Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 18

Chapter 10.1

Delinda clasped her hands, feeling herself shrink back.

Have we met somewhere before?

Why was he asking that all of a sudden?

…This was definitely an attempt at flirting.

The earlier comments he’d made, about her blinking habits or whatever, she could let slide. But this? This was unmistakably a pickup line. Even as someone with zero dating experience, she could tell.

But the problem was that this man had absolutely no reason to be flirting with her.

Not even by a gram.

No, not even by 0.001 grams.

“If by ‘before,’ you mean yesterday… then yes, I suppose so?”

Delinda replied with a skeptical expression. Technically, “yesterday” could be considered “before,” but it was clear that wasn’t the answer Iskan was looking for. His tight expression was proof of that.

From that look alone, Delinda knew for sure.

Aha! So he isn’t flirting this time either. There’s no way he would look at me with such a frustrated expression and try to flirt at the same time.

She shrugged and changed the subject.

“So, where would you like to start looking around?”

“I’ve seen most of the interior already, so let’s head to the garden.”

With that awkward exchange over, Iskan didn’t ask her any more strange questions about whether they’d met before.

“Have you ever been to the Spirit Stone Mine yourself?”

“My father went last time, but before signing the contract, we’ve decided to go back again. I insisted on it because I really wanted to take another look. I’ll definitely be going.”

Delinda replied, determined. Right before her “possession”—while they were negotiating the mining contract—her father, the duke, had supposedly taken “Delinda’s body” to the mine.

However, since she had no memory of it, she wanted to see it herself, so she pestered the duke about going again. After all, it’s never a bad idea to double-check.

Especially when a very large amount of money is at stake.

“In that case, which mage will be accompanying you?”

“Mage?”

“To determine the quality of the spirit stones, you’ll need to go with a qualified mage. But there aren’t many mercenary mages with outstanding abilities, and the Magic Tower’s mages are too proud to bother with trivial matters.”

Only someone with strong magical powers could determine whether a spirit stone was authentic or not.

Of course, breaking one would reveal its effects, but destroying a valuable stone for a simple verification would be a waste.

In truth, mages didn’t really care about the spirit stone’s authenticity or the development of the Spirit Stone Mine.

Rather, they found the whole idea displeasing. With their own magic, they could cast spells as powerful as those granted by a spirit stone. In other words, spirit stones were seen as a threat to the unique powers that mages held.

Those interested in the development of spirit stones were usually knights or mercenaries who lacked magical power, or ordinary people who wanted to perform magical feats without real magic.

Ironically, the only ones capable of determining the quality and authenticity of spirit stones were mages. The ones who had no need for them.

“Are you perhaps interested in the development of the Spirit Stone Mine, Your Highness?”

“Hard to say. I have plenty of other pressing matters to attend to.”

“Ah.”

Meaning he didn’t want to get involved in troublesome affairs that had many loose ends.

“If you do go yourself, Lady Delinda, make sure to bring the magic amplification device you were wearing the other day.”

“Amplification device…?”

What’s that?

“It’s a tool for enhancing magical power, but it can also reveal hidden magic and help draw out its strength. With it, you’ll be able to determine the quality of the spirit stones and their authenticity.”

He explained carefully, as though speaking to a child.

Delinda focused hard, trying her best to follow.

The magic amplification device I was wearing? What is he talking about? Will I seem suspicious if I ask too many questions?

As she wrestled with her thoughts, Iskan’s indifferent voice broke through her contemplation.

“Were you not wearing a magic amplification ring around your neck last time?”

“Oh! That thing? I planned on selling it since it looked like the most expensive thing in the drawer…”

Delinda blurted out as she suddenly remembered, but then quickly clamped her mouth shut. She could feel Iskan’s gaze fixed on her.

There it was again, that look of disappointment. He’d probably look at a dog fighting over a bone with more sympathy.

“With your magical powers, identifying the stones should be easy.”

Magic? Within me? Delinda thought to herself.

She hadn’t known this about herself.

Does everybody else know? It didn’t seem like it.

Her eyes darted around as she tried to gauge the situation. Iskan pulled out a small box from his coat and poured its contents onto his palm, revealing an array of sparkling gemstones.

Iskan picked up a white stone and held it out to Delinda.