The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"Due to the short construction period, there wasn't enough time to design more, so these four sets are all the results."

"How many did you say!?"

Adele was so shocked she almost lost her voice.

She thought that after verifying the principles, Wiener would be able to design one piece, which would be his limit. Who would have thought that he would produce so many at once?

All I can say is that you have to compare prices before you can buy something.

Look at their speed and efficiency.

There's no need to rush them; once results are achieved, they never delay, and they never impose unreasonable conditions from beginning to end.

Edel suddenly had an urge to hang all the members of the Black Eagles Alchemy Club on lampposts.

"Is it not enough, senior?"

When Viner saw that Adele had suddenly stopped talking, he assumed that she was dissatisfied with something.

He thought to himself, "No wonder he's the heir to the empire; his vision is truly different."

"Cough...no." Adele covered up her lapse with a light cough.

She didn't rush to look at the four sets of blueprints, but instead looked at Wiener carefully, "Do you have any finished products of these four items, junior?"

Yes, the finished product.

It is not uncommon to have design drawings but fail to produce a finished product, or to produce a finished product that does not meet the design requirements.

It wasn't that Adele didn't trust Venere; it was just that the matter was important, and she needed to see the actual item before she could feel at ease.

Adele also knew that it was really difficult to design and produce a physical object in such a short period of time.

But she can wait.

Since the blueprints were designed by Wiener himself, it should only take a few more days to make the actual product.

“I just finished drawing these design drawings today,” Wiener admitted.

"It's okay, I can wait until I start school—"

"So there was only time to make the simplest one."

Edelweiss: "......"

It's decided. When I get back, I'll arrest and torture those good-for-nothing idiots in the alchemy department.

It seemed like Venus had an endless supply of rings; with a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a music box.

Actually, Wiener told a little lie.

If he had followed his initial plan to complete all the blueprints within two days, there definitely wouldn't have been enough time to produce the finished product.

The pace was slowed down slightly because of Lisette's suggestion.

Then, during a break, he made two music boxes based on Lisette's design.

The one in better condition was kept as a gift for Lisette herself, while the one in poorer condition was used as a sample.

"Look, senior!"

As Wiener took the music box out of the ring, before he could even open it, it began to emit a melodious "ding-dong" sound.

Upon seeing this strange phenomenon, Venus kicked over the stool with a "whoosh," holding the music box in one hand and drawing the Mimi-kiri in the other, looking at Edel with a wary expression.

"Vina, what are you doing?!" Anna quickly stood up to smooth things over. "Your Highness, Vina was just joking with you—"

Regardless of the reason, drawing a sword against an imperial princess outside the arena is not something that can be easily resolved.

"You can step back and escape like this, otherwise I'm afraid I'll hurt you later."

Vina, however, did not give Anna any face and instead scolded her to leave.

He then opened the music box with one hand.

The music playing in the box had stopped, and inside was a small ballerina figure used as decoration, its outstretched arms pointing straight at Edelweiss.

“Give me an explanation, Edel,” Venere said, unusually addressing her by name, “Why does it react to you?”

A look of astonishment flashed across Adele's face.

But this surprise didn't last long.

"It seems there's no need to doubt its effectiveness."

A hint of relief lingered in Edel's voice.

She slowly raised her hand and gently placed it on her breast pocket.

"I warn you not to make any rash moves!"

Wiener rebuked again.

"I was just trying to prove to my junior why the detector that works against demons is pointing at me."

Adele did not stop what she was doing, but instead took out an exquisite pocket watch from her pocket.

She tossed it with her hand, and the pocket watch arced through the air before landing precisely in Anna's hand.

"Could you please take this pocket watch to Venus, Miss Anna?"

Adele raised her hands, making a gesture that indicated she was not going to resist.

No one else could force a future monarch to such a surrender.

"Uh..."

Anna squinted, knowing this was not a scene she should be seeing. Then, relying on her memory, she ran towards Vina, only to hear Vina's voice coming from another direction.

"I am here."

Anna opened her eyes upon hearing the sound, only to find that Vina, who had been confronting the princess, had vanished in a cloud of black flames.

As for Viner himself, he had retreated to the doorway at some point; had he been given just one more second, he could have escaped the room.

Seriously? You're planning to run away without even saying goodbye?!

Anna already regretted reserving a seat for herself at the table.

Why did she have to shamelessly stay?

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Chapter 401 Edel's Personal Stance

Anna walked toward Vina, holding the pocket watch in her hands.

The music box started playing again, and the little figure inside turned around and pointed at Anna.

All signs pointed to the pocket watch in Anna's hand.

As Anna handed over the pocket watch, she winked at Viner.

[There's a barrier inside the shop; it can trap her and prevent her from chasing after us.]

Wiener simply shook his head slightly.

No rush, just follow my lead later.

Werner took the pocket watch; its slightly worn edges revealed the marks of time, and the delicate patterns on the case, while presenting a rustic beauty, were clearly inconsistent with Adele's temperament.

With her gaze sweeping over Adele again, and seeing that the other was sitting obediently in place, Venus finally opened the watch cover with peace of mind.

Aside from the luxurious materials, there were no other unusual features in the dial, bracelet, or hands.

On the back of the watch case, however, Wiener saw a familiar crystalline fragment.

This is a fragment of Demon Blood Soul. Judging from its purity, its owner must have passed away long ago.

Viner sheathed his sword, slapped his forehead, and ran his hand down his head.

After brushing his face away, he wore a bitter, apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness. It was all a misunderstanding. You know, it's a kind of... uh, conditioned reflex!"

Wiener walked back to the table apologetically and placed the music box and pocket watch separately on the table.

"Is it a misunderstanding?" Edel crossed her arms and looked at Venus with amusement. "Since you address me as Your Highness, Venus, you should be prepared, shouldn't you?"

“To threaten members of the royal family with a sword—where does this place the dignity of the Aster Empire?”

"Um... Senior Adeline?"

Viner realized that Edel was unhappy with the way she was addressed, so she quickly changed her address.

Adele shook her head again.

"Even if we're alumni, we shouldn't make jokes like that."

"Uh..."

Seeing Venus's embarrassed expression, Adele suddenly smiled, "So... you finally changed your mind, why change it back again?"

"If Wiener can consider me a friend, then it's not impossible to treat what just happened as a misunderstanding."

"Edel...?"

“Hmm,” Adele finally showed a satisfied expression, then instructed Venus, “I won’t force you in public, but remember to keep this form of address in private.”

No, this is my shop. I open the door to welcome customers and make money openly and honestly.

It's just that you two have taken over the place a few times, how does that make it a private occasion?

Anna mentally screamed in frustration.

"Edel—"

"Hmm? Miss Anna, is there something you need?"

Edel glanced coldly at Anna, her attitude completely different from when she faced Venus.

“—Your Highness,” Anna swallowed, unconsciously adding a suffix, “Vina and I have many unresolved doubts. Could Your Highness please provide some answers?”

"For example, where did this fragment of Demon Blood Soul come from?"

Wiener took over the conversation for Anna.

This is also something he wants to know.

Adele looked at the pocket watch on the table, her eyes filled with nostalgia. After a long while, she finally spoke, "First of all, I should apologize to Venus. I shouldn't have secretly tested you like that."

She had assumed that Venus had made some progress and only needed resources or other support to arrange the meeting, but she still inexplicably brought the pocket watch with her.

This indicates that she harbors a strange sense of expectation deep down.

“It’s nothing, just consider it a product test,” Wiener said, indicating that she didn’t care. “Even if you didn’t do it, I would still have to find a way to prove its effectiveness.”

"Could you please remind me next time so I can be mentally prepared? It's mainly because it's not good for my heart."

Anna deeply sympathized.

Whether it was the Imperial Princess being attacked at a store under the Chamber of Commerce, or the blacksmithing master on whom the academy had placed high hopes dying on the spot, it was all like the sky falling down for her.

Fortunately, neither of these things happened.

“Heh.” Idel simply chuckled. “Vina, can you guess the origin of this pocket watch?”

"I'm guessing it's from one of your parents."

"Oh? Can't it be lovers or something?"

Wiener looked at Edel carefully for a moment, then shook his head. "Doesn't seem like it."

Lovers can only be stumbling blocks for Edelweiss in her quest for the throne; someone of her stature would not be held back by personal feelings.

“It certainly doesn’t look like it,” Edel herself admitted. “This watch was left to me by my father, King Isnia IX.”

"Everyone thought he had suddenly fallen ill, but how could an eighth-rank emblem envoy in the prime of his life be so easily defeated by disease?"

According to Edel, there seems to be a serious hidden story behind Isnia IX's serious illness.

"...Maybe I should excuse myself for a moment."

Anna felt that what followed was no longer something she should be listening to.

Just as she was about to leave, Venere grabbed her tightly.