kscans

Chapter 146 - At the End of the Battle, Holding the One and Only

An hour later, Ariel didn’t have a single scratch on her.

"Not yet… not yet." Albert, launching attacks that no longer had any effect, was a pathetic sight.

Ariel stared at Albert. She watched him as if he no longer held any interest for her.

"You lose. From now on, brother, you are my disciple. And your son, too."

Adrian hurried to Albert’s side.

"Darius, bring that son here to the Magic Furnace tomorrow. Brother, what’s your name?" he asked, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"It’s Albert."

"Got it. Albert. The water level in the furnace is off, and from this color, the mana must be unstable. I’ll adjust it today, so come back tomorrow with your son. Darius, I’m pulling an all-nighter here, so go spend some quality time with your father, your brother, and his son."

"You think I can leave you alone?" Darius panicked.

"Hmph, how kind of you. Don’t you think I might be attacked in revenge, or that he might escape?"

"I won’t let Darius escape. I don’t care about anything else. Revenge? I’d look forward to it if he’s got the guts, but if I don’t look after this Magic Furnace, it’s going to blow." Ariel grinned.

"Ariel, I won’t leave you alone. Adrian, can you explain the situation to my father, and to the king?"

Adrian nodded. From the furnace’s communication room, Adrian requested an escort from Leonhard and Kyle.

It was an all too one-sided conclusion. Even Leonhard and Kyle, when they arrived, looked shocked, asking what had happened. It had only been half a year since the horrific tragedy that occurred here. Ariel, whose life had been hanging by a thread back then, was now somehow in complete control of the Magic Furnace.


Ariel went down to the first floor and cast a defensive spell on herself again.

"The mana concentration is dangerously high, so stay there."

She kicked down a door at the back of the room, revealing a line that extended from the Magic Furnace toward the royal capital. The line, which should have been covered in monster fur, had deteriorated with age and crumbled away, leaking high-density mana like a mist. The air was boiling, and just breathing it in felt like it would scorch her throat.

"No one has maintained this place in years." She was the only one who could design a Magic Furnace. But there should have been others who could maintain one. It must have been neglected since Rainer was captain.

It was near its limit.

When she returned outside, Darius rushed over to her, seeing her drenched in sweat.

"Ariel!" The moment his hands layered cooling magic over her, her whole body felt a wave of relief.

"The Magic Furnace was in shambles, just as I thought. I’ll start repairs right after I get some sleep…" As soon as she said that, she was pulled into a strong embrace. The tension that had been building up inside her chest instantly melted away.

"Darius… did I properly live up to your trust this time?" she asked drowsily, and his voice trembled in response.

"You exceeded it. Though once again, I couldn’t do anything."

I smiled and shook my head.

"Just stay by my side. Love me more than anyone else. I don’t need anything else. No matter what problems come up, don’t let go. I’ll be the one to solve them."

The end of her sentence faded into a dream.

Darius had thought of himself as an adult with a fair amount of experience, but frankly, her capacity for action astounded him.

He had never imagined she would pick a fight with Albert. She had gotten jealous like a child and thrown her emotions at him. It had been troublesome.

But that was who Ariel was.

The Ariel he had known until now was an adult Ariel, desperately keeping a lid on her emotions.

But both were, in truth, a straightforward, kind girl who would go to unreasonable lengths for others. Maybe she had challenged Albert for his sake, too.

She hadn’t changed at all. She was the one and only Ariel he would risk his life to protect.

I applied a makeshift defense to the crumbled wall and lifted Ariel into my arms. I tried to lay her down on a bench, but her hand gripped mine tightly and wouldn’t let go.

"I’ll stay by your side. Don’t worry." I brought her small hand to my lips and whispered, then gently touched my lips to hers.

Ariel’s eyes fluttered open, and she murmured in a hoarse voice.

"More."

It was a sweet, demanding voice, as if she were angry. My eyes widened, and then I couldn’t help but laugh.

"All right."

I kissed her again. This time, deeply, and for a long time, until our breaths melted into one another. I offered her a kiss so sweet it was suffocating, so fierce and intensely hot it was almost painful.

Eventually, Ariel, looking relieved, fell asleep in my arms once more. Holding her sleeping face close, I made a vow deep in my heart.

No matter what happens, I will never let her go again.