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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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He forced his mana into Regita, intending to completely displace the dragon’s dormant power.
He exhaled, a heavy weight settling on his legs.
The clash of their mana generated intense heat, searing his skin. His vision blurred with the strain.
Still, he pressed on.
With measured breaths and a steady rhythm, he continued to pour his life force into her.
‘What kind of mana…’
He hadn’t neglected his training since possessing this body.
He was confident in his magical prowess, a confidence he believed wasn’t entirely unfounded.
He had overcome countless obstacles, hadn’t he?
But the mana within Regita was incredibly resistant, pushing back against his own with surprising force.
‘This isn’t easy.’
Was this the difference between their races?
However…
“Jekkiel! You can do it! Push!”
“Please… please let this work.”
The earnest encouragement from Demeri and Ruin, their eyes filled with genuine hope, banished any thought of giving up.
And Sariel, too, was giving it his all.
‘Regita, just you wait.’
When she recovered, he would make her repay this debt tenfold.
The thought flickered briefly, then vanished in the forge’s intense heat.
Crackle—!
A moment of distraction, a flicker of stray thought, and his mana scattered.
This near-natural disaster gave him no respite.
‘Then I’ll focus.’
He stoked the fire of his will.
His burning determination, his unwavering resolve, finally shattered the confines of his limits.
He poured forth the purest, most refined mana of a vampire.
Simple, yet reaching the very core of his being.
Someone might call it brutally inefficient, but it was necessary.
Dragons were a blend of raw power and brute force.
He mimicked that brute force, that single-minded intensity, perfectly.
His mana surged through Regita, displacing her own and forcing it into the forge.
Finally, a beautiful miracle unfolded.
—!
Though silent, the surge of power was undeniable.
He glanced upwards. The flames above the forge erupted in a pillar of fire, reaching towards the ceiling.
“Yes! It worked!”
Demeri cheered.
Sariel, too, seemed invigorated by the intense heat, a sight he hadn’t witnessed in a long time.
“I need the mold.”
His words and actions were almost simultaneous.
As Sariel struck the anvil, numerous molds appeared before the forge, arranged in perfect order.
“Should I adjust the spacing…?”
Clang, clang, clang.
A few more strikes of the hammer, and the forge’s height and spacing were perfectly calibrated.
Sariel muttered to himself, his eyes blazing with passion, a near-manic intensity.
“Now, let’s begin!”
Sariel donned a pair of specialized goggles and picked up a metal rod, almost spear-like in its length.
He plunged it into the base of the forge.
A single, precise strike.
Whoosh—!
The strike was flawless.
The base of the forge opened, and molten metal, white as snow, began to flow.
“Wow…”
“Incredible. Just look at that color.”
Demeri and Ruin gasped.
Even Regita, her cross-shaped pupils gleaming, stared at the molten metal.
“It feels… strange…”
Regita flexed her hand, a strange connection forming between her and the molten Ermetellen. The liquefied metal was already communicating with its future owner.
The white-hot liquid flowed into the elongated mold, resembling a river of fire flowing through a snowy landscape.
The heat was intense. Even with barriers in place, Demeri and Ruin kept their distance, fearing they might be scorched.
With practiced ease, Sariel manipulated the molten metal, his movements almost artistic.
If not for the unbearable heat, they would have watched from a closer vantage point.
“Now, we just need to let it cool.”
Sariel nodded, and Demeri spoke up.
“It doesn’t seem like a lot, does it? Can you really make a greatsword with that…?”
“Using only Ermetellen isn’t necessarily the best way to craft a greatsword. Combining it with other high-quality materials is far superior. I’ll handle that.”
“Oh, I see.”
Demeri nodded, her question answered.
“Greatsword? Greatsword…?”
Even in her confused state, Regita reacted to the word.
She nodded, a childlike innocence in her expression.
When they had first met Sariel, he had seemed like nothing more than an aging drunkard.
Now, they all recognized him as the master craftsman he truly was.
“Beautiful… truly beautiful…”
Molten metal, as it cooled, was typically dark and rough, its scent unpleasant. But the cooling Ermetellen possessed a unique elegance.
It solidified like pristine snow, freezing into a form of breathtaking purity.
“It’s only this pure because it was brought to me. Anywhere else, the Ermetellen would have been ruined.”
Sariel puffed out his chest, and they all nodded earnestly. His words were not boastful; they were simply the truth.
“It will cool completely within ten minutes. Ermetellen, in its natural state, is cold. Melting it is difficult, but solidifying it is quite easy.”
“Then my assistance is no longer required.”
Jekkiel straightened his clothes and smoothed back his hair. Channeling his mana into Regita had been incredibly taxing.
He could do it again if necessary, but he sincerely hoped he wouldn’t have to.
Sariel tilted his head.
“Why would your assistance end here? Absolutely not.”
“…Excuse me?”
Jekkiel’s bewildered expression only seemed to confuse Sariel further.
“This sword is for Regita, isn’t it? Then she needs to cut it to the proper size. I told you, Ermetellen requires its owner’s involvement from start to finish.”
“……”
“I’ll mark the appropriate dimensions, so don’t worry about that. But the cutting is entirely up to you. Yes.”
“Ah.”
A sharp pain throbbed in Jekkiel’s temples.
Regita had to cut it?
That…
But Regita wasn’t in any condition to do so.
If she were to try, he would have to lend his power again.
Which meant, ultimately, he would be the one cutting it.
Jekkiel asked calmly, “Is the same true for the tempering and hammering?”
“Of course.”
He felt a wave of dizziness. Cutting solidified Ermetellen would be incredibly difficult. It was likely as durable as Thanatos.
And its thickness… it was thicker than his forearm.
Sariel, with an expression that clearly said, ‘This is no longer my concern,’ began to trace lines of mana onto the Ermetellen.
The long, pristine white metal now seemed intimidating. He couldn’t even begin to estimate how much more mana he would need to expend.
“Regita.”
“Yes?”
He called her name, a flicker of hope in his heart.
Perhaps she could handle the cutting herself.
But it was a futile hope.
“Oh, oh, oh, no!”
“Aaaaagh! Jekkiel, this isn’t right!”
Jekkiel sighed and grabbed Regita, preventing her from potentially destroying the forge in her clumsy attempt to wield the sword.
“There’s no other way.”
He stood behind her, his chest pressed against her back, his hand covering hers on the sword’s hilt.
Demeri and Ruin gasped, but such things were trivial now.
“Hmm…?”
Even Regita seemed slightly bewildered by this intimate contact.
A faint blush colored her golden cheeks.
But Jekkiel’s face was etched with concern.
“Don’t make a mistake. Keep your hand steady.”
“Yes.”
Even as they spoke, his mana flowed into her.
Another surge of power coursed through her body.
“Now, cut.”
“Cut?”
“No, wait… just stay still.”
“Yes.”
Regita’s voice was still muddled, her responses seemingly mindless, yet there was a strange clarity in her eyes.
Perhaps the mingling of their mana within her body was affecting her.
She simply accepted it as natural, as inevitable.
But she couldn’t ignore the feeling of his hand on hers, the scent of his cologne, the way he expertly guided her movements.
“Now.”
The first cut was smooth, like slicing through a cake.
But the mana expenditure was immense.
Once, twice.
Slice by slice, they cut through the Ermetellen.
“……”
A strange emotion stirred within Regita.
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[got covid, but still managed to TL! hope you enjoy it!]
