The Power of the Saint is All Around (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 5

Act 5:

Investigating?

OUR GOAL WAS to see if we could discern the intent of the letter sender. Leaving the panacea behind in the manor, we ventured into the city.

Yuri was spearheading this operation, but I was coming along for the ride. So, they’d had to determine how to ensure my safety.

First, they figured out who my guards would be. In order to allow Yuri the freedom he needed, officially our only guard was Albert. But the grand magus’s powers were nothing to sneeze at, and I learned that Zara, who was also tagging along, was well trained in self-defense. A few other people would be guarding us covertly, so we were a lot more thoroughly prepared than I had expected was even possible.

Next, we had to nail down our destination. The prince’s delegation decided this: We were headed to a maker of talismans who the delegation had confirmed to be trusted. They were also probably taking Yuri’s wishes into consideration. As one might expect, this shop sold Zaideran talismans.

Talismans were strips of paper on which designs had been drawn with a special ink. These papers could be used to start fires or conjure water, and anyone could use them. The more expensive ones could even increase physical and magical attacks. All you had to do to activate one was let your magic power flow into it.

This sounded an awful lot like the items we enchanted, but they weren’t exactly the same. Unlike enchanted items, talismans were one-use only. Also, the talismans that boosted your powers only lasted for a fixed amount of time before the effect dissipated. In this way, they were similar to the boosts that could come from magic or a meal.

And of course, being a sucker for anything remotely arcane, Yuri was interested in looking into these talismans. Ever since he’d first heard about them from Prince Ten’yuu, when the prince was studying abroad in Salutania, Yuri had had his heart set on seeing the real thing for himself.

So, knowing that he wanted to go to an expert in the field, I was keenly aware that his true goal was less to investigate the letter sender’s aims than it was to learn about talismans.

Incidentally, I learned that Prince Ten’yuu and Yuri had met during Prince Ten’yuu’s visit to observe the Royal Magi Assembly. While I knew that Prince Ten’yuu had toured all of the research institutes at the palace, I hadn’t known about his visit to the assembly. It made sense, though, since the assembly was home to mages who researched magic and could be considered a place of research as well.

“So this is the place!” Yuri was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped out of the carriage we had ridden from the manor. He looked like he might burst into song and skip the rest of the way to the shop. Of course, being a noble who’d been schooled in etiquette, he didn’t actually do that, but it was clearer than ever that the search was secondary in his mind. I chuckled wryly as I watched him.

When I glanced to my side, I saw that Zara was wearing a crooked smile as well. She noticed my gaze and turned her attention to me. We smiled at the same time, as if we had planned it beforehand.

“Welcome,” the clerk greeted us in Zaideran as we filed into the shop. First Yuri, then me, then Albert, and Zara bringing up the rear.

Oscar and May weren’t especially proficient combatants, so they were doing other things. Oscar had gone out in search of ingredients, and May was back at the manor learning Zaideran recipes from the cook.

We handed a paper to the shop clerk which had been given to us by the delegation. It was a letter of introduction.

Upon checking the sender, the clerk smiled, and it turned out he was fluent in Salutanian because he switched languages to say, “Can I help you find anything today?”

According to the person who’d told us to go here, this shop had not only been confirmed to be a safe point of contact, but it was the best place for us to ask about talismans. It wasn’t the largest shop in Zaidera, but they had a wide variety of talismans for sale, and the clerks were good with customers. Likely that was because they had someone who spoke Salutanian. Yuri had all kinds of questions, so this really was the perfect place for him.

“I heard you have a wide variety of talismans. Could you please show me absolutely everything you have for sale?” Yuri asked, cool as a cucumber.

The clerk politely brought us to a place to sit. We learned, when he introduced himself, that he was the owner of the shop.

Yuri took his place at the center of the table.

Yep. I was right. He had been hugely looking forward to coming here, despite his claims about investigations. Of course he was sitting dead center.

I sat so that the grand magus was on my left and Zara was on my right. Typically, the two of us should have been standing behind him, but because of my true social standing, I sat next to him. We had decided on this ­arrangement before we set out to the store.

And since he was our guard, Albert stood behind us, centered between Yuri and me.

A few minutes after we were shown to our seats, the shopkeeper and an assistant returned with a sea of talismans. There were so many that I was sure they really must have brought out every single kind of talisman they had for purchase, just as Yuri had requested.

I was taken aback, but the shopkeeper lined his wares in front of Yuri. The talismans were made of rectangular strips of white paper. The color was different, but they reminded me of the seals pasted on the faces of jiangshi, Chinese hopping vampires. The sizes varied too, but it looked like there was a standardized gradation. However, every drawn design was unique, and the ink came in a number of colors.

“I see that some use the same ink even though their design differs,” Yuri said as he held up two seals.

“So they do. The kind in your left hand is for conjuring balls of water, while the one in your right is for conjuring water that rains down.”

“Fascinating. Now that I look closer, I can see that the designs share some similarities as well,” Yuri murmured, more to himself than to the clerk. The wheels in his mind were clearly turning as he listened to the clerk’s explanations.

What about the investigation? I’m a little concerned about dropping it, but there’s no stopping the grand magus when he’s in this mode. The knight commander hasn’t said anything either, so I doubt we’re in any danger. I suppose no one would complain if I took a look too? I shifted my attention to the talismans.

I’d heard they used special ink to draw these, and it looked more like calligraphy ink than the kind used for pens. It also looked like there was a system to the increasingly complex details of the designs. I stared at one of the more ornate examples in the lineup; the assistant noticed my stare and handed the sample to me.

This talisman, he explained, was for increasing physical defense. I had heard that the support talismans were more expensive; perhaps part of the reason for that was the design, which looked rather difficult to draw.

“Do the talismans have to come in specific sizes?” I focused on speaking in Zaideran, since I was worried that the clerk wasn’t as comfortable using Salutanian.

It sure was handy that I could speak any language I wished whenever I wanted. I was eternally grateful for this ability.

“Not really,” he replied in Zaideran. “However, we make ours in sizes that are easy to use.”

Both the owner and his assistant were terribly kind. He didn’t seem to mind answering such a basic question at all.

Fortified by this, I went ahead and asked other questions too. The talismans were made of paper and ink, just as I had heard. The paper itself was just regular paper, but the ink was special.

Both the paper and ink were bought from a different workshop, but this shop employed artisans to draw on them. They used a writing brush to create these intricate designs, which required skill, as they had to be drawn on fixed sizes of paper. The designs also differed depending on their effect, so I imagined they might be even harder to memorize than potion recipes.

For mid-grade potions and above, you need skill levels in Pharmaceuticals. I wonder if there’s a similar skill for talismans? 

This question just popped into my mind, but when I asked, the answer I received was, “I don’t know.”

In that case, maybe I could make a simple one myself. I tentatively asked if they had a book of talisman designs, and he said they did have a catalogue of the most basic kinds.

Among all the books that had been bought for us, we hadn’t received any about talismans. Maybe I could ask the delegation staff to purchase some when we returned to the manor.

As I was interrogating the clerk, Yuri finished his discussion with the shop owner. He had taken less time than I expected—probably because he wanted to head back to the manor and dive into serious talisman experimentation.

Case in point: Yuri bought practically every single kind of talisman. The shop owner looked quite pleased.

When I say this, you should understand that it was everything that the owner had brought out. I feared that hauling them all home would be difficult, to say the least. He’d even bought multiples for his research! And paper and ink too! And the ink came in multiple varieties, you know?

I had no idea how we would fit it all in the carriage, but the owner made a great suggestion: He would have Yuri’s purchases delivered to the manor. Yuri had no objections, at least not after the owner assured him that they would be delivered today.

Grateful for the excellent customer service, we were all wonderfully satisfied as we left the shop.

After a brief break, I finally remembered our investigation. I asked about it after we stepped into the carriage and received a surprisingly serious answer.

“I sensed several people watching us, but I didn’t sense any hostility from them,” said Yuri. “Did you notice anything unusual while we were there, Knight Commander Hawke?”

“There were indeed several people watching us. I didn’t notice anything suspicious beyond that, however.”

It turned out that despite appearances, Yuri had been doing his job after all. Albert, of course, went without saying.

Zara had been paying attention to our surroundings too. “Those watching us were particularly interested in Lord Drewes, Lord Hawke, and myself. None of them stood out in any particular way. I didn’t notice anyone focusing on Lady Sei.”

Zara was right. Most people in Zaidera had black or brown hair, and their eyes were of similar hue. I was totally used to seeing people who looked like them, and they probably thought the same of me.

“Did you notice anything, Sei?” Albert asked me.

“No, nothing.” It wasn’t that I wasn’t being vigilant, but I wasn’t very sensitive to the attention of others in general. I felt ashamed, though, since it felt like I was the only one who hadn’t done my job.

Ultimately, though, we concluded that there had been nothing suspicious and were able to return to the manor without incident.

***

Once I was back in the room where I was staying, I sat at my desk to write down everything I had learned about talismans. I wanted to record it all before I forgot anything. As I was making my notes, I heard someone address me from outside the room.

Zara was with me, so she went to answer the door. When she came back, she informed me that dinner was ready.

Is it that time already? Only then did I realize how much time had passed.

I rubbed my shoulders as I stood up, and the two of us went to the dining hall together.

In the dining hall, we found not only Albert and Yuri, but Prince Kyle too.

Zara and I went our separate ways at the entrance, so I was the only one who entered. Zara, Oscar, and May were eating in a separate room.

Albert pulled out a chair for me to sit in, and once we were settled in our chairs, the food could be brought out. We were having Salutanian dishes tonight. Recently, we had eaten nothing but Zaideran cuisine, so I was pleased by the variety.

We talked about the talisman shop as we ate. Prince Kyle had been there before, so he was able to follow the conversation as Yuri exuberantly described our day out. We focused on talismans throughout the meal, leaving the heavier main topic of the day for our after-meal tea.

“So everything went fine on your end today, I see?”

“Yes. Nothing stood out except for the Zaideran guards assigned to watch us.”

Albert took charge of making the report about our excursion. We had been watched from the second we stepped out of the manor, all the way until our return. In all likelihood, these watchers were the people Yuri and the others had mentioned were assigned to keep an eye on us. One might assume it was suspicious to have people scrutinizing our every move, but based on Albert’s report, it was all expected.

According to Prince Kyle, his delegation was constantly under surveillance as well, and had been since they arrived in Zaidera. Perhaps it was standard to keep a wary eye on foreigners.

While that might sound concerning, we had done the same to Prince Ten’yuu during his visit to Salutania.

Albert also mentioned what Zara had reported: “The watchmen were mainly focused on everyone but Lady Sei.” 

“They were? Why?”

“According to some of our intel, it’s likely because she looks like she could be from Zaidera.”

“Hmm. So they probably mistook her for a local?”

“I believe that’s a possibility.”

It was the most likely explanation, and the prince could imagine how this might be true.

“Did you notice any movement on your end?”

“Yes. I was told someone other than the regular surveillance team tried to investigate the manor.”

What? Wasn’t this cause for concern? Yet from the casual way Prince Kyle said it, it didn’t seem like he considered it an emergency.

I must have been wearing a confused look, because Prince Kyle turned his attention to me to explain.

He had referred to it as “investigating,” but really all they had done was ask a few questions. The person of interest had been dressed as someone from a company with whom the delegation had frequent dealings, and he had tried to ask some of the manor staff some questions. It went without saying that he had inquired about us. However, he hadn’t asked about anything more specific or about the panacea. It was mostly small talk—comments on how there were more of us now and asking what kind of people we were. This sort of thing was an everyday occurrence. They hadn’t probed him for any specific information in turn.

Well, this was the kind of operation that rarely bore fruit from the labors of a single day. We agreed to continue keeping an eye out, and that was the end of our debriefing.

For the next several days, things continued without any change for the better. The borders remained closed, and our efforts to return home remained at a standstill.

Just as we had heard from the start, the scope of the lockdown broadened. 

During this time, we also found out why they were closed. Prince Ten’yuu had continued his search, and he’d sent a message to Prince Kyle to inform him of what he had uncovered.

The cause was a theft, just as we had originally believed. The borders remained closed because they hadn’t yet caught the thief.

Meanwhile, we weren’t any closer to identifying who had sent the letter. The only sure thing was that we were still under constant observation.

Just what was the sender after? Right when the question was beginning to really gnaw at me again, the grand magus decided it was time to act.

“Shall we go out and try to gather more information?” he unexpectedly declared while we were having breakfast one morning.

I hadn’t seen him for a few days now, since he had been cooped up in his room the whole time. He had been so absorbed in researching the talismans and ink that he just hadn’t left even once.

What was it about Yuri that made him seem so charismatic? Was it because he gave off those faintly degenerate vibes? On closer inspection, I could see the faint circles under his eyes.

Oh yeah, didn’t someone say they saw the light on in his room all through the night these past few days? He must not be getting much sleep.

“How so?” I asked.

“We’ll go out into the city just like last time, and we’ll see if anyone tries anything. Whoever we’re up against, they haven’t made any moves either.”

Yuri was right. We hadn’t discerned any additional information about the letter. We had figured out that because the members of the delegation hadn’t learned anything, despite their best efforts, it might have something to do with a powerful noble.

The fact that we rarely left the manor was possibly part of the problem.

If the culprit was trying to get information about us as well, then we hadn’t given them any chances to do so, which would leave us in a stalemate. Oscar had said as much the other day while we were chatting. Yuri might have reached the same conclusion, which was why he was suggesting we make a move.

Though I doubted that was his sole motivation.

“Do you want to go back to the talisman shop?” Oscar asked as he sliced a piece of bread. Clearly, he understood the grand magus well.

However, Yuri’s reply came as a surprise. “This time I was hoping we could go somewhere they make the ink.”

Oscar made a face as if Yuri had just suggested we poke a bear.

Nevertheless, the answer was somewhat unexpected. I had a feeling I knew what Yuri was after, but I asked him anyway. I thought he might make some excuse, but he was actually forthright: He had spent the past few days in his room analyzing his talismans, and he had discovered that the ingredients for the ink were also used as catalysts in enchantments.

“So, you mean that the ink is made of minerals?”

“Exactly. And something else as well.”

“Like what?”

“The main ingredient seems to be some kind of resin, but there’s also something else I couldn’t identify.”

“And that’s why you want to go see where they make the ink?”

“Yes! If we only go to an ink-making workshop, I ought to be able to uncover the remaining ingredient.”

“I suppose we might…” But I wasn’t so sure that they would be willing to share such things with an outsider. That seemed like the kind of thing they would want to keep a secret.

However, there was some merit to Yuri’s suggestion. We needed to figure out what the letter sender was after. Both Albert and Prince Kyle agreed with this. I also understood that continuing to just sit on our hands was a waste.

For my part, I was restless, not knowing what to ­expect or when the borders would be opened. Plus, while I didn’t feel Yuri’s agitation to nearly the same degree, I didn’t like idly sitting around either. So I empathized.

We discussed our opinions on the matter, and in the end, we decided to once more go along with Yuri’s plan—although, just like last time, the prince’s delegation made sure that our destination was secure before we went.

One week after Yuri made his initial proposal, we went to an ink-making workshop. The delegation was able to confirm the safety of the workshop within a week, thanks to enchanted items that Yuri supplied. He made them himself out of pure motivation to visit the facility, so their effectiveness was guaranteed.

Actually, he had made something similar when Prince Ten’yuu visited Salutania, but these were enchanted with even stronger perception-blocking magic than that one had been.

At the time, I had only suggested he make something that made it hard to perceive the color of my hair or the features of my face. I hadn’t suggested anything as practical as dampening smells or the sound of footsteps.

When I heard what Yuri had made, I kind of regretted it; it felt like I had given the grand magus a terribly dangerous idea.

He had clearly used his eloquent persuasiveness to urge the delegation to complete their investigation as efficiently as possible. Either way, they had carried out their mission most expediently.

It did seem like the person who came to tell us they had decided on our destination looked sootier than he had when he left, but that was probably just my imagination.

We traveled to the workshop by carriage, as usual. I cracked the window shade to peer outside. We’d set off on orderly avenues, but these had gradually transitioned into more chaotic, disorganized streets.

The workshop was in a commoner neighborhood, rather than the more posh surroundings of the manor and the talisman shop. In other words, this was the lower part of the city.

The streets near the manor and talisman shop were wide enough for carriages to pass through, but they grew narrower and narrower the closer we got to our destination. A member of the delegation had told us that the road in front of the workshop was only large enough for a single small carriage to pass through. We couldn’t possibly go down the street in the carriages we were riding in, so we went as far as we could, then got out to walk the rest of the way.

I supposed you would say it looked like a traditional tradesman’s house? The workshop was located inside a long and narrow two-floor building, which was surrounded by other buildings of similar structure.

The master of the workshop and his apprentices were waiting for us at the entrance, which told me that they had been informed of our imminent arrival.

“Hello. I take it that you are the Salutanians who I received word would be visiting today?” the master greeted us in Zaideran. “Welcome.”

Unlike at the talisman shop, no one here could speak Salutanian, so I wound up having to play interpreter. This was my first real job as Yuri’s attendant.

The master was an older man with gray-streaked black hair and brown eyes. He was short but solidly built.

I greeted him and his employees on behalf of our party. While he made it sound like we were welcome, his demeanor made me feel otherwise. He gave off the vibe that our being here was a bother.

Well, I didn’t blame him. Our visit had come on short notice, and it was possible we wouldn’t even buy anything.

The apprentices were all transfixed by Yuri’s face. His natural gifts clearly worked even on people of distant lands. One of them was even blushing. It made me worry about that young man’s future.

The workshop had been informed that we wanted to learn about the components of ink and to see where it was made. After the initial greetings, the master took us straight inside to show us all kinds of things.

“These are the ingredients,” he explained in Zaideran.

“He says that these are the ingredients,” I interpreted.

“There certainly are a lot of them.”

I had no experience in simultaneous interpretation, so it took a while for us to go back and forth. However, circumstances being what they were, the master didn’t hurry me along or anything, for which I was very grateful.

The master pointed out a shelf lined with all kinds of porcelain jars. He opened them one by one to show us the contents, which proved to be a variety of colorful powders. They were ground up minerals.

I had heard of some of the minerals before. Yuri knew most of them as well, judging from how he nodded each time the master named one.

Next, the master presented us with resin and incense. The resin was made by extracting liquid from boiled animal hides, which was then hardened. It was frequently used as glue. They added the incense to mask its odor. I wondered if the resin was used to stick the mineral powders to the paper, but the master didn’t offer an explanation beyond that, so it remained a mystery.

After showing us each of the ingredients, he launched into an explanation of how they made the ink. The process involved several steps, and his apprentices divvied up the work.

First, they melted the resin by warming its vessel in hot water. One of the apprentices put the resin inside a pot, then floated that pot inside a bigger one.

The next step was mixing the ingredients. They combined powdered minerals and water with the melted resin. Once mixed, they added the incense to improve the fragrance. At that point, the ink looked like it had the texture of a lump of mochi.

Step three was the most important part of the process: kneading the mochi-like lump. They had to do this for a whole hour, and they used their long years of experience to determine when it was ready. As such, the most experienced apprentice was in charge of this step. That made sense to me as I watched them work.

The final step was molding. The kneaded substance was subdivided, then placed into a wooden mold. They then waited for the ink to dry in the mold, and once the block was polished, it was done.

“This is the finished product,” the master said. He showed us a square object that fit into the palm of his hand. They called it “ink,” and it looked just like sumi, Japanese calligraphy ink, to me—although there were more colors than black, like red and blue.

“This is the finished product,” I interpreted.

“They say this is ink, but it is quite unlike what I expected.” Yuri stared at the block with a look of surprise.

“Excuse me, is this sumi ink?” I asked out of curiosity. 

It turned out that I wasn’t wrong.

“Does it look like something else?” the master asked.

“No, it’s just that when we heard you made ink, this wasn’t what we expected.”

“Are you talking about the ink found in other countries? The liquid kind?”

The master knew what I was talking about, which meant we were using the word that Prince Ten’yuu had chosen to translate it as when explaining this ink to Yuri.

Which also meant that this ink was the kind you used when writing calligraphy—like when you wet an inkstone and rub the ink block against it. The master gave me an odd look when I asked if that was how it was done here, but he told me I was correct.

I explained to everyone else, as they couldn’t understand, and I received a variety of reactions, including some impressed looks.

Now that our tour was complete, it was time for questions. Yuri was in his element, and he had all kinds of queries for the master. The master had seemed unfriendly at first, but once he realized that Yuri’s ­questions were all technical, he gradually opened up and became friendlier.

I feel like I’ve seen this exact thing happen before… The face of the master potion-maker of Klausner’s Domain popped into my mind.

As I frantically did my best to interpret their exchanges, the next thing I knew, Yuri was rolling up his sleeves. I was so focused on interpreting that I hadn’t really processed what I was actually saying.

Huh? What’s going on? What’s happening? Wait, did he just say that he wanted to try kneading the sumi ink?

Just as I registered the last thing I’d said, Yuri and the master were heading over to the station for the third step of the process: kneading the inky mochi lump.

I quickly followed after them. The master brought out rusty red lumps that were small enough to hold in one hand, then placed them on the tables in front of Yuri and me. Then he started kneading his own lump while explaining what to do.

After watching the master’s movements, Yuri spread his mochi in his hand and started kneading his own.

“Channel your magic into the sumi ink as you knead,” the master told us.

He hadn’t mentioned the enchanting part initially. Yuri’s wealth of knowledge must have softened the man’s stony heart, because now we were getting a far more detailed explanation of the process.

“I see. So this is the enchanting step, then. Hmm… Do we channel pure fire magic into it, then?” Yuri was able to figure out this part with pure observation. He just watched and imitated without any need for my interpretation.

“Whaddya know! You’ve got a knack for this,” the master praised him with a smile on his face.

According to him, hardly anyone had the knack for this step of the process the first time they tried it. However, enchantments were the grand magus’s forte. He was the most skilled enchanter in our kingdom.

“I think it should be about ready,” the master said.

“It’s done,” Yuri declared at the same time.

They beamed at one another.

The grand magus had indeed done a satisfactory job, judging by the master’s nod as he examined Yuri’s kneaded sumi ink.

“Could I take a closer look at yours?” Yuri asked as he scrutinized his own, so I interpreted for him.

A puzzled frown crossed the master’s face. “Sure, I don’t mind…” 

Once I told Yuri he had permission, the grand magus cast a spell. “Appraise.”

The rest of us had anticipated that this was what Yuri was after, but the master was startled. When he saw Yuri cast a spell, he yelped, “What the—?!”

The master had never seen Appraisal magic before, so he was even more astonished after hearing my explanation of it. When I asked him why he was so shocked, I learned something rather shocking in itself.

Only a very few people could use Appraisal magic in Salutania, but they were even rarer in Zaidera. In fact, the only people who could use that kind of magic lived in the imperial palace.

Really?!

Albert was surprised to hear this as well. “I’ve heard that even Salutanian companies employ people who can cast that magic, though—albeit larger ones.”

“Perhaps it’s less that fewer people are capable of casting those kinds of spells and more that a number of them are hiding their ability so that they need not be at the beck and call of the imperial palace,” Zara suggested. 

She had a point.

“Ah, yes. That would make sense.”

Even in Salutania, it was apparently commonplace for companies to hide the fact that they had incredibly skilled alchemists in their employ.

Meanwhile, Yuri wasn’t the least bit surprised. He nodded as if he completely understood. He must have noticed something that we had missed.

In any case, the master was so excited by the fact that Yuri was capable of Appraisal magic that he asked the grand magus to cast it on all the ingredients in the workshop. 

Aside from that, nothing else of particular note happened during our visit, and once the grand magus was fully satisfied, we took our leave.

***

The night after we had gone to the ink—or rather, sumi ink—workshop, we participated in a debriefing, just as we had after we went to the talisman shop.

What kind of debriefing? One to discuss whether the mysterious letter sender had made any moves, of course. Same as always.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t done anything we could see, as we had hoped they would. We had gone out in hopes of breaking the deadlock, but alas, we were back to square one.

The only thing that had changed was, yet again, the people monitoring us.

Why hadn’t they made a move yet? Was it because the sender was actually among one of the people stationed to watch us? Had they not done anything because they still lacked critical information? So basically, it wasn’t yet the time for them to make their move?

The questions kept piling up, and we had no way to get answers. The borders were still closed too, and we had no further information about the letter.

And now that Yuri, who was the one who had proposed our outing in the first place, had his new toys—the ingredients for sumi ink—he had once more sequestered himself in his room, and no one had seen him since.

Which meant that I was also stuck in my room all day, as I had no good excuse to leave the manor.

After I’d spent several days plowing through books, Yuri summoned me. He needed my help for something. But what could he possibly need me for?

Zara was just as puzzled as I was as she accompanied me to the room Yuri called us to.

The first thing I noticed upon entering was the large number of packages—wooden crates and the like, filled with books, bundles of papers, and other such things.

Of particular note were the things spread over the big table in the center of the room. The right half of the table was covered in small vials of colorful powders, bottles filled with liquids, resin that had been soaked in water, a pitcher, and pots of various size.

What’s with the box next to the pots? It’s on a stand like you’d use for kettles and so forth… Is it supposed to be something like a cooking stove?

Everything else looked exactly like the things we had seen at the ink workshop.

“I’m sorry to summon you here,” Yuri said as I was still taking in the sight of the chaos on the table.

“That’s all right. I was just reading books anyway.” As I set my sights on Yuri, he greeted me with a dazzling smile.

He looked far healthier than he had after he finally emerged from his room the last time he’d holed up. Of particular note was the absence of dark circles. He seemed a bit worn out, but no shadows marred his beautiful face.

“You said that you needed my help with something? What can I do for you today?”

“I would like you to be my assistant in an experiment.”

“What are you up to?”

“I was thinking of making talismans.”

Talisman making, huh? I didn’t mind helping out, but I wasn’t sure what I could actually do. When I asked, Yuri said that he might need a large quantity of ink, so he wanted me to help him make it. On his end, he really wanted to be able to focus on the actual talisman part.

On hearing this, my gaze returned to the table. These were all the ingredients that went into making sumi ink. Having heard the explanation at the workshop, I was sure that he understood the difference between sumi ink and regular ink. So why had he kept referring to it as just “ink”? He wasn’t confused, right?

“You want me to make ink? Not sumi ink?”

“That’s right. Ink, please.”

When I pressed him to explain himself, he revealed the fruits of his research over the past few days: While the most important part of the sumi ink-making process was enchanting the lump while you kneaded it, the most ­important ingredient was the powdered minerals. The magic power infused into the minerals paired with the designs drawn on the talismans, and together they could invoke the same effects as enchanted catalysts. The resin was only for gluing the minerals to the paper.

With all that in mind, Yuri hypothesized that the sumi ink didn’t need to start as a solid. In all likelihood, Zaidera dried and solidified it because that made it easier to store. In turn, they had to add water and grind the block on an inkstone.

So, the question: Was the solidification a necessary step of the process? Or could one use this substance right away? Yuri had tested his hypothesis by making liquid sumi ink. The result: He had skipped that step and nevertheless successfully created a talisman.

“So that’s why you were referring to it as just ink.”

“Exactly. Because what we’re making will be a liquid.”

Yuri had learned that the solid version was called sumi ink and the liquid version was just ink. We’d had a different word for this kind of ink back in the world I came from, but I figured that didn’t really matter and simply nodded along.

With that, he began teaching me how to make the ink. He had already settled on a process during his experiments.

I channeled my magic into the mixture of powdered minerals and melted resin—that was my sole job. It was incredibly simple to make, but there was a problem. It was hard to prepare in advance, which was why Yuri hadn’t already made enormous quantities of the stuff. That was also why he’d called me up.

“Are you ready to begin? Start with these.”

Off I went—I started making the ink. Yuri selected a number of small bottles, which contained powdered materials of the sort you used for enchanting with support-type magic.

Just like with catalysts, the kind of ink a person could make depended on the types of magic they could call upon. As I was relegated to Holy Magic, the only type of ink I could make was the kind used in talismans with support effects.

As Yuri explained, he poured a tiny bit of the powdered minerals into a small dish and spooned liquid out of another bottle. It seemed the liquid was a substance that melted resin; the resin needed to be prepared first because it didn’t melt right away. Yuri told me that if it looked like I was running out, he had solidified resin as well, so I could melt more if I needed to.

Then I had to use my fingers to knead the ingredients together. I was supposed to channel my magic into the substance at this step, but it was tricky. To make this ink, I had to feed it purely Holy Magic or it would be inert.

Moreover, as I kneaded and channeled magic into the substance, I didn’t get the familiar sensation that it was finished—unlike how I did when enchanting.

“Hm?”

“Is something the matter?”

“It feels like I’m not getting a response. Am I doing it right?”

“Theoretically, but you’re not channeling Holy Magic.”

I was channeling just as I usually did when I made potions, but I hadn’t realized that wasn’t Holy Magic. Yuri explained that I had to specifically concentrate on the elemental part or it would be a dud, and that it was basically the same as regular enchanting.

Be that as it may, I hadn’t actually ever concentrated on any kind of magic when I did enchantments. Perhaps I had just done it naturally because what I was usually doing was imagining the glow of the catalyst. Regardless, this was the first I’d heard that the magic I channeled into making potions was supposed to be different from what I used for enchanting.

As there was no response, we had to reason that I had failed to do it correctly, so we disposed of the ingredients I had just used so I could try again from the beginning. This time, I focused on channeling Holy Magic in hopes that it would work. When I did, I felt a faint warmth in my fingertips, though it lasted for only a brief second.

“Did it work this time?” I asked as I removed my fingertips to inspect the dish.

“Appraise.” Yuri checked the results of the spell. “Yes, it did.”

Meaning I had successfully made the ink.

“Do you think you’ll be able to continue making a bit more for me?”

“Yup, you can leave it to me.”

Yuri deposited the finished ink on the opposite side of the table. That side was covered in things like books, as well as the papers and brushes for making talismans.

Yuri plopped into a chair and opened another book. Meanwhile, I set to making more ink.

***

I watched Yuri as I continued making ink in silence. When I didn’t need to be the ink production line, I spent my time reading the books he’d acquired.

All the books in his room were about talismans. I was reading the basics to start with, and it was all pretty fascinating. A good way to kill time.

Zara started helping me on the third round of ink making. After pouring the ingredients into the dish, it looked like I wouldn’t have enough resin for another batch, so I left that job to her.

In the end, all I was doing was channeling magic while kneading the ingredients. Did this really count as helping out? I felt like Zara’s job was way harder.

Also, while I successfully made more ink on the second round, I failed several times after that. According to Yuri, this was because I had accidentally enchanted the minerals with a spell instead of my power in itself.

I guess I shouldn’t have been thinking about what kind of spells I’ve used in enchantments past.

There were two kinds of screw up: accidentally enchanting the composing materials, and accidentally channeling the wrong thing. In the former case, there was a kind of zap in my fingertips.

How many times was I stunned by the sensation of that zap? Well… My heart hurt a bit when I thought of all of the ingredients I had wasted with my mistakes.

As I made the ink, Yuri referred to his books while drawing talismans in silence. I looked over the talismans he’d left out to dry and saw that some were of the same design, while others varied. It looked like he was making different kinds. Perhaps he was just going in order as they were presented in the book?

Once in a while, I heard him utter the word for an Appraisal spell. I assumed he was checking each one as he drew them. I also assumed the experiment was going well, as I had just turned my attention to a book when Yuri said something disquieting.

“I had a feeling this would happen. The ink you make is very potent, Lady Sei.”

The ink I make is what now? I turned my head so slowly in his direction that I practically creaked.

Yuri had a thoughtful hand to his chin as he considered the talisman he had just finished. When he noticed my gaze, he smiled at me. “There is a considerable difference between the effects produced by the talismans I made and what the book says they should be.”

“You don’t say?”

“Just to make sure, I tried making a talisman using the sumi ink I bought and the result was just as the book described.”

At the mention of sumi ink, I looked down at his hands to see an inkstone and a block of sumi ink. Since the liquid ink in the inkstone was the same color as the ink I was making, I could assume they were made of the same mineral.

When in the world had he made that? But more importantly—he had described a difference. Combined with his comment about the potency of my ink, he was probably referring to my good old friend: the 50 percent bonus curse.

I didn’t think it would go as far as to affect even ink… How long have I suffered under the yoke of this thing? My cheek twitched as I stared into the distance.

As I busily did my best to disassociate, Yuri delivered the final knockout blow: The talismans Yuri made using my ink were all 1.5 times stronger than they should’ve been. Just as I suspected.

And so, with that, not too long after…he directed me to change the type of ink I was producing. The mineral he wanted me to use next was for much stronger support spells. That being the case, he was presumably going to try for stronger talismans as well.

This new ingredient involved using much more magic power than the last one. I supposed it was because the material itself was of a higher grade, but nevertheless, the demands were insignificant in the face of my maximum MP. I got to work with no problems whatsoever.

Meanwhile, the designs of the talismans the grand magus began to draw gradually grew more intricate. When I asked him about it, he confirmed my suspicion: These talismans were more powerful. As such, he also gradually reduced the number of times he cast his Appraisal magic.

How many minutes has it been since I last heard him speak? I looked up from the book I was reading and met Zara’s gaze as she too looked up from her book. She had noticed as well. We nodded at one another before turning to look in Yuri’s direction. 

Writing brush in his hand, Yuri looked lost in thought.

Should I say something? But what if I just interrupt whatever he’s thinking? After a moment of hesitation, I decided it was best to say something after all. I inhaled deeply—which was when Yuri began working again.

The way his brush moved so smoothly, without hesitation, made it seem like he hadn’t been stuck at all. When he was done drawing, he heaved an enormous sigh, as if to say he had just accomplished something of great import. But after checking his work with an Appraisal spell, a perplexed smile crossed his lips.

That was not a look of satisfaction. Had he failed?

“Did it work?” I asked cautiously.

Yuri’s expression didn’t change as he answered, “Yes, it worked all right. However, it wasn’t as potent as I was hoping.”

What does that mean? Did he actually fail, then? Was it even less powerful than the book said it should be? These questions raced through my mind, but just as I was about to voice them, Yuri channeled his magic into the talisman he had just finished.

The talisman glowed for a moment before a familiar sensation passed through my body.

“Was that a talisman for increasing defense?” I asked.

“Indeed. It seems that it cast on you too.”

It had felt just like when I cast that kind of spell myself. However, the sensation was much fainter. I doubted it was especially effective.

Wait a minute… I balked. “Did you just say it cast on me ‘too’?”

Yuri nodded and explained that this was an area-of-effect talisman.

No wonder it hit me as well, I thought as Yuri asked if Zara had felt it too.

She answered affirmatively. Yuri nodded to himself and scribbled a note on a nearby piece of paper. He was using the same brush he had used to draw talismans. Was that safe? I was a bit worried but decided not to point it out. It was probably fine.

“I didn’t realize that talismans can cast area-of-effect spells.”

“So they can. I tested the limits based on how much water I could conjure as rain within a limited area, and it did appear that I could make talismans cover a certain range.”

I had assumed the area-of-effect talismans had always existed, but something was weird about Yuri’s phrasing. Surely he wasn’t trying to think up his own talisman designs, was he?

“So that design wasn’t written in any of the books?” I asked, having a feeling I wasn’t going to like his answer.

“Indeed, it wasn’t,” Yuri said nonchalantly. “I combined a number of patterns.”

Combining existing patterns to make something new meant he was creating brand-new designs, didn’t it? Although he didn’t make it sound like anything especially new.

Meanwhile, this whole time Zara had been listening with her mouth agape in open shock.

“Pardon me, but may I cast an Appraisal spell on you?” Yuri asked her.

“Huh? Sure, go ahead.”

“Appraise… It appears that the effect was spread equilaterally across all of us. However, it falls short of the effect we would expect from a single-target spell.”

Based on what Yuri was muttering, the area-of-effect talisman was weaker than its single-target cousin. Maybe this was why area-of-effect talismans for support spells didn’t already exist? In which case, surely, the design he’d come up with already existed and just wasn’t listed in the books.

Unfortunately, several days later I was to learn that this line of reasoning was only wishful thinking.