She was right—quite a bit of time had passed since Alan had dug it up. The orb was perhaps the most valuable thing he’d ever unearthed, and he still remembered it well.
On the 4,328th layer beneath the earth, Alan had discovered a glistening, rainbow-colored vein of gemstone. It had been guarded by a dragon with shining scales known as a Prismatic Wyrm. After a fierce battle to the death, Alan had dug the shining amber sphere out of the vein. His contact at the Mages’ Guild had been ecstatic.
That gemstone had eventually been split by the Mages’ Guild into the Orbs of Seven Colors, of which the Yellow Orb was one. It was said that all seven orbs, combined together, would create the ultimate magical tool.
And the Yellow Orb rested now in the hands of the Princess of Rostir. Alan couldn’t help a small surge of pride to know that the jewel he’d dug up had become a national treasure. “Aren’t there supposed to be six more of these?” he asked Lithisia.
“Wow! That’s supposed to be top secret! You’re something else, Sir Miner!”
Well, of course he’d know about that, being the one who’d mined it in the first place. But Alan wasn’t about to waste time convincing her of that. “Well?” he pressed.
“Um, well…the rest of them were stolen,” Lithisia said. She went on to explain that she’d directed the greatest mage in the country to use location magic to discover the whereabouts of the other six Orbs. However, none of them were in Rostir. They were scattered all over the continent. Beneath the sea, under the desert, above the clouds—all in places that were difficult, if not impossible, for humans to reach. Several recovery squads had been sent out, but none returned.
“It’s said that if one gathers all seven Orbs together, they’ll be granted a single wish. I have to get my hands on them, no matter what. When I do, I’ll have Zeleburg and his minions exiled from the surface for all time,” Lithisia explained as she hugged the Orb to her chest tightly.
“Hrm, so you’re going to use your wish to save your kingdom…” It felt good to know that the jewels he’d discovered would be used for a noble cause.
“That’s why I took the Yellow Orb and fled the palace. But those bandits showed up and…and then you saved me.” Lithisia looked up at Alan. “Sir Miner, I…I have a request. I know I’m asking a lot of you, but it’s because of who you are that I have to ask.”
Alan knew where this was going and had no problem with it. “Understood. I’m on it.”
“Could you help me search for the missing Orbs across the conti— Huh?” Lithisia stopped in her tracks and blinked multiple times. “S-Sir Miner, surely you jest! Please take this seriously!”
“I am,” he replied. Locating the Orbs scattered across the land? How could there be anyone more perfect for the job than Alan himself? Besides, there was no way he’d be able to focus on his work knowing that the awesome jewels he’d unearthed had gone missing.
“Do you really understand? This will be a perilous journey.”
“I’m a miner. Danger is my middle name.”
“B-but I won’t be able to pay you much…” Lithisia sadly lowered her shoulders. “Other than the Yellow Orb, all I currently have to my name is this dress.”
“I figured.”
“I’d be willing to do anything you ask of me after we reclaim my country.”
“Anything?”
“Yes, anything. Is there something you desire, Sir Miner?”
Lithisia was the first in line for the throne of a massive nation. What could he ask of someone with so much power? After thinking it over for a bit, Alan realized there was only one thing he needed. “A successor.”
Lithisia’s expression froze upon hearing Alan’s words. “...Huh?”
“For whatever reason, I’m perfectly healthy right now, but who knows when I might drop dead? After all, I’m an old man. I need a successor to take up my work after I’m gone.” Alan felt this was a solid enough request. He would have Lithisia gather up prospective apprentices in her nation, and he’d interview them until he found someone worthy enough to succeed him as a jewel miner.
“Um, er, you mean…?” Oddly enough, Lithisia’s cheeks were bright red. “B-by ‘successor,’ do you mean you want...a child?!”
“A child? Hrm…I suppose that’s one direction we could go in.” It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it wasn’t out of the question. Mining was a job that required one to hole themselves up in a mountain, and Alan didn’t know how a child would adapt to that environment. He supposed he’d have to adopt a child, raise them in the mountain, and teach them everything he knew over time.
“I…I see… So I would have to… Sir Miner’s child… Oh, dear…” Silence enveloped the room. Their eyes met, and Lithisia quickly averted her gaze. “Um, I’m sorry. I’m just awfully surprised…” The princess placed her hand over her ample breasts in an attempt to calm her racing heart.
“Hrm, I see…” Alan said. “Well, if you can’t make it happen, I understand.”
“No!” Lithisia shook her head fiercely. “Um, I-I told you I’d do anything, and I will! I-It’s just…I had to prepare myself, is all!”
“Prepare yourself?”
“I-I’ll do whatever it takes! I will! I’m no liar!” Lithisia took a deep breath, and her eyes hardened with determination. “I understand! I will make your child!”
Make my child? That certainly was an odd way of putting it, but Alan figured that royalty probably had their own way of doing things.
“I-I don’t know much about making children, but I’ll study up!”
“Take your time. You don’t have to worry about this until we get back to your country.”
Lithisia looked down at her own stomach and the space below the hem of her dress, then blushed beet-red. “G-good point. That would get in the way of our journey!”
“Yeah. You’re right,” Alan agreed. After all, scouring the land for potential apprentices would distract from their search for the Orbs of Seven Colors. “For now, I’ll just think of other ways to get it done and practice.”
“Practice?! Um, er, I…” Lithisia’s ears reddened. “A-all right, I understand… I’ll do my best,” the princess responded as she fidgeted. “Practice…practice? Ohhhhhh…”
“Lithisia, your cheeks are flushed. Are you all right?”
“I-I’m totally fine! I have no problem with doing lewd things!”
“Wait, what?”
Alan and Lithisia had come to a mutual understanding…or, at least, they both thought they had.
“Ohhhhh…a child…a child…? What am I going to do…?” Lithisia brought both hands to her red-hot cheeks.
It would be quite some time before the princess discovered the error in her interpretation.