Chapter 13

If I'm sure I remember anything, it's that in the world of HAD, there were no wizards who used staffs or even wands to help them use magic, except for those traditional wizards who used so-called "Ritual Staves" for extremely complex, strange, and obscure (Incomprehensible) magical rituals.

And naturally, there is a clear disdain in the modern magical community of the Hazar Empire regarding the use of such tools, but in my opinion, they are too easy to dismiss something that would aid them in the performance of magic if they knew how to use it well to its full potential…

Of course, he wasn't talking about the traditional Ritual Staffs of this world, which focus on materials with strong symbolic significance to ancient magic and are used for nothing more than confusing rituals I'll never replicate; but rather a staff that can accelerate the speed with which a mage constructs their magic formula; a classic magic staff.

How do you do that? Well... just read my answer to Arturo's question:

I believe the best way to improve your ability to cast magic in combat is to use a specialized magical tool tailored to the mage and their mana, so that you won't have trouble casting magic in life-or-death situations. Therefore, a magical staff, inspired by ancient ritual tools, would be the most ideal way to achieve this, in my opinion.

And let me clarify that I'm not talking about using the so-called ritualistic staves used in the ancient magical rituals of old, but rather a new type of staves capable of storing mana with the unique quality of the magician, which would allow us to manipulate it more easily than the mana from the atmosphere, while we would have a large amount of stored mana at our disposal for our use, using any raw material that allows us to create a mana memory to achieve this.

That's not the only thing I can think of to allow the use of combat magic, and even more so, any other form of magic in existence, in fact.

What about using jewels, gems, or even runes that accelerate the rate at which mana flows into the staff to speed up the construction of the magic formula? Or how about making various combinations of materials that amplify the effects of the cast spell, or even something that helps the magical phenomenon manifest more quickly?

We could create a truly useful magical tool that would put a great war potential at the disposal of a magician, one that cannot be ignored and would be highly valued in the fight against demons.

One of the great principles of magic in this world, whether traditional or modern, is that magical power resembles the magician who wields it.

That is to say, the mana stored in a mage's magic circuits acquires a certain unique quality with which it becomes easier to manipulate by the soul, and without that quality, it takes a lot of mental strength to manipulate it even with a large amount of spiritual energy.

So if you had a tool that could store a large amount of mana and retain that quality, then spellcasting would be significantly more efficient.

The staff form is only an advantage; through the hand, one could concentrate and store a large amount of mana in it in a way that wouldn't generate too much pressure, as smaller objects like bracelets or rings couldn't store mana in a way that would satisfy the mage's multiple purposes without collapsing.

It can also help you draw a magic circle in the air with its tip, like a large magic pen. Or, if that were impossible, you could very well use the magic staff as a means to cast spells similar to those those aspiring combat mages cast with their bodies.

Additionally, a highly durable magic staff can be used as a melee weapon, as it's easy for an enemy to underestimate. And last but not least, I think it makes you look more dignified.

—I'm done, Jairo-sama.

—Hmm…? Good princess. Let's see…

I decided to write all of that down without hesitation and handed the notebook to Arturo with a calm expression… well, I imagined he was smiling, but that didn't matter, right?

Arturo received the notebook without any expression and began to read my answers carefully.

I have to say it was nice to see how her expression subtly changed as she read each answer I gave her. Especially the last one—her eyes furrowed slightly at first before widening completely when she read halfway through, and her lips twitched when she read the final one I wrote...

So what do you think, Jairo-sama? What if we make a magic staff~?

Just so you know, this isn't a reference to anything, okay? I just wanted to be funny... I don't want a talking stick!

<Affection points acquired 11+. Arthur the Great von Jairus' total affection towards the player: 20/100 (superficial friend)>

I got another notification about my affection point boost! Am I some kind of shallow friend now? Not the best... but I'm on the right track!

“¡Pfff…!”

Ah! He laughed! You even put your hand over your mouth in a vain attempt to hide it!

"Jairo-sama? Why are you laughing?" I asked with a smile I apparently couldn't control.

"What? I never laughed."

Wow, look at that stony face. If my memory wasn't so good, I'd really think I was seeing things, you know?

“I’m sure Jairo-sama laughed…”

—No, I didn't laugh, the princess is seeing things...

"Do you find my answers funny? Do you think I'm a clown or something? Because I don't see what else could have made him laugh like that, other than me."

I asked, putting on the most serious face I'd ever put on in my life as I fought the urge to laugh as I saw his expression turn even more stern than I thought possible at my words.

"No... I didn't think so. It's just that the princess's answers were completely unexpected to me. I never imagined someone could have so many ingenious ideas at such a young age..."

After seeming to be at a loss for words for a while, Arthur replied while looking away slightly with a strange puzzled expression as his eyes darted up to the sky, scratching his head uncomfortably.

I guess it was unexpected for him to “think” that way, right?

But don't worry, I know you didn't. Based on what I know about you, after all, you'd only be making fun of me (in your head) if I'd responded with a bunch of nonsense.

“Oh, really? And what caught your attention about my answers?” I decided to change the subject.

… He swore that Arthur almost felt as if a switch had been flipped in his head as the awkward expression magically disappeared and just like that, he was calm and rational again as he immediately began his explanation.

“First of all, no one has ever thought of the idea of ​​releasing internal mana into the environment to perform magic, as far as I know. Perhaps because of its low abundance compared to the surrounding mana… But when I think about it, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea, and although at first glance it seems simple, I’m impressed that you came up with something like this. After all, not even I could think of such a simple yet potentially useful spellcasting method…”

However, I must say that in practice it wouldn't be very efficient. You see, Princess, you clearly already know that each being's mana has its own unique quality, which is a factor that affects how good you are with certain styles of spells.

The problem with this casting method is that by releasing the mana into the environment, it loses its unique quality, making it difficult to use, similar to external mana that already exists in the environment.

"Well, the advantage is that you have a certain density of mana at your disposal and casting would still be faster than normal... but another disadvantage is that you would tire yourself out by losing too much mana in a short time. That in itself doesn't make it very viable."

Wow... this guy can really talk, can't he?

Although I won't deny it, it would be nice to hear more of his voice...

“That makes sense… But wouldn’t the Magic Staff I devised help with that? I mean, there are materials that can retain the unique quality of internal mana, due to their natural properties, right? Then it should be possible to create this magic tool capable of helping mages quickly cast their spells using the internal mana stored within the staff… Oh, it would also be a good idea to use materials that allow the smooth flow of spiritual energy within them so that I can control the stored mana even more efficiently!”

Hmmm...but for that, I think it would be necessary to use materials that come from the mage's body...but leaving aside the blood, everything else would be a lousy conductor of mana, and I don't see how to apply blood to make an effective Magic Staff...Also, spiritual energy would move better in a magic staff made with something that comes from the same mage that emitted it, so that would make said magic staff a magical tool for personal use the mage created...”

Wow, I just realized I can talk almost as long as Arthur when it comes to magic or something related. I never thought I'd throw myself so enthusiastically into something that wasn't a game, but you can't help it—magic is amazing, you know?

I want to try it soon! Immediately, if possible!

Arturo smiled gently (he didn't seem to notice) as he replied somewhat excitedly, his glasses twinkling like stars, "I think it's a fascinating idea. A magical tool that stores the magician's unique mana so that its qualities don't fade... No one has ever thought of something like this for the same reason that no one uses their internal mana to perform magic, which is that external mana is far more abundant. But there is clearly merit in creating something like this."

On the subject of the materials needed to craft a magic staff… there are many of them that could preserve the unique qualities of mana for many years, but very few could be combined with something like blood to create a viable product that allows for better control of the mana stored within…

Still, with a little research, I think it's possible to create such a magical staff over time... I never would have imagined someone could invent something like this based on those ancient artifacts of traditional magic, really. Should I say the princess has too much imagination, or is she just very resourceful?

I smiled slightly and replied, “Well, I’d like to think I’m a genius.”

In response, Arthur gave me a cheeky smile, which was quite unexpected of him: "Heh... I didn't expect the young Dranalian princess to be so arrogant."

“Isn’t Jairo-sama the only arrogant one here? I clearly remember how you shamelessly boasted about having thought of manipulating external mana at a young age to train your mental strength and be able to use magic more quickly… though I, of course, easily and without difficulty surpassed you in merely a few minutes. It’s not unreasonable to say that, between the two of us, I’m the only genius here.”

I couldn't help but laugh when Arturo literally choked on his saliva after I confidently told him that.

…When did I get so brave? Seriously, it was fun.

Adjusting his glasses, the handsome tutor coughed and looked at me with trembling cheeks, holding back what I assumed were curse words that threatened to spill out of his mouth at any moment if he was careless.

“…Wasn’t the Princess taught to respect adults and be humble?”

Interesting... If he were the Arthur who worked as a teacher at the Academy, he would have thrown some pretty clever insults at me in response without hesitation or changing his expression at all!

It seems that this Arturo is less impulsive in that sense... Could it be because of his youth?

Pushing those thoughts aside, he snorted as I clasped my hands together, "I don't think you, of all people, should be saying something like that to me."

“…Very true.” He didn’t deny it, to my amusement.

“By the way, what about my answer about magical beast cores? Was it any good? And what do you think about my hypotheses on the matter?”

Blinking, Arthur took a moment to think about it and answered in a serious voice.

“I must say that for the most part it sounds very logical…”

For the most part?

"But the idea that illness and eating something outside of a magical beast's natural diet would be a possible cause of the high impurities within a mana core seems quite unlikely to me.

-Still, it sounds quite interesting, and it might be worth devising several investigations to fully test that hypothesis… although the money required for such a project certainly wouldn't be small and… I don't think there are many who would be willing to invest in such a thing in the first place… -He muttered the last bit with an angry face (It wasn't very obvious, but I think that's how it was).

Despite your initial words, you found my hypothesis attractive, right?

Although it's something I came up with because I was bored, it would be interesting to see it proven to have some merit in reality.

But I wonder why... What's up with no one being interested in those experiments? Why do you think that?

—Why don't you think someone would invest in such research, Jairo-sama?

—Because it doesn't seem cost-effective. Who would be interested in trying to breed magical beasts with purer mana cores when that can take a long time, and the results of such large-scale research aren't guaranteed?

Arthur waved his hand dismissively at the idea.

“….“

“…Princess, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Is Jairo-sama an idiot?”

"¿¡Yes!?"

“Let me ask you something…”

He exclaimed angrily when I insulted him to his face without hesitation, but I was unfazed and continued.

“Do you have no idea how highly valued magical beasts with high-purity cores are in the Empire? Do you know how many tamers (magicians specializing in magical beasts) would kill for magical beasts like those? Do you have any idea how crazy people would go when they heard that you could breed magical beasts with a higher chance of evolving to even higher ranks?”

"…¿No?"

Oh really?

Is all this guy really interested in is combat magic and arcane technology innovation? Wasn't he even interested in learning what other magical professions do to fight indirectly?

I mean, it's not like everyone in this world has any common sense about how much tamers value high purity magical beasts, especially if you're a mage specializing in arcnatenology, but you should at least have had some idea, right?

Are you really a genius or just a fool?

Resisting the urge to smack my head and retort, I asked again. “…Could it be that you also didn’t know that the meat of magical beasts with high-purity mana cores is also very valuable, and fetches a lot of money to sell on the market across the continent?”

"Of course I know... oh!" he exclaimed, as if he had just realized something upon opening his eyes.

“….“

He's an idiot, I no longer doubt that.