Sitting on a stone bench under the shade at the cemetery entrance, Ron and Harper talked for two to three hours.
From the dangers of reversing magic into elements, to the required precision of basic equipment;
From environmental conditions for the experiment, to the estimated monthly cost of funds and materials.
For Ron, whose wealth had already become little more than a string of numbers, the latter was not an issue at all.
And the land he had previously instructed Guy to purchase near the Darle River on the outskirts of the City of Chaos also met Harper's environmental requirements perfectly.
"Your Eminence Ron, since you're supporting me like this, I won't waste any more time," Harper said as he stood up from the stone bench, looking toward the sun and the academy bathed in its light. "I'll go submit my resignation shortly."
"Will there be any issues on the academy's side?" Ron asked.
Harper shook his head. "Don't worry. Chaos City Magic Academy has always been absolutely neutral and never restricts a mage's freedom."
"I'm just a fourth-tier mage. At most, Professor Hicks might try to persuade me to stay."
"I'll donate all my research achievements from these past years to the academy—consider it a way to repay their support and cultivation…"
"Maybe after this experiment fails, I'll come crawling back shamelessly."
Ron patted his shoulder and joked, "Or maybe you'll return covered in glory?"
"Hopefully." Harper forced a smile and took a deep breath. "Your Eminence Ron, I'll head over now."
"Alright. Come to Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop tomorrow. I'll introduce you to Guy—anything you need can be handled through him."
The two parted ways in front of the monument at the cemetery entrance.
Harper went back to write his resignation letter and then find Professor Hicks.
Ron, meanwhile, wandered over to Illya's magic array research room, intending to hand over the Element Potatoes and see their potential applications in magic arrays.
After all, aside from experimental use, elemental stones were primarily used as energy sources for magic arrays.
If that was the case, Element Potatoes—with similar properties—should theoretically serve the same purpose.
Ron arrived at the door of Illya's research room and knocked.
Knock knock knock.
No response.
Ron paused, suddenly realizing a problem.
Once Illya entered research mode, she probably couldn't hear his knocking at all…
The previous times he had come, Edith had brought him with a key.
So he hadn't thought much of it.
Now it was a bit troublesome…
Knock knock knock.
He knocked again.
From inside the room came a rustling sound, like someone getting dressed.
Ron: "?"
What the—
Since when did researching magic arrays require taking clothes off?
Thinking back to the Illya Special Edition Illustration Booklet he had seen before—especially those long, slender legs—Ron's thoughts began to wander.
Then his expression darkened as he remembered his "collection" was still in Yuna's hands…
Who knew when he'd get them back?
Footsteps sounded from inside, and then the door opened.
"Edith, I forgot my key—" Illya said as she looked outside. When she saw Ron's handsome face, her slightly drowsy expression froze. "Hm? Your Eminence Ron?"
"Illya, long time no see." Ron greeted her with a bow. As he lowered his head, his gaze couldn't help but drift toward her long, fair legs.
At the moment, Illya was wearing a green nightgown that only reached halfway down her thighs, with an outer robe loosely draped over her shoulders.
Her upper body was mostly covered, but her lower half was fully on display.
This was the first time Ron had seen Illya's smooth, pale legs.
Previously, she dressed conservatively, her long skirts usually reaching her ankles.
At most, a gust of wind might reveal a glimpse of her calf, or outline the shape of her thigh beneath the fabric—never anything more.
But today, he saw it clearly.
"Did I disturb your rest?" Ron asked.
"It's fine. I was about to wake up anyway," Illya replied casually, seemingly unbothered by her exposed legs. She leaned against the door and gestured. "Come in. We can talk inside."
The elf race wasn't particularly conservative in dress. Wearing long skirts was just Illya's personal habit to avoid trouble.
So exposing her thighs in front of someone familiar wasn't a big deal to her.
Why waste time feeling embarrassed when she could look at a few more magic array schematics instead?
Ron entered the research room and was led to a barely usable table.
The table was covered with various blueprints and documents, and even the chairs beside it were piled high.
The one Ron sat on had only survived because it was tucked under the table.
Illya quickly tidied up a small space on the table—just enough for two cups—and poured some water.
Ron's eyes were drawn to her pale legs moving back and forth, and he had to force himself to look away.
Compared to Yuna's softer and fuller legs that made one want to grab and squeeze, Illya's legs were more delicate and refined.
They evoked a sense of careful appreciation—something to be gently admired rather than handled roughly.
Even just looking at them was hard to stop.
"Sorry, there's only water in the lab," Illya said as she placed the cups down and sat across from him. "What brings you here, Your Eminence Ron?"
Ron snapped out of his wandering thoughts and quickly took out a few light-blue tubers, handing them to Illya.
"I wanted you to take a look at this."
Curious, Illya accepted the irregularly shaped Element Potatoes. She could feel the calm water elements within them.
She examined them briefly, then looked up at Ron with surprise in her eyes.
"Your Eminence Ron, this is…?"
"A blessing from the Goddess," Ron said modestly, tossing the explanation onto the Goddess of Harvest — Hervesta before continuing, "It's called an Element Potato."
"It stores a large amount of water internally. We can extract and use them directly, just like elemental stones."
"And after being depleted, it can automatically absorb elements from the surrounding environment to replenish itself—the speed depends on the elemental density of the surroundings."
"In addition, it can be consumed directly, temporarily increasing a mage's casting power."
"We can ignore that last function for now. What I want to ask is—can this Element Potato be used in magic arrays?"
Illya's expression froze for a moment, clearly finding Ron's description unbelievable.
But she also knew that Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop was full of similarly miraculous plants.
So she didn't question him. Instead, she quickly stood up, walked to a pile of odd-looking items in the corner, and began rummaging through it until she pulled out a small device.