Chapter 82: The shape of Trust.

He let out a short breath and spoke in a casual tone.

“…Paul will gladly accept the new position. Because he likes new things and meeting new people. The past few years must have been rather stifling for him.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

“You are certainly flexible in your thinking. Once I put Paul’s name in the manager position, no other name comes to mind at all. Finding a new coachman is much easier than thinking of a manager other than Paul.  How did you think of him?”

“Because he has what I lack the most.”

Hearing praise from him, who felt regret at the title I called him but skillfully tried to hide it, made me a little embarrassed.

Fortunately, the lilac scent didn’t flow out absurdly. It seemed I could control it to some extent now according to my intention.

“And there are a few things I need.”

I looked around to find something to write on.

There was a time when I had to know exactly where everything was better than the owner, the King’s Brother himself, but now there were corners unfamiliar in this room.

“Movere.”

With the activation word, the movement of magical power was felt.

It was a much more stable feeling than what I felt in my house in the Beta residential area, the place I could never return to.

A pen and memo pad were placed in front of my eyes before I knew it.

“You seem much more skilled than before.”

“Partly because the object moved is small, but I did get a little used to it.”

I realized anew how great a magical talent the King’s Brother possessed, speaking nonchalantly.

“Duke, you have outstanding magical talent and spare no effort.”

Blinking a few times, I nodded. He let out a short laugh at me turning my gaze straight to the pen afterward.

“How long of a bill are you preparing?”

“Quite long. You’ll have to be prepared.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Saying to be prepared wasn’t an empty warning. I really intended to write a long list.

“If you’re really looking forward to it, how about letting go of my hand?”

I was the one holding his hand, but before I knew it, my hand was held by him conversely.

“You can add that to the bill.”

Far from letting go, he even interlaced his fingers, so I had no choice but to pick up the pen with my left hand.

I listed the loose stones he had to purchase on my behalf. It was a list that should be called a plan rather than a bill.

I needed sapphire raw stones that could yield over 15 carats when cut, and colorless, blue, and red diamonds of various weights ranging from 1 carat to melee size.

For melee diamonds, in single cut state. The quality must naturally be top-tier for all.

“Is a furnace installed in my workshop?”

“Of course. I moved the basement workshop as it is.”

“…With spatial movement magic?”

“Because I couldn’t move them conspicuously.”

I had no choice but to blink again.

“Duke, you have outstanding magical talent, spare no effort, and are bold.”

If more magical power is consumed as the weight of the object subjected to spatial movement increases, the items in my workshop were things that would consume magical power enormously.

Coming up with the idea of moving all such items with spatial movement magic itself was proof of boldness.

Still, if all items in my workshop were moved, alloying that metal is possible. A metal whose value almost no one knows in this world yet.

Like on Earth, its existence was known early on but was considered imperfect gold.

There were even cases where mines were buried as contaminated.

As such, the quantity circulating in the market is small, but obtaining enough to make one necklace wouldn’t be difficult.

The price is practically non-existent.

“Please.”

I showed him the completed list.

“Platinum and palladium? I heard news that there are mages researching these metals recently, but can they be used as precious metals too?”

He didn’t show much reaction to the gems I listed above but showed surprise at the platinum group metals which have no great value at present.

“Platinum has very high stability. In other words, due to low reactivity, processing is difficult, so it didn’t receive very good treatment. But that disadvantage is an advantage that can give high value as a precious metal. It means it hardly changes once processed. It will also help stabilize the magic circle to be engraved with gems. My furnace can melt it. Thanks to the mages researching synthetic diamonds.”

Processing platinum with a melting point of 1,769°C required technological advancement.

Although synthetic diamond research itself hasn’t produced clear results yet, the technology mages created to reach the goal also increased the types of metals I could handle.

“About that research.”

“Is there new news?”

Expectation soared at his gently curving eyes. At the mischievous smile, I unconsciously put strength into the interlaced hand. I thought ‘oops,’ but he didn’t give me time to relax the strength.

“It’s still early, but perhaps the recently changed catalyst was effective; news came that diamonds, which didn’t grow from microcrystals until now, have been increasing in weight for 3 days.”

“Finally!”

It was news worth shouting about. Microcrystals were made in just a few minutes in the chamber. The problem was growing this to a significant size. Although the goal was set at 1 carat, they hadn’t succeeded in growing even to melee size. They only obtained a lot of diamond powder to apply to the polisher.

“You said we have to watch for about 2 weeks, right? Since it’s the first experiment succeeding for them, they want to set the period a bit more generously.”

“I can wait up to 3 weeks. Since I plan to finish my work around that time too.”

“Matching the timing, I will make Dosel and his partner surrender themselves to the police.”

Both scammers were still confined in the food storage of this mansion.

Dosel, who used Lux’s name as an alias, believed without doubt that his technology succeeded, but his partner Purgatio was not at all like that.

He knew the fact that purification technology couldn’t be realized. He was really a scammer.

“Surrendering unable to withstand Count Umbra’s interrogation and threats.”

“That’s a reasonable reason.”

“In the process of investigation, news that Pigeon Blood is depleted in Rubrum Mine will become known, and whether it’s true or not, Count Umbra will suffer a big blow both politically and economically. Even the Queen Consort.”

“Yes, I can expect that.”

“When diamond synthesis succeeds, we will announce it matching the time. Even if not direct, a bigger shock will be applied to them.”

He listed the things he would do in the future one by one to me. As if seeking my permission. I couldn’t find hesitation in him. But if I ask him not to, he looked like he would stop immediately.

“Didn’t I already tell you not to hesitate because of me?”

So I could choose to become his accomplice once again without hesitation.

If Count Umbra is my grandfather, Spes Umbra was my maternal uncle.

If they know all the facts, would they think of me as a grandson and nephew? Not a chance.

I remember Spes Umbra’s arrogance.

The time when his calculating confidence forced us to see the reality we tried hard to ignore. The moment of just being helpless.

It was fortunate that I don’t remember the past and the ego from when I was Han Jay is strong. Since I also cannot acknowledge them as family at all.

“Right. I acted cowardly.”

I shook my head at him claiming cowardice.

“No, you were worried about me.”

“And I knew you would soothe me like this.”

I pulled his hand still interlaced. And kissed his scar.

“Then if I say I will pay the cost for purchasing items written on the list I gave.”

His calm-looking eyes frowned sharply.

“I also have that much money.”

Just one top-grade sapphire of the size I want required an amount enough to buy a decent mansion, but honestly, I could afford it.

Currently, the money I have is only the check received from Duchess Mare and it’s difficult to cover all costs with just that, but still, my entire fortune is not a negligible amount.

“Where?”

“…I buried it under the floor of my house in the Beta residential area.”

The problem is I can’t take it out right now.

Even if burying the entire fortune underground looks foolish, there was no other choice.

If I, who was a Beta, deposited that much money in a bank, I don’t know what would have happened. Suspension of payment of the deposited amount would have been the lightest problem.

“Oh dear.”

The only person who can take out money from under the floor without anyone knowing and deliver it to me lamented as if truly regrettable.

“I can lend it to you. If you use the gold coins buried in the floor as collateral.”

“You learned how to make money very efficiently.”

“A wicked merchant.”

“And very good at self-objectification too.”

“So just let me purchase them.”

His fingers tickled between my thumb and index finger.

“Consequently, you aren’t a wise consumer.”

“I can’t find a more suitable use than this. And actually, you are the person who contributed most to increasing my money.”

“Still, you have to spend a lot of money, but don’t you even ask what I intend to make?”

“That means my persuasion was effective.”

“Does the conclusion become like that?”

“It sounds like that to my ears. Meaning you will accept my proposal.”

“You should be careful not to get scammed somewhere.”

“So stay by my side.”

The conversation going back and forth between joke and seriousness stopped for a moment. At the gaze staring at me intently while kissing the back of my hand, I couldn’t turn my eyes away either.

The hand barely released from interlacing soon grabbed my wrist. The force pulling toward himself couldn’t be called strong. But what he wanted was clear.

I hesitated for a moment but eventually stood up. In just a couple of steps, I stood right in front of him, Philius.

I lowered my body obediently as led by the hands holding my waist.

Seating me on his lap, he leaned his head on my shoulder with my back closely touching his hard chest.

Hair like fine gold threads tickled my cheek like dandelion seeds blown by the wind.

“The identity I will borrow,”

I opened my mouth slowly but had to close it again soon. Because his promise to let me live with my name again came to mind.

“Whose identity is it that I will borrow for the time being?”

Whether he liked the changed question, he rubbed the tip of his nose against my neck. Pushing away the loose shirt collar since I wasn’t wearing a cravat, he put his lips on the exposed neck.

“Sella.”

At the end of his words, there was a sound of the water touching my skin and then falling.