Chapter 29: Summer Event <Splendor> / Flowers of Fire Bloom on a Summer Night

By now, I imagine the users are running quests over and over with the event-exclusive UR “Dowsing Machine” equipped on me.

That ridiculously useful weapon with the rare-drop-up effect that first appeared in the very first event. It became a legendary weapon that users who started playing after the summer event kept begging the devs to bring back. ...If I remember correctly, it was eventually added to the shop for exchange as part of the third-anniversary celebration.

I clearly remembered that the weapon was a pair of “Twin Swords.” I had relied on it plenty while farming, after all. Actually, that's one of the reasons I chose “Twin Swords” in the first place.

There aren't many characters who can equip “Twin Swords,” and the “Dowsing Machine” massively lowers STR. So people were always saying that if there were a “Twin Sword” character who wasn't an attacker... in other words, a healer who could equip Twin Swords...

...Well, “WF” has a quest-skip function. The downside is that using the skip function doesn't increase “Kizuna Depth,” nor does it contribute toward obtaining “Titles,” but it's still an absolutely essential feature for WF users.

However, it requires skip tickets, and those are limited. You have to get them from things like your first clear of main-story quests and login bonuses, then slowly save them up. Other than that, you can exchange for them during events or wait for them to drop at a low rate.

And there's more. The system is set up so that “Enemies” and “Drops” don't get reflected in the skip results unless you've encountered or obtained them at least once in an actual quest. In other words, until you've confirmed a “Rare Enemy” or “Rare Drop,” you have to keep farming the same quest manually. And even when using the skip function, the “Dowsing Machine” still works its magic.

So, what am I getting at?

Basically, “Rare Drop UP” and “Item Drop UP” are ridiculously useful.

A “Twin Sword Healer” isn't just the optimal choice from a combat-system perspective. They can also become an absurdly useful character who contributes to drop boosts while healing.

In other words, this is me going all-out to please the users.

Take it, users!

...Oops, got sidetracked. We were talking about fireworks.

And by “fireworks,” I don't mean we were carrying around actual fireworks. We had to carry food too, and lugging around a huge pile of fireworks wouldn't exactly be practical. Even if we had brought them, they probably would've gotten damp and become useless during a long journey.

So, how were we doing it?

The thing that makes such convenient nonsense possible is fantasy powah...

In other words, magic.

There was an event at some point... I think it was during the third year? ...where a desert fireworks master appeared. An old master and his cute female apprentice. The term “fireworks master” doesn't mean someone who “makes fireworks.” They're actually “firework magicians.”

The “fireworks” of Chaos are the result of this magical art being passed down from master to apprentice.

One of the major reasons I had deliberately traveled to that brutally hot, bone-dry desert during my wandering years was this.

I wanted to learn even the tiniest fragment of their secret technique, which was never taught to outsiders.

It took a hell of a lot of effort to get that stubborn old geezer... I mean, that proud craftsman... to finally nod his head.

But thanks to all that effort, I managed to learn a tiny portion of it.

...Though compared to the original “firework magic,” what I can do is nothing more than child's play. It's honestly embarrassing to even compare the two.

Even so, it was more than enough for the summer event.

Until the real thing makes its appearance, I can take care of the fireworks.

"Everyone has one now, right?"

Right now, Kizuna-kun and the others are holding small, thin rods. If you divide up the long rod that Tierra used in her female-teacher form, this is what you get.

Normally, they're stored in little holders strapped to the leg, the kind of thing a female spy might wear around her thigh... A leg holster? Leg rig? ...I don't really know the proper name.

Anyway, there's a small container strapped to the leg, with the rods stored inside in their separated form.

That little glimpse of bare leg when she takes one out...

Pretty nice, right?

Especially when it's normally kept modestly hidden.

If you agree, please give me a vote of confidence—

Actually, it doesn't have to be a respectable vote. Just vote for me, users!

"First, I'll show you an example. Watch closely."

What I learned after all that training was firework magic that anyone could play with.

Basically, it's like one of those cheap variety packs of fireworks you can buy at a convenience store or supermarket.

I figured that would be more suitable as an event activity.

Convincing the stubborn old geezer—er, the craftsman—who was opposed to letting random people with barely any training handle a traditional form of fireworks magic was...

Well, let's just skip over that part.

In the end, the master, his apprentice, and I, along with Piera and Bestea, whom I was looking after at the time, became completely absorbed in developing “firework magic that everyone could enjoy.”

"Concentrate your magic into the rod while picturing the image in your mind..."

The inside of these tiny rods is densely engraved with intricate magical formulas. It's basically a traditional craft made possible by the old craftsman's godlike craftsmanship.

If I had to explain its effect simply, I'd call it “suppressing magic and directing its output.”

The material these rods are made from is a substance that barely conducts magical energy...

Basically, a magical insulator.

I'm not an expert in chemistry, so I don't know if that's the scientifically correct way to describe it. Either way, it's an extremely precious material, and gathering enough of it was a real pain.

Even magical energy powerful enough to cause a catastrophe if released as an attack spell gets stopped by the rod.

Only a tiny amount of magic is allowed to remain inside.

After that, depending on the user's imagination—in other words, the image they have of the spell's output—the magical formula converts that “magic” into “firework magic.”

If you imagine white light overflowing like a fountain...

"Wow! Amazing! It's beautiful!"

"Mya!? Is that fire, nya!? But it isn't hot, nya!"

"This is incredible..."

"Whoa, whoa! I've never seen anything like this, even in the Imperial Capital!"

"...Truly magnificent. “Flowers of fire” is certainly an apt description."

"So pretty and sparkly! This is so exciting!"

『Analysis. This is presumed to be a product manufactured using extremely advanced technology. Saving as an important record.』

"That's amazing! I wanna try too!"

"It's so pretty! I wanna do it too!"

A shower of brilliant white light burst forth, leaving everyone stunned.

In order, that was Kizuna-kun, Piska, Padron-kun, Liz, Nanashi-kun, Pahal, Tetoma, Tatta, and Saho.

Rene just stood there with her mouth hanging open, staring at it.

Her eyes were sparkling.

Everyone gave such wonderful reactions.

All that effort of traveling all the way to the desert had definitely been worth it.

"All right, now you can try it yourselves. As long as you can imagine it, you can make it take any shape or color you want. Applying it in more advanced ways takes a little practice, so it might be difficult at first."

Once I encouraged them, white light immediately began pouring out from everyone's rods in exactly the same way.

"Whoa! It worked!"

"Mya-mya!"

"Amazing! It's so easy!"

"So pretty! This is fun!"

"...Whoa. This isn't something to take lightly. If it's really this easy, there are countless possible applications. Festivals, ceremonies, street performances... This is on the level of a cultural revolution."

『Affirmative. If mass production were possible at low cost, its commercial value would be extremely high.』

"Unfortunately, mass production isn't possible. The materials are extremely rare, and there are only a limited number of people capable of making them."

"Yeah, figures... If they could mass-produce this stuff, it'd be famous already."

The key to this firework magic is imagination.

Anyone can activate it almost immediately after seeing a demonstration.

That's why I showed them first.

All they have to do is imagine the light coming out like that.

Once they get the initial image down, all sorts of applications become possible.

The output is too weak for something like aerial fireworks, but you can make things ranging from sparklers and sparkler fountains to handheld fireworks.

The colors are completely up to you, too.

Of course, advanced applications require a little practice, and “senko hanabi”—Japanese sparklers—are especially difficult.

...But that's exactly why there should be a sense of fun in getting better at it, as well as ways to compete with each other.

Plenty of people have probably enjoyed competing to see whose senko hanabi could last the longest.

With this firework magic, we could recreate that too.

It's all about imagination.

Which means that someday, someone might even create a completely new form of fireworks that never existed on Earth.

Well, it'd be difficult for a beginner, of course.

Even I, who had actually seen and handled real fireworks in modern Japan, found senko hanabi difficult.

And that's precisely why someone experienced like me gets to play a bigger role...

"Mama, look, look."

"I'm not Mama. So, what is it, Rene... huh?"

Huh?

What?

What the hell is this?

A ribbon of light spread out from her rod like an aurora, wrapped itself completely around her body, and began swirling and sparkling.

She's wearing fireworks!?

What kind of idea is that!?

Huh?

Isn't this ridiculously impressive?

Not just the idea, but isn't that incredibly difficult to control!?

That looks harder than senko hanabi to me!

"Th-That's amazing, Rene. It's very beautiful."

"Hehe. I'm amazing."

Rene proudly struck a smug pose inside the vortex of light.

As if expressing her pride, the light changed to orange.

And on top of that, the color of the light subtly changed from moment to moment.

The level of detail was insane...

What is this weird feeling of defeat?

No, but...!

Senko hanabi is an advanced form of firework magic that requires a precise mental image and incredibly delicate control...!

There's no way I'm going to lose to some newcomer...

Especially not an otherworlder who's trying this for the first time!

"I'm the winner. V."

Later, we held a senko hanabi endurance competition.

Rene won by an overwhelming margin.

And on top of that, I even lost to Nanashi-kun and Padron-kun.

I can kind of understand Nanashi-kun.

But losing to Padron-kun?

I genuinely have no idea how that happened.

And just like that, the first day of the summer event came to an end.