Aronia listened quietly while Ludger explained his idea, her hands folded neatly in front of her. The underground warehouse was filled with crates of supplies, froststeel, mana stones, and Yvar’s endless scrolls, but in that moment, everything fell into a heavy silence.

When Ludger finished, Aronia closed her eyes… and exhaled the longest, most exhausted sigh he had ever heard from her.

“Ludger,” she said, voice calm but carrying the weight of a patient teacher pushed to the brink, “how many times have I told you I do not like attention?”

He blinked. “Uh—”

“I am a half-dryad,” she continued, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I get stared at constantly. People whisper about my lineage. They ask intrusive questions. They try to pluck leaves out of my hair for ‘luck.’ I do not need more attention. I do not want more attention. I avoid attention.”

Ludger tilted his head. “I know, but—”

“So why,” she pressed, staring directly at him now, “would I ever want a giant statue of myself placed in front of the guild?”

Ludger held up a hand. “It’s a magical experiment.”

“That does not help,” Aronia replied immediately.

“If it works, it’ll benefit the whole city,” Ludger insisted. “It might boost morale, increase natural mana regulation, maybe even help crops grow, who knows? And if it doesn’t work, I can just demolish it.”

Aronia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Demolish it?” she repeated slowly. “So my two options are: have a large statue of myself placed in front of a public building where everyone will stare at it… or have a large statue of myself smashed to pieces in public?”

She placed both hands on her hips, genuinely offended for once.

“What did I ever do to you, Ludger? Why would I want to experience either of those outcomes?”

Ludger opened his mouth… then closed it. Okay, he had to admit, phrased like that, it did sound pretty bad.

He cleared his throat. “I—I mean, the demolition part would be private.”

Aronia gave him a very flat look.

“Ludger,” she said softly, “please tell me you don’t have a personal grudge against me. Because it sounds like you do.”

He shook his head vigorously. “No! No grudge! I just didn’t think that part through.”

“Clearly.”

There was a long, quiet moment where Aronia simply stared at him, and Ludger realized that convincing her was going to require significantly more finesse than expected. But her reaction? Typical Aronia. Calm. Rational. And extremely done with everyone’s nonsense. Especially Ludger’s.

Aronia stared at Ludger for a long moment before finally letting out one last, painfully long sigh. It was the kind of sigh that sounded like it had been stored for situations exactly like this—situations involving Ludger and his increasingly strange ideas. She closed her eyes in resignation and spoke in a low, defeated voice.

“…Fine. You can make a statue of me.”

Ludger didn’t wait for her to reconsider. He didn’t even give her a polite nod. He simply turned on his heel and bolted out of the underground warehouse before she could take the words back. Aronia blinked as he vanished, wondering, not for the first time, why she ever agreed to anything he proposed.

By the time she managed another sigh, Ludger was already sprinting toward the front of the guild.

He stopped in front of the entrance, rolled his shoulders, and placed a hand against the ground. The square slowly quieted as people noticed him preparing something unusual, again. The stone beneath his hand trembled before rising like softened clay, forming a large, smooth column of raw earth. He exhaled, focusing on more than just shape. Over the past months, he had learned that sculptures changed depending on intention. If he sculpted power, the result radiated strength. If he sculpted courage, the result inspired valor. This time, he focused entirely on Aronia.

Not her appearance alone, but everything she represented: gentle resilience, natural healing, quiet wisdom, and the calm presence of the forest she carried with her heritage.

As he sculpted, the stone shifted in controlled waves under his mana. A slender form emerged from the rising slab, tall and composed. Long hair flowed down the figure’s back, merging seamlessly into vines etched with curling patterns. The stone dress took on layered textures reminiscent of bark and leaves intertwined. Her arms extended outward in an inviting, tranquil gesture, and from her palms grew stone branches that arched upward into a canopy. Small flowers bloomed along those branches, their petals finely carved. The roots at her feet wrapped around the base, as if she were genuinely part of the earth.

Her expression was serene, eyes half-closed, lips set in a peaceful, knowing smile. Even unfinished, the statue radiated a natural warmth and harmony.

Mana gathered around the sculpture. It wasn’t loud or dramatic like the bull he had crafted in the capital; instead, it created soft spirals of nature-aspected energy, settling into a calm, steady pulse that infused the air around the guild entrance.

By the time Ludger stepped back, brushing stone dust from his hands and forearms, the entire area had fallen silent. Villagers had stopped their conversations. Recruits stood still mid-exercise. Even passing northerners paused, staring uncertainly at the figure as if unsure whether to bow or touch it.

The sculpture was unmistakably Aronia, stylized, idealized, and deeply connected to nature. It captured everything she symbolized, transforming the guild entrance into something softer, calmer, and surprisingly beautiful.

Ludger crossed his arms, nodding in satisfaction. “Alright,” he murmured. “That should be enough.”

He didn’t know the exact effect the sculpture would give yet, but he could feel the mana settling into place. Whatever enchantment it produced, he was certain it would reflect Aronia’s nature. And he was equally certain she was going to sigh at him again when she saw it.

Ludger wiped the last traces of stone dust from his fingertips, stepped closer to the finished sculpture, and placed his palm against its base. A soft pulse of mana flowed through the stone in response—familiar, structured, and unmistakably system-recognized. A faint shimmer spread across the surface as a translucent notification appeared.

He leaned in to read it. And then, slowly, a satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Object Created: Aronia’s Harmony Effigy (Stone, High-Quality)

Grade: Rare

Range: 700 meters

Effect:

— Doubles Health, Mana, and Stamina regeneration for 8 hours.

— Halves the mana cost of all healing spells and natural recovery skills.

Note:

Effect shaped by craftsmanship, mana control, the sculptor’s intention, and the emotional interpretation of the subject.

Ludger exhaled through his nose. Exactly as he predicted.

He had suspected that channeling Aronia’s nature, her aura of balance, healing, and calm, would imprint on the stone. And the result was exactly that: a sculpture that felt like a natural mana spring, radiating restorative energy throughout the area.

He stepped back and admired it properly now that he knew what it could do. The mana drifting from the sculpture was gentle but constant, like a soft breeze or the steady pulse of nature itself. Even standing near it made him feel lighter, clearer, and steadier. A perfect anchor for the guild grounds.

“Good,” Ludger murmured to himself. “This will help everyone.”

Recruits would train longer without exhausting themselves. Healers like Aronia would conserve mana. Even the town would feel the ambient increase in vitality.

It wasn’t just art. It was infrastructure. He allowed himself one more quiet, satisfied moment before the reality hit him: He still had to tell Aronia what the statue actually did.

And deal with the sigh that was surely coming. But for now, Ludger simply crossed his arms and smiled. It had worked. Exactly as intended.

Ludger’s smile faded the moment he sensed movement behind him. He turned, and found half the guild gathered at the entrance, staring at the statue with varying degrees of awe, confusion, or in Aronia’s case…mortal resignation.

She stood there with Yvar beside her, both blinking up at the towering effigy. Aronia’s brow was pinched so tightly it looked like she was fighting a headache that hadn’t even started yet. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and the faint tint in her cheeks revealed her embarrassment more clearly than anything she could have said.

“…This is not how I look,” Aronia muttered, arms folded.

Before Ludger could respond, Yvar burst into laughter so violently he had to brace himself on a crate.

“Hahaha, actually, Aronia, this is exactly how you look when you’re caring for your plants! The serene aura, the closed eyes, the gentle posture, Ludger captured it perfectly! He clearly has a very flattering image of you—”

Aronia slowly turned her head toward him.

Yvar froze mid-cackle, straightened like a soldier in front of a superior officer, and slowly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Ehem.”

Silence.

Then, more carefully: “Still… I feel full of life just looking at it. Renewed, almost. And, this is not me trying to preserve my life. Honestly.”

Ludger nodded once. “That’s the experiment.”

Everyone turned their eyes to him.

“A magical statue that affects those who look at it,” he continued, tapping the base lightly. “Positively. The concept is simple, but the intent is everything. If it works well here, we can make more across the territory. Boost recovery, morale, productivity… even protect towns.”

Aronia exhaled, rubbing her temples.

“So,” she said slowly, “I have become a public… mana battery.”

Yvar coughed. “A very elegant one.”

Aronia shot him another look. He immediately hid behind Ludger.

Meanwhile, more guild members filtered in, Rhea whispering “woah”, Taron analyzing the mana waves, Mira smiling quietly, and Callen touching the stone flowers with sparkles in his eyes. Ludger crossed his arms.

“This will benefit everyone,” he said, mostly for Aronia’s sake. “And if you really hate it, I can make another for the other side of the guild.”

Aronia stared at him in flat disbelief.

“…Another?”

Ludger blinked. “Yes?”

Her eyes narrowed. Yvar gently leaned away from her, sensing danger. But after a long moment, Aronia let out a defeated sigh, the trademark sign that Ludger had won yet another argument by sheer stubborn persistence.

“It is effective,” she admitted quietly, gazing at the effigy. “And… peaceful.”

Yvar whispered, “You’re blushing.”

She elbowed him. Hard. Ludger simply smiled to himself. The experiment was a success.

Kaela appeared at Ludger’s side the moment Aronia stepped back from examining the statue, because of course she did. Her grin was wide enough to worry small children, her eyes sparkled with mischief, and she leaned in close like she was about to deliver the most Kaela-like request imaginable.

“So, Ludger,” she began with dramatic pause, “when are you going to make my statue?”

Ludger blinked. “…What?”

Kaela planted a hand on her hip and gestured grandly to the Aronia effigy. “I mean, look at that! Beautiful, elegant, full of magical energy, everything a good statue should be. Naturally, the next one should be of me.”

Ludger stared at her, deadpan. “Why?”

Kaela scoffed, flipping her hair like a noblewoman in a play. “Because my beauty and charm deserve to be preserved for future generations, obviously.”

Aronia silently buried her face in her hand. Ludger let the silence hang long enough for Kaela to start tapping her foot impatiently.

Finally, he shrugged. “I’ll make one when I’m bored or something.”

Kaela straightened. “…Excuse me?”

“I said,” Ludger repeated calmly, “I’ll do it when I’m bored. Right now I have other things to do.”

She narrowed her eyes, leaning closer. “And what could possibly be more important than immortalizing my stunning presence in stone?”

Ludger didn’t even blink.

“Learning blacksmithing.”

Kaela blinked once. Twice.

Then pointed at him accusingly. “You’re lying. No one chooses a forge over me.”

Ludger crossed his arms. “I just did.”

Behind her, Kharnek erupted into laughter so loud it startled nearby recruits. Yvar choked on air. Aronia tried, and failed, not to smile.

Kaela clutched her chest dramatically. “This is betrayal. Treason. An attack on my pride.”

Ludger stepped around her. “You’ll live.”

“I won’t forget this!” she shouted after him.

He raised a hand lazily without looking back. “Good. I’ll make your statue less quickly.”

Her gasp echoed through the whole guild yard as Ludger walked away. The day was already turning interesting.

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