Chapter 51. Time to Reap (6)
Humanity had achieved tremendous growth every time a Cradle was opened.
The Mezaia Great Forest alone had a great deal to offer, and the first thing that demanded the most attention was its Magic Stone Mines.
Magic Stones were fundamental materials used in virtually every aspect of modern human civilization.
They could be obtained by subjugating monsters inside dungeons, but such methods accounted for only around twenty percent of total Magic Stone production.
The remaining eighty percent came from Magic Stone Mines.
Even then, the supply remained insufficient, forcing Mages to devote themselves to research aimed at improving the efficiency of Magic Stones by any means possible.
Under such circumstances, the opening of the Mezaia Great Forest had countless national institutions and merchant companies frantically investigating just how many Magic Stones might be buried within it.
To an outsider, the sight might have seemed ridiculous.
The Mezaia Great Forest might have opened, but it was not human territory.
The Elves were clearly its owners, yet humans were already salivating over what lay within.
At the very least, however—
Shane had earned the right to do so.
The already small Elven population had no reason to leave so many Magic Stone Mines unused.
And Shane had already received a portion of the authority over them from Priscilla.
“How much can we swallow……?”
“Exactly enough that it does not give us indigestion.”
“Yes. Naturally.”
Lowell did not know why Shane could speak with such arrogance, but he did not believe those words were empty.
Until only last year, Shane had often been evaluated as lacking.
But that reputation had existed only because he was constantly compared with Klein.
It was not because Shane himself was inferior to others.
If anything, when it came to using his head, he had inherited Lowell’s strengths and possessed considerable talent.
Lowell began calculating.
He pushed all the tangled problems that had occupied his thoughts until recently into one corner and focused entirely upon the information Shane had just given him.
‘I have no idea how this boy even knows something like this…….’
What Shane had explained to him concerned the total quantity and quality of Magic Stones buried throughout the Mezaia Great Forest.
That was not information one could obtain simply by participating in the expedition.
How could anyone possibly know how many Magic Stone Mines existed across such an enormous forest?
Shane had clearly held extensive discussions with the Elves.
“I believe we could secure two First-Grade Magic Stone Mines without excessive difficulty.”
“If we pushed ourselves, three would probably be possible, but I do not think there is any need to go that far. It would be better to secure two Second-Grade Magic Stone Mines as well while obtaining both justification and practical profit.”
“Yes.”
The Magic Stone Mines belonged to the Elves, and Shane could obtain most of the necessary authority from their Queen, Priscilla.
But if he attempted to claim everything himself, indigestion would inevitably follow.
At the largest scale, the Imperial Family and noble society might begin placing House Clayton under pressure.
The Allied Nations themselves might even intervene.
At times like this, distributing an appropriate portion to others was also part of the strategy.
Naturally, choosing merchant companies that knew how to follow instructions would be important as well.
“Even so, two First-Grade Magic Stone Mines still feel excessive. How do you intend to justify that?”
Two First-Grade Magic Stone Mines were an enormous prize.
House Clayton would need to mobilize nearly all its available manpower merely to properly absorb them.
Moreover, even the Imperial Family possessed only around eight First-Grade Magic Stone Mines.
For a single Count’s household to suddenly obtain two of them would be difficult to justify politically.
“We are not entirely without justification.”
Unlike everyone else, Shane was the author of the paper that had caused the expedition into the Mezaia Great Forest to begin in the first place.
He certainly did not lack justification in that regard.
But even if what he possessed was insufficient—
There was no need for Shane to personally struggle to fill the gap.
“The Elves will provide the justification we need.”
“Hmm. Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“I see……”
“Beyond that, we should also begin planning the branch we will establish within the Mezaia Great Forest.”
“Hmm.”
Geographically, the Mezaia Great Forest, which bordered the Kingdom of Hiel, occupied an exceptional location.
Beyond the enormous mountain range to the north lay another Cradle.
To the west stretched a vast sea.
To the east lay a massive rocky region.
And beyond that rocky region was yet another Cradle.
For Adventurers, it would become an exceptional strategic hub.
Its potential for commercial development was nearly limitless as well.
Preparations for that expansion needed to begin immediately.
Lowell felt his thoughts growing complicated once again.
But he was a man who preferred working to resting.
‘If this continues…….’
If they handled the matter of the Great Forest properly, the Clayton Trading Company could secure an unshakable position within both the Empire and the Allied Nations.
It still felt surreal that this opportunity had been brought to him by Shane, who only a short time ago had been called the disgraceful young master of a noble family.
Still—
How could that possibly be a bad thing?
“I will proceed as you suggested.”
“Yes.”
“Good. And……”
“……?”
“Hmm.”
How was he supposed to say this?
Lowell had spent years maintaining an attitude of indifference toward his family.
Yet apparently, that was not what he truly felt inside.
Even setting aside the opportunity Shane and Klein had brought him—
The fact that both of his sons had survived such a dangerous Cradle brought Lowell considerable relief.
When he first heard that they had survived, he had felt little.
But seeing Shane standing before him alive and unharmed made something inside him stir.
‘……How ridiculous.’
After practically abandoning Shane emotionally throughout his upbringing, would showing concern now not simply appear hypocritical?
Even Lowell himself felt that the emotion surfacing within him had come far too late to reveal openly.
The words refused to leave his mouth.
But—
The weight of being a father ultimately forced one sentence from him.
“I am glad…… that you returned safely.”
“……Yes. Thank you, Head of the House.”
“Good. Go and rest.”
For Shane and Lowell alike—
Closing the distance between them was still far from easy.
Perhaps that distance would never completely disappear.
But if enough time passed—
If they continued seeing one another more often—
Who could say that the distance that now felt so vast would never shrink?
As long as neither of them gave up, that possibility would always remain.
—
Recently, the city of Mages, Magitional Wisp, had become unusually lively.
The opening of the Mezaia Great Forest was naturally part of the reason.
But separate from that, another piece of news had caught the interest of the Mages.
Elven magic!
Ordinarily, Mages showed little interest in anything outside their own specialties.
But magic belonging to a Demi-Human race was a completely different matter.
Depending on how the magic of that race functioned, who could say what kind of influence it might have upon their own fields of magic?
As a result, a city normally quiet except when a research experiment exploded had become filled with gatherings of Mages discussing Elven magic whenever they found the opportunity.
Then—
The city decided to hold a conference for the first time in quite a while and sent invitations to the Masters of every Magic Tower.
“Finally!”
“Yahoo!!”
Mages who normally disliked conferences began flooding into Magitional Wisp.
Ordinarily, they would barely have glanced at such invitations.
But this particular invitation contained the name of someone they had been waiting desperately to meet.
As a result, Mages whose footsteps were normally heavy hurried into the conference hall and took their seats.
“Oh, Maverick. It has been a long time.”
“Merlin. You as well. Has it been nearly ten years?”
“When did that much time pass?”
“Indeed.”
Perhaps because anticipation had put everyone in such high spirits, Mages who had not seen one another in years eagerly caught up, filling the conference hall with lively conversation.
But before long, their discussion naturally shifted to another subject.
“What do you think the Elven magic they discovered is like?”
“Who knows? We will have to see it first. Parliament has not released any useful answers yet.”
“We may at least hear something today because of the invited guest……”
“I would not expect too much.”
“Ahem.”
Despite saying that, both Mages were so excited that even their ears had turned red.
In truth, just as the two of them said, there was little reason to expect too much.
Since this was Elven magic, properly understanding it would require either learning directly from an Elf or spending an enormous amount of time dissecting and researching it.
The first possibility could be dismissed immediately.
There was no reason the Elves would explain the details of their magic so freely.
As for the second—
Only an exceptionally accomplished Mage would have any hope of understanding it.
Apparently, two Academy cadets from the Allied Nations who were Mages had participated in the expedition……
But in the end, were they not merely cadets?
Neither of them was even affiliated with a Magic Tower.
Naturally, expectations could not be too high.
“That is precisely why we should take the initiative and submit a proposal to Parliament ourselves.”
“Indeed. I heard the Teleportation magic used by Elves is exceptionally discreet.”
“I suspect it has something to do with the Elves’ unique Mana Adaptability. Still, if we can understand the overall structure, perhaps it could be adapted for exploration.”
“Who knows how long that would take?”
Most people shared the same opinion as those two Mages.
Their expectations were high, but they did not want to get ahead of themselves.
There was, however—
One person who felt differently.
‘These people know nothing. That boy is a once-in-an-era genius!’
The dignified middle-aged man with a mustache was Kayden, an Elder of the Kabir Magic Tower.
He was the only person present who had previously met the individual invited to today’s conference—
And even conducted research alongside him.
Unlike everyone else, Kayden could not calm his pounding heart.
At the time, the request had come through his patron, so he had initially found the entire matter rather bothersome.
But how long had that attitude lasted?
After meeting that person, Kayden had found all of his own disciples painfully mediocre by comparison.
Ever since then, he had eagerly awaited the day they would meet again.
And now that boy had returned after landing an enormous catch within the Mezaia Great Forest.
Kayden could barely remain seated as he wondered how greatly Shane would surprise him this time.
Before long—
The interior of the hall darkened.
A host appeared.
His voice filled the venue through a Voice-Amplification Magic Tool.
[Ah, ah. Greetings. My name is Miles, and I will be hosting today’s conference. I will get straight to the point. As all of you already know, the reason we have gathered today concerns the Elven magic discovered within the Mezaia Great Forest. Our invited guest is not affiliated with any Magic Tower, so we ask that you limit your questions to matters directly related to today’s subject.]
After the host’s brief introduction—
A single person appeared at the central staircase of the conference hall.
Black hair.
Roseberry eyes.
The person carrying a short wand looked far too young to be appearing as the central figure of such a conference.
The boy stepped onto the platform.
Then he quietly spoke.
[Greetings.]
His voice came through the Voice-Amplification Magic Tool prepared by the organizers.
It was youthful and light, matching his appearance.
Yet no one present thought of him as a child.
For reasons they could not quite explain, his voice naturally drew every gaze in the hall.
It echoed once more.
[My name is Clayton R. Shane, and I was invited here regarding the matter of Elven magic. It is an honor to stand before so many distinguished senior Mages.]
