Chapter 2 – What Remains the Same and What Doesn’t (6)

[…So I’ll come on Wind’s Day this week. Let me know if you can’t make it.

With love, your Loi.]

As the festival week ended, Chloe began to tackle the tasks she had postponed. Although she accepted returning to being twenty, she remained curious about the reasons behind it.

The first thing she did was write a letter to her friend staying at the Prince’s Palace.

As she had thought on the first day she returned to being twenty, she planned to visit various libraries to explore more books, but she placed the greatest hope on the library at the Prince’s Palace.

‘Books for children are likely to contain more surreal stories, aren’t they?’

Not all answers lie in books, especially about something like what she had experienced, but her lifelong habit of seeking knowledge compelled her to do so.

After sealing the letter in an envelope and sending it to the Imperial Palace, Chloe began preparing to go out. Since the commotion caused by chasing separatists in the Artisan District, this was her first outing, and Mirabelle was quite nervous.

Though they had caused trouble together, Mirabelle was the only one who got scolded in the end.

“Where are you planning to go today?”

“The Artisan District. I want to visit a jeweler.”

“Don’t get involved in anything dangerous today.”

“I’ll be back early, don’t worry.”

Watching Mirabelle disappear into her room next door to prepare for the outing, Chloe entrusted her grooming to the maids.

Another reason she had been waiting for the festival week to end was to sell the pendant she had bought from Marcone.

Chloe suspected that the gemstone adorning it was a diamond. It seemed to have lost its luster and was pawned based solely on its size, but it appeared that the internal structure was distorted rather than the surface being physically daMaged.

‘Diamonds don’t get scratched easily.’

Nevertheless, the gleam from the edges caught Chloe’s eye, indicating something unusual.

Though it was a mere diversion, she couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of anticipation. If her observation was correct, this time travel might not be entirely meaningless.

‘If there’s an internal issue here, it might involve magic…’

As she thought about it, she realized she should visit somewhere else before the jeweler. She also remembered something else she needed to take care of.

Among the three main avenues radiating from Franz Square, Angela Avenue to the west was lined with high-end boutiques catering to nobles. The Lacroix mother and daughter would come to this street to get clothes tailored for every new season.

However, Chloe’s destination today was not a boutique but a magic item shop she had never visited before.

Located at the very end of Angela Avenue was the magic item shop, Allegio.

It sold magic items imported from all over the continent and collaborated with the Mage guild next door to repair magic items or recharge the magical energy of mana stones, which served as their power source.

‘Is it okay for someone like me to visit…?’

Since all magic items used in the mansion were the responsibility of the butler, Chloe had never been to this shop alone, and her heart trembled at the thought. It was the same feeling of hesitation she had when deciding whether to enter the building during the raid on the separatists’ hideout… Imagining herself fumbling in an unfamiliar place made her even more nervous.

‘I should have followed when they went to recharge the mana stones…’

But no, if she had, she would have been stifled on a rare outing, even if it was just an errand, and she thought of the faces of the young servants who would have been miserable. No matter how free-spirited the atmosphere among the Lacroix servants, going out with the master was a different matter.

“What are you doing, not going in?”

“Yes, I should go in.”

Since it was a place frequently visited by the servants, there was no footman, so Mirabelle opened the door herself.

Once she mustered the courage to step inside, a world she had never seen before unfolded. The brightly decorated interior of the shop was divided into two sections, one displaying mana stones and the other showcasing magic items used in mansions, such as lamps, heating devices, and kitchen equipment.

Magic items used in Arthuzen operated by inserting mana stones into sockets engraved with magical formulas, so there were no intricately crafted mana stones like those seen at festival markets, and most of the mana stones for sale were made from low-grade gemstones.

“What brings you here, Lady?”

When Chloe entered with Mirabelle, the clerks’ faces showed surprise. It was unheard of for nobles, especially noble ladies, to visit in person. Nevertheless, they quickly composed themselves and put on welcoming smiles.

“I have a problem with a gemstone and was wondering if I could get a Mage’s help.”

“It’s not a mana stone issue?”

“I came here just in case…”

“I see.”

The smiling clerk led them to a room at the back of the shop.

“I’ll contact the guild to bring a Mage who can assist you. Please wait, though it might be a bit cramped.”

The clerk guided the two ladies to the room at the very end of the long hallway at the back of the store. Being at the end suggested it was the largest room in the hallway, but since the usual customers were the mansion’s servants, the room wasn’t spacious, with its furniture being quite plain.

Soon, other staff brought tea. Thanks to the mana stone placed at the bottom to keep it warm, the tea stayed hot even though the cup wasn’t.

“There’s no mana stone teacup even in the mansion.”

“It’s great for when you’re too busy to call someone to reheat the tea.”

“Oh, I see.”

Mirabelle nodded. How Chloe knew this was a mystery for her.

Her milk sister had always been bright, but lately, she seemed to know even more.

‘My husband used to favor mana stone teacups.’

Her husband, who was always overwhelmed with work, often took on tasks meant for the mistress of the palace and disliked people coming and going during work, so he used mana stone teapots to keep drinking the same brewed tea.

Recalling the time when she had brought in tea just to keep him company, only to hear that he couldn’t have his consort running tea errands…

‘Though his words were kind, perhaps it was a subtle dismissal.’

These memories, which kept resurfacing in such small daily moments, were both heartwarming and troubling. It felt as if she might return to Shevik’s palace tomorrow.

Such thoughts were interrupted when a man with a somewhat haggard appearance and brown bobbed hair entered.

“Hello, I’m Lagu, a Mage from the Gotiue Guild.”

“I’m Chloe of Lacroix.”

“Mirabelle of Noisette.”

Mirabelle looked at Lagu with unconcealed curiosity. In the Empire Federation, where hiring Mages privately was forbidden, Mages were either in the Mage Tower, the Imperial Mage Corps, or the Mage Guild, making them rare to encounter in daily life.

Neither Chloe nor Mirabelle had ever spoken to a Mage before.

Chloe set aside her curiosity and placed the pendant on the table.

“I acquired this gemstone recently, but its color seemed unusual. I was curious if you could examine it from a magical perspective. It doesn’t seem to be a mana stone.”

Without much response, Lagu picked up the pendant with one hand, glanced at it briefly, and then set it down before speaking.

“It’s contaminated with magic. When exposed to a large amount of magic at once or continuously exposed, the particles of the gemstone collide with the magic, causing this anomaly. The same happens when mana stones are made with insufficient care.”

Whether the young ladies understood or not, Lagu finished his explanation and, without asking, gathered magic in his hand and directed it towards the pendant. A light halo from his hand penetrated the pendant, drawing out a cloudy residue, presumably the remnants of magic, which dispersed into the air.

“Wow, what’s all that?”

Mirabelle exclaimed, amazed at seeing magic for the first time, having never even seen a Mage before. Mirabelle had a knack for expressing what Chloe wanted to say.

“This is about as much as I can do. To completely purify it, you’ll need the help of divine power. It’s like washing dishes with just water versus using soapy water.”

Having never washed dishes, the analogy didn’t resonate, but it reminded Chloe of a hometown friend she could ask for help.

‘Though he’s more Demi’s friend than mine.’

Trying to shake off thoughts of Demetrian that crept in even at times like this, Chloe added brightly.

“Do you also appraise gemstones here?”

“I don’t think we do. The mana stones we use here are mostly made from low-grade materials that are hard to call gemstones.”

“I see. There’s something else I’d like you to look at.”

Chloe took out hairpins she had purchased at the market from the table. She had hinted to Mirabelle, and they had bought enough for both of them.

That day, they had learned that the mana stones in the flower hairpins they used had a chain explosion effect, so they had never taken them out.

“I bought this from a stall selling magic items at the market, but I’m not sure if it’s safe to use.”

She wanted to specifically ask if they could potentially be used as smoke bombs or explosives, but she refrained, fearing she would get a look from this magician as if she were spouting nonsense.

The fact that the separatists had attempted a terror attack hadn’t been made public.

“Is that a Moniel mountain mana stone?”

“Do you have an eye for it, Mage?”

“Well, I mostly see mana stones here in Gotiue. I’ve never worked with anything larger than a thumbnail-sized gem here, but I can tell the difference with those from the sovereign state.”

His words revealed that he was a Mage from the Mage Tower with a free mind. It wasn’t easy to praise a vassal state in front of an imperial noble.

Regardless of whether his clients were puzzled or not, Lagu channeled a bit of his magic into the hairpin to examine it.