Book 8: Chapter 5: Brooch (2/2)
”Yeah, we've got something like that here.”
Apparently, the words ”blessing” and ”charm” were more popular with young people than ”magic tool.”
The shopkeeper began explaining in a plausible tone of voice that the necklace had a spell to increase one's charm and that the ring would ward off evil and so on.
All of the products were shining beautifully under the light of the lantern. The shopkeeper must be well aware of the fact that it's much harder to tell the difference between a cheap product and a high-quality one at night than in the daytime.
…none of these seem to have any effect as a magic tool.
The base of the ring and the clasp were engraved with what appeared to be magic letters, but it was all complete nonsense. Perhaps Felix was aware of this but was pretending to be interested since his gaze at the accessories was devoid of any enthusiasm. In a way, he was just looking at it.
As Monica looked at the accessories, she suddenly noticed a brooch that has a different design from the others. To put it bluntly, the workmanship of the base of the brooch was extremely detailed. Compared to other cute-looking accessories, the ornamentation was much more elaborate. It was made of topaz and the magic formula engraved in it was real.
…it has a simple defensive barrier but doesn't seem to be very detailed…
The shopkeeper raised his voice when he saw Monica stared at the brooch.
”Oh, you have a good eye, young lady. You could tell this brooch is different from the others. It's specially made.”
The owner trailed off, bent forward a little then said in a lowered voice as if he was talking in secret.
”This brooch might be a second-hand, but… hey! It was made by one of the Seven Sages, the [Jewels Magician].”
”Oh…”
The mention of the Seven Sages made Monica wince. Standing next to her, Felix put his finger on his chin and muttered.
”I've heard that Emanuel Darwin, the [Jewels Magician], is a genius at making magic tools.”
”You're very knowledgeable, mister. That's right! If you were to go through the proper channels, you could buy a house in the capital with the magic tools made by the [Jewels Magician]. Here, I am offering it at a special price… how about it?”
”Can I see the brooch?”
After Felix said this, the shopkeeper said amiably, ”Here you go,” wrapping the brooch in cloth and offering it to him. He then took the brooch and reflected the topaz in the light of the lantern. Probably confirming there was a magic formula lying inside.
In the back of the magic formula, Emanuel Darwin's name was inscribed in a very small font.
No matter how one looks at it, this brooch was a counterfeit. The magic formula was not precise enough, and to begin with, a magic tool made by the Seven Sages could not have been sold in a stall like this. The only thing that bothered Monica was the way the brooch was decorated. She had seen a brooch very similar to this one before.
… it looks similar to Lord Cyril's brooch…
Cyril Ashley, who has a constitution that makes him prone to storing mana, always wore a magic tool brooch to absorb and release the magic power within his body. Monica had directly held the brooch in her hand, so there was no way she could be wrong.
Lord Cyril's brooch also had the name of the [Jewels Magician] engraved on it.
Cyril's brooch had not been applied with a spell to prevent it from deteriorating over time. And now, the brooch in Felix's hand only has a crude defensive barrier. These two were very similar, in either with the decorations on the brooch and the quirks of the magic formula.
”Great, I like it. I'll take the brooch.”
”Hehe, that's very generous of you, mister. Thank you very much.”
Before taking the brooch, Felix paid the price, which was an extraordinary amount of money to pay at a food stall.
Monica watched Felix put the brooch away in his pocket with a hesitant feeling.
…Does His Highness notice that the brooch is similar to Lord Cyril's brooch?
She could not tell what his thoughts were from Felix's beautiful profile, and yet, without particular reason, she kept staring at him, to which he moved his blue eyes to look at her.
”Hey, Monica. Are there any accessories you want? I'll buy you anything if you like it.”
”…No. I'm fine.”
When Monica shook her head slowly, Felix leaned down a little and looked into Monica's face.
”You were wearing makeup the other day at the chess tournament. It looked really good on you.”
”…………”
”Would you let me give you some accessories that would look good on you at that time?”
Most ladies would swoon over if Felix whispered in a mellow, sweet voice. But Monica didn't feel anything from it. And now, she was thinking in her own way and said clumsily.
”Um… Your… I mean Eig, do you still remember at the time we met for the first time?”
”In the old garden when you've been dropping your nuts?”
”Yeah, when you picked up the nuts at that time… I was really… really happy.”
For Monica, who was just recently enrolled in the school and had no one she was familiar with, the ribbon that Lana gave her and the berries that Felix picked up were treated as treasures. She even thought it was a waste to eat them.
”Well, I can't really put it into words, but…even if I were to buy accessories here now, I'm sure I wouldn't be as happy as I was with the nuts at that time… I think.”
At Monica's crude words, Felix lowered his eyebrows slightly and smiled wistfully.
”I see…”
The lonely look on his face made Monica feel terribly sorry for him. No matter what the reason was, the fact remained that Monica had rejected Felix's goodwill. So, Monica hurriedly continued with her words.
”Also, I-I've only recently become interested in fashion, since I'm still a beginner, accessories are still too high on my plate… well, accessories are for more experienced people, so I don't think I'm ready yet!”
As Monica frantically said this, Felix stared at her blankly, and the next moment he began giggling happily.
”Oh well… haha, I guess I'll leave it at that.”
Monica nodded briskly and inwardly patted her chest in relief.