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Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Kabur & Silavin
The Vermilinia Jewel was never a stand alone piece.
It always existed as a set with the Vermilion Castle and the head of the Vermilinia clan.
The three were in a relationship of mutual protection and guardianship.
For example, if the Vermilinia Jewel were to be lost, the castle could not exist, and if the head of the Vermilinia clan were to disappear, the jewel would also cease to exist.
It would not be difficult to lose a castle, but rather, whenever a situation arose in which a castle would be lost, one of the other two would always be lost.
Such interrelationships naturally influenced the creation of the Vermilinia Jewel.
Shrein once told him that the growth of the castle was related to the “quality” of the jewel, and the opposite was also true.
Of course, if the “quality” of the jewel did not grow, the castle would not grow on its own.
Kousuke considered the growth of this “quality” to be the “Jewel of Evolution”.
Shrein now also believed this to be the case, but it was difficult for the members of the clan to accept the idea of a jewel evolving from a mere object when it came down to it.
That in itself was not particularly problematic, since it was not part of the purpose of this project.
“So? What did you find out?”
Kousuke shook his head when Shrein asked.
“It’s not that I didn’t find anything but more like it’s difficult to tell.”
Kousuke was now at the Vermilion Castle, where the jewel was enshrined.
It had already been several days since he was in this place.
Even though Kousuke was treated like the savior of the family, the place where he was now was the most important place for the Vermilinia clan.
There was no way that Kousuke, Kouhi or Mitsuki could be left alone here. They were usually accompanied by Shrein.
When Shrein was not available in the Tower Administration in the North, another person would accompany him.
However, even the Vermilinia family, except for Shrein, were forbidden to enter this place alone, so Kousuke’s treatment was no less than exceptional.
Kousuke spent the past few days investigating the Vermilinia Jewel, but he had yet to unravel the full extent of how it worked.
Rather, he expected that what he found out was only about 30% of the whole picture.
“I see. So, does that mean it’s still difficult to grow the jewels of the Four Attributes Towers as well?”
“Oh, no. I already have a rough idea about that one, you know?”
“….Huh?”
Shrein’s eyes widened at the simple answer.
“What? Isn’t that why you’ve been holed up in here?”
Finally, Kousuke realized that Shrein was mistaken.
No, in this case, it was Kousuke who was mistaken.
He would never have thought that in such a short time, he could decipher the mechanism of the Vermilinia Jewel, the most precious treasure of the Vermilinia Clan.
“No, what I was looking into was the Vermilinia Jewel itself?”
Kousuke’s simple answer made Shrein felt dizzy.
“What do you mean? So, you’ve been holed up for the past few days, not investigating the Four Attribute Jewel, but the Vermilinia Jewel?”
“Yes. Well, at first, I was, but the more I looked into it, the more I got excited.”
He was curious about the fact that a jewel of this size could contain a Vermilion Castle, and about the “Quality” linked to the head of a family, etc.
The more he investigated, the more interesting things came to light, and he became absorbed in the ongoing research.
“What do you mean? Are you saying that Kousuke knows how the Jewel was made?”
“No, that’s a little too easy. All I know right now is the first clue, at best, you know?”
Shrein’s head was spinning at the unbelievable information.
Vermilinia Clan and the Jade had existed together for a long time.
It was only natural that they had long been studying the mechanism of the jewel.
However, as if to mock the efforts of the researchers, not having the slightest idea of how it works, even after all the long years they spent and not even finding a clue, Kousuke overturned the Clan’s research over the years in just a few days.
Shrein told Kousuke, who tilted his head at the sight of her, passionately talking about what he did.
“Oh… In other words, you don’t want someone like me, who is just an outsider, to figure it out?”
“No! There is no one in the clan who would dare to say anything about Kousuke now. Rather, the problem is that Kousuke has uncovered a mystery that has not been uncovered until now.”
“Umm, what do you mean?”
“Kousuke will be respected by the clan even more than before.”
“Oh, I see… But it was really troublesome, you know?”
“…Why?”
“Because if one can’t master Divine Power, one can’t even look into it.”
The point was that there was no one other than Kousuke who could handle the situation.
Of course, it would be a different story if they could summon even one of the Goddesses from the divine realm.
“Ah, so that’s what you meant.”
Shrein nodded in agreement, then slumped.
Using Divine Power means, of course, that it would be a divine tool.
That means that even if research progressed and the mechanism was understood, it would be impossible to recreate it.
The reason the family members were studying the jewel in the first place was to replicate it, and now it was discovered that it was impossible to do so.
“…I guess it’s a good thing it was found out, it’s hard to duplicate.”
“It’s not impossible to do, I think.”
“Would that be the case if it was Kousuke who recreated it?”
“Well, that’s for the future to decide.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
“Ah, that’s just how it is.”
This time, Kousuke nodded.
“Well, if there are people in the Clan who can use Divine Power and are good at making magical tools, I wonder if they could manage?”
Vampires had longer lifespans, so it would not be impossible if they were taught patiently.
Incidentally, vampires in this world were long-lived, not undead.
However, their lifespan was so long that it would be difficult for a human being to comprehend it.
“What a depressing prospect!”
Even with that sense of longevity, Kousuke’s words were unnerving.
“Well, I wonder if it would be worth it to make two identical ones.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
Shrein asked Kousuke, meaning that it would be important not to make two, but several castles to serve as a base.
“Because each [Clan Leader] is supposed to inherit one of these jewels, right?”
With these words, Shrein understood what Kousuke meant.
The fact that there were two jewels would mean that there would be two Clan Leaders.
Kousuke’s words indicated that one Clan Leader could not have more than one jewel.
“If it were possible for a chief to have more than one, there would be a way to utilize them, you know”
“Well, maybe that is possible?”
Kousuke returned a wry smile.
In short, it was not yet confirmed at this point that such a specification was not possible.
“I doubt that is the case, though.”
“But, I guess, that’s just how it was supposed to work?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“By the way, do you still want to continue the investigation?”
If he already had some idea of what he wanted to do, there was no need to continue the investigation.
“Hm? If it’s okay to continue the research, I’d like to continue, but if not, I’ll stop?”
“You want to duplicate it, don’t you?”
“Yes, if I could, that is. The technology used in this is very versatile. I’d still like to take a look at it for future reference, wouldn’t you want to?
Since the technique involved using Divine Power, it could only be used by a select few, but there would still be many things that could be used as a reference.
“Then you may investigate until you are satisfied.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mind it. After all, it would also benefit our people eventually.”
Of course, even when Shrein said so, she wasn’t really expecting anything in return.
“Hahaha. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Kousuke replied with a laugh and went back to investigating the treasure.
Shrein said it as if he were joking, but somehow she knew that the tools Kousuke developed would be useful in various places, so she fully understood that what Kousuke said was less of a joke.
