“What do you n to make?”


    Before anyone spoke, Maro raised his voice in inquisition.


    His eyes were brimming with excitement. He must have really loved innovations to that point. Or, perhaps he saw my match with Neron and figured that whatever I wanted to invent would be just as exhrating.


    ‘Well, he’s not wrong…’


    “What it entails is top secret. It must be kept under wraps, and must not escape this circle of five.”


    Everyone stared at one another as I said this. They all had various expressions on their faces, but they all looked cooperative.


    “I understand.”


    “Understood.”


    “I agree.”


    The three of them readily epted my condition, causing me to smile in relief. I had a backup n in case I couldn’t use them, but things were easier this way. Besides, I did not doubt that they would ept.


    ‘That’s just how they are…’


    “Alright, then…” I mumbled, bringing out a sheet from my special storage space.


    It was wrapped in a long roll, about nine inches in height alone. This was the special paper wherein I wrote and drew the n for construction.


    “I need your assistance… to build this!”


    *******************************


    “T-this is…!!!” Once again, Maro burst out first.


    His eyes bulged like a madman, and it seemed like he was drooling.


    The other two—Aloe Vida and Ana—were still appearing calm. For Ana, she had to have been controlling herself, but Miss Vida was probably confused.


    “Erm, Jared… I don’t mean to insult your intelligence, but… I don’t understand why you called me here. I… my field isn’t rted to Magic Engineering…” The Lecturer finally spoke up.


    As expected, she was feeling left out.


    “I chose you for your skill in Magic, as well as yourrge Mana Pool.”


    Aloe didn’t know the details, but, after resurrecting her, it seemed I unintentionally tied her to the Mana of the surrounding area. In essence, she was constantly taking in the surrounding Magic and increasing her capacity.


    So far, she was at the Gold Core Grade, the highest a person could attain; her Mana quantity was also higher than most that I knew.


    “You’ll understand more once the project begins. Besides, there are aspects of Magic that are necessary for construction. Even if you aren’t directly building, you can transport and easily provide the necessary materials.”


    Ultimately, I wanted to keep the circle small, which was why I included her in the fold. Even after all these years, she was still quite dedicated to me.


    Utilizing that emotion was the best course of action.


    “Ana and Maro can’t do it alone, which is why I included someone else that I trust.”


    Upon hearing my words—especially thest part, Aloe’s cheeks turned slightly pink and she nodded.


    “I understand… I’ll try my best!”


    ‘Alright! Perfect!’


    The team was perfect.


    Maro was an expert in Magic Engineering.


    Ana was a Magic Schr, someone who specialized in both Alchemy and Engineering.


    Aloe was a pure Magic User, and her skills were also useful.


    Neron would remain at Ainrk, so he could provide a space for them to engage in the project and also supervise its production.


    The only question was…


    “When do you need it?” Ana blurted out.


    Her gaze behind the sses she wore pierced my eyes. As expected of a schr, she was feeling challenged and raring to go.


    “Hmmm… two weeks.”


    “WHAT?!” Maro and Aloe jointly eximed.


    “That’s too short!”


    “Jared, are you sure? This is looking a bitplex and difficult…”


    Concerns from myrades rang out. They seemed pretty convinced that I was being unreasonable… except one.


    “Fine. Two weeks it is!” Ana interrupted the protest with a confident grin.


    “Oh? You’re sounding pretty confident.” I smiled back.


    “Well, you wouldn’t set an impossible deadline, in the first ce. That means the time ispletely feasible.”


    ‘That’s right. As expected of you…’


    “Correct. It would be cutting it close, but if you’re dedicated, it should be done in exactly two weeks. So… can I count on you?”


    The three individuals still looked like they had some concerns—especially Maro. I expected the most resistance from him, after all.


    “Jared, would you be frank with me? What exactly… do you n on using this stuff for?”


    I expected this question.


    Unlike Aloe and Ana who wholeheartedly trusted me, Maro and I only met today. He was also insightful enough to decipher the true nature of my device.


    “No. I don’t n on telling you that.”


    My eyes disyed serious resolve. If Maro was going to push further than he already had, then perhaps…


    “Ah, I see. My bad! Well, I understand.”


    ‘Good call.’


    “So, I’ll ask again… will you help me?” I stretched my hands and waited for an answer.


    Their positive smiles already told me all I needed to know, but hearing it would certainly make me feel more assured.


    “Yes, we will.” They jointly said.


    **********************


    The n was perfect, but there was one major issue for concern.


    “We’ll need something extremely powerful to be able to charge a device thisrge and consuming…” Maro mumbled.


    I had already anticipated this, so I told them not to worry.


    “When the timees, I’ll give you the Coreponent. For now, simply make it ording to my specifications.”


    I gave Maro the blueprint, and also transported a couple of Ores to his office for safekeeping.


    Once that phase waspleted, I sent all three of them on their way.


    Of course, I told my dear friend that I would be seeing her onest time before leaving. Once I concluded my talk with Neron—that is.


    As soon as they left, Neron stood from his couch in the lounge, and then looked at me with a casual smile.


    “Let’s take a walk.”


    I had an inkling of what he wanted to say, so I agreed.


    We left his office and made our way to the school grounds.


    The Academy was quiet. Most of the students were either in their hostels or in training, causing decorum to permeate the entire area.


    “Jared, you’ve reallye a long way…” Neron finally broke the silence between us.


    His calm demeanor remained unfazed as he stared at the distance.


    “I just consider myself fortunate…” Was all I could mutter.


    “I see. Somehow that statement doesn’t feel false. You must really feel that way.”


    Of course, I did!


    This second chance at life… it was something that was miraculously granted to me. Many troubles had found me, but, so far I was very lucky.


    My dying wish came to pass, after all.


    “You should know what I want to say, so… I’ll just cut through the chase.”


    ‘Here ites…’


    “Jared… what do you n to do with the Demons?”