“So… You’re going out to look for one?”
“Look for what?”
It’s the next night, and I’m in the living room with Sieglinde, bragging about how Ririi destroyed a coral crystal during class.
“A coral crystal costs fifty million. That’s a lot of money, even for you. And… At this point, I don’t feel like I’m unrelated either.”
She says as her cheeks turn a little red, and I throw the question back at her because I don’t get what she means.
“Not unrelated? What do you mean?”
I’m pretty sure I’m the one responsible.
…Does she think that if I don’t have enough money, I’m going to want to borrow from her? It’s not like when we were in school. I can easily pay fifty million.
“No… Hum… Well… I’m your… Wife. Right? Wife? And that means…”
“Ah, so my expenses are your expenses. Is that what you’re getting at?”
“Y-yes! W-well, I could pay, but I think we should solve this issue properly! I-I mean, we basically just got together recently, right…?”
Sieglinde waves her arms all over the place as she explains, but basically, she’s saying ‘it’s money we’d be spending as husband and wife, so let’s avoid having to pay fifty million’.
I guess now, my money is hers too. I can’t just splurge it at will. Then again, I’m definitely the one benefiting from that arrangement. It goes without saying that her family is super, super, super rich.
“So you’re telling me to go out to look for one? I don’t mind, but I have no idea where to look.”
Can it even be found in the empire? It’s not something people would need in their daily lives, and considering its peculiarities, the ministry of magic very rarely puts out quests to harvest them too. After all, they normally can’t be broken.
Sieglinde touches the rim of her glasses, and gives me a meaningful look. Her cheeks aren’t red anymore at this point.
“No problem… Because I’ll be going with you.”
“You? Why?”
I didn’t expect that. Can the assistant chief of the ministry of magic really leave the capital for a personal reason like that?
I feel like a question mark popped on top of my head just now, but Sieglinde ignores it, and leans close to my ear.
“…We’ll keep this between us. There have actually been talks in the ministry of magic about whether coral crystals can be turned into weapons.”
“Coral crystals into weapons?”
Like the swords, spears, and shields the gatekeepers use? I can see armor and shields made of coral crystals that nullify magic being very useful against sorcerers, but…
“Would that work?”
It’s so obvious, that everyone’s thought of it. The fact that it hasn’t been done before means there’s some sort of problem. For example… Maybe they’re difficult to work with, or too expensive. Or maybe they’re just too heavy.
“That’s what they’re going to study. And since there are plans to inspect an area within the empire that produces coral crystal, I could go there and take you as my guard… How about it?”
Sieglinde is looking directly at me through her glasses. I can’t read what emotions are in her eyes, but I’m assuming she doesn’t feel any towards this matter in the first place.
If I say no, she’s just going to ask someone else to go with her. It’s just business.
…If she’s going with some weak little guards, I should probably say yes. I doubt anything will happen, but who knows who might hold a grudge against an officer of the ministry of magic.
In the end, there’s only one answer I can give.
“I can’t say no. We made a deal that in return for you keeping Ririi a secret, I’d help you with your work.”
“…I guess that’s true. I know it’s sudden, but how about next week? I’ll contact the magic school and tell them they’re getting a replacement coral crystal.”
“No problem. But where are we going?”
“Anelka. There’s a large deposit of coral crystal there.”
“Anelka? I’ve never heard of it. Where is it?”
“A few hundred kilometers to the south-east of the capital. It will be a long trip.
“A few hundred kilometers? And how many people are going?”
“If you’re coming, it can be just the two of us. I was planning on taking ten people, but you know.”
“I see. Then it won’t be that long.”
“What do you mean?”
I can cross a thousand kilometers in just a few hours. It’ll be a nice opportunity to give Sieglinde a taste of the speed of the modified two-wheeled vehicle too. I’m sure she’ll be surprised.
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Thanks for the chapter Hidamarisou! Wonder if he’ll be a fan of rollercoasters haha.