Chapter 88

I came to the production guild. I was here to deliver the quota of alchemical potions.

While exchanging casual greetings with the guild members, Reifan came running out from the back.

"Craft! It's finished!"

"Whoa! Let me see!"

She held out several rings.

A few days after the orichalcum ingot was completed, I had asked Reifan to make these rings for me.

The materials used were the result of further alchemical transformations of the completed orichalcum.

I held up the specially made orichalcum rings, which had intricate designs, to the light.

"Great design, but since they're not just for decoration, did you really need to make them so elaborate?"

Reifan's eyes widened.

"Huh? Craft, you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"Decorations on magical tools, even a little bit, can enhance their power."

"Really!? Is that true!?"

"Yeah. I put a lot of effort into decorating the alchemical cauldron too. I thought it was just for show."

"Sorry. I didn't know."

I didn't know.

Now that I think about it, magical tools always seemed overly decorated.

"Wow. That's something you can't tell from an alchemist's emblem, huh?"

"Probably more in the realm of blacksmithing."

But that's right.

If the alchemical cauldron hadn't been more effective, we might have barely allowed the cockatrice to invade.

I can only be grateful to Reifan.

Nodding to show I understood, Reifan happily picked up one of the rings.

"This ring is for Craft."

The ring she handed me was larger than the others and had even more elaborate decorations. This meant it was more multifunctional.

The size increase was likely due to this.

"Shall we try it out then?"

"Sure!"

Reifan also took out her own ring, which should have been adjusted to fit the intended recipient.

As Reifan was putting on her ring, a new employee of the production guild approached with a stack of documents.

She was Plum Furtia, a new employee sent from another region to help with the shortage of staff.

She was a cute girl with a pretty face.

"Guild Master, is it okay to deliver these documents to the merchant guild as they are?"

After reading the documents handed to her, Reifan's expression relaxed.

"Sure, sure. Good job, Plum! You're getting used to it."

"Thank you!"

Praising Plum, Reifan's short stature made it look like a child and an older sister playing house.

"Craft, are you thinking something impolite?"

"Not at all!"

My thoughts were read!?

"Craft, you might not realize it, but your face shows it a lot."

"O...Okay."

I see, ...I'll be more careful.

While we were joking around, Plum's face inexplicably turned red.

Why?

"Um... So you two are in that kind of relationship, huh!"

"Huh? What kind of relationship?"

"Eh?"

What kind of relationship? The guild master and her subordinate?

"Ah! No, that's not it! Craft isn't like that!"

Reifan waved her hands frantically, denying it.

It seems she understood the implications.

"But you both have similar rings..."

"Rings?"

I didn't understand, but Plum seemed concerned about the rings.

"Ah, this ring is a new magical tool."

"Really? A magical tool?"

"Yeah. Actually, I'm about to test it, so you should watch."

"Oh, it's not an engagement ring. Just a rumor, I guess."

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Plum muttered something, but her voice was too low to hear.

"Never mind! What kind of effect does this magical tool have?"

Plum, who seemed flustered for some reason, but more curious, asked.

"Good question! This magical tool allows conversation over long distances!"

"Really!?"

"Let's call it the communication magical tool!"

"I don't fully understand, but it's amazing!"

Plum was very surprised.

Her honest reaction made me happy! That's the kind of expression I wanted to see!

I put on the ring with a proud expression.

"First, I'll infuse my ring, which serves as the base, with mana..."

The mana was absorbed into the ring, and the decorations began to glow with magical light.

Just like the alchemical cauldron.

I see, the magical glow of magical tools is also due to the special decorations. This is educational.

"As expected, it requires a lot of mana."

I knew that a lot of mana would be needed just to activate the magical tool, but actually using it made me realize it wasn't something to be used frequently.

"Seems like it's consuming a lot of mana, huh?"

Reifan peered at my ring.

She could probably predict the mana consumption from the glow of the decorations.

"Yeah. It's a good thing I made my ring the intermediary. If all the rings had the same performance, most of them wouldn't even activate due to mana deficiency."

To be precise, only Mr. Javial and I could use it.

And Eva might be able to use it. I think it's tough for her now, but if she works hard at the Golden Dawn, her mana should be sufficient.

"Thanks to that, the other rings have some limitations."

As Reifan looked at her ring, Plum asked curiously.

"Um, I'd like to try talking with the magical tool too!"

The communication magical tool can connect with multiple people, so her suggestion was welcome.

"I have rings prepared for the production guild, so it's perfect. Plum, learn how to use it."

"Okay! I understand!"

Reifan handed the ring for the production guild to Plum. It was a bit large, so it was loose on her finger.

But it should be fine for emergency communication with the production guild.

"I'll explain while we test it."

"Okay."

"Got it!"

I infused mana into the ring and focused.

"‘Spirit Resonance - Reifan’ ‘Spirit Resonance - Production Guild’"

The magical circuit in my ring activated, and a magic circle appeared on its surface.

Combined with the glowing decorations, it was quite flashy.

At the same time, Reifan's and Plum's rings began to glow faintly.

"Whoa!?"

"Uh? Uh!? I heard something in my head!"

It seems the first step was successful.

Using the properties of orichalcum, the spirits of the two were connected to mine.

However, they weren't fully connected yet; it was more like knocking on a door to see if they wanted to connect.

So, I needed them to open the door to their spirits.

"Alright. Both of you, just think ‘Spirit Resonance - Craft’"

"O-Okay! Spirit Resonance, Craft!"

"Actually, you don't need to say it out loud... But since it's my first time, I did too... Uh? Oh, oh!?"

Suddenly, a part of my consciousness connected with Plum's.

A blurry image appeared in the corner of my mind.

It was unclear, but a handsome man was there!!

...Sorry, that's me as Plum sees me.

Since she's not used to the ring, my expression is also blurry. Yes.

Anyway, the fact that her field of vision appeared in my mind means the spirit resonance was successful.

"Whoa!? Whoa!? My vision is doubled! ...No, it's more like another perspective is faintly appearing in my head..."

Plum was flustered.

For someone not used to magic, it might be confusing at first.

"How about the voice?"

"Uh? Now that you mention it..."

"Too close to tell. Wait a moment."

I moved to the underground storage.

There were piles of goods to be delivered to various merchant guilds.

If she was standing next to me, it would be hard to distinguish between the voice in her mind and the spoken words.

"Plum, can you hear me?"

"Whoa! Whoa! I can hear you! Craft, you're not hiding, right?"

I couldn't help but chuckle.

Plum's voice was clear, and I could faintly understand her field of vision, confirming that we were successfully resonating with each other.

She should be able to see my field of vision too.

"Plum, can you see what I'm seeing?"

"Y-Yes... I think it's a warehouse. I can see barrels and wooden crates."

"Got it. How about Reifan?"

Actually, I was also connected to Reifan's spirit. She must have activated her ring properly in her mind.

"Yeah, I can see and hear."

"Seems a bit low-key, doesn't it?"

I thought she would be more surprised...

"Not at all! I'm so shocked, I can't even speak!"

"Ah, I see. Pretty convenient, huh?"

I've always wanted a magical tool for long-distance communication.

"Craft... This is an incredible magical tool!?"

Reifan's voice seemed to tremble.

We could continue talking through spirit resonance, but the ring has been consuming a lot of mana, so a long conversation isn't possible.

"Sorry. I'm not used to it yet, and it consumes a lot of mana. I'll cut it off for now."

Spirit resonance was cut off.

With practice, I should be able to use mana more efficiently, but as it was my first time, I wasted a lot of mana.

When I returned to the others, Plum was excited.

"Craft! It's amazing! I've never seen a magical tool like this!"

"Great! You're surprised! It's pretty convenient, right!"

"Right! How far can you talk to someone?"

"Hmm. It depends on practice, but I think it can reach from one end of the kingdom to the other."

The exact range is hard to determine even with the ‘Appraisal’ spell.

We'll test it gradually.

It probably won't work in caves or dungeons that have been transformed into other dimensions.

"Craft? Can you explain it properly now? Can you?"

Reifan looked a bit scared, but since I explained the performance beforehand, I shouldn't get scolded.

...Right?

"Huh? I explained the performance, didn't I?"

"What I heard was just that it's a long-distance communication device! That's already incredible, but what was that! Not just voices, but you could see the scenery too!?"

"Huh? I didn't mention that?"

"I didn't hear that!"

Oh, right.

I only mentioned it was a communication device.

Yeah, I didn't say that.

Alright, let's cover it up.

"Um, orichalcum is a metal with interesting properties. It's a spirit resonance metal. When you refine the generated orichalcum, the pieces remain magically connected even when separated. This ring uses that property..."

"C-R-A-F-T?"

Ah, yes. This is a seiza position.

I sat on the floor, and Reifan shook her head with a wry smile.

"No, I'm not lecturing you."

"Huh?"

"I was just surprised by the unexpected performance, but it's an incredible magical tool!"

"Phew, don't scare me like that."

Lately, every time I create something new, I end up in seiza. It was a reflex...

"Yeah! Amazing, Craft! ...But next time, explain it properly!"

"Sure! I'll try!"

"That's not trying, it's a must!?"

Plum watched our usual banter with a somewhat detached look.

"Um, while you two are in your own world, can you explain how to use it more?"

Oops. She's upset because I interrupted the explanation.

"Sorry. This communication magical tool has a few limitations. First, I'm the only one who can initiate the conversation."

"You mean we can't call from our rings?"

Plum examined her ring closely.

"Right. I'll send my spirit to the targeted ring first. Then, you'll feel a connection like what Plum and Reifan experienced."

"That initial feeling of a voice in your head?"

Plum looked puzzled.

"Right. But at that point, it's not fully connected. Each recipient needs to clearly imagine ‘Spirit Resonance - Craft’ to fully connect."

"What if someone is busy and doesn't want to connect?"

"Just reject the resonance normally."

I sent spirit resonance to both of them again and had them reject it.

"...It didn't connect."

"Then it's working properly."

"This is so convenient! We should mass-produce it for the production guild!"

Plum was very excited, but that's not possible.

"No, it requires orichalcum and various materials to process it. I don't plan to make more for now."

"Aww."

Plum looked disappointed.

Reifan gave me a skeptical look.

"Craft, you already have over twenty rings..."

"That's for friends and acquaintances."

Including spares, but since I refined the ingot into spirit resonance orichalcum, it was a waste not to make them all at once.

"Is it okay to give them away...?"

"I'm giving them to Kyle, Reifan, Raidock, and others. It's fine."

I only plan to give the spirit resonance rings to people I trust.

I'll consult with Kyle about who to give them to.

I don't think he'll object.

"Alright, then."

Reifan still looked a bit unhappy.

"What's wrong, Reifan? Is there a problem?"

"How can you think there's no problem, Craft!?"

"Huh? Huh!?"

"You're mass-producing artifacts and giving them away! Think about it more!"

Hmm.

During the cockatrice incident, I struggled to contact Raidock, so I thought it was necessary to have them.

Also, I wanted to know the safety of certain people immediately in emergencies.

I created the communication magical tool considering past issues, but is there a problem?

"Oh!"

This must be the problem!

I realized a significant flaw in the spirit resonance rings.

"Finally got it?"

"Yeah! That was a blind spot!"

It was a structural flaw.

No wonder Reifan was concerned!

"Right, right. I'm glad you understand!"

"Ah!"

I nodded firmly.

"Getting a call during the toilet or bath is a bit inconvenient, right?"

Reifan's eyes widened.

Plum's eyes widened.

I had a smug look on my face.

An awkward silence followed.

Huh? Why?

"Craft! Seiza!!"

"Eeeeh!?"

In the end, I was made to sit in seiza, and Reifan, with her eyes in a triangle, lectured me about political considerations, military aspects, and the information revolution, and how it would affect the coordination of divided units.

My head spun with complex ideas, and my legs went numb. In the end, I concluded:

"Right. Just take off the ring when you go to the toilet or bath!"

"Understood!!"

Somehow, the seiza was extended for two hours.

I don't get it.

And so, we became connected through the communication magical tool.

Volume 2 of the novel is now available!

It's on June 30th!

This month!

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