Estella leapt off her horse and strode toward Luka, who was waving at her with giddy enthusiasm.

“Sis!”

His chestnut eyes, sparkling like sweet chocolate, were so precious Estella wanted to hug him on the spot—but with Crimson Eagle blood splattered all over her clothes, she settled for ruffling his round head playfully instead.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes! I met Master Gerard, too!”

“Did you show him your notebook?”

“I did!”

Luka answered with the confident tone of a model student getting his homework checked. Just looking at his face, Estella could already guess what Gerard’s reaction must have been, and her smile rose to match Luka’s. She was eager to hear all about the moment those two geniuses met, but priorities came first.

“Father, I’ve returned.”

Estella bowed formally toward Marquis Cassian, who stood behind Luka like a pillar. As Estella bowed, the Squirrel Mercenary Band behind her followed suit in unison like folding screens.

“Were you hurt?”

“No. Thanks to the outstanding mercenary band, I returned without a single scratch.”

As she gave her report, the marquis naturally swept his gaze over the mercenaries—until it stopped on Ciel, who stood tall among them. Even in his ragged leather clothes and with his face smudged with dirt, Ciel exuded an air of noble dignity. Like the others, he respectfully saluted the marquis, but innate nobility could not be masked by appearances alone.

Even though his true identity had already been exposed, Ciel remained at Estella’s side as a wandering mercenary. Cassian couldn’t guess his purpose. The only thing he was sure of was that Prince Ciel would never act according to anyone else’s wishes.

The only solace was that he was still far better than Aslan.

“Father, I have an urgent report.”

Cassian was pulled from his thoughts by the gravity in Estella’s voice.

“Is that true?”

Cassian’s face darkened at once after hearing Estella’s report. The sudden appearance of monster swarms had seemed strange—but he hadn’t imagined someone was orchestrating them.

He pushed aside the image of Aslan’s smiling face that flashed into his mind and asked again,

“What do you plan to make with the Flame Stone?”

This was the girl who had forged the strongest sword in the world from Nevrion, a stone everyone else dismissed as useless. Because of its unstable nature, most mages avoided Flame Stone, using Emberlite instead for fire spells or related artifacts—since the latter, though less potent, was far more stable, held residual heat longer, and was easier to handle even for lower-level mages. But it was rare, and its price was sky-high.

“I’ll make sure no one dares covet Wintfall again.”

At her bold reply, the marquis stared silently at his daughter’s face for a long moment, then quietly asked,

“What can I do to help?”

“We need to expand the forge. And hire more blacksmiths. We’ll also need more laborers to secure a steady supply of Nevrion and Flame Stone.”

“They’ll be hesitant to enter the monster-infested forests.”

“Gerard and Airi will take care of that. They’re exceptional mages.”

Estella smiled with confidence. Cassian sighed softly and nodded. Her capacity already far exceeded his own. It felt like the time to step aside was rapidly approaching.

He held no attachment to his position—but the timing was poor.

Once Wintfall stabilized, he’d happily pass the mantle.

“We’ll need to clear a path to the deposits for wagons to transport the stones. Please assign knights to protect the laborers so they can work in peace. Mages and mercenaries will accompany them too, of course.”

Estella spoke while unfolding a map she had prepared on the marquis’s desk.

The map showed red-marked routes connecting the Nevrion and Flame Stone deposit sites to Wintfall.

The next morning.

Gathered in front of Dolan’s primary workshop, the First Forge, everyone stood speechless at the mountain of Flame Stone stacked before them. The Squirrel Mercenaries, Dolan, Gerard, Luka, Ria, and even Lydia.

Estella couldn’t hide her pride as she looked at her assembled people. Not a single one missing. Every person was not only essential, but exceptional—and full of endless potential.

“This is the Flame Stone we just mined. The canyon holds a massive reserve.”

She gestured proudly to the pile of glittering red Flame Stone, radiant like rubies.

“Wow…”

Gerard gawked with his mouth agape. It was his first time seeing so much Flame Stone in one place—and also the first time seeing it so crudely lumped together.

“Don’t worry. I cast protection and cooling spells on them. There’s no risk of them exploding.”

Airi, having watched him, answered in a flat voice as if reading his mind.

Gerard snorted and replied just as indifferently,

“How long will that last?”

“Two days. I cast them this morning, so I’ll recast in two days.”

“You’ve come a long way, rookie.”

Whether it was praise or mockery was unclear. Airi gave him a sideways glare, but still accepted the paper he abruptly shoved at her.

“What is this?”

“You’re holding it. If you’ve got eyes, read it.”

Airi scowled at his annoyed tone, but reluctantly began reading.

“This is… right now…”

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

“You made this formula?”

Airi couldn’t tear her eyes from the complex spell diagram that looked like it could make your vision spiral.

“Not alone. That little freak over there helped me.”

Gerard grinned and shoved Luka—who had been glancing her way and blushing—forward.

Caught off guard by the forced introduction, Luka stiffened, then quickly straightened and bowed respectfully.

“I’m Luka Cardeine. It’s an honor to meet a great mage like you.”

Though still young, Luka greeted her with flawless manners. Gerard, watching him quietly, tossed a blunt remark.

“Luka, she’s not your age. She’s over twenty. Don’t be fooled by the outside.”

“…What?”

Gerard’s oddly intimate comment made Luka flush red. He had assumed Airi was only a few years older than him. He’d even been quietly thrilled at the idea they could become friends. Now, hearing she was close to Estella’s age, he blinked in stunned silence.

Airi, silently staring at Luka’s red face, held the paper back out to him.

“How did you make this?”

“Huh? Oh… well, all magic stones vibrate when force is applied.”

Airi nodded calmly at his nervous reply.

“I analyzed the mana discharge cycle of Flame Stone using Fourier analysis. You know Dr. Fourier, right? The expert in magic stone research? His work fascinated me. I designed a formula to cancel out unstable waves using specific frequencies. Then Master Gerard inserted a stabilizing crystal into the stone, and…”

He had stumbled just moments before, but now spoke with sparkling enthusiasm. Airi, intrigued, nodded along and interjected questions that no one else understood.

Watching the two small figures earnestly discussing spells was so endearing Estella wished she could take a photo or record a video to capture the moment forever.

Gerard, also watching them with satisfaction, pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Estella.

“This is what we made. We’re calling it Plareon. Means ‘sustained flame’ or something like that. Not fully perfected yet, but way more stable than raw Flame Stone.”

He glanced toward Luka, still lost in explanation, then passed the Plareon to Estella.

“You already finished it? I didn’t think it’d be this fast.”

Estella accepted it with genuine admiration. It still glowed red, but there were no erratic sparks or surging heat.

“You said you wanted to mount it on a Nevrion steel crossbow?”

Gerard asked.

“Plareon holds fire attributes, but the internal pulse is magnetically induced—so unless it receives a specific trigger, it won’t activate. That trigger is…”

“Nevrion!”

Estella’s eyes lit up as she interrupted, and Gerard nodded, pleased.

“Not a total idiot, I see.”

Ria glared at Gerard for his rudeness, but he only shrugged in return.

She knew how valuable he was to Estella, but every time he behaved like this, it made her blood boil. Estella didn’t seem to mind, but to Ria, her lady was the most precious person in the world—and Gerard was hard to tolerate.

Still fuming, Ria spotted someone who looked just as displeased: Ciel, captain of the Squirrel Mercenaries. The moment their eyes met, Ciel turned to look at her, and Ria instinctively felt a sense of camaraderie. When she glared at Gerard again, Ciel nodded and pouted in mutual disapproval.

It was the birth of the anti-Gerard alliance.

The Plareon was finally delivered into Dolan’s hands.

“This is incredible!”

After hearing the explanation, Dolan’s eyes sparkled like someone who’d just discovered a diamond. His heart pounded so hard he worried it might pop out of his chest.

“Can you improve the crossbow with the blueprint Luka gave you?”

“I’ll do it. No—I’ll make it happen!”

Clutching the Plareon, Dolan shouted with determined resolve. After the legendary Nevrion steel sword, he now stood on the brink of crafting another legendary weapon. His whole body trembled with excitement.

The sky, which had been cloudless for days, turned gray on the day the emperor departed. The estate’s servants, knights, and a few lingering nobles stood in neat rows in front of the manor.

Finally, the day of liberation!

Blending among them like part of the scenery, Estella cheered inwardly.

“His Majesty approaches!”

At the steward’s shout, Emperor Aslan emerged between the lines of people, his golden cape fluttering.

Estella quickly stepped aside and bowed politely.

I’ll bow all you want—so just get lost already. You’re the emperor—stop loafing around like an unemployed bum!

While she muttered internally, Aslan’s polished leather shoes came into view at the edge of her vision.

She thought he was passing by—but his feet didn’t move. Frowning, Estella slowly raised her head.

Aslan stood within arm’s reach, gazing down at her with a sweet smile warm enough to melt hearts.

“You’ve surrounded yourself with some entertaining people. One of them, I believe, is someone I know.”

Chapter 125

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