Chapter 99: Checking the Spoils

When they emerged above ground, night had already fallen.

The entrance to the ruins was dark, and it was lucky that while Isamu and Annemarie were talking to the night guards, they were able to secretly move large items to areas not illuminated by light.

Considering the worst-case scenario, Isamu was relieved, having contemplated replacing camping equipment with the spoils.

Although the party safely transported the spoils, they decided not to travel through the rocky desert at night and instead stayed another night, starting their journey the next morning.

First, they searched for a suitable location away from the main road to test the magic items they couldn’t try inside the ruins.

“There seems to be a good spot up ahead. It’s slightly downhill from the main road, and there are large rocks that provide cover, so I think it should be fine.” 

Liddell, who had scouted ahead, said after returning to lead the group.

“Now, let’s start with this explosive magic device. Its mechanism is simple. When activated, it detonates a blast of magic after counting to about five. Using that explosive force, the device is designed to scatter metal fragments packed inside a sturdy metal casing, causing damage. Like the thunderball, it’s probably intended to be used as a thrown weapon. What we want to know is the range it covers and how powerful it is.”

It seemed to be something akin to a hand grenade. Exploding is a very clear method of attack, so it seems to be the same in other worlds when it comes to making weapons.

“Now, for safety, I’ll start by throwing it as far as possible.” 

Said Mizeroi, who was the strongest in the group, volunteering to throw it.

“Here I go!”

“Please!”

With a slightly tense expression, Mizeroi activated the magic device. With a faint light and a soft activation sound, he swung it and then threw it.

The magic device flew in a beautiful arc, landing about 30 meters away and rolling.

A moment of silence. And then…

With a thud, the magic device exploded, with the faint blast reaching this far.

A brief flame was visible at the moment of the explosion, but afterward, there was only a cloud of dust rising.

“In terms of the scale of the explosion, it’s about the same as the fire blast from a fireball, isn’t it?”

 Mizeroi asked Isamu as he watched the aftermath of the explosion.

“That’s right. It looked like it was about 5 mertes in diameter (1 merte = 1 meter).”

Isamu replied, walking toward the blast site from behind cover.

Then, everyone eagerly inspected the aftermath of the explosion.

The ground within a radius of about 5 meters from the center of the explosion was lightly gouged, creating a shallow crater. Perhaps because it was cylindrical, it was slightly elliptical in shape.

“Given that the hard ground here is gouged, the explosive power within a radius of 5 meters seems to be quite high…Furthermore, with these metal fragments attacking, considerable damage can be expected,” 

Felix said sternly as he pulled out the metal fragments embedded in the crater.

“With these metal fragments, they’re lightly embedded in the ground even at double the distance. It may not be fatal, but it could cause damage.” 

Tiramisu, who had been examining the ground a little further away said.

“In terms of magic power, it seems to be equivalent to simultaneously activating a fireball and a stone hail. It’s about halfway between the standard and high power of the same magic.” 

Liddell said while analyzing the power based on the scale and the condition of the metal fragments.

The power of magic varies depending on the amount of magic power infused into it.

Since it’s not possible to see the magic power consumed in numbers like in a game, there is quite a variation in the perception of power depending on the individual.

For individual use, this isn’t a problem, but it’s inconvenient for collective use in groups like the knighthood.

That’s why a standard based on power was devised.

Basic levels include low power, standard power, and high power, and those who can use magic are trained to use these three levels of power after joining the knighthood.

There is also the highest power above high power, and unlimited power above that. If you can use the highest power twice without losing consciousness, you are allowed to call yourself a magic knight.

Since Liddell and Marcela have cleared this condition, they are considered magic knights.

“The fact that anyone can use this power just by throwing it is terrifying…If thrown by hand, magic has the advantage in terms of range, but it’s not omnipotent because there’s a possibility of involving allies. However, if it’s operated using a catapult, it could be a considerable threat…”

Felix, hearing Liddell’s power analysis, spoke with a grim expression.

“…Let’s create dummies by replacing the magic circle with one treated with plating to suppress the power, just in case. Make several of those and suggest to the Viscount to showcase them without actually giving them away. Since the exterior remains the same, it’s unlikely to be exposed if not handed over.” 

Isamu proposed to Annemarie upon hearing Felix’s suggestion.

“That’s true… Given the nature of this artifact, if we succeed in mass production, even a verbal agreement to provide them to the Margrave’s family in case of emergency would be enough to earn their gratitude. It would be appreciated by the Margrave because it could help advance the battle against Kempbach, and for us, it means we can assist in preventing invasion from other countries, so it’s a win-win situation for both parties.” 

Annemarie agreed after a brief consideration.

As long as Isamu doesn’t know how to read the magic circle, it should be a reasonable compromise.

“…Well, then. Next is the confirmation of this sword using the lightning magic stone, or rather, the short sword, isn’t it? Let’s check this one. Who wants to—” 

“Come on!” “Me!” “Me!” “I want to do it!” “Ssu!” “Me!” “Haa!!”

Before anyone else could finish their sentence, all the knights eagerly volunteered.

“…Mizeroi, you just threw the exploding ball, didn’t you? So, no.” 

Felix said, rendering Mizeroi speechless with an irrefutable argument.

“Liddell and Marcela. You both specialize in magical combat, so you’re not suitable for weapons testing. Therefore, rejected.” 

““Eeeeh!!!?””

He continued, and the two were shot down despite some resistance.

“And Nuber. You’ve only been in the squad for a year. You don’t have enough combat experience to judge performance, so you’re also rejected.”

“Ku…Understood…”

Newcomer Nuber had no room for rebuttal when he was told this.

“As for Tiramisu… There’s no problem in particular.”

“Yes!”

(*Tsk*)

“Ah!! You just clicked your tongue! How childish!!”

“…Well, there’s no helping it. Let’s decide with a coin toss. Young lady, may I ask for your assistance?” 

Felix asked Annemarie with an extremely disappointed expression.

“…Understood.” 

Annemarie replied with a wry smile, taking the coin from Karina.

“Alright, Tiramisu! Make sure to win!!”

“That’s right! You can’t let the vice-captain win, okay!?”

“Of course not! I won’t allow it!”

Despite Felix’s dejected appearance, he paid no heed to their comments.

“Now, please choose heads or tails.”

“Heads! Heads are perfect for the scheming vice-captain!”

“…Very well. Oh, by the way, how about we make it interesting? How about the loser brings back a monster? Since we can’t test it on people, we’ll need to find a monster around here and bring it back.” 

Felix proposed.

“That’s what I want!”

With a snort, Tiramisu agreed eagerly.

“Alright, here I go.”

Anne-Marie, who had given up saying anything further, flicked the coin.

It rose, sparkling in the morning sun, paused for a moment, and then fell.

*Ching*

The silver coin that rolled on the ground showed “tails.”

“Ku, is there no god!?”

“Heh, knights don’t need to rely on gods.”

Tiramisu slumped down while Felix boasted victoriously.

“The winner is…?”

“Nyaow!”

Anne-Marie was about to declare the winner

Just at that moment, Orihime jumped down from Mizeroi’s arms and swiped at the coin, flipping it over.

“Nyaow…..”

Approaching Tiramisu, who was still lying down, Orihime glanced up and let out a meow.

“Wha—! T-Tiramisu is the winner!”

Anne-Marie declared the winner.

“What!? Ridiculous!!”

“Hahaha, see that! Orihime-chan is a goddess-approved god! This is the will of the gods! Justice prevails!”

With the roles completely reversed, Tiramisu proudly lifted Orihime. As Felix sank to his knees in defeat, Isamu interjected.

“Um, I understand you’re all getting along well, but can we start the verification now?”

“Oh! Sorry, got a bit carried away…”

“My apologies… I’ll go find a monster immediately!”

The two snapped back to reality and quickly got to work. Tiramisu practiced swinging the sword without the magic stone, checking its balance and reach. Meanwhile, Felix rode off on horseback to lure a monster.

About ten minutes later, Felix returned riding his horse.

“I caught some goblins just in time! There are three of them. Ready?”

“Of course!”

Tiramisu readied her shield, preparing for battle. She decided to try without activating the magic device first.

Within a minute, three goblins appeared.

“Gya Gya!”

Since Tiramisu was the only one visible, the goblins seemed encouraged and made noise. Everyone else hid behind rocks, watching the situation.

“These guys are always noisy.”

Grumbling, Tiramisu ran towards the center where the three goblins were, shield raised.

“Gyaa!”

The goblin in the center cheered, waving its club.

However, Tiramisu suddenly changed direction, sprinting towards the goblin on the right.

“Gya!!!?”

Caught off guard, the goblin on the right couldn’t react and just made a silly noise while holding its club up.

“Hiyah!”

Aiming for the exposed side, Tiramisu swung her shortsword horizontally.

“Gyaaaah!”

The goblin screamed in agony as its side was slashed, then Tiramisu quickly stabbed the shortsword into its chest.

“As a shortsword, it’s a bit blunt! It can cut, but it’s not very sharp!”

Swinging the sword a few times and splattering blood, Tiramisu reported loudly.

Then, she finally inserted the magic stone into the hilt and activated the device.

With a faint “fwoosh” sound, the magic circle drawn directly on the base of the blade emitted a pale purple light of lightning magic.

Tiramisu cautiously held her shield while spinning the sword to check for any changes. Seeing no obvious difference, she continued towards the center goblin.

“Gyah!”

As the goblin charged, swinging its club at Tiramisu.

“Bonk!”

Tiramisu deflected the blow with her shield, causing the goblin’s upper body to sway. Taking advantage of the opening, Tiramisu slammed the shortsword into the goblin’s arm holding the club.

*Zap!*

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Instantly, a bluish-white light ran across the goblin’s body, causing it to scream and convulse, foaming at the mouth.

His arm was also slashed with a short sword, but that’s probably not the reason why he was twitching and foaming.

“W-What the heck is this!?”

Despite setting it up herself, Tiramisu was taken aback by the unexpected effect.

Even though it was activated, there was no change in appearance, so it’s no wonder she was surprised at the gap in the magnitude of the effect it produced.

“Tiramisu-san! Next time, could you try lightly touching them or hitting them with the flat side of the sword?”

Isamu ordered Tiramisu, having observed the situation.

“Y-Yes!”

Despite her confusion, Tiramisu agreed to the request.

“Gya! Gya!”

Whether they knew her confusion or not, the remaining goblin attacked Tiramisu.

Despite being a little flustered, Tiramisu easily dodged the goblin’s club, then tripped it with her foot, causing it to fall.

Without delay, she struck the fallen goblin’s side with the side of her sword.

*Zap!*

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Once again, a bluish-white light ran across the goblin’s body, causing it to foam at the mouth.

“Wha… what’s going on again!?”

Seeing the goblin foam at the mouth again, Tiramisu let out a small scream.

“I thought it might be lightning magic because of the magic stone, but it seems to be electric after all… At the very least, it’s powerful enough to incapacitate goblins in one shot. It’s not just a stun gun; it seems to have a strong voltage and current.”

Observing the goblins’ reactions, Isamu muttered.

“Do you understand what kind of magic tool it is now?”

Upon hearing his mutterings, Anne-Marie inquired.

“More or less. I think it’s causing a phenomenon similar to lightning balls, affecting whoever it touches. However, I’m not sure of the extent of its power… At the very least, it’s a fact that it can incapacitate goblins in one shot.”

“I see…”

“Let’s keep this under wraps for now. Since we can’t decipher it, we can’t make dummies… But if it’s applied to a proper sharp sword or a spear with reach, it’ll be a very practical weapon. Just touching it can inflict damage.”

(Since this seems to have quite a high voltage, it wouldn’t be surprising if it caused air discharge or if I got electrocuted through the sword… Does it have directionality in its electric shock? And from what I’ve seen, it seems like it’s only sending electric shocks to the surface of the body… It feels somewhat inconsistent that it can’t even kill goblins with that. This magic tool might seem simple at first glance, but it might be surprisingly deep.)

Though Isamu felt a sense of unease about labeling this as a mere stun gun-like magic tool, he kept these thoughts to himself, deciding to examine it more closely when they returned.

“Certainly, I agree… Understood. Let’s keep this confidential.”

Anne-Marie nodded in understanding after hearing the explanation.

“Now then, shall we head back this time? We’ve got souvenirs for the Margrave and for Klaufendamm, so it’s a job well done!”

“”””Ohhh!””””

With Isamu’s rallying cry, the group, who had been verifying their spoils since early morning, set sail for Inotia, the capital of the Innocenti Frontier border.

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