FL - Chapter 23: Identity Exposed

"Sigh. If only someone in this territory knew how to mix Mana Soil."

Louis sat behind his desk, fingers tapping idly against the wood. His tone sounded like casual grumbling, but his gaze flicked repeatedly toward Hilko, seated at the smaller desk beside him.

Hilko was bent over his ledgers, furiously scribbling catch numbers and smoked fish yields. The dark circles under his eyes had somehow deepened since yesterday. He heard Louis's complaint and stopped writing mid-stroke, pressing at his temples to steady himself.

Had he misheard? No. Definitely not. This was the fifth time he'd heard Louis say the exact same thing today. No matter how sleep-deprived he was, he wouldn't hallucinate the same sentence five times.

Hilko's hand stilled. He'd confirmed it: Louis was deliberately dropping hints.

Making Mana Soil was an entry-level skill for any alchemist, and Hilko—an alchemical genius—obviously knew how. But he'd never revealed that identity to anyone, at least not in Crimson Tide Territory.

So… how did Louis know? He scrambled to recall whether he'd ever accidentally let something slip. Or was it just that he couldn't hide his inborn alchemical brilliance?

As he wrestled with these thoughts, Louis spoke again, still in that helpless tone. "If only I could make my own Mana Soil…"

That was the sixth time. Louis had been chanting it like a monk reciting scripture.

Hilko finally broke. He drew a deep breath and said, with feigned nonchalance, "I know a bit about it. Picked some up at a temple school once."

The moment the words were out, Hilko wanted to slap himself. Who was he kidding? Temple schools didn't teach Mana Soil production.

Yet Louis seemed to accept the explanation completely—even put on an expression of sudden enlightenment. "Oh? Is that so? Could you help me out, then?"

The office fell into a delicate silence.

*Did he seriously believe that?!* Hilko stole a sideways glance at Louis. That expression on Louis's face—it didn't look like someone who'd been fooled. It looked more like someone saying: *Finally. You admitted it. Now hurry up and make the damn soil.*

Hilko said nothing.

Of course Louis knew Hilko's identity as an alchemy apprentice. Frostblood Berries required highly acidic soil to absorb nutrients effectively and produce plump, crimson fruit with their full Battle Aura-enhancing potency. Neutral or alkaline soil would lock the nutrients away, stunting the plants and withering the leaves—or preventing fruiting altogether.

The problem was that Louis only had a rough idea of how to formulate acidic soil. He didn't know the specific ratios or processes. But he knew who did: Hilko, the guy hiding his alchemy apprentice background.

Louis had planned to wait for Hilko to come clean on his own, but with the Frostblood Berry cultivation on a tight deadline, he couldn't delay. Today, Hilko was going to have to expose himself.

Silence stretched between them. The fireplace crackled. Hilko stared at his ledger, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he let out a long sigh, resigned to his fate. "Fine. But I have one condition. One day off per week."

Now it was Louis's turn to fall silent. Given how short-handed Crimson Tide Territory was, it did feel like a waste of talent—Louis himself hadn't taken a single day off in a month. But then again, if Hilko kept working at this pace, he'd probably drop dead from exhaustion one of these days.

Louis sighed. "Fine. Deal."

Hilko immediately wrote out a list of materials for Mana Soil production. Most could be purchased in Frostspear City's markets, but one item made Louis pause.

Mana Marrow.

"You really don't hold back, do you?" Louis let out a dry laugh and looked up at Hilko.

"I'm just listing the standard formula," Hilko shrugged. "You can use substitutes, but the results might…"

"No Mana Marrow, and the soil's effectiveness plummets—right?" Louis cut straight to the point.

Hilko spread his hands and said nothing.

Louis rubbed his temples. Mana Marrow was, admittedly, pricey. And Crimson Tide Territory did have it—northwest, in the mining zone. But extracting it came with complications.

The mining itself wasn't the problem; even with crude methods, just sending people up there with pickaxes would yield enough for soil production. The real issue was what the Intelligence System had flagged: several Frost Giants had been prowling near the mine since early spring.

Frost Giants were among the Northlands' most troublesome magical beasts. Massive, immensely powerful, their skin like solid ice. Ordinary weapons barely scratched them. Worse, they could manipulate cold energy, generating blizzards that covered entire battlefields, slowing enemies and freezing them to death.

Louis had held off dealing with them. The territory had been in a developmental phase, its focus on farming and production; he simply hadn't had the bandwidth. The mine was also far from the residential zone, so the Giants posed no immediate threat. And with so little intel on them, a rash strike would have been too risky. He'd merely posted a few knights to observe and gather intelligence.

But things had changed. Over the past month, the system had been feeding him information on the Frost Giants' weaknesses, and the territory's development had stabilized. It was time to address this threat proactively. If Mana Marrow mining was necessary, then clearing out the mine and bringing those resources fully under Crimson Tide Territory's control was the logical next step.

Louis thought for a moment, then moved. He summoned two knights and handed them Hilko's list. "Take this to Frostspear City and purchase the alchemy materials. The faster, the better."

"Yes, my lord!" The knights took the list and hurried out.

Next, he called for Lambert. "Lambert, assemble all knights. Prepare for combat."

Lambert paused fractionally, then nodded without asking questions. "Yes, my lord."

"The target is the northwestern mountains. We're hunting Frost Giants." Louis's voice was firm. "Full muster. No exceptions."

"Understood!" Lambert turned on his heel and strode out. Soon, Crimson Tide Territory's knights were assembling rapidly, warhorses neighing as the column formed up and thundered toward the mining zone northwest.

(End of Chapter)