On the morning of August 25.
Having learned that Duke Niestol Kirilo Jagus of the Jagus Principality had taken an interest in dieting, Jin and Elsa, together with Laojun, began to ponder the matter.
Naturally, their goal was to devise an efficient method.
The knowledge currently possessed by Eiji 1 and the magi-brain was purely conventional common sense that did not rely on magic.
"I can't help but think we could make this whole diet much more efficient if we used magic."
"Mm, it's worth considering."
With Elsa's agreement, they set to work brainstorming together.
"...Still, it's pretty ironic."
"Mm, truly."
After all, they were effectively helping the Duke of the Jagus Principality—the very root cause of instability across the Four Principalities.
"However, given the current circumstances, I humbly submit that this method is the best way to pacify the Jagus Principality while causing the least amount of chaos."
Even after running simulations on numerous strategies, Laojun concluded that this approach was the most peaceful and certain way to achieve results.
"Yeah, I know."
Jin replied that he was merely caught off guard by just how unprecedentedly roundabout the plan was.
"...Jin-nii, the diet method."
"Ah, right."
Catching himself before his thoughts drifted too far, Jin steered his focus back to the topic at hand.
"A magic-assisted diet, huh..."
Having never considered such a concept before, Jin felt somewhat out of his element.
"In the end, I suppose it all comes down to reducing calorie intake, burning more calories, melting fat, and building muscle along the way."
"Mm. The real question is how to support that process with magic."
"...First of all, if we weren't using magic, which part would be the hardest?"
"Hnn... that's a tough question."
Reducing calorie intake required personal discipline and the active cooperation of those around him.
Increasing calorie expenditure meant exercising, but when dealing with someone severely overweight, suddenly jumping into strenuous physical activity was out of the question.
"I think there's a surgical procedure called liposuction, but..."
"I'd rather avoid that."
"Right."
Jin and Elsa sank deeper into thought.
"Is there any magic that can burn fat efficiently?"
"...Difficult... Normally, the body burns glucose first."
"I see."
Put very simply, the primary energy source that muscles consume is glucose derived from carbohydrates.
Fat burns far more slowly than sugar.
"In that case, focusing on increasing overall energy expenditure really is our best bet."
"Mm."
Elsa nodded.
"Any physical strain caused by exercise falls under surgical healing magic, so it can be treated with Heilung."
"I suppose so, but..."
Jin pictured the scenario in his mind.
Pushing the Duke through a brutal, Spartan regimen until he broke, patching him up with Heilung, and immediately throwing him back into the grinder...
(That's basically torture.)
He couldn't help but sigh.
Elsa, however, had a far gentler approach in mind.
"By stimulating somatic cells, we might... be able to increase calorie consumption."
"Oh, now there's an idea."
Jin praised her, impressed by her quick thinking.
"U-Um..."
Blushing slightly, Elsa continued her explanation.
"Healing magic generally works by stimulating somatic cells. So even if someone isn't injured, applying Heilung should... still activate their cells."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"However, in practice, the effect is fairly weak. If we can figure out why, we might be able to improve it."
"Ohh."
At that point, Laojun interjected.
"If that is the case, Elsa-sama, could it be because the more skilled an arzt is, the more they unconsciously focus Heilung solely on the necessary affected area?"
In magic, clear visualization was everything.
This held true for magi-craft and attack magic alike. Naturally, healing magic was no exception, which was why the spell Diagnose was used to pinpoint the exact site of injury.
"I see. What Laojun says might... be correct."
Elsa conceded the point.
"A precisely visualized Heilung consumes very little mana. Conversely, a vague Heilung cast with just a generalized desire to heal yields weak results while burning through massive amounts of mana."
Hearing that gave Jin pause.
"Wait a second. Does that mean if an inexperienced arzt casts Heilung, it ends up stimulating cells across the patient's entire body?"
Elsa shook her head.
"No, it doesn't. The spell structure of Heilung is inherently designed to concentrate its effects on the injured area."
"Is that so..."
Jin nodded in understanding, realizing that magi-craft shared a very similar framework.
"Even if cells throughout the whole body were stimulated, it would only last for a split second."
"Makes sense."
"My Lord, it is likely structured as follows: while the healing magic known as Heilung does stimulate all somatic cells within the target patient, its magi-sequence and flow are configured to focus predominantly on the areas in greatest need of activation—namely, the affected parts."
"I see."
"Therefore, simply casting Heilung over the entire body wouldn't do much good," Elsa summarized.
"Then what if we modify Heilung so that it intentionally stimulates all somatic cells at once?"
"As long as there are no side effects, that could work, but..."
"Side effects?"
"Mm. Stimulating cells also means accelerating cell division. There's no guarantee that won't cause harmful long-term effects."
"That's a fair point."
If the human body had a finite number of cell divisions that dictated lifespan, accelerating that process would effectively mean trading longevity for weight loss.
"We definitely need to research this further."
"Mm."
Jin brooded over the problem once more, recognizing that it wasn't going to be an easy puzzle to solve.
"...Hmm... What about switching him to a low-calorie diet?"
He figured that even if it was an indirect measure, combining dietary changes with magic would yield much better results.
"That's comparatively straightforward. But he still needs to get the bare minimum of essential nutrients."
"Naturally."
Taken to an extreme, complete fasting would reduce caloric intake to zero, but it would completely destroy his health in the process.
"A balanced diet that accounts for vitamins and minerals is crucial."
"Yeah... this really is tricky."
Jin realized that even with magic at their disposal, fundamental biological laws still applied—meaning there were no miraculous shortcuts when it came to losing weight.