Chapter : 45
Shrrrk
The door opened silently without a sound.
“When I touched it earlier, it just blew away like dust…”
Still, I had a rough idea of what the “qualification” meant.
Apparently, the owner of this cabin only wanted to let in someone who had overcome the magical traps.
Earlier, I hadn’t gone through the traps thanks to Canaria’s help, so I wasn’t qualified.
“Well, it’s a bit iffy to call it overcoming them, but I did survive the traps somehow.”
Maybe that was enough to earn the qualification?
I glanced up at Hartun.
“And this guy walked right through the middle of the traps like it was nothing, so they count that as overcoming it?”
As I stared at him, Hartun’s cheeks flushed slightly, and he cautiously met my gaze.
“Do you have something you want to say?”
“You can put me down now~.”
“Ah…”
Hartun looked a bit disappointed as he set me down on the floor.
I smirked as I looked around the cabin.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter anyway.”
What mattered now was this cabin itself.
Inside, clean, undisturbed magical energy flowed.
Thanks to that, the magical lamp Hartun had brought lit up, letting me examine the interior easily.
“Not a speck of dust anywhere.”
Even though it must have been empty for a long time, it looked as if someone had lived here until yesterday.
I passed through the messy living room and opened the nearest door.
It led to a storage room, piled high with items.
After scanning the storage room roughly, I tried another door.
“Hm, besides the storage room, there’s nothing much.”
Looks like I’ll have to focus on searching the storage.
I called out to Hartun, who was standing idly at the entrance.
“We’ll take anything useful from here.”
“You’re not looking for the magic core?”
“There’s a good chance it’s inside here too.”
“Eh… do you know who lived in this cabin?”
That was the first question Hartun had asked, after saying nothing up until now.
He had been quietly assisting me all this time, so I could easily answer that question.
“The Sun Magician.”
I grinned at him.
“This used to be the home of the Sun Magician, the first human to earn the title of Grand Magician.”
The magic core I was after originally belonged to her.
Hartun’s eyes widened at my words.
“I thought that person was just a myth or a character from a fairy tale…?”
Heh, a myth.
Hartun had reason to think that.
The Sun Magician hated leaving any records behind, so she destroyed all of her own records just before dying.
As a result, in the present day, she is mentioned only as a legendary figure.
No wonder Hartun couldn’t figure out why he was drawn to Eani.
Moreover, Hartun’s ancestor, who had been obsessed with the Sun Magician, was erased entirely from Saint’s registry as a family disgrace.
So he would never even dream that he had any connection to her.
I spoke to the puzzled Hartun in a slightly hesitant voice.
“If you don’t want to believe me, that’s fine.”
“No, I believe you…! Even if you said a rolling stone was a gold coin, I’d believe you!”
Oh my, what a perfectly tailored metaphor for me~.
I smiled brightly at his expected answer.
“Then let’s find all the useful stuff we can!”
“Alright!”
We scattered and busily started rummaging through the storage.
The storage was stacked with quite impressive items from the start.
From rare materials to formulas developed personally by the Sun Magician.
I gathered everything eagerly, letting out a happy sigh.
“Haah, if I knew I’d strike gold like this, I should have brought a bigger bag~.”
How much is all this worth?
I carefully selected only the precious items, sparkling with anticipation.
Specifically, items that could sell for a high price!
“Too bad… it would’ve been nice if I could use more of these myself.”
Sadly, half of what the Sun Magician left behind was the kind I couldn’t even use.
Like these offensive magic formulas.
“I have zero talent for offensive magic, after all.”
The power of magic is proportional to the caster’s desire.
In other words, magic unrelated to the caster’s desire doesn’t exert much power.
“So right now, I can only use the magic that’s necessary for my business~.”
Of course, not every magician is limited to magic matching their desires.
Through deep research and constant practice, anyone can master all types of magic.
“But I’m a businessperson, not a magician, right?”
Magic was merely a cheat code for making money, a hobby. It could never be the foundation of my life.
“So as a businessperson, what do I do with the precious things I can’t use?”
“I’ll sell them all and profit.”
I muttered softly, smiling.
The Magic Tower would go crazy seeing this… hmm, what a dilemma~.
I imagined whether they would humble themselves and beg me to sell it for them, or stubbornly resist and then regret it when someone else snatched it. I glanced at Hartun.
Beep beep!
“…Got it. You’re telling me to take this, huh.”
Beep! Beep beep!
“Right, not this one, this one. Okay, stop pecking me with your beak.”
Beeeeeep!
“…Ouch.”
I was worried Hartun couldn’t sense magic.
But Canaria was helping well~.
Thanks to that, I could focus on carefully selecting the items without worry.
And I also found a bag magically expanded for more space.
Humming happily, I carefully packed the Sun Magician’s relics inside.
“Ah, what a delightful shopping spree~.”
“Hartun~.”
Feeling almost euphoric, my voice calling Hartun became soft and gentle.
“I’m done, how about you~?”
I tiptoed over and lightly tapped his shoulder.
That was the moment.
Startled!
Hartun flinched and urgently looked at me.
“E-Eani!”
“Hmm? Why are you so startled?”
Tilting my head, I asked, and Hartun hurriedly shook his head.
“Ah, ah, it’s nothing!”
“?”
Clearly, it was not nothing.
Hartun hid something behind his hand, looking guilty.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s not that. Rather!”
Snap!
Hartun hurriedly opened a small box next to him and held it out in front of me.
“Found it! The magic core!”
Beeeeeep-
Canaria shook her head as if exhausted from finding it.
I looked at the inside of the box.
A marble-sized orb glowed with a brilliant blue light.
“Ahh—.”
I swallowed hard, then reached out and carefully picked up the core.
“You found it…!”
I immediately recalled its value.
The most reliable Restan newspaper in the Empire estimated the Magic Tower’s core at a minimum of 25.8 trillion gold…!
So that means I’m holding a core worth at least 25.8 trillion gold?
“Haah, haah… it’s so beautiful…”
Perfect.
It’s the best.
I hugged the magic core tightly, intoxicated by its brilliance.
How could I not sell this… what a waste~.
No, but the potential of the future is more important~.
Still, does that future potential exceed a value of 25.8 trillion gold?
“…Of course it does!”
I recalled the fortune and secret funds I had accumulated before dying!
I died before even using all that wealth!
So from now on, I decided not to blindly hoard money.
Even though I found the magic core after firmly deciding this, I almost got hypnotized by it.
I think I understand why Hartun always looks so blank when he sees me laugh.
Exactly, because of the look he has right now.
“Hartun.”
“…Ah! C-cough.”
Hartun’s face, previously dazed as he stared at me, slowly flushed red.
I let out a tiny sigh of relief.
So earlier, it wasn’t because his feelings for me had cooled.
…Wait a minute.
That’s obvious, but why do I feel relieved all of a sudden?
