Chapter 140

Chapter 140
Chapter 140: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

‘It was the exact same when I was chatting with Mudu earlier.’

As if eager to hand itself over to the opposing party at any second, it threshed frantically within the bag.

‘Still, I’m glad I found out ahead of time.’

What would have transpired if people had kept moving forward right in front of everyone’s eyes…

Perhaps a massive catastrophe might have broken out.

‘Well, let’s not dwell on it.’

Lion shook his head.

Instead of fretting needlessly, it was smarter to wrap up the task swiftly before dawn broke and head back.

Lion pulled out the items he had readied and also brought along a Snow Mountain Iron that the local blacksmith had prepared beforehand.

『Snow Mountain Iron Ingot (★★★)』

-An ingot of iron touched by the skilled hand of a blacksmith.

-You could even use it as a mirror!

『Use- Blacksmithing』

『☞ Click to view the recipe.』

Whether it was thoroughly refined or not, it was a sleek ingot without a single speck of impurity mixed in at first glance.

“You’re free to use anything in the blacksmith shop however you like!”

“What if I use it all up?”

“Ha! Go ahead and use every bit of it, you eccentric fellow!”

Gazing at the iron, the conversation he had shared with Mudu right before leaving the workshop popped into his head.

‘Good grief.’

Actually, assisting the Fire Spirit was merely a means to craft a hoe.

It wasn’t an act born of any noble intentions or a benevolent heart, but… ever since then, Mudu had continuously tried to hand him whatever he could whenever the opportunity arose.

And likely, this iron ingot was no different.

“Thank you.”

Without asking for any reasons, the man had handed over his workshop, which he treated as his very life.

Not only that, but he had also set out various other tools just in case Lion might need them before departing.

Lion smiled softly at the neatly arranged instruments and the roaring furnace.

“Peep.”

“Right. So you’ve got to clean up properly now, don’t you?”

Lion retrieved a mold from his inventory.

‘First, I need to create the mold.’

The foam mold possessed one major advantage to match its disposable drawback.

It meant that any novice could easily forge a decent mold.

Because of this, operating it wasn’t difficult at all.

You simply touched the mold and pictured the desired form in your mind, and that was it.

It felt quite similar to the magic seasoning B used when eating ramen ages ago.

‘Then…’

At that moment, a form took shape in his thoughts.

Lion closed his eyes and imagined a long cylindrical design that fit comfortably in one hand.

It featured a lid that could be twisted off, and it was stable enough not to spill even if dropped on the floor.

Additionally, it possessed the property of sealing in the witch’s magical energy so that it wouldn’t leak outward.

That was none other than…

‘A tumbler.’

Honestly, could there possibly be a better shape than this!

It sat snugly in the palm and kept things warm, making it absolute perfection.

Lion reminisced about the days he used a tumbler in the past.

Back when he was stuck at a corporation, he frequently relied on tumblers instead of disposable plastic cups in cafes brimming with the scent of coffee.

It wasn’t for any grand purpose.

A tumbler had simply been handed to him as a gift from somewhere, and utilizing it let him pinch pennies, saving even a little cash.

During those days, when he had just taken his very first steps into society, even saving five hundred won was something to be deeply grateful for.

So much so that he would arrive an hour early and hike to work instead of taking public transportation.

Viewed that way, the gifted tumbler was a remarkably precious possession.

However.

‘I made good use of it at first, but ran into some trouble midway.’

Wouldn’t a tumbler naturally start developing an odor and accumulating grime right between the lid’s seals over time?

Lion’s tumbler went through that exact ordeal.

Even when he tried scrubbing it vigorously with a brush, the gunk tucked away in those narrow crevices refused to budge easily!

Things might have been different if he were home, but as a newcomer, he practically lived at the office.

Furthermore, with a mountain of assignments piling up, standing in front of the employees’ sink all day trying to scour a tumbler was pure torture.

‘Thinking about it now, why on earth couldn’t I leave work on time as a rookie?’

What could a newcomer even accomplish anyway?

Well, it was ancient history, so he wasn’t mad anymore, but it was hilarious that the memory suddenly resurfaced.

‘So I really hope this tumbler… no, this potion bottle is easy to wash too.’

Of course, whether this wish would actually translate into the mold’s properties remained uncertain.

Even so, the more demanding the specified conditions were, the higher the quality of the finished item, right?

Lion slowly opened his eyes, layering various options within the limits of keeping the mold intact.

Then…

“Oh.”

Looks like something turned out well?

Naturally, he wouldn’t know for sure until he poured the liquid inside the mold, but it looked remarkably promising to the naked eye!

『Using a special item greatly increases blacksmithing experience!』

『Blacksmithing Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv. 3.』

Even without actively putting it to use yet, his experience points jumped up quite a bit.

It was likely a special bonus because the item had been acquired from the Shilling Shop.

‘Is this a massive windfall?’

Having climbed two stages, he also grasped how to utilize this mold to achieve satisfying results.

His fingers tingled as the path forward cleared up.

“Hoo. Let’s stay calm.”

Inside a forge, rushing things invites major accidents.

The blades and intense heat alone posed enough danger, and Lion had to handle obsidian on top of that.

The first two might only inflict harm on himself, but the obsidian could potentially trigger a massive incident.

‘Right. Just hold onto this rhythm.’

Lion clenched and unclenched his fist once, picked up the obsidian, and dropped it right into his prepared potion bottle.

Clink.

The pitch-black obsidian tumbled straight into the transparent glass vial.

“And…”

The melting agent.

Lion popped open the lid of the melting agent given to him as a complimentary perk when purchasing the mold and poured it directly into the potion bottle.

Normally, if it were an ordinary gemstone, it would instantly lose its natural brilliance and shatter into glass shards the moment it contacted the melting agent, but…

Sssshhh-

Elvia’s obsidian was different.

The second it touched the melting agent, it dyed the clear liquid jet black like spreading ink, and.

Accompanied by a sound resembling a whisper, a sinister power began to bubble and churn, as though trying to evaporate the liquid entirely.

The dark energy, having finished boiling away all the melting liquid, didn’t stop there and slithered up the sides of the potion bottle.

Like smoke billowing from an incense burner, like something hauling itself upward with both arms from within, the witch’s magical power spilled over the rim of the container and cascaded onto the floor.

Tok.

Thump.

It was no longer a liquid state, yet strangely, it produced a heavy splashing noise as it hit the ground.

Even so, Lion left the potion bottle uncapped, letting it stay just as it was.

Right as the emboldened dark energy crept out to his ankles, blocking his line of sight and attempting to expand its territory further outward.

“Nature. Could you help keep the smoke from leaking outside the workshop?”

“Peep.”

At Lion’s request, Nature channeled the power of the wind.

As a gentle breeze drifted in from the outside, blocking the fog from spreading any further, the mana inside his body began to drain away.

‘This is incredible.’

Just containing the energy takes this much effort, meaning Elvia’s magical power truly transcends imagination.

Yet, he felt neither fear nor panic.

Though it appeared wild and ominous…

‘It’s Elvia’s magic power, after all.’

Of course, this energy belonged to the sinister magic of the Demon Race.

If anyone else touched it, something grave might happen.

No, it definitely would happen—he didn’t deny that fact.

However.

‘I’m completely fine.’

Elvia’s magical energy displayed zero reaction, as if it harbored no intention of harming Lion whatsoever.

The dark clouds that had climbed past his ankles up to his calves were merely harmless shadows and posed zero threat.

Perhaps it carried a trace of Elvia’s own will.

He could distinctly sense a wave of care, as though it were worried he might get hurt.

Maybe because of this, Nature also flew over serenely and settled right on his shoulder.

“Thanks. Melting the iron is going to take quite a while, so please keep it blocked tight so nothing escapes.”

And now, the grand task of melting the metal commenced.

Lion placed the well-refined iron onto the crucible.

With Nature’s assistance, he could melt the iron much faster, but Nature was currently occupied with keeping the dark smoke from spilling outdoors.

Therefore…

“It’s been a while. Please take care of me.”

『A low-grade Fire Spirit willingly grants your request.』

『A low-grade Fire Spirit observes the Ancient Spirit.』

“Huh?”

Lion cast a glance at Nature perched upon his shoulder.

Could it be that the little creature sat there on purpose?

…Jealousy?

“Peep!”

As though reading Lion’s thoughts, Nature pecked sharply at Lion’s hair, tugging on it with surprising force.

“Hahaha.”

Lion kept chuckling even as strands of his hair were being ripped out.

No, it was simply too hilarious that an Ancient Spirit was feeling jealous of a lowly grade spirit.

“Hey now. Obviously, it’s only you.”

“Hmph.”

More than a simple tut, it was a full-blown hmph.

Unfazed, Lion tilted his head toward where Nature was sitting and indulged his selfish desire by rubbing his cheek against its soft feathers.

Naturally, a few more hairs got pulled out in the process, but he considered that reaction a fair reward.

Still, teasing it any further would likely make it genuinely sulky, so he figured he ought to appease it a bit.

“I asked the other one because doing it all by yourself would be way too tough. If the egg hatches while you’re worn out and sleeping, that’d be bad. Right?”

“…Peep!”

『Companion Spirit ‘Nature’ demands ‘Extremely Delicious Snacks’!』

Fortunately, it seemed ready to let the matter slide.

“Yes, yes. I’ll whip you up something great when we get back.”

“Peep.”

Still not entirely appeased, Nature shot a glare at the low-grade Fire Spirit, spread its wings in a threatening display, and then fluttered off to perch somewhere else.

‘Honestly.’

So adorable.

『The low-grade Fire Spirit’s discipline is sharpened.』

At any rate, thanks to Nature, the low-grade spirit had whipped itself into shape, meaning he definitely needed to prepare some top-tier snacks later.

Lion pondered what kind of treats would hit the spot, set the iron onto the crucible, and settled into a waiting period.

‘How long is this going to take?’

Normally, fully melting steel required at least six hours.

On top of that, what he was attempting to liquefy right now was Snow Mountain Iron, which was far tougher than regular steel, leaving him slightly anxious.

Still, he figured things would move a bit quicker with the low-grade spirit lending a hand, but…

“Oh?”

Sooner than expected… no, visibly faster, the Snow Mountain Iron was melting down!

‘Come to think of it.’

Quite a bit of time had passed since he first hauled the Snow Mountain Iron into this room.

In the interim, the low-grade spirit appeared to have mastered how to process iron at high speeds.

And thus, right before dawn broke during the darkest hour of the night.

Instead of the sky, a brilliant crimson sun blossomed directly from the tips of Lion’s fingers.

『Melted Snow Mountain Iron (★★★)』

-The hardened Snow Mountain Iron was smoothly liquefied through incredible heat regulation.

-It’s pristine, containing zero slag.

-Anything forged from this will boast a higher grade than regular iron!

『Use- Blacksmithing』

『☞ Click to view the recipe.』

『Blacksmithing Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv. 4.』

The Snow Mountain Iron had dissolved much quicker than anticipated.

And simultaneously.

Shwoooosh-

The dark fog that had previously pooled around his knees surged upward and swallowed the tiny sun whole.

A total eclipse descended in a single heartbeat.