kscans

Chapter 158 - A Father, the Magic Furnace, and a Single Kiss

Ariel had begun the final process. She ground the Luna Serpent's fangs and the failed scales that Elliot had peeled off in advance and mixed them together. Then, outside the Magic Furnace, she boiled down the bone marrow until it was a thick sludge and poured her own mana into it.

...It stank. It simply stank. As it bubbled away in the large pot, a hellish stench spread throughout the area. Yet, strangely, not a single monster approached. Apparently, the smell was so intense that it was acting as a monster repellent.

"That's an incredible stench..." Albert approached, his face contorted in a grimace.

"It'll be terrible if it soaks into your clothes, so you should stay back..." Ariel said in a panic, but he shook his head.

"As a father, I must see what becomes of the things my son helped with."

Ariel couldn't help but smile at the sight of him peering into the pot with a nauseated expression. He's a good father.

In truth, Elliot's mana was not immense like Albert's or Darius's, but rather resembled that of his biological father, Karlwein. But it was stable and straightforward. As long as he wasn't led astray, he would surely become a great king.

"Now I'll mix in the fangs and the scales that His Highness Elliot gathered. Once applied, it will create a perfect bond." When Ariel mixed them, the stench grew even worse. However, by the time it had boiled down, it had transformed into an odorless, viscous adhesive. Albert, perhaps because his nose had grown accustomed to it, was looking on with interest.

"Let's ask Mireille to prepare the fur. Also, please show this to His Highness Elliot when it's finished." She bottled it. The adhesive's preservative properties were limited, so it could only be used today.

When Elliot arrived, Ariel told him.

"The scales you helped with will become an important adhesive to repair the Magic Furnace in the royal capital." Albert also spoke gently.

"Once the temperature inside is safe, I'll be sure to show you where we used it."

Elliot nodded seriously, and Ariel nodded back with a smile.

Afterward, Albert and Ariel spread the adhesive around the scales that were plugging the holes in the line and wrapped them with Moonshadow Wolf fur to seal them. When they attached the Ice Dragon scales to the branch holes, the room's temperature dropped sharply, and breathing became easier.

"We also got some Ice Wolf fur, so if there are any leaks and the line heats up, you can wrap it with that fur to calm it down. But... by the time His Highness Elliot becomes king, a major overhaul will be necessary."

The future is just around the corner, Ariel thought.

"...Ariel, do you think Elliot can become king?" Albert murmured, staring at the Magic Furnace.

"It will be difficult for him alone. But with the support of many different people, I believe he will become a splendid king."

"And what about... you? You were treated terribly by Elliot's father, and I'm sure I made you feel unpleasant as well."

"My last memory is of suffering in the Magic Furnace. So I don't hold any unpleasant feelings toward you, Albert-sama... No, more than that, I'm left with the memory of doing something as out of place as challenging you to a duel." Ariel's face turned red, and she couldn't help but look down.

Albert slowly offered his hand.

"I was certainly surprised and angry at the time, but if it weren't for that duel, the country, myself, and Elliot would all have been ruined. When you become a Margrave, I want you to support this father and son."

Ariel removed her protective glove and took his hand. Just as she thought it was a handshake.

Chu.

"!?" Her hand was pulled, and he had kissed it.

"...!?" Ariel snatched her hand back, bright red.

Albert laughed as if he had gotten the better of her.

"It's a Noble Greeting. Everyone does this kind of thing, so don't you get Darius jealous over it." His face clearly showed he had seen through the pure heartedness of the adult Ariel.

As he was leaving, Albert whispered a single word in Ariel's ear.

"...But sometimes it has a deeper meaning. So today's one is a secret from Darius."

Ariel was momentarily stunned. But no, he's a married man.

"He was teasing me... he was teasing me, right...?"

I should secretly ask Lady Eleonora about this.