Chapter 4

As soon as she entered the technical department's office, Viela immediately got to work.

With the expedition season approaching, it was necessary to enchant the tools and equipment accordingly.

Viela took out the material used for the soles of shoes.

It was a thick fabric made from the sap of a special tree that had been dried, which she called "rubber sheets."

More water-resistant than leather, this material was used for the soles of shoes worn by knights and boundary division personnel working in wet forests, making it a high-end item in the country. The rubber sheets had already been grooved and shaped to fit the soles of shoes, ready to be attached to the leather.

Placing one set on the workbench, she took out a pen with a magic stone and channeled her magic power through it.

As the magic stone began to emit a bluish-white light, Viela started writing the magic formula on the sole, using her magic power as ink.

"Magic" is one of the miracles that can be activated by using magic power and a material as a catalyst.

Basically, it refers to enhancing the performance of an object by imbuing it with a magic formula infused with magic power.

While it is not impossible to directly convert magic power into water, fire, or wind, it is technically difficult and of questionable practicality, so no one uses it.

Primarily, magic is used to reinforce shields for better defense, or to apply anti-rust spells to swords to protect their sharpness, making it invaluable in support roles.

Incidentally, the effects of magic will not activate unless magic power is channeled into the object again.

Currently, the magic Viela is imbuing into the rubber sheets for the soles is "water-repellent."

While rubber is already more water-resistant than leather, it can still become heavy with mud in wetlands. If the mud-covered feet slip on rocky terrain, it could create a fatal gap when facing a monster.

To prevent this, she is imbuing the soles with a water-repellent spell to keep mud from sticking. When the wearer channels magic power while wearing the shoes, they become the ultimate non-slip footwear.

"Although it's been a while since I wrote the water-repellent magic formula, it feels good. The formula is properly set, so let's keep going."

She took a short breath and refocused on the next rubber sheet.

To imbue magic, she needs to write the magic formula directly onto each sole. This requires not only magic power and concentration but also considerable physical strength. If she makes a mistake, the material is usually discarded.

Viela, who is frugal, often feels it is a waste and undoes the spell to start over, which means wasting both magic power and time.

That is too wasteful. She didn't want to fail.

Knights and boundary division personnel are required to wear boots enchanted with magic. Since many people use them and they are consumable items, replacements are always needed, and there seems to be no end in sight.

She kept writing, writing, and writing, just continuing to write the text.

On the other hand, the boundary division, to which Clement belongs, also uses magic, but the method of enchantment is slightly different.

The main job of the boundary division is to imbue stone pillars with magic formulas that generate sound waves disliked by monsters—boundary spells. These stone pillars are installed all over the country, but it is difficult to station personnel in various locations to constantly supply magic power to the stone pillars. Unlike soles, the stone pillars need to automatically activate for about two years without the need for continuous magic power.

In this case, instead of writing the magic formula one character at a time with a pen, the magic power is channeled through the brain while visualizing the magic formula, and the empowered magic power is infused into the stone pillar using a specialized wand.

At the same time, other mages channel magic power for energy storage, which mixes with the magic formula to complete the boundary stone pillar.

The act of channeling magic power through the brain—direct imbuing—is a technique that requires advanced magic power manipulation and a thorough understanding of the magic formula's calculation. If performed by someone lacking in skill, the calculation can become disordered, causing the magic to malfunction and potentially leading to accidents.

Therefore, the opinions of the valuable boundary division personnel are often given more weight than those of the technical department.

Incidentally, what Viela is currently doing is called "descriptive imbuing."

"Since it's before the regular expedition to the regions, there are many orders. I want to imbue a spell to reduce sole wear, but if I do, I can't imbue the water-repellent spell... compressing and modifying the magic text... impossible. I wish someone would come up with a magic formula that can be double-imbued."

There is a way. By using the direct imbuing method, it is possible to create boundary stone pillars with both boundary effects and activation maintenance spells. However, it is not practical.

Viela has the ability to perform direct imbuing, but there are few others in the technical department who can do it. Moreover, direct imbuing is more wasteful of magic power than descriptive imbuing because it circulates in the brain, leading to more rapid exhaustion. The magic power would likely run out before the tool is completed.

"Phew, I'm tired. It's not over yet..."

It was still morning, but the fatigue was unbearable. The magic power consumption was low, but her shoulders were stiff.

"Good work. Please have some sweets. Sugar is good for fatigue."

"Still being overworked, huh? Here's a cheap energy drink from me."

"Thank you!"

The senior staff member of the technical department, who had arrived on time, placed some souvenirs on Viela's desk.

The work was tough, but she was well taken care of by her colleagues who understood her struggles.

After a quick break in the lounge to replenish her energy with sweets and an energy drink, she returned to her desk.

Then, a palace knight arrived at the technical department.

"Is Ms. Viela Yubert here?"

"Ah, that's me!"

"Your superior has a letter for you. Could you please check the contents now and give me a reply?"

When she was told this, she looked at the back of the envelope and saw that the sender was Lukas.

From the title "superior," he seemed to be a knight with a position. This increased his credibility.

As she read the contents, Viela's face relaxed.

"Parental consent has been obtained. I would like to discuss future plans. Would it be alright to visit your apartment after work tonight? Lukas Herring"

She had been worried about his parents' opposition to her joining the extremely poor viscount's family, but it seemed to have gone smoothly.

(This will reassure my parents. Although my allowance will stop when I resign from the technical department, it should be better than having no lord.)

She felt a great sense of relief.

She quickly wrote a brief reply, "Understood. I will be waiting," and handed it to the knight.

"Please, take care of it."

"I will deliver it immediately!"

The knight, burning with a sense of mission, left the workplace immediately.

After seeing him off, she realized she had forgotten to ask about Lukas's quitting time. If he was working overtime, he might have to wait outside her apartment.

Of course, she couldn't let that happen to her important future husband.

"I'll finish quickly... I'm getting serious."

She switched her pen to a specialized one for direct imbuing.

Then, she circulated magic power in her brain and began the imbuing process on the soles.