Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 69

Ayra poured a cup of tea for the pale-faced Jinas and launched into a passionate explanation.

"I had no choice but to collect them—for ma-beast research."

"......Ma-beast research, you say?"

"Yeah. There are so many people in this world who suffer because of ma-beasts. If we understand their characteristics and behaviors, we can respond better. Thanks to my advice, fewer people have been injured."

"That’s... certainly true."

There were certain territories where ma-beast sightings were unusually frequent, and Solar was one of them. The creatures appeared so often that a significant portion of the local population was involved in ma-beast hunting. The soldiers were thoroughly seasoned in it, too. The attacks came with every change of season—dangerous, yes, but also a source of livelihood for the territory.

Even while managing her official duties, Ayra made time to study the kinds of ma-beasts that appeared around Solar. The stories shared by retired soldiers and hunters, who had spent their lives fighting ma-beasts, provided excellent material. Combining their knowledge with her own experience as one of the labyrinth’s most renowned ma-beast scholars, Ayra had offered tactical advice and even shared designs for useful tools.

Remembering this, Jinas nodded solemnly. Though the young lord was a labyrinth mage and prone to baffling eccentricities, she was undeniably competent. Even those disturbing eyeballs—though impossible to understand—must have been collected for a reason. He was trying very hard to understand.

"Thanks to you, the number of soldier fatalities and injuries has decreased compared to last year."

"Exactly. Those are the research materials that made that happen. They require long-term observation. Do you know how hard it was to collect them...?"

Ayra cast a wistful gaze at her beloved collection. Jinas, mid-nod, faltered at the look in her eyes and narrowed his own. After working with Ayra for some time, he had come to understand a few of her hidden quirks. Steeling his expression, he replied,

"Looking again... they are quite beautiful. It must’ve been difficult to prepare them like that."

Surprised by the rare moment of agreement from the steward, Ayra grew a little excited.

"Right? They’re translucent—like jewels! You see, ma-beasts are fundamentally different from ordinary creatures. Once you remove the mana core, their bodies evaporate."

"Ah, yes. Because the body evaporates once the mana core is removed. But... those eyeballs are intact?"

"Exactly! Which means if you don’t remove the mana core, the body doesn’t disappear. I experimented a lot, and I found out that if you insert a very high-purity mana shard before separation, you can preserve the tissue. Do you know how many mana shards I had to waste to figure that out? But look, Sir Jinas—look at them! Aren’t they stunning? This clarity, this glow—it’s like a gemstone or mineral. You couldn’t make a decoration like this out of any other part of the body, or from an ordinary creature’s eye. The longer it sits, the denser and clearer it becomes. And look at the internal structure—those quasi-regular polyhedral crystals? Some of them formed actual truncated icosahedrons!"

Ayra grew increasingly entranced the more she talked, rattling off praise for the ma-beast eyeballs until she finally snapped back to herself. Jinas was staring at her with a cold, dead-eyed expression. It was clear that he’d realized the eyeballs had nothing to do with research at all.

"......Let’s sell them."

"No!"

A short but fierce argument ensued between them. It ended only after Ayra sheepishly admitted that the collection had no market demand, and even if sold, wouldn’t fetch a decent price. Jinas, catching his breath, scolded her.

"You mean to tell me you blew all your labyrinth earnings on those things?"

Calling her beloved collection “those things” and even pointing a finger stung a little. But even Ayra had to admit—he wasn’t wrong. Though they were beautiful to look at, they were completely useless. No wonder she’d saved so little money despite twenty years in the labyrinth.

Jinas, who had been doing everything he could to save the debt-ridden territory and had never once asked Ayra to dip into her private funds, now let loose his built-up frustration.

"Hobbies are fine and all, but you should’ve considered the future!"

"I thought I’d live in the labyrinth forever! They provide food and shelter there, so I never needed to worry about property..."

Ayra had honestly believed she would bury herself in magic and ma-beast research for the rest of her life. Neither she nor Jinas had expected her to suddenly become a lord. After a brief, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) solemn silence, the real Jinas sighed deeply.

"......It can’t be helped. But at least make sure no one other than the head attendant or myself sees that display. If someone else does—it’ll be a disaster."

"Is it... really such an unacceptable hobby?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

The firm reply made Ayra shrink a little. Okay, sure, eyeballs were... eyeballs. But if anything, these looked more like eye-shaped gemstones. Still, it seemed Solar was even more conservative than she’d thought.

They shelved the emotional wounds—the steward’s horror, the lord’s disappointment—and returned to business.

There was now enough food to feed the territory through winter, and the repairs on the castle walls were progressing smoothly. More workers were flocking to the quarry, and thanks to the tunnel she’d opened, trade with the outside world continued uninterrupted despite the changing season. The support rate had jumped nearly 10% in no time.

Work had increased, but a sense of satisfaction was settling into Jinas’s face. The 10,000 Cell debt was still looming, but he seemed to have laid down a great burden in his heart. The rest and good meals Ayra had ensured for him over the past few days had brought some color back to his cheeks.

Which made what she was about to say all the more painful. Ayra gave him a sorrowful smile. Jinas, having finished his report, noticed and asked curiously,

"Shouldn’t we stop purchasing food for now? The castle’s storage is already full. And with the new tunnel, we can trade year-round."

"True. Assuming we’ll still be around to live on this land."

"If you’re talking about the 10,000 Cell debt—we can sell stone now. I believe we can manage it before the deadline."

Ayra slowly shook her head and let out a sigh. Realizing this was about more than just debt, Jinas’s face darkened.

"Sir Jinas, how much do you know about the rumors of a dragon circling Sobletz and Bolni?"

With that, Ayra began to explain. She deliberately left out the details about Janus but informed him that a dragon had been spotted near Bolni and that it was likely to descend upon Solar. When she finished, Jinas’s face had turned pale. If Ayra was right, then 10,000 Cell was the least of their worries.

"If Bolni has a dragon, then why burden us with a 10,000 Cell debt? If they’re going to destroy us anyway, debt doesn’t matter..."

"Because they can’t fully control the dragon."

To Ayra, the reason this remained only a rumor was simple—Bolni couldn’t manipulate Janus. And if they mishandled things, Bolni could be destroyed just as easily. Right now, Janus’s attention was on Solar. But if Solar fell, who knew what would be next?

"That’s why I’m still buying food. It’s to prepare for the worst. Now that we’ve opened new quarries, we should use them to create temporary shelters. Let’s store food in each of them, separately."

"......Understood."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Jinas answered as expected, though a clear shadow passed over his face. It was the color of pure despair. This was why Ayra had hesitated for days before telling him. Unlike the debt, the threat of a dragon was something humans could do absolutely nothing about.

"Don’t worry too much. It’s not like there’s no way."

"There... is a way?"

Doubtful, but clinging to hope, Jinas looked at her. Ayra hesitated.

I didn’t know, but my lover’s actually a dragon. And now he’s going to wipe out our territory because he’s cranky about not finding his soulmate. I’m going to try talking him out of it...

The more she thought about it, the more obvious it became—that was not something she should say. Instead, she put on a meaningful expression. One that said: "I'm a labyrinth mage, remember?" A slightly smug look with just a touch of mystery. Jinas stared at her for a moment—and then, to her surprise, smiled.

"You know... you could’ve turned your back on this debt-ridden territory and gone back to the labyrinth. You’ve done nothing but suffer since coming here. But you chose not to. Thank you, Lady Ayra. I don’t have any better words than that."

Even as she talked about the dragon, Ayra had been worried. Most people would respond to impending disaster with despair, surrender, or rage. But instead, Jinas had surprised her.

Ding! An alert window popped up.

[Hess Lu Jinas’s favorability increased by 12.]

Current Favorability: 42♡

As Ayra silently read the notification, Jinas continued speaking, his voice calm but his face still pale.

"But don’t overdo it. Even for a labyrinth mage, dealing with a dragon is too dangerous. If it comes to that... let’s just evacuate with the people. Human lives are what matter most."

Ayra was stunned to see Jinas’s favorability already at 42. Normally, these numbers meant little to her—but this time, it stirred something in her chest. She offered him a gentle smile.

"You’re right, Sir Jinas. Human lives are more important than land. If it comes down to it, we run. We can always come back and rebuild once the dragon’s gone."

But the moment those words left her lips, Ayra knew instinctively—she would never abandon this land.