"How is Jin's situation?"
"He has made contact with Eira, but it doesn't seem to have had much of an impact on him."
"I see. That's fine then....Still, I wonder why that woman is so consistently rebellious."
"She isn't a spy, is she?"
"We've confirmed that time and again. It's just her personality."
"Well, that is a relief, then....One factor is likely her frustration over the shortage of research materials."
"But under current circumstances, we can't even import them as we please."
"And you're hoping Jin will be the one to solve that?"
"Precisely. He has already restored a golem. And wasn't a mana stand repaired as well?"
"That is true."
"Don't relax the surveillance. However, grant whatever requests you can, provided they result in a profit for us."
"Understood."
＊ ＊ ＊
Several days had passed since the move. It was now August, and Jin had begun his daily research in earnest, living up to the name of the research wing.
"The configuration here is the tricky part."
"Yeah, we have to link them somehow... or at least get them to coordinate. Otherwise, they'll just go out of control independently."
"Would it work if we optimized the shape of the magi-circuit and arranged everything at the shortest possible distance?"
The speakers were Eira, Jin, and Kachea.
Kachea primarily provided support with calculations. Eira generated the ideas, and Jin refined them into something practical. It was a clear division of labor.
Jin—and by this point, Kachea as well—had already grown accustomed to Eira's blunt manner of speaking.
"It’s a real pain, not having any magi-crystals," Eira sighed.
"I've heard this continent was scarce in mineral resources to begin with. Maybe that's why there aren't any magical beasts here either," Jin noted.
Eira offered a curious bit of information.
"No magical beasts at all? Not even one?"
"That’s right. At least, there haven't been any confirmed reports for over three hundred years."
"Hmm..."
Jin let his mind wander.
When the Progenitors migrated to Ars, they had packed the planet's core with super-heavy matter to replicate the gravity of Hale.
Thinking about where they might have sourced the massive quantity of magi-crystals required for such a feat, it stood to reason they had to get them from somewhere.
Jin suspected this continent might have been that source.
If it were the Progenitors, he felt they would have been entirely capable of strip-mining every last magi-crystal from deep underground.
He wasn't sure how that linked to the magical beasts, but what if the presence of magi-crystals was inextricably tied to their ecology?
He followed that hypothesis for a moment, but since he was poorly versed in biology, Jin couldn't take the thought much further.
"...Hey! Jin! Are you even listening?"
Eira's voice snapped Jin back to reality.
"Yeah, I'm listening....I was just thinking about something from a bit ago. I was wondering if we could use magic circles instead of magi-crystals."
"Hah?! No matter how you look at it, that's absurd... I mean, is that even possible?"
"I-I don't really understand it myself, but if Jin-san says it's possible, then I'm sure it is," Kachea added.
Jin looked at his two companions in turn and spoke slowly.
"A magic circle is essentially just a written magi-formula. It’s true that if you wrote a 'Fire' magic circle on paper and activated it on the spot, the paper would just burn up. That’s exactly why the magi-sequence is so important."
"Mmm, I get what you're saying, but... wouldn't it be 'slow' no matter what?"
Eira had spotted the same flaw that Jin had and voiced her concern.
"Exactly. But it depends on the application."
"The application...?"
"Right. They aren't suited for operating a golem, but what about that mana stand we fixed the other day?"
Eira seemed to catch on and gave a firm nod.
"That's true! Those don't exactly need to be fast!"
"We pull the control core out of a magi machine like that and install a magi-circuit plate with a magic circle engraved on it instead."
"That would save magi-crystals....But shouldn't we get permission first?" Kachea asked, looking worried.
"I suppose. No telling what would happen if we were caught," Jin agreed.
Eira added a warning tone. "This country is harsh on criminals."
Setting aside the talk of crime for a moment, the group began their research to turn the idea into reality.
"Using paper for the magic circle is out of the question, but will any metal do?"
"No, it's better to use something with high magi conductivity. I think an alloy with a small amount of mithril added would work."
"In—In that case, we should probably use something inexpensive for the base metal, right? How about bronze?"
Kachea's knowledge of market prices was quite thorough, making her incredibly reliable in situations like this.
"Bronze should be plenty."
"Alright, let's do this..."
Their teamwork was turning out to be better than anyone had expected.
＊ ＊ ＊
"What? A modification for the mana stands?...And it will save magi-crystals? Oho?"
Once the plan had reached a certain level of feasibility, the proposal was relayed to Paerova.
"It doesn't seem like anything to worry about."
"Umu. But it's too early to be certain. Continue the surveillance without fail....As for the mana stand modification, grant them permission."
"Yes, sir."
＊ ＊ ＊
"Permission's been granted."
"Great, let's start the modification right away."
Jin and Eira, accompanied by Hope, headed to the mana stand they intended to modify.
The work proceeded exactly as planned.
"There. Even if they're used, we've secured two magi-crystals."
One had been used in the ether converter, and the other had served as the control core for the vending machine function. That made two.
"You're right. Jin's idea really paid off."
"If we keep modifying the mana stands throughout the town at this rate, we might be able to get our hands on about ten of them."
"If we have that many, we'll be able to build all sorts of things."
"I'm looking forward to it, Jin!"
Eira actually flashed a rare smile.
"Time to head back for today's study session. We're counting on you, Jin."
"Yes, yes, I know."
Eira wasn't just cantankerous; she was also a dedicated student. She was intensely curious about this new way of utilizing magic—magi-craft.
Unfortunately, her aptitude was low, and it seemed unlikely she would ever master more than the beginner-level.
Still, her enthusiasm was twice that of anyone else. These "study sessions" between the three of them, including Kachea, had become their daily routine.
"Now then, what's on the agenda for today?"
"The continuation of yesterday's lesson, right?"
"Ah, that's right. Miniaturizing and accelerating magic circles. Man, this is fun."
"I'm counting on you too, Kachea."
"I—I'll do my best!"
The three of them were becoming a fine team.
The season was midsummer. A hot wind was beginning to blow through Rofon.