Chapter 197 - Magic Toolmaking Lesson: Enchanting with Sea Worms
A small piece of glass made of crystal was half-filled with fine, powdery blue sand.
On the table, the sand occasionally glittered as it caught the sunlight. The crystal glass itself also casts beautiful, rainbow-colored reflections.
However, Dahlia was in no position to admire its beauty. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.
Beside her, a silver-haired boy was frowning in concentration, letting out low groans.
Both had tied their hair back and were seated at the table in their work clothes.
They were in Ozwald's workshop.
Today was the day of their magic toolmaking lesson. After attending a lecture on magic control with Raul, they had moved on to practical exercises.
The contents of the crystal glasses were finely ground sea worm shells.
It was a rather useful material, employed to harden shields and armor, reinforce bags and cloaks, and even improve resistance to water magic.
It looked just like blue sand, with golden flecks scattered throughout, making it quite beautiful.
It was pretty enough to put in a glass bottle and display as decoration.
Though Irma would probably scream if she found out it was made from sea worms.
"Infuse the sea worm powder in the glass with an even flow of magic for three minutes. Give your magic a direction, stir clockwise, and turn it into liquid."
Ozwald explained as he demonstrated the process with effortless ease, which had lulled them into a false sense of security.
If they didn't supply enough magic, the sand wouldn't rotate. At most, its surface would ripple slightly.
If they used too much magic, the sand would nearly fly out of the glass.
And just when they finally managed to get it spinning, fluctuations in their magical output prevented it from mixing properly. Clumps would form, forcing them to start over.
Ozwald had cheerfully told them, "All you have to do is supply a steady flow of magic." If only it were that easy.
And so, here Dahlia was, struggling through trial and error alongside Ozwald’s son, Raul.
"Ugh..."
The boy let out a small groan and slumped his shoulders in disappointment.
About a third of the sand had burst out of his glass and scattered across the table. This was his second failure.
What a waste, Dahlia thought. It had been mixing so nicely. But when she looked at her own glass, she found a navy-blue, viscous mass with bits of solid material still remaining. She, too, had failed twice in a row.
In front of them sat the sample Ozwald had made.
It was a smooth, blue liquid that shimmered gold as it caught the light. There wasn't a trace of sand or even the slightest lump.
Raul poured another generous helping of sea worm powder into his glass to try again.
A faint groan escaped him, and it was obvious how much tension he was carrying in his shoulders.
Dahlia could see how hard he was trying, but she was worried he was putting too much pressure on himself.
"Raulere, straining yourself won't make the enchantment go any better. And you must be tired too, Dahlia. Let's take a break."
Ozwald, who had been sitting across from them, smiled and stopped their work.
Apparently, her fatigue had been showing on her face as well.
"Father, is there some trick to this enchantment?"
"Stay calm and keep your magic steady. Beyond that, it's simply a matter of practice."
That was exactly what Dahlia had wanted to ask, but it seemed there were no shortcuts.
As Ozwald headed into the adjoining room to ask for tea, Raul muttered under his breath.
"I don't think that counts as a trick..."
"Raul..."
Dahlia couldn't help smiling. She felt exactly the same way.
Apparently embarrassed that his remark had been overheard, the boy hurriedly changed the subject.
"Dahlia-senpai, may I ask how much magic power you have? Oh, mine is ten."
"Of course. Mine is ten as well."
"It only increased last month, so I still haven't gotten used to it..."
"Mine increased recently too, and I'm still getting used to it. It's difficult to keep it steady, isn't it?"
She and Raul had the same magic power level, and both had experienced a recent increase.
A month wasn't nearly enough time for their increased magic power to become second nature when working. Dahlia could certainly understand why he kept groaning in frustration.
"Even though we're using the same sea worms, why is there such a difference? I've never had any trouble with enchantments during my classes at the Academy..."
Raul cast a resentful glance at the glass Ozwald had enchanted.
All three of them were using powder from the same magic-sealed box. There was no difference in the materials.
"I think it really comes down to skill as a magical toolmaker. Professor Ozwald's enchantments are always so steady and reliable."
When they had made Irma's bracelet, Dahlia had been given a vivid demonstration of just how great the difference in their technical skill and craftsmanship was.
She had been deeply impressed, but at the same time, painfully aware of her own shortcomings.
There were no shortcuts to becoming a full-fledged magical toolmaker.
All she could do was keep acquiring knowledge and putting it into practice.
"We've only just started. Let's take our time and keep at it."
"Yes! I got a little carried away and rushed things... I'll do my best!"
Just as Dahlia strived to follow in the footsteps of her father, Carlo, this boy was probably doing everything he could to catch up with his own father.
Looking into those earnest silver eyes turned toward her, Dahlia gave him a heartfelt smile.
・・・・・・・
We were told that the tea was ready, so we moved to the adjoining room.
Marcella, who had accompanied us today, was receiving lessons in etiquette from Elmelinda here.
Marcella had added two lumps of sugar to his tea, something he normally never did, and was stirring it carefully to avoid making a sound. He looked a little frightening.
As Raul and I entered the room, Elmelinda greeted us with an amused smile.
"Chairwoman Rossetti, it's good to see you've got such a capable bodyguard accompanying you."
"Thank you very much."
Elmelinda was a former high-ranking adventurer herself. Perhaps she could recognize Marcella's strength.
"I'm honored by your praise..."
Perhaps because he wasn't used to this, Marcella still seemed rather stiff.
Across from him, Ozwald was elegantly lifting his teacup.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Excuse me. Lord Ozwald, could you please review this?"
Ozwald accepted the documents from the servant who entered the room and quickly scanned them.
"There doesn't seem to be anything we're particularly interested in at this auction. Please inform them that we won't be participating."
Apparently, the documents were an invitation to an auction.
The servant took back the documents, bowed, and left the room.
"Father, are you looking for something in particular?"
"Yes. I was wondering whether any Fire Dragon scales might be up for auction."
"Um, would that be..."
"I need them to make a ring with a fire-element stabilization enchantment. But if no Fire Dragon scales are available at the auction, I can make one using a volcano fish’s scales instead, so it's not a problem."
Ozwald answered before Dahlia could finish asking her question.
Dahlia did have some Fire Dragon scales among her materials. However, those had been given to her by Jonas. She couldn't simply hand them over to Ozwald without asking Jonas first.
She decided to ask about it the next time she saw Volf.
Still, volcano fish were rare monsters, and their materials were equally difficult to come by.
She had heard they were exceptionally effective materials for resisting fire magic, but there were no volcanoes inhabited by volcano fish in this kingdom.
As a result, they could only be obtained through imports from other kingdoms.
"Father, have you ever seen a volcano fish or a fire dragon in person?"
"I've never seen a fire dragon, and although I've seen a volcano fish that was captured alive, I've never seen one in its natural habitat."
"I'd love to see both of them for myself someday."
Raul's eyes sparkled as he said this, and Dahlia found his enthusiasm endearing.
Personally, Dahlia would love to examine a fire dragon's fangs, claws, heart, and bones as materials. However, she would very much prefer to avoid a direct encounter with the creature itself. If it breathed fire on her, she doubted even her ashes would remain.
Visiting a volcano inhabited by volcano fish also sounded like quite an ordeal.
"Fire dragons possess tremendous magic power, so you might find yourself unable to move if you encounter one. As for volcano fish, they swim in scalding hot water, so even getting close to them is difficult."
"Lady Elmelinda, you've seen them before?!"
Raul's eyes widened with excitement, and he eagerly leaned forward. In his haste to set down his cup, some of the tea splashed out.
"Are fire dragons really huge? Is it their intimidating presence that makes people unable to move? How do you catch volcano fish?!"
"Calm down, Raulere. El isn't going anywhere."
Ozwald gave a wry smile.
Even Elmelinda, who was wiping up the spilled tea, seemed to be struggling to hold back her laughter.
"The fire dragon I saw was still young. It was simply flying through the sky, but every adventurer present immediately scrambled for cover. For quite some time afterward, none of us could move or even utter a sound. That's how terrifying it was. As for volcano fish, they're often caught using powerful bows with ropes attached to the arrows, or brought down with spears or magic before being scooped up with long-handled nets. Though, honestly, people were more likely to collapse from the heat than from chasing after the fish."
"I see... Even so, I'd still love to see one with my own eyes at least once."
The boy's gaze drifted into the distance, filled with longing.
Perhaps Raul had the makings of an adventurer as well.
"Even seeing a fire dragon can be a matter of life and death, and the volcanoes lie beyond a neighboring kingdom. It's far too dangerous, so I'd rather discourage you from going..."
"It's remarkable how you and your son think alike, Dear."
At Elmelinda's remark, Ozwald gave a slight cough. Noticing this, Raul asked:
"Think alike?"
"...When I was around your age, I also wanted to see one for myself. But after considering how fast I could run away, I gave up on the idea."
"Father, worrying about how fast you can run away..."
Raul giggled at Ozwald's joke.
His laughter seemed contagious, and smiles gradually spread among everyone in the room.
"Don't worry, Father! When I go, I'll train hard enough to make sure I can get away safely!"
"Raulere..."
Ozwald made no attempt to hide his displeased expression at his son's cheerful declaration.
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