Chapter 14

The youngest genius mage of the Hazar Empire, a disciple of Archmage Merlin, who achieved the impressive feat of using magic at a tender age… was an idiot who severely ignored the economic potential of magical beasts.

It was just ridiculous. Seriously, I didn't know I didn't know anything about that in the game.

I can't even understand how it's possible. I think it's common sense for any noble that magical beasts were a pretty lucrative business, you know?

Firstly, raising magical beasts for tamers would serve to strengthen the war power in the hands of a lord, since unlike human magic, magical beasts can use powerful magical abilities with a mere thought and can be very destructive.

In these times when the world is threatened by the King of the Eternal Abyss and his Demons, having strong military power in your hands to defend your domains is vital for any self-respecting noble.

Not only that, the sale of magical beasts is one of the highest-value markets known both in the Hazar Empire and other nations of Fredon, with high demand and low supply driving up the price of even the most insignificant magical beasts.

A magical beast that has been raised by humans is much easier for a tamer to 'tame' than those raised in the wild, as they are more docile.

However, they are very expensive to raise, as magical beast farms expend a lot of resources to optimally foster the healthy growth of magical beast offspring, and as a result, only a few wealthy nobles and merchants can afford to have a piece of this delicious business.

Also, since magical beasts, even those that are bred, fight to the death to avoid having their young stolen, it's difficult to obtain a large number of magical beast eggs for future breeding without ending up breaking them. (For some reason, all magical beasts, including Drupi, hatch from eggs. Something super strange but cute, and it reminds me of Pokémon...)

Naturally, the price of the incredibly rare and precious pure-core magical beasts is extremely high compared to any other. I'm not kidding when I say that countless tamers would kill with their teeth just to get their hands on a horned rabbit like Drupi...

Although I would never let any crazy person touch my beloved pet's paws!

By no means!

Anyway, one of the things that makes my idea interesting to consider is the potential benefits that can be achieved if it is shown to have some merit, although I sincerely doubt it.

This is due to magical beast meat having an unfixed value that largely depends on the purity of the mana core of the magical beast it was obtained from, as the quality of these in turn affects the amount of mana magical beast meat contains compared to others.

Something very important for any mana user.

Mana-rich meat is very good for the growth of fighters, such as Knights and Adventurers, as it helps them quickly improve the power of their Arcane Arts and their physical capabilities after training, which, in the case of the game, would be similar to the act of leveling up skills and improving the character's stats.

Therefore, pure magical beast meat becomes the most valuable of all, as the effects it has on even the most common soldier's training are magnificent... anyway, it's not like any soldier can enjoy that luxury.

Leaving that aside… What if you could cultivate a large number of magical beasts with cores far purer than those normally bred currently? What if there was a greater possibility of breeding pure-core magical beasts in a way that surpassed what occurs in nature itself?

The mere possibility might even tempt the imperial family to fund a research project seeking to achieve something so revolutionary!

…As long as a reasonable thesis is created that convinces them and the institution that it is possible to develop new methods of breeding magical beasts, of course.

And if something like this is achieved, it would have a huge impact not only nationally but also internationally. And it's no joke.

Well, you see, being a resource that efficiently nourishes warriors, the mere idea of ​​being able to create new breeding methods that would allow for the production of magical beasts with higher mana-rich meat... could literally help strengthen Hazar's already enormous imperial power, enough to make us an even richer and more powerful empire!

Forget it.

It's even possible that the researchers who make this possible will receive a noble title from His Majesty the Emperor if they weren't already, though it may only be Baron. However, even that title requires significant contributions that will go down in history.

Not ignoring the fact that they would gain the gratitude and respect of countless tamers, easily gaining significant influence, as well as generating energy resources that can be used to fuel the development of Imperial arcanotechnology, which currently devours vast quantities of low-quality Cores just to achieve the slightest technological advancement.

As simple as breeding the purest magical beasts may seem... the impact it would have on the future would be simply tremendous. Only a fool couldn't see it through and live in peace.

…And here, ladies and gentlemen, we have that fool.

An extremely handsome boy who boasts of being a genius in magic, but is completely unaware of what can be achieved outside of it, despite the fact that they are technically very closely related.

I am speechless.

"Pff..."

This... How can it be so stupid?!

That's so cute!

Incredibly cute!

Gods... it's amazing that there's a man who seems so intellectual with his elegant appearance and all, but ignores something like it's nothing... Just cute!

Is this Gap Moe? The gap is so significant...!

"Princess?!"

"Oh I'm sorry"

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to elegantly hide my slightly mocking smile, without much apparent success judging by the way Arturo's expression changed in response.

Maybe I should start using one of those beautiful fans noble ladies use? I think I have a good idea why they use those things... Although at my age, I might look ridiculous...

Embarrassed and with slightly reddened cheeks, Arthur tried to act as if nothing had happened as he spoke: “W-well… I think I have an idea of ​​what you mean, Princess… If quality magical beasts can be raised, there’s definitely a lot of money to be made. That’s definitely reason enough to…”

“….“

"…Princess?"

In the end, I explained to this friendly fool everything I'd explained to him a few moments ago. Saves you from having to repeat explanations, right?

Don't thank me (😉)

“…Hahaha,” Arturo laughed awkwardly, completely embarrassed, and tried to cover his face with one hand, only to quickly give up and end up brushing his hair back. It seemed so bad that he briefly missed his cold personality, and he had that aura that conveyed the desire to sink into the ground, very deep.

“That’s all basically as hypothetical as my idea itself, but the possibilities are such that it might well be worth a try,” I said with a smile, then grimaced, “Although it’s also very likely to turn out to be the biggest fiasco of the century and the greatest offense to the imperial family…”

"That's true... but if it can be done, the glory of being a contributor to the strengthening of the empire would allow me to use this to strengthen my family's power and return them to their former prosperity..." Arthur murmured, moving his chin, deep in thought.

Sometimes this guy would say his thoughts more or less out loud, and this is one of those times. It's good to see that's still the case.

But I must admit, he looks pretty darn good in a Thinker-like pose. It's no surprise that a person's appearance can really affect how others see them.

Put a fat, ugly man dressed the same way and imitating his elegant posture, and at best, you'll have a scene that looks like something out of a weird comedy. That was the difference.

Still, regaining power for his family... That was never his greatest goal, or rather, it wasn't even a goal for Arthur in the first place.

You see. She may have called him Arthur the Great von Jairus and all that before she even understood why she'd been transmigrated so far from the game's official setting, but in the original story, Arthur had lost his last name... for the simple reason that his family eventually fell into total ruin, losing their noble status and becoming commoners.

Most of their relatives died for unknown reasons or simply committed suicide because they refused to accept their new and undignified reality, which was worse than being impoverished marquises, and the rest turned to evil, becoming bandits and similar criminals after getting into debt...

Arthur's only remaining goal after that fiasco was to give humanity the ability to use magic effectively in the war against demons. This would also explain why he agreed to become an earl in the game; he wanted to create a new family with the heroine, since he no longer had one to really worry about.

However, since he still retains his family name, his family continues to exist, although at this point they should barely be able to maintain the dignity of a nobleman. Therefore, although it's not the main objective, there is also the intention to use his achievements to restore his family name to its former glory, or even surpass it. Something that had also made his mother very happy...

Hmmm…as far as I know, Marquis Jairo's family was just as eccentric as mine, unlike the other capture targets, so it wouldn't hurt to help them overcome their crisis.

Although that depends on whether I'm capable of it.

¿Soy?

I have no idea!

I'll worry about that later! (Procrastination!)

“Since Jairo-sama is seriously considering my hypothesis, then… does that mean I pass your test?” I asked, not bothering to let him know I was listening to his mutterings.

He blinked for a few moments, before quickly regaining his neutral expression, subduing his previous composure and nodding his head.

—Of course. Beyond having memorized basic magical knowledge, the princess has shown me that she has a brilliant mind and isn't afraid to think outside the box, formulating ideas that even I, with all shame, admit, would never have occurred to me.

It would be an honor for this humble tutor to guide such a resourceful and talented young woman to become one of the pillars that will advance the empire's magic. I am confident that with a mind as sharp as yours, you will accomplish many things that will change the world of magic for the better.

"I'm glad you think so, although it's a little embarrassing that you now hold me in such high regard, but even so, I will strive to prove that you are not mistaken in your expectations of my talent and ability.

I will not stand idly by and let my ideas be just that, because I want to enhance the power of the empire to finally help lighten the burden on my father, who always has to go to the battlefield to contain the rampage of the evil demons.”

Leaving aside the fact that I'll literally have to fight the King of All Demons alongside Arthur and other capture targets in the future, if my ideas could ease Father's workload, that would be most welcome.

After all, it's not healthy for a relationship for your partner to be separated from you for long periods of time, and my parents will have more time to spend together if there are more powerful warriors to whom they can delegate most of the threats my father faces daily.

"Help your father, okay?" he whispered with a slightly grim expression in response, before smiling in my direction. I smiled back.

"Ah, Drupi!"

Suddenly, Drupi jumps up onto the table, surprising me. He narrows his eyes menacingly at Arturo, causing the man to blink in bewilderment. He then curls up in my lap, staring at me for a few seconds before finally laying his head down and closing his eyes.

Smiling even more at my pet's adorable behavior, I begin to pet the little horned rabbit with delight, and I don't know if it's my ideas or what, I think Drupi purred in response to this.

Do horned rabbits purr? How cute!

It's weird…

But cute anyway!