kscans

Chapter 79 - Sacrifice for the Magic Furnace

With Rainer's arrival, Ariel understood that the worst had come to pass.

She had been beaten for days on end, was even now being struck without being allowed to use her defense magic, and was continuously exposed to the mana-dependent smoke in the room. She had been holding her body and soul together with sheer willpower, but she was already at her limit.

But for the queen to have been a former magician. Was something like that common knowledge?

Ariel was ignorant of worldly gossip. She was so unconcerned with anything outside her immediate surroundings that she was still shocked by the sight of Darius in high society.

"Ariel. You’ve brought the king a favorable answer today, haven’t you?" Rainer smiled.

"...Hk!"

Nothing good could come from Rainer wielding a massive amount of magic. And to make matters worse, the insane king was now joined by the queen, a former magician who was controlling him.

Even if she conceded and built the Magic Furnaces, a future where she had to obey their commands and continue hunting monsters to gather the necessary magic cores was absolutely unthinkable.

Ariel closed her eyes, steadied her breath, and made her decision in a matter of seconds.

"I refuse! I will not build the Magic Furnaces!"

Rainer’s lips curled into a smirk.

"Oh? Then you don’t care what happens to your precious loved ones?"

"I no longer have anyone precious to me. My ties with Darius have been severed. My disciple has already left my care."

Her chest ached. But I can't cause them any more trouble. Her voice was steady as she spoke, without a hint of hesitation.

It was painful to actually say it out loud.

But contrary to Ariel’s expectations, it was the queen who reacted.

"Darius... you mean Lord Cedric’s son?"

Margaret clicked her tongue.

(My charm doesn’t work on that man. Provoking his son will be troublesome.)

And the king, just hearing the name, exploded with emotion.

"Damn it! Is my brother interfering again!"

Ariel was confused.

(Why does my refusal to build the Magic Furnaces have anything to do with Darius or his father?)

"I’ll say it as many times as it takes. I have nothing to do with Darius anymore!" Once more, resolute, unwavering.

But Rainer just sneered.

"Oh... ‘anymore,’ you say. So you’ve been fawning over nobles all this time. Your Majesty, Your Highness. Simply killing her wouldn't be very interesting, would it? This is a woman who cares nothing for the country and acts only for her own desires."

Margaret brought her blood-stained fan to her lips.

"Do you have a good idea?"

"Yes, a very special one."

Rainer whispered to the queen, a delighted smile spreading across his face. He then approached Ariel and clamped mana-controlling shackles on her wrists and ankles.

Ariel couldn’t resist. The mention of Darius’s name had frozen her. If she moved, she had no idea what harm might come to him.

"Let’s use this woman as a source of magic. Her mana is high. It may not match a monster’s, but we can drain her blood, squeeze out her magic, and restore her with High Potions. By repeating that, we can use her endlessly, for all eternity."

The king’s eyes lit up, and a cruel smile appeared on the queen’s face.

Ariel still had the strength to break the chains Rainer had put on her. But...

If her sacrifice would satisfy them, and if Darius and Mireille would be safe from harm.

She was already prepared to die anyway. If that was the case, she didn't mind her body being used as their plaything until they grew bored.

Ariel steeled herself for what was to come.

──

Ariel did not return after being summoned by the king.

Darius searched the Tree Sea Defense Force, but there was nothing left in the captain's office. When he went to the tower, he found living supplies arranged neatly, and on the fourth floor, wooden boxes were stacked. Inside were the blueprints for the Magic Furnace and monster subjugation documents. This was deliberately hidden.

She really had been caught up in something dangerous, Darius realized.

Regret tore at his chest. He was overcome with the urge to scream.

(Ariel, where are you...? You’re not a woman who dies so easily. Where are they holding you?)

He acted exactly as Ariel had wished. He forcefully entrusted Mireille to Leonhard, captain of the First Knight Order.

A commoner by birth. He held no fondness for the king or the nobles. He was not a man who would easily break under pressure. That was why Darius could entrust her to him with confidence.

It pained him to do it like a sneak attack, but he arranged for the tower ring, a sword that could be used to fight in the Tree Sea, and a dagger to be delivered via an informant at a weapon shop.

Then, he went for an audience with the king.

(Where is Ariel? Why is the Mage Order involved with the Magic Furnace, and why am I, the supreme commander, being kept completely in the dark?)

Just as he was about to press him.

"If you’re talking about your woman, she said she had already broken up with you and was whispering words of love to the captain of the Mage Order."

Darius batted away the disgusting mental interference lingering around the king. It was undoubtedly a lie.

She, who had been frightened and disgusted by Rainer, would whisper words of love to him? That was impossible.

"Give Ariel back! Where is Rainer!"

But the king only laughed.

Before long, Darius was framed and pursued as an embezzler. In no time at all, he had been turned into "the man who ran off with Ariel and the money."

Something terrible was happening. That king was beyond saving. And so, he made his decision.

He would, without fail, strike down that king. Strike him down, and take back Ariel.