Chapter 57 Researchers
"First, let me thank you. Because of you, our young guys finally got their spark back. Really, thanks."
It was a graceful bow.
Even if the appearance is a bit off, you can tell ── this one's a high-ranking noble all right.
"Sorry for wrecking the training ground's equipment."
"Come on now──weren't you just doing it on purpose?"
Caught in the act.
I looked away, nervously nodding.
"On purpose?"
"Well, considering the other 3 are the strongest, and the magic that didn't break was what he used──clearly, the most powerful spell there is that shield. So I figured, he'd break it."
Ricardo went speechless.
But Lord Osric just nodded along, unbothered.
"A spell that still breaks? Means there's room to improve. A good durability test, after all."
Officially, Thomas was the only one who could challenge my max firepower.
But with so many Arcanists around, surely there's at least one defense-focused Arcanist too.
Probably.
I hope everyone's training hard to defend the castle when it counts.
"And──mind if I ask one more thing?"
"What is it?"
He's grinning again──what's he up to now?
I wonder what he's trying to get me to say.
"Why did you choose [Fire] for that arm-wrestling match?"
"I just used the strongest spell I believe I can wield."
"You probably could've easily crushed him with another spell instead."
I'm thinking I could have taken his magic──made it bigger, clearer, to bash his pride down a notch.
This person's got quite the wicked streak.
Even after trash-talking me so openly the other day, apparently, she doesn't hold ill feelings.
So I figured, better to be honest.
"Maybe because I was irritated."
"About what?"
"About how, even as an Arcanist, he's got pride──yet he's forgotten his fundamentals."
Lord Osric blinked in surprise, then immediately got what I was saying and burst out laughing heartily.
"What do you mean 'forgot the fundamentals'?"
Ricardo looked back and forth between our faces, totally confused.
And I, I'm just completely unbending.
Lord Osric sighed dramatically, shaking his head as he gave Ricardo a look of pity.
"I apologize again. Could you explain?"
What a pain, even though I have no obligation to do so.
"...You learned in the Arcanist course from the very beginning that single-element magic is more effective. That's why the maximum firepower you can unleash with Flame, the most powerful single-element magic, is supposed to be the strongest magic."
"W-well, theoretically, maybe..."
"Have you tried it?"
"Nope."
Ricardo shut his mouth, his superior having answered first.
"There's no point in using composite magic when you don't have a time limit in situations where you need powerful magic. You learned that in your first year. You said I was being lazy, so why don't you remember that?"
"Ugh..."
Being able to quickly activate complex magic is good, but powerful magic should be used flexibly depending on the situation.
"My ears are hurting too. Should we have the entire Arcanist group reread the academy textbooks from the first year? With Kreis as the teacher?"
"I refuse. The reason I'm busy right now is because the court Arcanists neglected to study the magic to cool down the rooms."
Thanks to that, it looks like they're going to become a major client, so as Luka said, I should be happy about it.
It would have been better if I had less stress.
"Well, now I understand why Kreis turned down our scout. ...You love magic, don't you?"
As if there were a lot of people who didn't.
"Maybe the next next, next one after Arcane Machinery."
"Wahahaha!"
Why is this flexible-minded guy's brother that stiff-headed professor?
Lord Osric laughed for a while, then sighed, furrowing his brow in distress and beginning to fiddle with a strand of his bangs.
"To be honest, Kreis's point is spot-on. The Arcanist Guild has its headquarters in the Royal Castle, so it's full of nobles. And nobles... they're creatures who wither if they can't flaunt their power. That's why they tend to look down on basic magic and the more mundane life-magic. They only associate with people who share their values, and their thinking gets more and more skewed."
The magic that Isandro look-alike used was the same.
If they'd used *really* powerful magic, even I wouldn't have held out.
Whether that guy was a noble or not, I don't know anymore.
"'A frog in a well knows nothing of the great ocean.' That's us, alright. We're at the bottom of the well. We don't know the outside world, just fattening up on the knowledge that falls down the hole."
The way you put it... it made the word 'frog' sound like a lab animal.
"By the way, Kreis, your efficiency-first approach──getting the biggest results with the least effort──did that come from your military days?"
"Yes. Conserving resources is crucial on the battlefield."
"Resources, huh..."
Especially in a field where you're expected to use Arcanist power, you can't run out of magic.
"But in my case, I think the way I think when I make Arcane Machinery has a big influence too."
Things that even people with no knowledge of magic, or with little magical power, can handle safely.
Things that fit in a small space.
Things that meet the required conditions perfectly.
And most beautiful of all, things where magic flows smoothly, achieving the necessary effects with minimal power.
That kind of narrow-minded thinking... the court Arcanists probably wouldn't understand it.
"Saving magic is also essential for developing powerful magic. If you can activate it with less power, you can use the power you saved to increase the effect or make it last longer."
"I see..."
Ricardo nodded without thinking, then averted his eyes when he noticed my gaze.
"But I'm not always thinking about efficiency and usefulness, you know? Sometimes I make cannons that eat up magic like crazy, just to put on a pretty firework display."
"You mean the one at the Founding Festival? That was your work, Kreis?"
"Did you see it from the castle?"
"Oh yeah, crystal clear. That was amazing."
The castle sat atop the capital, so the fireworks launched from the harbor must have been crystal clear.
Lord Osric seemed genuinely impressed, his eyes narrowing in a daze.
"You must have been moved too, Ricardo. I bet you spent some time figuring out who did it and what kind of magic was used."
"Please don't say that..."
He seemed frustrated that he was affected by my work.
It'd be easier if he'd just be honest.
The baron laughed and offered Yuruyana another drink, then leaned against the counter.
"I'm no expert in Arcane Machinery, but how exactly do those fireworks work? I mean, I don't mind if you keep it simple."
"It's an application of signal flares. It's like magic, shooting light bullets into the sky to signal allies far away."
"Ah, that's it! You combine multiple light bullets and launch them together, then let them scatter in the air. Must consume a lot of mana."
As expected of the most brilliant Arcanist of our time, recipient of the title 'Head Arcanist,' he catches on quick.
It seems the day for fireworks over the castle is drawing near.
"I see, I see. Then what if we loaded different colored light bullets inside and launched them?"
"Good idea. By adjusting the size and height of the burst, we could have the inside a different color, or even shapes other than spheres."
Jotting down the idea on a handy scrap of paper,
"For magic, it'd be interesting to have several people involved, deliberately misaligning their timing to draw a picture in the sky."
Lord Osric snatched my pen and started writing down 'My Idea' next to it.
"Wouldn't this be better?"
"Indeed. Yes, if I extend the tail, I could draw lines, not just points."
"Certainly. In that case──"
Finding the idea bouncing back instantly fascinating, I couldn't help but lean in with excitement,
"Hellooo. Yuru-Yuru, I need some medicine for insect bites."
Mako, who had stopped by in her school uniform on her way home, almost turned back when she saw the rough-looking customers.
"Wait, wait! I'm not a bad guy! ...How about we talk slowly inside?"
"...Guess I'll let you."
I ended up guiding Lord Osric──looking a bit sorry──and Ricardo to the living space.
Before I knew it, we'd been talking for about an hour.
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