(EP-182.1) And Take #1
182 – Give and Take #1
When I remained silent for a while, Serazade took the initiative to speak.
“Half-Fairy, I want to ask if you can foresee the future of Tureuki under my rule?”
“The future of Tureuki….”
I couldn’t think of anything right now. How was Tureuki in the novel?
As far as I knew, they suffered severe damage from a giant flying monster, coming from the barrier that even the Demon King Angmar couldn’t conquer.
They probably perished…
In the end, few survived in the original work.
After all, the onslaught of evil surging from behind the collapsed barrier overturned the world.
However, now that the collapse of the barrier was detected in advance and the security got improved, such a catastrophe was quite unlikely to occur.
So, like Angmar, Tureuki would likely start to prosper. Serazade also seemed like a pretty smart person, so she’d probably do well on her own.
But I guess it was best to just answer in moderation like with Aira.
“With the wise Empress, wouldn’t Tureuki be at peace and flourish? I just hope that Tureuki’s longstanding empire will have amicable relations with Angmar in the future.”
If it were Aira, she would likely smile satisfactorily at this compliment and give me a pat on the head.
However, Serazade’s reaction was more flat than I anticipated.
“This Highness isn’t looking for frivolous compliments. I want specific and definite information!”
“Specific and definite information-.”
“Yes. For example, a traitor within Tureuki-. Figures harboring malicious schemes in their minds.”
How rational…
No, this was just a normal person’s reaction.
Taking the lead of this conversation with this woman felt a bit daunting, especially after dealing with the whimsical Aira.
I might get exposed if I was not careful. However, my time in court wasn’t just for show.
I had survived and stood against real experts like Reinhardt or Belmott. There was no need to cower before Serazade.
I felt the need to assert myself a bit.
“Seeing the future comes at a cost.”
“Are you saying it requires a sacrifice?”
“You can think of it that way. It involves considerable mental strength and mana consumption. I have to read the fortunes of the stars. I have to put effort into the framework of observation in quantum mechanics. And the future can even change depending on the observation.”
“Quantum… mechanics? Oh, right. You were a mage, a Half-Fairy. It must be a complicated spell.”
I threw out some seemingly complex words.
I was wondering what to do if I got caught, but Serazade seemed to have roughly understood it as ‘a difficult language used by mages’.
In this world, mages often made a lot of elusive claims as if catching clouds.
Even white beard Hynax, who taught me magic, would say things like, “Due to the high magical angel index-” leaving me frequently bewildered.
At this moment, Serazade’s mysterious silvery eyes slightly narrowed.
“Yes, I suppose there’s a price. This Highness isn’t so shameless as to ask for something just with words. Huhuhu-.”
Serazade seemed rather pleased after hearing about the price. Perhaps because she thought she saw a clue to the conversation.
Then she said with a subtle tone.
“Tureuki has many things that can entice people’s desires, from jewels to even dinosaurs.”
“….”
… Dinosaurs?
Really!?
Just as I was picturing long-tailed sauruses in my mind, Serazade continued.
“Do you need gems? From opals to onyx, diamonds to obsidian, red and black agate, and even black pearls – name what you desire, and I’ll provide it.”
“Hmm….”
Gems, huh.
Actually, I didn’t have much desire for material things. Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t know how to indulge, and I certainly wouldn’t have the time. I’d rather be given a dinosaur.
“I heard that mages use precious gems to raise their magic. Are you not interested?”
“With all due respect, but I’m a little different from those types of mage. The ones who can increase their magic through gems are probably Earth attribute mages like Kasim-nim.”
“I see. So what about beauties? As you can see, Tureuki is known for its many beauties.”
“Ah….”
As I muttered, Serazade furrowed her eyebrows.
“What’s with that reaction? You can express more admiration.”
“Ah, indeed, a country of many beauties…!”
I exaggerated like a fairy. Perhaps Serazade liked the theatricality in my response because she continued speaking.
“If you wish, I can arrange a few dancers for you.”
At the mention of dancers, images of bejeweled copper-skin beauties swirled in my mind.
━What a cute Half-Fairy, let’s dance together!
It sounded nice…
But now, I didn’t have time to care about some dancers. Dealing with the Young Ladies from each house alone was overwhelming enough.
Too bad…
As I was about to change the subject, Serazade seemed to have sensed my intentions and diverted the conversation.
“Unexpectedly, you are a man with a humble desire… Then how about petroleum?”
“Petroleum?”
Suddenly, black water rushed through my mind. The desert and oil make you oil. Deserts and petroleum often correlated, deserts meant lands with petroleum.
But the petroleum Serazade spoke of was somewhat different.
“Yes, there are many mineral-rich underground caves in Tureuki’s desert. There, very rarely, gongcheong petroleum can be found. Half-Fairy, I’ll give you a drop if you wish.”
Gongcheong petroleum.
It was, as far as I know, quite a rare elixir.
It was very effective and scarce, and therefore, highly coveted. It was like some kind of water dripping from rocks, or stalactites.
So it was petroleum.
People said that Tureuki’s economy and national power that had been destroyed in the war with the Demon King Angmar was revived because of the discovery of the underground spring water.
I was getting interested in what kind of thing it could be.
Drinking would increase magic power. Maybe I could even break through this stagnation and get to Rank 5 in one go!
***[T/N: I’ll call it Gongcheong petroleum for now since direct translation doesn’t make sense. I’ll change it once we know more]
Edited by: faker
