Chapter 61: City of Canals (part eight)

Phew, explanation is hard. I hope it’s understandable and make sense! Enjoy the chapter!

Also, keep in mind that Gilbert is not all-knowing, so his speculation and theory here may be wrong. He’s a craftsman not a scholar lol.

TL: clover

ED: clover, eristol

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“Next, it’s the explanation about humans with high inhibition value.

To tell you the truth, I don’t know much about this field.

I myself also have three rainbows, which means I’m on the lower side.”

 

Gilbert started talking while carefully wiping the blackboard.

He occasionally stopped as he tried to write something with the chalk.

It seems that what he wanted to talk about was not well-organized in his mind.

 

“The higher the inhibition value, the greater the feeling of ‘distortion’ and ‘disturbance’ when creating a wand.

Such people have to spend a considerable amount of time to create wands.

The burden of mental concentration on spell-building is also ridiculously high.”

 

Gilbert’s hand which was holding the chalk started to slide on the blackboard making brisk sounds.

Ooh, the lecture has resumed.

When I thought so, he started to draw a dancing two-heads-tall golem.

He didn’t know what he should write, I understood that.

 

“Generally speaking, suppose that there is a one-rainbow alchemist, the generally known lowest inhibition value, he can charge magic for an hour.

It depends on their training, but it goes around like this; two hours for four-rainbows, three hours for five-rainbows, so six hours is the standard for six-rainbows alchemist as the maximum value.

So, that’s right……since I have never heard of seven-rainbows, this is only a theory, but it will take 12 hours or more……”

 

Gilbert drew two rows on the blackboard as if he remembered something.

The number of the rainbow in the upper row, and the required time in the lower row.

Gilbert’s hand which was writing the numbers in order stopped on the number seven.

He thought for a while and put the chalk on the blank field.

 

Even if seven-rainbows have twice the effect of six-rainbows, that would be 6 to 12 times more than the required time of a general creator.

It is natural that I have never succeeded in making wands, as the necessary concentration power increases accordingly.

It is a very painful penalty as an alchemist.

 

“Speaking of which, even though I tried to build a spell, it quickly got distorted and broke.”

“You’d better give up on building wands.

This is only a speculation, but it seems that it is the same as how the zero inhibition value cannot use a wand.

I think it’s safe to assume that seven rainbows mean you cannot make a wand.”

“Aah, I heard that you can’t make a wand, but, no way, you won’t be able to make a wand in your life time?

That kind of thing, that’s too sad……”

 

Harold looked at me with pitiful eyes.

Even though he should have the same extreme and rare constitution as me.

 

“Hmm, if you want to build a spell no matter what, it might be easier to learn mages’ art.”

“Eh, can I really use mages’ spells?”

“Aah, let me explain a bit.”

 

Gilbert turned towards the blackboard and drew a larger human figure.

The figure had a staff on his left hand and a wand on his right hand, then he drew a circle on both sides.

 

“There is a hole to convert external magical power and a hole to take external magical power as it is.

Well, rather than a hole, it is a port.”

 

Gilbert drew two arrows from the circles drawn in the human figure on the blackboard.

On the left, the arrow briefly went to the spiral on the stomach and ended on the staff.

On the right, the arrow smoothly curved and led to the wand directly.

 

“Just as a port is built at the mouth of the river of each branch, these two ports are in different places.

If you compare it to a ship, the mage’s port is the one that processes the goods temporarily in port town and carries them to inland.

The alchemist’s port goes directly from the river and carries them to inland.

If there is nothing wrong with the conversion port, there is a possibility that Hafan’s magic can be used.

Although if you start at your age, you will need a considerable effort.”

“I see, so that’s how it is.”

 

I looked at the illustration drawn on the blackboard.

If that is the only way to do it, I should also consider becoming a mage.

But, I was born in the family of alchemists, so I don’t want to give up.

 

“Anyway, the seven-rainbows Ojou-san should be the exception of all exceptions, it is an unthinkable constitution.

Although the zero-rainbow creators have appeared sparsely in the long history, this is the first time I see someone with seven rainbows.

How advantageous it is when using a wand, I can’t even estimate it.”

 

Eh, ‘advantageous’?

Perhaps similar to Harold, I have a specialized talent in using wands even if I can’t make wands?

 

“Well~ Ojou-san’s definite employment seems to have been decided.”

“What do you mean. Aniki?”

“If we train Ojou-san properly and thrust her into a strong ship, it will become a battleship.

It is said that the wand’s bombardment released by alchemists with five or more rainbows is a destructive force that can beat even the athanor cannons.

They don’t need to reload and they are also more flexible.

If it is someone with seven rainbows, they won’t get tired no matter how much they use a wand, so won’t they become the ultimate artillery battery?”

“Eh, what, that’s amazing~!! Congratulations, Erica!”

 

Harold shook my shoulders out of excitement.

Eh, but Gilbert-san, what do you mean encouraging little girls like me to work for the army?

 

“Do they even have a position like that?”

“Alchemists on the battleship use spells of extraordinary magic.

I don’t know exactly because it is a military secret, but it is said that if you don’t have more than five rainbows you won’t be able to serve in the military.

The famous example these days will be Duke of Aurelia, the Long-Armed Ernst.

It seems that he is a super long-range type, he calculates the roundness of the stars and bombards beyond the horizon.

In the naval battle against Gigantia, I heard that countless super large giants have been turned into watery grave from outside the range of normal battleships.”

 

Certainly, my father Ernst’s characteristic skill is the extended range of his wands.

If such a ridiculous technique can be used, is he actually the same seven-rainbows as me?

No, father should have been able to build and charge spells.

He should have about five or six rainbows.

 

“In the last war, someone named Bort of the Evil Eye had showed great skills.

Using a special visual magic, the manufacturing method of which they monopolized, they were able to aim an outrageously wide area simultaneously.

With Magic Missile that had its power expanded, it is said that each fleet could do wholesale arrest.

It seems that they were famous for their greed, and got territories that were part of the royal territory and a part of the southwest islands as the reward.”

“Really.”

“There was also the one who was renowned as the most powerful alchemist during the era of Severe King Jean, with the epithet Magic Missile, King Erik Aurelia.

With a dazzling translucent beautiful appearance, he was our cruel, arrogant and unforgiving King.

It seems that the main offensive wands like Magic Missile were developed in his era.”

“I see.”

“Even if you can’t make yourself a wand, a cavalry alchemist will tailor lots of it for Ojou-san.

If you survive the war a couple of times, you will get some of the southwestern islands as your territory.

When you reach old age, you can manage a farm in a tropical country.”

“Uwah~ how nice!”

“That’s the dream, right~ If only war happened again~”

 

I don’t understand why Harold and Gilbert are in favor of going on a battleship.

I wonder if all boys like warships.

 

I apologize for having to tell you this, but I don’t want the war to happen.

I feel like it would never be a bad thing if it doesn’t happen.

Far from doing a meritorious deed, it seems that I might die inadvertently before I become active in the military service.

 

“So, that’s why.

Why don’t you try special techniques like the one that cavalry alchemists use?”

“Is there a technique like that?”

“It seems to be a wand alteration.

It interferes directly with the spell at the time of the wand’s execution, extending the effective range or shooting it all together.

If it is true, it’s a dangerous technique similar to thrusting your hand into a furnace, but you have to force it with your high inhibitory ability.

I can only explain it roughly because I don’t know much about it, but if it is the seven-rainbows Ojou-san, you might succeed in one shot unexpectedly.”

“Oh, that’s great, Gilbert-aniki!”

 

The two of them took the initiative and were getting excited  by themselves.

The two began to clean up the things used for the lecture such as the blackboard and others as quickly as possible.

 

“Even if you say that……do we really not need to learn the theory first?”

“Nope, I don’t think it will be useful to teach you more theories.

Practical learning will be easier to understand.”

“Isn’t it fine, Erica.

There are still many prototype wands, so go ahead and try using them.”

 

It couldn’t be helped.

I reluctantly agreed to use another wand.

 

Along with Gilbert, the three of us moved to the test site.

Harold engraved letters for making golems on the ground once again.

 

“I will help too.”

“Ooh, thank you!”

 

Since it isn’t always possible to succeed with a single shot, there is not much to be done.

When the two of us finished writing the letters, Harold launched the golems.

More than thirty earth golems began to rise.

The over-all length was two meters approximately.

Because they would only become targets, I omitted the walking function and just made them stand at equal distance from each other.

 

Harold handed me a new wand.

It is the Wand of Rain of Stone that I had used in the battle against Palug, Harold-style arrangement version.

 

“It creates countless jade fragments and is charged with spells to downpour in a wide scope.

It seems that there is a strange peculiarity in the material I used, so the materialization time is a little short.”

 

I remembered brother’s Wand of Rain of Stone.

I am certain that the stones maintained their shapes for about five minutes.

 

“Hey, Harold. In general, how long is the materialization time?”

“If it is pure substance materialization or matter creation, not a material transformation, even for a moderately skilled creator it wouldn’t be longer than 10 minutes.

If you use precious stones like jade and materialize a large mass each time, 5 minutes would be the limit.

I should be able to make them materialize for about 4 minutes, but this wand materializes them for about 2 and half minutes.”

 

I see. So Eduard-oniisama could go up to the five minutes limit.

As expected, brother.

A versatile cheat alchemist who also isn’t an ordinary wandmaker.

 

“Well, let’s try it first.”

 

I put on the gloves returned by Harold and waved the wand once.

A jade-colored magic circle formed over the aimed golems’ heads, and several pieces of sharp stone fragments that had formed poured down and pierced the golems.

The time between the formation to the stone hail from Harold’s Rain of Stone felt shorter than brother’s.

In proportion to that, the range where it poured down was a little on the smaller side.

For the time being, it seems there was no part where my power worked.

 

Gilbert, who was watching the situation, opened his mouth.

 

“Anyway, why don’t you try shooting them in one go?”

“Shooting them in one go, huh. What should I do?”

“Hmm, well, I don’t know anything concrete.

So, try to somehow forcibly pull out the spells from the wand with an image?”

 

Gilbert somewhat roughly told me the appropriate thing.

While holding the wand, I closed my eyes while feeling anxious for some reason.

 

There were lots of magic packed inside the wand in a form like glass beads.

As I waved the wand, I imagined taking all of those beads in one go.

Although it might be an illusion, I felt a sense of lots of beads rolling in the wand I held.

 

The image solidified.

 

“I’ll try it.”

 

I waved the wand lightly.

 

“……Ah.”

 

The magical beads in my image tumbled down all at once as soon as they stopped.

Countless magic circles shining in jade green color covered the area over the golems’ heads.

It looked like roughly thirty magic circles formed all at once.

 

A moment of silence.

 

And then a roaring sound reverberated.

Soil dust blew up and covered my vision.

 

After a while the roar stopped, and the dust subsided.

Every golem there was crushed and scattered about as a wreckage.

Most of the pulverized pieces turned back into lumps of soil, and there were also holes in a pattern like a honeycomb on the remaining fragments.

 

“Uooh~! What a destructive power! This is the true Rain of Stone!”

“I shot a lot all at once. Unexpectedly, all of them were shattered by one attack.”

“……Scary, what is this, too scary!

However, you truly succeeded in your first attempt, as expected of the person with the rare seven rainbows.

Amazing, Ojou-san, if those were human opponents, wouldn’t they have died immediately?”

 

That is troubling.

It is too exclusively for extermination warfare, the amount of energy consumption is too much and it can’t be used in a friendly interpersonal match.

However, it might be an effective attack against a phantom beast.

It will be worth training.

 

“You are amazing. It is the most valuable guinea pig……I mean, sample.”

 

With sparkling eyes, Harold gripped me with both hands.

He rephrased it hurriedly, but I heard 90% of his real intention.

 

(T-this guy……)

 

He has quite a mad scientist disposition to treat a girl of the same age as a guinea pig.

I refuse to become a guinea pig.

 

“Yes, yes, thanks for that.”

“Become my partner! No matter how you think about it, we are destined for each other!”

“Ha?”

“You cannot make a wand, but as a user Erica is unbeatable.

I cannot use a wand, but as a creator I am a genius.

These are talents that make up for each other! We are born partners!”

 

I certainly feel that our compatibility seem to be good.

But I don’t live near Knot Reed, so I guess it would be difficult to be a guinea pig as a pretext of a partner.

 

“I beg you!”

 

Hanging around the direction I turned away, Harold held my hand and asked.

Somehow, he looks like a healthy medium-sized fluffy dog.

What should I do?

I want to refuse the role of a guinea pig, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, Botchan. That way of saying is not good.

If you want to make advances, you have to think about the other party’s feelings, or you will be a nuisance.”

“Such a thing, Aniki……”

 

Gilbert hit Harold’s shoulder and shrugged.

To that helping hand, I felt relieved. I was glad that there was an adult with a good judgment.

As Harold’s hands became loose, I pulled my hand out of his grasp.

 

I shouldn’t tell him the truth that I am not very good at closing the distance suddenly.

There is the previously mentioned fraud case, so I want to keep a reasonable connection, but I also have trouble getting along well with others.

After I give a moderate advice and evade the destruction, I would like to fade out naturally.

 

“I guess the price estimation is about to end.

I am waiting for my companion and I’d like to return to the shop, is that fine?”

“Ah, that’s right. You are a customer.”

 

Harold suddenly raised his head.

Alright, it seems that he is still in good spirits.

 

“Aah, Ojou-san is my old man’s customer, huh.”

“If we don’t go back, that all-black mister will be worried.”

“Well, then, Gilbert-san. Thank you for today.”

“Hahaha, if we have other opportunities for a proper lecture, I will teach you about Alteration.”

 

When I lowered my head, Gilbert laughed somewhat uncomfortably.

Gilbert waved his hand and went to see us off, then disappeared back to the depth of the Wunderkammer to hide from the shopkeeper.

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So, the ‘materialization time’ mentioned in this chapter is about the duration the stones or any other substance that were created by magic could maintain their shapes.

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