As morning dawned, the people of the county estate began to move busily.

Everyone was so excited about the news of the mana stone mine that they couldn't sleep, and the Count was out practicing his swordsmanship before dawn, and Blaine was also in the back garden, tidying up the flower branches and composing her mind.

"Oh, professor. Did you sleep well last night?"

The Count's face, who had greeted Aman who had come down to the dining room for breakfast, was full of smiles.

"Haha, yes. Thanks to you, I slept well."

"Did you have a peaceful night, Count, and professor?"

Skir, who had greeted them neatly in accordance with etiquette, was followed by Pola and Lucas, who also entered the dining room.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning."

The Count, who saw the children, smiled brightly and even placed a piece of bread on each of their plates.

"Hoho, yes. Come quickly and eat."

"Is Nella not here yet?"

Countess Blaine asked, looking at the doorway, as Nella was not seen among the children.

"Ah, Nella is coming now, my lady."

As the maid Laila quickly answered, not long after, Nella, holding the nanny's hand, came in.

"Nella, did you sleep well?"

"...Yes."

Although her voice was still small, Nella, who was now able to answer properly, sat down at the table, and the meal began.

"How about we go right after breakfast?"

Aman, who was observing the Count's excited expression, asked with a good sense, and the Count quickly nodded his head and answered.

"Yes, I'm fine with that, but I'm worried that I might be bothering the professor from the morning..."

"Haha, not at all. I'm fine with it too. Then let's go together after the meal."

"Yes. Then I will order the knights to prepare."

"Ah, no. It's enough for just the two of us, Count."

"Pardon? But..."

He knew better than anyone that Aman was strong. But as the master of the territory, it would be a loss of face if he didn't even bring an escort knight.

"Haha, don't worry. It's very close by."

As Aman, who had finished speaking, gave a meaningful smile, the Count also did not add any more words and nodded his head.

"Yes. I understand."

***

Aman and the Count, who had finished their meal, left the county estate.

"Now, let's go."

"Do we not even need a horse?"

"Yes. You just have to follow me."

Aman, who winked one eye, began to walk ahead, and the Count followed him.

"Now, here it is."

"Pardon?!"

They hadn't even left the county estate.

The Count couldn't help but be surprised when Aman stopped in front of the back gate after passing through the county estate's back garden.

"W-what is this..."

"I felt the energy of a mana stone from here. Starting from here, there are definitely mana stones buried under that big tree over there."

"By big tree, you mean... all the way over there!?"

The place beyond the back garden was no different from a plain. As befitting the name 'barren land', it was difficult to find a single tree in Citata except for the forest.

But in the place Aman was pointing to, there was only one tree. And it was the only tree in the place where the Count's eyes could reach. To think that there were mana stones buried under that big land!

The Count held his pounding chest and took a step forward to open the back gate.

"A-are you really saying that there are mana stones buried under that tree?"

"Yes, that's what I felt."

"T-then where and how... should I dig..."

"First, hire some miners."

"Ah, miners!"

The sudden stroke of luck had paralyzed the Count's head.

"Haha, yes. You'll need miners to dig, won't you. Ah, would you mind stepping back for a moment?"

"Pardon?"

Even at Aman's words to step back, the Count stood there blankly, and Aman raised his hand to make the Count step back.

"It's dangerous."

Aman, who smiled brightly, began to chant a spell, and the Count took a couple more steps back.

"...Earth, rise! Earthquake!"

-Rumble...

As Aman raised his hand high, the earth began to tremble.

"Uh, uh!"

The Count quickly grabbed the gate and supported himself on the suddenly shaking earth.

-Rumble... KABOOM!

The shaking earth began to rise, centered on one place, and when the trembling stopped, a huge hole was gaping there.

"Now, it's done!"

Aman, who covered his mouth with his sleeve from the rising dust, smiled brightly.

"Cough, cough..."

The Count, who was coughing from the dust, walked towards the gaping hole.

"It would be just right to start from there."

The huge hole, which was about a hundred meters away from the county estate, was quite deep.

"This is quite far from the county estate, and it's a distance where the Count can also look in often, so isn't it just right?"

"Khuk..."

The Count finally burst into tears at Aman's thoughtful consideration.

"Uh, uh! Why are you doing this..."

Aman, who was flustered by the Count's sudden tears, looked at the Count in a daze.

"Khuk... I'm sorry. I've shown a pathetic side of myself. But... but!"

"Is it because I dug the hole too deep!? But this is a mine, so it's originally..."

"No, that's not it! I... I'm just so, so grateful!"

"But still... why are you crying..."

The Count was crying with his face buried in his arms, his shoulders shaking.

"Khuk... khuk!"

The Count, who was now sobbing and even sniffling, held Aman's hand tightly.

"Thank you... I will definitely, definitely repay this kindness someday!"

"Not at all. The fact that Lucas-gun came to me is already enough."

He was sincere. Aman didn't care about the mana stones buried in here anyway, and he had just hidden the energy of the mana stones with magic because he thought it would be troublesome.

In fact, this mine that Aman had given him contained quite a lot of precious things.

Not only various gems, but also high-quality mana stones existed among them.

With the appearance of this mine, the county would rise greatly.

But it was not comparable to the precious artifact he would get and the blessing he would receive from the future god with the appearance of Lucas.

'Hmph. To be so happy! I'm going to get something even more precious!'

Aman, who was in a good mood at the Count's words of gratitude, decided to give him one more gift.

"Huh? Count. Please wait a moment."

"...Pardon?"

Aman, who had gone down into the hole he had dug in one go, rummaged through the ground and found something.

"It's a mana stone!"

"Pardon!?"

The Count's eyes widened as he looked at the stone Aman had held high above his head.

"H-how!"

"Didn't I tell you? That there would be mana stones here!"

"Khuk!!"

The Count's tear ducts burst once more at the discovery of the mana stone.

"Ah, no, why are you always..."

Even though he had personally excavated a mana stone, the Count was crying even louder instead of stopping his crying.

'What in the world am I supposed to do!'

***

The discovery of the mana stone that Aman had personally dug up, and the gaping hole that was clearly visible from the county estate, caused a huge uproar.

"Wow, is this really a mana stone?"

"That's right."

"It's a really huge size."

The children, who were in front of the magic stone, looked at it from this way and that and exclaimed in admiration.

"Sob! Honey, we're now... now...!"

"Yes, my lady... you've worked so hard..."

Blaine, who saw the magic stone, also shed tears. The hardships of the past flashed through her mind like a panorama, further stimulating her tear ducts.

"Lucas. You don't have to worry anymore... my baby... how hard it must have been for you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My son... how could you be so mature and adult-like..."

The Count and Countess knew that their son had been worrying about the family's finances more than anyone else.

Even though he must have been short on pocket money while living at the academy, Lucas had never once complained that he was short on money or whined.

But Lucas had never had a hard time thanks to his rich friend, Skir.

He had even had pocket money left over.

But the Count and Countess, who had no way of knowing that, hugged their son tightly and patted his back.

'Damn it... it's suffocating...'

Even though he thought this, Lucas did not entirely dislike the embrace of Blaine, who was holding him tightly.

***

Everyone was in such a good mood that laughter did not leave the lunch table.

Lucas and the children, who had finished their meal, were out in the garden, enjoying the warm early autumn sunlight.

"Now, let's practice magic again."

He had to take responsibility for and improve the children's magic skills.

No matter how much he disliked the attention of humans, he couldn't stay in the beginner class, the lowest class, forever.

Lucas's goal was to take these children with him every time he moved up a class.

To do that, he needed to improve the children's poor magic skills right away.

"Rookie, can't we take a little nap? Ugh..."

The children, who seemed to be getting sleepy from being full and warm, were not in their right minds.

"Right... let's do that."

There was no other way when he saw the children's drowsy eyes. Even if they practiced magic in a sleepy state, it would not be effective.

"Haaam..."

"Hwaaam..."

Did they say that yawning is contagious? Thanks to that, not only the children but also Lucas, who was next to them, began to yawn one after another.

"Lucas-gun?"

It was when his eyes were slowly closing under the warm sunlight.

"Ah, Aman... professor."

His brow furrowed slightly as his nap was disturbed. Lucas, who had almost spoken informally without realizing it, forgetting that the children were there, quickly corrected himself.

Aman, who smiled slightly, gestured with his chin for him to follow him for a moment, and Lucas opened his closing eyes wide and followed him.

'I'm so sleepy...'

Aman, who didn't know or care about his feelings, walked ahead with light steps.

Aman, who had brought him to a secluded garden, turned around with a 'ta-da' and smiled brightly.

"Did I do well?"

"...Suddenly?"

"Suddenly! I've been waiting so long for the Lord to praise me!"

Lucas was at a loss for words for a moment at Aman's cheerful appearance. But Lucas, who smiled gently at the old memory that came to his mind, met his eyes.

"Yes. You did well."

Aman's true name, Amarok Teridion, was such a dragon.

If there was even a small thing, he would come running to him and expect to be praised.

Even if he told him to go and tell his father, Hasel, and even if he told Hasel to take care of his son, Amarok, nothing changed.

Even if he scolded him harshly, he would come to find him again not long after and bother him, and even if he just found a decent-looking mana stone on the road, he would bring it and come to his lair and bother him.

"Haha, when I gave up this one corner, you know? I don't know how much I thought about it. But! Didn't I generously give this land to the humans for the sake of the Lord?"

A smile spread across Lucas's face as he watched Aman, who was reciting his own achievements with his own mouth as always.

"Yes, I know too. You did very well. How could you be so deep... you're twice, no, ten times better than your father, Hasel!"

Aman's eyes widened twice, no, three times, at the words that he was ten times better than his father, Hasel.

"R-really?!"

"Of course! You're much better!"

"L-Lord!"

Aman's shoulders soared high at the primal praise, as if he were soothing a child.

"While we're at it, should I tell them to dig up all the way to the back!?"

"Hahaha! No, that's enough. No matter how much, can you just give away your land like this? Besides, if you give them too much, humans are bound to change. This is enough."

"Since the Lord says so, then this Aman will endure it. Hahaha!"

Although he was in the form of a human who was only half his size, they were not awkward with each other at all, thanks to the various appearances of the dragons he had accidentally encountered during his excursion.

'You cute thing... I'll definitely find the warehouse for you...! If that doesn't work, I'll take back the lair I gave to your father!'

(End of Chapter)