Chapter 828: Steely Resolve
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 828: Steely Resolve
"Looks like Liya won't be coming back tonight."
After a satisfying meal, Muen headed into the courtyard to gaze at the stars, thinking it was finally time to give his kidneys a well-deserved holiday.
It was early autumn. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Framed by thin, wispy clouds, the sky appeared vast and tranquil. A peaceful atmosphere enveloped the entirety of Belland as it bathed in the moonlight.
"So quiet..."
He said he was looking at the stars, but Muen’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to a far more beautiful sight.
Beside him, An finished clearing the dishes and left. Ariel, meanwhile, was perched on the corridor railing, her two jade-white feet swinging back and forth. Her plump, rounded toes curled and uncurled—a sight more enticing than any meal prepared by a master chef.
It seemed his hard work over the past few days had paid off. Even with Liya temporarily away and the "triangle" losing its stability, there shouldn't be another war breaking out in the Duke’s estate anytime soon—at least not one that would threaten the survival of his father’s precious collection.
And speaking of war...
"I've been slacking for too many days. It’s time for a bit of exercise. Indulging forever in the land of tenderness isn't my style."
Everything required a balance of work and rest.
After "working" in bed for so long, it was time to find an opponent to kill and relax a bit.
With that, Muen stretched, temporarily withdrawing his mind from the specially displayed "delicacies" before him, and closed his eyes.
It had been a while...
"Black Book."
Flip.
The sound of turning pages echoed. When Muen opened his eyes again, he had arrived at a familiar place.
The vegetation was lush and green, the temperature pleasant. That massive magic stone, having endured a thousand years, still emitted a warm and steady light.
The ancient ecosystem was filled with rare plants Muen couldn't even name, making it feel like a primeval forest untouched by man. Yet, when his gaze pierced through the gaps in the dense foliage to see the thick, transparent walls outside, he felt a strange, fusion style that transcended time.
The Botanical Garden.
If the adventure in the depths of Gutons Fortress had a turning point, then for Muen, it was undoubtedly this garden within the Spear of Judgment—which had been in its High Tower form back then.
It wasn't just a turning point between life and death, but also for the feelings between a boy and a girl.
"So, in a way, you deserve a lot of credit for this story getting as far as it has."
Muen looked up.
Not far from him, a towering Demon stood clad in armor, gripping a spear.
The crimson light seeping from his visor was eerie and chilling. Even knowing he was a mere simulation, his terrifying aura was enough to suppress one's soul.
The First Demon General, Zagu.
This powerful enemy, who had driven Muen and Ariel to the brink of despair multiple times, appeared before Muen once again, reconstructed by the records of the Black Book.
The pressure was as heavy as ever.
This time, there would be no help from Ariel. Muen drew his dual daggers alone.
"In that case..."
The corner of his mouth curled slightly.
"I'll reward you with a truly satisfying battle!"
*
Ariel swung her small feet, admiring the moon reflected in a small puddle in the courtyard.
Of course, she would never admit that she was also stealing glances at Muen’s profile in the reflection, where he sat right next to the moon.
"Asleep?"
After only a short while, she noticed Muen’s reflection had closed its eyes. He seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber.
"Drained already? Pathetic."
Ariel mocked him mercilessly.
But the moment she remembered her own even more embarrassing performance earlier, her smile vanished.
To reiterate: she wasn't weak. She just lacked a tiny, tiny bit of experience compared to Liya and the maid, An.
But experience was something that could be made up for through hard work. She was still in the process of learning and growing. Thirty years on the East bank, thirty years on the West; do not look down on a girl just because she's poor! One day, when she regained the initiative and finally got on top, she would definitely...
"Wait, talking about 'studying hard' for this kind of thing feels a bit weird..."
Ariel frowned.
Being this proactive made her seem like some kind of little firecrack—
"No, no, no! I'm not!"
Ariel shook her head with fierce determination.
She was just slightly influenced by those two "juicer queens" and "hussies" on the bed. She wasn't a pervert!
"Anyway, I shouldn't think about things that dampen my resolve. Since I'm free, I'll go cultivate and improve myself!"
Ariel let out a long breath.
Coincidentally, her thoughts had aligned perfectly with Muen's.
*
"Oh? After all this time, you finally remembered me, your teacher?"
In Ariel’s room, an ethereal shadow flickered. A mature beauty with a graceful figure stood with her arms crossed. Looking at her disciple—whom she hadn't seen for days and whose face looked significantly more radiant and supple—she gave a half-smile.
"As expected, things are different once you have a man. You've completely forgotten your teacher in the blink of an eye. Alas, years of bond between master and student ultimately can't compare to a few days with a stinky man."
"I... I didn't."
Ariel’s cheeks flushed slightly as her small hands tugged at the hem of her skirt.
"..."
Peles suddenly froze.
"W-What is it?"
Seeing her teacher staring blankly at her without speaking, Ariel instinctively touched her face.
"Is there something wrong with me?"
"...No."
Peles suddenly smiled and reached out to rub Ariel’s head.
"Nothing at all. This is good. Though the change is so great I almost didn't recognize you, it’s a good change in the end."
"Eh?"
"Actually, I was worried before that you were too stubborn and might walk into a dead end. But now, it seems that won't happen."
Peles said with relief, "And even if it did, I think there’s someone who can pull you back."
"What do you mean?"
Ariel grew more confused by the second, her expression full of doubt.
But Peles had no intention of explaining.
In her view, there was no need to talk about things that wouldn't happen. She just had to admit that this sudden love story had, to some extent, mended a weakness in Ariel.
Originally, she thought the one to resolve this weakness would be some beautiful girl Ariel constantly thought about. Who would have thought that after all those twists and turns, it wasn't the girl she’d been calling out to for over a decade, but rather a certain blonde bastard she used to hate the most.
If the Ariel of a year ago knew about this future, how would she react?
She’d probably snort in disdain, shout "My fate is mine to command!", and rush over to chop the blonde guy to pieces.
"Alright, alright, no need to waste time on meaningless things."
Peles stood up and looked at Ariel seriously.
"I assume you won't get so lost in all that tenderness that you forget to move forward?"
"I won't!" Ariel huffed. "Am I the kind of person who gives up on climbing the mountain just for a bit of romance?"
In a sense, because the void in her heart had been filled, Ariel no longer had such a desperate reason to push forward.
But she still couldn't stop.
Because over the last ten years, regardless of why she took that first step, those things that drove her forward had long since been etched into her soul like instinct.
She had indeed changed.
But she was still Ariel Bugard.
"I’m going to keep cultivating and leave that annoying blonde bastard in the dust!" Ariel pumped her fist, looking smug.
"Very well."
Peles smiled and gave a casual wave. A piece of paper on the table, its ink not yet dry, flew automatically into Ariel’s hand.
"That’s my disciple... Here, I’ve already written down what you need."
"This is..."
"The materials for your ninth body tempering."
"Materials..."
Ariel’s gaze sharpened.
She was a practitioner of both magic and martial arts, advancing in both fields simultaneously without neglecting either. Therefore, besides accumulating magical power, the most important thing for her was tempering her physical strength.
Regarding this, Peles, as an excellent teacher, had naturally designed a custom plan for her. The key milestones involved using vast amounts of rare medicinal herbs to refine her body.
The fact that Ariel could take a direct hit from Zagu’s spear and survive a fall from a thousand-meter tower—only ending up with a slightly flattened chest—was largely thanks to this tempering method.
"Such expensive things again..."
Just after scanning the list, Ariel’s face scrunched up.
The downside of excellent results was that the various herbs required were extremely rare, and they only became more expensive as her strength grew.
A rough calculation of the items on the list... and her half-year of hard work in the Abyss was gone.
"No, being expensive isn't the herbs' fault; it’s my fault for being poor."
Ariel sighed. "Good thing I earned a bit of a nest egg, otherwise I’d be scratching my head and eating black bread again."
She grabbed the list and headed for the door.
"Wait for me, Teacher. I’ll be right back."
It was late at night, but that was perfect. Many of these items could only be obtained in places that didn't see the light of day.
She had done this many times before and was already well-acquainted with the process.
"Alright," Peles replied. She didn't follow Ariel, staying behind to start the preparations.
By her estimation, Ariel would probably return around dawn. Moreover, it wasn't guaranteed she could collect everything on the list. A few items were so rare they might need to travel to specific regions and face unexpected dangers to...
Creak—
Peles was still pondering, wondering if the crisis this time would come from a terrifying magical beast guarding the herbs or a mysterious powerhouse eyeing the same prize...
Before she could even list a third possibility, Ariel pushed the door open and returned.
"What’s wrong?" Peles asked, puzzled. "Forget to bring something? That’s not like you."
"No... no."
Ariel had a dazed expression on her face. With a flick of her finger, her storage magic device glowed, and a mountain of items suddenly appeared in the room.
A complex blend of plant scents filled the air, merging into a very peculiar aroma.
As a soul, Peles couldn't smell them, but her eyes widened nonetheless. Because what Ariel had brought out... were clearly the exact materials she was supposed to go get.
Not a single one was missing, including the rarest ones.
"This? Where did this come from?"
Peles was stunned. Accustomed to Ariel’s arduous, twist-filled journeys to collect materials, this was the first time she had seen everything gathered so quickly.
It was like a dream. If she weren't a soul, she might have actually pinched her thigh.
"I just stepped out and ran into the Duke’s estate maids," Ariel began to explain.
"And then?"
"The maid asked where I was going, so I told her the truth. There was no reason to hide it."
"And then?"
"And then..." Ariel pointed at the pile of items. "The maid took me to the Duke’s treasury and prepared all these materials for me. She said Muen had instructed them that if I needed anything, I could just take it."
"..."
Peles looked at Ariel, then at the expensive materials on the floor. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "Ariel, seriously... why don't you just find a way to make that kid marry you and kick those other vixens to the curb? I feel like you could save yourself at least twenty years of hard work that way."
"...W-What?"
Ariel froze, then turned red with shame and anger. "Teacher, how can you be so spineless? I am the great Ariel Bugard! How could I be bought by such small things—"
"Are you going to use them then?" Peles asked softly. "These materials."
"..."
Ariel thought for a long time, then gritted her teeth hard.
"I'm using them!"