Volume 4 Chapter 7 The Fact That This Slave Calls Herself a Scholar Is the Biggest Mystery in Recent Years
"Long time no see, Mr. Ryuuji! How many years has it been!?"
"...Has it really been that long? Yeah, maybe it has."
Aine, still as boar-like as before, made me think back to the past.
If I remember correctly, it's been about 4 years since I took Ai in as my adopted daughter.
"Lord Huntwerker, who is this person?"
"Hmm? Oh, this is Aine, a rare scholar who gets excited over coal."
"Please don't say such ridiculous lies!"
Aine quickly snapped at me after I introduced her carelessly to the official.
Wait, is that wrong?
I've seen her breathless a few times just looking at coal.
"Honestly... Huh? Lord Huntwerker? Who are you talking about?"
"It's me."
Aine, mumbling complaints, tilted her head.
When I pointed to myself, she froze and exclaimed, "Huh!?"
"R-Ryuuji, I mean, Lord Huntwerker!? You're a noble!?"
"I received my title 3 and a half years ago. I'm technically a Count."
I answered calmly to Aine, who was struggling with her words.
It's well-known in Sartzstadt that I was introduced directly to the townspeople by Lord Reichner, being a unique noble living without a territory and making a living from magic stones.
This scholar probably still has no interest in anything but coal.
"This is... this is! Please forgive me!"
"Hey, stop that! It looks like I'm doing something bad."
Aine suddenly dropped to the ground and started apologizing like crazy.
I hurried to stop her.
What if they think I'm forcing her?
Good thing there aren't many people around.
I told Aine she didn't need to bow like that and pulled her up to calm her down.
Finally, she showed some composure.
Seriously, not great at anything but coal, huh?
"...Huh? Coal?"
"What!? Where!? Where is the coal!?"
Aine, hearing my mumble, suddenly looked around.
No way, there's none around here.
Calm down, okay?
"Not that, of course! Aine, you know a lot about coal, right?"
"Of course! There are hardly anyone who knows coal better than me!"
Aine puffed out her chest proudly, confidently declaring that.
It's impressive to say such a thing so firmly.
"Then, I have a good job for you. ...I want you to identify the quality of some coal."
"The quality of coal? Well, I must say, unfortunately, Beistein Kingdom has many volcanoes, so the coal quality isn't great."
Aine didn't seem too interested in what I said.
Is that so?
First time hearing that volcanoes make coal quality bad.
But please don't say things like, "I want to go back to Goldmont..." right in front of me.
I'm not a lord, but that makes me unsure how to react.
Besides, you left Goldmont on your own, right?
"No, the coal I want you to identify isn't from Beistein Kingdom."
"Huh? Is it from Goldmont then? That would mean it's pretty good quality, but not the best. Or is it from the Deahr Kingdom in the east? Their quality isn't much different from the Beistein Kingdom's. Now, if it's from the Romanov Empire in the north of Goldmont, that would be top-notch quality, but they have strict export limits on coal, so it's hard to get your hands on, right?"
Wow, truly a coal enthusiast.
Knowing about Goldmont, Deahr, and Romanov coals.
It's clear you're not just talking big.
But it's not Deahr or Romanov.
The coal I want to investigate is──
"By the way, did you hear about the fleet that went west and discovered a new continent, then returned?"
I asked, but Aine just looked up at the sky, furrowed her brow, and went "Hmmm?"
This girl, doesn't she even know the hot news of this town?
I couldn't help but exchange a glance with the official.
He, too, was astonished and let out a small sigh.
I get how he feels.
"So that's how it is, huh."
"...Yeah, it happened. And among the things brought back from that land, there was something like coal. I bet you could assess its quality──"
"Where?! Where is it?!"
"Oh! Oh! Y-You──!"
Suddenly, Aine got excited, grabbed my chest, and started shaking me vigorously. The official hurriedly restrained her.
...I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to rely on this girl.
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