Chapter : 71
“I think this is a mana stone too.”
They said that mana stones are characterized by having no flaws or cracks at all, and if you look inside, you can see faint patterns.
“Here, take a look.”
I accepted the loupe from Marty and peered inside. I could see a shape like the moon.
When I turned the gem this way and that, amazingly, it shifted from a crescent moon to a full moon as if it were filling up.
I felt around the table and picked up the transparent mana stone. It was small as well, but inside I could see a faint blotch resembling the moon.
From the outside, it looked like a flawless gem…
I couldn’t hide my amazement.
“I can really see it!”
When I said excitedly to Marty, he smiled and replied,
“They say the redder the mana stone, the higher its purity.”
“Really? Then, while we’re looking for a person, could we also find the owner of this mana stone?”
“Mm. If you give me the address and a description, I’ll ask around. But… have you tried using this mana stone?”
Using it? Was there some purpose other than looking at it?
When I shook my head, Marty leaned toward me and whispered quietly,
“I’ve heard that just carrying it makes you stronger and brings good luck. I’m curious if it’s true.”
What? That just sounds like some daily horoscope lucky item.
“I’m not sure.”
Even though I had it with me, I still got dragged into that parade march.
Tilting his head, Marty added,
“Oh, and I also heard that if you make mana stones resonate, you can talk to someone far away… Since you have two, why not try it?”
“Really?”
If that works, isn’t that basically a phone?
Curious, I pressed Marty for details about how to make them resonate.
“How do you do it?”
“I’m not entirely sure… but since it’s called resonance, maybe you just press them together?”
Just as I reached for the mana stones, a loud crash came from the second floor.
It sounded like something had spilled.
Marty squeezed his eyes shut, stood up, and bowed to me.
“Looks like he finally flipped everything over. I’ll just go upstairs for a moment.”
“Oh? Okay.”
Marty hurried toward the stairs. As he went up, I could faintly hear the ceiling creak and the muffled voices of two people.
I looked down at the mana stones on the table.
“Resonance…”
Picking up the transparent mana stone, I lightly tapped it against the red one.
The transparent stone suddenly turned into smoke in my hand.
“Huh?”
The smoky form was being sucked into the red mana stone.
“What’s going on?”
Startled, I grabbed at the air, but the transparent stone had already vanished.
As I stared at the red mana stone, it suddenly emitted light, and an unfamiliar voice rang in my ear.
—What the hell?
Excuse me? Who are you?
The sudden voice made me gasp, and I clamped a hand over my mouth.
Before I could say anything toward the stone, another crash sounded from upstairs, followed by raised voices.
It seemed Marty and Eloy were coming down.
“That’s not trash.”
“Trash.”
“I said it’s not trash.”
“Trash.”
“…Fine. My fault.”
Seeing the two of them coming down, I quickly shoved the mana stone into my pocket.
The voice from the stone felt as vivid as if I were wearing earbuds—it resonated directly inside my head.
—What is this? Why is this happening? This has never happened before.
Eloy was grumbling while smacking Marty on the back.
It didn’t seem like either of them could hear the voice echoing in my ear.
“Honestly, whether you were a kid or now, how are we supposed to fix this habit of piling up trash—”
Eloy, who had been relentlessly scolding Marty, suddenly noticed me staring and quickly shut her mouth.
“Ahem. Did you get all the information you needed?”
In a neatly composed, cute voice, Eloy addressed me.
I nodded with a smile, then thought I should ask how to return the mana stone to its original state.
“Oh, just one more thing.”
“Yes, I’m sorry I rushed off earlier.”
“No, it’s about what we were talking about before…”
I gestured subtly toward the table where the mana stone had been. Marty glanced around cautiously, as if wondering whether it was okay to talk about it.
I stumbled over my words, trying to phrase it indirectly.
“If there’s a way to use two stones by resonating them, wouldn’t there also be a way to reverse it?”
At my question, Marty tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“Well… since you made them resonate, wouldn’t you just use the same method again?”
“Hm? What are you talking about? Now I’m curious~”
While Marty tried to explain vaguely, Eloy looked at us with sparkling curiosity.
Meanwhile, the man’s voice inside my head hadn’t stopped.
Resonate them again?
But I only have one left…?
Am I supposed to live the rest of my life hearing some weird voice in my ear?
With a flustered expression, I fidgeted inside my pocket.
“You can’t tell me what you’re talking about. That’s information too.”
“You’ve been using that excuse a lot. Keep it up, why don’t you?”
“…You started it.”
“Yeah, go on then.”
A loud thud rang in my ear. It sounded like the man had knocked something over.
—Just what happened…? This has never…
His voice rambled in confusion. At the same time, the three people around me kept talking, and my mind grew chaotic. Without realizing it, I spoke aloud.
“Could you all be quiet for a second…?”
At my words, all three of them fell silent at once.
At that moment, I felt my bracelet touch the mana stone.
—Why should I be qui—
The voice ringing in my head abruptly cut off and vanished.
Oh. It turned off.
Then I noticed the two of them staring at me.
“We were chatting among ourselves while having a guest here. I apologize.”
Seeing Marty stand and bow, I hurriedly made an excuse.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. The chair was squeaking… I was talking to the chair.”
At my flimsy excuse, they both nodded.
Eloy took my arm and helped me up.
“If you’re finished here, shall we head back?”
After saying goodbye to Marty, we retraced our steps.
Though it was still broad daylight, the narrow alley surrounded by buildings was dim.
Eloy clung to my arm and chattered.
“I feel like I showed you a rather embarrassing side of myself today.”
“Not at all.”
Opening her eyes wide, holding one finger to her lips, Eloy said,
“I’d appreciate it if you kept it a secret.”
“Of course.”
When I nodded at her, she lowered her brows and spoke softly.
“You know my background is… what it is. If Father found out I was meeting someone I knew when I was a commoner…”
I thought of Baron Calat’s face.
At the same time, I remembered the faces of the baroness and her older sister from the illusion.
“I’m good at keeping secrets. Don’t worry.”
When I replied solemnly, Eloy smiled brightly and took my hand.
“By the way…”
“Yes?”
“My father would like to invite Miss Selene to a party.”
“Oh.”
I averted my gaze slightly.
What exactly was a party, anyway?
Wearing uncomfortable clothes, smiling uncomfortably among uncomfortable people—why would anyone do that?
If it were a pig-out party with friends, I’d gladly join.
“I have quite a few things to organize…”
If I vaguely said “maybe next time,” I’d surely just receive an invitation anyway.
Hoping my smile didn’t look too awkward, I carefully declined.
Eloy’s face quickly fell, but then she clapped her hands.
“I’ll help you!”
“No!”
When I flinched in alarm, Eloy grabbed my arm and shook it, looking close to tears.
“Please. My family asked me to bring you no matter what… please?”
Ugh. Why does she have to be so cute?
It was hard to ignore the way she looked up at me with those round eyes.
Why am I so weak-willed?
But the moment I heard the word family, the scene from Eloy’s illusion flashed vividly in my mind.
If I didn’t go and Eloy ended up being scolded because of it, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Besides, thanks to her today, I found the information broker easily and learned how to use the mana stones. I felt like I should repay her.
“Alright. Send me the invitation.”
At my answer, Eloy beamed and threw her arms around me.
“Ah! Thank you so much!”
“It’s nothing.”
When I gave an awkward smile, she pulled away and said in a chilling voice,
“Ready to run?”
