Chapter 7

Leah brought two robes. One was a short robe made of thin material, and the other was a long, thick robe with a hood.

I picked up the long, thick robe because I had to cover my clothes.

It might be a little hot, but I have no choice. I wish I could borrow some clothes, but Leah’s clothes would be a little big for me.

“I’ll borrow it. Oh, it’s a little bit of a substitute, but you can wear my coat.”

“Oh, no! But … are you sure you don’t mind going out alone?”

“I’ll be back before dark, It’s okay.”

If anything happens to me, I’ll be infallible to Leah, so I understand she’s nervous.

Although I was sorry for Leah, but going out with her was like advertising that I’m a daughter of a nobleman or a rich family.

If I walked out of the mansion wearing robe, I realized that some of the employees I encountered would look at the shabby robe and find it strange, so I will take it in my arms and go out.

As I pretended to walk through the garden, I saw that there was no one around me, so I crept toward the wall.

Since there were no windows in this side, I was not worried about being seen from inside the mansion.

There is a hole in the size that can be passed by a small woman.

When I was young, I often played in and out of this hole with my brother. Of course, at that time, we only used it to play hide-and-seek, and never sneaked out of the town.

When I was a kid, I could have passed by without having to peck like this.

After put on the robe and wearing the hood, I went through the hole as cheaply as possible while looking around.

The mansion was white on the outside.

I made myself clear and headed straight to my destination.

It’s the first time in my life that I’ve been out here alone, but I wasn’t worried.

The security of the Empire was on the good side.

It hasn’t been long since Emperor Luminous ruled the Khalin Empire. The current emperor was the third generation.

As the ruler of the Empire changed, the first Emperor Luminous increased the number of security forces in order to restore order and stabilize public sentiment. As a result, the security level of the Empire was greatly improved and the capital city has the best security.

First, I decided to drop by the Postal Service to mail the letter.

I didn’t know the address of my brother’s Academy, but when I inquired about the famous Academy to the staff, they took care of it.

“Well, that’s right. I’d like you to take my letter as a proxy from the Postal Service, but how long is it for you to keep?”

“We’ll keep it for two weeks.”

Two weeks is pretty easy. That’s a relief. I couldn’t come to check everyday if my brother had replied or not.

I applied for a proxy and went to the next destination with a light heart.

The purpose of today’s outing was not just to mail the letter.

On the contrary, my next destination could have been called the primary goal.

The Magnolia Trade.

It is a large-scale society known for its shortcomings.

It was such a large building that I did not wander in the street because I could see it from a far.

At the entrance was a flag with white flower on it.

Though the large-scale building was impressive, there was a separate reason why the Magnolia was so famous.

It’s not just the goods that are sold here.

They also received request to handle some matters under water, and also traded confidential information.

There were even rumors that the owner of the Trade, Count Kenneth Relampago, might have built the largest wealth in the Khalin Empire.

I heard he’s quite a young Count, and he’s leading such a great company—He must be very resourceful.

I pressed the hood once again, tried to be as calm as possible, and entered the building.

“Wow….”

I quickly shut my mouth because I tried to express my admiration in the interior.

It’s embrassing to be new to something.

Naturally, naturally.

The beautifully decorated interior was equipped with everything from ordinary to rare items, depending on the area.

The precious and expensive items were lined up with glass tubes, and guarded by a guard.

I can choose what I want to buy by looking at the items on display, but instead of doing so, I beckoned the staff who was waiting in the corner.

“Are you looking for anything?”

“Heelf’s Tears.”

“Yes, I’ll take you this way.”

A room came out as I went inside under the guidance of the staff. There was a carpet and a lamp on it, but there was no sense of life in the furniture. It was probably a room that was not used for human stay.

There was a small but solid door on one side of the wall. Perhaps I should get through that door.

The staff pressed one of the numerous bricks forming the wall, and there was a snap and an unlocking sound.

“For your information, the locks on the bricks is changed every day, so make sure to follow our instruction later on.”

“I see. Okay.”

“You can go this way.”

The staff opened the door.

It was not a room just beyond the door. There was a staircase leading to the underground instead.

The long skirt made it a little difficult to walk down the stairs. Fortunately the stairs are not steep, but I still need to be careful.

The light of the lamp was dim even thought it was shining inside, clearly because it was a deep dark underground. It wasn’t very bright, but the light was enough to tell things apart.

Down the stairs, the small room is decorated with a similar style to a study.

And what greeted me was a man who covered his face with a mask.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a Lady as a visitor. Please sit here.”

“…”

“You don’t have to be nervous.”

Did I get nervous? I sat across the man, trying to look as calm as I could.

“Now, let’s heard for what reason you’re here. What happened that makes the Lady took a step in this place?”

“I want to sell information. How much can you pay?”

“It depends on what information you have.”

“It’s very high-end information. It’s about the magic stone.”

“Magic stone?”

The eyes of the man who looked beyond the mask were lit up. He seemed interested.

“When it comes to magic stones, I have to do my best.”

Now, you really have to be on your mind.

Compared to the man who has a lot of experience in this business, I was nothing but a child. A moment of alertness could get me caught in the other side of the fence and cut my nose open.

I had to get the maximum benefit from this.

“How much is it concretely? I have to know how much I can get to sell my information.”

A magical stone, a mysterious mineral with explosive magical power. It is a mineral, but it’s not used for regular jewelry like diamonds.

It was impossible to use its part for accessories because there is no way to process a single piece. Instead, it was a mineral that lay dormant potential with a Mana of dozens to hundreds of ordinary wizards.

While the government is constantly studying efficient ways to manage the magic stone, it’s not easy to find, and I have heard that it is experiencing difficulties.

“Hmm … I can’t give you a definite answer when I don’t know what the information is. Please understand.”

“I can tell you where the magic stone is hidden.”

“The location?”

The location where the magic stone is hidden. This must be the most valuable piece of information from The Story of Ramona. I came here with a determination to selling that information and take every penny from it.

“Why are you selling that information to us?”

There was a mixture of skepticism in the masked man’s speech. The information was too good that he felt wary of it.

I could explain it nicely, but I felt uncomfortable being searched and I thought I’d have to go out a little harder to avoid getting pushed around, so I didn’t mean to do that.

“If you don’t want to buy it, I have no choice. I have to go to the Marron Merchant.”

“Now, wait a minute. Lady, it’s much better to sell it to us that to the Marron.”

I’m here because I knew that.

The Marron Merchant is not a big as the Magnolia, but it has grown rapidly in recent years and raised its name value.

However, there was a bit of backseat in the growth.

Many rumors claim that they hired mercenaries to pillage, exploited labor, and engaged in illegal transaction.

The Magnolia was much safer even if it is cost a little more commission. No matter how urgent the money is, a bank is better than a loan shark.

“But I don’t think you want to buy it. There was no reaction.”

But I have to do it properly. I’m not a professional negotiator, but I’ve had some price deals in the market in my previous life.

The Magnolia Trade, which is the largest in Khalin Empire, cannot be compared to the rural market on the periphery.

“That cannot be true. But I was just wondering why you were selling it, because if you were to mine it yourself, you would be able to reap enormous profits.”

“A normal girl is not capable of mining magical stone.”

“….a normal girl, knows the location of the magic stone? That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”

“I can’t explain the details, but I learned them by chance. Isn’t it more likely that I’ve figured it out on my own? You can’t find a magic stone by ordinary detector. That’s why the Imperial Family is spending a lot of money to find the magic stone.”

“Ho….”

“It’s fine if it’s really hard for you to believe. I don’t want to sell it if I’m being suspected.”

The masked man leaned against his back and was lost in thought.

The time was very short.

About three seconds later, the desired answer came out.

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it. Do you have any conditions you want?”

I wasn’t show it, but I was relieved inside.

Since it’s a ‘magic stone‘, it was unlikely that he would refuse the deal. But if the source of the information is kept being questioned, the answer is simply questionable.

That’s why I’ve been more defensive than I need to be.

“I want to hear what the boss thinks first.”

“If you count according to our internal regulations, we’ll pay you a 50 gold price for information that’s classified as the best information, but you wouldn’t want 50 gold in return for the magic stone information.”

Fifty gold … it’s not a small amount of money, but it’s a shame considering the value of a magic stone is hundreds of gold.

“I’d like to get 30 percent of the company’s profits from that magic stone.”

“….30 percent? Lady, just because you have the information doesn’t mean that the magic stone is in your hands. You have to pay for the labor, you need to have the equipment.”

“Don’t you think you’ll get enough of that if you dig the magic stone?”

“If you know the approximate location of the magic stone, the search will be reduced. But unless we know exactly where it lies at what depth, we can’t guarantee how much resources and time they’re going to take. We’ve worked so hard to mine, and it’s hard for us to accept that we should give you 30 percent of our profits.”

“Don’t worry. I promise you there won’t be much trouble. I’ll give you a very accurate location.”

“….25 percent. How about that?”

“All right, let’s make it 25 percent.”

A small contract would be thought of as a cheap 5 percent cut, but with a magic stone, it would cost dozens of gold. So I decided to take a step back.

In the first place, there was no expectation that the 30 percent would be accepted smoothly.

I’m the one who provided the information, but the role of mining the magic stone at risk in the wilderness is not my business.

I signed the contract after carefully reading it again. I handed the signed contract, slowly and steadily spoke of the information I remembered.

“If you go up from nine o’clock direction of Mount Broke, you will find a place where there are many caves. There must be one cave near the entrance that has been scribbled ‘Open the magic door‘. Using detection magic in front of that cave will create hidden passages. If you go in there, you will find the cave of the magic stone. If you give me extra paper, I’ll write it in writing.”