Chapter 42

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm making a staff."

A staff?

Tetra was putting together something that looked like parts.

She was combining several discs, about the size of an adult's arm, onto a thin stick. The discs were adorned with geometric patterns, and a crystal was embedded at the tip.

"Can you show me?"

"Alright."

First, Tetra showed me her palm.

My hair gently fluttered.

It was a wind spell.

"High-level sorcerers like me can use magic without a magic circle. But..."

Tetra then took out a piece of paper with a magic circle drawn on it.

She showed it to me.

The geometric patterns glowed, and a stronger wind blew.

"Using a magic circle as a medium is more efficient. The magic power used is your own, so the magic circle can be used indefinitely."

I see...

I had been focusing on the fact that I could use magic without being a mage, but there are advantages like this too.

"But there's one problem. Magic circles are fixed, so you can only use the same type of magic with the same power. This makes combat impossible. Also, there's a limit to the amount of information a paper magic circle can hold."

That's true.

There's no flexibility.

The advantage of magic is being able to approach enemies in various ways.

If you can only use one type, it's not much different from throwing a spear.

It's not something you can carry multiple sheets of.

According to Tetra, the strength of magic depends on the size of the magic circle.

To produce enough power to hurt someone, you need a fairly large piece of paper.

That's not going to work at all.

"So, I engraved magic circles on circular wooden boards and combined them. Each one individually doesn't have any meaning, but when combined..."

Tetra showed me the completed staff.

The staff glowed, and a strong wind blew.

It had considerable power.

"Moreover, by rotating the discs, you can change the connections and create completely different spells."

Tetra rotated a few discs and pointed the staff upwards.

Flames burst out.

"But, how do you deal with the power issue?"

The discs are smaller than paper.

Even if you combine a few...

"It's not a problem," Tetra said confidently.

"Got it? Until now, we represented information in two dimensions—X-axis (horizontal) and Y-axis (vertical). But this includes the Z-axis (height). In other words, the amount of information that can be represented is cubed!"

...

When did you get so smart?

"By the way, what about that crystal?"

"It's part of a decoration I got from Rigar Dibel. I wasn't interested in decorations, so I took it apart. A high-quality crystal can transmit magic power with 99% efficiency without distorting the magic circuit. The main body of the magic circle is made of wood, so it would burn if used to produce fire. But with the crystal attached, it's fine. The crystal doesn't burn, and it looks cool."

I see...

I don't understand at all.

Anyway, Rigar.

I'm sorry. My wife took apart your gift.

"By the way, Almus, you seem troubled. What's wrong?"

"Balthro's daughter is going to be born, right? I'm wondering what to bring as a gift for the birth party."

When I asked Balthro, it seems that alcohol is generally the norm.

The host and guests drink the alcohol brought by the guests and get drunk.

I remember that at the wedding, various nobles brought alcohol.

The next best options are decorations, amulets, and high-end children's clothing.

"King Rosais suggested honey, but... you can't really prepare that much, can you?"

"True... Paper is... an odd gift. Maybe it's safer to go with alcohol or food?"

"But can I prepare something really delicious?"

The bread we make is delicious.

But bringing bread as a gift for a celebration... is that okay?

It's a staple food, and it might be better than what Balthro has prepared.

No, that's not good. It would be embarrassing.

The basic dishes and ingredients that Balthro will serve are off-limits.

So, it's probably best to go with alcohol...

"Have you thought of anything?"

"Yeah, I think I will make distilled alcohol."

The alcohol content of the alcohol in this world is very low.

Wine is basically just grape juice with a little alcohol.

It's more for hydration and to make the hard water of the Adelnia Peninsula more palatable.

At most, it's about 3%.

And the really strong stuff is about 5%, and the super strong stuff is about 10%.

By the way, this is based on my personal experience.

Distilled alcohol, with an alcohol content of about 40%, will definitely be a hit.

We have some wine left from King Verm and what we made in the previous village.

We can make enough distilled alcohol for the party.

It won't be aged, so the taste isn't guaranteed... but the wine in the Adelnia Peninsula isn't very good to begin with.

The taste can be compensated for by the high alcohol content.

People want to get drunk more than they want delicious alcohol.

Mixing it with grape juice will solve the problem.

Balthro's child will be born in June. It's May now.

So, we have about a month to prepare.

The method is simple.

We just need to replicate the distillation experiment of water and ethanol that we did in middle school.

The only problem is...

"Special equipment is needed..."

"That's a problem."

"No, it's fine. We can make it."

I can't make it, but we can use bronze vessels instead of flasks.

Maybe I should ask a blacksmith...

"Is it possible?"

"Hmm, it's quite difficult. It's not impossible, but... the swords and spears for taxes..."

"It's okay to delay it. Let's extend it by two months. Don't worry, I'll pay for the bronze flasks with wheat."

The blacksmiths looked a bit surprised.

"Will you buy them?"

"Yes. It's not a tax. I won't impose temporary taxes unless there's an emergency, like a war or a natural disaster."

Being bought instead of taxed will probably motivate them more.

Blacksmiths are valuable, so I won't pressure them.

We have enough reserves from what I received from King Rosais and what I bought from Balthro.

We can earn foreign currency with paper and honey.

The blacksmiths smiled and said they would deliver them, then left.

"Hey, Almus."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Is there enough equipment for the new recruits?"

"Not enough. But it will take time to complete the recruitment. I have enough for everyone, but no spares."

From the spoils of King Verm's army.

From King Verm's reserves.

Thanks to King Verm, we have plenty of weapons.

In the Adelnia Peninsula, soldiers generally bring their own weapons.

So, we only need to replace the really poor equipment.

"I want to at least provide bronze equipment. Wooden shields are too weak."

In the last battle, Gram's archers easily killed soldiers with wooden shields.

High-performance arrows can't be stopped by wooden shields.

"But I think leather armor is better."

"Bronze is too heavy... mobility is important in war."

Heavy infantry charges require a lot of stamina.

Leather is preferable.

Well, our enhanced physical abilities mean we can handle full bronze armor easily.

I wonder how effective my blessing is?

Yuria mentioned something about loyalty.

It's vague...

At least the people from King Verm's country weren't loyal to me.

The same goes for the new refugees.

When did my children (who are not children anymore) start being affected by my blessing?

I think it started affecting me when I protected Rozward.

The children at that time were normal.

So, it gradually changed between the ages of ten and fourteen.

So, it takes at least four years.

No, the people of the As region and those who are always with us are different.

Considering that...

It's no good. I shouldn't rely on the blessing.

It's still a subtle blessing...

But my physical abilities have improved since I was in the village.

So, the threshold for affecting others and myself is different, right?

And it's also a sign that the people of the As region are starting to be loyal to me...

"Almus? Are you still alive?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm alive. I was just thinking."

Thinking is pointless.

I can't figure it out.

The crystal was an accidental discovery.

Tetra just attached the crystal as a cool decoration, and it turned out to be a good result.