Chapter 46

"Very suitable on you."

"It's good as everyday wear."

"Yes."

The first date with Elise, the granddaughter of Cardinal Hohenheim, my fiancée, was going better than I had expected.

Honestly, I, who was unfamiliar with the capital, couldn't escort her, and Elise, a noble's pampered daughter and a novice nun, couldn't be familiar with the capital's tourist spots or famous shops.

Naturally, the arrangements for this date were all handled by Sebastian, who is undoubtedly a perfect butler.

I thought it was a bit odd to have a butler on a date, but since we were both nobles and only twelve years old, we couldn't walk around the capital alone, so it couldn't be helped.

For security reasons, it was impossible for us to go on a date alone.

Indeed, there were several others who were secretly monitoring us, presumably at the behest of Cardinal Hohenheim.

However, Sebastian, the epitome of a butler, was truly remarkable.

He never entered our field of vision when it wasn't necessary, but was always there to provide timely support when needed.

"(I've only seen butlers briefly at the Brechleider manor.)"

Naturally, such a creature did not exist in my family, the Baumaysters.

There was one nominally, but he was just an old villager, more of a servant than a butler.

In my family, servants were essentially elderly people who found farming too difficult and were given simple tasks to help out.

It was a way to claim we had servants to the outside world and to keep their wages low by not overworking them.

I doubt any other noble would be interested in the number of servants in the Baumayster household, but this was a matter of noble pride.

"Then, let's have this dress wrapped up."

While I wasn't familiar with the capital's tourist spots or shops, in a family like Elise's, clothes were usually custom-made.

So, her sense of fashion was very good.

Until I was twelve, I had only worn hand-me-downs from my brothers.

In my previous life, my main battlegrounds were ○nikuro and ○mura, so I had no sense of fashion.

I thought that as long as clothes fit and weren't strange, they were fine.

The slightly stylish clothes I had were gifts from my brother Ehrich on birthdays.

"Sure, thank you."

"No, this is all I can do."

I was enjoying a rare pleasant time.

Putting aside the fact that it was a date, spending time shopping, eating, and sightseeing in the capital with a beautiful and kind girl was bound to be enjoyable.

Lately, dealing with the insatiable king, greedy nobles, and muscle-bound mentors had left my heart dry, but this date was giving it a much-needed refresh.

"How about that restaurant?"

"It was delicious. The ingredients were well-used in the dishes."

"It's a recommended place by Sebastian."

Moreover, Elise seemed to be a very good girl.

Sebastian honestly admitted that he was the one who found the restaurant for lunch.

"(Master Vendelin, since it was a pleasant first date, this is where a man should show his chivalry and give a memento... )"

Sebastian also seemed to be a very competent butler.

He didn't neglect to consider Elise, his master's granddaughter, and at the perfect moment, whispered to me to give a gift.

"(Sebastian, you're the epitome of a butler.) Elise, since we are officially engaged and this is our first date, I want to give you something as a memento."

"Is that alright?"

"I have plenty of money from dragon slaying."

I had enough money to give my fiancée some accessories.

However, if I had had this kind of financial ease in my previous life...

But that was in the past, so I put it in the memory drawer.

"(Master Vendelin, there's a good jewelry store on this street.)"

Sebastian continued to give me subtle advice in a voice only I could hear.

Moreover, he subtly guided us to the store, and my opinion of Sebastian rose even higher.

Honestly, I wanted him to be my butler.

"Welcome, young master. I assume you're here to buy a gift for this lovely young lady."

When we entered the jewelry store Sebastian recommended, a middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner appeared.

This store dealt with high-end jewelry, so it had many noble customers, and seeing us, who were not yet adults, he assumed we were nobles.

The presence of Sebastian, the butler, who kept a respectful distance, also contributed to this assumption.

"Is this a gift for your engagement?"

"Yes."

It wasn't unusual for nobles to get engaged at our age and immediately give engagement rings.

The owner, who seemed to be the shopkeeper, approached us with clasped hands.

"What a lovely young lady."

Elise was known as the "Saint of the Hohenheim Family" and was famous in the capital.

However, since she wasn't in her usual nun's habit today, the owner didn't recognize her.

I noticed that he briefly glanced at her prominent chest, which was probably due to the light blue dress she was wearing.

'I'm not going to say anything petty like "She's mine!"'

Because any man would naturally look at it.

"So, what is your budget...?"

"What's the going rate? To be honest, I'm not sure."

In my previous life, I had given jewelry to women, but the conditions were completely different from giving an engagement ring to a noble's daughter.

Moreover, my family was not very familiar with noble customs, and no one had taught me about them as a child, so I wasn't very knowledgeable.

"Usually, it's one gold coin or more."

That's about a million yen in Japanese currency.

Since it was an engagement ring for a noble, it was a reasonable price.

The price for a wedding ring would be different, though.

"Is that the norm?"

"Yes, I think it would be inappropriate for a noble to wear something too cheap."

The owner probably wanted to sell expensive rings, but it was also impolite to recommend cheap items to nobles, so he was trying to sell us something expensive.

"That ring is unusual."

As the owner showed me various rings, I became interested in a ring displayed at the edge of the case.

"Yes, it's a special custom-made ring with a special magic crystal in the center."

Magic crystals are generally more expensive the larger they are because they can store more magic power.

However, a few skilled magic tool craftsmen can create magic crystals that can store a lot of magic power efficiently, even if they are small.

This ring was made by such a magic tool craftsman.

However, this technique can only be used on small magic crystals.

The reason is simple: if this treatment were applied to a huge magic crystal used in a magic airship, the magic tool craftsman would run out of magic power and faint instantly.

Furthermore, even a mid-level magician's magic power wouldn't make a magic airship float.

Indeed, the high fare makes sense.

"The efficiency of magic crystals has its limits, but this ring's magic crystal can store the magic power of a mid-level magician. Additionally, it can be used as a piece of jewelry."

"Can it be used as jewelry?"

"Yes, it doesn't have magic power stored in it now, but when it does, it will shine like an emerald."

However, it is apparently very expensive, far beyond the value of an ordinary gemstone.

"Actually, it's a bit of a difficult item to handle..."

The owner had ordered it from a famous magic tool craftsman, thinking it would sell, but it hadn't sold at all.

"Thinking about it, there are surprisingly few nobles who can use magic..."

The talent for magic has nothing to do with genetics.

A famous researcher even took statistics to prove this, and if it were genetic, nobles would be full of magicians by now.

Some accomplished magicians are ennobled, but their descendants don't amount to much.

There are countless examples of this.

Therefore, Elise's family is quite rare.

Together with her uncle, Armstrong, they have two famous magicians.

"If you have the money to buy this ring, you could buy a larger and more beautiful ring with gems."

"For ordinary magicians, the high price due to the jewelry makes it hard to buy?"

"Yes."

Indeed, the ring's material was platinum, and it was decorated with small diamonds around the magic crystal.

It was expensive as a magic tool, and the additional cost of the jewelry made it even more expensive.

"How much is it?"

"It's three platinum coins."

That's about 300 million yen in Japanese currency.

Even for a noble, it wasn't a purchase to be made lightly.

"It was originally five platinum coins, but I had to lower the price because it wasn't selling."

The owner's tone suggested a difficult decision, but merchants don't make deals that lose money easily.

He was probably thinking of just recovering the cost or making a small profit.

"Can you store magic power in advance and use magic even when you don't have any?"

"Of course. It's a high-performance magic tool, so it can be used by anyone who stores magic power, regardless of the source. Yes."

Efficient magic power transfer between magicians requires special talent.

The original owner's characteristics, like fingerprints or genes, are included, so transferring to someone else would make the magic ineffective.

To make it possible, the magic power must be standardized, like Blantark can do.

Many magicians store their magic power in magic crystals for emergencies.

I have dozens of them for emergencies.

However, if someone else tries to use the stored magic power, they can only extract about 5% of it.

Many magic tools don't have this restriction because rare magic tool craftsmen can engrave a standardization spell on the tool, like Blantark.

However, Blantark doesn't have the talent for making magic tools, so his magic transfer is only for humans.

'I don't have the talent either. I'm not good at such meticulous work, so I have no complaints.'

That's how he felt.

"Is it for general use, not just for the owner?"

"Yes, anyone who can use magic can draw out the stored magic power."

This ring, with a special spell engraved on the base, allowed the wearer to use the stored magic power regardless of who stored it.

It was a ring that replicated Blantark's talent.

"Is that why it's so expensive? Alright, I'll buy it."

"Thank you."

Elise and Sebastian seemed surprised, but for Elise, a skilled healer, owning this ring was significant.

Since I can't transfer magic power like Blantark, it wouldn't be wise to be stingy with such a magic tool.

To transfer magic power using a magic crystal, such an expensive magic tool is necessary, but it's not a problem for a magic airship's power source.

Magic in this world is truly complicated.

Research is ongoing at the capital's academy, but significant results haven't been achieved yet.

"That's... really expensive..."

"I know it's expensive, but I've had a lot of income recently."

"But..."

"We're going to be married, right? I might need the magic power from that ring."

I still had over a thousand platinum coins from selling dragon materials and my master's inheritance.

So, I wasn't particularly phased by the price of the ring.

"Having the magic power stored, you can use magic in emergencies."

"But..."

"Wouldn't it be better to have more healing magic in the church?"

"Thank you. I'll treasure it."

She probably felt it would be rude to refuse, so she accepted the ring I bought.

"(That's not the only reason, though.)"

It was also a kind of threat to Cardinal Hohenheim.

If Elise, a famous person, wore such an expensive engagement ring, it would attract attention.

As a magic tool and a practical item, Elise would wear it all the time, and rumors would spread soon.

If, after involving me in noble disputes, Cardinal Hohenheim suddenly abandoned me or broke the engagement, his reputation would suffer greatly for giving his granddaughter a three-platinum-coin engagement ring and then abandoning her.

"(Protect me with the church's power. It's half an engagement ring with the church.)" Can it be replenished?

Following the owner's instructions, I touched the magic crystal and sent an image of flowing magic power, and the previously gray crystal began to shine like an emerald.

"Are you a magician, sir? I heard there's a dragon slayer, Baron Baumayster, in the capital, and that he's engaged to the 'Saint of the Hohenheim Family.'"

"So, you recognized us?"

It seems the owner had recognized us.

"Half of it was a guess, but I thought this magic crystal ring would be suitable."

"You're a businessman."

"Yes, it's how I make a living."

It seemed he had seen through us, but I was satisfied that I had given Elise a beautiful and practical ring.

Moreover, he didn't seem to intend to spread the word about our visit.

"Our items are expensive, and for security reasons, we don't disclose customer information."

"(Nobles sometimes give accessories to women they can't openly talk about.)"

I successfully ended my first date with Elise and bought her an engagement ring, which finally gave me a sense of peace.