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「Regarding that, Leshimiiya shall explain in detail.」
「Certainly. First of all, please keep even the very existence of this magic core a secret.」
「Right, understood.」

After Brother nodded to my preliminary caution, I continued speaking.

「As for the origin of this magic core, it apparently comes from the den in Central. I was told that this was procured from the monsters appearing at the strata further beyond those that are currently identified.」
「An S-rank from the den… How authentic is this information?」
「I believe it to be almost certain. For better or for worse, news of an S-rank monster appearing near human habitation would spread quickly, so if that isn’t the case, the den would indeed be the most reasonable source.」
「I see.」

Brother deeply nodded, not with the expression of a family member, but as that of the crown prince.
There indeed are other possible sources, but Miss Ailneige has yet to be absent from the academy ever since. In that case, the only time she has to defeat a nearby S-rank monster is during the end of the week.
She would need to secretly find unreported S-rank monsters and fight and defeat them without anyone noticing during the holidays. Achieving all of that within the span of two consecutive days would surely be difficult even for an S-rank hunter.

As such, her having defeated monsters in the den as she said is the more realistic prospect. Moreover, craftiness of that sort is not her strong suit.

「This by itself would greatly help with our magic core shortage, but surely this wasn’t given to you for free, was it now?」
「Yes. This was merely lent to me since the other party thought it would be better to have a sample.」
「… Mii, who provided this sample?」

Hearing Brother’s inquiry, I turned to Father for confirmation, and he nodded in response. I already suspected it when Brother was given permission to enter, but it appears that Father intends to entrust the decision-making to an extent.
With Brother Arc being the next in line, this certainly is a rare and valuable experience for him. In that case, I couldn’t help but think this matter should have gone to Brother to begin with.

Still, considering Miss Ailneige’s personality, she is unlikely to go out of her way to propose this offer to the palace, so had she not come to me, this offer likely wouldn’t have reached us to begin with; it can’t be helped.

「The other party is the one called the Princess of Central: Lady Cielmer.」
「Why is such a major player here in Aus―… I see, the academy.」
「Yes. Lady Cielmer enrolled with an alias and stated that she did not want to be known, so only our dear king father and a small few know about her. Brother Arc not being informed was…」
「By Father’s judgment, surely. Still―no, let’s continue with the magic core first.」

Brother seemed to have further inquiries, but he held his tongue and returned to the topic at hand.

「Her conditions are to not divulge the source of the magic cores, to strictly use them where they cannot be seen, and to treat it as a private transaction, not as a transaction with Central. For as long as she has stock remaining, she is willing to sell to us at our asking price.」
「I see. Then, Crown Prince, what do you believe the course of action should be?」

As I thought, Father wishes to have Brother decide. Father will still have the final decision, but he probably wants to witness his choice as the next king.

「Before making judgment, Mii, may I ask a few questions?」
「As long as they are questions I can answer.」
「Why does the Central Princess wish for it to be a private transaction?」
「She exclaimed that it is because making it a transaction between nations would complicate things.」
「From your observation, is there no lie in those words?」
「That’s… yes. She seems to dislike troublesome matters, so I’m certain about it. In particular, she doesn’t show any strong sense of ambition.」

From our interactions, that was the impression I got. Despite having the position of being Central’s Princess, making her no inferior to the kings of other nations, she doesn’t wish to do anything with that status.
However, if need be, I believe that she will not hesitate to wield her authority. She has a mindset similar to that of a commoner, yet not exactly. Now that I think back, she’s such a strange personage.

「*Hmm*… In that case, how about we purchase as much as we can at the market price? It sounds like the Central Princess would not be pleased with attempts to curry favor or otherwise, so making a fair trade may be the safest option.
Even if it ends with us being indebted, it’s still better than having the kingdom in chaos.」

Brother shared with Father the conclusion he reached from the information I shared.
And to his words, Father responded with a satisfied nod.

「In that case, I shall contact a trustworthy appraiser. Leshimiiya, that much should not be an issue, yes?」
「As long as the appraiser keeps silent about the magic core, it should be fine. I was also told that it’s fine if only a chosen few witness the magic cores being used.」
「At worst, we might need to use a contract, but no matter.」
「Now then, please allow me to excuse myself.」
「Of course, you did very well.」

Staying here will only make me a nuisance, so with our discussion over, I decided to leave. While I did not work for this achievement, I was giddy from Father’s praise, and my cheeks curved into a smile the moment I exited the room.
Just as I noticed Brother exiting right after me, he called my name.

「Mii, if you have free time, why don’t we have a short chat?」
「Of course, dear brother.」

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a relaxed chat with the busy Brother Arc, so I gladly obliged. The choice of venue is either my room or Brother’s room, so after some contemplation, I chose his room.
My dear brother’s room had plenty of sorceric tools, which―from his own admission―is because sorceric tools are both a hobby and work for him. *He likely enjoys them more as a hobby, though,* I thought to myself as I was led to the table by the window side.

「I really love drinking tea while looking out of the window from here.」
「The scenery is quite wonderful.」

While it doesn’t have the whole view of the capital, a large portion can be seen from here, and you can easily imagine how the people are living their lives.
There is also a good view of places I’m familiar with, which almost brings back memories of my experiences there.

For a while, we observed the royal capital, pointing at curiosities here and there and chatting, but as we were finished being served tea, Brother had all of the servants step away.