Chapter 124
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Vacation (2)
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─Youngest! Hey, youngest! Melt that magic stone right, you little punk!
─Tell the Hunter's Guild first! Say the prototype 「Corpse Devourer」 is out and we're giving it to them at 30% off—no, screw that, just send it! Send it over, and if they don't like it, they can send it back!
It had been quite a while since [Balmang Mananology] had been this lively, buzzing with preparations for mass-producing a new magic circuit.
"Who do you think it is? How the hell would I know?"
In the one workshop that was relatively quiet, Kanya spoke as she hung a framed contract on the wall. Gerkken picked up one of the already commercialized magic circuits.
「Corpse Devourer」
: Attribute-Type Magic Circuit :
: Balmang Mananology :
: Dale Kal :
It looked like a thin book. When opened, the very first page held a slip of paper implanted with the magic circuit, like a talisman, followed by three or four pages of instructions.
The instructions were "only" four pages long.
"Doesn't seem like someone from the proper circles, at least. If they'd gone through a formal education, they wouldn't have come to us with something like this in the first place. And they wouldn't have made it this simple to use. Look at the Mage Tower guys—they churn out complicated circuits every damn day."
This 「Corpse Devourer」 was simple enough for even ordinary people to use. You just stuck the magic circuit onto a hunk of flesh, placed a magic stone on top, ignited it, and done. It was practically instant rice or frozen chicken breast—a ready-made product.
It would be incredibly useful for hunters who'd always struggled with processing monster or beast carcasses.
Of course, it'd see plenty of illegal use too.
"Whether they had proper training or not. Who gives a damn about being a mage? If you can invent a circuit like this, that's what matters—no, that makes you a real mage."
Gerkken muttered lowly in response to Kanya's words.
"From the Mage Tower, maybe."
"Who knows. Could be a mage they kicked out. Either way, it's good luck for us."
Kanya waggled her eyebrows.
"And the production method's simple too. Means whoever made it understands every step of crafting magic circuits."
Fold the paper roughly like origami, dip it in a solution of melted magic stone, implant the circuit, and boom—finished.
Kanya glanced back at Gerkken as she poured the magic stone solution into the machine.
"Hey. Aren't you excited?"
He remained utterly calm. At times like this, he really seemed like a vampire with no heartbeat. His face was pale enough too.
"Not particularly."
Kanya grinned brightly.
"Not 'particularly'—it's great, I'm telling you. We might've just connected with a pretty impressive genius."
"......"
Gerkken closed his eyes for a moment, let out a small sigh, and shook his head.
"Not 'we.' You."
"What're you saying? Oh, right—you beat Sion Askal, huh? Congrats~!"
"......"
At that, Gerkken's composure cracked just a bit. Kanya stifled a laugh.
"You've been pretending it didn't bug you, but it totally did, didn't it?"
"It's not like that."
This time, even Gerkken averted his gaze slightly.
"So what happened?"
On that rooftop, Gerkken had been conscious. Faintly, but he definitely remembered.
"......There's a separate unofficial first place."
Even though time had run out, he knew.
'Sion Askal' had clearly surpassed him.
"How do you know that?"
"......"
How did he know?
Well, how?
On that apartment rooftop, as Sion—who had leaped over him—collapsed from exhaustion.
In the instant he fell...
His... that part of his... that disgusting part had smacked right into the back of Gerkken's head...
Gerkken halted his thoughts.
He simply replied,
"Don't ask."
Thirty minutes from Balmang Mananology, in a rundown building tucked into a corner of Tricity.
[Egoless Coffin]
Egoless (無我). A coffin (棺) where things without ego lie.
In other words, a coffin for prosthetic bodies.
The exterior looked like an ordinary shop, but it was home to the continent's most perfect dollmaker.
Knock knock—
The door opened the moment I knocked. No presence.
"......May I come in?"
I stepped inside.
The interior was thick with the marks of time. The wooden tiles creaked underfoot with every step, and the empty counter didn't even have a card reader.
I glanced over the display shelves. Prosthetic arms, prosthetic legs, microscopes, compasses, daggers, glasses, pistols—tons of stuff.
Bzzzz— bzzzz—
Then, the sound of welding from somewhere.
From the workshop beyond the counter.
I peeked through the slightly ajar door. There was Akane, goggles on, engrossed in crafting an artifact.
Guess she was working.
I shifted my gaze to the bookshelf opposite the counter. Mostly books on magic circuits or magic.
"You're here."
"!"
I jumped at the sudden voice.
"When......"
I looked back at the workshop door.
Akane was still there. The welding buzzed on unchanged.
"......"
I turned toward the voice. There was another Akane.
Chills ran up my spine—
"It's a doll."
"Ah."
Got it.
"The doll makes artifacts too? Doesn't that mess with the quality?"
"Its consciousness is identical to mine."
─Not controlling one with the other.
The Akane in the workshop spoke.
"I just split my consciousness in two."
"......Ah, yeah."
Akane swept her gaze over the bookshelf I'd been browsing.
"Interested in magic?"
"Nah, not really."
"Why not? Seems like something you'd be into."
"No talent for it."
Her brow furrowed instantly.
"No talent...... You serious?"
"Yes."
Akane pursed her lips, looking displeased.
"Ridiculous. Then mind if I test you?"
"A test? Out of nowhere?"
"Yeah. No way a talentless hack deciphers my business card in one minute. That's an insult right there."
"The business card...... Oh, that?"
The card she'd given me on the island had a magic circuit instead of an address or phone number.
"That was three magic formulas, right?"
My 「Notebook」 database grows day by day. Even without consciously memorizing, just observing a circuit activate naturally adds to the data.
Thanks to that, unraveling a spell with three linked magic formulas is a breeze.
"......"
Akane squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. Meaning she'd just gotten a little pissed.
"The number of magic formulas isn't what's important in a magic circuit. It's the density and complexity of the spell, and whether the creator deliberately screwed you over."
Akane bent and straightened her index and middle fingers on both hands. You know, like bunny ears flashing V-signs.
"'Intent'."
She handed me the business card again.
"That card's circuit? Yeah, just three magic formulas linked. But twisted so awkwardly it required segmentation. Even senior-level folks would've taken a month, not a day—plenty couldn't solve it at all. You cracked it in one minute."
Akane turned brusquely.
"Naturally, like reading plain text. No talentless nobody pulls that off."
Grumbling angrily, she strode to the counter and pulled out ten sheets of paper. She scrawled spells on them with her magic.
"I'll give you twenty minutes."
She tossed the stack at me. I caught it reflexively.
"Solve them. No need to explain your work. Just solve 'em, and I'll give you any artifact you want."
Any one I want.
Words that made my heart skip.
Akane was a legendary dollmaker and a master artisan. Not just dolls or prosthetics—her artifacts were top-tier on the continent.
"What if I can't?"
I asked while eyeing her papers. Akane lit a cigarette.
"Just take your medical bill and go."
No loss either way. No reason to refuse.
I nodded.
"Deal."
......
The ten spell problems on the ten sheets Akane gave me.
Seven were made of 3-4 magic formulas each, and I understood them instantly.
Staring at the magic circuit on the paper makes the flow of mana—the circuit diagram—float naturally in my vision.
So I solved seven in a total of three minutes, but got stuck on the last three. One had four magic formulas. The other two had three.
"......I give up."
I raised my hands.
Ten minutes. Exactly ten minutes staring, and if it doesn't crack, it won't. Not me—the 「Notebook」 can't do it.
"Can't solve 'em."
I handed the answer sheets back to Akane. She scanned them all at once.
"......"
Then she just looked down at me silently.
Fwooo...... She exhaled smoke.
"You've got a peculiar intuition. You don't even know why you can solve some spells or why you can't."
Spot on.
"How'd you know?"
I hid my surprise as best I could. Akane replied flatly.
"Of the three you couldn't solve, two were invalid spells to begin with, and one was a concept only a mage could unravel. So...... your limit's around level 4."
Level is the term for a magic circuit's grade.
Typically, five linked magic formulas make a level 5 circuit, four makes level 4, but exceptions abound.
Like a four-formula circuit too complex for level 4, or a five-formula one too simple.
"......What? So it was a rigged test from the start. What about the artifact?"
Whoosh—! Akane burned the papers.
"Was gonna give it anyway. Instead, explain."
"Oh. Explain what?"
"How your intuition works."
Akane's red eyes turned serious.
"You've got a talent worth billions that money can't buy. I've got human emotion simulation that money can't buy either."
"Uh...... what......"
I rubbed the back of my neck and tilted my head.
I could explain, sure.
"Simple. I observe the mana circulation in one magic circuit and apply that principle to others."
Just not mentioning the 「Notebook」 yet.
Akane nodded.
"Applying one principle to many...... Extremely empirical talent biased toward verification and implementation. Books would be useless to you."
"......I lack the mana capacity to use them properly anyway."
"That'll sort itself out eventually."
Akane eyed me up and down, muttering.
"Build the 'foundation' of your spells first. Your talent seems like quantity breeds quality. Observe and experience, and your intuition will sharpen naturally—efficiency and output too. Quantity leading to quality."
Akane stroked her chin and nodded.
"Underworld or Tricity'd be perfect. Just walking the streets is learning for you. Plenty of folks slinging magic circuits willy-nilly."
"......"
I nodded, then scanned the display shelves. Sniff sniff—I took a whiff.
Everything reeked of money, but one item especially tickled my senses.
"......Any one I want, right? Then I'll take this. This wand."
Like a mana clamp but longer, about forearm-sized stick.
Performance would be worlds apart.
"Good eye."
Akane looked a tad regretful.
"Special to you?"
"Nah. Stolen goods. From my old master's favorite piece."
"......Might not wanna give that away then."
"Take it. Old man's dead."
Akane handed it over and checked her watch.
"Soliet's coming tomorrow."
"I know."
I'd already gotten a text from Soliet.
That's why I came today on purpose. To avoid overlapping times.
They needed their private talk.
"You didn't tell her?"
Akane suddenly asked something odd. I tucked the wand into my belt as I answered.
"Tell her what?"
"'The Final Nightmare.' You were there too."
She'd lit a new cigarette before I knew it.
"......"
I worked my lips.
The Final Nightmare. The Nightmare's last murder.
Victims were Zayed and Felix, and I'd happened to be near the scene.
That was how Soliet and I got close in my previous life.
"No need. Right?"
Ding—
My smartphone chimed right then.
I glanced at Akane.
"By any chance. Got any psychiatry books?"
"I'm a dollmaker."
Akane pointed to one bookshelf. It was all specialized psychiatry texts on human consciousness, subconscious, emotions, psyche, everything.
"Mind if I borrow a few?"
She just raised an eyebrow.
Ding—
As I gathered books, another hasty message popped up.
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