Emerging from the dungeon, we carried our haul back to Noah’s room.
The space was impeccably tidy and broad enough to accommodate everyone comfortably—the perfect spot for sorting through our spoils.
"Now then, shall we get to the fun part?"
Noah began neatly lining up the Forbidden Art Tomes and Forbidden Tools on the floor.
"Still... are you sure about this?" Albert asked. "These are the secret treasures of House Bordeaux. Is it really wise to show them to us?"
"Heh, please do not worry, Master Albert. You all have been a great help to us. Besides, we may need to borrow your strength when the demons attack, so feel free to use these legacies as you wish."
Since Noah had given the green light, I saw no reason to hesitate.
"Hmph, they are truly magnificent. Various magic books, and all of them are titles I’ve never seen before."
"Oho, this one’s a spell formula book for mana amplification," Gazel noted. "Simply reading these formulas reconstructs and amplifies the magic lines within the body. In fact, all of these seem to have similar effects. I suppose fundamental ability is the most important factor in the end."
Noah and Gazel were flipping through the books with visible excitement.
As for me, I’d already caught a glimpse earlier, so I had a decent grasp of the contents.
"Hmm, so these are the legacies left by the progenitor of magic. Every single one is wonderful. However, if it’s this easy to raise one's level as a mage, it would be terrifying if they fell into the hands of the wicked. They truly deserve the name Forbidden Tomes."
Albert seemed concerned about the inherent danger of such shortcuts.
Personally, I would have welcomed a rise in the average level of all mages through easy power-ups. However...
"Master Lloyd doesn't seem very interested in those books, does he?"
"He did skim through them. Yet Master Lloyd's mana doesn't seem to have changed at all..."
"That's 'cause he's already reached his limit," Grimo interjected.
The lack of change was simply because I’d already constructed and amplified my internal magic lines to their absolute limit.
A spell’s effectiveness depends on the caster’s mana capacity and their grasp of the spell formulas involved. The former is improved through training, like circulating mana through the body, while the latter is improved by studying various magic books to deepen one's understanding.
Of course, how far one can ultimately go depends on innate talent, but these Forbidden Tomes essentially automated the construction of magic lines. Because I had already maximized my magic lines through constant experimentation and training, reading these books did nothing for me.
"The common theory has long been that these kinds of easy power-up tools have almost no effect on mages who have already reached mastery," Grimo muttered. "But to think they have absolutely no effect... just how much has he trained?"
"Moreover, these shortcuts tend to result in uneven, inefficient growth," Jiriel added. "Recognizing this, Master Lloyd likely focused purely on honing his fundamentals. One would expect nothing less."
The two of them were whispering to each other, but I was actually a little disappointed. I’d really hoped to experience the sensation of my magic lines expanding via a book. It was a bit of a letdown.
"So, how are things on your end, Sylpha?"
I called out to Sylpha and the others, who were appraising the Forbidden Tools.
"Yes, they are all very fine items."
As Sylpha spoke, she drew the sword she was holding, revealing a blade so translucent it was like looking through glass.
"What's that? A transparent sword... is it made of crystal?"
"No, it seems the blade was formed by weaving spell formulas together," Noah said, leaning in. "Furthermore, it appears to be a quite powerful sealing magic formula. Truly a divine feat of craftsmanship."
Noah and Gazel groaned in admiration. Sylpha narrowed her eyes and gazed at it intently before letting it click back into its scabbard.
"It seems to be named Shiraichimonji. While it is not quite on the level of the Majin Slayer I received from Master Lloyd, it appears to be a masterpiece of exceptional quality."
The magic sword Majin Slayer was one of my proudest works, emphasizing durability by layering steel and spell formulas, but it was hardly comparable to an eccentric masterpiece woven entirely from formulas. She was overestimating my work.
However, if this sword was made solely of spell formulas, its thickness was practically non-existent—and it was fragile for that very reason. It looked like it would be difficult even for Sylpha to use. One clumsy move and the entire formula would likely shatter.
"Hey, Lloyd. Isn't this... kind of dangerous...?"
Next, Ren spoke while holding a strange dagger.
A flask sat at the base of the hilt, branching out into three blades—one of which was covered in wicked thorns. I nodded as I looked at the sinister weapon.
"Heh, interesting. You could call it a poison amplifier, I suppose."
Ren used nature transformation to turn her mana into poison, but there were plenty of ways to counter it. One could keep their distance, use a protective veil, or rely on vaccines and recovery magic.
However, that only worked when the amount of poison was low. Vast amounts of highly concentrated poison were weapons of mass destruction; natural healing couldn't keep up. This dagger was engraved with formulas designed to amplify and concentrate any poison within its reservoir.
The name Poison-Refining Blade was etched into the metal. A fitting title.
"It’s too dangerous... One slip-up and I’ll cause a disaster!"
Ren raised her voice in anxiety. I gently placed my hand on her head.
"Lloyd...?"
"I’m sure you can handle it, Ren. You already understand the risk. Poison and medicine are two sides of the same coin. Like I said before, it all comes down to how you use it."
I had said those words to Ren back when she hated and feared her own power. Having continued her training, she was no longer the girl she had been; she had mastered the use of all kinds of medicines and toxins.
"So it'll be fine. Besides, if anything happens, I'll do something about it."
"Lloyd... yeah!"
A brilliant smile broke across her face as she sheathed the Poison-Refining Blade and hugged it to her chest.
Seeing Ren put it to work would provide me with all sorts of useful data. Very beneficial indeed.
"Look at that face," Grimo whispered. "He’s thinking entirely of his own research. Poor girl."
"Heh, Ren-tan seems happy regardless," Jiriel replied. "Isn't it touching?"
The two familiars were saying whatever they pleased, but my attention was already on Connie. She was staring at a small box as if possessed. I felt a strange sensation radiating from it as well.
"That magic tool has a strange aura about it."
"Yeah, it seems to have the power to seal mana. A very strong power at that..."
A magic tool that seals mana, huh? When I took it from Connie, I could certainly feel mana vanishing, centered around the box.
"Ah, is this a reversal spell formula?"
Normally, a spell formula amplifies and manifests mana. A reversal spell formula does the opposite, causing mana itself to vanish.
In short, it was a paradox: a spell that erases mana should theoretically erase itself by cutting off its own power supply. I remembered reading that researchers once explored using magic tools to bypass this, but they never achieved viable results.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a reversal spell formula in action. Its range is small, but the effect is the real deal."
"Yeah, it's my first time seeing one too... Even so, I wonder if the spell formula engraved on this magic tool is an original magic language."
It likely used something other than human mana as a power source. Most likely, earth mana. Earth mana is what fuels the growth of dungeons and monsters, and its wavelength differs from human mana.
It made sense. By using a different wavelength, it could negate human mana without affecting itself. To have this level of understanding regarding earth mana was truly impressive. The progenitor of magic was something else.
"A Sealing Vessel... maybe that's what it is? With this, maybe I can..."
Connie pondered with her hand to her mouth. It seemed this magic tool was exactly what she had been looking for.
Connie had begun making magic tools to save her village. Her home was saturated with powerful earth mana, causing the villagers to suffer from magic disorder. She had been trying to create a tool to absorb the excess, but with this...
"I see. If this works, Connie’s village might finally be saved."
Connie nodded. This tool could negate my mana even here, where earth mana wasn't particularly dense. In a place where the concentration was high enough to cause illness, it could easily use that as power to eliminate the surrounding mana. If that happened, the villagers could lead normal lives again.
"Um, Noah-san, Gazel-san... could I borrow this Magic Nullifier?"
As Connie pleaded, the two brothers looked at each other. I followed suit.
"I'm asking as well. Think of it as helping someone in need."
"...Tools only have value when they serve a purpose," Noah said with a smile. "If it’s to help people, then by all means, take it."
"C'mon, you were gonna lend it to her anyway, weren't ya, big bro?" Gazel added.
Having received permission, Connie happily bowed her head.
No, the pleasure is mine. I’d get to observe the negation of mana in real-time. Splendid.
"Good grief, you're too kind for your own good, Lloyd," Albert muttered, watching me with a lukewarm gaze. "Keep acting like that and you'll have a mountain of trouble later. Well, I suppose that’s all part of growing up. Heh, heh heh."
I ignored him, already thinking of how to test the new acquisitions. I’d thought this haul might be a bust at first, but there were some truly fascinating items here.
I couldn't wait to see them in action.