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Chapter: 26
The place I entered after opening the door was better than expected.
Compared to its exterior—which looked like it might go bankrupt and shut down any day—it was surprisingly ordinary.
The inside was small but clean, and the various items displayed on the shelves, big and small, were all fascinating enough to draw the eye.
‘At least this place looks like it actually sells real goods.’
Unlike the previous shop, it didn’t seem like they were running some kind of scam.
‘Way more trustworthy than before.’
As I relaxed and looked around the shop, a woman who seemed to be the owner appeared.
“Welcome!”
“I’m here to sell something.”
I didn’t want to waste time, so I got straight to the point.
The owner blinked a few times. When she didn’t immediately say she understood, a slight unease crept in.
‘Don’t tell me I can’t sell things here either?’
Was my source of income really never going to see the light of day?
I’d always assumed that if I had items, I could sell them and make money. I never imagined I wouldn’t even get the chance to sell them.
‘What should I do? I was planning to try selling a few first, and if it went well, steadily build up funds…’
If I couldn’t sell anything at all, my independence plan would fall apart.
Carefully, I asked with concern,
“Um… is it not possible for individuals to sell items here?”
“Huh? Oh no, it is. Please come this way.”
Looks like I finally found the right place. I turned to the girl who had been standing there blankly beside me.
“Thanks for guiding me here. You can go now.”
“…Yes!”
The girl’s bright eyes sparkled as she greeted me, then left the magic tool shop.
Once she was gone, the owner led me into a small room. She had me sit on a long bench, then asked with a serious expression,
“What kind of item is it?”
“This.”
I placed the pouch that had been hanging at my waist onto the table.
“May I open it?”
“Of course.”
When the owner loosened the string, the item inside came into view.
A small, transparent stone about the size of a thumbnail.
She picked it up, examined it from several angles, then shouted excitedly,
“It’s a magic stone!”
“More precisely, it’s a mana crystal.”
‘Though I wish it were a magic stone.’
But then—
While examining the crystal with a frown, the owner asked in a confused voice,
“This is a mana crystal?”
“Huh? Yes.”
“That can’t be right!”
What do you mean, it can’t be right?
I made it myself—how could it not be a mana crystal?!
I quickly said,
“It is a mana crystal. If you doubt it, you can try using it.”
Magic stones and mana crystals provide the energy needed to operate magical tools.
Simply put, they’re like batteries you put into magic devices.
That’s why, to weed out scammers who try to pass off ordinary stones as magic stones or mana crystals, people often test them by inserting them into a magic tool.
‘It’ll shrink if used, so I’ll get less money—but that’s still better than not selling it at all!’
I had no intention of being treated like a fraud. With a determined expression, I was about to insist she verify it properly—
But the owner was faster.
In an agitated, almost shrieking voice, she exclaimed,
“This purity, this shape! I’ve been appraising magic stones and mana crystals for over twenty years—I can tell! This is a magic stone!”
…Huh?
“Even among magic stones, I’ve never seen one with purity this high! No—where in the world did you get something this precious?!”
Grabbing my shoulders, she demanded with blazing eyes.
‘Where did I get it? I made it.’
Gently removing her hands, I answered honestly,
“It’s not a magic stone. It’s definitely a mana crystal. I made it.”
“…Pardon? Y-You made it? This?”
“Yes. I made it.”
“Good heavens!”
The owner let out a sigh that was somewhere between awe and disbelief.
“That’s impossible to believe.”
I shrugged.
“But it’s true.”
She stared at my face for a long moment, then nodded.
“Well, whether this is a magic stone or a mana crystal isn’t what matters. What matters is how extraordinary it is.”
‘Is it really that incredible?’
Without even pausing to wet her lips, the owner launched into a passionate explanation of just how amazing the crystal I brought was.
“Magic stones are valued more highly than mana crystals, of course, because they’re rarer and harder to find. But! That’s not the only reason. You may already know this, but magic stones are expensive because of their incomparable purity. The mana contained within a magic stone is natural mana itself—”
Her long-winded explanation boiled down to this:
“…So. Will you sell this to us?”
Staring at me with eyes practically screaming please, please sell it to us, I nodded.
“Yes. That’s why I came.”
“YES!”
The owner threw both hands up in triumph and immediately began negotiating.
“How about ten gold?”
“Ten gold?”
Ten gold was worth roughly ten million won in Earth money. It was already more than enough for a mana crystal.
But if it truly had purity comparable to a magic stone, as she claimed, it was far too cheap.
When I hesitated instead of answering right away, she spoke hurriedly,
“Th-Then how about eleven gold?”
“Hmm…”
“G-Got it! If you continue trading magic stones—no, mana crystals—like this with us, twelve gold! I’ll buy them for twelve gold each!”
I was about to refuse again, still thinking it was cheap—then I caught an odd word.
“…Wait. Each?”
“Yes. Twelve gold per piece. Honestly, this is already pushing it for us. There won’t be much profit left.”
‘I thought she meant twelve gold total and was lowballing me outrageously… but it’s twelve gold per piece?’
Altogether, that would be sixty gold.
‘Sixty gold converted is… sixty million won?!’
The amount was far beyond my expectations, and I momentarily lost my voice.
Mistaking my silence for dissatisfaction, the owner spoke carefully,
“Um… this really is our best offer. We have to make a living too.”
She went on with various complaints—how business hadn’t been great lately, how ethically she ran her shop, and so on.
I didn’t listen.
There was no need to.
“…Let’s do it.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll sell at that price.”
At my answer, the owner beamed.
“An excellent choice! Our shop may look like this, but—”
“But I do have one condition.”
“A-A condition?”
“Yes. It’s nothing serious.”
Despite my words, her face filled with worry, as if she feared I was about to demand something terrifying.
To reassure her, I smiled and said,
“Even if you find out who I am, you must never tell anyone else. That’s my condition.”
A flicker of unease crossed her face.
‘Asking her to hide my identity probably makes her think I’m either a criminal or some powerful big shot.’
In reality, I was just an insignificant noblewoman, famous only for being ugly.
Suppressing a laugh, I waited for her response.
After deep consideration, she nodded. As a merchant, it seemed the massive profit in front of her outweighed any vague potential risk.
Grinning, I said,
“Then shall we draft a contract?”
“A contract? Of course!”
“Please make it a magic contract.”
At my words, the owner stiffened again.
‘Of course—because I asked for a magic contract.’
Unlike ordinary contracts, magic contracts carried special power.
As long as both parties honored the agreement, there was no issue.
But if the contract was violated, the magic embedded within would automatically inflict punishment—without any further action.
Depending on the contract’s rank, that punishment could range from mild to severe curses.
Because of that unpleasant risk, people generally disliked using magic contracts.
‘Still, magic contracts are the most reliable.’
The middle-aged woman in front of me looked far more trustworthy than the scammer from the first shop—but that didn’t mean I could trust her completely.
Even though I’d never really experienced society firsthand, there was one lesson drilled into me since childhood.
‘Mom always said—you should never trust people easily when money is involved.’
Under my calm gaze, the owner’s stiff expression relaxed.
“Very well. It’s best to make contracts airtight.”
She pulled out a rolled piece of parchment from a drawer.
“A high-grade magic contract certified by the Central Magic Tower.”
This time, I was surprised.
“A high-grade magic contract?”
I’d expected, at most, a mid-grade one—not a high-grade contract.
Not only were high-grade contracts more than twice as expensive, the curse inflicted for violations was far stronger.
They were only used for transactions involving unimaginable sums of money…
“For a deal that secures magic stones—or mana crystals—of this purity, I believe a high-grade contract is appropriate to earn your trust.”
‘…Wow.’
I hadn’t expected much, but it seemed the mana crystals I made held far greater value than I realized.
I looked down at the small mana crystals on the table, then nodded.
