Episode 24 – From Now On, We’re Practically Family
#1
Dawn was breaking.
Today’s weather was clear.
The people who had spent the entire night fighting, marching, and cleaning up afterward were now all sound asleep.
It felt like the atmosphere after grueling training sessions in the army, with everyone finally at rest.
Even amidst the tranquility, Lawrence was moving about busily.
The Negative Energy swiftly alleviated his physical exhaustion.
So, this must be why the Venoman family could stay in hiding for days without sleep.
“This troll’s heart is huge and thick. Never thought I’d get to handle a material like this in my life.”
Lawrence placed the thoroughly washed troll’s heart in one corner of his lodging.
For now, he couldn’t use it to create an artifact.
His Dragon Body proficiency was insufficient.
—
[Modified Red-Furred Troll’s Heart]
[Manifestation: Berserk]
[Requires Dragon Body proficiency of 35% or higher.]
[Troll’s Rib]
[Usable with extracts of up to 4th Circle]
[Boosts regeneration-related engravings by 20%]
—
Today’s main course was this.
And the recommended special was the massive tomahawk meat attached to the troll’s rib.
Now he understood why knights trained with weapons that fit their hands precisely.
Without the right grip, it just wouldn’t feel right.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
[Assistance initiated.]
The system, popping up only when needed, was always there to assist.
With this, Lawrence wouldn’t be bored, and so he began his work.
The first task was, of course, replenishing the capacity of his depleted artifacts.
He didn’t need much else—just the buff spells [Haste], [Strength], and the holy spells [Holy Bomb] and [Holy Chains].
He planned to replace the other Circle magic he used with better spells.
Additionally, he intended to create some emergency spells using a few extracts and mediums he’d acquired this time.
Mages under the sun typically used only elemental magic, also called [Circle Magic], as the standard.
They said even dabbling in dark magic could have adverse effects on one’s Mana Core.
But that didn’t concern Lawrence.
Since he didn’t have a Mana Core to begin with, that penalty didn’t apply to him.
So he planned to use it freely.
—
[Night Crawler’s Core]
[Yeti’s Heart]
[Expected Combination Result: Poison Cloud – 3rd Circle]
—
“Let’s start with this one.”
Poison Cloud.
A spell reminiscent of something you’d see in a ninja comic, where one spits poison.
Classified as dark magic, it could even take down a stronger opponent in one strike if used well.
—
[Extracting the magic circle.]
[Manifestation: Poison Cloud]
[Grade: 3rd Circle]
—
The design of the magic circle he needed to draw appeared in his mind.
All he had to do now was sketch it out precisely.
Scratch, scratch—
Lawrence’s pen moved.
This was, undoubtedly, the most enjoyable time for him.
In a world with no games or hobbies, only the act of moving his pen could bring peace to his mind.
Before he knew it, he was nodding his head and humming a tune that filled the room.
“Lawrence! Are you still sleeping!?”
“……”
A voice called out to him, but it didn’t reach the ears of the creator, who was already lost in his work.
And so, he immersed himself in his task, focused solely on it until dusk.
#2
“…Ugh.”
“What were you doing all night without any sleep!?”
“Making artifacts turned out to be pretty fun.”
“Ugh, you haven’t even eaten. Go downstairs and get something to eat.”
Eventually, it was only when his eyes felt dry that Lawrence finally stepped outside his room.
Loria, noticing his sluggish movements, grabbed him and scolded him.
Despite her nagging words, her gaze was filled with concern.
No matter how he looked at her, her personality was the complete opposite of Medeia’s.
As he listened to her, something about Loria caught Lawrence’s eye.
A small section of her hair had changed colour.
Her normally light brown hair now had a patch behind her ear that gleamed silver.
“Oh, did you dye your hair, sis?”
“Dye it? What are you talking about? Why would I do that?”
“Never mind, then.”
“Don’t you know that the Montemer family’s symbol is light brown hair?”
“Oh, got it.”
Lawrence brushed it off nonchalantly.
It could be gray hair or a genetic mutation.
Or maybe it was due to the weather?
Who knew?
Lawrence rubbed his dry eyes and went downstairs.
Downstairs, people were busy with preparations, shaking off their fatigue.
They greeted Lawrence warmly as he came down.
“Young Master! Good day!”
“Just a little longer, sir! We’ll be ready in no time!”
“You haven’t eaten yet; feel free to head to the dining room if you’re hungry!”
“Thank you. Is everyone feeling alright?”
At Lawrence’s question, they all nodded vigorously.
Truly, northern folk were built differently.
“Hahaha! Of course, sir!”
“I heard you performed quite a feat out there, sir!”
“Haha… it was all thanks to Lady Leila. Speaking of which, could you tell me where the Grand Duke and Lady Leila are?”
“The lady should be in the storage area. As for the Grand Duke… I’m not too sure.”
Truthfully, he didn’t care much about where the Grand Duke was.
His goal was to meet Leila.
After all, he had finally created an artifact for her.
—
[Dragon Body: 39%]
[To progress, you must create a designated artifact.]
—
And the first wall appeared.
The priority now was Leila’s treatment, so Lawrence decided to look into it gradually.
Following directions to the storage area, he found Leila, still energetically leading the operations and managing the castle’s affairs.
Fortunately, it seemed she hadn’t had another episode yet.
[Progress: 34%]
Perhaps due to the intense battles, her progress had shot up quickly.
Luckily, he had completed the artifact before it worsened.
Watching Leila commanding with strength, Lawrence approached her.
“Lady Leila, do you have a moment?”
“Oh, you’re awake? Actually… you don’t look like someone who just woke up.”
“Haha, I ended up like this after working on my project.”
“Hey, Hans. Keep doing what I told you. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Yes—!”
Leaving the bustling soldiers behind, Leila and Lawrence walked side by side.
After briefly glancing at him, Leila suddenly said,
“You seem a bit taller than before?”
“Do I? I’m at that age, after all.”
“Hmm…”
Strange.
Did people normally grow taller overnight like this?
She didn’t remember growing that fast herself…
Leila tilted her head in curiosity but figured everyone was different.
Regardless, she asked with a hint of concern, knowing he’d been up until evening.
“Shouldn’t you take a rest?”
“I’m fine. I enjoyed doing it.”
“If you say so… So, what’s the reason you called me?”
“It’s finished. The artifact to cure your condition.”
“Oh—”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
At the same time, she took several deep breaths, perhaps overwhelmed with emotion.
She had never expected anyone to help her…
‘If I had lived on like this, I’d have died without ever knowing why.’
Did this child, walking so casually beside her, even realize what he was achieving?
Leila was already making up her mind to repay Lawrence somehow.
If things had continued, both Lake and she would have died without knowing.
Her father would be left alone to protect this frigid North, which was far too harsh.
Calming her pounding heart, Leila found a suitable location.
That place happened to be where the Grand Duke was.
The Grand Duke was currently in his office, writing reports.
Letters to send to each family.
Evaluations of individuals and the achievements of each family…
This information was to be delivered directly to Montemer and the Imperial family.
“Father!”
“Hm?”
From outside, he heard his daughter’s voice.
He also realized she was not alone.
“Enter.”
“Yes!”
“Have you rested well, Grand Duke?”
“Are you well yourself?”
Lawrence nodded with a light smile.
All the concern from everyone really made him feel happy.
Although it wasn’t physical, he felt like some of his fatigue was lifted.
He closed the door and opened his dimensional space, retrieving the completed artifact.
“This is the artifact.”
“You’ve completed it. You’ve worked hard.”
“This was something I wanted to do. But in return, please help me someday.”
“I swear on my family, my heart, and my mana. The Gaudi family will uphold eternal friendship with Lawrence Montemer.”
“Great. Then, let’s begin right away.”
Lawrence began implanting the artifact into Leila.
Crackle—
As everyone watched tensely, the Authority manifested.
—
[Artifact: Yeti’s Heart]
[Engraving: Berserk]
[This artifact is meant for implantation in others.]
[A single-use artifact that will disappear after implantation.]
[Infused with the Artifactor’s will, it will heal Leila’s chronic condition.]
—
If artifacts like this could be made in modern times, there’d be no need for hospitals.
Crackling!
The artifact, densely engraved with magic circles, burrowed into the inside of Leila’s heart.
He heard her take a deep breath.
Once the artifact was fully implanted, Lawrence carefully read the text that appeared in the system.
Leila, too, quietly observed her own body.
—
[The target’s illness has been cured.]
[The target has acquired Engraving: Berserk.]
[This will be embedded in her subconscious and will activate when the time is right.]
—
‘As expected, it can be granted to others as well.’
If he could use this properly, he could even create a loyal army.
Thinking this, Lawrence waited for Leila to realize her condition.
Would she be able to confirm that her ailment had been healed?
After a tense moment, Leila opened her eyes.
“Oh, this… it’s incredible!”
“How is it? Do you feel okay?”
“It’s amazing! That persistent tightness is completely gone, and my heart feels comfortable. In fact, I feel even stronger.”
“Indeed…”
Authority.
A power capable of transforming the world.
Perhaps it was because the flawed mage with no Mana Core actually possessed a greater power that he had been cursed in the first place.
Watching Leila jumping in excitement, the Grand Duke let out a long sigh, finally releasing the anxiety he’d been holding back.
“Young Master Lawrence.”
“Yes?”
“Come visit us anytime. From now on, the North and you are family.”
“Thank you, Grand Duke.”
Lawrence beamed.
With a hearty laugh, the Grand Duke led the two youths and declared,
“Come on, today’s a day of victory, so let’s feast and celebrate!”
“There will be plenty of delicious meat, right!?”
“Of course! Hahaha!”
After all, during growth periods, eating plenty of meat was essential.
Lawrence, the Grand Duke, and Leila made their way to the area bustling with preparations for the party, with bright smiles on their faces.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment