Black Iron Magician

「Wait, eh…?」

「Deris, you’re unusually making a serious effort today, huh? I wonder if it will rain spears tomorrow?」

Bulk is standing still with his mouth opened, and Giorgia is making a light joke. Well, as far as this is concerned, I certainly feel that I’ve taken it seriously. This is the result of me unusually doing my best in order to escape from Lily’s cooking.

「I’m sure that you’re surprised and have things to say, but these are the magic stones from the 『Root of the Steel Tree』, the ones specified in the request. Now, pick one among these three that you think is the most valuable.」

「Just one!?」

「Of course. After all, you will never be able to meet these wonderful magic stones in the market. The other two will be our share. You should be grateful that we are giving you the right to choose.」

「H-Hmm, just one, huh…」

「I’m a little relieved. That’s the 『Black Iron』 Deris that I know!」

My nickname doesn’t have that kind of meaning. But well, with this, the guild side will do their best to determine the most valuable magic stone. There are two guild masters here, so there’ll be no mistake.

「I’ve got the biggest one! Look, it almost touched the ceiling, right!? The bigger the better!」

「The magic stone I found may be relatively small, but the magic it contains is second to none! The magic stone’s brilliance is different!」

「As for me, well, it’s balanced. The size and quality are decent. I don’t care how much time you take to appraise them, but you should decide properly. It’s troublesome if you change your mind later.」

「「Hmmmmm….」」

The two old men groaned while looking at the three magic stones from various angles. It seems that they are not sure. Well, it’s only natural. After all, the three magic stones we dug up have almost the same value. The professionalism of the head of the guild may not allow them to make a decision so easily.

「Still, they are all wonderful. It’s hard to say which one is better.」

「You’re right. With a slight difference like this, it’s just a matter of preference. Even if you told me to decide properly――hmm? Hey, Giorgia. Take a good look at the magic stone that Deris-dono found.」

「What about it? I’d rather look at what Haruna-chan and Touko-chan found than what the black-hearted man found――hohou?」

When Bulk and Giorgia saw my magic stone, they began to open their eyes wide. Heh, they finally noticed, huh?

「I’m sorry, Haruna-chan, Touko-chan. I take back what I said before. Deris’s magic stone is by far the most valuable.」

「I agree. If the guild will receive the best magic stone, it will be the magic stone from Deris-dono.」

「「Eeh!?」」

The confidence that the two girls had was gone. They were shocked when the tie score was overturned.

「Too bad for you, you two. Well, I think it was a quite fun and exciting game. Then, I will hand over this magic stone and the corpses of the monster we subjugated, and the request will be fulfilled.」

「W-Wait, please wait! I’m still not convinced! I demand an explanation!」

「Me too. To be honest, I thought that there wasn’t that much difference between all the magic stones.」

「Hou, it seems that you’re dissatisfied. Well, fine. Now, Gramps Gior and Bulk-san, explain it to the two.」

「Why are you ordering us….?」

「Well, I’ll explain all you want. Now, take a good look at the center of this magic stone.」

「Center?」

Haru and Touko looked into the magic stone.

「Let’s see…. There’s something that looks like a shadow, huh?」

「Moreover, it looks like some kind of bone….」

「Yeah, that’s right. And that shadow is the most important point that makes a difference. You can see that the whole magic stone is shining faintly, right? Your magic stones are the same, but Deris-dono’s magic stone has a different kind of shadow in the center.」

「To be more specific, it contains a dragon’s bone. And that’s in the middle of the magic stone.」

「A-A dragon’s bone!? Why was that thing in the underground, and moreover, in the magic stone!?」

「I can only assume that it was swallowed during the formation of the magic stone.」

「Yeah, it’s like a fossil made of amber. It’s a miracle-like probability.」

「A fossil!? That’s certainly amazing!」

「Needless to say, a dragon’s bone is excellent as a catalyst for magic. The synergy with the magic stone around it will show an extraordinary power no matter what it’s used for. That’s why, if the guild were to pick one as a requested item, it will be Deris-dono’s――」

「――But putting that aside, I think it’s not right.」

As if to interrupt the decision, Haru raised her hand and objected. Hee, she is still not convinced even after listening to the old men’s plausible explanations, huh? As expected of my disciple.

「E-Even if you say so, there’s nothing better than this one.」

「No, I’m not dissatisfied with the appraisal of Giorgia-san and Bulk-san. I don’t feel that you’re being unfair or lying, and I believe that your appraisal is the truth.」

「Hmm? Then, what do you think is not right?」

Everyone’s attention and gaze gathered at Haru.

「What I think is not right is that Shishō’s magic stone is in a different state from when it was found. There was definitely no dragon’s bone inside it. I just noticed it after concentrating and feeling the flow of magic power…. Shishō, did you perhaps process it anew?」

「Hou, I thought I implanted it so well that it wouldn’t be found out. That’s quite a judgment, Haru.」

It’s easy to implant the bone of a high-ranking dragon, which I had as a material for creating items, in the magic stone. If I use the 『Magic Item Creation』 skill, I can do it without being noticed by them.

「Eeh!? You surprisingly admitted it immediately!? But Danna, isn’t that breaking the rule…?」

「Breaking the rule? I never said anything about forbidding to process the magic stone you found, you know?」

「T-That’s true, you didn’t say it…!」

「The rank of the magic stone is increased, so there should be no complaints from the guild.」

「Sure, we won’t complain about it…. Eh? What kind of situation is this?」

「I knew that these three magic stones were the greatest class, and it would be an even match. Then, it was natural to add some ingenuity for a certain victory, right? Therefore, my victory was decided from the very beginning! Kukuku!」

「Uuh, I lost because I didn’t check the rules properly…. I can’t believe that I neglected to do my best…!」

「I don’t really understand what happened, but I think I can at least say this. Deris, is that something an adult would do?」

What is Gramps Gior talking about? I was doing this exactly because I’m an adult. Haru, Touko, innocence is a virtue, but it can be a hindrance when it comes to a match. Keep that in mind.