TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 34
It has been a week since Yuria left.
Currently, the Empire is bustling with adventurers due to the Unidentified Dungeon discovered in Hamel.
Adventurers who heard about the dungeon in Hamel began to flock there with the goal of striking it rich.
To prepare for their exploration, adventurers heading to the marketplace passed between the estate walls, and we blankly watched them.
-They did say it’s an Unidentified Dungeon, right? Just let me find one sturdy artifact. Please.
-Nonsense. Do you think it’ll just appear? You should’ve prayed at the cathedral, like me.
-Idiot. Quit gambling already.
Watching the back figure of an adventurer leaving with hope, I muttered quietly.
“Pfft.”
***
The quiet second floor, Young Lady’s Room.
The Young Lady frowned at the old bundle placed on her bed.
“Is this the 4D Pouch Ricardo mentioned?”
“Yes.”
An old bundle with stitched marks here and there.
When the Young Lady poked it with her finger, a clear jingling sound could be heard.
“Oh…!”
The Young Lady nodded.
“A pouch that grants wishes!”
“That’s correct. This is a 4D Pouch that grants any wish.”
The Young Lady, her eyes wide open, focused all her attention on the old bundle. As if handling a sacred relic, she hesitated to touch it thoughtlessly and sent me a pleading look.
“Can I conquer the world with this?”
“…Do you want to?”
“Yes.”
At the completely unexpected answer, I quickly averted my gaze.
The Young Lady asked me again.
“Is it possible?”
“…That’s a bit much.”
“What? Then.”
Losing interest, the Young Lady exclaimed, “Hmph!” and tossed the bundle. With a rumbling sound, gold coins with a brilliant luster spilled out from the bundle.
The Young Lady pointed at the gold coins with her finger, her expression asking what in the world this was.
“Treasure?”
I nodded.
“Treasure.”
The treasures inside the bundle were obtained a week ago during a 2-night, 3-day exploration of a dusty dungeon.
These treasures, the kind of windfall adventurers dream of, were now inside this old bundle.
The Young Lady, unable to close her mouth in astonishment, trembled as her hands shook.
“A wish… I can fulfill it now.”
“Not even close with this.”
“…Not enough?”
“Yes.”
“Even so, I’m happy.”
Smiling, the Young Lady began to stuff the gold coins into her chest. Like a bank thief sweeping money into a bag, the Young Lady’s swift movements prompted me to speak.
“What are you doing?”
“Saving.”
“There?”
The Young Lady nodded.
Seeing the Young Lady’s strange new habit, I felt pleased today, as it was a feast for the eyes.
‘Maybe… this isn’t so bad.’
I started taking out the items we brought back from the dungeon onto the bed.
“Oh…!”
As the shining items were laid out one by one on the bed, the Young Lady clapped her hands, her eyes widening.
“Do you see this?”
Golden bracelets, golden water cups, and so on. The dazzling display of treasures was so overwhelming that the Young Lady, feeling dizzy, held her forehead and staggered.
“Oh… I feel like I’m going blind.”
I shrugged nonchalantly.
“This is the extent of our wealth.”
“We’re not beggars anymore?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
The Young Lady looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
But today, she looked at me with pride, as if I were the most remarkable person, and her gaze, which I hadn’t seen in a while, made my face flush.
The Young Lady raised her thumb.
With a refreshing smile, she showered me with high praise.
“I’m proud!”
Scratching the back of my head, my face turned red.
“I know.”
Humming from the Young Lady’s praise, I started taking out the remaining items.
────────────────
Potion of Mana [A]
◈When consumed by someone with a Magic Stat below ‘+30,’ it raises their Magic Stat by ‘+10.’
────────────────
This is a gift for Malik.
Thinking of Malik, who is soon to awaken his aura, this was a treasure brought back from the dungeon.
Aura is notoriously known for its inefficiency.
For a swordsman, mana was initially regarded as a resource to use auxiliary magic, such as body-enhancement spells, which consumed relatively little mana. However, after awakening their aura, they had to focus on increasing their total mana capacity to rival that of a wizard.
For Malik, having a high Magic Stat is not just good—it’s an essential stat that must be increased.
Even a small increase in total mana capacity would allow him to release one more sword energy, which could lead to victory in battle. Because of this, Malik was likely seeking this elixir to boost his mana.
If the elixir safely reaches Malik via mail, he might visit the estate.
That’s how valuable this elixir is.
It’s an item whose worth cannot be measured in money.
If Malik does visit us, I’ll have to ask him for a few Friends of Forest Meal Vouchers.
I set the elixir aside and pulled out a sword sticking out of the bundle.
A sword with a white sword sheath encasing its blade.
────────────────
Beginner’s Sword [A+]
◈A sword for beginners who have just awakened their aura. Made of special “material,” it allows for more efficient mana consumption when using aura.
[Cost of Efficiency]
Reduces aura mana consumption by 10%.
[Beginner’s Blessing]
Allows one use of sword energy infused with aura when mana is depleted. (Once per day)
────────────────
This sword is a gift for Hanna.
It’s the sword I promised myself to gift her when we parted last time. It’s also the sword Mikhail used until the middle of the novel.
I held the sword up.
It was too light for me to use, and the blade’s length felt lacking.
Though it seemed a waste to gift such a sword with its elegant design and two additional abilities, it didn’t fit my hands. More importantly, it suited Hanna, a woman, better than me.
Mikhail is such a talented guy that he’ll grow just fine without something like this. No need to worry.
He’s someone who doesn’t rely on equipment and has exceptional talent, so starting with this kind of handicap should be fine.
As I separated out the gifts meant for the Histania Siblings, I felt an unusual gaze on me.
-Softly…
The Young Lady, pretending to be uninterested, watched the bundle with an overtly expectant gaze.
“…”
Eyes filled with anticipation.
When I playfully avoided her gaze, the Young Lady let out a Deep Sigh filled with sorrow.
‘It’s a good thing I prepared a separate gift for her.’
Anticipating this, I had set aside a special gift just for the Young Lady. With an awkward smile, I retrieved a necklace from the old bundle.
I wondered if she would like it.
“This is your gift, Young Lady.”
A Gold-Framed Necklace with a Red Jewel.
When the Young Lady saw the necklace, her eyes widened with delight.
“I-It… It looks expensive.”
“It is expensive.”
“Ooooooh….”
The Young Lady held the necklace up to the sunlight, admiring its radiant beauty.
She turned it to the side, flipped it upside down, and even bit it lightly.
Seeing this, I said, “That’s dirty.”
“Gold isn’t dirty.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Ricardo, Mother once said, ‘Anything that sparkles is always right.'”
Indeed.
I nodded. It’s true that anything that sparkles is always right. The same goes for gold coins, gold itself, and the Chocolate smudged on the Young Lady’s ch—
Anyway.
While the Young Lady’s words had some truth, biting into a necklace brought back from a dusty dungeon was far from clean.
Monsters could have played with it, or its original owner may have used it Filthily.
I quickly snatched the necklace from the Young Lady’s hand and wiped off the dust with a white Handkerchief.
“Anyway, it’s dirty.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Here, look.”
I showed her the Handkerchief now stained black with dirt.
“Ugh.”
The Young Lady furrowed her brows.
After spitting a few times as if rinsing her mouth, she fixed her gaze on the necklace and asked.
“How much would this sell for?”
“The necklace?”
The thoughtful Young Lady asked about its price as soon as she received it. As expected of a Noble, she had a fondness for material things.
At her question, I pondered. Wanting to show off a little, I mixed a bit of truth with exaggeration.
‘Since it’s an Artifact from the dungeon, probably…’
“Wouldn’t it be worth around 100,000 gold?”
“Heek…! It’s worth that much?”
“Probably.”
Hearing the price, the Young Lady looked at the necklace lovingly.
“I like it.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
The Young Lady hesitated.
“Is it really okay for me to have something this expensive?”
“You’ve worn far more expensive things before.”
“Even so… This is different. This feels like it could buy ten years’ worth of beef!”
Having once lived as a Beggar, the Young Lady now had a proper sense of economics. While admirable, I had already decided that the necklace belonged to her the moment I saw it in the dungeon.
“It’s fine. What matters is that it suits you.”
“Really? Does it suit me?”
“Yes. I thought you were a Goddess.”
“Hehe…”
The Young Lady laughed happily.
After thoroughly cleaning the necklace, I placed it around the Young Lady’s neck.
With the dazzling necklace adorning her fair neck, it undoubtedly suited her. Given her beauty and natural charm, it was only natural, but the sight of the Young Lady wearing it filled me with pride.
‘I’m glad I brought it.’
────────────────
[Promise Necklace] [A+]
◈A necklace gifted by a man to his beloved wife upon being conscripted into war.
[Let’s meet again]
If the necklace’s chain breaks, it swaps locations with the Weak Person. (One-time use)
────────────────
Though it wasn’t an Artifact mentioned in the Novel, its practical ability made it worthwhile.
Seeing how much the Young Lady liked it, I couldn’t help but feel happy as well.
While I was momentarily distracted.
-Rustle… Rustle.
The Young Lady was already rummaging through the bundle.
Was the gift I gave her not enough?
She buried her face into the dusty bundle, and annoyed, I blocked its opening.
“Uuuuuugh…!”
“Ricardo…! The bundle is trying to eat me!”
The Young Lady struggled.
“Eeeek.”
Before any harsh curses could escape her lips, I opened the bundle’s opening.
Covered in dust, the Young Lady glared at me with piercing eyes.
“Ugh….”
With her Hair covered in dust, I whistled as I looked out the Window.
“It seems the Bundle Monster found you quite appetizing, Young Lady.”
“Liar. You did it, Ricardo.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
After a brief silence, the Young Lady suddenly extended her arm toward me. I thought she was going to throw a gold coin from the bundle at me.
“Such a weak attack won’t work on me…”
I tried to turn my head to avoid it, but.
Instead of throwing a gold coin, the Young Lady grabbed my wrist and held out a Gold Bracelet she had taken from the bundle.
With a bright smile, she said to me.
“This is for you, Ricardo.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
The Young Lady beamed brightly. With dust scattered in her Hair and an innocent smile on her face, I felt an inexplicable warmth in my chest.
The Young Lady grabbed my right wrist.
As she tried to personally fasten the bracelet onto me.
The Young Lady suddenly paused and froze.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes?”
Looking at my right Sleeve, the Young Lady spoke.
With a Question Mark on the Head and eyes filled with resentment, she stared at me, though I had no idea why.
“You wrapped your hand in a Bandage?”
“Ah…”
I said to the Young Lady with an awkward smile.
“Because you hate tattoos.”
The Young Lady spoke firmly.
“I like them now.”
“I am embarrassed.”
The Young Lady said to me.
“You’re bad.”
Once again, I was the object of her hatred today.