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chapter 24
Dawn was breaking.
The weather today was clear.
Everyone who had fought through the night, marched, and cleaned up was now fast asleep.
It was the kind of atmosphere that reminded one of resting after grueling military training.
Lawrence moved busily even in the quiet.
Negative energy helped relieve physical fatigue quickly.
So that was how the Venoman family could stay in hiding for days on end.
“The heart of a troll… it really is huge and thick. I never thought I’d get to touch a material like this in my life.”
Lawrence placed the thoroughly cleaned troll heart in one corner of the room.
It still couldn’t be used to make an artifact—his mastery of Dragon Body wasn’t sufficient yet.
[Modified Red-Furred Troll Heart]
[Manifestation: Berserk]
[Requires Dragon Body proficiency of 35% or higher]
[Troll Rib]
[Can be used with extracts of 4th Circle or lower]
[Amplifies regeneration-related engravings by 20%]
This was today’s main dish.
The recommended special course was the enormous tomahawk meat still attached to the troll rib.
Now he understood why knights only trained with weapons suited to their hands. Without the proper grip, it was impossible to handle.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
[I will assist.]
A system that popped up only when needed to provide support.
Lawrence figured he wouldn’t be bored and began his work.
The first thing was to fill the capacity of the fallen artifact.
Nothing else was needed; he only planned to replenish the buff spells [Haste], [Strength], and the holy spells [Holy Bomb], [Holy Chain].
The other originally used Circle spells would be replaced with better ones.
He also intended to make emergency-use spells using some newly obtained extracts and mediums.
Wizards in the light side normally only used elemental or Circle magic.
Learning black magic even a little supposedly negatively affected the mana load.
But that didn’t matter to Lawrence.
Since he had no mana load, the penalty was irrelevant.
So he could use magic freely.
[Nightcrawler Core]
[Yeti Heart]
[Expected Combination Result: Poison Cloud – 3rd Circle]
“Let’s start with this one.”
Poison Cloud.
A spell that exhaled poison from the mouth, something straight out of a ninja manga.
It was classified as black magic and, if used properly, could eliminate an opponent stronger than oneself in one blow.
[Extracting magic circle.]
[Manifestation: Poison Cloud]
[Grade: 3rd Circle]
The design of the magic circle appeared in his mind.
Now he just had to draw it densely.
Scratch-scratch—.
Lawrence’s pen moved.
This was, as always, the most fun time.
A world with no games or hobbies.
Only the act of moving the pen could calm his mind and body.
Before he knew it, his head bobbed along, and he hummed a tune throughout the room.
“Lawrence—! Still asleep!?”
“……”
He heard someone calling, but already lost in the flow of work, he didn’t notice.
He remained absorbed in his work until sunset.
#2
“…Ugh.”
“You… what did you do without sleeping!?”
“Making artifacts was fun.”
“Ugh, and you didn’t even eat. Go downstairs and have something to eat.”
Finally, with his eyes dry and itchy, Lawrence came out of the room.
Loria caught him wandering and scolded him.
Despite her grumbling words, her eyes were full of concern.
She was nothing like Medea in personality.
Meanwhile, Lawrence noticed something.
The color of a small section of Loria’s hair had changed.
Originally light brown, the hair behind her ear now shimmered silver.
“Oh, did you dye your hair, sis?”
“Dye it? What nonsense. Why would I do that?”
“Never mind.”
“Don’t you know the Montemer symbol is light brown hair?”
“Oh, got it.”
Lawrence didn’t make a big deal of it.
It could be gray hair, a genetic change, or maybe just weather-related.
Who knew.
Rubbing his dry eyes, Lawrence went downstairs.
There, he saw everyone preparing for the party after shaking off their fatigue.
They greeted him warmly.
“Lord! Good morning!”
“Just a little more, we’ll be ready soon!”
“You haven’t eaten yet. If you’re hungry, go to the dining hall!”
“Thank you. Is everyone okay?”
They nodded vigorously.
Northern people really were different.
“Hahaha! Of course!”
“I heard you did great, Lord Lawrence!”
“Haha… Princess Leila did all the work. By the way, may I ask where the Duke and Princess are?”
“The Princess is probably in the storage. The Duke… I don’t know.”
His goal was meeting Leila, so he didn’t really care where the Duke was.
Finally, he had created the artifact for Leila.
[Dragon Body: 39%]
[To grow, you must create the designated artifact.]
And the first hurdle appeared.
The main concern was Leila’s treatment, so the rest could wait.
Following directions to the storage, he saw Leila still in charge of the estate’s management, commanding efficiently.
Fortunately, she hadn’t had a seizure yet.
[Progress: 34%]
Perhaps from the intense battles, the progress had risen sharply.
Good thing he completed the artifact before things worsened.
Watching Leila focus her energy and command the staff, Lawrence approached her.
“Princess, may I have a moment?”
“Oh, you’re up? Wait… you don’t look like someone who just woke up.”
“Haha, I got like this while working.”
“Hans, are you handling what I asked? I’ll be back shortly.”
“Yes!”
Leaving the busy soldiers behind, Leila and Lawrence walked side by side.
Leila looked at him and said suddenly:
“Have you grown a bit taller?”
“Maybe? I’m at that age.”
“Hmm…”
Strange. People don’t just grow overnight like that… But she shrugged; everyone was different.
Still, she asked with a hint of worry, knowing what he had been doing all night.
“Shouldn’t you rest a bit?”
“I’m fine. I did it because I wanted to.”
“If you say so… then why did you call me?”
“It’s finished. The artifact to cure your illness, Lady Leila.”
“Oh—!”
Her eyes sparkled.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she took several deep breaths.
She had never imagined receiving help like this…
If I had lived like this, we would’ve died without knowing why.
Did this kid even realize what he was doing?
She silently vowed to repay Lawrence.
Otherwise, both Lake and she would have died, and their father left to protect the cold North alone—far too cruel a fate.
Calming her racing heart, she found an appropriate place.
That place was where the Duke was.
He was currently in his office writing reports.
Letters for each family, evaluations, and the deeds of each house…
All intended for Montemer and the royal family.
“Father!”
“Hm?”
At that moment, she called from outside the door, and it was clear she wasn’t alone.
“Come in.”
“Yes!”
“Did you rest well, Duke?”
“And you, are you alright?”
Lawrence smiled lightly and nodded.
Seeing others care for him made him genuinely feel better.
He closed the door and took out the artifact from the pocket dimension.
“This is the artifact.”
“Completed? Well done.”
“I do this because I enjoy it. But you’ll need to help me later.”
“I swear on my house, my heart, and my mana. The Gaudi family will forever maintain our friendship with Lawrence Montemer.”
“Good. Let’s begin.”
Lawrence began implanting the completed artifact into Leila.
Crackle—.
Everyone tensed as the power manifested.
[Artifact: Yeti Heart]
[Engraving: Berserk]
[This artifact is for implantation into another person.]
[Single-use; disappears after implantation.]
[Contains the artifact-maker’s will; heals Leila’s illness.]
If such artifacts could be made today, hospitals would hardly be necessary.
Fzzzt—!
The magic-engraved artifact pierced into Leila’s heart.
A deep breath could be heard.
After the artifact was fully implanted, Lawrence read the system message carefully.
Leila quietly observed her own body.
[Target’s illness has been completely cured.]
[Target has acquired engraving: Berserk.]
[It will remain in her subconscious and manifest when the time comes.]
So it can indeed be given to someone else.
If used properly, he could even create his own loyal army.
Lawrence waited for Leila to realize her condition had been healed.
After a tense moment, Leila opened her eyes.
“Oh… this is amazing!”
“How does it feel? Okay?”
“Incredible! That heavy feeling is gone, and my heart feels comfortable. I even feel stronger.”
“Indeed…”
Power.
A force that could change the world.
Perhaps the defective wizard without a mana load was cursed because he was born with even greater power.
The Duke watched Leila leap around, letting out all the worry he had been holding back.
“Lord Lawrence.”
“Yes?”
“Come anytime. Now, the North and you are like family.”
“Thank you, Duke.”
Lawrence smiled brightly.
The Duke, leading the two young ones, said boldly:
“Today is a victory celebration! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves!”
“Will there be lots of delicious meat!?”
“Of course! Hahaha!”
Indeed, during growth, one must eat plenty of meat.
Lawrence, the Duke, and Leila headed toward the bustling preparations with bright faces.
