Kousuke watched Shurein, who stood frozen in surprise, with amusement as he continued his explanation.
“Well, to be precise, it’s not the Vermilia Jewel itself. Think of it as the initial material used before creating those jewels. Would that be easier to understand?”
“This jewel? So, the Vermilia Jewel is made using this as a base?”
To Shurein, who asked in a raspy voice, Kousuke nodded.
“Do you remember? The jewel that Viana of the Prost Clan gave me during the disturbance at the Aris Temple.”
“Ah, ah, of course.”
Previously, Kousuke had processed the jewel given to him by Viana and made it into the temple’s jewel.
Kousuke had thoroughly investigated the material of the jewel Viana had given him.
However, at the time, he had concluded that he couldn’t make it himself and had left it as is.
Now that it was right in front of him, Kousuke was both surprised and delighted.
After all, this meant he was one step closer to researching the Vermilia Jewel.
Kousuke recalled the jewel given to him by Viana and added further explanation to Shurein.
“To be more precise, this jewel won’t become that other jewel without further processing. But, there’s no doubt that this is the original jewel.”
“I see…”.
Kousuke gave a wry smile at Shurein’s reply, which lacked her usual spirit.
“Considering your position, Shurein, it’s understandable to be surprised, but can you snap out of it soon?”
“No, even if you say that…”
Shurein’s weak reply suggested she acknowledged Kousuke’s point. She paused, then shook her head vigorously, like a dog shaking off water.
After clapping her hands together on her cheeks, Shurein’s usual expression returned.
Kousuke, confirming Shurein had revived, said with a thoughtful look on his face.
“So, there’s a little problem…”
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s a hassle to keep calling it the ‘○○ Jewel.’ How about we give it a name?”
Shurein, finding the topic trivial, couldn’t help but show a weary expression and say, “Seriously…” While she admitted it was difficult to understand, she felt it wasn’t something to bring up now.
“This is rather unimportant right now. We can discuss it with everyone later.”
“Ehh… Ah, yes. My apologies.”
Kousuke, feeling a bit mischievous and aware of Shurein’s glare, honestly bowed his head.
Seeing Kousuke bow, Shurein asked further about the jewel.
“So? How do we process this to reach that state?”
“Who knows?”
Kousuke’s casual reply made Shurein narrow her eyes.
“Hey?”
“Well, I really don’t know the details. I know that preliminary preparations involve Vampires and that it requires a long time.”
Kousuke shrugged as he answered, and Shurein’s brow furrowed with a question.
“Is that so?”
“It is. So, do the Vampires have any traditions or legends passed down?”
“Even if you say that…”
Being questioned by Kousuke, Shurein looked bewildered.
At least, Shurein had no recollection of ever hearing such a story.
As he watched Shurein, Kousuke continued.
“Well, it’s only natural, but the Vermilia Jewel, in particular, can only be used by specific Vampires. It’s natural for Vampires to be involved in the initial stages.”
“That, I can understand.”
The jewels of the Aris Temple could only be used by Vampires, and even more so, the Vermilia Jewel could only be used by Shurein’s bloodline.
Given such conditions, it was natural to think that Vampires were involved in the processing stage, as Kousuke suggested.
“To be precise, what I processed before was merely to add the temple’s barrier and the like; I hadn’t touched anything more fundamental.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Besides, it’s a magical tool with that many functions. It’s not something that can be made in a few days.”
“…That might be true.”
Kousuke’s words were self-evident, but since the speaker himself was outside the realm of common sense, it felt strange to Shurein.
Unbeknownst to Shurein, Kousuke, as if inspired, clapped his hands together.
“I see. If you really want to know how to make it, why not ask Clara?”
“Ask Clara (God)?”
“Yes. I’ve always suspected Clara (God) was involved with this jewel. After all, she is the god of Vampires.”
Kousuke suspected that Clara being the main god of Vampires was related to the jewel.
Furthermore, he believed that the jewel’s nature was close to Clara’s authority as the Mother Goddess of the Earth.
“—Therefore, although I don’t know if you’ll get an answer, why not try to confirm it?”
“…Understood. I’ll try that.”
Even with the ability to perform divine union, one couldn’t get all answers from the gods.
She knew this from observing Silvia and the others.
However, thinking it was better than doing nothing, Shurein immediately attempted divine union with Clara.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
“—I see. So that’s why you contacted me.”
“That’s right.”
Shurein conveyed the story Kousuke had told her to Clara (God).
By the way, Shurein contacted Clara a full day after speaking with Kousuke.
She had been conflicted about whether it was appropriate to casually perform divine union and had also held a passive hope that Clara might contact her.
However, Shurein’s faint wish went up in smoke, and she ended up performing divine union herself.
There was a slight pause between Shurein nodding and Clara’s next reply.
Shurein wondered if she wouldn’t get an answer, but Clara’s response was entirely different.
“—Honestly… Whether you’re diligent or something else…”
Clara’s words were not clear, more like a mumble.
Shurein, unable to clearly see Clara’s face, hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond.
As if sensing Shurein’s confusion, Clara’s words continued immediately.
“—Just to be clear, I believe Kousuke also knows how that jewel should be handled, right?”
“Huh?”
Shurein’s face contorted in surprise at Clara’s unexpected words.
“The reason you went to the trouble of asking me must be because Kousuke was being considerate of me. It’s true that my authority is also involved with that jewel.”
Clara (God)’s authority as the Mother Goddess of the Earth was used in both the Vermilia Jewel and the Aris Temple’s jewel.
Therefore, Kousuke hesitated to proceed with making the jewel without any notice to Clara.
Although Kousuke was often thought to be prone to going too far when crafting magical tools, he still followed the proper protocols (or something like it).
① Jewel created through a ritual (current situation) → ② Preliminary processing & time passage → ③ Final processing → Completion
This is the flow of jewel creation.
The processing Kousuke performed before was ③.
The processing discussed in this conversation refers to ②.
