Opportunity
Opportunity
The moment I listened to the clerk and inspected the music box, I understood. That thing wasn't for training Mana—it was for training Magic Power.
Even then, if I hadn't heard the explanation from Mr. Balkun, I would've passed right by without a clue, but I could now tell with certainty that the components inside were made of the exact same Magic-Armament Alloy used in my sword.
I had no idea why such an item was in a place like this, but I was absolutely certain it would be of help to me, so I opened my wallet without hesitation. Just like that, I settled all the payments, slung the bag of purchased goods over my shoulder—my pockets considerably lighter in gold—and stepped out of the shop called a library when Asilie spoke up quietly.
"That's no ordinary music box, is it?"
"Nope. This isn't for Mana, it's for Magic Power."
"...Why would something like that be in there...?"
"That's what I'm wondering."
I didn't have the faintest clue why it was made, but the music box had definitely been sitting there as the only one, no spares. It looked like someone who produces goods for the library had made it personally—maybe they put it together as a prototype and then got booted out for wasting precious materials on a failed experiment.
When I opened the music box, the inside had no decoration whatsoever, just an unbelievably dense tangle of complex mechanical parts. You could say it was practically designed to scream 'this is nothing but a mechanical device,' but the music that flowed out of it was, independent of that, quite pleasant to the ear.
"The vibe feels kind of like a hymn."
"You think so?"
Hearing Asilie's description, I could sort of see it, but honestly I couldn't have cared less what the music sounded like. Even if it started blasting heavy metal on the spot, that wasn't what mattered. Unlike a wind-up music box, this one played smoothly through to the very end for nearly two full minutes, then fell silent.
Then, with a series of clicking and grinding sounds, the internal components worked busily until they returned to an arrangement similar to the state when I'd first opened it. It probably returned to the exact same configuration, but the thing was so dizzyingly complex I couldn't be sure.
"Definitely not a standard music box."
Asilie, who'd been watching the whole process beside me, delivered a neat assessment. I nodded in agreement, confirmed that the music box had come to a complete stop, and then channeled a trace amount of Magic Power into it. With just that, the music box played the piece at a speed far faster than the initial performance, and the instant I cut the Magic Power, it stopped dead with an abrupt halt, then started clicking and resetting to its initial arrangement.
And the moment it returned to the starting position, it naturally began playing again on its own, stopped automatically when it reached the part that had cut off, and then once again began resetting to the beginning.
"Damn, clever design."
So if the speed didn't match, you cut it quick and check the answer against the music that plays back for you? I'd already been worrying I'd have to keep opening and closing the lid over and over until I memorized the tune, but apparently the creator had the decency to show that much consideration. But more than gratitude or admiration for that thoughtful intent, an immediate question loomed larger.
"If what the clerk said is true, then a dwarf made this. So how did they figure out you could train Magic Power this way?"
They'd even handed over a small certificate proving it was a product manufactured by the Magic Library, so it was safe to assume there was no chance it was some random item scavenged from Demonfolk Territory.
But according to what Mr. Widra had told me, I was about the only human who could use Magic Power without issue. I asked Asilie whether this kind of training method was a common Mana training technique, but the response I got was skeptical.
"Hmm... I have absolutely no idea. And honestly, is something like that even necessary?"
I was starting to get curious about who in the hell had made this thing and what kind of conviction they'd had, but it wasn't urgent, so I decided to put off investigating that part for later.
"Well, it'll be good practice, so I guess it doesn't really matter."
Even as it stood, fine-tuning my Magic Power control was something I wanted to train but had a hard time doing. My body did whatever the hell I wanted anyway, normal equipment got wrecked in an instant, and while Mr. Balkun's sword was sturdy, actually cutting something to check the results inevitably left traces behind. Relying solely on my own senses, the standard for what counted as 'fine' was all over the place.
By comparison, the music box wasn't all that big, and its shape was close to a cube, so it wouldn't take up much space either. Stowing it in a pocket would be a stretch, but it'd be absolutely perfect to pack in my bag and practice with while traveling.
"Anyway, seems like I got the goods at a decent price too, so I'm pretty satisfied."
A tent, a Mana lantern, spare Mana cartridges, magic stones, and even blankets. Contrary to my assumption that they'd only sell magical supplies, they'd stocked quite a few related goods as well, which saved me the hassle of running around to different shops.
"For miscellaneous stuff like rope and tent stakes, we can just use what we already have, so that shouldn't be a problem... Should we head back, sort things out, buy provisions, and set out right away?"
"No one you need to say goodbye to beforehand?"
"Probably... I think I only need to stop by Ragnis's place? Wouldn't she want to at least pass on her regards to Madam Alisha?"
"Mm, you're right. Last time we visited with Esmue, we had to rush off after literally just a quick greeting."
Ah, this must be about that time we took a gate and ended up dropped in some godforsaken place. There was no particular reason to hesitate, so I decided we'd drop by Ragnis's manor first and then move on, but for once, a smoothly running plan hit a minor snag.
"The Margrave is currently absent."
Probably because I was constantly in and out of the manor, the guard flatly informed me that she'd been summoned by the royal court. We thanked him and, with regret lingering, had no choice but to head back to our own manor.
When we first came to the capital, it took about six days one-way, didn't it? If she's back in a week, I'm gonna get an earful.
"When she gets back, Ragnis is gonna have something to say about this, isn't she?"
"Glad we're thinking the same thing, but you look oddly amused, big sis? Any intention of protecting your poor little brother?"
"Of course. It's Eldi who's being bad because he can't make up his mind about the hearts of three women, isn't it?"
No rebuttal possible...!
◈
Nelbi, having narrowly overcome a crisis that nearly cost her mental well-being in exchange for a feast for the eyes, sprinted up to the third floor with a joyful heart, threw the door open, and shouted.
"Boss! Nelbi, outstanding employee of Seneran Magic Library, has done it!"
The person she called boss turned her head with a face full of irritation, adjusting her round glasses that seemed to take up half her face.
"How many times do I have to say I'm the library director before your earholes comprehend my words and correct that tongue of yours...?"
Her long brown hair, just roughly rolled up and tied out of the way, was a look you couldn't call tidy even as empty flattery. Even the clothes she wore were so baggy they looked less like they fit her frame and more like she'd just draped them on, a sorry sight. The dark circles that seemed ready to droop down to her cheeks and the corners of her eyes looking utterly exhausted announced to the world that she hadn't slept in three days.
And yet, within all that, her eyes hadn't lost their sharpness. They rolled busily, sweeping past the clutter scattered chaotically throughout the room to fix on Nelbi, who was dashing toward her with a beaming face.
"Alright. What dead stock did you offload this time?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
"What else would make you that happy besides a bigger performance bonus? You may be a bit slow on the uptake, but since you earn the highest performance bonuses, if you're that ecstatic, it has to be dead stock."
Seneran occasionally had a hobby: she'd create items that looked unsellable to anyone, and once they predictably turned into dead stock, she'd slap a sort of bounty on them to ignite her employees' motivation to somehow sell them off.
Of course, in reality, no such hobby existed, and this was purely an assessment born from Nelbi's prejudice, but Nelbi didn't bother to voice her personal opinion on the matter. And Seneran didn't have even a grain of rice's worth of interest in what Nelbi thought of her, so the day that misunderstanding got cleared up remained far off in the distant future.
"The square music box! You said if that one sold, I could keep the entire profit! It just sold right now for one gold coin!"
"...Someone bought that?"
"Yep!"
"Who?"
"Uh... a really well-built, muscular young warrior?"
The best description she could muster was that pathetic. Seneran furrowed her brow and stared at her in disbelief, but Nelbi just grinned sheepishly.
"They bought it even after you properly explained it?"
"Yes. Actually, they looked it over dead serious before buying it, you know?"
Even if she sometimes pulled eccentric moves that seemed a bit lacking in sense, Nelbi was unmistakably a mage. The reason she deliberately referred to the buyer as a 'warrior' was self-evident.
She meant she hadn't sensed any Mana.
"...Go fetch what's in locker number 59."
It had been ages since she'd gotten her hopes up about anything, but there was no harm in checking. As Nelbi answered energetically, Seneran briefly removed her glasses and closed her eyes. Nelbi waded through heaps no different from piles of trash and eventually managed to dig out the contents of the locker Seneran mentioned, bringing them to her.
She'd worked here a long time, but this was the first time she'd seen this object. Nelbi gazed curiously at the sphere clutched in one hand as it flickered blue and asked.
"What is this thing, blinking and flashing like this?"
"It's flashing!?"
At the boss's reaction—the first of its kind she'd witnessed in four years of working at Seneran Magic Library—Nelbi's eyes went round.
The sight of the woman renowned as the Golden Mage, who'd left her mark on history, flinging her glasses aside in a frantic scramble to rush over, only to trip and go sprawling, was more than enough to warrant such a response.