We started working energetically from the next day to achieve the dual goals of my master’s dream and my own practical benefit. Although it was for a short period of time, it took about a month, including the preparations for closing the store, the procedures for various places, and the time to travel to the destination. Finally, we were able to enter a certain mine.

“Eh, this place? Even though it looks like it was closed decades ago, it’s been properly maintained.” Tia said,

“That’s right. Even though it’s an abandoned mine, this place was originally a gold mine.”

Tia looked around the unpopular mine, and My master stroked his beard with a knowing look on his face.

“Right now, the mine is exhausted, but if there is some technological innovation in the future that allows us to dig further, there is a better chance of getting new gold by digging here, where there was surely gold before, than by digging in the middle of nowhere. That’s why the government controls the mine, and the inside is maintained in a certain way. Well, if not, it’s not a place that ordinary people can enter.”

“Right.”

Agreeing with My Master’s words, I also looked around inside. The wood supporting the passageway was solid, and there were no broken lanterns for lighting. It seemed unlikely that any demonic beasts had entered the building.

In addition, although it’s quite obvious, even Master is not allowed to enter a gold mine that is being actively mined. I heard that an iron mine would be okay, but considering what I was about to do, a normally operating mine would not be convenient, so these conditions were more like a blessing in disguise.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Huh, actually, here’s what I’m going to do… Manifest [Akashic Compass]”

I raised my outstretched right hand palm upward and manifested the [Akashic Compass]. Master was blatantly surprised by the appearance of a mysterious metal frame that suddenly appeared out of thin air and floated on the palm of my hand.

“Whoa!? What the hell!?”

“It’s a magical tool that I got through connections. It can only be used by me, and it has to meet some special conditions, but I can use it to search for things.”

“… does that mean you can tell where the ore is buried?”

“Yeah. The sensing range isn’t that great, though, so we have to walk all over the mine.”

I replied gently to My Master, who had a serious expression on his face and a low, heavy voice. If the detection range of this thing is only one meter, it would be enough to make the workers a little more comfortable.

But what if I could locate the ore over a range of 10 meters, 20 meters, or more without digging up the ground? That would be something that the country would kill me to get, and if it were over 10 or 20 kilometers , it could even become a reason for war.

So I won’t go into details. I just stared at My silent master… before long, my Master let out an even bigger sigh.

“Haaaa…. Okay, I’ll leave it to you, Ed.”

“Leave it to me!”

If My master had inquired about it in depth, I would have had to think of different ways to get out. However, my master came all the way here without asking me anything, and was willing to stay without asking me anything.

I responded to that trust with action. I walked around the tunnels, using both my [Akashic compass] and [Auto-Mapping] …… and stopped at the wall of one passageway.

“It’s right here. It’s about 30 centimeters deep.”

“Here? Okay.”

My master started digging with a pickaxe at the place I instructed. Then, from the other side of the collapsed rock wall, a sunlight stone about twice my fist was dug out.

“Amazing, it really was there!?”

“But isn’t the stone a little tiny?”

“Yeah.”

Contrary my Master’s excitement, I had a sour face like Tia. Considering the amount we need, these were reserves far below what we anticipated.

But, as I was making such a disappointed face, Master slapped me on my back.

“Oi oi, why are you making such a dejected face! Normally, it would never be possible for you to find Sunshine Stones so easily, you know!? Besides, it’s not like there’s only one in this wide tunnel, right? ”

“Ah, yes. There is a response, but only if it is close to the wall that we can dig it out on our own, else it may be a little tough. For example, if we dig another three meters from here, we might find another Sunshine stone. …”

“Ah, that would be tough.”

He could dig with a small pick axe as far as his arm could reach, but he would have to dig a very large hole to get three meters beyond. It was not impossible, considering Master’s physical and arm strength, but it would take time and be dangerous, so it was not something that could be attempted comfortably.

As my Master and I were pondering the new problems we had encountered, Tia suddenly approached Master.

“Um, Dalton-san. Are all Sunshine stones roughly that big?”

“Hmm? Yeah, that’s right. Of course, there may be some slight variations, but it shouldn’t be too drastic.”

“I see. … Hey Ed, how precisely do you know where the stones are located?” 

“I think it’s pretty accurate. …… what happened?”

I tilted my head and asked Tia, who kept asking me questions in rapid succession. But Tia started to think for a while, and then, as if she had made up her mind, she looked at me and said,

“Ed, sit down there for a second.”

“Sit? Like this?

“No, no, no! Put your butt on the ground, stretch your legs out in front of you, and open wide!”

“Ggh!? Hey!?”

I was suddenly made to expose my groin, and I screamed in protest, but Tia ignored me and sat down between my legs, and then she laid her left hand on my hand while leaning her back on me.

“Hey, Tia, what――”

[Show me]

“!?”

A voice that was not my own, coming from inside me. I noticed that Tia had gone limp and unconscious in front of me, and I could feel her presence instead, as if overlapping with my own.

[Show me the location of the stone. I’m sure I can see it clearly now.]

[That’s how it is, I get it.]

Understanding her intention, I pictured in my mind the exact location of the Sunshine stone. When Tia returned to her own body, having fully absorbed the information I shared with her, a flowing chant spun from her mouth.

“The earth shakes and crumbles in the formless sea of the crumbling moon, and the claws of the spirit tremble as it shatters in the dull light of its monstrous arms! Seize, grasp, pour, overflow it! In the name of Lunaritia, manifest the [Tranform Hollow] !”

A round hole appeared in the rock wall in front of me due to the unleashed spirit magic. Sand spilled out of the hole, and when it eventually settled, Tia exhaled loudly and leaned on me once again.

“Phew. …….”

“Good Job.”

“O-Oi. What’s this?”

“As you can see, I’ve turned the rock wall into sand. The Sunshine stone should be flowing over here as the sand spills out, so I think a little work is all that’s needed to get them out.”

“Really!?”

Hearing Tia’s explanation, Master plunged his hand into the hole, looking half-convinced. He quickly pulled his arm back, and in his hand, of course, was the stone we were looking for.

“Oi oi, are you serious!? Amazing, Jou-chan!”

“Fufuun, this is nothing for me! How about you, Ed? I’m also useful, right?”

“Huh? What are you talking about…? Huh, no way!?”

“Because I can’t blacksmith or …. do any heavy lifting, so I’m not much use to you these days.”

“Haa, you’re an idiot, Tia.”

I held Tia from behind and gently stroked her head as she turned from her smug expression to one of dejection.

“You have always been there for me. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be drying out in the forge right now, you know?”

“Really? For real?”

“Yeah, Really. Thanks for everything, Tia.”

“Fufu, that’s fine! Ah, but please let’s stay like this for a little longer.”

“As you wish, miss.”

(T/N: Cute)

I kept stroking Tia’s head until she was satisfied, while smiling bitterly at My Master who was looking away with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

(T/N: My college started so expect some delays, romcom will be posted either later today or tmw)