Three days had passed since Kael completed his heat-resistant material.
He was still testing it, producing a few more prototypes to identify its weaknesses and find ways to improve them. Fortunately, he was still on break, giving him plenty of time to focus on his experiments without abandoning his vehicle invention, which he had been working on for almost two years.
At least, it was finally beginning to look more like an actual vehicle rather than a pile of scrap metal hastily thrown together.
But tonight, Kael had decided to move on to his next invention: the Rest Assured Remedy.
And there was someone he wanted to show it to.
CC Yiell.
The Commander Candidate was one of the few people Kael trusted to help him achieve his dream. Unlike Commander Aeronis, whom Kael regarded as his teacher, CC Yiell was someone he could speak to more casually. To Kael, he was practically an older brother, even though they weren't even of the same race.
Schhk…
A few drops of Kael's blood fell onto the blood bracelet he had given CC Yiell.
It was the only way Kael could summon one of the people he trusted most.
Usually, the bracelet's reaction was rather dramatic whenever he called CC Yiell. The air would ripple, and a brilliant light would burst from it before his summoned companion appeared.
But this time, the bracelet merely rippled.
CLAP!
Kael caught a pale, cold hand with his own warm one just as its owner attempted to surprise him by appearing from behind.
"Ha! I knew you'd appear behind me, El!"
"Oh? You've already figured out my pattern?"
"Meh. Who wouldn't notice when you do that almost every time I call you?"
"Tch…"
"So, what is it this time? Something that can control the weather? Or perhaps create more gold?"
"Hahaha! Of course not, El. I'm not a god or anything!"
Kael laughed as he held a Might Plant in one hand. On the wooden table before him lay several other ingredients, including a fine white powder and a brownish-red powder.
"Oh? So, you're starting a farm now? What a good son, helping his poor elf mother."
"Farm?" Kael glanced at the handful of Might Plants he was holding.
"Not a farm, El! I'm making a remedy! Well, not exactly making a new one… I'm improving my old formula."
"A remedy? Hmm… You certainly have plenty of occupations, don't you? If only you weren't so obsessed with becoming like me, Kael."
CC Yiell reached over and patted Kael on the head.
"Like you? Nah, I'm better!"
Kael immediately swatted his hand away.
"Better, huh? Grow taller first, human."
"Tch! Whatever…"
Kael turned back toward his table.
"Anyway, I'm about to mix these ingredients, and I want you to witness the creation of regeneration itself!"
"You want me to witness… regeneration?"
CC Yiell stared at him for a moment.
"Pfft HAHAHAHAHA!"
He burst into laughter, his pointed teeth on full display. His shiny black-and-gold hair seemed to make his exaggerated laughter all the more irritating to Kael.
"Hah?! What's so funny, you vampire? Never seen regeneration before? Or is it something you guys can't understand?"
Kael shot back with a mocking grin.
"Understand? Oh, Kael…"
CC Yiell wiped the corner of his eye, still grinning.
"Your eyes and that so-called remedy of yours will soon understand what I'm about to show you."
"Show me what?"
Sigh… This curious human.
CC Yiell extended his right arm.
"Pay attention. You want to create regeneration, don't you?"
He glanced at Kael, his grin widening.
"Well, can your regeneration… do this?"
SWOOSH! SHWOSH!
SPLAT!
Out of nowhere, a cut appeared across CC Yiell's right arm.
His severed arm fell to the ground, and crimson blood dripped from the wound, staining the grassy ground beneath him.
"What the—?!"
"Hehehe… Don't be so surprised just yet."
Using his left hand, CC Yiell picked up his severed right arm and pressed it back against his shoulder.
SLUURP!
The crimson blood flowed back toward the wound, as if drawn by an invisible force. The severed flesh reconnected, and within moments, his right arm was restored as though nothing had happened.
Kael's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That was…"
He stared at CC Yiell's perfectly restored arm.
"That was… THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER, EL!!"
His expression, which had been a mixture of shock and horror, instantly transformed. His eyes lit up with excitement as he leaned forward, practically buzzing with curiosity.
"Excited, huh? Well, I guess it's impossible to surprise you anymore."
CC Yiell chuckled before folding his arms.
"Alright, your turn, Kael. Show me this remedy of yours. I'm actually quite curious about myself."
"Mine can't do something like that…."
Kael glanced at the ingredients on his table.
"But it's enough to let me continue fighting without worrying about a minor injury getting worse."
"Oh… so tell me, why does this remedy need these two powders? Aren't Might Plants enough to treat a small cut?" CC Yiell asked.
With a casual wave of his hand, he used his Wind Might to make the two glass containers one holding white powder and the other a brownish-red powder float in the air.
"Hey!"
Kael quickly caught both containers before they could drift any farther.
"Careful! Those aren't easy to make!"
"They're just powders, Kael. You could probably buy them at the market."
"Buy them? No market in this realm sells sodium alginate or chitosan!"
"Sodilgiate and chitan… Yeah, even their names are things I've never heard of." CC Yiell tilted his head curiously. "What are these powders made from?"
"They aren't made from rare ingredients, actually," Kael explained enthusiastically. "The white powder comes from brown seaweed. I processed it using an alkaline solution, filtered out the impurities, then dried and ground it into powder. The brownish-red powder, on the other hand, comes from crab and prawn shells. I processed those chemically to remove the impurities before drying and grinding them into powder, too."
"Ohhh… So, you're using ingredients from the ocean?"
"Yup! And now, I need to combine the Might Plant extract with these two ingredients."
Kael turned toward his workbench.
"And now, for the mixing!"
He picked up a glass container and squeezed the bluish liquid from the Might Plant into it. Tiny specks of light shimmered within the extract, revealing traces of the Might contained inside.
Once he had collected enough liquid, Kael reached for the two powders.
He added a small teaspoon of sodium alginate, followed by a tiny sprinkle of chitosan.
"Alright… Let's see how this turns out."
Kael then grabbed his metal stirring machine, fitted with three metal blades that would spin whenever he pressed and held its button.
BZZZZTT…
The blades whirred to life, stirring the Might Plant extract and powders together. The mixture swirled around the container as the ingredients gradually blended.
Slowly, the once-runny, slimy liquid began to thicken.
Kael watched closely until he was satisfied with its consistency. Then, he released the button, bringing the spinning blades to a halt.
"Alright… It's done!"
He put the machine aside and turned his attention to the hand he had used to summon CC Yiell. The wound was still bleeding.
Kael scooped up a little of the remedy with his finger and spread it over the cut, letting it sit for a while.
"That's it?" CC Yiell asked, examining Kael's hand. "I don't see any healing. The blood has stopped flowing, but the wound hasn't closed."
"Yeah… Of course it hasn't healed yet! This isn't some miracle remedy that'll turn me into a vampire like you!"
Kael grinned and held up his hand.
"But look! The bleeding has stopped! And you know what's even more surprising?"
He flexed his fingers, studying the treated wound.
"The wound feels numb now. It doesn't sting anymore!"
"Is that so? Lemme try it!"
CC Yiell scooped up some of the remedy with his finger. He made several small cuts on his arm before spreading Kael's newly created remedy over them.
At first, nothing happened. The gel simply sat on his skin, showing no obvious reaction.
But then, something changed.
CC Yiell possessed a tremendous amount of Might Energy, and the Might Plant extract reacted strongly to its presence.
"Oh… You weren't lying, Kael! It really does feel numb!"
The remedy began to glow faintly.
Then, before their very eyes, CC Yiell's wounds slowly began to close.
"W-Whoa… I… I never expected this!"
CC Yiell stared at his arm in astonishment.
"Normally, I'd have to expend quite a bit of energy to heal myself. But this remedy… it's healing me without requiring any effort from me!"
"Without using energy? Wait, does that mean your regeneration just now used Might Energy?" Kael asked curiously.
"Might Energy is different... What you just witnessed is a natural ability of my Elemarit race. It uses the energy within my own body, not my Might Energy."
"Ohhh… So, it's like your body uses its own biological energy to heal itself, while your Might Energy remains untouched?"
"Yeah… Something like that. Whatever that means…"
CC Yiell shrugged, then glanced at his healing wounds.
"Anyway, I guess I'm the kind of person who rarely visits the Recovery Room after fighting the Mishanter. So, remedies made from plants have never really been on my radar."
He watched as the last of the cuts on his arm continued to close.
"I'm able to heal myself so easily that I've never paid much attention to how useful a remedy like this could be."
"I see…" Kael nodded thoughtfully. "So, your regeneration depends on your body's energy?"
"Of course! The longer I fight the Mishanter, the more energy I spend. And the less energy I have left, the slower I can heal and regenerate myself."
Kael nodded again, taking in the information.
The two looked at each other.
One was fascinated by the other's ability, the natural gift he had possessed since childhood, inherited through the blood of his race. A gift passed down by his ancestors, one he had nurtured and trained to reach even greater heights.
The other was even more fascinated by the person standing before him. A body seemingly born with nothing, yet refusing to fall behind. A mind that kept moving forward, carrying an unwavering resolve within his heart.
He possessed no extraordinary ability, no special talent, and no powerful bloodline to rely on.
Yet he still refused to let fate decide what he could become.
That was what they called determination.
"It's a great invention, Kael…" CC Yiell's voice softened slightly.
"Of course! Your regeneration ability is amazing, too! I wonder if my remedy can ever be as cool as your regeneration…"
"Meh. Impossible! Mine is the result of countless battles. You can't recreate something like this just by combining powders and plants! AHAHAHA!"
"Tch! Just you wait, El! One day, my remedy will even be able to bring me back from the dead!"
"HAHAHAHA! Now that makes it even harder!"
"What?! You don't believe me? I'll show you once I figure it out!"
"Oh? Then show me! Promise me you'll come back from the dead before I manage to unlock an even stronger form of regeneration!"
"Yeah! And then you'll see me standing right in front of you, while your pale face gets even paler watching my body move again!"
"Oh, is that so, huh?"
CC Yiell reached over, grabbed Kael by the head, and ruffled his hair.
Kael immediately raised his hands to block him.
"HAHAHA! You can't do that to me, El!"
"Let's see if you can dodge thi—"
"Hey! Who are you talking to, Kael? Have you got a friend over there?!"
A sudden female voice echoed from inside the house.
Elvareth had just returned from visiting a friend, interrupting the two before their playful quarrel could grow any louder.
Elvareth opened the back door to see who had been spending time with Kael that night.
Standing before her was a tall, pale-faced figure with long black-and-gold hair.
"Hey, El! Wait for me!"
CC Yiell hurried after her.
"Uhm… So, you're Lady Elvareth, the one who has been taking care of Kael?"
"Yes, that's me… And you are? I've never seen you before."
"Oh, my apologies! How rude of me not to introduce myself first."
CC Yiell straightened his posture, his casual demeanor suddenly replaced by an air of nobility.
"My name is Yiell Vladz Elli, a noble vampire belonging to the third-highest noble family, Vladz Oddas. I am also a Commander Candidate of the Realm Protector."
He then turned his attention back to Elvareth and gave her a courteous smile.
"And might I have the name of the beautiful lady standing before me?"
"What the El?! That's my mother!"
Kael looked utterly exasperated. Of all the things CC Yiell could do, he had to switch into his noble persona at a moment like this…
"Let him be, Kael…"
Elvareth chuckled before turning back to their guest.
"A polite one, huh? Not bad. My apologies as well for not introducing myself sooner, Commander Candidate Yiell. I am Elvareth Avesia, a commoner of the Etherian race. But you may simply call me Elvareth."
"Elvareth… What a magnificent name you possess!"
CC Yiell placed a hand over his chest, his smile never fading.
"I presume you have never met a Commander Candidate before?"
"Correct! I've never met one before, especially a vampire Noble."
"Well then, what brings you here with that human over there?"
"That human?" Kael raised an eyebrow. "Old elf, you had better be careful with your words…"
"Oh, don't worry. We were merely discussing his latest invention, a remedy that dares to challenge my regeneration ability!"
CC Yiell burst into his characteristic laughter.
"Though, of course, I am obviously the superior one! HAHAHAHA!"
"For now…" Elvareth replied calmly.
CC Yiell's laughter faltered for a moment.
"Hoh? You have quite the confidence in your son, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I believe this inventor can go even further. He is my son, after all."
Elvareth reached over and patted Kael on the head.
CC Yiell glanced between the mother and son before smiling again.
"I see… So this human really is capable of accomplishing such a thing, huh? If you say so, then perhaps he can."
He turned toward Kael, his expression becoming a little more challenging.
"So, Kael… Can you promise me that you'll fulfill that promise of yours? Your mother seems awfully confident in your success."
"HAHAHA! You know, I've been asked questions like that so many times. But this is the first time someone has asked me for a promise!"
Kael grinned.
"All I can say is, be ready, El. You won't be able to look at this realm the same way you have for the past hundred years."
"Sounds interesting… And ambitious, too."
"I like that answer," CC Yiell replied. "Though I prefer answers that come with proof."
"Heh. Just wait…"
Kael reached for his newly developed remedy, then picked up a plate made from his high-durability material. He placed both beside his shotgun.
"But for now…"
He looked at his inventions with a confident smile.
"This will do."
The End.
Sorry for late upload guys, many things is going on rn.