Dad has returned from the deserted island.
Chapter 14
Seeing the identical reactions of the father and daughter, Kiki snorted once, climbed onto the top of Vivian’s head, and held its nose high in the air.
[That’s right! This body is none other than a Divine Beast. Finding the location of such a mine by communicating with nature is an easy task!]
“It says it’s easy for it! It says it can communicate with nature!”
[Not communicate with nature, just communicate!]
“Com... communicate!”
“Is that really true?”
Even with the two of them—no, one person and one Divine Beast—carrying on like a comedy duo, Jean couldn't bring himself to laugh.
With his eyes and mouth wide open, he looked like he wanted to laugh at the good news, but his shock was far greater.
[Of course. It is true. So, you must serve me properly from now on, human. If the treatment is satisfactory, I shall bestow such favors upon you from time to time.]
“Thank you so much!”
Jean jumped up from his seat and scooped up Kiki, who was still sitting on Vivian’s head.
“As expected, the Divine Beast is the best!”
Kiki, who had been fuming about who dared to touch its body so carelessly, felt its lips twitch.
When Jean began to spin around, a habit he used to have with Vivian, the baby monkey let out a giggle.
“Oh. It likes it.”
[Heehee... Hmph! D-do you really think I’d be happy with something like this?!]
Kiki blushed, though it wasn't visible, covered as it was in jet-black fur, let out a screech, and wriggled out of Jean’s grasp.
“Oh. Vivi. Could you ask the Divine Beast if Dad made a mistake?”
“Umm... It’s okay! I think it likes it!”
The proof was that Kiki wasn't getting angry at Vivian’s words, but was instead awkwardly smoothing down its fur.
Jean briefly pondered whether it was disrespectful to treat a Divine Beast like a cute pet, then cleared his throat and sat back down.
“Ahem. Well, Divine Beast. I only know what kind of gemstone is in the mine, and even the location is only vaguely familiar. I don’t even know the name. Still, would you be able to find it?”
[Hmm. If it’s a mine you don’t even know properly, I doubt it produces any good gemstones. Let’s hear what kind of stone it is.]
Kiki, who had answered with indifference, was startled.
Jean was looking at him with eyes full of desperate longing.
The lips that opened to answer trembled.
“...Diamond.”
If he could only obtain this.
His plan would be as good as a success.
One day before Jean de Lambert regained his memories.
“Damn it. If things aren't going to work out, they really don't work out.”
“What has happened?”
Edouard, the merchant who had taken in the wandering Jean, had been frowning since the morning.
It was because news had arrived that his rival had acquired a diamond mine.
Unlike Edouard, who prided himself on doing business with a conscience, he absolutely loathed the guy who would do anything to make money.
To think such luck would befall a guy like that.
And at a time when he was competing with him to win an Imperial contract, no less.
“A diamond mine? Can something like that be discovered so secretly? If a new vein were discovered, wouldn't the information have reached you months ago, sir?”
“They said it was found in an abandoned mine that had been discarded for lack of profitability. I thought it was just an ordinary vein, but to think it held diamonds.”
“It must be an abandoned mine in that guy’s territory. Even so, to receive the information this late...”
“Indeed. They said it was discovered in Serenvil.”
...This was all Jean remembered about the diamond mine.
On the day he had decided to look into the information properly, a splitting headache had struck, and as he regained his memories, the priorities of everything had been overturned.
However, Serenvil was the region with the most developed mining industry in the Empire, with over twenty mines.
Even excluding those currently in operation, there were over ten abandoned mines, and he couldn't possibly buy them all without any information, not to mention he had no money, and if he went rummaging through so many places, it was certain that others would catch wind of it.
That was why he had even been prepared for a timeline of up to ten years.
But if Kiki could really find the diamond mine, he could save a lot of time, so nothing could be better than this.
“They say it’s a mine in Serenvil, ah. Serenvil is the name of the Duchy we live in. Belouan, where we went yesterday, and this village are all under the Serenvil Duchy. If you look at the map here...”
Jean spread the map out so Kiki could see it well and pointed to a few abandoned mines.
“Here, here, and here are probably not it. They were temporarily closed by the owners, so it’s ambiguous to call them abandoned. This one was a gold mine, so it’s probably not it either. Diamonds and gold wouldn't come from the same place.”
This was the result of synthesizing the information he had diligently gathered in Belouan yesterday.
“There’s an abandoned mine near here too, though it’s hard to call it ‘near’ since you have to take a carriage. Anyway, there is one, but it’s probably not it. It doesn't meet a single condition for where diamonds could be found.”
[Hmm. Then there are about six places to check. It might take some time to check the ones that are far away, human.]
When Vivian relayed the words, Jean smiled and bowed his head deeply, saying that was more than enough.
“Kiki, your shoulders are going to pop off!”
Kiki’s shoulders, which had been rising to the heavens, slumped down.
Before Jean left, Vivian’s daily life was just playing. Jean, a noble in name only, had no intention of making her study from a young age like other nobles.
Peter, whom she used to play with, was gone, but Kiki had taken his place.
Vivian had regained the daily life she had lost.
“You know you can’t go outside the garden, right?”
“Don’t worry, Dad! I’m all grown up now!”
Jean couldn't help but burst into laughter at the words of a daughter who hadn't even lost her baby teeth yet.
After Jean left to go clean, Vivian sat in the garden with Kiki and began picking flowers.
“I’ll make you a flower crown~”
[A flower crown?]
“Yeah! You take flowers and do this and that, and make a crown!”
[Hoho. A crown! That suits a Divine Beast like me. Make it quickly!]
“Geez. Don’t rush me.”
Her hands were quite skillful as she gathered the colorful flowers and wove the stems to create the shape.
It was the exact same method Jean used to make them for her when she was younger.
Even when she was left alone, she had often made them while waiting for her father, so Vivian’s skill at making flower crowns was quite excellent.
Kiki was busy giving advice from the side, saying this flower looked good next to that one, or that one was better than the other.
“You talk too much, Kiki.”
[And you are too disrespectful!]
“Anyway, all done!”
[Oh, it looks quite decent.]
“Hehe. Your head is small, Kiki, so I could make it faster.”
When the flower crown was placed on the adorable baby monkey’s head, it was so cute she could just bite it.
Vivian couldn't hide her pride and gave Kiki a big hug.
[Keeeeek!]
Kiki screamed reflexively.
Even so, it didn't struggle to get away and stayed quietly in her arms.
“Hehe. So Kiki likes hugs too?”
[I do not.]
“You’re staying so still.”
[This noble body does not enjoy being held by anyone! However, when I am in your arms, it feels...]
“Feels?”
Kiki lifted its head from Vivian’s embrace.
Vivian, who met those red eyes sparkling like rubies, frowned ever so slightly at the face of someone that vaguely came to mind, then stopped.
[It feels familiar.]
“Huh?”
[Vivian. You are a very strange human.]
“Are you just going to insult me out of the blue?”
[By any chance, was your mother royalty?]
“My mom? No? Royalty are suuuper high-up people. But my mom is my mom, and my dad is my dad, you know?”
[I suppose. Royalty wouldn't live in a backwater place like this.]
“Why does it keep insulting me?”
Vivian and Kiki bickered, but soon began to giggle and play together.
Because Kiki insisted that they should wear the same thing, Vivian made a flower crown and wore it on her head as well.
The sight of the child and the monkey wearing matching flower crowns and playing together was truly peaceful.
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