The 27th day of the earth month. The land in front of us is covered in pure white ice. I know that I'm okay thanks to White's blessing, but does it feel cold because I'm outdoors?

''I'm sorry. Mr. Isis, I'm sorry to barge in on you so suddenly and ask you to do this...
.... no no... kite... anytime... you're welcome.
Thank you.
...well I need...jewelry...to...need...jewelry, right?

　I've decided to make a music box as a present for Lilia-san, and I'm currently collecting materials for it at Alice's place.
　First of all, in order to get the gems for the main work, I was able to rely on Aisis-san to help me out.
　I can't thank Mr. Isis enough for his kindness in spite of my sudden visit.

'Yes, what kind of jewelry do you think would be good for me?　I'm not much of a jewelry expert...
You're going to do some work, aren't you?　...It's going to take some work, but I think the Midnight Crystal is ...good.
Midnight Crystal...?
''Well ... the most unusual of the ice crystals ... especially the deep blue ones ... I call it that because it's solid but unbreakable and has magical powers of its own. Not as much as the Demon Crystal, but it stores and is easy to work with.

　As I understand it, midnight crystals are a type of ice crystal, apparently even rarer than the rare ice crystal.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

''........I see, so it's not easy to find one.
"... but it's okay... I'll be fine... ...I can find it right away.
'I appreciate the sentiment, Isis-san, but I'd like to try to do as much as I can on my own... oh, of course I can't do it all...' ...
''Okay fine ... if that's what you want Kite I'll support you.

　Hearing my words of wanting to do as much as possible with my own power, Isis-san nodded to me with a gentle smile.
　And after that, she held her hand over the pile of ice in front of her and wore a flash of pale magical power.

''But........I'll help you a bit.
Huh?

　The next moment, a dazzling flash of light shot out of Isis-san's hand like a laser, punching multiple holes in the mountain of ice.
　After that, a pillar of ice appeared inside, reinforcing the tunnel to prevent it from collapsing.
　In a matter of seconds, it was understood that the mountain of ice had been transformed into something like a mine, making it extremely easy to mine.

'........the place I just shaved......wasn't there.......but.......now..... ...I think it's easier to dig and I'll cast some simple defensive magic on it.
'Thank you!　Thank you.
'Well good luck with that... and I'll make dinner for you while Kite is mining. ........don't take too much .......effort.
Yes!

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us.
　It's a good thing that I'm not the only one who's interested in this," he said, smiling gently and nodding to Isis as she offered words of support.
　I'm still at the beginning of gathering materials, and I have to get the Midnight Crystal as soon as possible....










　And three hours into the tunnels, I sat down, breathing heavily on my shoulder.

"...I can't find...

　After entering the tunnels, I worked tirelessly to mine, and I was able to find a good number of ice crystals... but they were all light blue, and I didn't find any deep blue midnight crystals.
　It could simply be that I'm not used to mining and my pace is slow, but really, what can I say, I didn't even find anything that looked blue, let alone deep blue.......

　White's blessing to keep me out of the cold didn't help until I was exhausted, so I was completely exhausted after wielding a pickaxe and other tools.
　As I was catching my breath and thinking about where to dig next, I saw Isis-san approaching me while floating in the air.

''........Kite did you find it?''
No, that's not at all... it's not easy at all.
"Well ... why don't we take a ... break?　........lunch......I brought you.......
Oh, thank you.

　What a surprise, Isis-san apparently brought a meal for me, which I had completely lost track of time.
　That being said, I was hiding from fatigue, but I was also quite hungry, so it was really great timing.

　When Isis-san comes to my side, she floats a magic circle and prepares a desk and chair for me.
　Then she places a large plate on the desk and releases the state preservation magic, and warm steam rises up.

'........stew......I made you some.......eat.......I'm warding you off. ....won't get cold.
Thank you. I'll take it.
'....yes yes....
...What?

　The white stew that Isis-san prepared for me smells delicious and makes my hungry stomach cancerous.
　And after thanking her again, when I was about to take it........Isis-san held the spoon in her hand as if it was very natural, scooping up the stew and offering it to me while holding one hand on top of the other.
　Eh?　Is that what I think it is?　Also, do you feel like you can't feed yourself?

...ahhh...
Uh-oh.
What do you think?
It's warm and delicious.

　The stew, which was never too hot and had a pleasant temperature on the tongue, was sucked into my stomach along with a creamy and gentle mouthfeel, gently warming my body from the inside out.
　It was somewhat relieving and delicious, like the kindness of Isis-san herself.......

Good ... good ... eat ... a lot.
Yes.

　Although I was still embarrassed.......I sincerely enjoyed a moment's rest while enjoying Isis-san's gentle care that warmed me to the depths of my heart.











　After enjoying Isis-san's delicious home-cooked food, just as we stood up to resume mining, Isis-san suddenly announced as if she had an idea.

''Speaking of which........Kite has......sensory magic......right?''
'What?　Oh, yes.
The Midnight Crystal stores magic so that when you use sensory magic, you'll be able to use it. ...might be easier to find?
Oh no, there's no way?
I don't know if I can ... um ... well I don't know if I can ...

　That idea was a blind spot. I've been using sensor magic only for reading the emotions of the opponent.
　But this magic is originally a power specialized in sensing abilities, and it should also be used to sense weak magic power.
　According to what Isis-san said, the Midnight Crystal is not as strong as the Magic Crystal, but it has the property of storing magic power... that's true for the Ice Crystal as well, but apparently, the Midnight Crystal stores a little more than the Ice Crystal.

''I'll try it!''

　After listening to Isis-san's advice, I use the power of sensory magic to begin exploring the magic in the surrounding area.
　I don't have a large amount of magic power, so I can't search a large area, but a radius of a few meters is sufficient.
　When I focused my attention, I could certainly feel faint magic power here and there in the tunnels... However, I couldn't tell the difference right away, so I decided to keep my nerves focused for a while and walk around.

　When I was advancing through the tunnels for about half an hour, I felt a little bit, just a little bit, but a stronger magic power than before, and I tried hitting the pickaxe towards the spot.
　It seemed to be in a pretty deep position, and it took some time.......but after digging for a while, a deep blue......navy blue gemstone peeked out faintly from a gap in the rock.

''Ah!''
''Well I'm pretty sure it's ... the Midnight Crystal.

　Having successfully found the Midnight Crystal, I carefully mine it, changing tools so as not to damage the gemstone, and dig out a few centimeters of it.
　

''...........................Ah, that?　The power.....
'What?　Kite!

　The moment I think about digging in more and more at this rate, I lose strength from my feet with a dizzying moment and almost fall down.
　Isis-san, who reacted quickly, supports my body, but something quite weary assaults my body.


Well, I see... okay.
...carry it.
'What?　Wait, Mr. Isis!
"Kite I'm tired I'm going to carry it.
Well, I appreciate that, but...
...Yeah?
It's nothing.

　Even though Ms. Isis is stronger than me, I'm extremely embarrassed as a man to be carried in the princess's arms.
　However, I couldn't ask Isis-san, who is seriously worried about me, to put me down because I was too embarrassed, and in the end, I ended up being carried by Isis-san while enduring my shame.
　

　Dear Mom, Dad - I've come to Isis-san's place to look for gems as the first part of my music box material collection. I've only barely gotten one midnight crystal, which is the objective, but still - I think it's a solid first step.