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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Offering one’s heart was the ultimate sacrifice.
It was akin to surrendering the very core of one’s being, the essence of existence.
To live without a heart required a complete reconstruction of the body, making the offering all the more profound.
A sickening crack echoed as he forced his hand into his chest, a silent scream rising from the depths of his being.
The Demon King’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.
The anger that had clouded his features moments before dissipated, replaced by a captivated curiosity.
Even in this illusory space, the pain was excruciating.
The agony of tearing flesh, the rising tide of blood choking his breath, blurring his vision, and clouding his judgment.
“Stop.”
Sariel’s voice signaled the end of the trial.
The air, stagnant moments before, began to flow again.
He patted my shoulder, a gesture of acknowledgement for my efforts.
I found myself back in the dust-filled workshop.
A phantom pain lingered, a cruel reminder of the illusion, but I dismissed it as a lingering aftereffect.
Sariel closed his eyes, then opened them, his gaze steady and resolute.
He looked at me, finally acknowledging me.
“You truly are Jekkiel”
He murmured.
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Clang—!
The hammer struck the anvil once more, reshaping the space.
The dust-filled workshop vanished, replaced by a pristine forge, humming with latent power.
Tools of unknown purpose, their edges honed to razor sharpness, lined the walls.
The scent of metal hung heavy in the air.
Sariel studied him in this transformed space.
He scrutinized him as if rediscovering a long-lost artifact, his gaze lingering on every detail.
“Do you still love Christine?”
He asked, his voice soft.
“Yes,”
He answered without hesitation.
He nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“Even among the Sins, you were the only one capable of caring for another. I always admired that.”
He picked up the Ermetellen, turning it over in his hands.
Demeri and Ruin entered the workshop, their faces alight with anticipation.
Sariel, the master craftsman, had set aside her bottle and picked up his tools.
It was a sight to behold.
“Oh, Jekkiel! Did it go well?”
Ruin asked, her eyes sparkling.
He nodded silently.
“He’s not going to have shaky hands from all that drinking, is he…?”
Demeri muttered nervously.
“Oh, come on. Sariel wouldn’t make a mistake like that”
Ruin reassured her.
Ignoring their whispers, Sariel carefully examined the Ermetellen.
“It’s been well-preserved. I’m pleased.”
Jekkiel nodded.
“It was kept at Luigh Kiran. They’re eager to utilize it themselves, so they took great care of it.”
“I see. Good. Let’s begin. Add the Magic Stone”
Sariel instructed, stepping towards a massive forge, large enough to be a gateway to another realm.
Ruin retrieved a violet gem from a nearby shelf.
Demeri tilted her head, curious.
“Wow, is that really a Magic Stone?”
“Of course. Ordinary heat wouldn’t even touch Ermetellen. We need a Magic Stone, attuned to Sariel’s mana, to reach the necessary temperature”
Ruin explained.
“A stone that reacts to mana and emits heat accordingly… I’ve only read about such things”
Demeri murmured, fascinated.
“Anything is possible in Sariel’s workshop”
Ruin replied with a smile.
Sariel emerged from the forge, quickly inspecting several tools.
“Light it,”
He instructed Ruin.
“Me?”
Ruin asked, surprised.
“Yes. Just light it. I need to take something for my head”
Sariel replied, heading back towards the attached dwelling.
Ruin nodded hesitantly and tried to ignite the forge, but the flames refused to catch.
Jekkiel stepped forward.
Whoooosh—!
The difference in their magical power was vast.
Fueled by Jekkiel’s mana, the forge roared to life, the flames erupting like a waterfall defying gravity.
Sariel returned, rubbing his eyes.
“The heat needs to be more intense. Don’t worry about the forge; it won’t melt. Just increase the heat.”
Jekkiel complied without hesitation.
The flames surged higher, burning white-hot.
“Ugh… I think I’m going to melt first”
Demeri muttered, wiping sweat from her brow.
She wasn’t exaggerating.
One moment of carelessness, and they would be reduced to puddles.
More, more, more.
Sariel chanted for nearly an hour, forcing Demeri and Ruin to retreat.
The heat was too intense to bear.
“Everyone, stand back. I’m adding the Ermetellen”
Sariel announced.
He tossed the Ermetellen into the forge.
The flames erupted with renewed intensity.
Jekkiel and Sariel were drenched in sweat.
Only Regita, resistant to heat due to her dragonkin nature, seemed unaffected.
Sariel smiled, her eyes reflecting the dancing flames.
The drunken stupor was gone, replaced by focused intensity.
If he swayed, it was from the heat, not the alcohol.
“Wow, Jekkiel. That’s intense”
Demeri commented as Jekkiel stepped back from the forge.
He nodded in agreement.
A master craftsman, regardless of their field, commanded attention.
Even though the others had retreated due to the heat, their gazes remained fixed on the spectacle.
It was art, albeit a painful, scorching art.
“Ugh, I should have brought more alcohol. I’m dying here”
Sariel muttered, sweat dripping from his brow.
Even his hair seemed to smolder, but he paid it no mind.
All his focus, all his mana, was directed at the Ermetellen.
“Jekkiel!”
He called out.
“Yes.”
“This is a gift, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Bring the recipient here! I need their mana!”
“…Regita?”
“Yes! Ermetellen needs its owner’s mana. If we don’t attune it now, it will become an unruly weapon!”
“Regita…”
Jekkiel glanced at Regita, who was staring blankly into space, seemingly oblivious to the situation.
He frowned.
She didn’t seem capable of channeling her mana in her current state.
But there was a way.
He could use Regita as a conduit, channeling his own mana through her and into the Ermetellen.
It would be inefficient, doubling his mana expenditure, but it was the only option.
He sighed.
Caring for a dragon was no easy task.
He guided Regita towards the forge.
“Place your hand on it.”
“My hand?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll place my hand. Like this. I’ve placed my hand”
Regita replied, her cross-shaped pupils staring blankly at Jekkiel.
“There’s no time to waste! Are you trying to ruin the Ermetellen?!”
Sariel shouted.
“We’ll do it now”
Jekkiel assured him.
He took a deep breath and placed his hand on Regita’s back.
Demeri and Ruin looked on, their faces etched with concern.
“Jekkiel, are you seriously going to convert your mana to be compatible with a dragon’s and force it through her? The mana loss will be immense!”
Demeri exclaimed.
“There’s no other way”
Jekkiel replied firmly.
Demeri and Ruin fell silent.
They were worried, but they knew he was right.
“Regita,” Jekkiel said.
“Yes.”
“Don’t take your hand off, no matter what.”
Jekkiel’s mana, which had been flowing like a gentle breeze, surged through Regita’s body like a raging torrent, displacing her own dormant mana and forcing it into the forge.
Regita winced, enduring the pain in silence.
Fragments of memories flickered in her mind, hazy and indistinct, like half-forgotten dreams.
They replayed over and over, tantalizingly close, yet just out of reach.
‘I have to succeed.’
Jekkiel thought, his resolve hardening.
If he failed to create Regita’s weapon after coming this far, it would be a devastating blow.
He had to restore her to her senses.
‘I must!’
He poured more mana into Regita, pushing his limits.
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[ROCK! STONE! ROCK AND STONE!]
