Chapter 326
An overwhelmingly potent effect? Requiring an exceptionally strong body and will?
That might have been an enormous obstacle for royal descendants who had grown up pampered inside the palace from childhood, but for Kiriya and the others, it was hardly a problem at all.
Esdeath had already subdued the violently corrupting power of Demon God Manifestation: Demon’s Extract through sheer force of will.
Jeanne’s faith was so pure and unshakable that there was little need to question her mental strength.
Even Ryuu had endured countless hardships and fought her way up to Level 5, tempering her will until it was as hard as steel.
And with Kiriya using Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality beside them as a safeguard, even the medicine’s violent effects would only become nourishment for strengthening their bodies.
The ingredients, on the other hand...
That really was a problem.
Still, they now had the resources of an entire nation helping them search, which should drastically improve efficiency.
As for the required Danger Beasts, Kiriya’s group had already planned to hunt powerful specimens to train themselves.
Collecting medicinal catalysts along the way would simply be killing two birds with one stone.
"Old Don, where’s the formula now?"
Kiriya was already getting impatient.
"Ahem. It’s stored in the Empire’s secret archives. I’ll take you there immediately."
Donald turned and led the way.
Once they reached the secret archive, he quickly found the parchment containing the formula.
It recorded far more than the proportions of each medicinal ingredient.
The document also listed where the various herbs grew and who might currently possess them.
Wanting to be thorough, Donald additionally produced intelligence on Danger Beasts throughout the Empire and surrounding regions, including their primary habitats, habits, weaknesses, medicinal value, and other useful information.
The records were extraordinarily detailed.
"Well, damn. This saves us a lot of trouble."
After confirming the formula was genuine, Kiriya’s attitude toward Donald immediately became much warmer.
Within moments, he already had an arm around the old man’s shoulders as though they had been friends for years.
"Thanks, Old Don."
"You’re far too kind."
Donald hurriedly waved off the praise.
"It is my honor merely to be of some assistance to you."
"Haha. Perfect, because I’ve still got something else I need help with."
Kiriya blinked innocently.
"Might as well let one person handle the whole job, right? Prepare however much of the medicinal ingredients on this list you already have access to, then slowly search for the rest."
"If there are places your people can’t conveniently reach, just tell us. We can go ourselves."
The smile on Donald’s face immediately grew even warmer.
This was exactly what he had been waiting to hear.
The old Empire had collapsed, taking much of the previous order and authority with it.
Rebel groups, hostile factions, ambitious opportunists, and all manner of unsavory forces both inside and outside the Empire would undoubtedly try to exploit the resulting weakness.
If Kiriya happened to visit those places while searching for ingredients and casually knocked a few troublesome heads together...
That would be wonderful.
Both sides had gotten what they wanted.
Naturally, everyone was satisfied.
Taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere, Donald rubbed his hands together.
"Lord Kiriya, the Imperial Palace also has an exceptional natural hot spring. It is said to nourish the skin, improve one’s complexion, calm the mind, and relax the body."
"Would you and the young ladies care to try it?"
"Do you even need to ask?"
Kiriya waved grandly.
"Of course we’re trying it. Lead the way!"
Behind him, Ryuu and Jeanne immediately blushed, apparently guessing what sort of idea had just entered his head.
Esdeath, meanwhile, seemed to think of something else entirely.
A confident, predatory smile appeared on her lips.
...
"So after all that, we’re still bathing separately."
Kiriya sat alone inside the enormous hot spring, leaning against the edge with a towel draped over his forehead.
"What a waste. Bathing together would save so much water."
His dream of eventually sharing one enormous bed with everyone clearly still had a long way to go.
At first, Kiriya had expected Esdeath to lose patience and sneak over by herself, giving him a rare bit of fanservice.
He waited.
And waited.
He stayed in the water until his skin was nearly wrinkled, yet nobody appeared.
Eventually, Kiriya could only leave the bath in disappointment, get dressed, and head toward the dining hall.
Before he even reached the entrance, however, he saw someone running toward him.
The two soft curves in front of her bounced energetically with each hurried step, making the sight rather difficult to ignore.
"Kiriya, you’re finally here."
Jeanne seemed to have run quite quickly and was slightly out of breath.
"Yeah. Is something wrong?"
Kiriya naturally pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her face.
"N-No... nothing."
Jeanne instinctively tried to avoid his hand at first.
Then she remembered something.
She drew a deep breath, gathered her courage, and pulled a ring from inside her clothes before lowering her head and holding it out to him.
The ring was pure white, radiating a sacred beauty.
Elegant flame patterns had been carved across its surface with exquisite craftsmanship, simple yet dignified.
Much like Jeanne herself, it seemed to radiate a gentle warmth.
"It suits you."
Kiriya picked up the ring and examined it with a smile.
Then he took Jeanne’s right hand and slid it onto her ring finger.
"Beautiful."
He said it sincerely.
"R-Really?"
Jeanne’s heart began pounding so hard that she thought it might leap straight out of her chest.
Her thoughts became hazy, almost as if she had just drunk a hundred-year-old wine.
"Of course."
Kiriya kept hold of her hand and led her toward the dining hall.
The moment they stepped through the entrance, two pairs of eyes immediately locked onto them.
More specifically—onto the ring on Jeanne’s right ring finger.
The intensity of those gazes made Jeanne instinctively try to pull her hand back, but after hesitating for a moment, she still kept holding onto Kiriya.
"Oh?"
Esdeath grinned.
"You moved pretty fast, Jeanne."
Then she turned toward Ryuu, unmistakable mockery entering her voice.
"Which means our dear Ryuu-san is the only one falling behind now."
Ryuu’s expression did not change.
Under the table, however, her hand had clenched so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.
"My, my."
Esdeath rested her cheek against one hand.
"Even now, you still don’t plan to make a move yourself?"
Her smile became viciously teasing.
"How... cowardly."
Clatter—!
Ryuu shot to her feet.
Her face had already turned bright red as she marched straight toward Kiriya.
"You..."
That was as far as she got.
It was as though some mechanical part inside her had suddenly jammed.
Then she grabbed Kiriya and dragged him toward the exit.
"Come with me!"
They left the dining hall and walked into a secluded corner.
Ryuu’s face alternated between crimson and pale white, yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not force out a complete sentence.
Seeing that, Kiriya stopped hesitating.
He simply went for it.
"Mm—!"
The instant she felt the warmth and moisture of his lips against hers, Ryuu’s eyes flew wide open.
Her mind went completely blank.
By the time she finally recovered enough to understand what was happening, the emerald gemstone ring she had been clutching—its design wrapped in delicate vine patterns—had already been slipped onto the ring finger of her right hand.
"Feel better now?"
Kiriya smiled softly.
"You... bastard."
Ryuu’s voice was icy.
But she did not slap him.
"Can’t be helped."
Kiriya’s tone became shamelessly domineering.
"If I want everyone to be happy, this is the only way I know how to do it."
He lowered his head and looked directly into the elf’s clear eyes.
"You already boarded this pirate ship. It’s too late to run now."
Thump—!
Ryuu punched him in the chest.
Then she turned and practically fled.
Kiriya rubbed the sore spot while walking back toward the dining hall, a relaxed smile still on his face.
Looking at the three beautiful women, each possessing a completely different kind of charm, he raised his voice cheerfully.
"All right."
"Let’s eat!"
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