"Just."
Matt made a wronged face, as if saying, "Why on earth?"
Soon, Carcel gave an order.
"Take both hands off that position."
"Do you mean I should just bang my head against the wall and die?"
"Put your head down. You can do that much. Is it hard?"
"...Could you at least tell me the reason?"
There was a subtle crack in Carcel's expressionless face.
However, because Isar was sitting opposite him, he couldn't even show it and kept his mouth shut.
"Just."
Matt muttered curses under his breath and banged his head.
Isar was dumbfounded to see Carcel making his aide bow his head in submission early in the morning.
"Even if they are a subordinate, is it really necessary to act like that?"
"So just tell me why you came."
"My business is with your wife, not you."
Asha, who was not the wife until she saw her for the last time, has now become the mistress.
Isar continued speaking to Carcel.
"I need to discuss business with your wife alone."
"Did you fall for Asha?"
“Specifically?”
At Isar's indifferent reply, Carcel finally put down the documents he had been looking at.
"You aren't going to say something strange to Asha, are you?"
"Strange sound? What?"
Isar, who had been silent for a moment, spoke in a sarcastic tone.
"For example, how repulsive and disgusting you are in front of your wife?"
"Asha already knows."
"Birds of a feather flock together. Never mind, you need to discuss this with your wife and get back."
At those words, Carcel decided to take care of his own business first.
"I'll give you a sample before the picture, so please analyze it for me."
"...What a nuisance."
"It's lavender that grew near Asha's magic stone mine. It has the blue glow I was reported to have before."
Carcel handed the sample he had taken from his inner pocket to Isar.
He accepted it leisurely while drinking alcohol.
"I'll give it a try."
"Don't talk nonsense when Asha comes."
Eventually, Carcel switched positions with Asha.
While Carcel was having a meal with Linea for the first time, whimpering beside her, Asha faced Isar.
Isar got straight to the point.
"When does mining start?"
"We plan to start construction immediately once we select a contractor."
"When was that?"
"For now, Carcel provided me with a list of candidates last night, so I plan to conduct separate interviews before making a decision. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses."
Isar reached out his hand to Asha.
At that gesture, as if asking to see it, Asha readily handed over the documents.
He flipped through the documents and gave one to Asha first.
“Do it here.”
"Why?"
"I know more about the Magic Stone Mine than anyone. This place is the most professional and does the job well."
It sounded arrogant at first glance, but in fact, Asha agreed with it.
Isar was a better expert than Asha when it came to mines.
In the end, she nodded after reading the document a few more times.
"And you know what? I have a few questions to ask about the mines."
"Yes."
"Where is the most magic stone found?"
Asha answered without hesitation.
“North!”
Isar, with a subtle expression, asked the next question.
"Why is it dangerous to use Magic Stones without refining them?"
"Explosion."
Isar asked Asha one last question as she answered fluently.
"Then, how do you distinguish magic stones with unique properties?"
"Color."
Isar stared at her for a long time with a look that seemed to say he was seeing something unusual, as she wore a somewhat proud expression.
And he clapped.
Considering his bored expression, he put quite a bit of effort into his applause.
"So what? Did you even check anything now?"
Isar shook his head and answered her as she asked back triumphantly.
"Don't make that confident face. You're all wrong. Where on earth does that confidence come from?"
"Tch."
Asha wore a dissatisfied expression.
Of course, from Isar's perspective, it was simply absurd.
"You don't know a single thing properly, so how do you know that a magic stone with unique properties is there?"
"It's all a trade secret, so I won't tell you."
"Anyway, you're a peculiar woman."
"Since they're suspicious anyway, I decided to just go for it."
Saying that, Asha brazenly held out a plate to Isar.
"Try this cookie. It's really delicious."
Isar did not refuse the cookie, even with a look of disbelief on his face.
"But there is one thing I know for sure."
"What is it?"
Isar asked Asha curtly, as if he still didn't trust her very much.
Asha spoke to Isar, who had suddenly taken the plate of cookies as if it were his own and was munching on them.
"The time I first met Carcel, I successfully killed the dragon, and Mr. Isar took only a single trophy from the lair."
Isar's brow furrowed for the first time.
Asha continued speaking calmly.
“I knew right away.”
“Keep talking.”
"What was born from that egg was definitely not an ordinary spring, and it was probably one of the monsters forbidden even in the Empire."
Isar's expression crumpled at the sound of those words.
“What a monster!”
"Is it really okay to reveal your emotions so easily, Apricot's father?"
"...You really are a strange woman. How do you know these facts?"
"I am the only one who knows, so don't even think about interrogating Carcel or anyone else."
She warned him, knowing that Isar would not hesitate to use coercive measures if he wanted to.
"Anyway, as far as I know, you'll never be able to cure your picky Apricot eating habits! If it's not me, Apricot will starve."
"How dare you threaten me by taking a child hostage! Are you even a mother?"
Isar was shocked by Asha's words.
"Given Mr. Isar's personality, it's obvious you'll mess with my people just to protect Apricot, so how could I not warn you?"
At that, Isar, left speechless, finally let out a cynical laugh.
"Just as you said, it seems you really do have something."
"It’s not a great ability, but I have my own way of looking up information."
"...So, are you going to go around telling people about this?"
Asha shook her head.
"Honestly, well, it's just a monster that isn't all that scary."
“Hey.”
"What would I do just for one Apricot? However, as Apricot's father, Mr. Isar, you must also do your best to cooperate with me."
Isar let out a groan with a displeased look on his face.
Seeing that, Asha emphasized it to him once again.
"As you know, Apricot is extremely picky unless it is a magic stone with unique properties, right?"
Upon hearing that, Isar shoveled the cookies back into his mouth.
Chewing on cookies aggressively as if he were having a stress-induced binge-eating episode, he tested Asha.
"...You are there, right? You know."
"Yes, there are. Of all the mines Mr. Isar has searched so far, this one probably contains the most magic stones of unique properties."
For reference, this kind of magic stone actually only has meaning to Isar.
It had virtually no commercial value.
So, discarding it was the usual course of action.
'Isar later learned of this and even helped Baron Attilini by making deals with him, so he knows it well.'
In the original story, Linea also became acquainted with Isar through Lucian. Afterwards, she also accidentally learned of Apricot's existence.
Given Linea's personality, she doted on Apricot. Because of this, Apricot liked Linea too.
'After all, Apricot was such a commendable child who even rescued Linea from danger.'
While Asha was lost in thought, Isar, who had been watching her, quietly opened his mouth.
"My Apricot is sweet and cute. I mean... come see her in person next time."
"Such a favor all of a sudden?"
"You need to see the baby and know how pretty she is so we can hurry up with the mining!"
Apricot's father seemed somewhat anxious.
Of course, even though he knew that the monster wouldn't starve to death without it, he looked clearly worried.
Isar now wore a face completely different from the bored expression he usually wore.
"You know Apricot won't starve to death from things like that, right?"
"How can you say something like that as a parent seeing your child go hungry?"
Judging by Isar's expression, Asha seemed like a wicked person deserving of all condemnation.
She eventually answered as if there was nothing she could do.
"Okay, I get it. Please calm down. Anyway, I need to produce results within a month, you know?"
Although a full year hadn't passed yet, Asha also needed to start making a profit soon.
As for the magic stone, there was no need to worry; once the product was released, sales channels would be endless.
Asha spoke as she looked at Isar, who was clutching the last remaining cookie.
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