Dila and Fran walked slowly toward the long, rune-etched table where Zib had carefully laid out the potions.

The air around the tray shimmered faintly from the magic they gave off—glass vials glowing in varying hues. Some pulsed like a heartbeat: soft blue, sharp green, and even a deep, ominous red. The scents of bitter herbs and sweet-sour mana lingered in the air, sharp enough to sting the nose.

Dila's boots clicked quietly against the polished stone floor. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the tray with cold focus. Arms crossed over her chest, she exhaled sharply.

"…Does this really have enough strength to take him down?" she asked, her voice low and serious. "I don't have time. It's already midday… the sun's past its peak. We're nearly out of hours."

There was no fear in her voice—just frustration. A dull, weary urgency like someone who had fought too long.

Zib looked away, shoulders tightening under his coat. He let out a small sigh.

"…I'm sorry, Princess," he said quietly. "But the power boost this potion provides—it's only a fifty percent success rate. That's… all it can offer."

He hesitated. His voice dipped lower.

"There's nothing more I can do. Your father is too strong. Even with alchemic fusion and runic stabilizers… his power is beyond logic. And if he finds out I helped you…"

He trailed off. His gaze dropped to the floor.

"…I might be… erased."

His words hung in the air, heavy.

A moment passed.

But Dila didn't flinch.

Not even a blink.

Her eyes stayed locked on the glowing tray. The flickers of red and green shimmered across her pale face, catching the glint of her silver-white hair.

She reached out and lightly brushed her fingers across the vials—testing their warmth, feeling their weight. Her face remained unreadable. Cold. Focused. And yet, deep in her eyes, something stirred—just faintly.

She was thinking. Calculating. Bracing herself.

Behind her, Fran stood close, her cat tail swaying slowly. She didn't speak—but she watched Dila with quiet, worried eyes.

Zib remained still. He looked between the girls, his lips pressed tight with guilt.

But Dila finally spoke again, barely above a whisper.

"…Then I'll just make fifty percent enough."

And she reached toward the red one.

As Dila reached toward the red one in the tray, her slender fingers hovered just above the glowing red vial. The liquid inside swirled slowly like molten fire, pulsing with energy.

Her eyes flicked slightly to the corner—just a small twitch—and a soft glow shimmered from her right iris. A blue sigil briefly flickered in her eye like a loading ring.

In her mind, her voice was quiet, but firm.

Nari. Scan this red potion vial.

☆ Scanning… please wait, Master… ☆

A soft hum echoed in her mind. The red glow intensified slightly as the system read the potion's arcane frequency.

☆ Analysis complete ☆

☆ This red potion generates a magic-based strength enhancement. Categorized as "Red Magic Boost." It does not follow the typical Stargem strength classification system. Its effect lasts for one minute. However, with each passing second, the user's physical strength increases exponentially. ☆

Dila's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

…No. This isn't for Fran. Not safe. But— she paused, It's perfect for Earthrea. A booster like this will reduce my own mana consumption, if use it to her. She'll run wild on this.

☆ You're right, Master. Allocating its purpose for Earthrea is the optimal mana-to-output decision. You're being careful. That's good… ☆

Dila gave the faintest nod, then turned her gaze toward Zib. Her voice came out calm and low.

"I'll take this one."

And in an instant, the red vial shimmered in her hand—then vanished in a blink of light. A blue circular glyph hovered briefly around her palm before sealing the potion safely into her spatial storage. The magic ripple disappeared like a soft breeze.

Zib blinked. Then his eyes went wide like saucers.

"W-Woah…" he gasped, stepping back slightly, his voice full of surprise. "That was—so cool!"

Fran, standing beside Dila with her hands behind her back, giggled softly and looked at Zib with a playful grin.

"Yeah… that was my first reaction too, Sir Zib," she said with a sweet smile. "You'll definitely get used to it."

Dila, without saying much, reached toward the tray again. Her fingers now curled gently around a softly glowing green vial. The liquid inside shimmered like sunlight passing through jade leaves. She held it up, inspecting it quietly.

Her expression was still cool, unreadable… but there was a sharpness in her tone. Not harsh—just experienced.

"Yeah he will get used to it," she muttered calmly.

Zib stood there speechless for a moment—caught between awe and mild intimidation.

And yet, despite the tension in the room… a strange warmth settled between the three of them.

Even when the world felt heavy, uncertain… in that moment, they shared something simple.

Hope.

As Dila's fingers curled around the smooth surface of the green potion vial. The liquid inside shimmered like dew-kissed emerald leaves under sunlight, flickering with soft life energy. It felt… warm. Gentle. Powerful.

She held it up for a moment, the glow reflecting faintly in her pale blue eyes. Then her voice, quiet and inward, spoke through her thoughts again.

"Nari. Scan this too."

☆ Scanning… please wait, Master… ☆

The familiar soft hum returned—delicate, like wind brushing across crystal chimes. Dila stood still, her hand unmoving, as a faint breeze stirred her silver hair across her face.

☆ Scan complete ☆

☆ This green potion contains a rare recovery flash compound. It can instantly restore severe wounds—cuts, burns, organ failure, and even lost limbs will regrow. Regeneration occurs at an extremely fast rate… but—please be careful—it cannot restore your head if it's destroyed… ☆

Dila blinked slowly, lips twitching ever so slightly in a grimace.

"Yikes…" she muttered under her breath.

There was a brief pause, and then Nari's voice returned—gentle, almost teasing, but still soft like a whisper.

☆ Um… Master, just curious… Why didn't you ask Zib directly about this? He's… literally standing right there. ☆

Dila's eyes shifted sideways slightly to where Zib still hovered nervously near the tray, rubbing his gloves together and pretending not to eavesdrop.

"Nah," Dila answered calmly in her mind, turning the vial slowly in her hand, "I'm fine with just you. Besides… I'm not really in the mood to ask him about something when I already have you around."

There was a brief pause. Then, for the first time, Nari's tone hesitated.

☆ Th-thank you…? ☆

Her voice was unsure, almost confused—like she wasn't sure that she's being appreciated that way or not. Dila didn't say anything more. She just gave the faintest smile and exhaled.

Then, with a quiet flicker, the green vial vanished from her palm. A soft blue glyph blinked into existence, glowing around her hand like starlight, and the potion was sealed safely into her spatial storage.

Zib watched again with wide eyes, his jaw half-open.

But Dila didn't look at him.

She stood there, hand still lingering in the air, her silver hair falling gently around her shoulders.

This time, she wasn't just collecting potions.

She was preparing for the worst—quietly, precisely… and with Nari by her side.

Then she noticed something missing in her mind that she slipped her attention.

A soft blue glow… subtle, almost shy, nestled between two duller bottles on the far side of the tray.

"…Hmm?" she blinked, tilting her head.

"I didn't even notice this one…" she whispered to herself.

She stepped forward rotating toward at the side of the tray slowly, boots light against the cold steel floor. "Maybe I was too fixated on the red and green potions…" she mumbled. There was a tired calm in her voice, like she'd mentally clocked out after the intense scanning earlier.

Her fingers reached out and curled around the blue vial. It felt colder than the others… smooth like ice, but somehow energetic—like holding a calm thunderstorm sealed inside a bottle.

Just as she lifted it to her eye level, a soft sparkle shimmered across her right eye.

☆ Scanning automatically… initiating scan for blue potion… ☆

Dila exhaled gently, already anticipating the voice.

☆ Scan complete. This potion is classified as Extreme Mana Fuel. ☆

"…Extreme…?"

☆ Yes. No matter how depleted your mana is—whether you're drained, burnt out, or at literal negative zero—this potion will completely refill your mana pool in an instant. ☆

Dila's expression didn't change. She stared at the vial, face blank, then thought calmly:

"Oh wow. Like diesel in a truck."

Deadpan. Flat. Emotionless.

Nari suddenly snorted in her mind—an involuntary reaction, like someone choking on tea.

☆ Pffft— ☆

There was a quiet pause of awkward silence in Dila's head, before Nari cleared her throat digitally and continued, voice a bit shaky with contained laughter.

☆ A-Anyway… As I was saying… it's highly potent. But I must say… ☆

Dila responded in her mind. "hmm.. OP!"

Nari gasped. ☆ You called this potion OP—but you didn't react the same way to the others. The red strength boost? The green limb regenerator? You scanned them like checking laundry. But now this one's suddenly "wow OP"? ☆

Dila blinked slowly. Then, in her mind, she replied without even flinching:

"Yes. I do think the others are OP too."

Nari waited.

"…I just never said it out loud in my mind."

A pause.

"So you can't just hear it freely."

Nari's voice went silent for two seconds. Then:

☆ …You're such a troll sometimes, Master. ☆

Dila's lips curved—just slightly as she turned away from the tray, storing the blue potion quietly into her spatial storage with a soft shwing of blue glyph light.

Behind her, Zib was still standing stiff like a statue, and Fran was still giggling softly with her hand over her mouth on Zib's recent shock at Dila's storage skill.

Dila didn't even look back.

She was tired.

And now… fully stocked.

With an OP mana diesel bottles.