Chapter 59

It seems there is a mysterious connection between His Grace and Tenrō.

As His Grace continued to persuade Tenrō persistently using ancient magic language, it was clear that Tenrō was gradually lowering his guard.

“Melfi, what exactly are you going to do?”

While I watched with bated breath, His Grace turned to me.

“Can we move to a different location? Ideally, I would like to draw a magic circle directly on a stone floor, similar to the one in the research building of Marshal Raid.”

His Grace thought for a moment before speaking to Tenrō again. His ancient magic language was so fluent that I couldn’t understand parts of it, but Tenrō had stopped growling and was now listening intently.

“Is it difficult to move? However, we don’t have time to hesitate. Melfiela, can you start the treatment now, even if it takes all night?”

“Yes, of course! The adjustment will only be at the beginning, and then I plan to use the device in the laboratory, drawing on the magic power extracted from Bergenion.”

“I see, the one from this morning, right?”

His Grace seemed to recall the magic circle and device on the third floor of the west wing. We are currently in the process of extracting the magic poison from Bergenion’s corpse, but adapting the existing setup will save time compared to building a new one.

“Chaos, I’ll leave the coordination to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

His Grace called Chaos, who had set up a protective magic circle in case of an emergency, and instructed him to assist with my preparations.

“I’ll stay by Tenrō’s side. You prepare everything Melfiela needs.”

“Understood. Lady Melfiela, please give me any instructions you need.”

Chaos bowed to me. Even in an emergency, I hadn’t expected to be in charge, but His Grace’s strong nod gave me the confidence to steel myself.

“Chaos. Can we lay down stone slabs or thin wooden boards here?”

“Stone slabs... I think we have some bricks for castle repairs in the warehouse.”

“I want to draw a magic circle that will completely envelop Tenrō’s body. Not a simple one, but a full-scale one.”

“Ah! The magic circle in Marshal Raid’s research building, right? Understood, I’ll prepare it immediately.”

I wondered if the dye I brought from Marshal Raid would be enough. I needed to use the best-quality cloudy crystal. While thinking about various things, I constructed the magic circle in my mind. Extracting magic power from a living magic beast was a first for me. Even a small extraction earlier met with considerable resistance. I wondered how far I could go with my current skills. I looked at the blood containing the magic poison on my palm.

“Chaos.”

“Yes?”

I showed Chaos the magic poison, which was still in a spherical shape. The dark mass of magic power looked ominous.

“First, do you have a bucket or some cloth to dispose of this?”

I hadn’t touched the magic poison for long periods before, but I was worried about any adverse effects on my body. Chaos, who blinked in surprise, hurriedly brought clean cloth and purification water.

◇

“Um, put this and this and this there, and this one by His Grace, and then—”

“Everyone, be careful not to break the contents. And don’t open them until Lady Melfiela gives the order. Your hands might fly off.”

We placed the materials transported from the research laboratory in the west wing at a distance from Tenrō. Captain Blanche, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, gave instructions to the knights. The boxes were sealed, so opening them would result in losing a hand. Incidentally, Tenrō’s cub was sleeping with a swollen belly. The keepers had taken care of the small pests, the Morsos, that had been ravaging the fields. The cub was nestled in a pile of soft hay, making small snoring sounds. The keepers had also prepared finely chopped Backhorn meat for the mother, who had no appetite, to be fed to her to prevent her from exhausting her strength.

A stone floor was to be laid in the middle of the vast courtyard for the weakened Tenrō. Summoned knights rolled large stone wheels to level the ground, and workers, presumably masons, laid flat stones more suitable than bricks. The work progressed quickly with the human wave tactic, and I was overwhelmed by the seamless laying of the stones, which would make it easier to draw the magic circle than in Marshal Raid’s research building.

“Lady Melfiela, is this the right concentration for the dye?”

The dye dissolved in purification water by the Galbreath mages was ready. There were three large pots, all containing dye. I checked it with my fingers. It was neither too thick nor too thin, just right.

“Thank you. This should be enough.”

“I’ll look for similar dyes as a backup. Let me know if you run out.”

The Galbreath mages, as expected, were perceptive, even about things I hadn’t mentioned. They were also interested in my research and actively helped with setting up the devices. I decided to mix a little of my blood into the dye. Using a sharp needle attached to a device, I pricked my left earlobe and endured the slight pain. The earlobe, being less painful, was ideal for drawing blood. Squeezing it, I collected the blood in the device. A mage who saw this brought me some ointment.

“Please use this.”

“Oh, thank you for your concern.”

When I thanked him, Captain Blanche, who was standing by, took the ointment.

“Lady, I’ll take care of the wound.”

The cool ointment was carefully applied to my earlobe by Captain Blanche. The bleeding had already stopped, so it didn’t seem necessary, but I appreciated the care. After the treatment, I dripped the blood into the dye and mixed it thoroughly. A young mage, looking hesitant, asked a question.

“Um... I understand that mixing blood improves the precision of the magic, but won’t that mean only Lady Melfiela can activate the magic circle?”

“Yes, that’s correct. However, my magic circle is constructed in ancient magic language, which has few users to begin with.”

“I see. That explains why the incantations sounded unfamiliar. I thought they were from a foreign language.”

The young mage chuckled, muttering, “I still have a lot to learn.” Ancient magic, unlike the refined magic of today, was cumbersome and fell out of use. I learned it from my mother and continued studying on my own after her passing. The mages at Marshal Raid had not studied ancient magic language, so I was surprised that His Grace could easily read my magic circle and was delighted to learn he could activate it as well.

“Let’s start. I’m worried about Tenrō’s condition. I’ll give you a sketch, so please help me.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Please set a stake in the center of the floor. Then, prepare five ropes of different colors. Um, is there anyone here who has drawn a magic circle before?”

When I asked, four mages stepped forward. They were likely interested in the unknown magic. They looked excited in front of my research materials.

“Please draw according to this sketch. The maximum size is a radius of three furlongs. I’ll handle the ancient magic language, so please take care of the other parts.”

Unlike symmetrical magic circles, my magic circle, with its various sizes of circles and lines, must have been difficult to draw. However, after giving initial instructions, the mages understood and quickly got the hang of it.

(I might use up most of the materials I brought. If Tenrō’s treatment goes well, I’ll need to have more sent from Marshal Raid.)

I held the large pot of dye and decided to finish the parts the mages had completed. Holding the brush and focusing, I wrote the ancient magic language while channeling a slight amount of magic. The blood mixed in the dye reacted to the magic, making the characters glow faintly.

(Still, this stone floor is excellent for absorbing magic. If this goes well, we might be able to start the treatment before dawn.)

Chaos had apparently prepared some incredibly expensive stone, not just bricks. Like Marshal Raid, which is known for its cloudy crystals, Galbreath also produces various materials. I suddenly wanted to visit a magic tool shop in Galbreath.

◇

“Amazing. I always thought magic circles were too time-consuming and disliked them, but to draw them so quickly...”

“And all in ancient magic language? It’s true that writing them consumes magic power...”

“I thought His Excellency was already bottomless, but Lady Melfiela is in the same league, isn’t she?”

The young mages seemed captivated by Lady Melfiela’s magic circle. Her red hair glowing, she was intensely focused on her work, a striking sight. Especially since ancient magic, which has been out of use for a long time, was being used.

No Galbreath mage had studied ancient magic. His Excellency, while still a prince, had learned it from the castle’s mages. Using the ancient magic language, said to be given by spirits, apparently increased the power of magic. However, it was also time-consuming and difficult to understand, which is why it fell out of use.

“Why don’t you all study under Lady Melfiela? She wants to share her research with everyone. Besides, His Excellency is also a user of ancient magic. I’m sure they would be happy to teach you.”

I was also considering learning from His Excellency and Lady Melfiela when things settled down. To establish monster meat consumption in Galbreath, it would be a burden if only Lady Melfiela knew the method. The unprecedented magic circle for extracting magic power from monsters apparently didn’t work well with current magic, so it was inevitable. Having more people to learn from would be better.

However, when I suggested it,

“No, no! Assistant Chaos, it’s way beyond our capabilities.”

“We don’t have that much magic power!”

“...Assistant Chaos also seems quite inhuman.”

They immediately declined. I wonder why?