Chapter 45 – Registration of Magic Circle

A few days after it was decided to propose joint-development for the refrigerators, news arrived that the final prototype batch of mass-produced magic stoves had been rolled out by Eto.

About ten days ago, the production design had been completed alongside additional magic circle deciphering, and they had been conducting production tests.

Production was carried out at Eto’s workshop to reduce the risk of information leakage.

“Oh! This is great!” 

Isamu exclaimed, gazing at the first models of the Bastet series, the magic stoves, lined up before him. Coming from Earth, where he had worked on mostly intangible things like computer programs, he couldn’t help but be impressed to see actual physical objects like this.

“Yeah, it’s not a particularly complicated casing. Even though they are mass-produced, I think the precision is quite high. Moreover, my apprentices were really enthusiastic,” 

Eto said with a smile, seemingly satisfied with the quality of the mass-produced stoves.

It wasn’t surprising that the apprentices were so enthusiastic. Eto’s workshop was the most technically advanced in Klaufendamm, but even there, it was rare to go through all the processes, including the incorporation of magic stones. Besides, this was not a commissioned piece; it was almost like an original magic item for them, so their excitement was natural.

“Yeah, this should be no problem. All that’s left is to engrave the serial numbers,” 

“Serial numbers?” 

“Oh, is that not a thing here? It’s a practice to engrave a consecutive number on the items. It helps limit the quantity and also proves that it’s a genuine product. Since this is considered the first of its kind in the new magic era, I thought about adding serial numbers to give it a special touch. By the way, these serial numbers will be engraved in a location designated by the functional circle, using numerals from my country. This way, we can keep track of who got which item, and even if someone tries to imitate the magic circles, we’ll have some idea of where it came from,”

It’s not as dangerous as a weapon, so he won’t go so far as to cover it with plating, but it’s the bare minimum countermeasure against dead copies. 

Since only Isamu could decipher the magic circles, imitators would have to replicate even the serial numbers.

“I see, that’s certainly good.”

“Later, I will give you a list of numbers, so please look at them and draw them in the designated places.” 

“Great, I’ll make sure my apprentices practice them as well.”

And with that, the preparations for manufacturing the first original magic item were complete. All that was left was to submit the magic circle registration application and begin selling.

The next day, Isamu, Nicolette, and the others visited the Magic Circle Guild. 

This organization was responsible for registering and managing the magic circles used in magic items manufactured and sold. Unlike many other guilds such as the Adventurers Guild, which were independent global organizations not bound by any particular country, the Magic Circle Guild was an exception. Because magic circles from one’s own country being used without permission in another country could result in significant losses, strict penalties for rule violations were necessary. Therefore, the Magic Circle Guild was a semi-governmental organization with officials from various countries. To prevent organizational rigidity, they had a policy of changing personnel every three years.

The once-staid guild was now buzzing with excitement, and the center of the commotion was the reception desk where Isamu and the others had submitted their application.

“Oh, is this for registering original magic circles??” 

The receptionist was astonished, staring at the application form handed in by Nicolette. Just before she could exclaim loudly, she caught herself, acting like the seasoned senior government official she was.

The usual procedure on the registration form was to write briefly where the magic circle was sourced from, typically mentioning that it was discovered on an artifact from a particular ruin. This was a standard practice since the technique of creating magic circles from scratch had been lost. Over the past decade, fewer and fewer had been discovered. Then, out of the blue, an application came in that said, “We put together a magic circle excavated from the ruins, and it worked”

“Yes, that’s right. I told you about how the Klaufeldt family established a magic circle research division about a month and a half ago, didn’t I? Well, we brought in Willem-san as a dedicated relic excavator and artifact hunter. You remember Willem-san, don’t you?” 

Nicolette explained, presenting the cover story she had prepared.

“Uh, yes. Willem-san, the collector, right? We’ve had occasion to rely on him when researching magic circles and magical items,” 

The receptionist responded. Indeed, Willem’s name was known among those who dealt with magic circles and magic items.

“That’s right, Willem-san. When I randomly combined the magic circle he brought back with the magic circle I already had, I happened to find a combination that worked well. It wasn’t in the form of an artifact, it was just a magic circle, so I researched what kind of effect it had and finally made it into a magic tool. Was it difficult? We researched the effects and turned it into a magic tool. Coincidentally, this time it was a good thing because the effect was easy to understand.”

Nicolette explained. Half the story was true, so it sounded perfectly convincing, with no hint of suspicion.

“I see. So, what kind of effect does this magic circle have?” 

The receptionist accepted the application form for now and started a simple investigation.

“It’s a magic circle for heating objects, and when I say ‘heating,’ I mean it gets quite hot. Here’s a prototype of the ‘magic stove’ we’ve made using it,” 

Nicolette said, placing the prototype of the magic stove on the desk.

“It’s already a magic item, I see. It looks very simple, but it also has a high-quality and mysterious design,” 

The receptionist said, examining the magic stove closely.

“Indeed, it’s quite nice, isn’t it? We’re planning to start manufacturing and selling these soon, so once the registration is complete, would you like to come and see it in action with anyone who’s interested?”

 Nicolette asked. Smiling wryly, she looked around, and the other employees who had been eavesdropping hastily averted their gaze.

The Magic Circle Guild was usually quite relaxed. Even though it was an essential facility and found in all capital cities, new magic circle registrations were rare because of the few facilities that required them. Klaufendamm had assembly factories and branches of magic item trading companies, which led to people coming to see registered magic circles here and there, but…

And so, the staff couldn’t possibly miss such a delightful event as showcasing original magic circles. There was no need to hide anything, and providing the staff with this event to pass the time was a good idea for building rapport.

Besides, there were staff members dispatched from other countries, so it was also beneficial to spread the word about the new magic items to their respective homelands.

In the end, they decided to hold a grand unveiling event in a large conference room.

“…So, why am I the one cooking?” 

In the center of the conference room were three magic stoves lined up on a table. Behind them, for some reason, Isamu stood with a frying pan in hand, his head wrapped in a cloth-like bandana, fully prepared.

“Well, neither Anne nor I cook. Willem is somewhat similar, and it’s too much trouble to go back to the mansion now to call for a cook. Plus, Isamu-san, you’re quite efficient at cooking, right?” 

Nicolette said, winking without any remorse.

Because of the way she treated him openly, Isamu usually didn’t think about it, but Nicolette and Anne were both genuine noble ladies and thus, not cooking was the norm for them.

Realizing this, Isamu smiled wryly as he thought about what to cook.

Laid out in front of him were several ingredients that some staff had hurriedly bought after hearing about the unveiling event. Although Isamu occasionally visited the kitchen to make Orihime’s meals or his own late-night snacks, he had picked up some knowledge about these ingredients.

Among them, he considered what was both familiar to him and required minimal cooking skills.

And with that in mind, Isamu began his cooking.

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