As I continued my observation from within the barrier, reading a book to pass the time, Alice and Lilia-san returned for a break, seemingly finished with the initial round of testing.
I pulled a table and chairs from my Magic Box to set up a place for them to rest. Fatigue was written all over Lilia-san’s face; it seemed that verifying her abilities while constantly having her mana replenished was every bit as draining as I’d imagined.
"Good work, you two. Lilia-san, are you all right?"
"Yes... though it seems space-time magic is quite taxing on one's magic power. Still, as Alice-sama said, this is my own ability. I understand that I must know it better than anyone else, so this verification is essential."
"Exactly. The moment a Heart Tool awakens, the wielder intuitively understands its functions and basic usage. However, it’s far too early to assume you understand everything about it then. Those are just the fundamentals; there’s a great deal that can only be uncovered through rigorous testing."
As she spoke, Alice scribbled notes into a small booklet and handed it to Lilia-san and me. I opened it to find the results of the recent trials. Once she was sure we’d both looked it over, Alice began her explanation.
"First, regarding Lilia-san’s Hauteclere: the effect activates the moment Lilia-san takes an attacking stance and remains in effect until the strike is completed. 'Completed' means until the blow concludes in some fashion, which includes the attack being blocked mid-swing. Furthermore, the enhancement isn't limited to a single attribute; it boosts everything, including magic power and cognitive speed. It’s essentially a temporary state equivalent to the Critical Point of Fate."
"Because my thinking speed increases, I can handle the sudden surge in physical ability without any confusion. And since the effect starts the moment I take a stance, the fact that it applies while I'm closing the distance is a great help."
"Indeed. However, the crucial trigger is whether Lilia-san has the intent to attack. Even if you take a stance, the ability won't activate if the option of a feint is present in your mind. If you intend to strike but instinctively dodge an incoming attack, the effect will remain active. But if you intend to use the boosted speed to close in while dodging from the start, it won't trigger. In short, it’s an ability entirely specialized for pure offense."
It was a power that shone during a relentless assault, but it wouldn't function if she tried to fight technically, mixing in feints or complex maneuvers. While potent, its glaring weakness was that her attacks would almost inevitably become linear.
Of course, given Lilia-san’s innate talent, even a straightforward strike would likely be impossible for anyone below the level of the Six Kings—the true apex of the world—to handle...
"Any attack using a sword will trigger the effect, regardless of the technique. A strike with the pommel, a mana-based shockwave, or even throwing the blade is perfectly fine. Naturally, she can also choose to keep the ability from activating at will... the range of applications is actually quite broad."
"Alice, if you throw a Heart Tool, can you bring it back?"
"A Heart Tool can be instantly rematerialized in the wielder’s hand with just a thought. Furthermore, if it moves too far from the user, it automatically returns to them. Since it's effectively a weaponization of the heart, it cannot remain distant from the wielder for long."
"I see... What about my Memories?"
"Kaito-san’s Memories is quite the exception. Regarding the range of its buffs, as long as the conditions are met, they can even cross the wall of space-time—meaning they can reach from the Human Realm to the Demon Realm. Though they won’t reach an entirely different world, obviously. As for entities materialized through your Heart Tool, they can remain manifested as long as Kaito-san’s mana holds out, though the consumption rate increases the further they are from you. There is no hard distance limit, but since it isn't a weapon, you can’t exactly call it back to your hand. You can, however, dismiss it remotely and then re-summon it."
I’d wondered how distance affected Memories since it lacked a physical form, but it appeared mine was an exceptionally unique Heart Tool with a completely different set of rules.
Come to think of it, Alice was incredibly well-informed... I had a feeling—no, I was certain—that she’d already done an exhaustive analysis of my Memories as well.
"Still, testing really does make a world of difference. Understanding the conditions in such detail should open up more ways to apply it."
"True. Well then, once our break is over, let's start verifying patterns for specific scenarios. We have plenty of time today, so we'll start with the bare minimum of 1,000 patterns and work from there."
"...The bare... minimum?"
"Well, if you want to be prepared for every conceivable situation, we really ought to test billions of patterns. Of course, that would take far too much time, so we won't go quite that far today."
"..."
Lilia-san stared off into the distance, her eyes looking hollow. Having just declared that verification was important, she probably felt she couldn’t back out now, and her personality likely wouldn't have let her anyway.
She seemed to have resigned herself to testing every pattern Alice threw at her. I couldn't tell if she was clutching her stomach out of habit or if she was actually starting to suffer from a stress-induced ache...
Machina: "Hey, hey! By any chance, did you do a thorough verification of my Factory Gear too?"
???: "I did, but it really isn't that strong. I mean, at a human level, it's quite powerful, but at the level of high-ranking Counts, Dukes, or the Six Kings... you're honestly better off not using it at all."
Machina: "I figured as much. Well, unless it’s something specialized like Alice’s Hecatoncheir or a simple firepower-enhancement type like Iris’s Apocalypse, there are very few Heart Tools that are even usable in a fight at that level to begin with."