Chapter 110: The Remaining Magic Tool

The dangerous game of mock battle using the prototype anti-magic shield had ended, and a debriefing was underway.

“The effect is very potent, but it consumes quite a bit of magic power from the magic stones.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. When I got hit twice in a row right at the start, I panicked because I ran out of magic power…”

Both Liddell and Marcella shared the same sentiment.

“Indeed. With standard-powered magic, you could say about five shots is the limit?”

Isamu, who had been watching the simulated battle, agreed.

Since Marcella’s shield, which had been used in the mock battle without checking the remaining magic power after being used in fixed experiments, ran out of magic power early, they had to quickly swap the magic stone.

“That sounds about right. Perhaps lightning magic consumes more power?”

“Definitely… Even though we both got hit about the same number of times, my shield’s magic power depleted much faster.”

In the mock battle, Marcella continued to use Fireball, while Liddell continued to use lightning Bolt.

“Hmm. Is the amount of magic energy infused about the same?”

“At least in terms of power, it’s hard to say about the amount of magic power. Shall I try both myself? That way, we can eliminate a lot of the differences in magic power.”

Upon Liddell’s suggestion, they decided to investigate the difference in magic power consumption based on the type of magic used.

“With such a difference, the gap seems quite clear.”

Willem sighed as he looked at the results.

“…While magic power is the determining factor, could it be that other criteria favor lightning magic over fire magic?”

After pondering for a moment, Isamu voiced a hypothesis.

“That’s likely. The difference between Fireball and lightning Bolt… Perhaps it’s the difference in temperature since Fireball has higher temperature…”

“Could it be the difference in expansion speed?”

Tilting his head, Willem and Isamu listened to Liddell’s analysis.

“Expansion speed?”

“It depends on the type of magic, but fire and lightning magic typically spread their effects around the point of impact. We call it expansion. Lightning magic, along with light magic, has the fastest and widest expansion speed.”

“I see… That seems quite plausible.”

Willem nodded in agreement with Liddell’s analytical approach, fitting for someone who leaned towards theory. Isamu did the same.

Just as the conversation began to shift towards a more theoretical direction, Marcella started playing with Orihime, skillfully manipulating a toy that looked like a cat teaser that she got from somewhere.

“From what I observed, the attack magic almost immediately followed the expansion of the effect and there’s no lag, so perhaps the more expansive the effect area, the greater the energy consumption?”

“Yeah. That’s a highly likely possibility. And if the speed is faster, it would take longer to catch up with the expansion speed of the magic, thus requiring a wider range of responses.”

“Ah, was that control for that purpose!?”

“Control?”

Isamu realized something as he was building up the hypothesis with Willem.

“Yeah. I remember that there was a control that would expand to the maximum effect range if various conditions exceeded standards, such as the amount of magic power being above a certain level or the effective range being above a certain level. I thought it was to eliminate detailed power adjustments, but it may have been a control for magic that develops quickly.”

“Yeah, it seems like it would be a good idea to think that way. I see! Is that what happened too!?”

“Oh, what is that?”

This time Willem noticed something.

“Oh, I’m talking about that lightning magic sword. It has an interesting effect, and it can be used against monsters, but I always thought its power was mediocre. Plus, it intentionally focuses its effect on the surface of the body. If the goal is to incapacitate or kill the opponent, it would be more efficient to strike internally. So, I thought it was for use in situations where killing isn’t permitted… But maybe it’s for countering armor like this.”

“Indeed! If the ruins were a military facility, it’s more natural to have weapons for dealing with armor like this rather than mediocre riot control weapons.”

Willem’s hypothesis was convincing to Isamu as well.

“Yeah. The enemy developed armor that nullifies magic or attacks first. While our side was advancing armor development like this, we’re also making weapons to counter them. That’s probably it.”

“…If you ask me that, it means that quite advanced magic tools were being used in the war. And at least two countries were on the same level…”

“…Hearing that, it’s quite chilling, isn’t it? It’s a relief that Isamu-san is an ally and a pacifist… I keenly realize that now.”

With a slight shake of his head, Willem spoke solemnly.

“Haha, thank you. Weapons that can disrupt the balance of power so drastically should never be used… But well, if it’s to protect myself and my loved ones, I won’t hesitate anymore.”

While gently stroking Orihime, who had returned to his lap without him noticing, Isamu muttered so.

“Oh, speaking of which, wasn’t there one more left for the big shot?”

As if to dispel the somewhat somber atmosphere, Willem clapped his knees.

The big shot referred to the magic tool in the shape of a large arm.

“Oh, you mean that round exploding ball with metal powder inside!?”

Since the identity of the metal powder was unknown, they had come this far without confirming it even during the experiments conducted on the way back from the ruins.

“If it’s something hard inside like the exploding ball, it should be easy to tell. After all, it’s just powder.”

Furrowing his brows, Eto crossed his arms.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t looked into the magic circle of this one in detail yet. We’ve only stopped at knowing it’s explosion-type magic, so I’ll investigate it a bit.”

Saying so, Isamu began to decipher the magic circle of the round exploding ball that had been disassembled.

Since it was a simple magic circle and one he had already deciphered once before for an exploding-type magic, he finished deciphering it in about ten minutes.

“Hmm? This might not be meant for direct harm either.”

Isamu’s first words after finishing the decryption were that.

“What do you mean?”

“The explosion range is fairly wide, but the explosive power and heat are quite low. The main purpose seems to be dispersing this powder over a wide area.”

“I see…”

“How it spreads… Shall we test it? At least it doesn’t seem to cause any injuries from the explosion. However, if this powder turns out to be poisonous, we should do it outside the city just in case.”

“…Certainly we can’t spread poison all over the city.”

Everyone grimaced at Isamu’s words.

After obtaining permission from the lord and lady just in case, the group had come to a soldier’s outdoor training ground a little away from the city.

It was a space about the size of a school playground created by clearing the forest, used for soldier training several times a week. They had obtained permission to use it since it wouldn’t be used today or tomorrow.

After all the adjustments were made, Annemarie also accompanied them.

“Now then, Mizeroi-san, please do the honors again!”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Mizeroi, who had become quite adept at throwing, took the round exploding ball and checked it.

“It’s lighter than the exploding ball we tested the other day. And being round, it seems easier to throw. I think it’ll fly quite far.”

He said enthusiastically, rotating his shoulders. Not knowing what was inside, it was a relief that it could cover a lot of ground.

“Like the other one, this one is set to explode after counting to five, so it’s best to count to two or so before throwing.”

“Understood!”

With a good response, Mizeroi stepped a few steps forward and took a deep breath before carefully checking the wind direction one last time.

“Okay, here I go!”

After confirming that the wind was blowing in the right direction, he declared loudly, then touched the activation magic stone and slowly raised his arm.

“Ready… Go!”

And with a shout, he swung his arm downwind.

*sei!*

The round object flew in a parabolic trajectory, landing about 40 meters away before bouncing once and rolling around.

Then, with a thud, white smoke spread out in a semi-spherical shape. A wide area of about 20 meters in diameter was enveloped in sparkling white smoke under the sunlight.

“The smoke screen seems a bit thin for it.”

Seeing that nothing else happened, Eto commented.

“I was thinking the same thing. Is it not intended for blinding?”

Isamu nodded in agreement with Eto’s words.

“Indeed, the range is quite extensive. Even though there’s hardly any wind now, it would spread even further if there were, don’t you think?” 

As Willem mentioned, the explosive power alone covers about 20 meters, so if it catches the wind, it would expand quite a bit.

“Hmm, but with just this, we still don’t understand the purpose…”

Isamu furrowed his brow.

“Yes, that’s right. If it’s something meant to be thrown but not directly harmful, then it’s typical to assume it’s used for some kind of interference… It didn’t seem to be a smoke screen either…”

Mizeroi, who had returned from throwing it, also spoke while scratching his head.

“Interference… Yes, that seems to be the direction it’s heading. If it were something like pepper, it would cause blindness, wouldn’t it?”

“Hahaha, that’s right. And if you inhale that much, you wouldn’t stop sneezing or coughing, making it impossible to use magic properly.”

“Oh, that’s true. In that case, it’s not just about chanting spells… Wait a minute? Chanting spells… Magic interference?? Could it be… Liddell-san, could you come with me for a moment?”

Isamu, realizing something, dashed towards the point where the metal powder was still faintly swirling, calling out to Liddell.

“Huh? Oh? Sure!”

Surprised, Liddell hurried to catch up.

“Is this spot okay?”

Isamu stopped his steps around the edge of the ground where the metal powder was directly deposited, shimmering and sparkling.

Liddell soon caught up.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh, sorry. There’s something I want to try. Since I don’t have much of a sample alone, could you help me?”

“Oh, sure, but what is it…?”

“Alright then, let’s get started.”

With that, Isamu promptly began chanting the spell.

“‘Oh, random stake that gazes upon the sky, originating from the earth…'”

The spell he chanted was the Grand Spike of Heaven and Earth, which he had used to slaughter the Mage Ogre before. After imagining the size of the thorns while chanting, he activated it with the sensation of sending magic power to the desired location.

“Hmm?”

Isamu, who was trying to specify the activation point, furrowed his brows. Then, after a while of concentrating with a difficult expression, he finally activated the magic.

“Grand Spike of Heaven and Earth!”

With a bang, a small earthen spike grew about five meters in front of Isamu. After confirming it, he let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, I see. So this is how it works…”

And he seemed to be quite satisfied with something.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Liddell-san. I’m going to try to gather this powder a bit now, so would it be okay to activate the Water Ball spell in it? Oh, and it’s fine if it’s low power!”

“Hmm, Water Ball, is it? Understood.”

While tilting her head at the unclear request, Liddell waited for the moment.

“‘Oh wind, swirl in the direction I point. Tender Tornado!'”

Isamu generated a small tornado in front of him and moved it forward to gather the metal powder.

“Liddell-san, please!”

“Understood!”

“‘Water, emerge from nothingness and gather in my hand…'”

Liddell chanted the Water Ball spell as requested, but immediately after.

“Huh?”

As a confused scream was heard, both Isamu and Liddell frowned in the same way.

“Ugh…”

After a few seconds of groaning in agony, she finally managed to activate the spell.

“Water Ball!”

The spell was cast, a water ball with a diameter of one meter was created barely having any power.

“Hmm!”

And she threw it forward. After confirming the splashy sound of the water droplets bursting, Liddell let out a deep sigh.

“Fuuuuu… Isamu-sama, what is the meaning of this???”

The expression on her face was one of perplexity.

“Ah, yeah, that’s how it would turn out, huh?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Let’s explain when we get back to everyone.”

Saying so, Isamu glanced towards the others who were left behind. They seemed just as puzzled as Liddell, wearing expressions of confusion.

“Huh? A weapon designed to interfere with magic activation?!”

Eto exclaimed loudly in response to Isamu’s explanation upon their return.

The other members, while not vocalizing it, wore equally astonished expressions.

“Yes, I think there’s no doubt from the situation. Liddell-san, how did it feel?”

Isamu nodded, directing his attention towards Liddell.

“Isamu-sama is correct. I tried to manifest the Water Ball spell into the metal powder, but it didn’t work at all. It was a strange sensation, the first time I’ve experienced something like that. I couldn’t gather the magic power at all…”

Liddell, still with a perplexed expression, shared her thoughts.

“Yes, I think that feeling is correct. That metal powder, I believe it’s probably a metal that easily conducts white magic silver or something similar. By dispersing it in the air, it creates a space where magic power can diffuse incredibly easily. Even if you try to concentrate it in one place, like when you drop ink into water, the magic power spreads out uncontrollably, and you can’t gather it properly.”

In modern terms, it would be akin to jamming equipment.

It’s quite a clever weapon, targeting the fact that magic requires a certain concentration of magic power to be used.

“It’s quite a unique weapon…”

“Yes, indeed. Perhaps back when it was made, magic was used even more in combat than it is today. So, weapons were made to make magic difficult to use or neutralize it. This time, we tested it with our own magic, but perhaps it could also affect magic tools. If you mix it with magic stone powder, I have a feeling it might go out of control unless it’s in a sealed magic circle.”

“To use it, you’d really have to consider the direction of the wind…”

Liddell chuckled wryly after hearing the explanation.

“Well, if you activate it outside the effective range, like the Tender Tornado earlier, and then move it, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. The magic power diffuses, so the power decreases a bit, but still.”

“Isamu-san, what do you think? Should we consider formally adopting this as well?”

Anne-Marie confirmed Isamu’s intention.

“Well, let me think… It’s a bit tricky to use, so maybe we should produce a small amount and formally adopt it for Team Orihime, and deploy a small number for the knights in case of emergency?”

After thinking for a moment, Isamu replied.

Later, his hypothesis that “mixing magic stone powder could also interfere with the behavior of magic tools” was verified.

As a result, it was found that although it couldn’t be stopped, it could weaken the power or increase the magic consumption, leading to the decision to produce a mixture with magic stone powder. It was named “Scattering Magic Ball”.

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