Volume 1, Episode 22
His expression showed a hint of recollection.
“Our family, as well as various Matabs across the continent, are obsessed with finding the source of magic stones. As you know, magic stones are magical items that can earn an enormous amount of money with almost no cost to produce.”
The Earl of Ainheart nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. Magic stones are indeed remarkable. If we could produce and sell them, our family would be at the top of the continent, not just among the top ten noble families.”
The Ainheart Earl was among the top ten nobles on the continent.
Being part of the top ten meant that the Ainheart family could disrupt the flow of money on the continent and rise to the highest position with just one item, the magic stone.
The fact that the magic stone could have such an impact on the continent showed just how extraordinary it was.
Seeing that even the usually reserved Earl of Ainheart praised the magic stone so much, Glaiton’s eyes sparkled, and he continued.
“That’s why I’ve been continuously investigating the source of the magic stone despite repeated failures. And finally, I have found out who developed the magic stone.”
“….”
The Ainheart Earl gestured with his eyes, indicating that Glaiton should continue.
With a peculiar expression on his face, Glaiton spoke as if it were hard to believe. His expression seemed to say, ‘Can you believe it?’
“Surprisingly, the one who developed the magic stone is a magician named Cilfir. No, to be precise, it’s her son, El. But El is only seventeen years old this year, so it’s unlikely that he developed the magic stone. So, it must have been Cilfir who did it.”
“Cilfir? You mean Cilfir….”
The Ainheart Earl’s expression began to harden. How could he forget? Cilfir… If an eleven-year-old child was with that name, it would undoubtedly be the Cilfir he was thinking of.
When he turned his gaze to Glaiton, he nodded.
“After investigating from various angles, it turns out that it is indeed Cilfir. It was that Cilfir who almost tarnished the family’s reputation.”
“Really? Cilfir, huh? My disowned daughter, Cilfir? Kukuku!”
The Ainheart Earl burst into laughter.
It was the first time his expression changed so drastically, all because of Cilfir, his own daughter, being the one who developed the magic stone.
Wasn’t this like picking up a gem on the roadside?
Amid his laughter, the Ainheart Earl turned to Glaiton and said, “Send someone immediately. Bring Cilfir here. Offer her the condition that we will welcome her back into the family. And if she agrees to bring her son as well, he will willingly come. If she’s the Cilfir who abandoned the family for her son, she will surely come.”
Glaiton lightly smiled.
“I’ve already sent someone. And I presented the condition as you said.”
The Ainheart Earl’s eyes lit up, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
“You’re worthy of being the one to succeed me. Good, bring Cilfir here as soon as possible. With the magic stone, our family can rise once again.”
“I will do my best to live up to your expectations.”
As Glaiton humbly bowed, he looked up at the Ainheart Earl, whose eyes were now ablaze.
Seeing Cilfir, the developer of the magic stone, was more important to him than anything else.
It took El’s group about a month to complete all the preparations after deciding to leave for the empire. Despite making the decision, they still felt a bit sad when the time came to leave the place where they had lived for some time.
Finally, after a month of preparation, they were ready to depart, thanks to Cilfir’s finishing touches.
And today was the day they had chosen to leave for the Blairde Empire.
Cilfir gazed at the mansion with a touch of regret in her eyes.
It had been a place where she had grown fond of… Now that the time to leave had come, her feet didn’t want to move.
Seeing Cilfir like that, El took her hand gently. As Cilfir’s gaze turned to him, he spoke softly.
“If you’ve made your decision, you should be firm in your heart. Mom’s hesitation makes it hard for me to move on too.”
At El’s words, Cilfir’s spirit was rekindled.
El was right.
Her reluctance to leave was unconsciously showing, and her attachment to this place was growing stronger.
Cilfir bit her red lips tightly and reaffirmed her determination.
‘Elly, I’m sorry.’
With renewed resolution, she took a step forward. El gently held her hand as they walked together, followed closely by Serena and Kaina.
Under the strange silence, the group entered the warp gate located in Banjark.
The Casias Kingdom maintained a close relationship with the Blairde Empire. By paying a fee at the warp gate in Banjark, they could directly arrive in the capital city of the Blairde Empire, Camille.
But they wouldn’t go directly to Camille.
The capital had magic barriers installed throughout the city, which restricted the use of magic for all but 7th-class experts. Of course, the Ainheart and Klein families, like the Ainheart Earl and Count Klein, with a deep history and powerful influence, could bypass the restrictions with their own strength.
However, the overall system had significant constraints on using magic.
Three hundred years ago, during its rivalry with the Blairde Empire, the Romvain Empire’s magical forces secretly infiltrated Camille and cast the forbidden magic, Meteor Strike. As a result, Camille suffered tremendous damage.
At that time, the resident magicians in Camille gathered all the mana stones in the city and put up a 9th-class absolute defense across the entire capital. However, it still couldn’t completely block the devastating spell.
Ultimately, half of Camille was reduced to ashes, and afterward, the furious Emperor thoroughly crushed the Romvain Empire.
As a consequence of the event, Camille became a place where magic couldn’t be used.
“Please come this way, Miss Cilfir.”
As El and his group entered the warp gate, a mage in his early thirties, who had been waiting there, opened his eyes wide when he saw the three beautiful women entering first.
He seemed to recognize Cilfir among them.
“Ah, Miss Cilfir.”
Cilfir also seemed to recognize the mage named Kyle and greeted him.
“I have business in Camille. Me and these three children are going together. How much will it cost to use the warp gate?”
Kyle appeared to think for a moment before giving them a price.
“The cost varies depending on the distance. From here to the Blairde Empire, it would take nearly six months on foot… So, it would be four hundred gold per person. However, if there are four or more people, there is a ten percent discount, so it would be three hundred and sixty gold in total.”
One gold was enough to cover the living expenses of a family with four people, including taxes.
But considering that the warp gate was mostly used by nobles and magicians, the price wasn’t too burdensome.
Especially, El, who already possessed an immeasurable fortune with the magic stone, wouldn’t find it too expensive.
Even though it felt very expensive, El handed over 360 gold.
“Here you go.”
“Then, please stand on the magic circle over there.”
Kyle pointed to one of several magic circles after receiving the money.
Once the money was taken, Kyle used a communication bead to talk to someone before finally shouting the activation word.
“Warp!”
Spat-!
As white light burst out from the magic circle, El’s group and their carriage disappeared along with the light.
