Chapter 99: Advanced Mana Stone

"Child, listen to the sound of the snow falling."

Prince Marib suddenly recalled his mother's words and looked out the window. As expected, it was snowing. Every year, strangely, the moment the first snow fell, the queen's voice would inevitably echo in his mind.

"Oh, it's the first snow."

The secretary smiled as he handed Marib a document. Winter is cold and tough, but it's the season of endings and new beginnings, isn't it? Marib turned his head with little enthusiasm and muttered.

"The New Year's banquet will be held soon, I suppose."

"That's right. The main palace is in quite a fuss. They say the chief treasurer and Dilaina's head attendant are arguing every day over the budget."

Dilaina was the emperor's concubine and the only woman who served by his side. The position of queen had been vacant for quite some time after the deaths of Marib's birth mother and Gail's birth mother.

'Has it really been over ten years?'

Several times, there had been talk of appointing a new queen, but it never made it to the agenda. It was the one thing Marib and Gail agreed on.

Until their mothers returned, no one could take the queen's place.

No one but their birth mothers could call them 'son.'

"How frustrating. I don't know why they make such a fuss over the New Year's banquet."

"Isn't it the emperor's responsibility? Since His Majesty is unwell, it's only natural for the closest concubine to handle it. It's an honor, isn't it?"

"To get a word of encouragement from Father?"

Marib continued, trying to erase his mother's face from his mind. He wished the secretary would ramble on about something irrelevant to distract him.

"Um, at least it's a bit easier with Lady Dilaina. If it weren't for her, we would have had to prepare for the New Year's banquet ourselves. With no chance of leaving on time, it would have been even more difficult."

The secretary, who had been complaining, lightly slapped his mouth and organized the documents. He was excited by the snow, and his mouth had run away without considering the time and place.

"Romand, when will he arrive? With Sir Ian, right?"

"There has been no separate notification to the palace, but since he said he would come according to the schedule, he should be on his way."

"What about Mollin?"

"He will likely reach the capital before Sir Ian. The administrative department might grant him a leave of absence, but I'm not sure. I'll keep an eye on him as soon as he arrives."

"He's a stubborn one, isn't he?"

Marib's grumbling caught the secretary's attention. Due to the unresolved issues of the High Mage's appointment and the Magic Department's oversight, he had no choice but to delay Mollin's punishment.

This had continued until the first snow fell and the New Year's ceremony was approaching.

"Phal."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Marib called the secretary, pressing his brow lightly. Phal's shoulders stiffened; whenever he was called by name, a question inevitably followed.

"Is there any way?"

A way to kill Mollin and break the Magic Department's oversight.

"If it weren't for the truth potion, this wouldn't have been such a headache. The Magic Department has no room to interfere with other departments, which is the biggest issue."

The potion's development progress, its effectiveness, and any physical side effects were only reported in written form, making it hard to trust.

The secretary, Phal, paused before answering.

"Since the matter is quite significant, there are indeed voices of opposition from other places."

"But the administrative department remains indifferent, doesn't it?"

Silence was affirmation. Petitions related to the matter had been submitted to the emperor frequently, but none had been properly approved.

"Since we have custody of Sir Mollin, it's best to wait until the New Year's banquet. And once Sir Ian is assigned to the Magic Department, it will be easier to verify the information."

Phal hesitantly offered his opinion, looking at his superior. However, Marib's expression didn't seem satisfied. It was just a reminder of what he already knew.

"Bring me the report submitted by the Magic Department."

"Yes, I apologize."

Marib flipped through the truth potion report submitted by the Magic Department again. The annotations were meticulous, but the content was incomprehensible to the average person. Understanding was a stretch, and some words were even difficult to read.

'To interpret this, I need to seek help from the Magic Department again, damn it.'

It wasn't always like this.

Despite being the inheritors of sacred power, the Magic Department had maintained neutrality and firmly held the center of the palace just a few years ago. But after Wesley became the head of the Magic Department, the balance was broken.

"What about the report comparing it to the homogenization potion?"

"It's here."

Marib could see what was new and what was missing in the truth potion compared to the more common homogenization potion. After a long while, Marib paused.

"Ruron?"

Ruron. A name he had never heard before. From the notation next to it, it seemed to be a mana stone...

"Phal, the truth potion contains a mana stone called Ruron. Find me the related materials."

"Ah, I just requested some from the Magic Department."

The secretary sprang up and rummaged through the stack of files on the trolley. He pulled out a bundle of papers about a foot thick and flipped through them.

"Shall I read it to you?"

"Yes."

Marib turned his gaze back to the report, waiting for the secretary's explanation. There were five special ingredients in the truth potion.

"Ruron, a high-rarity mana stone."

"High-rarity?"

It meant that it was rare, valuable, and lacked sufficient data. The first sentence had already touched a nerve with Marib.

"If it's high-rarity, how could both human trials and efficacy tests have been conducted? The supply must have been insufficient for research."

"According to the report, it's fine for distribution because only a small amount is used. Besides, it's only for the appointees."

"The Magic Department manages a total of 15 kilograms of Ruron. They used 5 kilograms during the research process, and about 10 grams are used per batch of the truth potion."

"Isn't the commonly used low-rarity mana stone maintained in hundreds of kilograms?"

"Ruron was only reported in the academic community last year."

Tap, tap, Marib continued to tap his desk, signaling for the secretary to keep reading. Although it was a mana stone he had never heard of, it was clear that it was rare compared to other materials.

"The location is unknown, but it's said to be near ordinary veins. However, there are few samples. Instead, there's something peculiar..."

"What is it?"

The secretary tilted his head as if seeing such a mana stone for the first time.

"It exists in liquid form and solidifies like a rock when it reacts to external mana. For example, when a mage entered a reported location, a miner's feet were trapped in Ruron and couldn't be freed."

The miner's feet were buried up to the ankles, and once it solidified, there was no way out. The pressure was so severe that the miner's legs had to be amputated before they became gangrenous.

"Luckily, it was just the ankles."

"There have been no reports of it trapping someone up to their body. It could have been a disaster. If it had trapped the lower half of the body, oh my."

"Anything else?"

"Ah, it has a purple hue, and the more bubbles that rise when it solidifies, the better the mana reaction. I'm not sure what that means for mages, though."

The explanation provided by the Magic Department ended there. They probably had more detailed data internally, but...

"We need more information about Ruron."

"I'll look into it."

The secretary nodded, gathering the documents as if asking for the task. Meanwhile, Marib looked out the window again. The snow that had fallen had stopped.

"By the way, is the solidified mana stone manufactured as is? It seems to be added in powder form."

"The report doesn't mention the method of fusion. However, it's said to be extremely hard, and it's difficult to scratch it with ordinary methods."

"Then how do they handle it?"

The secretary quickly flipped through the report, reading out the information Marib wanted.

"It seems to break down under a mage's mana. The research results indicate that the stronger the mana condensation, the easier it is to handle."

Marib rested his chin on his hand and tapped the table.

So, that means...

"The strength of a mage's mana could be a criterion for selecting mages."

* * *

"Wait!"

Romand stretched out his hand and shouted. Unlike the calm Ian and the seemingly indifferent Beric, Romand's face was a picture of excitement. His eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, and his mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Wait, what did I just hear?"

"There's mana in the mine in Monne."

"Mana stones in Monne? Mana stones? The ones I know?"

His head was spinning. Even if he stumbled upon a fortune on the street, he wouldn't have been this shocked. Mana stones in a small mine he thought was just a coal mine!?

"Ian! Ian! Wow! Incredible!"

The value was immeasurable. Even a low-rarity mana stone is worth as much as an equivalent volume of diamonds.

What if it was intermediate? No, what if it was advanced?

Romand, who had been daydreaming, snapped back to reality and tightly grabbed Ian's shoulder.

"You could build a country with this. Hahaha!"

"...Isn't that a bit inappropriate for a palace advisor to say?"

"Ah, just a figure of speech. A figure of speech!"

Ian chuckled and replied.

"First, I don't want to report this to the capital. Since the mine is part of our territory, it's best to assess the situation after I join the Magic Department."

"Agreed. You should also consult with Prince Marib."

"Yes, I'll take care of it. I'll inform him."

"Ah, yes, yes. You should do it."

"I'll head to the mine as soon as it's light tomorrow."

He needed to examine the mana stone more closely. Ian's words made Romand immediately turn his head to check the clock. It was one in the morning. Time seemed to drag on.