kscans

Chapter 156 - The Stone of Love Sleeping on the Sacred Peak

"I wonder if it's really that easy... It's an Ice Dragon, after all," Leonhard muttered under his breath.

Darius and Leonhard were climbing Sacred Peak Mountain. This mountain held many mysteries and was said to be the very place that created the Tree Sea.

Both of them had rings that allowed them to return to the tower even if they failed. But if possible, they wanted to return with what they came for. Wrapped in cloaks made from Helkaarn fur prepared by Ariel and Mireille, the two men felt their spirits rise even higher.

The Ice Dragon scales were merely one of their objectives. Their true purpose, both of them wanted to find gemstones for Ariel and Mireille.

"Ariel might be better suited for subjugation. But when it comes to choosing gems, pairing with me is the absolute best. She's likely to choose something just because it's sparkly," Leonhard thought. He very much wanted to choose the gems for Mireille's engagement ring, and perhaps a necklace too, himself.

Darius felt the same. He needed gems not only for the engagement ring but also for the dress and tiara that would accompany Ariel's investiture as a Margrave. Ariel would be ascending from commoner to Margrave in one leap. Though she was known as a living weapon, she had rarely appeared on the public stage. She would be exposed to the lewd gazes of the nobility. Choosing a gem that wouldn't be embarrassing for her at that time, it couldn't be too flashy, was a difficult task.

He had decided on a dress color of elegant and formal green. A green reminiscent of her domain in the Tree Sea would also perfectly suit her gentle atmosphere.

(In the old days, black would have suited her best...)

Back then, she was cold, expressionless, and merciless. But now she was different. He knew her many faces.

He had known Mireille since she was a child, of course. He had met Ariel when she was a girl of seventeen or eighteen, but he had felt as though he were raising her, as she was somewhat childlike. And he had made her his own, a moment that carried a slight sense of immorality.

As they climbed the mountain, they saw various ores containing magical power. Apparently, they were materials for alchemy. The two of them went back and forth between the mountain and the tower using their rings, bringing back materials as they ascended.

Among them, there was a sparkling ore mixed in.

"Is this... a diamond?"

"Isn't it too big...?"

It was the size of a person's head. How much would this alone be worth? The ores of Sacred Peak Mountain seemed to possess an incredible value.

"Mireille would probably turn this into carbon with alchemy by tomorrow if we brought it back," Darius said with a wry smile. Ariel was capable of the same.

"It's our loss if we make them think it's just a material."

"What about something like a magic stone?"

"Something that holds or can absorb mana..."

They would both be pleased. But to someone who didn't know alchemy, it would look like just a rock. Even if the two of them happily wore it, the nobles would undoubtedly call it "just a rock."

The spoiled child version of Ariel would have gotten angry and shoved the stone in their mouths if they said that. But now, as an adult, she would just get hurt all by herself. She was fragile precisely because she played the part of an adult while hiding such a fierce nature within her. This was a challenge given to Darius for the future.

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"Should we defeat the Ice Dragon first? For some reason, choosing the gems seems more difficult."

"Do you have a color preference? Red rubies won't be found in an ice attribute place like this."

Leonhard, though troubled, naturally relaxed his mouth into a smile.

"Mireille is a transparent, honest, and lovely girl, so rather than a flashy color, I feel that something transparent or with a faint hint of color would suit her better."

"In that case, you should match it to the color of your eyes. A light blue would be a stone that makes her think of you, wouldn't it?"

Leonhard couldn't help but blush.

"Darius... you really are a noble. Possessing my color... huh."

Darius thought about his own choice of gem color. (What color do I want to dye Ariel in...)

Ariel's hidden red flame was usually as fragile as ice, its color wavering each time her heart ached. A color not yet decided, one that could not be dyed any single color. A stone like that should suit her now.

If they followed Leonhard's hope, they would find it near this ice attribute mountain. With that in mind, the two decided to search for the Ice Dragon.

However, the Ice Dragon in question was nowhere to be found.

They searched for a place that looked like a lair but found no clues. When they stepped into a cave, they instead encountered a pack of Ice Wolves.

They stood back to back, relentlessly slashing and throwing Sleep Orbs to knock them out. They never expected to run into such a large pack...

They used wind attribute power to stun the Ice Wolves and finished them off with Sleep Orbs. While they were at it, they collected magic cores, meat, fangs, claws, and fur. It seemed usable for the Magic Furnace, but touching it carelessly felt like their hands would freeze.

When they brought it back to the tower with the ring, Ariel's eyes sparkled with excitement. She stabbed them with an all purpose dagger, fixing them in place so they wouldn't melt from the ice attribute.

(...Looks like we'll have to climb again tomorrow...) Darius sighed, but he pressed on, envisioning the dream of obtaining the gems and materials.

"It didn't show up today. Now that we've got the Ice Wolf cores and materials, we'll have to continue tomorrow."

It was getting dark, and they could hardly see the gems or the path. If they carelessly searched caves, they would likely encounter another pack. Even wrapped in defensive magic and Helkaarn fur, the chilling air was abnormal.

As he was discussing the next day's plan with Leonhard at the base of a cliff, the ground shook.

"It's here...! The Ice Dragon!"

There, on the cliff above, was the figure of a giant Ice Dragon, glaring down at them as it dislodged stones.