It was called the 'Study'.
A private library for only one, the owner of the building… in general, that understanding is probably the closest to the facts.
A huge number of books were lined up in a vast space.
The same as always, the 'Master' was reading one of the books today.
The Master raised his head when he sniffed a scent.
It was black like a devil, hot like hell, pure like an angel, and sweet like love … that drink was placed in front of him.
"Ah, thank you."
The Master said and reached for the freshly brewed coffee and enjoyed its aroma.
"Master, Lord Doras wishes to report."
The butler who brewed the coffee announced that the other party was in the waiting room.
"I see. Invite them in."
The Master nodded and allowed entry.
"I have two reports. First, the asylum of the Duke of Inbury was announced by the Debuhi Empire. Second, the people involved in the disappearance of Count Haskil have been identified."
"The second."
"Yes. The place where Count Haskil Kalinikos disappeared was found to be the southern part of the Kingdom of Knightley, under the direct control of the royal family. When he disappeared, the people present were Rune Adventurer's Guild Guildmaster Hugh McGrath and a four-member D-rank party. The Hero Roman and his party were present as well."
In response to the report, the Master tilted his head a little and asked.
"Not just Master McGrath, but the Hero Roman as well? That's an amazing lineup. I don't believe it happened by chance?"
"Yes. At that time, the Hero party was staying in the City of Rune and appeared in Kona village with Master McGrath."
"I see. It was near Kona village."
Then the Master looked at his coffee lovingly.
He was currently drinking that same Kona coffee.
Blue Mountain is good, but Kona is also good.
"Is it possible to extinguish Kalinikos with the Hero's sacred sword Astarte? Besides, Master McGrath's sword is, if I recall, the sacred sword Galahad. The sword that seals regeneration …. Either way, neither are ordinary opponents. It may have been too much for Kalinikos alone."
The Master muttered to himself without any change in expression.
"Yes, but the priest of the Hero party …"
The reporter paused for the first time.
"Hm? Now that you mention it, there was always a priest in the Hero party. Who is it now?"
"Yes, it is now Archbishop Graham."
The reporter clenched his back teeth out of vexation.
"Archbishop Graham? Well well, the Grand Inquisitor … that's another powerful name."
The Master smiled slightly.
But the smile expressed a hint of sadness.
It wasn't the wrath that Count Haskil Kalinikos had against Graham, nor the vexation that the reporter had clenched his back teeth, but just sadness.
"Graham … a pitiful guy …"
The Master's words did not reach anyone and disappeared into the air.
-x-X-x-
Weapons generally require maintenance.
It is necessary regardless of whether it is a weapon from modern Earth or a type of sword on Phi.
Of course, whether you're an adventurer or a knight, you'll take care of your weapon yourself.
However, it is normal to have an acquainted blacksmith perform proper maintenance once a month or once every two months.
There are many such blacksmiths in Rune, the largest city on the outskirts.
The craftsman's district, including those blacksmith workshops, was located near the west gate.
Sera and Ryo entered the front of one of those blacksmith's workshop, Master Doran's shop.
"Good afternoon, Master~"
As she opened the door and entered, Sera called to the back of the store.
"Oh, wait a minute."
A deep male voice replied from the back of the store.
In just a few seconds, a stout but short bearded man about fifty years old emerged from the back of the store.
(Similar to Bellrock from the Hero Party! A classic dwarven smith in another world! I wonder if there is conflict between elves and dwarves … or will he be a stubborn dwarf and kick us out of the store … shouting 'I don't have any weapons to sell to the likes of you!' and start a squabble…)
Ryo was brimming with excitement from strange expectations.
"Oh, Miss Sera? Is it the day for your sword maintenance once again?"
"Yeah. Thank you as usual."
Sera then placed her sword on the desk with its scabbard.
"Sure. And this Magician is …"
Doran looked at Ryo, who was secretly excited, and asked.
"Oh, this is Ryo. My chaperon."
"Ch-chaperon … Well, I run a blacksmith's workshop, so there's only metal armor, and I don't sell any Magician wands … wait, he doesn't even have a wand?"
Master Doran commented as he looked at Ryo from top to bottom to make sure he was empty-handed.
Typically Magicians carry a wand.
It is said that the required magical power differs by 10 times and the magic manifestation effect also differs by 10 times depending on whether or not a wand is used.
Therefore, Magicians and wands were considered as one package.
"Yes, it's my principle to not carry a wand …"
Ryo answered while nodding.
"I see … well, there are all kinds of people."
"It's because Ryo is good at close combat too. A sword serves him better than a wand. His skill with the sword is on par with me."
Sera spoke proudly as though she was praising herself.
Upon hearing that, Master Doran opened his eyes.
"Seriously … Hmm? Now that I recall, I've heard about it in the mansion. There is an adventurer who does mock combat every day with Miss Sera …"
"That's Ryo here."
Sera smiled and nodded deeply.
Ryo tilted his head and asked.
"Mansion?"
"Oh, Master Doran also belongs to the development workshop of Margrave Rune. Anyway, he's a good blacksmith. The Lord doesn't neglect such talented people."
"Shush."
Master Doran replied with his face bright red.
A good person.
He was not the stubborn master that Ryo initially expected, not a stubborn dwarf, and was even extremely friendly with Sera, an elf …
"In any case, pass your sword to me. It will be ready by the afternoon. So, the Magician … Ryo? Would Ryo need my help to perform maintenance on your sword?"
"Now that you mention it, I've never seen Ryo's sword …"
Master Doran looked at Ryo and asked.
Sera also looked toward Ryo and tilted her head.
Although they were having mock battles every day, Ryo used the blunt-edge swords provided at the training ground.
"I probably don't need it. After all, my weapons are …"
Then Ryo took out Murasame and Michael's knife and placed them on the desk.
"These …"
Master Doran was speechless when he saw Murasame on his desk.
After a while, he started muttering something.
"… No, but, this is … is it? It can only be that … but … I can't believe I can lay my eyes on it in this lifetime …"
Despite Master Doran's reaction, Sera simply exclaimed.
"The Fairy King's Sword?! Your robe and this sword, Ryo is truly loved by the Fairy King!"
She happily said with a smile.
Master Doran nodded upon hearing that.
"Right. I suspected it is the Fairy King's sword … I've only heard about it through rumors. I wasn't confident."
"Ryo, the sword has a blade, right? Please show us."
Sera begged with a look of pure excitement.
"Of course."
Not one to deny such a request, Ryo raised Murasame and formed the ice blade.
"Oh ~. It is beautiful …"
Seeing the shining blue ice blade, Sera was half-enchanted.
Seeing Sera's expression, Ryo was half-enchanted too.
Master Doran groaned as he looked at the two of them and Murasame.
Then, Master Doran's eyes shifted to the desk.
Michael's knife was placed there.
Master Doran took one look and was stunned … he completely froze.
However, neither Ryo nor Sera were aware of the anomaly.
Ryo erased Murasame's blade and slotted it back onto his waist, and also sheathed Michael's knife on the desk in a natural motion.
"Ooh, you showed me something good. Alright, Ryo, let's have lunch around the west gate today. Master Doran, I'll leave the maintenance to you, thank you!"
"…"
Master Doran was still shocked stiff but the two left the workshop without noticing it.
Two voices could be heard from the outside.
"After the chaos in the Royal Capital, it seems that a restaurant selling something delicious called 'Hamburg' opened near the west gate."
"Hamburg? No way, hamburg steak …?"
"I'm not too sure, but let's go. I believe it is right next to the workshop …"
-x-X-x-
It's been a month since Ryo and the Southern Army returned to the City of Rune.
Ryo's life is fairly regular.
In the morning, as the sun rises, he gets up, stretches, and does practice swings.
After having breakfast, he does some alchemy and magic all morning, and has lunch at a shop near the east gate around 'Houshoku-tei'.
In the afternoon, he has mock combat with Sera at the Knights Training Ground and occasionally visits the library and Gecko's merchant company.
He has dinner on his way home, returns home before it is late to take a bath, and goes to bed.
Two main forces disturb Ryo's regular life.
One is his former roommates, Room 10.
The other is B-rank … no, Abel, who earned points on the expedition to the Inbury Duchy, had finally become A-rank.
As a result, Abel's 'Crimson Sword' party became an A-rank party.
By the way, as the Kingdom had only one A-rank party based in the Royal Capital, Crimson Sword became the second A-rank party in active duty.
Ryo attended Abel's promotion ceremony at the Rune Adventurer's Guild with the members of Room 10.
Niels was moved to tears.
Etho comforted him.
Amon resolved to be in his place someday.
All three of them had different reactions.
Ryo?
Ryo folded his arms and nodded many times.
For some reason, it felt as though he was a parent feeling pleased his son had grown up.
'Abel was raised by me.' … Maybe he thought so in his heart.
Although Abel probably didn't have a sliver of such thought.
A Swordsman visited Ryo's house in the morning a few days after the promotion ceremony.
"Am I too early …?"
When he took out his pocket watch to check, it was still 8 o'clock in the morning.
He was probably awake, but Abel hesitated in front of the house.
At that moment, the side door to the right opened and a person exited from inside.
"Hmm? Abel? You're early."
It was the Elf who instructs the Rune Knights in swordsmanship …
"Oh … Sera, good morning …"
"Right, congratulations on your promotion to A-rank. The Lord was especially pleased."
"Ah… thank you."
"See you then, I'm in a hurry."
Sera said and coiled wind around her before disappearing.
It wasn't until after a while that Abel realized she was moving at high speed with wind magic.
The moment Abel regained himself, Ryo stepped out of the entrance where Sera exited.
"I thought I could hear someone, so it was Abel? This is rare, so early in the morning."
"Y-yeah … No, well, I didn't mean to …"
Abel replied incoherently for some reason.
"What? If you have something to say, you should just say it clearly?"
"Well, I met Sera who came out just now …"
"You met her so?"
"Did she stay overnight?"
Abel turned bright red as he asked. Perhaps he wasn't accustomed in that field?
Even though he was an adult in his mid-twenties.
"Hah …"
Ryo sighed and went into the house without answering.
"H-hey, wait."
Abel also entered the house in a hurry.
There was a nice scent of food inside.
But there was no food on the desk and instead dozens of paper bundles.
He saw Margrave Rune's seal on the paper on the top of the pile.
"Sera brought me that bundle of paper. At the same time, we also ate together. Today, it seems that the Knights will have an unannounced monster combat training, and her role as swordsmanship instructor will be evaluated, so she came to tell me that she can't do our usual mock combat in the afternoon."
Ryo said as he skillfully ground coffee beans with a mill.
The mill was made by Gecko's merchant company and has been his recent favorite because it could ground much better compared to using an alchemy mortar.
"I-I see …"
Knowing that Sera hadn't stayed overnight, Abel's bright red face returned to normal.
"So what is this bundle of paper? Can I see it?"
"Ah, you might not understand even if you took a look at it? It's related to alchemy."
"Hey, don't belittle me. Sure, I can't use alchemy, but my knowledge … knowledge … knowledge …"
Abel answered while reading the bundle of paper he had in his hand, but his words became softer and softer.
That was because he could hardly understand what was written.
The words that he could barely read were 'Baron Kenneth Hayward' and 'Vaedra'.
Meanwhile, Ryo poured the finished coffee into an ice cup and placed it in front of Abel and himself.
"That's information about the Inbury Duchy's magical weapon."
"Magical weapon? That green light that shot from the spire!"
It seemed that Abel also remembered it. From the top of the cliff at the bottleneck, the Southern Army watched the entire event unfold.
"Yes, that. Anyway, it's apparently a copy, and the original is in the alchemy workshop of the Kingdom, in other words, Vaedra was made by Kenneth …"
"Oh, I knew it. But why is it in the Inbury Duchy … No way …"
"It looks like the technology was stolen. Of course, it wasn't by Kenneth. Kenneth isn't that stupid. It's suspected to have leaked from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has jurisdiction over the alchemy workshop. The sequence of events is documented in that report."
Ryo took a sip of Kona coffee and was satisfied with the taste.
The gap between what he was saying and his facial expression was quite a thing.
"Why can Ryo see such a report in the first place?"
"The golem deflected that fake Vaedra attack, right? I sent a report to the Lord's mansion about the principle of deflection. Of course, I asked him to make a 'request' through the guild. In return, I asked for information on that 'green light' and that was delivered."
That shock wave is based on the same principle as that of the snapping shrimp that knocked Ryo out in the sea.
Ryo understood a considerable part from the memory of that humiliation.
"You said something about miniature thunder …"
Abel recalled only fragments of the words Ryo used to explain.
At that time, he said 'I see' but he didn't understand after all.
"Abel … it's okay, you have your sword. Even if you can't do anything else, it's okay because you have a sword."
"Yeah, Ryo, you're definitely making fun of me."
Ryo, who was pointed out, said with a frightened expression.
"How could you tell …"
"Someday I will definitely make you cry!"
"Right, I have a question that I would like to ask an A-rank Swordsman."
"I'm surprised you can say that after making fun of me …"
Ryo deliberately slapped his hand and tried to say it in a bright tone. In contrast, Abel replied, glaring at Ryo with his eyes.
"Abel, as humans, it is important to be able to adapt."
"Who do you think is at fault!"
"Of course, it's Abel's fault. Don't they say that everything depends on the way you look at things? It all depends on Abel's frame of mind."
"Yes, yes, I'm going to do that now. So? What's the question?"
Abel gave up on various retorts and urged Ryo to ask his question.
"Actually, it's about fighting, but I heard that Combat Arts can only be learned by people who can't use magic."
Upon hearing Ryo's question, one of Abel's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"That's an unusual question. Who said that?"
"Sera and Phelps."
Sera from 'Wind' and Phelps from 'White Brigade'.
Both are B-rank adventurers who represent the City of Rune.
"It is probably true."
"Probably?"
"Yeah. In the first place, a person with a physical-based job has to be quite strong before they can acquire Combat Arts. Therefore, there is not much information. In fact, Combat Arts only appeared a hundred years ago. We talked about that before?"
"Yes. When I had my arm cut off."
They talked about it when Ryo had his arm cut off by Leonor on their way back from the royal capital to Rune.
"I take my hat off to you for having the courage to talk about that experience with a laugh."
Abel shook his head.
And continued.
"After that, I was a little intrigued and did a lot of research, and it seems that Combat Arts spread from the west."
"West?"
To the west of the Kingdom is the 'Western Forest', where Elves live. Further west, the mountains rise, and people do not come and go.
"Ah, I can imagine what Ryo is thinking. The Elves are probably not involved. For example, Sera wields such exquisite skill with the sword, but she doesn't have any Combat Arts."
"Hmm … that's a mystery."
The mystery deepened.
-x-X-x-
Court Magic Group -> Court Magician Order
Chapter 0187 Grand Master
-x-X-x-
That day, a carriage bearing the emblem of the Adventurers' Guild, with a sword and staff crossed in front of a shield, pulled up in front of Rune Adventurers' Guild.
A man of about 180 centimeters in height and stocky build alighted from the carriage. His hair and beard were white and long, and he held in his hand a staff longer than his own height.
One could tell he was a magician at first glance.
But there was more to him than that. It was the feeling of intimidation he was exuding.
The moment the man opened the door and entered the guild, the atmosphere inside the guild changed.
Most of the adventurers and staff there had no idea who the man was.
Even so, they were made to feel the man's unusual degree of intimidation, whether they wanted to or not.
The man did not pay any heed to the stares of the adventurers as he made his way to the front counter.
Behind the counter was Nina, the receptionist.
Nina stood up as soon as the man entered the guild. This was because she knew who the man was.
When the man arrived in front of her, Nina bowed deeply and said.
"Grand Master."
Those words, by no means loud, reached the ears of everyone present in the guild.
But even after the words reached their ears along with its meaning, they remained silent.
Silence filled the atmosphere, brewing some intense feeling of excitement underneath.
They wanted to scream in astonishment. They wanted to so badly but…no one dared to so much as sneeze.
Only one person opened his mouth. The same man who was called Grand Master.
"Please take me to Master McGrath."
"Of course, sir."
Nina answered and led Grand Master Finley Forsythe to the back.
It was not long after they had disappeared into the back that sound returned to the guild.
"Grand Master…"
"Master McGrath, my apologies for the abruptness."
"No, not at all, please, come in."
Hugh gestured, somewhat awkwardly, towards the executive chair, and sat himself on the reception chair.
Finley was the higher-ranking person in terms of position.
As soon as they were seated, Grand Master Finley cut in.
Elsie's back from Twilight Land. She seems to have had a lot of success and is holed up in her lab again…"
Elsie is the daughter of Grand Master Finley and the woman who was once proposed to marry Hugh.
"I didn't realize Elsie was a member of the Court Magician Order. As I recall, she was transferred to the Magic University while maintaining her membership. She's really brilliant."
Hugh tried his best to keep his emotions out of the conversation while playing catch-up.
His back was dripping in cold sweat.
"She seems to be immersing herself in work to cover up the pain from her broken heart."
"Ugh."
Hugh was the one who turned down the marriage proposal with Elsie.
What's more, Elsie, who was a famous beautiful girl in the capital, was crazy about Hugh, and her father, Finley, was also very excited about the marriage proposal.
However, Hugh turned her down and…Elsie became heartbroken. That was three years ago.
"It's fine, I am not blaming you or anything. If Elsie finds someone she wants to marry in the future, she can consider marriage then. A woman marrying solely for the sake of fulfilling her obligations to her house…those times are steadily fading away. The Forsythe family name is not so great that it must be left to future generations at all costs."
Grand Master Finley Forsythe is a noble with the rank of Count.
It was of course possible for his only daughter, Elsie, to succeed the family as a Countess, but this was not what Elsie herself wanted.
He didn't know why. Finley did not particularly want to know.
It was no exaggeration to say that Finley, who lost his wife early in life, had raised Elsie by himself. As such, He wanted Elsie to be able to do as she pleased with her future, including her home.
"Anyway, I'm here because the City of Rune is the only place I can turn to."
"And from the looks of it, it's not something you could discuss via 『Transmission』?"
In the office of the Rune Adventurers' Guild Master, there is an alchemical tool that can connect to the Royal Castle and the Adventurers' Guild in the Royal Capital.
But it is severely lacking in terms of security.
"Yeah. As a matter of fact, the A-rank party 'Five Dragons' that operate in the Royal Capital have gone missing."
"What…?"
The other day, Abel was promoted to A-rank, and 'Crimson Sword' became an A-rank party.
The rank of the highest-ranked member of a party is used as the party rank, so Warren, Rihya, and Rin are still B-rank adventurers, but only one person, Abel, has been promoted to A-rank, making 'Crimson Sword' an A-rank party.
However, in the other A-rank party in the Kingdom, 'Five Dragons', all five members are A-rank adventurers.
This is not only because all five are highly capable, but also because they have accumulated a long list of accomplishments.
Four of the five were in their early thirties, and only the priest must have been approaching the age of forty.
As adventurers, this party had reached their prime.
Yet, they've gone missing.
"Is this information accurate? I mean, I believe the leader of the Five Dragons has a reputation for being a loose cannon…"
Hugh pointed out, and Finley nodded with a frown.
"You're right. Swordsman San…is certainly a bit irresponsible with time and other matters. But because Henning, the priest, is so dependable, the party had yet to run into any problems. So far. But this time, there was no contact."
Finley sighed deeply once before continuing.
"It's also linked with the matter of Elsie I mentioned earlier. Actually, it seems that Elsie made connections with influential people when she went to Twilight Land for research. So, as a result of negotiations with the top figures, they decided to accept foreign students from the Kingdom Magic University. In addition, they are going to send a delegation to Twilight Land to see if it is possible to establish an embassy there."
"Twilight Land is the young country to the southwest of the Kingdom, right?"
Hugh said, contemplating the outline of the Kingdom and the countries it borders.
"Yes. However, it is very secluded, that even though it borders the Kingdom, talks of setting up an embassy have been put on the table and gone out the window repeatedly. Well, although it's a closed country, merchants come and go, and adventurers come to the Kingdom quite often. Just that, there has not been much interaction between the governments."
"Hmm? Wait a minute, was 'Five Dragons' supposed to be part of that delegation?"
"That's what I've been trying to say. As long as Priest Henning is with them, it's impossible for them to be late for a deadline involving the country…so it's strange that they didn't show up."
With a bitter expression, Finley sipped the cold tea that had been offered to him that he had yet to touch.
"And it's quite troubling that this happened on their way to Count Gothar's territory who happened to be their client this time."
"Count Gothar's territory? The northern region…. the border…bordering the Empire."
Having said that much, Hugh frowned, as did Finley.
"You think the Empire is somehow involved."
"I can't rule out the possibility."
When it comes to A-rank adventurers, their combat prowess is extraordinary.
They can even go toe to toe with most monsters….
And it's no exaggeration to say that they are the best of the human race when it comes to interpersonal combat.
But…
"Yeah, but if say, the Explosive Blaze Magician…Oscar Ruska gets involved…"
"That would be tricky, indeed."
It is said that he burned a thousand of the Kingdom's troops to death with a single strike.
It is said that he disposed of a wyvern with a single strike.
It is said that he annihilated a city holed up by rebels with a single strike.
He was one such extraordinary Magician.
Even an A-rank party, a group of extraordinary people themselves, are not guaranteed to win with him as their opponent.
"Grand Master, so your trip here, could it be…"
"Yeah. The newly-promoted A-rank party in Rune, 'Crimson Sword', I want them to search for the 'Five Dragons' whom we have lost contact with."
-x-X-x-
Hugh's face turned sour when he heard Grand Master Finley Forsythe's request.
The look on his face would have been best described as 'agony', in one word.
"That look on your face suggests some troubling circumstances that are holding you back."
Finley asked, judging from Hugh's expression.
"Yeah…"
But Hugh only replied and did not continue with the rest of his explanation.
After pondering various things for a while, he finally opened his mouth.
"Perhaps you should also be made aware of it, Grand Master. About Abel's true identity."
"Abel's…true identity?"
Normally, words like 'true identity', are not used when describing an adventurer or explaining a situation.
"Yeah. Abel's real name is Albert Besford Knightley. He is the second son of His Majesty the King."
"Mmm."
Sure enough, this was something Finley had not expected.
Indeed, in the past few years, there had been no word of the second prince Albert.
Therefore, it was said that he was probably being trained in the Knight Order of some powerful lord.
To think that, in fact, he had become an adventurer and had even risen all the way to A-rank….
In the Adventurers Guild, adventurers who rises to C-rank or higher are not favored by their status or origin for their attainments.
Of course, they are judged on their character and insight, but once a certain level is attained, rank advancement is based entirely on the content of the request, the level of contribution to the guild, the number of requests completed, and their success rate.
For this reason, even the Grand Master was unaware of Abel's origins, even with him as an A-rank adventurer.
In a way, this may prove that the Adventurers Guild's screening mechanism is very fair.
That being said….
"I wish you had made me, the Grand Master, privy of this knowledge beforehand…"
Finley frowned even more than before.
"You're right, sir. My apologies."
Hugh scratched his head and apologized.
"Now, this changes quite a lot of things. First off, we can't send Abel to the border of the Empire to search for the 'Five Dragons'."
The Kingdom of Knightley has a crown prince.
He is very popular among the people, not only in the castle, but also because of the policies he has accomplished so far.
He possesses outstanding character and insight.
If nothing happens, he would be a great monarch in time to come.
Yes, if nothing happens….
"I hear that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not feeling well more often these days."
Finley muttered in a whisper.
Since his youth, the Crown Prince had been in poor health.
The two princes were on good terms, and it was said that the Kingdom would eventually be run with the Crown Prince in charge of politics and the second prince Albert leading the military.
For this reason, Albert was said to be gaining experience in various Knight Orders.
However, the Crown Prince's health has been deteriorating considerably.
If something should happen, Albert would be next…in the line of succession to the throne.
It would indeed be a bad idea to send Albert, or rather, adventurer Abel, out into harm's way.
Not only Hugh but also Finley came to the same conclusion.
"Let's have someone else search for the Five Dragons. Mostly C-rank adventurers, but call on as many B-rank adventurers as possible."
"Yes, sir. I think that would be better."
Finley concluded, and Hugh nodded.
"Fact remains…we have to do something about the delegation. I have already submitted the personnel selection for the mission to Land. The bureaucrats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs don't want any problems before we send them out, and they are adamant that we can't make changes to the personnel."
"Right…if we make personnel changes at the last minute, it will only incur groundless suspicion from the other country."
"Exactly. So I don't see any other move here. Sending Abel to the borders of the Empire is a problem, but sending him to Land shouldn't be right? We have no governmental ties with the country, but we do have contacts at the civil and merchant levels. Can we have him go there on behalf of the 'Five Dragons'?"
"Oh sure. I don't see why not."
Hugh nodded in reply to Finley's suggestion.
It was way much better than randomly looking for a missing A-rank party near the Empire border.
"Good. So, the two people who will join the mission are a Swordsman and a Magician. The Swordsman is Abel and the Magician is Rin, I believe. The delegation will depart from the royal capital in ten days, so please send them to the royal capital before then."
Hearing Finley's suggestion, Hugh frowned again.
"What? Is that going to be a problem as well?"
Of course, Finley was taken aback. Wondering if the newly formed A-rank party was already teeming with problems.
"Yeah…. But not because of Abel and his party…. The thing is, Director Ilarion has just arrived and is conducting an investigation into the magic spells from the Majin and Vampire incident. And Rin was made his assistant, and together made off to Kona village…"
"Oh… Director Ilarion…"
So Finley covered his face with his left hand.
Ilarion Baraha. The Kingdom's Chief Court Magician. He stands at the pinnacle of the Kingdom's mages.
And as far as magic is concerned, no one can make Ilarion change his mind.
Not even the King.
Finley, the Grand Master based in the royal capital, knew this very well.
In other words.
"I guess Rin can't join the delegation."
Finley sighed grandly as he said this.
"Is there anyone else who is no less capable than Rin here…I guess not. If such genius were to conveniently exist, we wouldn't be struggling so."
"True…"
The sighs of the two men echoed through the office.
The sighs echoing through the room was a rare sight…but that just shows how deep their anguish was.
After twenty seconds of silence.
Hugh, with a determined look, suggested to Finley.
"There's one Magician who's just made C-rank, but not inferior to Abel."
"What? At this point, even C-rank or whatever is fine. But the question is, this mage, how is his compatibility with Abel? Can he get along with him just fine on this mission?"
Finley took the bait.
During the 20 seconds of silence, he kept thinking about how he was going to explain to the bureaucrats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and no matter what he came up with, he could see nothing but the bleak future that awaited him….
"Oh you don't have to worry about that. Abel sees him as a friend, and even owed his life to him. He is very good in combat, and he has no character defects either."
"Oh, that's just perfect! So, why the dark expression…"
In contrast to Finley's joyful expression, Hugh's expression remained dark as he explained, and he wondered about it.
"It's hard to get that guy to take on a request."
"Oh…right, you come across them from time to time, adventurers like that."
Finley could probably think of similar adventurers from his own experience. He nodded gravely three times.
"He has more money than he can use in a lifetime. And he's not at all concerned about raising his adventurer rank."
"That's tricky. Can't you think of something to bait him?"
"That's exactly what I've been thinking about for a while, but I…keep coming up blank…"
Hugh shook his head repeatedly.
Most normal adventurers would usually get on board if they were promised a reward or something.
But….
"By the way, what's the name of this mage?"
"His name is Ryo."
"Well, it would be best to lure Ryo with something that he would be hard-pressed to turn down…. Okay then…when did you last meet this Ryo fellow?"
"Huh? Um, well…we were together on the expedition to the Inbury Duchy, that was the last time I…. Ah, speaking of which, there was something he seemed to want very badly at that time."
"What! ? What was it? What was it that he wanted?"
Finley took the bait again.
But Hugh's expression remained gloomy.
Because he knew he can't get it anyway.
"It's the Union's golem. He wanted it so badly even if it was broken…. He was very, very eager to take it home with him…"
"Ah, umm… that's a tough one…"
But of course, even a Grand Master can't get his hands on the new weapon of another country.
"Ryo is apparently addicted to alchemy. There is a famous alchemist in the royal capital…um, Baron Kenneth Hayward. Yeah, he seems to be close to him as well…"
"Wait, hold on! "
Finley interrupted Hugh's attempt to continue by raising his hand.
"Did you say alchemy? Baron Hayward?"
"Yeah, I did."
After Hugh's confirmation, Finley brought his hand to his chin and began to ponder about something.
After a full minute, he broke off.
"This could work."
-x-X-x-
That day, Ryo had been struggling with water jets since morning.
It was not an offensive water jet, but a type of water jet that shoots out from the body to aid in mobility.
Ryo named it 'Water Jet Thruster' for convenience.
Because that's more or less what it looks like.
The testing ground was his courtyard.
The yard is 400 meters long and 400 meters wide, and can easily fit three soccer fields.
The whole place was now covered with 'water'.
A makeshift pool per se.
However, it was not a pool dug out of the ground, but a pool built 'above' ground.
Seen from outside the courtyard, it was a bizarre sight, with a five-meter wall of water rising all the way up.
Of course, Ryo prepared it in case the flight experiment of the 'Water Jet Thruster' failed.
It truly is exactly, what one would expect of a Water-Attribute Magician!
Ryo was already soaking wet.
Of course, he could also choose to control the wetness and dry up in an instant.
And he had done so in the beginning, but…it had become a hassle, and now he no longer bothered.
The sight of it while hearing him utter sounds like 'byuu~n' and 'zabaa~n' would make one think if he was probably just playing by himself jumping into the pool….
But then, it would have been okay.
The fun part cannot be left out after all.
One learns best when they're having fun!
Getting all worked up and doing the same thing with a grim face won't necessarily get you anywhere…whatsoever.
A carriage bearing the Adventurers Guild crest came to Ryo, and from inside, a fierce-looking man with a frown got out.
He was frowning when he got out, but his expression changed to one of blank amazement when he saw the towering wall of water in front of him.
"Oh, Mr. Hugh! "
Jumping up in his 'Water Jet Thruster' for the hundredth time, Ryo saw that a carriage had arrived and Guildmaster Hugh McGrath had alighted from inside.
Instantly, Ryo extinguished the giant pool and descended in front of Hugh.
"It's very unusual for you to visit my house."
Exactly, when there is something to do, Ryo is summoned to the guild.
"Well, come on in. I'll make you some coffee."
"S-Sure…"
Having said all he had to say, Ryo went ahead toward his house, not even bothering to listen to Hugh's reply.
Using the Water Jet Thruster.
He still couldn't control it as well as Sera's Wind-Attribute Magic, but he could manage it quite well.
From a distance, Ryo might have appeared to be bouncing and hopping his way to the house.
Hugh came to his senses, got back into the carriage, and told the coachman to head towards Ryo's house.
After all, it was still a good four hundred meters away.
It would take more than five minutes to walk there…that's how large farmhouses are with their yards.
The carriage was waiting in front of the house, and Hugh politely entered through the double doors at the front of the house.
Which is right, on a normal day.
Those who have become accustomed to the house, such as 'Room 10', Abel, or Sera enter through the back door though.
There was a nice aroma of coffee wafting through the house.
"Mr. Hugh, over here."
Ryo's voice calling Hugh came from the far right side of the room, and Hugh headed that way.
There was a lounge suite, and in the corner of the table was a coffee press with ground coffee beans and hot water, and an hourglass.
The aroma of coffee was wafting from there.
But strangely enough, the coffee press appears to be made of ice.
"Right, makes sense, since Ryo is a Water-Attribute Magician."
Hugh muttered quietly, but then he realized the contradiction in his own words.
The container is made of ice…but it has hot water in it, and there is steam coming out of it.
"Isn't that odd?"
He went ahead and touched it without thinking, but it wasn't hot.
There's no mistaking the steam coming out, so the water must be hot, but the coffee press was not hot.
No, not only that…it's made of ice, but it's not cold either.
Then Ryo came over with two cups on a tray.
"Oh, please take a seat on the couch over there."
He said and placed the tray on the table.
The hourglass was just about run out, and Ryo pressed the plunger down.
The powder in the container sank to the bottom, leaving a clear layer of coffee.
Pouring it into a cup, the aroma of coffee spread further into the room.
"Mr. Hugh, here you go."
"Oh, uh, thanks."
Hugh took the cup, smelled the aroma for a moment, and then put it in his mouth.
The aroma of coffee spread from his mouth to his nostrils.
"Oh, so good."
Coffee brewed in an ice container.
Yet it didn't feel cold, and tasted as good as always.
No, it tasted even better than the coffee served back in the guild.
"This one just arrived from Mr. Goro, the magistrate of Kona Village. I heard that it was roasted by the best roaster in the village…. Even the roaster's skill changes the taste quite a bit."
Ryo explained happily as he sipped his Kona coffee.
Hugh gulped down his cup of coffee and cut to the chase.
"I've made the trip here for only one reason. I have a request I need you to take on, Ryo."
"Er well, Mr. Hugh, I'm very busy right now…"
"You mean busy playing with water, the one I saw you doing earlier?"
Ryo's eyes shifted as Hugh said that.
"Er, that was, uh, combat training using Water-Attribute Magic. Yeah, that's right, it's combat training."
Hugh said nothing.
He said nothing, but kept looking at Ryo's face.
"It may have looked like I was playing around, but it was a full-fledged combat drill."
Ryo was unable to bear it and continued.
Well, he started having fun along the way, and he was aware that, to those around him, it would have looked like he was fooling around.
Well, he had planned to have fun in the first place.
Of course, he knew there was nothing wrong with playing.
However, he was well aware that… it was a pretty weak reason to dismiss the request.
"Well…it's fine. Everyone has their own way of training, I guess."
Hugh gave in, and Ryo became relieved.
But…
"Still, I want you to take on the request."
"Ugh…"
Ryo's face turned sour as he looked at him.
It's a world of difference from his expression earlier when he was happily sipping his coffee.
"I'm sorry, but I can only turn to you for this."
"Why only me?"
To Ryo's knowledge, he can't think of any client who would make a request specifically to him.
An A or B-rank is understandable, but to a Magician who just made C-rank?
"In ten days, the kingdom will send a delegation to Twilight Land. Two adventurers are supposed to join them, but the adventurers who were originally scheduled have yet to return."
"It is not in the spirit of an adventurer to be late for a deadline, is it?"
For some reason, Ryo was condescendingly wagging his finger while clicking his tongue like, tsk tsk tsk.
A byproduct of having watched too many dramas perhaps.
"Right. Totally unbefitting of an A-rank adventurer."
"What, A-rank…"
Ryo was shaken by Hugh's words.
Talking about A-rank in the Kingdom….
"I see, Abel finally made a break for it huh…"
"Like hell he would. I'm talking about the A-rank party in the Royal Capital, 'Five Dragons'."
Hugh was about to bring the cup to his mouth when it occurred to him that it was already empty.
"Oh, my bad, here you go."
Ryo poured the coffee left in the coffee press into Hugh's cup and poured the rest into his cup.
"Thanks. So, Abel is going instead of 'Five Dragons', but the adventurers communicated to Land are a Swordsman and a Magician. So we need another Magician to fill that slot."
"Sounds like you should be talking to Rin, no?"
Ryo tilted his head as he voiced out the obvious.
"Normally, yeah. But right now, Rin is assisting Sir Ilarion and she's on her way to Kona Village…"
"Oh, Mr. Ilarion…"
Ryo had no direct acquaintance with Ilarion.
However, he had heard rumors of Ilarion's obsession with magic, mainly from Rin and Abel.
And that when it comes to magic, he would be unyielding.
The fact that Ilarion went to Kona village meant that it was about the Majin and Vampire incident, and naturally, he would most definitely be absorbed in investigating the magic of the Majin.
Meaning, Rin would not be able to come back for a while.
"Poor Rin…"
"Yeah…"
Ryo said, and Hugh agreed.
"Anyway, that's how your name came up, Ryo, as a Magician worthy of pairing with Abel."
"I see…"
A Magician worthy of pairing with Abel…that assessment wasn't unjustified.
(Just a little more push.)
Hugh was encouraging himself inwardly.
"Of course, the compensation will be one of A-rank. It should be quite a lot because of the duration of time you'll be away. Besides, since this is a national delegation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to make provisions for escorts, so Ryo and Abel won't have to take up any escort tasks. As guests, you will also be transported in horse-drawn carriages."
"That's cool."
When adventurers take on requests, transportation is usually on foot.
Ryo, too, was no stranger to this…the only exception was the request of His Highness Prince Willy of the Kingdom of Ju.
(Now for the final push.)
Hugh was all fired up in his mind.
"Also, the Grand Master of the Royal Capital has prepared a special reward for you, Ryo."
"Grand Master? Oh, the father of Mr. Hugh's ex-fiancée."
"Y-Yeah. That's the one…. Um, anyway. The reward is the right to observe the Union golem that was captured."
The impact that that word had was quite dramatic.
"What do you mean!?"
Ryo sprung up literally, his face practically coming to stop within inches of Hugh's at a speed Hugh could not follow.
Such rapid movement that not even a former A-rank Swordsman could track….
"T-Too close, your face is too close. Uh, so here's the gist, after the last expedition to the Inbury Duchy, the Kingdom's intelligence unit or something like that recovered a broken Union golem from the battlefield. And now, they are investigating it at the Royal Alchemy Workshop, and he's going to give you the privilege to observe it. I mean, you were pretty interested in that golem, right?"
"Wonderful! In that case, let's set off for the royal capital immediately. Come on!"
Ryo said and was about to leave the house with nothing in hand.
"Hold your horses! The guild will provide the carriage that will bring you to the capital, so you and Abel will ride in it. Be at the guild by eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow…that's too long."
Ryo was dejected, his hands and knees on the ground in a pose of despair.
"Come on now, you're going to be out of town for a long time okay, don't you have someone or things to straighten out?"
As Hugh spoke some sense to him, Ryo looked up.
"You're right. I need to inform Sera, and also ask the contractor to look after the house while I'm gone."
"T-That's it…? Wow, in a way, you're the very embodiment of a true adventurer."
Basically, Ryo holes up at home without taking requests, which means, less chances of creating unnecessary bonds.
At that time, the thought of contacting Room 10 guys came to his mind briefly, but…
(They'll probably hear it from the guild.)
Basically, it was a typical Ryo.
-x-X-x-
The next day, the guild carriage carrying Ryo and Abel left the City of Rune at 8:00 in the morning.
Ryo carried his usual bag, Abel a similar bag, and the two of them didn't have much luggage.
They hardly needed any time to prepare for the trip in the first place.
"Ryo…you seem calm."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Abel looked at Ryo who was sitting nonchalantly as usual and voiced his thoughts, and Ryo, not understanding what he meant, asked in turn.
"Nothing, just that, guildmaster told me to try and calm you down, Ryo, because you were kinda feeling restless."
"Hmm. I'm not quite sure what you're referring to. But, there is this saying in my hometown. 'Haste makes waste', or 'More haste, less speed'. Nothing good will come out of me being in a hurry."
Ryo said, nodding with a smirk.
"I see. You're exactly right."
Abel was relieved, nodding slowly.
Ryo decided to ask Abel about something that occurred to him.
"Abel, about the send-off just now in front of the guild…"
"Yeah?"
"The three members of the 'Crimson Sword' didn't show up, did they?"
"Yeah…I guess."
"Could it be that you're being mistreated by them, Abel?"
"The hell?"
Ryo asked very cautiously while turning his pitying gaze on Abel, as if he were looking at something extremely pitiful. Naturally, Abel lashed out.
"I mean, how can a party leader go off on a long-term job all alone and no one comes to see him off…?"
"Well, if you're talking about that, what about you, Ryo, I didn't see anyone from 'Room 10' come to see you off, did I?"
"Because I didn't tell them. In the first place, I am not a member of Room 10."
"I-I see…. No, then what about Sera, she didn't show up either! "
"It's the same for Sera, she's from the solo party 'Wind'… Besides, she came to my house this morning."
Ryo's face was portraying the perfect expression for "Hmph". Abel was extremely pissed off.
However, he did not yell at him. He was indeed a mature man.
"The thing is…"
"I get it! You were finally expelled from the 'Crimson Sword' huh! It's okay, don't worry about it."
"For fuck sake! "
In the end, Abel yelled at him.
"The thing is, Ilarion is in Kona Village right now…"
"Oh, right, he took Rin with him. Which was why they sought me out…"
"Exactly. And both Warren and Rihya went with them."
"Eh…"
"Think about it, did you see any one of them at my A-rank ceremony the other day?"
"Come to think of it…"
Abel seemed lonely in Ryo's eyes.
No, perhaps…he looked as if he was being tormented by a sense of hopelessness.
No one from the party with whom he had shared so much pain and suffering came to the ceremony for his promotion to A-rank… from Ryo's point of view, that was a terrible situation to imagine.
"The time is out of joint."
Ryo said in a low voice.
"What?"
"The prince of a certain country uttered these words when the world he had believed in was broken and he was in a hopeless situation. I just thought it seems rather fitting for Abel, who pretends to be a prince."
"What do you mean pretend…wait a minute, you mean you still don't believe me?"
"Of course! 'The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!' he exclaimed!"
Ryo reenacted the scene from Hamlet in the carriage.
"O-okay…"
"Now, you say it. 'The time is out of joint'."
"What?"
"The time is out of joint."
"T-The time is out of joint."
Abel repeated after Ryo, forced by Ryo's assertiveness.
"That's right. You can recite it when you are in a desperate situation. You have my permission to use it."
"Ah, yeah, thank you…?"
And thus emerged a new fan of Shakespeare, albeit in another world….
"Abel…there is something strange about this carriage."
"Hm? What is it this time?"
"Wait, what do you mean by 'this time'…you make it sound like I'm always saying strange things."
Ryo shrugged his shoulders and gave him a look that said, sheesh, what's he on about.
"Like you don't?"
Abel sighed and shook his head.
"Well, I'll pretend not to hear the nonsense you just said. I forgive you."
"What do you mean nonsense!"
"Anyway, there's something definitely strange about this carriage."
"Really? It seems to be on the right path to the royal capital, though."
"Yeah, it's on the right path, but in case you haven't noticed, it has been running at top speed since."
A horse-drawn carriage, in order to travel a long distance, usually runs quite slowly.
However, the guild carriage that Ryo and company were riding in was quite fast.
It seemed that the speed was about the same as riding in a car on modern earth…that is, more than forty kilometers per hour.
"Well, maybe not quite at top speed, but it's pretty fast for a carriage. And it's all because of you, Ryo."
"Me?"
Ryo tilted his head and asked back.
"You wanted to get to the alchemy workshop as soon as possible, right?"
"Of course. Since the date and time of departure from the royal capital have been fixed, the time I can spend in the alchemy workshop is very short! I can't afford to waste even a second."
"There you have it. I heard that Guilmas, with the permission of the Grand Master of the royal capital, has made arrangements with the Adventurers' Guild along the way to replace our horses with fresh ones so that we can get to the royal capital as quickly as possible."
"Aww…. Mr. Hugh is so thoughtful!"
Ryo thanked Hugh in the carriage.
"I heard that the trip, which would normally take nearly a week, will only take two days with this…. Like, talk about reckless."
Abel said in astonishment.
Ryo, on the other hand, was just full of appreciation.
But then a question popped up.
In most otherworldly or fantasy stories, the ride in a speeding carriage is a nightmare.
This is not surprising since there is no suspension system and the tires are made of wood or iron, not rubber.
However, the carriage he's riding in now wasn't as bad as those tales described.
"Abel, the ride isn't as uncomfortable, isn't it?"
"Of course it isn't. The guild carriages can travel at such high speeds because they are equipped with a magical, or rather alchemical, shock-absorbing mechanism. I'm not too familiar with the details myself."
"Alchemy! And magic…I see, that could definitely work."
That's right, there's no need for the carriage suspensions invented in the 17th century on Earth in this world.
Because there is magic!
Because there is alchemy!
This is fantasy!
"Oh, by the way, I have been hearing some rumors floating around lately about a new kind of carriage that's comfortable to ride in, even without the use of alchemy."
"Ohh. Technology is advancing at a remarkable rate, isn't it?"
"Some blacksmith made it…what was his name again…he was originally a famous weapons smith, I believe. Oh, yes, Kalashnikov."
"Kalashnikov…"
What came to Ryo's mind was, of course, Kalashnikov, the designer of the 'AK-47', the 'world's most widely used military rifle' on modern Earth.
The AK-47 is the assault rifle that is seen in many movies, being used in conflict zones in the Middle East by rebel forces.
This automatic rifle was made in the former Soviet Union, sold all over the world, and adopted all over the world.
However, here in the Kingdom of Knightley, 'Kalashnikov' has become famous as a relatively inexpensive yet comfortable carriage workshop.
For this reason, the following conversation is said to be frequently exchanged among lower-class nobles and merchants these days.
"What carriage have you been riding in lately?"
"A Kalashnikov."
The group arrived at the royal capital in two days as planned.
"We are staying at Count Rune's residence, Ryo. Be sure to show up."
The carriage entered the royal capital and went straight to the Royal Alchemy Workshop.
Ryo got off there and was about to enter the alchemy workshop.
Abel then called out to him, but…it's anyone's guess whether Ryo heard him.
"Dammit…. I guess I'll just have to come and pick him up the night before our departure."
Abel sighed and asked the carriage to take him to Count Rune's mansion.
-x-X-x-
"Kenneth! Is Kenneth here~!"
At the entrance of the Royal Alchemy Workshop, a robed magician-looking guy was calling out.
After several shouts, there was finally a response from the inside.
"Ah, yes, yes, just a moment please."
And the person who came out…wasn't Kenneth
The robed magician-looking guy, in other words, Ryo, was discouraged, but he happened to be a familiar face.
It was Radden, Baron Kenneth Hayward's subordinate.
"Hm? Is that you, Mr. Ryo? It's been a while."
Ryo had been in this alchemy workshop at the time of the chaos in the royal capital, and had taken Kenneth and his men out and evacuated them to the frontier Count Rune's residence.
At that time, he remembered evacuating the man in front of him, Radden, with them.
"No, wait…why are you at the front door? Weren't there guards at the gate when you entered the compound?"
Radden wondered why Ryo was suddenly in front of the entrance.
There was no notice from the guards as well …
"It's okay. They didn't notice for some reason! "
Ryo, who seemed distracted, nodded and answered.
"Uh…"
Radden wasn't sure how to respond to that.
While he was wondering what to say, Ryo continued.
"Radden, I'm here to see Kenneth. He is supposed to be investigating something."
"What…"
Then, Radden freaked out.
He became overly alarmed as to why the magician in front of him knew information that should have been confidential.
He had saved him during the royal capital mayhem, and he hadn't forgotten the debt of gratitude, but that and this were two entirely different matters.
The Alchemy Workshop can be said to be an organization that is highly sensitive to matters concerning information leaks.
This is because it has a history of being an organization under the direct control of the royal family and has manufactured alchemical tools requested by the royal family in considerable numbers.
In particular, Kenneth, the chief, was very careful about information leakage.
And why it was very unfortunate when the information on 'Vaedra' got leaked from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which had jurisdiction over the matter.
"Oh, don't be so alarmed. I have been given authorization from the Grand Master of the Adventurers' Guild in the royal capital to come to observe 'it'. You can seek confirmation, I'm sure everything will become clear to you…"
"I understand. Well, for now, you can wait at the reception…"
"No, I'll be good anywhere near 'it'. I think it would be best to confirm with Kenneth in person, don't you think?"
That was, of course, far from the proper procedure, but with the pressure Ryo was putting on him, Radden could not resist.
"Well, then, come with me…and please, do not wander off anywhere. Follow me…"
"Yeah, I understand, let's get going."
Ryo just kept smiling.
Radden, however, had learned that day that …'there is nothing scarier than a smile'.
Ryo followed with a smile on his face.
Of course, he had told him to follow him, which was exactly what he was doing, but…Radden was half in tears.
The Royal Alchemy Workshop is a big place.
The campus is large, and so are the buildings.
But that wasn't the case with the number of people working there.
Excluding clerical work, the number of alchemists is only about ten.
However, for that reason, being an 'alchemist of the Royal Alchemy Workshop' means that one is recognized as one of the top-class alchemists in the Kingdom.
Currently, the alchemists are led by Baron Kenneth Hayward, who, at the age of just 22, was known as a genius alchemist.
He was in one of the largest rooms in the alchemy workshop, called the 'analysis room', where various equipment was placed.
It was a vast space, not only in terms of area but also in terms of height, with the ceiling more than 20 meters high.
A single unit of the golem in question was placed at the center of the room, with various lines extending from it.
Kenneth, who had been working feverishly, finally took a breather as he removed the glove he had on his left hand the entire time.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Kenneth looked at the knocked door as he placed the glove on the workbench beside him.
Entering the room was his subordinate, Radden, and a Water-Attribute Magician he hadn't seen in a while.
"Mr. Ryo, long time no see."
"Hello, Kenneth. Y-You must have received word of my visit, I believe…"
Ryo still had a smile on his face, but was distractedly looking at the golem sitting in the center of the room.
Seeing that, Kenneth said while laughing.
"Yeah, we received clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs for your visit. Still, it's amazing, the connections you've made to get the authorization to observe this."
"In exchange for accepting a request to go to Twilight Land a week from now, I was allowed to see this. Anyway, that aside…"
Saying that, Ryo kept looking at the golem the entire time…moving closer little by little, and finally, he touched it.
Of course, nothing happened when he touched it.
But he was able to touch the golem that he had been longing for ever since he saw it on the battlefield back in the Inbury Duchy.
Ryo was overcome with emotion.
While Ryo was touching the golem back and forth, Radden, who had stepped out earlier, brought coffee for Kenneth and Ryo.
"Mr. Ryo, would you like a cup of coffee? The golem is not going anywhere."
"Umm, yeah, I know it's not going anywhere, but…I don't have much time…"
"A week, was it? Actually, I just finished my analysis for the time being. I have to compare some data, but in the meantime, that is, for a week, you can look at it however you like, Mr. Ryo. Of course, you mustn't break anything, though."
Kenneth said with a smile on his face.
The moment those words reached Ryo, his head turned toward Kenneth in a heartbeat.
"Really??"
Kenneth's smile turned a little bitter as he answered.
"Yes, really."
After that, Ryo headed toward the coffee, repeating a series of little fist pump gestures like a tennis player.
With coffee in hand, Ryo's gaze remained fixed on the golem.
"Well, what do you have in mind, Ryo? Would you like to hear my findings after you have looked around on your own? Or you hear me out first and then go fiddle around with it?"
"Oh…actually, I'd have preferred to do that after observing it myself, but since my time is limited…I'd like to hear your findings first, Kenneth, if possible."
Ryo pondered for about two seconds before answering.
"I see. That certainly does sound better."
Kenneth nodded and said.
"First of all, this golem has six magic stones in its body."
"Six…. Even two alone linked together is…"
"That's right, just linking two together alone is extremely difficult."
Ryo muttered involuntarily, and Kenneth affirmed it.
It is common sense in alchemy that, 'one magic stone in one alchemy tool'.
If there are more than one magic stone, they will repel each other, or operate uncontrollably such as causing thermal runaway, rendering the alchemy tool useless.
Of course, a top-class alchemist can link two magic stones together, but it is only said to be possible, not easily realized.
"Although there are six magic stones, all six cores are not active at once."
Hearing this, Ryo felt a little relieved.
After all, he didn't think it possible to analyze a golem equipped with hexa-core parallel activation technology in a week.
Kenneth continued, pointing to the golem's chest.
"The larger wind-magic stone in the chest is the main core. This magic stone is active at all times. In addition, there is one on each arm, one on each leg, and one on the head. These are activated as needed."
"If the one on the chest is always active, then definitely dual-core is…"
"That's right. As far as I can decipher the magic formula, up to three cores can be activated in parallel."
"Three cores…"
Succeeding in dual-core coordination alone is already impressive, but three cores….
To put it bluntly, it's a level of alchemy that was incomprehensible to Ryo with his current knowledge.
"Whoever made this, is quite something…"
Ryo gave accolades to the creator in earnest.
"Yeah."
Kenneth nodded broadly and continued.
"There are only so many people who are capable of alchemy of this caliber, even in the Central Nations. And I became convinced when I saw the magic formula inside. It's Frank de Verde who created it."
"Frank de Verde?"
"Yeah. He's a genius alchemist who was the pride of the Knightley Magic University. He is the one I looked up to as my mentor."
Kenneth explained with a frown.
"Kenneth's mentor…. Must be quite, amazing."
Ryo's vocabulary was extremely limited. Because he's overwhelmed with so many things….
"Yeah, he is. He is a genius I can't even hold a candle to. Working with him, I created several alchemy tools. But two years ago, Frank suddenly disappeared. Until now, we have not been able to locate him…I guess he is in the Union, from what I can see."
Kenneth's expression was a mixture of sadness, loneliness, and some relief.
(It has four legs, but why only two magic stones for the legs?)
Such a question suddenly popped up on Ryo's mind, but before he could pose it, Kenneth asked first.
"You saw this golem fighting, didn't you, Ryo?"
"Yep. Its movement speed was not as fast as a human's, but its defense and penetrating ability were amazing."
Ryo's vocabulary had been subtly lacking since a while ago, but it couldn't be helped. That's his limit.
"Defense…was deflected, wasn't it?"
"What?"
Kenneth's words were partly inaudible to Ryo.
"It deflected Vaedra…"
"Oh, yeah…"
"Oh right, you don't know anything about Vaedra, do you, Ryo? Well, the clearance stated you are allowed to see Vaedra as well…"
Kenneth said, a little impatiently.
"Oh, I do know of Vaedra. Is it not that, green light…magic thing?"
The 'Vaedra' as the subject in the report from the frontier Count Rune, and the 'Vaedra' as the phenomenon that he had observed on the battlefield, and yet somehow, the two were somewhat unconnected in his mind as being the same.
"Yeah, that's the one. In terms of category, I heard that it is classified as a 'magic weapon'. But I had no idea it had been put to practical use in the Inbury Duchy…"
Kenneth's expression was filled with frustration.
It's no wonder. Something he had designed and would have manufactured if he had been given the green light, had somehow, already been made in another country.
"Kenneth, do you know where the leak came from…"
"Yeah, I was told. It leaked from the Ministry of Home Affairs."
Kenneth answered slightly shaking his head, more in disgust than indignation.
Even though the alchemy workshop was very strict about information leaks, if the breach came from the authorities, there's no preventing it then.
Of course, those who steal information also understood the weak link to breach.
By concentrating their efforts there, they could obtain information with less difficulty.
The means of doing so are much the same in any world, now and in the past.
It's either by cajoling or blackmail.
In other words, either with money or honeypot, or blackmail using family as hostage material.
The leak from the Ministry of Home Affairs this time was the former, and those involved were executed immediately, apparently because they were commoners.
Aristocracy, what a frightening society…
"I heard that it also deflected Vaedra in convergence mode… However, no matter how much I look into it, I can't figure out the principle behind it. The arms should only be able to produce fire-attribute magic or earth-attribute magic. Or perhaps the wind-attribute of the main core…either way, it doesn't possess a no attributes magic barrier system. So if Vaedra was deflected in that situation…sure, an earth barrier might be feasible, but from what I heard, that wasn't the case either…"
"Oh…. So that plasma was generated from a fire-attribute or wind-attribute magic huh?"
Ryo said casually, recalling the scene in his mind.
From Ryo's knowledge based on light novels, he had assumed that 'lightning' was a wind attribute, but considering that lightning is plasma, it is not necessarily from wind.
It's quite possible to generate plasma with fire-attribute magic too….
No, thinking about it, he's beginning to think that it's possible to generate plasma with water-attribute magic as well.
Back on Earth, he had also seen videos of aluminum cans being cut by water-based plasma….
But when Kenneth heard Ryo's mutterings, he got hooked.
"Ryo! Do you know what it is?!"
"Uh, well…I'm not sure I can explain it in detail precisely, but…. It's sort of a fire-attribute or wind-attribute magic that produces extremely hot…um, yeah, small lightning bolts, which causes a change in atmospheric density…making it harder for the impact to pass through."
"Um…?"
Kenneth didn't understand the explanation either.
If Kenneth of all people could not understand it, it was only natural that Abel and others were completely lost.
It was all Ryo's fault, it seemed.
"Okay listen, Vaedra is a weapon that transmits air vibrations with wind magic, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is! Wow, I'm surprised you could tell. Its greatest advantage is that there is no recoil to the body at all because of the propagation of air vibrations."
"So, the golem's defense mechanism can interfere with those air vibrations."
"Oh…that's what you meant…. The match-up couldn't be any worse."
Kenneth shook his head in understanding, then chuckled.
"Originally, the golems' arms may have been a mechanism to make it easier to break through by melting the walls and gates with their lightning, but then they applied it to defense. When I saw that, I wondered if perhaps the designer had envisioned intercepting Vaedra from the very beginning."
Ryo replied, recalling the scene on the battlefield where the golem had repelled the green light from Vaedra.
"I see. If Frank is the designer of the golem, it is possible. Because Frank was developing alchemy with us at this workshop right up until he disappeared."
Kenneth said with a slightly sad expression on his face.
Ryo finished his coffee and then asked Kenneth.
"Kenneth, there's something I've always wondered about."
"Hm? What is it?"
Kenneth was still slowly sipping his coffee.
"The magic formulas written for alchemy tools, always seem kind of…disjointed to me."
In extreme cases, it is not too much to say that alchemy tools consist of magic stones and magic formulas.
As an entry point to alchemy, there is potions creation and the like, but 'magic formulas' are seldom employed in those cases.
At the most, maybe creating potions using 'magic synthesis' on paper or cloth with a 'magic circle' drawn on it.
Or, generating a simple magical phenomenon by writing magic formulas from a book onto a magic stone…at best.
But when it comes to the stage of creating alchemy tools, the 'magic formula' is indispensable.
He found many examples of magic formulas in alchemy-related books he had purchased and in the alchemy-related books in the library and was able to comprehend them, but they were still far from being sufficient for Ryo, who ultimately aimed to engineer a golem.
So, he looked at the magic formulas written on various alchemy tools. He wanted to learn by observing them.
He looked at the black notebook of 'Hassan', the ones Kenneth had taught him here in the alchemy workshop before and after the mayhem in the royal capital, and the magic formulas written on the alchemy tools shown to him at the Gecko trading company and other places.
But while there were things in common, common parts, and similar syntax…stuff, there were also many things that were completely different.
Why is that?
"Oh, that's probably because magic formulas differ depending on who wrote them."
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, it's like, for every hundred people, there are a hundred different magic formulas."
"No kidding…"
Ryo was lost trying to keep up with his comprehension but somehow understood that he had been told something outrageous.
"An alchemist once said. He said, 'Writing a magic formula is equivalent to creating a language'."
There were several different languages on modern earth.
The Central Nations have relatively the same language system, as this seems to be the case on 'Phi'. At most, there are differences in dialects.
The eastern countries are said to have a completely different language system from the Central Nations.
Some languages are similar, but some are completely different…and magic formulas differ from person to person…?
"This is quite a problem."
"Even if you say so…"
Ryo expressed his feelings pressingly, and Kenneth, hearing this, replied with a wry smile.
"If it's just alchemy tools sold at merchant shops and the like, they may overlap since famous magic formulas can be found in the market, or in books, but…I'm guessing that's not what you're aiming for, is it, Ryo?"
"No. Because I want to build my own golem! "
"Right, I do remember you saying that…"
During the royal capital chaos, Kenneth had heard Ryo make mention of it.
Kenneth did not laugh when he heard of this grand objective.
On the contrary, he cheered him on.
"Now that Ryo has been granted access to all information about the golem, you can browse the information about artificial golems stored in this workshop."
"Oh, I can…"
Ryo's eyes lit up at Kenneth's words.
"It's a document that Frank left behind when he was still here, so it's like the basic technology that this golem is based on. During the chaos, Ryo didn't have the authority to view them, so I couldn't show them to you. I will show them to you later."
"Oh, Kenneth, thank you."
Ryo then held Kenneth's hands and looked as if he was about to cry.
"So, back to the magic formula, even though it's different for each person, it doesn't mean that it can be anything. So if you write something random, it won't manifest any magical phenomenon."
"Makes sense. You said it's like 'creating a language'…how is that?"
He tried to imagine creating a single language on modern earth…as it turned out, he couldn't.
"First, let's start by considering the difference between 'magic' and 'alchemy' that you normally perform, Ryo. Both are the same in terms of 'magical phenomena', such as generating earthen walls or producing water. Are you with me?"
"Yes."
Ryo nodded confidently in a student tone.
The mood was like that of a student taking a class in a subject in which he's proficient.
"Magic creates magical phenomena through 'sound' and alchemy through 'letters'. Magic involves chanting. That "sound" causes magical phenomena, but in the case of alchemy, it is said that the sequence of letters causes magical phenomena. Therefore, alchemists have to find the sequence of letters that cause magical phenomena."
"Wow…"
Ryo exclaimed.
That's a daunting task.
Repeating thousands and thousands of trial and error to find the sequence of letters that cause magical phenomena…?
As a person born and raised in Japan, 'the land of Kotodama*', the explanation that words cause magical phenomena was easy to understand. (TLN: The spiritual power of words)
The best example of how 'sound' could cause phenomena is in 'Norito' or ritual prayers.
When reading out loud, it's necessary to make absolutely no mistake….
Another example of 'letters' causing a phenomenon is the 'o-fuda' that seals various objects.
The strings of letters written on them have power….
For Ryo, who had grown amidst such culture, it was an easy explanation to understand.
Still…thousands and thousands of trial and error is….
After thinking that far, something else suddenly popped into Ryo's mind.
"Do you mind if I make use of the 'sequence of letters already found' or modify some of them?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Ryo asked, and Kenneth answered with a smile.
Student Ryo seemed to have found the answer the teacher was trying to convey.
That's right, one could use the 'sequence of letters' found in books, used in alchemy tools, or used by Kenneth and Frank.
At the very least, there is no copyright in alchemy!
He remembered Sera getting mad at him when he tried it with a book, but….
It's a common method for beginners in programming.
Duplicate the original program and change some necessary parts.
In the past, Ryo had been taught how to do that as well….
You never really know what's going to be useful and where.
Or you could just combine those of other people…or maybe not.
Because there are cases where they collide and cause malfunction…It wouldn't be easy, but at least Ryo finally took a step toward the future he had his sights on.