By the time Jin returned to the junction of the branch tunnel, the others were just arriving as well.
"Hey, how did you do, Jin? Here’s my haul."
Reinhard showed off the rough stones he had collected: two pieces of clear quartz and one amethyst.
"This is what I ended up with," Jin replied, showing his own findings.
"Oho, three citrines, three amethysts, and one smoky quartz? Not bad at all."
Reinhard seemed to have an inkling of how Jin had found them. Though, in truth, one of the citrines and one of the amethysts had actually been dug up by the young girl.
"I only found this one."
Elsa showed them the single morion she held in her hand.
"A lot of quartz in this group, then," Reinhard remarked.
"Mother, this is a present for you, it is!"
The young girl from earlier was presenting her findings to her mother, Viscountess Sekat.
"My, for me? Thank you, Shiide."
It seemed the girl’s name was Shiide. She beamed as her mother stroked her hair.
Jin watched them from the corner of his eye, feeling glad that he had bothered to create that magic-made pink sapphire.
"That big brother over there let me have his spot, he did!"
The Viscountess heard her daughter's explanation and walked over to Jin.
"It seems my daughter is in your debt. Thank you," she said, offering her gratitude.
"Um, excuse me, but are you Marilia-san?" Reinhard spoke up from the side.
"Yes, I am Marilia, but who might you be?"
"My name is Reinhard, of the Shouro Empire. I had the pleasure of meeting your husband, Viscount Sekat, in Asunt the other day."
Upon hearing that, Marilia’s expression brightened.
"Oh my, is that so? Was my husband well? He's been so late returning that I’ve been quite worried."
"Yes, he was in high spirits. However, there was a bit of trouble at Prince Ernest’s birthday party, and I believe he has been called away to assist with the aftermath."
In this world where news traveled slowly, it seemed the word of the golem rampage had not yet reached the Viscountess. Reinhard kept his explanation vague and harmless. Hearing recent news of her husband from someone who had seen him in person seemed to put her mind at ease.
"Big Brother is taking a long time to come back, he is!" Shiide’s voice rang out. The only one still missing was her older brother.
"You’re right, Edem is being quite slow."
"I'll go look for him, I will!"
Shiide took off running. Her mother, Marilia, barely had time to shout a warning about it being dangerous before the girl tripped and tumbled.
"Ow... it hurts, it is..."
"There, see? What did I tell you?...Oh dear, and I can't use healing magic..."
Elsa stepped forward. "I will... Behandeln."
"Ah, it doesn't hurt anymore, it doesn't!"
"My, thank you so much, young lady. Come now, Shiide, give your thanks."
"Yes! Thank you very much, Big Sister, it is!"
She was an honest child and immediately thanked Elsa as her mother instructed.
"...Be careful, okay?"
"I will, it is!"
It was difficult to see in the dim light, but Elsa seemed to be blushing slightly.
"Mother! I found an amazing stone!"
Just then, Shiide’s brother, Edem, returned at a full run, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Look, please! It's a green stone! And look at this magnificent shape!"
Edem held out the rough stone in his hand toward his mother. Jin stole a quick glance and saw a stone with unmistakable characteristics.
"It's fluorite," he murmured.
Elsa overheard him. "Fluorite?"
"Yeah. That stone Edem—is that his name?—is holding. It had a beautiful octahedral shape, right? Fluorite cleaves into shapes like that."
Fluorite was calcium fluoride. It was actually used in steelmaking. Regardless of the electric furnace Jin had once fallen into, fluorite was used in blast furnace smelting to help the impurities, or slag, flow more easily.
Because of that, it was a mineral Jin was quite familiar with. As a gemstone, it was far too soft—rated at a 4 on the Mohs scale—so it was usually only sought after by specific collectors. This was likely another stone placed in the mine as a courtesy for tourists.
"My, my, Edem found a wonderful stone too. That’s lovely."
"Big Brother, Shiide found a pink stone, she did!"
"Is that so? That's great."
"Yes, it is!"
Jin had no intention of spoiling the happy family’s moment. He simply felt a tiny pang of envy at how close they were.
"Alright everyone, did you have a good time? We’re heading out now, so please follow me."
The guide’s voice signaled the end of the tour. After returning their borrowed magic tools, the group of eight retraced their steps out of the mine.
Once they stepped outside, the clouds had broken, and patches of blue sky were peeking through. The breeze that blew against them was unmistakably the wind of spring.
"Ah, the air out here tastes wonderful."
As Jin stretched and spoke, Reinhard nodded in total agreement, and Elsa gave several firm nods of her own.
"Well then, everyone, I wish you a pleasant day," Viscountess Sekat said in farewell.
Shiide waved her hand enthusiastically. "Big Brother, Big Sister, goodbye, it is!"
Jin and Elsa both gave a small wave back.
Since it was right at noon, they decided to stop at a nearby restaurant. As it was a mining village, the interior of the restaurant was decorated with rough gemstones and minerals of all shapes and sizes.
"Is there any aquamarine?" Elsa asked Jin in a small voice.
"Aquamarine, huh? Let's see."
Aquamarine was the same color as Elsa’s eyes. Largely because of that, it was her absolute favorite gemstone.
"Ah, there's one."
A crystal about the size of a fist was on display. Aquamarine was the same mineral as emerald, but while emeralds crystallized deep underground under immense pressure, aquamarines typically formed in pegmatites.
"That's pretty."
"It’s beautiful even without being polished, isn't it?"
"Indeed," Reinhard interjected. "If a polished gem is a beauty in her finery, then a rough stone is like a simple village girl."
"???"
"......"
Faced with Reinhard’s uncharacteristically cheesy remark, Jin and Elsa could only stare at him with looks that defied description.
"Wait, I feel like you're both thinking something very rude about me."
Reinhard gave a wry smile as he sensed their judgment.
"It’s not your imagination," Elsa stated bluntly. "That kind of line doesn't suit Rai-nii at all."
"How cruel... and here I was thinking of buying that stone for you. I suppose I’ll change my mind."
As Reinhard spoke with a sulky pout, Elsa sidled up to him sweetly.
"I’m sorry. Rai-nii is handsome."
Reinhard’s wry smile deepened. "Just when I think you’ve grown up a bit, you stay exactly the same in moments like this. Fine, I’ll buy it for you."
Reinhard truly was soft on his cousin.
"To think a sapphire like that can still be found in there..."
The guide, who had seen Shiide hand the stone to her mother, Marilia, reported the find to the Mining Guild.
The tourist tunnel was closed for the next two weeks for excavation, but it was said that they found almost no corundum at all, let alone another pink sapphire.