kscans

Chapter 100 - Alchemy and Wavering Feelings

After finishing his discussion, Leonhard headed to the place where Mireille was conducting her alchemy experiments.

What he saw there was a scene of Mireille conversing with a young soldier. ...That must be Folter.

The man who had the "secretly taken photos of Mireille." And now here he was, face bright red, talking to Mireille.

(Hey, hey, his ulterior motives are completely obvious...!)

I wanted to stop him. I desperately wanted to stop him. But since he was helping, it would be strange for me to interfere.

...Folter, if I recall, he’s closer in age to Mireille than I am.

I wonder if it’s easier for her to talk to someone from the same generation.

At the very least, she might not think of him as "scary" like she does me.

Yesterday, when she saw my bare torso and was genuinely frightened... that had subtly taken its toll.

Honestly, my chest still ached.

In the first place, the only man Mireille had been close to was Darius. It felt like I had taken advantage of her lack of experience... The guilt was heavy.

...But it’s not like I have any proper experience dating women either!? (Ah, it’s pathetic just saying it...!)

Shaking it off, I looked in on the experiment and saw that the mechanism for launching the Magic Suppression Cloth from the ring was already complete. It seemed to use a special type of shell that opened with heat. I didn’t know such a shell existed.

"This came out of that fish monster from yesterday, sir."

"Its stomach was packed with them, so we washed and dried them!"

The four members of the original Defense Force explained proudly.

"...Your recycling spirit is incredible."

A voice of admiration escaped my lips unintentionally.

I learned that the four original members of the Tree Sea Defense Force had been thoroughly drilled by their former captain, Ariel, to "never let a usable material go to waste." They said they had made it a habit to sort and store things regularly.

(No, no... including myself, this is a unit that no ordinary soldier could ever serve in.)

I was once again astounded by Ariel’s prowess. And the one who had nurtured a human heart in such an Ariel was Darius... As I thought, he’s no ordinary man either.

Another squad member was burning the Moonshadow Wolf fur, turning it to ash, and packing it into a small vial.

Yet another was cutting the fur that Mireille and I had processed last night to fit the shape of the armor.

Finally, it would be attached with an adhesive made from slime and Demonic Tree resin. The subsequent magical stabilization would, of course, be Mireille’s job.

Mireille still had the task of creating the Magic Suppression Cloth today. That would be the last of the alchemy in the tower for now.

And tomorrow. They would create the ring devices packed with the suppression cloth and apply the magic stabilization to the armor and shields. With that, the equipment would be complete.

They would practice a little, but they couldn’t afford to waste tools. There was a high probability that it would lead straight into the real battle.

The coup d’état was fast approaching.

According to Darius, the date would be decided by tonight.

I wonder what kind of face Julius will make... when I send the message tomorrow. He must be thinking there won’t be any more replies, so I’m looking forward to his reaction.

Just thinking about it felt a little satisfying.

But when I looked to the side, Darius’s face was dark. The fate and whereabouts of former captain Ariel remained unknown. He must be filled with anxiety and impatience. And what awaited him beyond that was a farewell.

The day he could rescue her was drawing near, which also meant the day of their parting was near.

With the chancellor and Darius gone, and the fate of the former captain still uncertain, would Mireille and I be able to properly support her?

From Mireille’s perspective, her master was like a mother. In that case, even if we were the same age, she would be like my mother-in-law...

(No, that’s embarrassing to even say.)

But if both Darius and the chancellor are gone, who will be there to truly support former captain Ariel? ...Darius, has he really thought about that?