The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 19
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Sharon Abner was of the Michaeliann Bloodline.
The bloodline that had gathered to live at the edge of the Empire was massacred when she turned five years old.
Everyone except herself.
The cause was an attack by unknown assailants.
“They’re a bloodline suspected of being dark mages! Are you really going to make a woman of such origins the Duchess?!”
The people of Abner had disliked her from the very beginning.
It was because of the misunderstanding the Michaeliann Bloodline had been receiving for a long time.
But her husband, Lloyd Abner’s stance remained consistent.
“The reason the Michaeliann were exterminated wasn’t because of dark magic. It was because of the attack, and the ones who witnessed it directly were my predecessor and I, Lloyd Abner.”
Meeting him was something that happened when she was very young.
The day right after the massacre that took place while everyone was asleep.
“Ah, Father! There’s some girl here…!”
Under the bright sky that made the blood pooled on the ground seem pale, her husband found her hiding under the altar stone.
He was truly a kind person.
Kind enough to bury all her flaws of being from the Michaeliann Bloodline and give her love for a lifetime.
But that husband of hers died too early.
“I refuse to watch a witch with Michaeliann blood take over Abner, even if I die!”
“Perhaps Lord Lloyd was also under that woman’s spell? She’s from a dark mage bloodline, what couldn’t she do!”
In the end, she was left completely alone in the family with two children she had to take responsibility for.
Sharon Abner’s eyes sank deeply as she reflected on everything.
She spoke in a voice filled with resignation.
“Back then, I had no choice but to make a very disadvantageous promise.”
Annellia was looking at her without moving an inch from the sofa.
She was so focused that she didn’t even blink.
That made the story inside Sharon Abner keep coming out.
“I needed money, but no one would lend me any. So when someone appeared saying they would lend it, I had to grab onto them somehow.”
At that time, it was House of Coel that stepped forward to invest in the development costs.
The lady of House of Coel, Camilla.
‘It was an insane contract.’
It was a contract where she had to give up 70% of the mine’s profits in exchange for advance investment and refining techniques.
But back then, she had to do even that.
If she didn’t, the family would have collapsed immediately.
Of course, after the mine was developed and some time passed, an opportunity to renew the contract came.
However, right then an unexpected accident occurred.
“Starting a few years ago. There aren’t many people wanting to buy our Abner magic stones.”
The child’s eyes widened.
“Why?”
“Because it was revealed that the magic stones from our mine were contaminated.”
During the time when she was trying to adjust the contract conditions.
Suddenly, the quality of the mined raw stones began to deteriorate.
Upon investigation, the mine that had been fine was gradually becoming contaminated.
“The deeper the ground, the worse the contamination, so refining will take increasingly longer.”
“…”
“And even if we manage to complete the difficult refining process, few people want to buy magic stones from contaminated ground.”
Sigh, Sharon Abner let out a breath and leaned back against the sofa.
“The mine lost its value. The traders who used to buy our magic stones also cut ties in large numbers.”
The only remaining trader was Coel.
Camilla called it loyalty.
Saying that no matter how contaminated the magic stones were, she would buy them to the extent of her ability.
Sharon Abner shook off her idle thoughts and leaned toward Annellia.
“Still. It’s not like there’s no hope for our Abner.”
“…”
“Currently, Abner manages several businesses besides the mine. Notably, the weapons business targeting the Imperial Court.”
Annellia nodded obediently.
“We’re just not affluent, but we’re not poor. And didn’t you say it yourself? That you’d create magic formulas when you grow up.”
“Yes. I will.”
Annellia answered and then added hesitantly.
“But, what’s the reason the mine suddenly became contaminated…?”
Sharon Abner paused.
“Reason?”
“Yes. In books, it said that for ground to become contaminated, strange things happen first. Like many monsters appearing nearby, or someone casting bad curses there…”
Come to think of it.
Sharon Abner’s eyebrows raised slightly.
“Wendel.”
When she called, Wendel approached the bookshelf that occupied one wall of the office.
And immediately brought out thick bundles of documents.
“Contamination report. The contamination report…”
Sharon Abner’s fingers quickly skimmed through the documents.
Then stopped abruptly at one point.
【Lides Magic Stone Mine Contamination Report】
Sharon Abner immediately began reviewing that document again.
Content about the deteriorating quality of mined magic stones and findings of contamination detected in the mine occupied most of the paper.
However, the ‘warning signs’ that Annellia mentioned were nowhere to be found.
Her expression gradually hardened.
“…Now that I look at it. Something that should be there isn’t.”
When Sharon Abner first received the report that contamination was discovered, she was busy with the weapons business promotion.
All the documents reported as investigations of the mine were covered with complicated and difficult terminology.
Who was it that stepped forward to help her then.
‘Sister-in-law! My goodness, how shocked you must have been? This kind of thing is my field, so if you leave it to me, I’ll look into it in detail. I know a competent geologist.’
Camilla’s voice flashed through her mind for a moment.
Sharon Abner slowly put down the documents.
Then, she heard Annellia tilting her head and muttering to herself.
“Strange. Why am I suddenly thinking of Gerard? When he lied about my milk being spoiled and then secretly stole it to drink, I was really upset.”
Wendel and Sharon Abner’s gazes met.
After a moment of silence, Sharon Abner spoke.
“Annellia.”
The child quickly raised her head.
“Yes?”
“About the refining technique you mentioned earlier.”
“Yes! I know the refining technique!”
“Tell me more in detail.”
Annellia, who had widened her eyes, soon smiled brightly.
Then she began to tell her story.
The refinement formula was a complex magical formula.
Both I and Sharon Abner knew that.
“So you see, I haven’t learned this formula yet so I don’t know it. I don’t know how to develop it.”
“Then are you saying you know everything else before that?”
“Yes! But Annellia thinks we can make magic stones with just this much!”
Sharon Abner’s expression became infinitely serious.
“Can you explain in more detail? I’ve never learned magical formulas, so it’s hard for me to understand what you’re explaining now.”
I quickly nodded my head.
“You see, raw stones have regular stones and magic stones all mixed up together.”
“Right.”
“The refinement formula finds the useless stones among them and removes them.”
“And then?”
“The most difficult part of the refinement formula occurs when finding these stones…”
I skillfully changed several symbols used in the formula.
“I think it would be better to change it like this.”
However, Sharon Abner seemed to have no understanding of what difference my changed magical formula made.
I explained step by step.
“Instead of finding where the stones are and removing them, use a purification formula to absorb them completely into the raw stone!”
Although the refinement formula was much more complex than the purification formula, the difference between them was quite simple.
It was like a change of thinking, you could say.
The pen moved under my hand.
“Then we can change this like this, and if we change this again like this…”
“…”
The amount of magic stones produced would increase, and the refinement process would become shorter.
In my previous life, I had tripled the Longton Family’s wealth using this method.
“It’s really easy, right? It’s still incomplete, but once I get a teacher and learn just a little more, I can complete it quickly!”
I laughed cheerfully.
And looking at Sharon Abner who couldn’t continue speaking, I swallowed nervously.
‘It’s not a complex development, so it should be okay…?’
Actually, this idea itself was something I had thought of when I was about six years old in my previous life.
“Remarkable.”
Sharon Abner muttered with an infinitely serious expression.
I froze for a moment, then showed an awkward smile.
“No! Thank you.”
Perhaps because it had been quite a while since I received praise, I felt very strange.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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