"Sister Claire? Why are you here at this hour?"
It was late at night with only magic stone lamp illuminating the surrounding
faintly.
My eyes widened seeing this outrageous nun visiting the inn where we
stayed by herself.
Then she smiled gracefully while,
"It's nothing serious, I just have something on my mind. Just because you
had discovered the material that you sought in great quantity during your
search of that girl, I think not accepting any reward at all for bringing her
back safely is still a bit illogical."
"H-haa"
"And that's why, I'm thinking of giving to Eriol-sama a reward from me
personally."
"Eh? N-no that's, not right. Everyone in this village had treated the two of
us with a lot of delicious foods for saving that girl. I'm already satisfied
with that."
"There is no need to feel reserved. I myself am also in your debt for saving
my life, so this present from me is also to show my gratitude for that."
I couldn't refuse if she said that.
"Then I will accept your gratitude... but what is it that you want to give
to me?"
There's no way that it's actually money that she stole from the church
right... I was a bit worried and prepared myself. Then Sister Claire
started rummaging inside her breasts.
"Here you go, it's a pretty rock that I picked up from somewhere!"
"E-err..."
Sister Claire smiled radiantly as she handed to me a small green rock.
It's certainly pretty but... err, how should I react here?
"Fufufu. It's a nice rock right? I accidentally found it jutting out from the
ground while taking a stroll. I thought that I definitely have to give it to you
when I saw it. Surely good things will happen if you wear it all the time
right next to your skin! After all this rock is so pretty like this!"
Sister Claire's eyes sparkled childishly as she talked.
H-hmm, I don't smell alcohol from her. It looked like she was saying that
from genuine good intention.
Well, this was far more charming than being given money under the guise
of reward. I could accept this kind of gift without reservation.
Something felt a bit wrong with how she expressly came to visit this late
just for this kind of business at night when most people would be asleep
already, but this was Sister Claire who I was dealing with, so it felt
pointless to think too deeply about it.
"Thank you for this, I'll treasure it."
"That's a promise okay! Now then my business here is finished, so I'll also
return to Sylvia... Aa, I also have an advice as part of the reward/"
Sister Claire had turned her back on me before she looked back at me again.
"...tsu"
My breath got caught there.
Sister Claire's sober expression as she looked at me from the dimly lit
corridor had awfully mystical air at that moment. And then as she stared at
my surprised expression,
.
"You should choose the dungeon city if you're faced with the option."
.
"Eh?"
"That city will surely hasten the growth of the two of you."
She said something like that out of nowhere before she left. I didn't even
have any time to stop her.
"W-what did she mean by that?"
I was puzzled by what just happened but there had been too many things
that happened this day and I was tired.
I put the pretty rock that Sister Claire gave me into a leather bag so that I
wouldn't lose it before went to sleep right away.
.
But the next day.
"This rock that Sister Claire gave me, it's giving off a strange
feeling...?"
I had slept soundly and recovered both physically and mentally. I was tilting
my head while looking at the rock that was shining from being put under
the morning sunlight. I didn't notice yesterday because she said that it was
just a rock that she picked up randomly, but this rock, it felt like it was
tinged with strong mana...
"But it also feels different from the ore that grew in the dangerous area...
it feels like, the inside is more compressed and exuded an aura..."
That mysterious sensation tickled my curiosity and I took out the appraisal
crystal from my pocket.
I shouldn't use this expensive item that had limited number of use so
casually, but this thing just wouldn't leave my mind.
And then when I tried appraising the rock that Sister Claire gave me,
"...Ha!?"
I spontaneously screamed so loudly I might have woken up everyone in the
inn.
"...? What's wrong Erio..."
Alicia woke up from my voice and asked me in surprise, but I didn't have
any presence of mind to reply to her.
The reason was because the appraisal crystal displayed this kind of result.
.
Mighty Mana Crystal: A stone that was a condensed mana of the land.
It halved the wearer's mana expenditure of skill usage and doubled their
mana recovery speed. It also increased the mana increase rate when leveling
up.
Quality: High
.
It was the fabled magic crystal that was said to be discovered only once for
every dozens of years.
Just as the appraisal crystal displayed, its effect could only be described as
extraordinary.
It was a national treasure class item that was said to be able to affect the
victory or defeat of a war if someone with powerful magician type Gift
equipped it. It went without saying that this was something to be gifted
away just for showing gratitude from getting helped.
"Wait, this, why did that nun have something like this!? Or rather I can't
accept something like this! I need to return it quickly!"
I was half panicking while rushing toward the inn where Sister Claire and
her bodyguard Sylvia-san were staying at.
But,
"Aa, if it's those two then they had departed early this morning."
"Ee!?"
No certainly they said that this village was just a stopping point for them
but, why were they in such a rush!?
The receptionist lady clapped her hand saying "Ah, come to think of it"
while I was in a shocked daze.
"You are Mr. Eriol who became the hot topic yesterday for the great help
you gave us yesterday right? Miss Claire left a note for you."
She said that and gave me the note.
{We need to leave the village quickly because of various circumstances. By
any chance do you like the present that I gave to you yesterday? It won't be
possible to return that rock back so please think of it as me and keep it
pressed on your skin all the time. Well then, let's meet again sometimes
before long.}
"J-just what in the world..."
Sister Claire's words and behaviors that were filled with mystery kept me
reeling from start to end.