happened, Chris?"

Chris, who had gone to get water, seemed to be surprised by something and let out a high-pitched voice, which was unusual for her. Ein looked at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry... The water was very cold, so I was a bit surprised."

As Ein had guessed, the glass case was a magic device that provided hot and cold water. Chris, expecting cold water, opened the blue faucet but was surprised by how cold it was.

"Ah, it was cold. I had imagined it would be."

"If you knew, you could have told me..."

Chris, looking a bit annoyed, was laughed at and apologized by Ein. Chris prepared two glasses of water and placed them on the table in front of the sofa.

"Seeing Chris like this occasionally isn't bad."

"Absolutely. As you get older, you're becoming more like Lady Olivia, aren't you?"

"Of course, we're family."

Ein, who didn't change his stance, remained firm.

"They seem to be having fun over there, so I'll read it first."

"Over there" referred to Katima's room, where the two of them were. However, it was only Katima who seemed to be having fun, while Dil was likely struggling.

"These are the materials from Professor Oz, right?"

"Yes. Can I take them out?"

This time shouldn't be wasted, so Chris took the materials from her bag and pulled out several sheets from the envelope.

"What should we do?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Chris, who had taken out the materials, seemed unsure and turned to Ein for help.

"If anyone other than me holds this paper, it will burn. So, should I sit next to you, Lord Ein?"

"Ah, right... Yes, that makes sense. Why don't you sit next to me, Chris?"

Chris, looking a bit embarrassed, twirled her hair with her fingers and then sat next to Ein with determination.

"Then, let's start with the first page, shall we?"

"Y-Yes, let's do that."

Chris, sitting on Ein's left, moved the hair that was hanging over her right ear. This revealed her white neck, and Ein, unnoticed, felt even more nervous.

"Huh? Is something wrong, Lord Ein?"

Chris, who had made up her mind, didn't seem as flustered as Ein.

"No, nothing..."

Although still curious, Ein didn't press the issue since he said it was nothing. Ein took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"The first page is quite interesting."

"Let me see..."

Ein looked at the materials Chris held.

"...Yeah, it seems there were quite cruel experiments in the past. They were done secretly, right?"

"I don't think they were completely secret. I believe some researchers in the capital were also involved."

'The monsterization experiment of non-human races. The goal was to create an artificial Demon King.'

The theme of the first page was clearly stated. The experiment to artificially create a Demon King using non-human races was something only a few people in Ishtarka knew about.

In essence, it was about modifying the human body to create a Demon King that would follow their orders. The thought alone was chilling, but since it might be related to him, he couldn't ignore it.

"Are you okay, Lord Ein? We can continue tomorrow if you want..."

"It's fine. Let's keep going. We have to read it anyway."

No matter how much disgust he felt, he couldn't ignore it. Chris's concern was appreciated, but he decided to face it.

* * *

At the Augustus residence in the capital of Haim, at the same time Ein and Chris opened the materials, Crownne's letter finally arrived.

Ein had been carrying the letter for Eulor, but due to the encounter with the third prince Tigr, it took over half a year to be delivered carefully to Crownne's father, Harley.

"Elena! It's Crownne's letter! Finally, a letter written by Crownne herself has arrived!"

Elena, his wife, had conveniently finished work early and returned to the Augustus residence. Since there was no prior notice about the letter, Harley couldn't help but get excited.

"Adults shouldn't act so childishly!"

"Ah, sorry. But it can't be helped, right?"

"I understand your feelings. But... well, it's fine. There's no point in getting angry. So, what about the letter?"

Harley burst into Elena's private study, where she was preparing materials for the next day, without even knocking.

"...Sorry. I got carried away with joy and... Sorry! Sorry, put down that pen! That's dangerous, right!?"

"...Hmph. Since you lost your father, you've been a bit unstable, haven't you? You might need to be re-educated if the opportunity arises."

"Please spare me..."

Elena, as a member of the ducal family, understood her husband's feelings but also wanted him to remain calm. She quietly stood up and headed for Harley's study.

"Wait, I'll go too."

"Of course. Come on, quickly."

When did she start bossing him around? If there was a question, the answer was simple: from the beginning.

Their first conversation was, "Excuse me, Lord Harley. There are a few errors in the documents." That night, Graf introduced Elena to Harley, who mentioned that something had happened.

Honestly, they were a perfect match. Harley, as Graf's son, had excellent grades and a friendly personality, but he lacked the ability to speak strongly. In the social world, after Elena started accompanying him to various places, Harley was often helped by her.

Harley, following Elena, felt embarrassed that his wife was leading the way to his own study. Despite his thoughts, Elena didn't stop... and they arrived at Harley's study with Elena in the lead.

"So? Where is it?"

"Ah, on my desk..."

"...Wow. It's quite high-quality paper, as expected of Crownne. It's nice to see her showing the best of Ishtarka even in such a small detail."

Elena picked up the letter from Crownne. It seemed the envelope was still unopened, which relieved her. If it had been opened, Elena's wrath would have fallen on Harley.

"Can I open it?"

"Of course. Let's read it right away."

Despite their bickering, the couple got along well. They sat on the sofa nearby and Elena opened the envelope.

"...It's been a while since I've seen Crownne's handwriting. It's prettier than before, but the quality is the same."

"...Yeah, that's true."

Affectionately, they both stroked the letter. Although Crownne wasn't there, just touching the words made them feel her presence. After a moment, they started reading the letter.

"Seems like she's doing well."

"Originally, she was supposed to attend school here, but considering her potential, this might have been better."

"Yes... Crownne is not the type to fit in Haim. She can soar in a larger world, and she's our pride."

Elena, who worked in the castle, always felt this way. Even without parental affection, she believed Crownne was too good for Haim. When the third prince Tigr proposed, she thought it was natural for the royal family to do so. But even then, she couldn't stop feeling that Crownne was "too good" for Haim.

"Of course, it's written, but she graduated at the top. To graduate at the top from a prestigious school in Ishtarka is quite an achievement."

"She seems to have worked hard."

"Of course. ...The next part is impressive too, about your father. It says his chamber of commerce grew to become famous in the capital of Ishtarka. Your father is truly remarkable."

Graf's achievements in Haim were unparalleled, even among the past nobles of Haim. That's why he was known as the "trade king." With the support of the royal family of Ishtarka, he succeeded, but without his abilities, he wouldn't