Chapter 52
I returned to my seat.
Han Jihye handed each attendant a gift box.
Although Rainy had given the attendants some leeway, basic procedures were still necessary.
"What is this...?"
Bella accepted the box with a puzzled expression. Rainy also looked curious.
Only Iroha, who had received a gift from me before, wore a relaxed smile.
I nodded at them without a word, and the three of them opened their boxes almost simultaneously.
"They're rings..."
She carefully picked it up and placed it on her palm. Bella examined it quietly, then removed her original ring and slipped the one I had given her onto her middle finger.
What had been about as thick as an adult man's finger shrank with a soft whir.
Perhaps the effect contained within it had activated, because her eyes immediately widened.
"How do you like it?"
I asked with a pounding heart.
Given the time constraints, I had focused on making them pretty. I had added slight differences, but the three rings were essentially identical items.
From the perspective of the Cecil family, which ranked second, receiving something on the same level as the Shimizu family's might not have felt very good.
To avoid giving them grounds for complaint, the one I had presented had to be unusual even by Cecil standards.
"......Rather than asking whether I like it, how did you get this?"
Bella asked, narrowing her eyes.
She said it was made from a material she had never seen anywhere and had unfamiliar effects.
Apparently, even for the Cecil family, water-attribute items were no less precious.
......If Bella was seeing it for the first time, the other two probably weren't much different.
Thinking inwardly that this was a relief, I answered.
"I made this. I didn't modify it—I manufactured it from start to finish myself."
"......You made it, Lady Raebi?"
Iroha asked with astonishment in her eyes.
I had never specifically mentioned that I had made her gift myself, so apparently she had not realized that the ring she was wearing was one hundred percent handmade.
High-grade items generally involved enhancing or modifying items dropped by monsters.
Only a few world-class artisans of A rank or higher could occasionally make custom items.
"You made that one too, Lady Raebi? May I take a look?"
When Iroha held out the ring she had received before, Bella spoke.
After receiving the ring from Iroha, she examined it with an even more serious expression.
I had expected her to be unimpressed by an ordinary A-rank ring, but she wasn't.
Soon, she returned the ring and said,
"......This is made of the same material, too. Not only does it shrink on its own, but its ability to circulate mana is also exceptional. Where on earth did you get a material like this?"
"I'm not able to tell you that yet."
"......"
"For the record, it's not because I don't want to cooperate. I simply don't know yet, either."
"I understand. Please share it with us as soon as you find out. I'll compensate you handsomely."
Afterward, I shared more detailed information about the rings' functions and how to use them.
The underwater breathing effect was something they understood instinctively as soon as they put the rings on, so it did not surprise them much. But when I explained the automatic counterattack, the mood changed once again.
Rainy suggested a simple experiment. She proposed that we attack one of the rings.
To prepare for any unforeseen incident, An Nari, the weakest Awakened person here, took on the role of attacker.
"Don't hold back because of my status and attack with everything you've got. A Healer is standing by at all times in case you get hurt."
Rainy agreed to block whatever counterattack emerged.
When An Nari threw a dagger at Bella, it bounced off something, and then a laser-like beam shot out from the ring.
Crack...!
The frozen laser stopped right in front of An Nari's face.
She tried not to panic, but soon swallowed hard.
As she watched the ice slowly scatter, Rainy spoke.
"It's water. I know this technique well. It should be useful for preventing surprise attacks."
We learned the detailed functions through several additional experiments. The three of them put their heads together and discussed the rings.
"......The counterattack is proportional to the strength of the attack. It can operate indefinitely if you keep supplying mana, but the efficiency isn't very good compared to the investment."
"That shouldn't be a problem if we use it after charging it in advance."
"It's nice that the counterattack isn't fixed. It would be troublesome if a Fireball were consumed by a goblin's punch."
Time flowed away helplessly like that. Since they had already seen nearly every ordinary item, they were absorbed in this new technology they had encountered for the first time in a while.
Rainy in particular was delighted, saying that some of her skills seemed to be enhanced because she was a crystal-magic user.
"Lady Raebi."
"Yes?"
"How many more of these can you make?"
......Everyone asks similar questions.
I gave Rainy an awkward smile at her question.
"I can't make many at once. The scarcity of the required materials is one issue, but it also consumes far too much mana."
"......If I ordered another one like this, when could I receive it?"
"Ah, well... I don't have a license yet, so wouldn't selling it be illegal?"
……That was only fine with Douglas Kim, since it was an internal matter.
Rainy stopped with an 'Huh?'. Then she let out a muffled laugh and met Bella's eyes.
Bella's lips also slowly curled upward.
"Ha... I can only say that you're truly adorable. Lady Raebi, are you worried about it being 'illegal' right now?"
"Ah!"
......Bella Cecil. Rainy Walter.
"Come to think of it, that is a needless worry."
"Right? So tell me. What price do you want, and how long do you expect it to take?"
"Hmm."
That was difficult.
I was busy enough as it was. I had not yet neatly finished either my Hunter license or my workshop, so I wanted to avoid taking on any more work.
"To be honest, I can't give you a definite answer. Obtaining the materials is one thing, but my workshop is still being set up."
"I see. That's unfortunate. Then let me know once you're ready. I'll have an attendant send you my contact information."
"Understood. Thank you for understanding."
Rainy smiled lightly and nodded. Once we'd said more or less everything we had to say, silence descended, and soon everyone's eyes turned toward one person.
Bella was sitting alone at the table, tapping away at her smartphone.
After moving her fingers rapidly, she looked over at us. She approached with an apologetic look for having been distracted.
"Have you more or less finished with the deal?"
"The circumstances weren't right, so we decided to put it off."
"I see."
Bella looked at me for a moment.
Then she gave me a satisfied smile.
"......Honestly, I'm surprised. I had no idea you possessed that level of crafting ability, Lady Raebi. It seems I've obtained most of the answers I wanted today."
Bella muttered that she could understand why Viscount Douglas had accepted me. Just like Aiden, she had seen through Douglas's eccentric behavior.
She did not seem like the type to take much interest in those around her, so I became certain that Enrico or Aiden had commissioned her.
She then evaluated the ring.
She said that its overall enhancements were somewhat lacking compared to the Cecil family's items, but her tone implied that it was still useful.
That meant it was sufficiently practical even for most S-ranks.
"And that's only looking at its basic functions. Once you consider the unusual 'water attribute' as well... this is currently a one-of-a-kind technology."
"That's wonderful news…!"
'I know.'
I had already grasped the general state of the market through my Gate Materials Studies and Item Crafting classes.
I did not know whether Bella's expression was an act, but judging solely from the current situation, it seemed that even the highest-ranking families did not possess anything similar.
Bella offered to pay me for the ring, but I refused.
If I accepted money halfheartedly, I would only expose how little I had to offer.
"Instead, there's something I'd like to ask of you."
"Please, go ahead."
"Please help me avoid attracting more attention than I can handle. I'm too busy for it."
"Ah. ......I suppose I pressured you a little too much."
"You did."
I gave a deep nod, and Rainy covered her mouth with a 'Pfft'.
Iroha looked flustered beside me, and Bella pressed her lips together once.
"I'm sorry, but if I don't speak honestly, you'll just pick on me again."
"You don't look particularly sorry, but in any case, I understand. We were certainly discourteous to you as well."
She promised that there would be no more sudden invitations like this in the future.
*
"You're amazing, Lady Raebi."
On the way back after the social gathering ended, Iroha suggested that we take a short walk.
When she suddenly spoke admiringly, I looked at her in confusion.
"What am I amazing for?"
"For getting Lady Bella to accept the deal on equal terms. She doesn't put adoptees on the same footing as nobles."
Normally, she said, Bella would most likely have threatened me and taken whatever she wanted immediately.
She added that admitting she was wrong even after hearing such direct criticism was highly unusual.
That meant Bella valued me highly enough to do so.
"It's nice, but now I'm getting anxious. She'll keep her promise, right?"
"Don't worry about that. More importantly, Lady Raebi."
"Yes?"
"Now that you've become so popular, you won't start treating me like an afterthought, will you?"
"Pfft, don't say such things."
Iroha and I got along well in many ways. Even setting aside factors like our appearances, I thought we could become good friends.
Connections like this were not easily obtained, so I should continue maintaining a good relationship with her.
'......But I'm actually thinking of becoming friends with her. Even though I used to be an adult man.'
That thought suddenly occurred to me.
But I soon brushed it away and steeled myself. I had already grown accustomed to this body as though I had been a girl from the beginning.
Honestly, if I saw a man's 'that' now, I was confident I would blush.
While I was organizing my thoughts, Iroha spoke.
"In any case, I'll put the ring to good use. I received something much better than I expected... Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
"There is! Give me some money."
"Huh...?"
"There are so many things I want to do, but high-grade materials are expensive."
Iroha opened her mouth with an 'Ah~'.
"If you need funds, that's no problem. But I know something even better."
"What is it?"
"The Shimizu family's item vault. Wouldn't you like to take a look?"
"......!"
Right there, I finalized my trip to Japan immediately after graduation. Han Jihye's eyebrow twitched, but it couldn't be helped.
Iroha giggled and told me to name my price, saying she'd pay separately as well. Since I had many personal expenses, such as attendant salaries and food, I named 300 million won.
She asked whether that amount would really be enough, but since I had caused her trouble, I couldn't bring myself to charge her full value.
"Welcome back, Lady Raebi."
When I returned to the lodging after parting with Iroha, the attendants had gathered there.
Every one of them wore an excited expression, as though waiting to hear about their experience at the top of the world.
Without even needing to explain, An Nari slumped down right where she was.
"My lady!"
"I-I'm all right. ...I'm sorry, Lady Raebi."
"No, it's all right. I understand completely."
......It would be strange if she remained sane after being ordered to attack Bella Cecil.
I ordered An Nari to rest, then began making calls to various people.
I told Douglas, Vincent, and Livi that I had revealed my crafting ability.
"......so today might be difficult. I'll tell you everything in detail tomorrow."
-I understand. Good work, Raebi!
That brought the first semester, including the social season, to a close.
I decided to prepare special bonuses for An Nari, who had been forced to attack a noble practically equivalent to royalty, and Han Jihye, who had gone all out in supporting me.
'Now, there's the matter of a representative... Who should I pick?'
Knock knock-
"Come in. ......Ms. Hana?"
"A special guest has arrived, Lady Raebi."