Chapter 19: Isamu’s True Worth

“Wait, eh?! You understood what was written on the activation circles?”

Dinner had started, and as the conversation naturally turned to the successful decryption of the activation circles, Nicolette’s eyes widened in amazement, causing her to completely stop eating.

Oh, and a piece of broccoli fell from her fork.

“Yes, I don’t know why, but I can’t understand what’s written in the functional part, but I could read the activation circles. Anne-Marie showed me two different activation circles as well, and I was able to read those too.”

Isamu spoke with a childlike smile, as if he were telling someone about the first time he swam. Anne-Marie was also delighted as she listened, smiling radiantly. Nicolette, however, was far from calm.

“I-I see…”

(No, no, He was was making it sound so easy, but no one has been able to decipher them for hundreds of years. This is going to become difficult to conceal sooner than I thought. I’ll need to move up my plans for handling this…)

The fact that the Klaufeldt family had taken in Isamu, the wanderer, was widely known among the noble families. Not only that, but everyone knew that Marquis Felker had transferred him, what kind of ability skills he had, and what his attribute values were. As a result, if anything unusual were to happen within the Klaufeldt territory, it was easy to predict that it would be connected to Isamu.

Moreover, if that change were related to Isamu’s magic abilities, it would provide even more evidence. One couldn’t predict what the Marquis Felker, who had voluntarily given him up, might say or do. Even a proud noble like him could easily cast aside his pride for practical reasons. Nicolette anticipated the exposure of Isamu’s true abilities, so she contemplated her next steps.

Isamu, knowingly or unknowingly, continued to drop bombshells. 

“So, I immediately made a new set of activation circles. After hearing from Rudolf-san that the previous ones were too large and consumed too much magic power, that’s what I’m aiming to improve.”

“Boohooo?!”

“Well, as expected of Isamu-sama! You’ve already created a new set of activation circles!”

Isamu spoke innocently, making Nicolette spit out her wine. Fortunately, it was white wine. If it had been red wine, it would have been a disaster. Anne-Marie continued to be delighted.

“Geho, wait a moment. Did I hear you correctly? You just said that you’ve made a new set of activation circles?”

“Yes, that’s right. Here they are. I’ve already conducted an activation test, and I’ve confirmed that the magic lantern can be activated with these.”

With these words, he took out the magic lantern base that incorporated the new activation circles, which had been placed in a box at his feet. It was quite unexpected that such a significant creation was casually lying in an ordinary box. And what’s more, it had already been confirmed to work.

Nicolette accepted the reality that she had to deal with. 

“It has become much smaller.”

“Yes, the case and the functional part are the same, so it might not be possible to make them smaller and lighter right away, but there’s a possibility it could be reduced to about half the size. Well, making them smaller was a byproduct of eliminating waste.”

“… You say it like it’s a side note, but if it’s made half the size, that’s going to be something else entirely. But, how about the magic consumption?”

“As for that, I haven’t finished running time experiments yet, so I can’t say for sure… The previous activation circles simply extracted magic power from the magic stone without taking the amount into consideration. But in one of the other activation circles, there happened to be a program, or rather a circuit, that specified the amount of magic power to be drawn. I applied that. However, if you draw magic power without specifying the amount, I can’t tell how much will be extracted. So, I’m planning to conduct experiments comparing both methods tomorrow. I have identified the lowest magic power required for activation, though, so it won’t be shorter than that.”

“You casually mentioned something unbelievable again, haven’t you? Just because I knew that the lifespan of the magic stones varied depending on the activation circles, I didn’t know the cause. Just deciphering that was an accomplishment on its own, and now you can even adjust the amount of magic power required. Furthermore, you’ve pinpointed the minimum magic power required for activation… If other nobles or the royal family found out about this, it would be a disaster. Absolutely no word to others, got it, Anne?”

“I understand.”

“Yes, of course.”

“But if it’s like that… Wait.”

Seemingly realizing something, Isamu’s enthusiasm rapidly waned.

“What’s the matter?”

Worried, Anne-Marie inquired.

“Well, tomorrow, I was planning to conduct experiments at Eto-san’s place…But if it’s not supposed to be known by others, it’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“That’s right… Eto is trustworthy, so there shouldn’t be any issue. But to conduct experiments while he has other apprentices around is rather careless.”

Isamu’s enthusiasm is further reduced.

“Mother, can’t we do something?”

“I see. I don’t want to do anything to destroy Isamu-san’s potential, so I want him to experiment as much as he wants…”

Nicolette ponders Annemarie’s request for a while.

“I see… I’ll go to Eto’s place early in the morning and bring a letter. I’ll ask him to come to the mansion. Is that all right?”

“I understand.”

“Then, Rudolf. In the backyard, there’s a separate building that we’ve been using as a storage shed. Please make it available immediately.”

“Understood. What should I do with the items inside?”

“For now, put them in a different warehouse. Sorting can wait. Rather than spending time sorting, prioritize preparing the building. I’ll also have a few knights assigned for the heavy lifting.”

“I understand. I’ll get started on preparations right away.”

“Thank you.”

Nicolette gave quick and efficient instructions. As expected, she was the Wife of the Viscount.

Isamu, who had been staring into space, suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Um, so when you say you’re calling Eto-san and making the separate building available…what do you mean?”

“Fufufu, that’s right. I’m going to create a workshop for you right here. And I’ll hire Eto as an advisor. There’s no one more knowledgeable about magic devices in our territory.”

In response to Isamu’s question, Nicolette happily replied with one eye closed.

“What? A workshop just for me?! Is that really okay?”

“It’s neither good nor bad; it’s only natural. You can conduct your research as much as you like there. And once you’ve conducted a certain amount of research, we can make a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Yes, a plan. That includes researching the functional circles that you couldn’t read. You can also dismantle all the other magic devices you can get your hands on. You could even hire adventurers to retrieve artifacts for you to study. The point is, we’ll list all the missing or necessary items and decide what to do. That way, we can make various moves simultaneously, and research should progress quickly. Of course, initially, we’ll thoroughly investigate everything we have on hand to get a starting point.”

“Thank you! Indeed, making a to-do list is a good idea. Uh, ‘to-do list’ is a term from my country that means a list of things to do. I’ll do my best to be as helpful as possible!”

Isamu’s eyes lit up once again.

“I should be the one to thank you. Besides, you’ve already given us some incredible gifts, haven’t you? Go ahead and do whatever you like. Probably, that will yield the best results for both you and us.”

“Understood!”

“Oh, but during the initial period, would it be alright if you taught me about old magic in the morning and conducted research on magic devices in the afternoon?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t mind at all. I want to become proficient in magic as well.”

“Thank you. It would be helpful if we could spread the knowledge of old magic within our territory as soon as possible. And, at night, you can do whatever you like. However, everyone should have breakfast together. Don’t oversleep, okay?”

“Yes!”

“Isamu-sama, I’m so glad! Please continue teaching me magic from tomorrow!”

“Likewise. I’m the one learning more from you, so please continue to help me in the future.”

“Yes, let’s both do our best!”

Looking back in later years, it could be said that Isamu’s destiny in the other world was completely determined at this moment. This was the moment when the world’s first “magic engineer” was born, and it was also the moment when the forgotten “magic theory algorithm” was revived.

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