Chapter 128 The Princess, the Artisan, and the First Hammer’s Echo
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After finishing our exploration of the Elven Forest Sylvain, we harvested some extremely rare Mana materials from deep within those mystical woods.
That gave us four Magic Materials in total from the Elven Forest.
Every single one was precious.
Moonlight Grass—a plant that holds moonlight within the night’s darkness.
Rainbow Moss—said to weave a sturdy barrier with seven-colored light.
Spirit Echo—the whisper of spirits that carries voices to those far away.
And Stardust Tear—the tears shed by an ancient great tree.
These materials weren’t just “legendary-class.” Each one held unique, potent properties with the potential to overturn everything we knew about this world’s magic artifacts. There might still be unexpected effects hidden within them—effects no one had ever discovered.
From where Xenos stood, the magic artifacts circulating in this world were still in their infancy.
The research into the core magic materials that formed their foundation was also lagging behind. Probably because only wealthy nobles could handle magic, and there simply weren’t enough diligent researchers willing to put in the hard work.
That situation worked in his favor. There was plenty of room to improve existing magic artifacts—or develop entirely new ones.
* * *
The morning after Xenos obtained the Stardust Tear.
Carrying the four special materials he’d collected, he headed toward the dwarven workshop newly built in his estate’s garden.
The dew-soaked lawn sparkled like diamonds in the morning light. The air was crisp and cool, carrying the gentle breath of spring—it felt wonderful.
Behind him, his loyal personal maid Lilia and—supposedly—his captive princess Liliana were following along in short little steps.
”Exploration~desuwa!”
Liliana, who’d been confined to her room all morning yesterday due to that duel commotion, had missed her chance to play outside in the afternoon after napping too long. As if venting all that pent-up frustration, she’d dashed out into the garden with Xenos first thing this morning.
She was skipping along, humming a little tune.
In high spirits.
When they reached the workshop, the dwarven princess Eil Eisenfleet came out to greet them with boundless energy. She blushed slightly at the sight of Xenos, looking adorably flustered.
”Ah, um, good morning! Welcome, Xenos-sama!” Eil said.
”Yeah. Morning. I’ve gathered a variety of Mana materials. I wanted to see if you could make use of them,” Xenos replied.
As he showed her the four special containers, Eil’s large eyes sparkled like a child’s.
”Th-this is…! What magnificent materials…! Yes! Of course! I’ll begin preparing them for processing right away!” she exclaimed.
Her fingertips touched the containers with rapt reverence, as if caressing a long-coveted treasure.
They moved from the workshop that served as Eil and her companions’ living quarters to the brand-new forge built right next to it.
* * *
The forge was equipped not only with metalworking facilities but also all the specialized equipment needed to safely extract the properties from the magic materials they’d brought.
Eil and her team’s process went like this:
First, they carefully extracted the Mana essence from the materials, spending time infusing it into prepared gemstones to impart magical properties. Then they mounted these “Magic Stones”—with their transferred effects—onto weapons and armor with pinpoint precision, linking them through complex Mana circuits.
The result was a one-of-a-kind magical armament.
But during the extraction, infusion, and assembly process, the material’s power would inevitably diminish. How much of that power could be preserved in the finished product—that was the true measure of a craftsman’s skill.
Xenos had Eil and her four dwarven comrades handle everything: processing these four rare materials, creating brand-new Magic Stones, and—to match them—forging a sword with a special magic circuit, custom-made for him.
For the gemstone, he chose a black sapphire—the one that resonated best with his dark-attributed mana.
All four materials he’d risked his life with Lyphia and the others to gather—he’d pour every bit of their power into a single black sapphire.
What kind of Magic Stone this would produce was a complete unknown—
No one would know until they actually made it.
It was easy to predict that a fire material would yield a fire-attribute stone, but there was no precedent for combining such extremely rare materials with such vastly different properties.
They couldn’t even begin to guess the specifics of its effects.
But Xenos figured it would probably become a magic stone capable of manifesting multiple effects.
”…Since all the materials Xenos-sama has gathered are top-grade—it might be worth considering making four separate Magic Stones individually, as one option…” Eil suggested.
That would be the safe approach.
But Xenos didn’t change his decision to deliberately fuse the four powers into one.
”Each one individually doesn’t seem likely to produce combat-oriented effects,” he said. “That’s why I’m going all-in on a big gamble. Don’t be afraid of failure, Eil. Do it to the fullest of your ability.”
”…! Yes! Understood!” Eil replied.
Eil gazed at him with tear-bright eyes, genuinely moved by his words. Having her skills trusted so completely by a client—it must have been the greatest joy for her as a craftsman.
* * *
”Just how will you transform this? I’m simply dying to see~desuwa,” Liliana said.
Liliana, who’d been listening with her arms crossed behind them, was clearly intent on getting a front-row seat to the dwarves’ work.
Eil gave Liliana a troubled look, then shot Xenos a pleading glance. Whether it was because she couldn’t concentrate with an audience, or because their techniques involved trade secrets—
Either way, this precocious little girl was in the way.
Xenos scooped Liliana up under his arm like a piece of luggage and left the forge.
”Well, I’m heading to the academy now,” he said. “Eil, you and the others keep up the good work.”
On his way out, he kissed Eil on the forehead.
Her eyes went wide, and she turned beet red. A chorus of “Kyaa!” squeals rose from the four other dwarves.
And the Liliana in his arms started protesting furiously.
”Hey! I’m staying here to watch their work! Put me down this instant! You brute!” she cried.
Completely ignoring the princess’s struggles and cries of “How rude~desuwa!” Xenos left the forge with Lilia.
”Liliana-sama,” Lilia said gently. “Extracting Mana materials is truly delicate work. So if outsiders are watching, Eil-sama and her team can’t concentrate~desuwa.”
With Lilia’s gentle explanation, Liliana finally seemed to understand.
”…! Well, if that’s the case, I won’t press the issue,” Liliana conceded. “You should have said so from the start, you blockhead.”
She shot Xenos a glare.
”Right, right,” Xenos said.
He gave her head a gentle pat, soothing her like a child.
”…Stop treating me like a child,” Liliana said. “And I don’t appreciate being carried so rudely, either—like I’m a piece of baggage.”
Acknowledging her perfectly reasonable complaint, Xenos adjusted his hold on her. Lifting her by both legs, he switched to a princess carry.
Then he carried Liliana straight to the basement, made sure to impress upon her that she was to stay away from the forge for the time being, and finally headed off to the academy.
Good grief—
What a handful of a princess.
—
Summary:
Xenos collects four legendary magic materials from the Elven Forest and brings them to dwarven princess Eil for processing into a single powerful Magic Stone. Liliana insists on observing the craftsmanship, forcing Xenos to remove her from the forge to avoid disrupting the delicate work. The chapter ends with Xenos heading to the academy after securing Liliana’s promise to stay away, leaving the outcome of the fusion process entirely unknown.
—
Trivia:
The four materials are Moonlight Grass, Rainbow Moss, Spirit Echo, and Stardust Tear.
Black sapphire is chosen specifically because it resonates with Xenos’s dark-attribute mana.
Combining four different property materials into one Magic Stone has no precedent in this world.
The dwarven princess Eil Eisenfleet leads a team of five dwarven craftsmen.
Liliana was confined to her room due to a duel commotion the previous day.
Extracting Mana essence from materials requires absolute concentration and no outside observers.
Xenos has a personal maid named Lilia who speaks with polite deference.
The Elven Forest Sylvain is the source location for all four materials.
A “Magic Stone” is created by infusing Mana essence into gemstones, then mounting them onto weapons with Magic circuits.
The forge is newly built in Xenos’s estate garden, separate from the dwarves’ living quarters.
Notes:
• Xenos – Job: Heir to a high-ranking noble house; Relationship: Owner of Lilia; Has romantic connections with Elenor, Cecilia, and Lizel; Item/Magic: Summoning magic, [Substitution Collars]; Note: Was caught up in a Royal Palace explosion and missed three days of school. Pragmatic and calculating personality. Job: Noble of Grimlock family, protagonist; Relationship: Manipulator of Princess Liliana, pursuing Serena; Item/Magic: [Ring of Transformation]; Note: Reincarnated villain with game knowledge, calculating and arrogant. Job: Theater Owner and noble of Grimlock family; Relationship: Fiancé to Cecilia; Item/Magic: Game knowledge/metaknowledge; Note: Reincarnated villain protagonist who knows the original game script.
• Liliana – Known as the “Angel of the Asgard Kingdom” for her golden hair and sky-blue eyes, this princess is the younger sister of Prince Liam and Elenor. While maintaining a refined, angelic public facade, she is a manipulative mastermind who wields explosion magic. As Serena’s liege and the true culprit behind recent assassination attempts, she carefully hides her dark nature behind whispered, noble asides.
• Lilia – Xenos’s fiercely loyal, trauma-resilient Head Maid is a lovely, pale, busty woman with long dark hair, a chest tattoo, and a nullified crest. Dressed in a black uniform, she maintains refined, icy elegance when disciplining others, especially Elenor. While formal and efficient with guests, she masks deep, jealous anxiety for Xenos, finding her greatest joy in serving him and sleeping by his side.
• Eisenfleet – Dwarven family name of Princess Eil.
• Eil – Dwarf princess and skilled artisan. Energetic and earnest with a bright, hopeful demeanor. Works alongside her four attendants to forge weapons and build a smithy. Shows shy vulnerability when confronted with romantic advances.
• Lyphia – Elf princess working as a theater guard. Soft-spoken and polite. Radiates ethereal beauty and grace. Worries about Kyle causing trouble. Speaks with deferential, gentle politeness. Shows innocent happiness when held by Xenos.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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