Chapter 37: A New Magic Circle – Part 1

While engrossed in his deciphering work, Isamu found himself in a state similar to when he first deciphered a readable magic circle.

No, it was more intense this time, both in terms of the quantity of circles to decipher and the complexity of their content.

Except for mealtimes, he remained holed up in the workshop. Even during meals, he would immerse himself in his world with his notes in hand, almost entirely shutting out any conversation.

Having experienced the situation before, the Lord and his daughter knew it was futile to say anything to Isamu in this state, so they watched over him with warm smiles despite their wry amusement.

Then, this morning, Isamu appeared at the dining table once again with a cheerful expression, just like last time.

Quick to pick up on the situation, Annemarie addressed Isamu.

“Good morning, Isamu-san. I see you’ve finished deciphering the magic circles?”

“Good morning, Annemarie-san. Yes, I’ve finally finished deciphering all of them. Wait, how did you know that? I haven’t said anything yet, have I?”

Isamu asked, looking puzzled since he was unaware of his state of absorption.

“Oh dear… I can’t believe it was unconscious…”

“Well, that’s just like you, Isamu-san.”

Nicolette sighed in disbelief at Isamu’s reaction, but Annemarie smiled as if she didn’t mind.

“Oh my, you spoil Isamu quite a bit… Well, it’s fine. So, how were the magic circles this time?”

Although Nicolette was exasperated by her daughter’s response, she put on a smile and asked Isamu.

“Well, there were quite a few interesting things this time… Since there are so many, could I have a meeting to discuss it after the meal? The amount of information is too much for a casual meal conversation.”

“I see, that’s fine. Then after we finish eating, shall we go to the workshop?”

“I’d appreciate that. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.”

Once everyone had finished breakfast in a somewhat dazed manner, they gathered at the workshop after their meal.

“Now, let me report the results of this deciphering. First, there were a total of 16 magic circles that I could read this time, and they spanned across multiple attributes. Among them, there were three that could likely be reproduced as magic tools, and four that seemed reasonably usable. The other nine had only some portions deciphered, and their applications were unclear.”

“Well, discovering three immediately usable magic circles to be used as magic tools is already amazing, but having four more that seem usable is beyond astounding. I can’t keep up with my emotions.”

Isamu’ first words left Selfers raising his hands in surrender, with an amused smile.

“I was lucky that many of them were well-preserved. This part is thanks to Willem-san, so thank you.”

“Haha, if I could be of some help, I’m delighted.”

Isamu thanked Willem and he responded a wink.

“Next, I’d like to talk about the breakdown of attributes… Perhaps the most significant discovery or new fact we’ve come across so far.”

Isamu made a bombshell statement right from the start.

“……. If Isamu-san went out of his way to say so, that’s quite something.”

“Yes, when he could decipher the functioning circles last time, it was already a startling new fact for us… But for Isamu to say this as if he’s casually mentioning it…”

Nicolette and Annemarie commented, their faces tense.

“This time, out of the ones we could read, there were 3 fire, 3 water, 2 ice, and the highest number was 4 earth. Additionally, there was only 1 wind attribute magic circle. And… there were two circles that combined multiple attributes, specifically fire and wind, and earth and lightning.”

“””Multiple attributes!?”””

Selfers, Nicolette, Annemarie, Eto, and Willem all exclaimed simultaneously.

“Yes. So far, I’ve seen a few magic tools that were created by combining multiple attribute magic stones. And now I’ve learned a bit about how they were made.”

Isamu mentioned this as if it were no big deal.

“… This is quite something. I never expected that we might find a lead to deciphering magic tools that use multiple attributes.”

It was no wonder Selfers was astonished. Currently, there were fewer than 100 different types of magic tools that had been replicated and registered, ignoring differences in size and appearance. Among them, magic tools made by combining multiple attributes amounted to less than ten. They were exceptionally rare.

To think that they might learn how to create magic tools using multiple attributes was indeed a startling fact.

The other four also nodded in agreement with Selfers’s statement.

However, Isamu, who was still tilting his head and muttering, said.

“Huh? Is it such a big deal to have multiple attributes? I mean, I thought it was natural… Well, there aren’t that many, but…”

While he continued to muse, “Huh? What’s going on?” The entire group was frozen in place.

After hearing those words, Nicolette was the first to snap back to reality, and she practically shouted her question to Isamu.

“Wait a minute!!! You just said that combining multiple attributes is natural?!? … So, what’s the shocking revelation you mentioned!?”

“Well, there was just one magic circle that I couldn’t quite identify the attribute for. So I went into a more detailed analysis, and it seems like it might be a ‘Dark Attribute’ magic circle. I was really surprised. I had never heard of a Dark magic stone, so I completely disregarded that possibility and wasted quite a bit of time on it.”

Isamu shared this with a laugh, In response to his casual revelation, an eerie silence spread through the room.

“Huh? Is it possible that dark attribute magic stones already exist? … Oh my, I got too excited by myself. I’m sorry…”

Perhaps thinking that he had caused everyone to lose their enthusiasm, Isamu embarrassedly apologized.

Despite the lengthy silence that followed, it was Nicolette who reacted first.

“… Huh…”

“Yes?”

“What did you just say!?”

“Uh… What?”

“Uwaaaaaaah!!!???”

Since Isamu couldn’t make out what Nicolette had muttered, he leaned in closer, but at that very moment, Nicolette screamed, taking him by surprise, and he joined in with a shout of his own.

“Dark attribute magic stone!?”

Nicolette’s excitement remained high.

“Yes, the way it was written suggests that it was intended for use with dark attribute magic stones, so I think that’s almost certain. And… now that you’re so surprised…”

“Yes, as Isamu-san mentioned, dark attribute magic stones have not been confirmed.”

Annemarie, who had come back to her senses thanks to Nicolette and Isamu’s screams, nodded in agreement.

“I mean… I want to go back in time and punch myself for being surprised by the multiple attributes thing a little while ago. I can’t believe we’ve discovered a new kind of magic stone…”

The excavation of magic stones began hundreds of years ago when ancient artifacts were unearthed from old-world ruins. Soon, veins of fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, and light magic stones were found in various places throughout the country.

After that, for a while, unattributed magic stones were discovered in Klauffendam, but neither new magic stone veins nor magic tools powered by new magic stones had been found since.

It had become common knowledge that there were seven types of magic stones: fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, and light. This newfound revelation was a groundbreaking discovery that challenged that understanding.

“It’s definitely a groundbreaking discovery, but we don’t even know what effects it might have, and since there are no actual dark attribute magic stones, it won’t have any practical impact… academically, though, it’s going to be a big deal, I think.”

“Well, you’re right about that.”

Nicolette, now calm, finally regained her composure.

“So, regarding the dark attribute magic stone, I think we should put it on hold until we either find another magic circle or the magic stones themselves. Currently, we don’t have the luxury to spend time on something that’s unusable…”

“Understood. Let’s keep the matter of the dark attribute magic stone in our hearts for now, only for those present here. Is that okay with everyone?”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Selfers’s confirmation.

“Then, let’s move on to discussing the three magic circles that seem like they can be used to create magic tools soon.”

Confirming everyone’s agreement, Isamu began talking about the magic circles that would have the most significant impact on the current situation, leading to the creation of new magic tools.

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