45 - Can I Cry Now?
45
Magic Stones containing magic power were always treated as precious.
Therefore, when nobles purchased new Magic Stones, they would deliberately hold banquets to subtly show them off.
But to send such a thing as a gift.
And as a gift to celebrate the Academy for the Gifted entrance of a child who is only seven years old.
"Isn't a Magic Stone incredibly expensive?"
"Right? Not long ago, when I went to the auction house with my father, the Magic Stone I saw there was smaller than that, but the price was enormous."
"What? Does that mean that little kid has an incredible patron?"
The atmosphere of the murmuring people changed.
Among the people, Ibi looked at the warm stone in her hand.
'A Magic Stone.'
She knew of its existence, but she didn't know how great it was.
Because you couldn't even see a Magic Stone in Elam City.
'How fascinating.'
How can a stone be so warm and even emit light?
As Ibi hugged the Magic Stone to her chest, the surrounding students flocked to her.
"Um, excuse me. Could I touch it just once?"
"I'll just take a look! Oh, I'm Emil. We took the foreign language class together, right?"
"Hello. I'm Julia. I'm on the same floor as you. I've been meaning to say hello for a while..."
They all looked at Ibi and the Magic Stone alternately with shining eyes.
There were also those who whispered from a step back.
"Isn't she Irene's roommate?"
"I laughed when I heard that a commoner was assigned, but it seems there was a reason. First of all, the fact that she has a patron who gives her such a Magic Stone as a gift is amazing, isn't it?"
Then Izriella shouted.
"What are you all talking about? There's no way that's a Magic Stone!"
This was not the situation she wanted.
Everyone should have ridiculed that commoner's shabby gift.
That way, Irene, who shares a room with her, could also be ridiculed for being low-class.
But instead, people are now looking at that commoner with surprised eyes and even approaching her to become friends.
Besides, they're even whispering that there must be a reason why she's Irene's roommate.
Izriella also knew very well how precious and expensive Magic Stones were.
Because her father had a display case in his study where he displayed Magic Stones he had bought at auction.
Her father wouldn't even let her touch them, saying, "Do you know how precious these are?"
But there's no way someone would give a Magic Stone bigger than those to a mere commoner child.
Izriella glared at Ibi, who was standing among the people.
Her bewildered face, as if she didn't know what was going on, seemed pretentious.
"Hey. Give it back to me. I'll check if it's real or fake. My father has a lot of Magic Stones, so I can tell the difference."
Izriella deliberately emphasized the word "a lot" of Magic Stones.
"As you know, there are a lot of fake Magic Stones. In the low-quality markets of the capital, there are many people who bring plausible stones and sell them as Magic Stones."
At Izriella's words, the children who had gathered quietly closed their mouths.
It was true, as she said.
Because Magic Stones were so precious, there were many who brought plausible-looking stones and deceived people by saying they were Magic Stones.
'The light will disappear after flashing a few times.'
It was common to put trivial magic on a worthless stone and scam people into thinking it was a real Magic Stone.
Those who had been excited by the word Magic Stone recalled this fact and quietly stepped back.
"Come to think of it... it does seem a bit different from the Magic Stones I knew."
"Right. Looking at it up close, it looks like the ones sold in the market."
Those who had been silent until just now opened their mouths as if they had been waiting for this moment.
They, too, like Izriella, were suspicious that a commoner had received such a large Magic Stone.
Then, when Izriella came forward and said it seemed fake, they gained confidence in their resentful hearts.
That it was fake.
Thinking that way, the gazes towards Ibi became sharp.
"I felt sorry for her because she was young, but I didn't know she would tell such lies."
"I heard she's from the Poorhouse. Children from such places are obvious."
"Last time, she lied about receiving special treatment in relation to His Majesty the Emperor."
The words they spat out became increasingly sharp.
Listening to their words, Ibi hugged the Magic Stone in her arms even tighter.
'Even if this is fake, I don't care.'
It's a gift that someone sent for me.
The thought alone made her so happy that tears came to her eyes.
"What are you doing? I said give it here!"
Izriella, who had already come close, reached out her hand to Ibi.
She knew from experience that it was best to hand it over without complaint in situations like this.
But even knowing that, Ibi didn't want to give the gift she had received to her.
'This is mine.'
Ibi thought of Professor Sian.
The person who was crying alone in front of the silent tomb.
Not only did he become her patron, even though he had nothing to do with her, but he also sent her something so warm and shining as a thank you for a handkerchief.
It didn't matter whether this was a real Magic Stone or not.
Ibi wanted to cherish the first gift she had ever received.
"Can't you give it to me quickly!"
When Ibi didn't listen obediently, Izriella grabbed her thin wrist.
Ibi hugged the Magic Stone with all her might.
Izriella snapped at Ibi, who wouldn't let go easily.
"Where did you learn such stubbornness? That's why your parents abandoned you!"
"……!"
At that moment, the strength in Ibi's hand holding it loosened.
Izriella didn't miss the opportunity and pushed Ibi away.
Just as her staggering little body was about to hit the floor, someone grabbed Ibi from behind.
"That's enough, Izriella. What are you doing, acting so unsightly?"
It was Irene's voice. She snatched the Magic Stone from Izriella's surprised hand and returned it to Ibi's arms in front of her.
"This is a real Magic Stone."
"Lies! Who would give a Magic Stone of that size to a commoner!"
"You don't believe me? Have you forgotten that I'm from the Terrence family?"
Of course, no one didn't know. The Terrence family was the family that controlled the wealth of the South.
"Our family trades in all the goods in the world. The same goes for Magic Stones. You know that our family finds and puts up most of the Magic Stones that come out at the Empire's auctions, right?"
"……."
At Irene's confident words, Izriella bit her lip.
"So I can tell what's real and what's fake without even touching it. So, Miss Izriella."
Irene crossed her arms and raised her chin.
"Apologize for your rudeness just now."
"Wh-what?"
"You took someone else's gift without permission, and you 'didn't even recognize' a wonderful Magic Stone and insisted it was fake, right? Just how lacking is your discernment? Besides, what about her parents? There are things you shouldn't say..."
Irene paused, taking a rough breath and stopping her words.
There was anger in every word she spoke.
Surprised by Irene's harsh voice, Izriella's face turned red.
If it had been another item, she would have ridiculed her in her heart as a merchant.
But Magic Stones were important enough to be in the basic classes of the Academy for the Gifted and were also considered common sense among nobles.
That's why they would call others to show off when they bought new Magic Stones.
But to not recognize it and condemn it as fake meant that her discernment was low.
"Miss Irene, are you telling me to bow my head to a commoner?"
At Izriella's words, the other students nodded.
Izriella could make a mistake. So she could apologize to Irene.
But apologize to a commoner child?
That was impossible.
Izriella bit her lip.
Now that it had come to this, she couldn't back down any further.
She would rather end things with Irene in this place.
'Even though I'll continue to be active in society in the future.'
If she cornered a noble like herself in this way, she wouldn't hear good things from the other students.
As she thought, the surrounding students gradually looked at Irene with uncomfortable expressions.
No matter what happened, it was absurd for a noble to bow their head to a commoner.
So she thought that Irene, who was aiming for social connections, would back down.
Irene went to Ibi's side, who was holding the Magic Stone, and said as if to be heard by everyone.
"You'd better apologize for the rudeness you committed to 'my roommate', whether she's a commoner or a noble, Izriella."
