Tias hadn't collapsed yet only because her pride as a spirit was holding her up. Her dignity would not allow her to fall.
> "Will these do?" Tias asked weakly.
> "Yes, these are enough. But I need to rest for a while before I start the alchemy. I need to ensure I have enough strength to complete the process." Noel replied.
His biggest fear now was collapsing from exhaustion in the middle of the alchemy, which would render all their hard work meaningless.
> "Then I'll leave this forest, the forest I protect, in your hands. Please... take care of it." Tias whispered so softly that Noel had to strain to hear her.
As soon as she finished speaking, Tias slowly collapsed to the ground.
Noel jumped in shock. What happened? Why did she suddenly collapse?
He hurried over and saw that Tias' face was pale, her skin an unnatural white, clearly from magical exhaustion.
She really overdid it, Noel cursed inwardly. He gently picked Tias up, surprised at how light she was, and laid her down on the table.
There wasn't a better place for her to rest right now. The table might have been hard, but it was still a place she could lie down safely.
As he set her down, Noel felt the weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders. The hope of the entire forest had been entrusted to him, and he resolved to carry this burden properly.
Noel resumed sorting the materials, but since he wasn't in peak condition, he only selected the pieces with the highest purity for refining.
He then used basic methods to produce some charcoal. With this, everything was ready. Now he only needed to mix the ingredients in the correct ratios.
The Alchemy Handbook once recorded the ideal ratio for the three components, stating that a 16:2:3 mass ratio would yield the maximum explosive power.
However, without any instruments to measure accurately, Noel could only rely on his trained instincts to estimate the proportions.
Thanks to Mond's strict training, Noel was no longer a complete novice in alchemy. Once he had mixed the ingredients properly, he packed the finished gunpowder into a wooden barrel.
There was no time to test it. They were on a tight deadline, and this had to work on the first try.
But having gunpowder alone wasn't enough. He couldn't exactly run at the Nue with a barrel of gunpowder and blow himself up. If he did that and accidentally set the forest on fire, who would create the firebreaks to stop the blaze?
If the forest burned down, he would have broken his promise, and that was not an outcome either he or Tias wanted.
Noel had many reasons he could not afford to die. He still needed to return to the alchemy workshop and reunite with Master Mond. He still had promises to keep with Oliver. He still dreamed of joining Fairy Tail one day.
Because of all that, he could not die now. Too many people were counting on him, and he refused to let their hopes go to waste.
Is there a way to detonate it remotely? That would be the best option—minimizing risk while giving him a chance to escape safely.
Remote detonation was the best method. According to the Alchemy Handbook, someone had solved this problem before by using something called a "fuse."
However, this presented another challenge for Noel. He was nearly out of mana and didn't have enough left to perform another alchemy refinement. He decided to rest a bit first.
As he rested, he felt his mana slowly recovering, though not quickly enough. Mond had once told him that meditation could restore mana more effectively.
However, true meditation was difficult. One had to clear their mind completely and remain undisturbed by the outside world. Noel didn't even know how to properly meditate.
Frustrated, Noel attempted to clear his mind and merge with nature around him, but it was as if there was a thin membrane separating him from the world. He could see it but couldn't enter it.
This isn't working, he sighed inwardly.
He then tried emptying his mind completely, letting his body run on autopilot. For a moment, he felt his body slip out of his control.
> "What's happening?" Noel felt a wave of alarm and forcibly reclaimed control over his body.
Once he felt himself fully in control again, he let out a breath of relief.
Was that strange state what true meditation feels like? Regardless, his mana had indeed recovered, not fully, but enough to perform one more instant alchemy without issue.
Noel grabbed a piece of wood and used instant alchemy on it.
The piece of wood liquefied within the transmutation circle before slowly reforming into a thin, long strip of paper.
He then carefully inserted some leftover saltpeter and sulfur powder into the paper, creating a stronger, more reliable fuse. If the fuse were to burn out during a critical moment, it would spell disaster, so this was his insurance.
Noel then did some simple assembly, attaching the fuse to the gunpowder barrel. This was the powder keg described in the Alchemy Handbook.
However, a powerful weapon meant nothing if he couldn't deliver the powder keg precisely to the Nue. If he failed, everything they had done would be meaningless.
He glanced over at Tias, still lying on the table. Her complexion had regained some color, and her skin looked healthier.
By all rights, her mana should not have recovered this quickly, Noel thought. This was likely one of the wood spirits' natural gifts.
Spirits, being children of nature, often received such blessings, which they themselves referred to as their gifts.
But since Tias was still resting, the role of bait fell to Noel alone. Besides, he had already attacked the Nue once.
And Nue were known to hold grudges, likely remembering his scent. This would make him the perfect bait.
Based on the speed the Nue had displayed earlier, Noel was confident he could outrun it. However, there was a risk—the Nue might lose interest if the chase dragged on too long.
He would need to keep just the right distance, enough to keep it chasing him while remaining out of reach. But this also meant he would be putting himself in extreme danger.
But there was no time left to hesitate. They were at a critical point, and Noel made up his mind to proceed with the plan.
Even if there was no formal contract between them, the trust they had built was a contract of the heart. Such bonds, while not enforced by magic, were often even stronger.
PS: Access advance (40+) chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL