Spogliatine Glassate

"Since we’re on the subject, it’d be nice if we could adjust the brightness too. Something like levels one through five."

"It’s possible, but with my abilities, setting more than three trigger words is beyond me, mal-im-ni-da. Sob. The clearer and firmer the will embedded in a trigger word is, the stronger the mana resonance becomes."

"Uh... then what if we make it so the louder the trigger word is shouted, the brighter it gets? And the softer you say it, the dimmer it becomes."

"Oh... perhaps you graduated from a magic academy, mal-im-ni-da?"

They set about testing it at once. It took Sicoop a few minutes to cast the illumination spell.

"Now then, my lord, please say the trigger word."

The effects of scroll lamps and similar magical tools were generally activated by speaking a trigger word, consuming a small amount of mana from the person who uttered it.

"Me?"

"Yes. This is a historic moment, is it not? A streetlamp made from mana soil! Since you were the one who devised this mana soil, my lord, you should be the one to light the first flame."

Ho-yeong hesitated for a moment. It was his first time personally using a magical tool.

The Ancient Mana Stone I used when making Bakgyeokpo worked fine, but that was a rare item, and something even someone with zero mana could use. This one’s a little murky.

He worried, just in case, that his mana stat might be too low.

Damn it. I’ve looked at hundreds of other people’s stats, but I still don’t know my own. There wasn’t even a way for me to check it.

To view a person’s stats, he had to look them directly in the eyes.

Staring at my reflection in a mirror doesn’t make the status window appear, either.

Most intelligent races in this world possessed mana within their bodies, from goblins all the way to dragons.

Even people whose mana stat showed up as X usually had a baseline of one to three. In the game, Joren Tamer even had a scene where he tore open a scroll, so I doubt it’ll be a problem.

Of course, the amount of mana in one’s body varied widely from individual to individual, but for humanoid races, the setting was that using magical tools posed no major issue.

But in my case, I’m a possessed soul, so maybe it’s different?!

Still, every rule in the world had exceptions. There were cases where mana was lost after the fact. For example, once a priest was granted divine power, their mana could vanish entirely, reduced to zero.

What if I lost mana in exchange for gaining the ability to use Edification? What if I got hit with some bullshit balance patch like that? This stupid-ass system would absolutely do it.

He thought back on all the grueling quests he’d gone through.

Wait. The system? Come to think of it, I forgot the simplest answer. I can just ask Daliha.

As if she had been waiting for it, Daliha answered. A huge red X filled the screen.

Ho-yeong turned away, trembling with suppressed rage.

Forget it. Whatever. It’s not like it’ll be a big problem. I can just have someone else tear open the scroll for me.

He accepted his fate and took the orb.

"Activate."

Nothing happened to the mana-soil orb.

"Huh? What’s going on? There shouldn’t be any reason for the lord to spend mana. I’ll try it myself. Activate!"

White light spread out brightly.

"Good, it works."

"And yet, what could be the reason? You used the acceleration scroll yourself not long ago."

While Ho-yeong tried to think of an excuse, Sicoop suddenly brightened.

"Ah, perhaps it’s a resurrection aftereffect!"

He nodded as though it all made sense.

"I’ve heard of it, mal-im-ni-da. The second son? Or was it the third? Anyway, one mage from that house, when he died in a dungeon and came back to life, supposedly lost all his mana. I think there were a few like that in the compendium of famous mages too."

"Really? That’s unfortunate."

A moment of silence for whoever had become mana-poor.

Still, the existence of precedent was a relief to Ho-yeong.

Is this because Sicoop’s edification level is high? He’s just accepting it without making me explain it.

Seeing that the lamp made from mana soil worked perfectly, Sicoop grew even more excited.

"At any rate, since mana soil can be shaped however one likes, its usefulness ought to be immense, mal-im-ni-da. Unlike a mana stone, it should also be possible to spread it over a wide area."

"Speaking of spreading it, I just thought of something. What if we draw a magic circle with mana soil? That ought to cut both the preparation time and the mana cost way down."

Even without a mana stone, a magic circle could focus mana, but summoning one consumed a great deal of mana. That was because drawing scattered mana from the surrounding air into a single point required intense concentration, and maintaining it demanded sustained force.

"A magic circle?! Of course. Mana soil is, by its very nature, a substance in which mana has condensed, so if we use it as a medium, your idea is probably ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right, my lord. There’d be no need to draw a complicated formula, and the casting time would be drastically reduced!"

Sicoop had always struggled with magic-circle summoning because his natural mana capacity was too low.

"If it works, that would be revolutionary, wouldn’t it?! Let’s try it right now, mal-im-ni-da!"

He used his staff to gouge out a circular patch of ground, then filled the excavated space with mana soil. After that, he chanted some sort of incantation.

But nothing happened.

"Hmm? Did it not work?"

Ho-yeong tilted his head.

"No, it worked perfectly. The lord’s idea was right on the mark."

Sicoop grinned.

"My lord, please watch me carefully from here on. I’m going to step onto it."

"W-what? He’s gone?"

Startled, Ho-yeong’s eyes widened. Sicoop’s body had suddenly vanished.

"Teleportation?"

"I’m right here, mal-im-ni-da."

"Huh?!"

But he could still hear the voice.

"So this is... cloaking? No, did you cast an invisibility spell on yourself?"

"Yes. I merely cast the spell not on myself, but on this area."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Now then, let me extend my arm."

Only a hand jutted out into view; the rest of his arm remained invisible.

"Oh, that’s amazing."

"My lord called it an invisibility spell, but strictly speaking, it’s a little different. It’s closer to distorting the phase of the incident light waves through spatial light modulation."

"Could you translate that into words I can actually understand?"

"Ah, to put it simply, a targeted invisibility spell is difficult to use on a person. The visual nerves of the objectified person become invisible as well, you see. Even if other people can’t see him, he himself can’t see in front of him, mal-im-ni-da. So if one truly wants to cast invisibility on a person, the eyes must be made opaque, or-"

"Stop. Save that kind of thing for when a new mage soldier comes in. Just give me the core point, the core point."

Ho-yeong cut off what was about to become a lecture in magical theory at the right moment.

"In any case, the invisibility effect is applied only within the range containing the mana soil, that is, the range containing the magic circle, correct? While you remain inside that area, people ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠become invisible. Or, to follow your explanation, it makes the person within the magic circle invisible to those outside it?"

"Exactly. As expected, you are brilliant. And not just people, but objects as well."

Sicoop held out his staff and pulled it back in. The staff, too, appeared and disappeared in turn.

"Haha. What do you think? I call it the spatial-light-modulation magic circle, ultra-fast deployment type. Even the tower lord of the Mage Tower probably couldn’t deploy a magic circle this quickly."

"R-right. Incredible."

Instead of telling him that if the Mage Tower lord also had mana soil he’d probably be faster than this, Ho-yeong played along.

"Could you step out for a moment? I’d like to try it myself."

Ho-yeong stuck his arm in and pulled it back out, marveling at the effect.

"Oh, damn. That’s amazing. So this is the effect of a magic circle. It only triggers within a set area."

When he reached his arm from outside the magic circle into the interior, the concealed hand disappeared from sight. But once he stepped into the circle himself, his body became visible again.

"Could this invisibility effect be useful in defense too?"

He could have treated it like a joke, but as a lord, he immediately thought of defending his territory first. What would happen when the monsters experienced this invisibility effect? Of course, they might adapt, so he concluded it would be better to use it at key moments, tactically and only when it would yield the greatest advantage.

"It’s not invisibility, it’s spatial-light-modulation phase distortion, mal-im-ni-."

"Invisibility."

"Pardon?"

"Invisibility. By the way, do you know what Spogliatined Glassate is?"

The pastry better known by the name Nunneundine.

"Spogliatined Glassate? Is that a spell, mal-im-ni-da? I’ve never heard of it."

"Exactly. ‘Spatial-light-whatever’ sounds the same to me. So I’m calling it invisibility."

Ho-yeong settled it with finality.

"At any rate, this invisibility magic circle is a fine idea. Carry on with it!"

"Thank you! Since there’s plenty of mana soil, I’ll research it thoroughly."

"Even if there’s a mountain of mana soil, it’s useless without you. Meyril is still inexperienced. It’s hard to find a mage as versatile as you."

Right now, with talent in such short supply, especially mages, Sicoop’s help was indispensable.

"Thank you, my lord. Sob. I’m truly happy too. To have obtained such precious material... and, more than that, to be serving someone even more precious."

"I’m the one who should be thanking you. Even after your discharge, you’d be treated far better elsewhere, and yet you followed me all the way here."

Sicoop, who had always felt inferior because he could wield many kinds of magic but possessed so little mana, was deeply ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moved. Not only had Ho-yeong solved that problem, he had also recognized his value.

"I’ll make sure the capital hears of your achievements too. His Majesty will commend you as well."

"Truthfully, there’s not much merit to claim for myself, mal-im-ni-da. Isn’t all of this thanks to your insight, my lord? The invention of mana soil and the idea for the mana-soil magic circle are both your accomplishments."

As though to prove his words, status windows began appearing one after another.

"Could magic circles be used for territory development too, not just combat? There’s enough work to bury me and only so many hands to do it."

"We can make plenty of mana soil, so I’ll think of a few different uses, mal-im-ni-da. The mana spring’s extraction cycle may be ending soon too, so if we start shaping it in advance-"

"Shaping it?"

Something in Sicoop’s words made Ho-yeong think of something.

"Can’t we make golems out of it? Soil golems."

"Oh? Of course we can! If we make them out of mana soil, they’d be very powerful golems indeed. But we’d need a mana stone to serve as the core, mal-im-ni-da. Mana soil is too soft to function as a core, so we’d need something harder-"

"Wouldn’t a mana-soil orb work? It’s not as hard as a mana stone, but shouldn’t that be enough?"

"Ah, that would work!"

They were in the middle of an in-depth discussion about golems when...

"L-lord! There you are. We’ve been looking everywhere for you."

Duonoraong came running up, panting hard.

"Head butler, you should ride a mandragorani if you’re going to be moving around. But what happened? And who’s that?"

The unfamiliar soldier saluted.

"I am a messenger from the capital, sent to deliver a royal decree. I have come by teleportation under the order of His Majesty the King."

"Teleportation? W-what sort of royal command is it?"

Ho-yeong rubbed the spot on his head where Daisy had struck him hard.

"It is a sealed edict delivered only to the Border Count, so you must be the one to break the seal, Border Count. Please prepare yourself."

Though the situation was abrupt, Ho-yeong dropped to his knees and accepted the scroll.

When he pressed the count’s brooch to the sealed section, the scroll unfurled of its own accord and red letters appeared.

Ho-yeong’s eyes shook as if they might fly out of his skull.

"Now...?! What the hell is this?"

"This decree is also a teleportation scroll, so you may travel to the capital the moment you use it. Please follow me."

"W-wait a second. At least tell me what happened first-"

At that moment, several people came running up in a hurry.

"My lord! The dispatched guard Ullakim is presumed to have deserted during the night. Deputy commander, no, Guard Captain Lilian has already led the troops in pursuit."

"What? Desertion?! Pursuit?! Without even reporting it?!"

Ho-yeong was stunned by the guard’s report. It would have been wonderful if that had been the end of it.

"This is bad, terrible! Monsters are massing! Huge ones, too!"

Baunal, who had gone out hunting, came rushing back with the kind of news that hit like a bolt from a clear sky.

Hwaaap!

There wasn’t even time to recover from the shock before a message window opened in front of my eyes.