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Vol 02 Episode 42 Souvenirs

「What are you doing?」

「I’m making a staff.」

A staff?

Tetra was assembling something that looked like parts. She was combining several discs, each about the size of an adult’s arm, onto a thin rod. The discs were etched with geometric patterns, and a crystal was embedded at the tip.

「Tell me about it.」

「Alright.」

Tetra first showed me her white palm. A gentle breeze ruffled my hair. It was a magic spell to generate wind.

「A high-ranking magician like me can use magic without a magic circle. But…」

Tetra then pulled out a piece of paper with a magic circle drawn on it. She directed it towards me, the geometric pattern glowed, and a stronger wind blew than before.

「Using a magic circle as a medium to activate magic is more efficient. The magic power comes from me, so the magic circle can be used forever.」

I see… I’ve been focused on the advantage that even someone who’s not a magician can use magic with a magic circle, but this is another advantage.

「But there’s one problem. Since the magic circle is fixed, it can only use magic of the same type and power. It’s impossible to fight with this. Besides, there’s a limit to the amount of information a magic circle can hold on paper.」

Indeed. It lacks versatility. The advantage of magic is being able to approach the enemy in various ways.

If you can only use one type, it’s not much different from throwing a spear. It’s not something you can carry around in multiple copies.

According to Tetra, the strength of a magical spell is influenced by the size of its magic circle. To produce enough power to harm a person, a considerably large piece of paper would be required.

That’s completely impractical.

「That’s why I’ve carved magic circles onto these circular wooden boards and combined them. Each of these magic circles doesn’t mean much on its own. But when combined…」

Tetra pointed the completed staff towards me. The staff glowed, and a strong wind blew.

It’s quite powerful.

「Moreover, by rotating it to change the connections, it can produce completely different spells.」

Tetra rotated some of the discs. Then she pointed the staff upwards.

Flames burst forth.

「But what about the lack of power?」

The discs are narrower than paper. No matter how many you combine…

「No problem,」

Tetra said with confidence.

「See? Previously, we used two dimensions… |X axis (horizontal) and |Y axis (vertical) squared to represent information. But this includes the |Z axis (height). Meaning, the amount of information that can be represented is cubed!」

… Since when were you so smart?

「And what about that crystal?」

「It’s from someone named Rigal Dibel. It was part of a decorative item. I’m not interested in decorations, so I dismantled it. A crystal with high transparency can transmit magical power without distorting the magical formula, allowing for 99% conduction. Since the main body of the magic circle is made of wood, it would burn when producing fire. But with the crystal attached, there’s no problem. Crystals don’t burn. Plus, it looks cooler with it attached.」

I see… I don’t understand at all.

Rigal, huh. I’m sorry but my wife just went and dismantled your gift.

「What’s the matter, Almus? You seem troubled.」

「Bartolo’s daughter is going to be born, right? I’m wondering what to bring as a gift for the birth party.」

When I asked Bartolo, he said that alcohol is the common choice. At these parties, it seems customary to drink as much as possible, and is even considered bad manners to not get drunk, so it’s better to have as much alcohol as possible. I remember various patricians brought their own alcohol to our wedding.

The next logical gift would be decorative items, amulets, or luxury clothes for children.

「King Rosais suggested honey, but… I can’t prepare that much honey, can I?」

「Indeed… paper… would be strange as a gift. Maybe stick to safe options like alcohol or food?」

「But where can I get delicious food?」

The bread we make is delicious. But I don’t think it’s okay to bring bread to a celebration. It’s the most basic dish. And it might be better than what Bartolo prepares.

No, that would only damage Bartolo’s reputation.

Basic dishes and ingredients that Bartolo would likely serve are off-limits. So, it comes back to alcohol…

「Did you come up with something?」

「Well, yeah. I’m thinking of making distilled spirits.」

The alcohol content in this world’s drinks is very low. Wine here is basically like grape juice with a little bit of alcohol.

More than getting drunk, it’s for hydration and making the hard water of the Adernian peninsula easier to drink.

At most, it has 3% alcohol. The really strong stuff has about 5%, and the super strong has about 10%. Ah, by the way, I haven’t really measured it, It’s just my subjective opinion.

Distilled spirits have around 40% alcohol content, so it’s guaranteed to be a hit.

We have wine from King Ferme’s reserves and some remaining from the wine we made in the village. There should be enough to serve distilled spirits at the party.

It won’t be aged, so I can’t guarantee it will be delicious… but then again, the wine from the Adernian peninsula isn’t tasty to begin with.

The taste can be compensated for simply by the strength of the alcohol content. After all, people want liquor that gets them drunk more than they want something tasty.

Mixing it with grape juice should solve the problem.

Bartolo’s child is expected to be born in June. Now it’s May. So, I have a month to make it.

The method is simple. It’s just about recreating the experiment of distilling a mixture of water and ethanol that I did in middle school. The only issue is…

「We need special equipment, though…」

「It’s impossible then.」

「No, it’s okay. We can just make it.」

I can’t make it, though. We can use bronze vessels instead of flasks. Should I ask a blacksmith…

◇

「Can you make something like this?」

「Indeed, domine, the task presents considerable challenges. While not beyond the realm of possibility, it demands ample time for its completion. Moreover, I am compelled to allocate resources towards the forging of swords and spears, a necessity to fulfill my obligations in tax payments…」

「Those can wait. I will extend your tax deadline by two months. Don’t worry, you will be properly paid for the bronze flask with wheat.」

When I said that, the blacksmiths looked somewhat surprised.

「Might you be considering acquiring it directly from our hands?」

「Yes, it’s not a tax. I won’t impose emergency taxes unless there’s a war or natural disaster that urgently requires supplies.」

Buying it instead of receiving it for free would also motivate them more. Blacksmiths are valuable. I won’t pressure them.

Besides, I have enough stock from what King Rosais gave me and what I bought from Bartolo. We can earn currency through paper and honey.

The blacksmiths smiled and promised to deliver, then left.

「Hey, Almus?」

「Hm? What is it?」

「Are the new recruits’ equipment ready?」

「Not enough. But it will take time to complete the recruitment anyway. And while we don’t have spares, we have secured enough for everyone.」

We have the equipment looted from King Ferme’s army and the stockpiles that King Ferme had saved. Thanks to King Ferme, we have plenty of weapons.

Besides, on the Adernian Peninsula, soldiers typically bring their own weapons. So, we only need to replace the particularly poor equipment.

「At the very least, we want equipment made of bronze or better. Wooden shields are too poor.」

In the last battle, Gram’s bow easily killed soldiers equipped with wooden shields. High-performance arrows can’t be blocked by wooden shields.

「But I think leather is better for armor.」

「Bronze is too heavy… Mobility is important in battle.」

Moreover, a charge by heavy infantry consumes a lot of stamina. Leather is preferable.

Well, our physical abilities are enhanced by my blessing, so we can use full bronze equipment without problems. By the way, how effective is my blessing?

Julia mentioned something about loyalty, but it was rather vague…

At least, the people from King Ferme’s country didn’t show any loyalty towards me. The same goes for the new refugees.

When exactly did the children (though they are not children anymore) started to get the influence of my blessing? The first time I noticed its effect on myself was when I protected Roswald.

The children were normal back then. Does it mean they gradually changed during all these years? So, it takes at least four years? No, the people of Aris territory and my companions who were with me all the time should be affected differently.

Considering that…

I shouldn’t expect the population of Aris territory to be enhanced as much as the children. In that case, I can’t count too much on the blessing from now on…

But my physical abilities have improved since we were in the village. So, the conditions to receive its effects are different for me, or I receive it faster.

And it might also be a sign that the people of Aris territory are starting to show loyalty to me…

「Almus? Are you alive?」

「Ah, sorry. I’m alive. Fully alive. I was just thinking.」

I guess it’s useless to dwell on this. I don’t even know how the blessings work after all.