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Chapter 202
I remembered that she liked ice cream quite a bit, so I served some ice cream along with a decent cup of coffee.
"Let's get to the point."
"Oh my, straight to business? Not even going to ask how I've been...?"
"Unfortunately, most of the information you're curious about is classified as national secrets. Are you sure you can handle that?"
I replied with a smirk, and she chuckled as well.
"Haha, let's pretend I didn’t hear that. Then shall we get to the main topic? About the newly sold Paradise Artifact—here are the sales proceeds, additional contract fees, and the supplementary income we expect."
Looking through the documents she handed over, I saw an impressive sum listed.
Even considering the initial profits from the contract with Aurora and the quantity of Paradise Artifacts sold this time, the amount was overwhelming.
Her business acumen clearly exceeded mere reliance on the Paradise Artifact's reputation.
Still, with the considerable funds I had on hand from selling various things, it didn’t feel quite as significant as it should have.
"Looks good."
"If we had a larger supply, you’d literally be sitting on a mountain of money. You probably don't realize just how popular they are."
Apparently, Paradise Artifacts had already become something of a luxury item, wildly popular among the nobility of various countries.
And now that a game had been included as a bonus, the reaction was even more explosive.
"Shall I be honest?"
"What is it?"
"His Majesty the Emperor of Pascalia has completely fallen for it. To the point where even the ministers are beginning to express concern."
"Hmm... I hadn’t considered that."
"Did I ever tell you? His Majesty used to dream of being an adventurer in his youth. It seems the safe yet adventurous elements captured his heart. He’s also very fond of the companions that appear in the game."
"Not sure I remember hearing that. More importantly, how do you know all this in such detail?"
To begin with, I didn't even know if Aurora had a family name.
Even when I asked Melissa, she just said they called her Aurora and didn’t know whether she was a commoner or a noble.
Still, considering that Aurora was the owner of the Planetaria Trading Company, I assumed she wasn’t an ordinary commoner.
Even so, for her to know this much about the emperor of an empire...
I began to think she might not come from an ordinary background after all.
"Lord Leon, it seems you don't realize just how much the Emperor of Pascalia is interested in you."
"Excuse me?"
"The Star of Mielephon, the Sword Saint’s favorite, and the developer of the Paradise Artifact."
She smiled slyly and continued.
"And the one who captured Princess Eilena’s heart."
"......"
She really could have left out that last part.
How much had that woman even seen of me to show that kind of interest?
"Did you know? His Majesty’s love for Princess Eilena is beyond compare."
The next voice didn’t come from Aurora.
"...Lady Isna. It's been a while, but do you really have to keep coming through the window?"
"Pfft... Sorry. I got used to climbing out during my escapades from home."
I didn't even need to ask.
She had clearly run away from home again.
"Senior Isna..."
Meanwhile, as soon as Aurora noticed Isna’s presence, she squinted tiredly and muttered her name.
"I’ve been busy lately, so I couldn’t come visit."
"Do you realize how far it is from Mielephon to here...?"
"It’s a quick trip with the mana gate, you know?"
Better not to say anything...
As I held my throbbing head, Isna casually jumped onto the sofa next to Aurora.
"Um... Senior, do you really have to sit right next to me?"
"Hmm, since I’m not romantically involved with Lord Leon, I guess I can’t even sit beside him."
Was there a hidden jab in there?
"My apologies."
"Hehe, I’m just teasing. It’s not like I resent you over it."
Naturally, since she had never harbored romantic feelings for me in the first place.
"Actually, I came here today for a simple reason: a little bartering."
With that, she held out a small, square box she had been carrying.
Inside the box were a beautiful board and pieces that caught the eye immediately.
"I bought it on the way here."
"What is it?"
"You like this kind of thing, right? It’s a bit of a luxury item, but it made me think of you. It was pretty expensive, you know?"
Not a bad gift.
"So what do you want in return?"
"Could you give me a lot of ice cream? I probably won’t get to eat it for a while."
She smiled brightly.
Yet somehow, within that smile, I sensed something off.
"This isn’t just another runaway, is it? Where are you going?"
"......"
She said nothing.
Only smiled.
But there was a subtle bitterness in that smile.
I let out a short sigh and opened Luna's prized refrigerator, pulling out a box full of frozen ice cream.
Luna would probably be upset, but I could just make more later.
"The space expansion magic on this container makes it hold quite a lot."
"Thank you."
Isna took the box and slipped it into a storage pouch.
It was a high-grade preservation pouch that maintained temperature.
Not a cheap item at all.
"Thanks... for not asking."
"When will you return?"
"Well... it’ll be difficult for a while."
Her unusually weak smile left me silent.
Even Aurora, who normally would have been annoyed at Isna’s sudden intrusion, only opened her mouth as if trying to speak, but said nothing—clearly unsettled.
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Soon, after making her preparations, Isna placed her foot on the window ledge again.
Now that I looked closely, even her outfit suggested she was heading on a long journey.
"Lady Isna."
I opened a pocket dimension and took out a small metal lump.
"Yes?"
"A gift."
Then I manifested the Heart of the Machine God.
What I held in my hand was none other than an alloy of Orichalcum and Mithril.
Although I hadn't secured much Orichalcum, and thus the ratio was low, there probably wasn't a single blade across the continent with this much Orichalcum content.
It had started as practice, but now that it was complete, it would be a waste not to use it when needed.
As the Heart of the Machine God activated, a faint light shimmered and the metal rippled like liquid in the palm of my hand.
It swiftly blended and twisted, then began to take the form of a sword.
The hilt was integrated with the blade, crafted in a way that would be impossible by conventional means, designed to absorb shock.
Then I quickly took out some leather and layered it onto the handle, making it a fully integrated piece.
Afterward, I pulled out some wood scraps, crafted them swiftly, and made a sheath that fit the sword perfectly.
At a glance, it looked like a rough and unremarkable longsword, but its form and aura made it feel far from ordinary.
Honestly, this method of crafting would be impossible for normal blacksmiths.
After all, I had perfectly fused leather and metal into a single entity.
"Wow... incredible."
Isna, who had seen it before, simply looked impressed, while Aurora appeared completely stunned.
"It's cold and light. What material is this?"
"Orichalcum."
"Ahahaha! Orichalcum? You're joking, right? Still, thanks! I'll put it to good use."
"Let me know what you think after you try it out."
She probably didn’t realize yet just how valuable that sword really was, but regardless, it would definitely be sturdier than a regular Mithril blade.
Might as well take the chance to test its performance.
After all, even if in small amounts, Orichalcum was still being mined.
And with that, Isna leapt out the window in an instant.
She came like the wind and disappeared like it, too.
As I stood there blankly for a moment, Aurora let out a sigh.
"That's just how she is. Shall we continue what we were discussing?"
"Huh?"
"His Majesty the Emperor of Pascalia has made a production request."
Aurora was, to put it simply, a very capable business partner.
She had an uncanny knack for sniffing out profitable opportunities wherever possible without crossing any lines.
The only downside was that the scale was so large, it always came with troublesome baggage.
"Good grief. They say the end of fandom is extreme wasteful spending..."
I sat in my workshop, pondering.
The request from the Emperor of Pascalia wasn’t anything complicated.
He wanted me to create statues of NPCs—companion characters from the game I had built into the Paradise Artifacts.
It wasn’t that he wanted me to sculpt them myself; he wanted me to capture my original artistic vision in the process.
The fact that they were made by the original creator would certainly add value.
Aurora had even suggested several business models to monetize this, but I turned them all down.
Honestly, mostly because it sounded like a huge hassle.
But it wasn’t business — it was a personal request from an emperor.
No need to overthink it.
"Hmm... how should I make it?"
In my game, the storyline slightly changed depending on which companions you recruited.
Apparently, the Emperor had recruited a few companions and had been quite pleased with his adventures with them.
So, I began the crafting process — but something felt off.
The statues seemed too static, lifeless.
In artistic terms, they were failures.
While I was wrestling with this, a young girl approached me.
It was Hwa Ryeong of the Four Great Clans.
Her Eastern-Continental style outfit stood out distinctly here.
"There you are, Young Lord Leon."
"Are you settling in alright?"
"Thanks to your and Count Cascadia’s generosity, I had a very comfortable night."
"That's good to hear. If there's anything you’d like to do, I’ll support you."
Anyway, the royal family had agreed to handle their settlement support, so it was just a matter of billing them appropriately.
"Thank you very much for your kindness. However, since both I and my brother owe you and Count Cascadia our lives, we wish to pledge ourselves as knights of House Cascadia."
Of course, finding suitable roles for them immediately wouldn't be easy.
"I won’t refuse, but do consider your options carefully."
"Hehe, you truly are a generous person, Young Lord. By the way, is something troubling you?"
At her question, I casually shared about the Emperor’s commission.
Upon hearing it, she widened her eyes.
"Um... would you allow me to see it?"
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