"What’s going on inside that head of yours?"

Late into the night, Ariana stepped into the workshop, and that was the very first thing she asked.

The reason became obvious immediately afterward.

"You only returned yesterday, and you’re already overworking yourself again?" She crossed her arms tightly, clearly displeased.

Adrian gave her a sheepish smile.

"There honestly wasn’t much for me to do there since Querella had everything under control." He tried defending himself. "And I rested quite a lot yesterday too."

The silver-haired woman sighed before dragging a stool over and sitting across from him.

"You know..." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "There was a time when I genuinely admired your discipline."

Then her tone sharpened.

"But lately, your sleeping habits have become ridiculous."

Adrian raised both hands slightly in surrender.

"I promise I’ll fix it once all of this is over."

The conviction in his voice sounded genuine enough for Ariana to let the matter slide for now.

"Hmm." Her attention shifted toward the equipment scattered across the table. "So what exactly are you making?"

From what she could tell, Adrian was fastening straps onto some kind of hybrid weapon.

One side resembled a brutal hammerhead.

The other, a sharp axe blade.

It looked less like a ceremonial weapon and more like something crafted specifically for slaughter.

Definitely not the kind of thing a teacher should casually introduce into an academy.

Adrian lifted the weapon slightly before answering,

"This is for you."

Ariana blinked in surprise.

"The material used for it is nearly ten times stronger than silver while remaining extremely lightweight." Adrian lightly tapped the handle. "And the wood has been reinforced through multiple polishing layers using high-grade treatment."

Ariana stared at him for a moment before laughing softly in disbelief.

"You seriously went this far just to prepare something for me?"

Then her expression softened slightly.

"I appreciate it, Adrian. But honestly..." She glanced toward him knowingly. "Shouldn’t your focus be on Annabelle first?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

After all, Annabelle would be the main force during the upcoming assault.

The person diving directly into the center of the storm and turning it into an even greater hurricane of destruction.

Adrian simply hummed.

"I’ll make something for her too."

Then he leaned back slightly in his seat before smiling at Ariana.

"But you’re just as important to me as she is."

His eyes softened.

"My priorities haven’t changed, dear."

Ariana chuckled quietly at those words, though faint traces of red still appeared on her cheeks.

"Well... I know that already." She looked away briefly before adding, "I just thought Annabelle’s weapon should’ve come first."

Adrian reassured her.

"I already have an idea for hers."

A faint excitement flickered in his eyes.

"But for that, I need to visit Scarlette again."

He rested one elbow against the table while continuing,

"The last time I went there, I encountered several incredibly skilled blacksmiths." His tone carried genuine admiration now. "They were so efficient and precise that if I hadn’t urgently needed to return..."

A sigh of disappointment leaked through his lips.

"...I probably would’ve stayed behind just to learn from them."

Ariana smiled at that.

"As eager to learn as ever, huh?" A faint warmth lingered in her eyes as she looked at him. "I’m glad to see that."

Her gaze then lowered toward the weapon resting on the table.

"So..." She lightly tapped the handle. "What grade are you aiming for this time?"

A sheepish smile appeared on her face afterward.

"The last fourth-tier armament I used ended up breaking, so maybe don’t tune something like that for me again."

Then, in a quieter voice, she added,

"I might not be ready for it yet."

Adrian looked genuinely surprised by her words.

"What are you even talking about?"

He shook his head lightly before saying,

"I’m tuning the fifth thread this time."

Ariana immediately froze.

"T-The fifth...?" Genuine shock spread across her face. "Adrian, are you serious?"

Adrian let out a quiet sigh before setting the weapon down carefully.

"Ariana..."

His voice softened further.

"You’re one of the most talented warriors I’ve ever seen."

Their eyes met.

"What happened with the previous armament was nothing more than an accident."

"One failure doesn’t define who you are."

Ariana’s shoulders gradually relaxed.

Adrian was like that warm bed people longed for after an exhausting day.

For the past several days, she had been drowning in responsibilities.

Managing the academy.

Handling the staff.

Being up to date with the growing chaos spreading across the world.

The pressure had piled endlessly upon her.

Yet whenever Adrian appeared...

A few simple words.

His quiet presence.

Even a single embrace from him...

It felt as though he could silently absorb all the exhaustion weighing on her heart.

"Hmm?" Adrian suddenly looked toward her. "Are you craving something sweet?"

Ariana blinked in surprise.

"Sweets... coming from you?"

Adrian nodded without embarrassment.

"Yes." A faint smile formed on his face. "Raven recently made me try something that had the perfect balance between bitterness and sweetness."

Then his eyes softened slightly.

"And I wanted you to taste it too."

As he spoke, Adrian pulled out a small pouch from his inventory alongside a compact metal pot filled with milk.

Curiosity appeared across Ariana’s face as she watched him work.

Using mana, Adrian gently heated the pot until steam began rising from the surface.

Then he poured the warm milk into a cup before adding a thick dark liquid from the pouch.

Ariana tilted her head slightly while watching him stir the mixture carefully with a spoon.

Once finished, Adrian extended the cup toward her.

"Here."

Ariana accepted the cup and just the aroma told her how good it was going to be.

And one sip, it sent a warming sensation through her body.

"Damn, this is delicious." She muttered before blowing over the cup and taking another sip.

Adrian grinned, "Told you-ah," he yelped as he sensed someone rushing toward the workshop.

Ariana also sensed the person but she relaxed when Adrian told her, "It’s Annabelle."

Ariana nodded, taking another sip.

Adrian thought she was coming here after finishing her work.

However, the way she burst into the workshop, it was apparent there was something wrong.

Out of breath, eyes blown wide and face pale, Annabelle arrived.

"Bella?" Adrian called out, his voice laced with concern.

Ariana also turned to look at the girl.

That’s when, she told them, "Darling...check...check the server message...Forgelet...she is in danger."