Today, Zeros was sitting in front of his desk working on something. A complex magic circle was spread out on it.
On top of it, a palm-sized metal lump was placed.
âAlright, itâs ready. Then, letâs begin.â
He mutters, speaking to himself. A habit he picked up after his many years of living as a bachelor. He begins to work in the room where thereâs no one but himself.
By pouring mana into the magic formula, the magic circle glows filled with light, and begins to execute its determined function.
The lump of metal floats above the magic circle, and each time Zeros taps on the console panel, it begins to change its shape.
What heâs doing is the highest secret technique ină Alchemy ă. Itâs used to process metals in any way the magician wants to without any additional equipment, but itâs a highly advanced and difficult magic, that will fail if you donât fully understand the process of the thing youâre manufacturing, as well as the technique to construct the magic circle.
Itâs one of the ultimate magics, and requires a great ability in magic control, magic manipulation, having the knowledge of the smelting process of the metal youâre working with, chemical refining knowledge, and so on.
A terminal similar to a computer keyboard unfolds in front of the magic circle, Zerosâ fingertips move rhythmically, swiftly gliding across the keys, as if playing a beautiful melody on the piano. The piece of metal in the center changes its shape accordingly, with every command entered.
In the end, he makes two rings and a bracelet.
Theyâre made of mithril, a metal with a high mana conductivity*.
(*T.N: éćăšăźçžæ§ăéć±ăšăăŠăŻæŻèŒçă«é«ăăRAWs say magic power affinity. I might change it in the future.)
Then, they are alloyed with manalite ore, which has a similar nature to mithril, to make up for its lack of strength and so they donât break apart easily, creating a new long-lasting magic medium.
Despite mithril having such a high mana conductivity, it has to undergo this process because it lacks sufficient strength as a metal.
Magicians often prefer to use wands to amplify their magic, though, skillful magicians donât have the need to use wooden wands.
The reason behind their use is that plants, more specifically, trees, tend to accumulate mana more easily, but depending on the type of wood used, the strength and ability to accumulate mana will differ. Moreover, issues related to the invocation of magic may arise depending on how old the material is.
Even magicians with the same level of ability donât stabilize magic according to their own inherent qualities. The difference in their spellsâ power varies depending on the wandsâ materials, which is their magic medium. And that, eventually leads to the difference in the ranking of magicians.
In fact, even at the Istor Magic Academy, an aristocratic magician will have a wand made of high quality materials, despite their abilities not being much different from the run-of-the-mill magician.
As a result, nobles with a high quality wand rise to the top in terms of power, whereas the ordinary magician, who can only afford a cheap wand will always remain at the bottom of the pyramid.
Even though, there shouldnât be any difference in real ability, thereâs a disparity in their strength due to the wands they have at hand, and thus, discrimination is born from it.
However, a magic medium made out of metal is always stable, and in theory, thereâs not much difference in power, except for the natural fragility of wooden wands, in relation with the toughness of metal.
Itâs also because of it, that it could be said to be more reliable than a wooden wand.
Itâs tougher and more durable, and with the exception of getting one of inferior quality, there wasnât a more reliable magic medium.
Both metal and wood deteriorate, and eventually, break down. But, in terms of total lifespan, metal is more durable and reliable than a wooden wand.
However, the magicians in this world almost exclusively used wooden wands, and few were willing to use a metallic magic medium. Metals were always in high demand, specially in the production of armors and weapons, so their prices were always high and few magicians were likely to buy any.
Furthermore, thereâs the widespread popular belief that metal repels mana, though, itâs completely baseless.
(*T.N: RAWs say something about leaves and root, but I assume thatâs what it meant;ăăăă«ăŻæȘă ă«éć±ăéćăćŒŸăèżăăšăăăæ čăèăăȘăćăè滶ăăŠăăăăă ăăă)
In the end, these rumors will not be dispelled and will remain as they are unless concrete evidence is presented about their practicality.
However, that didnât matter to Zeros, given that the person in question didnât intend to take on that task.
âNext is⊠to engrave the magic formula, right? Itâs my first time doing it, Iâm a bit anxious.â
Once the shape and ornamentation of the magic medium are decided, the magic formula must be engraved. It enhances its mana efficiency, the power and efficiency of the spell, and, reduces the burden on the caster by a drastic amount, to the point of being almost nonexistent. And, if the burden is reduced, then the magicianâs ability and, consequentially, their own strength, will greatly improve.
This process is essential in the production of magic tools, and the amount of mana saved serves as a proof of the artisanâs skills. Itâs not an exaggeration to say that itâs the determining factor in whether the creation of the magic tool is a success or not.
Although, it doesnât really matter if the magic medium is only going to be used to practice magic. However, Zeros was a production maniac, who would be thoroughly concerned with every little detail in the process of making magic tools.
The magic formula disappears from the surface of the bundle of magic paper, and the magic characters then flow onto the created accessories, engraving themselves in them.
To give an example, it would be the kind of visual effect when a character in an anime is playing an instrument, and the musical notes are visually represented coming out of it.
Nevertheless, the magic formula is definitely being engraved onto the ring and bracelet, leaving a complex pattern on them. Even if the process was interrupted, the magic formula would remain engraved.
Itâs uncertain how much time had passed. However, itâs clear that itâs an awfully grueling work.
In fact, sweat is trickling down Zerosâ forehead, and even though heâs fatigued, he continues to hit the magically-made console panel, engraving the lengthy formula into the bracelet and the rings.
Though, the work is completed before long.
After confirming that the entirety of the magic formula has been engraved, Zeros released the magic circle and heaved a deep sigh.
â⊠I struggled more than I thought. Itâs a lot more difficult compared to when it was a game.â
The process in itself isnât hard, but it takes quite a bit of time and effort to prepare and engrave the magic formula.
In the same way, healing and other magic potions can be refined, but in that case, a container such as a vial is required. Itâs not possible to create both at the same time.
Due to that reason, Zeros reuses the wine bottles he finds here and there as containers for his magic potions.
It looks bad from an outsiderâs point of view, even if itâs just recycling for the person in question.
â⊠Well, I found out I can perform magic refining, but this⊠what do I do with these exactlyâŠ?â
There are two silver rings and a bracelet in front of him. Although they were the products of his magic experiments, Zeros had no use for them.
Because he already has the best possible equipment he could get, there was no need to use a magic medium meant for an intermediate magician.
He thinks about it for a while, but eventually he decides to put off the issue for now and go to bed.
He seemed to be mentally exhausted after the experiment, and so, he falls asleep almost immediately.
He often gets really excited and fired up about things he considers to be fascinating at the time, but quickly loses interest in them afterwards.
And, after some time, the sleeping breath of a middle-aged man could be heard.
His actions seemed to be meaningful, but that couldnât be further from the truthâŠ
Celestina and Zweit will return to the dormitory life at the Istor Magic Academy after their holidays are over in a couple of days.
They are currently making their preparations for that, though theyâre not excited in the least about returning to the Academy.
Their vacations lasted two months, and the next one will be the Winter holidays, four months later.
Until then, they wonât be able to receive Zerosâ magic lectures, and so, they will return to their monotonous and depressing days. Because of that, their hearts felt heavy.
Even so, their level of confidence in Zeros, who teaches them what they really want to know about magic, has risen, and now, theyâre even working on the concoction process of magic potions. A field somewhat different from what they initially wanted to specialize in.
Zeros said: âDonât think youâll always be prepared for each and every situation. In some cases, you may end up stranded and already had used up all your potions. At that time, if you can make a simple magic potion, it will greatly increase your odds of survival.â
He said such a self-important sounding thing, but inside the mind of the person in question, the moment he said that, was akin to a barren prairie with bunches of rabbits-sans running around.
After their usual combat training, a.k.a Crazy* Golem Maniaâ, they set up in an unused, vacant room and kept staring at the test tubes and breakers.
(*T.N: It uses the kanji for depression[ćč] as in concave, sunken and hollow. I realize it would sound kinda weird but I couldnât find anything that made more sense. I dug up a super obscure meaning of the kanji.)
Theyâre investigating and recording the ideal, most effective, concoction method for magic potions. They test the drug to ascertain its efficacy, record it, and then compound it a second time.
The two have improved enough to be able to make lower grade ăPotionsăand ăMana Potionsă. And, even if theyâre sold for less than the market price, theyâd still get a reasonable amount of money for them.
Due to their way of thinking, the two, these past two months have been doing brutal combat training in the morning, and after that they would seclude themselves, like hikikomoris*, in the makeshift lab, researching different kinds of magic potions.
(*T.N: In case you were not aware of the term-> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori )
Although, it was different from the way healthy teenage people spent their holidays, during these two months, each day has been rich, fulfilling, and fun.
But, theyâre almost over, and soon theyâll return to the monotony of their previous routine.
âHaaahhâŠâ
âWhatâs with the sighs? Well, I get you, but it canât be helped that we have to return to the Academy, after all.â
âI know, but I still canât get around that⊠itâs depressing.â
âThatâs right. Why would we want to go back to that place? Thereâs so much to research and discover here.â
âYeah. I wanted to keep studying the multi-layered formula technique.â
âWhen I ask them about something I donât understand, the teachers at the Academy just say â figure it out yourselfâ, and thatâs it. I just end up with the same doubt.â
âThe teachers are graduates from the Academy. They only know what they were taughtâŠâ
In the Academy, they teach that each of the 56 magic characters and 10 numbers is represented by one distinct sound, and that they have a meaning on their own, which is, in actuality, not incorrect. However, itâs unknown the exact meaning of the characters, and they canât seem to associate it with any modern writing system either.
(*T.N: take the paragraph above with a grain of salt. Iâm confident that its broad meaning is not wrong, but I had a lot of trouble trying to translate it.)
They have endlessly repeated the method of disassembling the traditional magic formulas, incorporating back the characters one by one, and checking what effect it has.
This doesnât mean that current dayâs magicians are incompetent. The cause of the drastic decrease in the level of the study of magic rests in the Evil God War, where all the excellent magicians were sent to the battlefield, and it resulted in them being wiped out with a single blow of the Evil God.
Neither the warriors hailed as heroes, nor the sages who accompanied them wouldâve been able to seal the Evil God without the artifact given to them by the gods.
The battle ended at a great cost, and the lack of human resources became a serious problem afterwards.
The remaining magicians were only at the level of apprentices, merely youths without much experience. And they, who didnât get any special training other than the standard curriculum at the time, naturally, couldnât inherit the original magics of their masters.
Well, in reality, there were some talented magicians who survived but were decimated afterwards due to the outbreak of a plague. Its cause was the dead bodies that were left in the battlefield. The epidemic rapidly spread because no one buried the corpses after the battle took place.
In need, many magicians became alchemists instead. It was only hundreds of years later that the first movements trying to decipher magic formulas appeared.
They had the genuine magic formulas of old, but when they actually started to decipher them, they could only fumble their way through. No one understood the meaning of the magic characters, so naturally, it was an incredibly laborious task.
Unfortunately for them, the research never progressed much. Every few years, a war would break out between the countries, and they couldnât ask for cooperation from them due to the ever increasing strain in the diplomatic relationships with each other.
The magics that were successfully completed by chance were powerful, but in the end, they were an imperfect substitute limited only to a select elite group. Eventually, the situation evolved to the point where only a few could actually use magic, culminating in the birth of the aristocratic magician as it currently is.
The families that inherited these powerful original magics, generation after generation, became the protectors of the country and the ancestors of the current noble houses.
The treasure-class magic ă Infernal Dragon Destruction ă, handed down to the Duke of Solisthea, is one of the magics that had been transmitted in this way.
âOur secret heirloom magic seems to be a defective magic, huh?â
âIt consumes a lot of mana, and places a great burden on the caster. Iâm trying to improve the efficiency, but it looks like it will be really difficult.â
âItâs a problem to solely rely on the casterâs mana capacity. The magic conversion is unsteady, and even though the power is great, youâll completely run out of mana if you cast it three times, right?â
âIf you donât increase the efficiency of mana consumption, youâll soon fall on the battlefield. Itâs not a multi-layered magic formula, and the idea of increasing its efficiency with only one magic circle is a bitâŠâ
Because itâs a wide range attack magic, the formula is complex and requires a large amount of mana to activate. The problem is that, it consumes a large part of your magic in a single use, effectively rendering you unable to fight in case of an emergency.
Due to the fact that the two have actual combat experience now, theyâve realized the flaws in their familyâs treasure-class heirloom magic during deciphering practice, and they were now working on improving it.
Old man Creston gazes merrily at the two youths. Looking at his grandchildren growth makes him immensely happy.
(Ahh⊠my cute Tina. Sheâs gotten so strong in these past two months, Iâm really glad⊠Ugh, I think Iâm going to cry nowâŠ
However, if she becomes so excellent, some bug will come and try to marry her. My Tina!! Over my dead body! I will send those wild beasts to hell with these very hands!!
Yes, come. Try to seek an engagement with my cute Tina. Iâll kill you aaaalllll!!)
⊠Well, maybe not.
No matter where he went, the old man was obsessed with his granddaughter. And he was releasing killing intent for a suitor that hadnât even appeared yet.
âAh, Creston-san. Iâve completed what you requested the other day.â
âHm? Ah! As expected of Lord Zeros. That was fast.â
âItâs a splendidly wasteful magic, so it was quite troublesome, but I tried to optimize it as much as possible. The burden on the caster should be almost nonexistent.â
âIâm sorry about that. I wouldâve wanted to do it with my own hands, but as the years go by, the memory starts to fail.â
âBut, is that really okay? Showing your treasure-class heirloom magic to outsiders?âŠâ
ââ!?ââ
The two turn around with Zerosâ words. Improving the efficiency of the heirloom magic was the issue they were facing at the moment.
Even so, they never thought that their grandfather would ask him to improve it.
âWith this, the bugs will⊠kukukuâŠâ
The eyes of such grandfather were terrifying.
ââGrandfather!?ââ
âW-What is it!? Donât scare me like that, I thought my heart would stop!â
âWhat are you doing!? Showing our familyâs heirloom magic to shishou! Itâs supposed to be a secret magic , you know!?â
âThen, what weâve been doingâŠâ
âIsnât Zeros-donoâs magic leagues apart from ours already? I donât think it matters much at this point.â
Itâs a magic thatâs handed down to the four Archdukes, who protect the Solisthean royal family. Itâs not a good thing to show it to others.
Seeing Creston easily revealing it to Zeros, the two doubted if he even had any common sense left.
âS-Sensei, this magic is⊠reallyâŠâ
âI understand. I didnât get carried away this time and recklessly increased its power. Well, Iâm not going to teach it to anyone in the first place. Itâs quite the dangerous magic after allâŠâ
âYou⊠what the hell are you doing!?â
âThe increased power⊠this magic is, in a bad sense, constructed with exquisite balance. The incomprehensible magic formula seems to have an important role in the magicâs foundation, for some reasonâŠâ
âW-With this⊠with this I can finally exterminate themâŠfufufu!!âȘâ
ââGrandfather!? Who are you going to kill!?ââ
Zeros has just given a knife to a dangerous person.
The old man, who has finished engraving the magic into his mind, has a demented smile on his face.
Nobles seeking an engagement with his granddaughter is no longer a far-fetched possibility. No, wouldnât it be like adding more fuel to the fire if it happens?
Nevertheless, this old man was willing to kill.
âSo, is the color of the medicinal herbs changing? Add the magic crystalâs liquid ether and Mandrakeâs powder.â
ââChanging the topic!?ââ
âI donât really care about this old man trying to squash some roaches. Itâs better to incinerate those bugs sooner rather than later, theyâre rotten to the core anyways.â
âFufufu, yeah! Iâm just cleaning up all the filth hahaha!!â
It seems almost as if sparks were coming out of Creston
Zeros was clearly irresponsible.
To start with, magicians were indifferent to the world, and only cared about their research. Though Zeros seems to have the same disposition.
Well, he was feeling a bit guilty nowâŠ
Creston gave the impression that he could go on a world-destroying conflagration* any time now.
(*T.N:ć«ç« [gouka]; Itâs apparently some cataclism-like event in Buddhism. I couldnât find any concrete reference in english, but the point is to sound like it would be a catastrophe of biblical proportions.)
For the sake of his beloved granddaughter, he would become a Demon King or even an Evil God.
âItâs better to take it out of the fire early on, right? If you let it boil more time than this, it will be incredibly bitter.â
â⊠Letâs just forget about that. Here, itâs by the fire.â
âGrandfather⊠just what are you doingâŠ?â
He grabs the beaker that has been over the fire with heat-resistant gloves, and places it on the table.
The clear yellow liquid starts to turn green as it cools down.
âAdd the Mandrake powder nowâŠâ
âUgh, Mandrakes⊠I donât want to think about it.â
â⊠I agree.â
The two clearly remember the day of the Mandrakesâ mental attacks as if it were yesterday.
âăăâăăâăăâ
Far-flung forest.
The group whose food was stolen by Crazy Apes decided to go hunting.
Other supplies such as healing potions were also taken away and had to be procured on site.
ăMedicinal herbs grow nearby, but we also need ă Draconic Mushroom ăandă Synthetic Leaf ă. And also, Mandrakes?ă
ăSensei, is it true that youâll die if you hear the scream of a Mandrake?ă
ăIn a way, itâs true. Your heart wonât be able to take itâŠă
ăSo, you wonât die? Then, itâs just childâs play, isnât it?ă
ăDream all you want⊠fufufuâŠă
ăW-Whatâs with those dead eyes?ă
ăSensei⊠youâre scaring me a little.ă
At that time, they had not understood the true horror of the Mandrakes.
They continued hunting and procuring food while strolling through the forest.
ăAh! Thereâs a couple of Mandrakes over there! Letâs pick them up right away!ă
ăIsnât it just a plant? How is it that scaryâŠ?ă
ăUgh⊠I donât like where this is going.ă
Celestinaâs gut feeling was indeed correct.
The three of them put their hands on the stems of a Mandrake, and pull them outâŠ
âââUughyaaaaa!!
âââPleeeaseestoop! Myybrethreeeenn!!
âââHeeeellllpp!!Paaapaa!!
âââYoouuuufiiieeenddd!
Their spirits were crushed. Afterwards, they couldnât bear the death throes digging through their conscience.
ăW-What is this⊠I feel like my heart hurts for some reason.ă
ăI think thereâs something wrong with me. For some reason, it feels as if we were torturing them.ă
ăIs that so? You havenât gotten used to it yet?ă
âââP-Pleeeasee!⊠Immbeggingyouuu!!
âââStooooppppyoubasstarrrd!
âââYouarehorriblee!
ăYeah okay. Shut up now. Hm? What is it?ă
ăăHow⊠How are you completely fine?ăă
ăI got used to it already hahaha!ă
ă⊠What about your conscience as a human being?ă
ăIt hurts⊠I feel so guiltyâŠă
In the end, they were just plants. Zeros was late to correct them. Though, they donât have that leeway when theyâre walking through the border of life and death.
He understands that, so he calmly picks up the Mandrakes, while the two just stare blankly without helpingâŠ
âââAahhhh! Maamaa!! Heeelllp!
However, the two students were completely knocked out cold by their screams, and it took them a long time to recover.
The two tried to put on a brave front against the Mandrakesâ mental onslaught but in the end, their consciences couldnât resist.
By the time they returned to the camp, their eyes were dead, and they were just muttering to themselves while looking down. It seemed like that episode completely broke down their minds.
âăăâăăâăăâ
âI donât want to get used to that⊠even when I cover my ears⊠I hear their screams in my head.â
âBut, itâs not the same as harvesting any other plant, you know? Iâm sure your heart will be permanently scarred.â
âNo, itâs exactly the same. After all, itâs a plant. This is a world that preys on the weak, thatâs how it is.â
They see their master as a demon.
The Mandrakesâ mental attack no longer affected Zeros, who cultivated them at the orphanage.
Humans are beings that can adapt to their environments. Theyâll get used to such a cruel way of living if they have to.
âWhat are you saying? Youâre talking about a plant, you know? They donât have feelings or emotions⊠probablyâŠâ
âItâs just that, I donât know how I could ever get used to it.â
âIt really inflicts a lot of mental damage. My heart canât take it.â
âYou donât have those kinds of feelings when youâre eating beef or pork, do you? You should feel equally as guilty. Now then, theyâre just plants, okay?â
ââUuuuâŠââ
Whichever your ideology is, itâs hypocritical as long as youâre feeding yourself off of other living creatures. Even if you personally donât see the animal being killed and butchered, it doesnât change the fact that youâre eating its meat.
Though, at this point, it was too late for them. Their entire belief system was shattered into pieces.
âUltimately, I think is a question of whether you survive or not. Thanks to killing another living being, you are able to live another day, right?â
ââă»ă»ă»ă»ă»ă»ă»ă»ă»ââ
To this day, itâs unknown why the Mandrake screams.
However, itâs more beneficial to learn Alchemy rather than trying to find a clear solution and getting exposed to its mental attacks, ultimately ending up paralyzed because of them.
You canât make magic potions if you canât collect them yourself. After all, itâs not a readily available material.
âWell, enough talk. Start moving your hands now. Youâll memorize the concoction method of intermediate potions by the end of the day.
The formula is mostly the same, though it slightly differs from the one most alchemists use, so please try adjusting it yourself.â
âIntermediate ă Mana Potions ăare indispensable for a magician. Iâll run out of mana before long, though.â
âAs with anything that requires the use of magic, if you canât properly manage your mana consumption, youâll collapse without even noticing, and be a hindrance.â
âItâs great that thereâs a way to restore mana. Though, when you drink too muchâŠâ
These types of potions are supposed to be ingested, so theyâre mostly water. Whatâs needed for the recovery effect is the active medicinal ingredient, which is diluted in the liquid. However, if you drink too much, it easily accumulates in the stomach.
The main cause of abdominal pain on the battlefield was the excessive ingest of water due to recovery potions.
Itâs beneficial that itâs easy to drink, but it can lead to a situation where you lose your strength in the middle of the battle.
In the end, the only way to know how much you can drink is by gaining experience.
â
After that they were taught how to concoct the recovery medicine, and so, âUncle Zerosâ Alchemy Courseâ, ended.
The two have to start preparing to return to school tomorrow. The fulfilling days will come to an end.
When you have fun, you forget about your sense of time and immerse yourself in what youâre doing, and by the time you realize, the day has already ended.
It was the same for the two students. The day they had to return to the Istor Magic Academy was approaching.
Since they would have to depart early in the morning, they went to bed early as well.
To avoid encountering bandits on the way this time, they will go to the royal capital by boat, and from then, they will go by carriage to a territory under control of the royal family, the city of Stahl, where the Academy is located.
Taking purely the distance into account, going by the highway that follows across Far-flung forest, is the shortest option, however, they will arrive earlier going by boat.
The horses pulling the carriage have to take a rest, and considering the uneven distance between the villages and towns along the way, they would have to camp outside.
On the other hand, all of that can be avoided, given that they only have to flow along the riverâs stream, arriving near the Kingdomâs capital just by rotating the sailors. And from there, they should arrive at Stahl after half a day by carriage.
âHuh? When we first met, you were riding on a carriage. How come you werenât travelling by boat?â
âItâs fast going downstream. But itâs more troublesome to return, because you have to be lucky enough to have the wind on your favor the whole trip when sailing upstream.â
âAhh⊠so, you have to leave everything up to mother nature, right? The windâs direction changes according to the season, so it could take a lot more time than going by carriage.â
âUmu. If it wasnât for that, I wouldâve come home earlier, but alas, nature can be very capricious.â
Of course, by going along the riverâs natural course, youâll arrive to your destination. The problem is, that on the trip back, you would be going against the flow of the stream.
If left to the sailboat, depending on your luck, you could be left stranded for a long time if you donât manage to catch favorable wind.
In addition, often the ship would have to zigzag across the river, following the windâs direction, thus thereâs no guarantee that you will be able to return within the expected number of days.
For a moment, Zeros thought it would be better if they had steam engines. But, in a world where they used coal in place of magic, there would certainly be a lack of qualified people.
Steam engines needed operators, and the boiler, which is where power is produced, must be monitored at all times.
Zeros, who didnât want to use his cheats and influence this world too much, pushed that thought to the back of his mind, without saying anything unnecessary.
He only wishes for peace and tranquility.
âI see, so you canât go against the providence of nature.â
âIf magic develops a little more, it would be possible, but not right now.â
Zeros says in his mind: âIâm sorry, but itâs possible to reform the technology right now.â, but swallowed those words.
He didnât attend a technical institute or anything of the sort, but he understood the basic structure of a steam engine, which is the prime example of an isekai cheat, where the protagonist uses their knowledge of his original world to his advantage.
However, itâs no exaggeration to say that, causing a new technological revolution would plunge the world into turmoil, and eventually will lead to wars breaking out.
Zeros stays silent because he wants to avoid that precise scenario.
âHey, grandfather. Can I drop out of school?â
âI understand how you feel, but it would leave a stain on our familyâs pride. Even if it is such a school, it is nonetheless a very prestigious one.â
âTo be honest, I donât think I would even learn anything there. Do I really need to go back?â
Even if he says it so bluntly, the Istor Magic Academy is a reputable institution that possesses many accolades under its wings.
Itâs so influential that, dropping out without good reason can hurt the reputation of your house.
Creston silently stares at Zeros as if saying âplease do something about itâ .
In response to that, he heaves a deep sigh and takes out something from his inventory.
âZweit, Celestina, Iâll give these to you.â
âThey are magical mediums I made, that can replace the need of having to use a wand. Please use them during your time at the Academy.â
ââ!?ââ
The fact that a magic medium, in other words, a magicianâs wand is given by the master to the disciple, itâs proof that theyâre recognized as a full-fledged magician.
It was a sort of endorsement, that the magic taught could be freely used by the disciple, and for the two, it was also accompanied by a sense of honor and responsibility.
Though Zeros didnât know that giving wands to your students was that kind of ritual.
These magic mediums were just an extension of the same purpose a magic wand had, they didnât provide any special effects in terms of performance, so it wasnât such a big deal.
However, thereâs no doubt that if theyâre sold, they would cost a reasonable amount of money. Mainly because itâs quite uncommon to see a magic medium made out of metal.
âCelestina should use the bracelet, and Zweit the ring.â
âShishou, and the other ring?â
âPlease give it to your younger brother. And, if possible, also tell him how to use it.â
He made them but he has no use for them. They would just sit in his inventory forever. Zeros would rather give them to someone who would be grateful to have them.
They might mean nothing to him, but for a low-leveled magician it might be a complete game-changer.
In short, it was like making prototypes as alchemy practice.
âTo Kreuz? I donât think heâll take it though.â
âIf it happens, it happens, donât worry too much about it. More importantly, about your homeworkâŠâ
ââHomework!?ââ
The two look away. They have no idea what kind of absurdity, this insane Great Sage, will come up with.
They might be subjected to horribly harsh ordeals.
âYou two will have to work on improving the efficiency and power of the heirloom magic while youâre at the Academy. Of course, you can work together or individually. If you succeed, I will prepare the best magic medium I can create.â
ââ!?ââ
They have no idea what kind of magic medium a Great Sage can make, but for them, itâs definitely a national treasure magic item. Being given one is akin to recognize them as his successor.
They suddenly became extremely fired up.
Zeros knows that they will do their homework without fail.
Given that Creston requested to improve the treasure-class magic, he knows itâs not a spell so simple that a mere student, who should only know the basics, can improve easily.
It was an arduous and tedious task.
âHell yeah! Letâs do it!â
âWeâll definitely succeed!â
(Huh? Why are they getting so pumped up all of a sudden? Isnât it strange?)
It seems like he had stimulated their motivation in a slightly different direction.
For Zeros, itâs just a carrot to prompt them to work on that task. But, for the two students, itâs receiving a magic medium made by a Great Sage.
As a magician, it can be a greater honor than being commended by the King. No, rather than that, it would be akin to being blessed by a God.
It seems to be another gap between the common sense of modern Japan, and this worldâs.
Looking from the sidelines, Creston only nodded in satisfaction.
â
The next morning, with the hustle and bustle of the city of Santhor as a backdrop, two magicians board a carriage.
To accomplish the task The Great Sage has requested of them, and to receive a powerful magic item as a testimony of it.
The carriage departs quietly. Its destination is the city of Stahl.
The two young and promising magicians returned to the Academy, full of hopes and dreams.
At the same time, that meant Zeros was officially unemployed again, which only gave him a headache after he started thinking about it.