Regarding Magic Circles (2)
Emmy, who had been visiting my room, left for the workshop with the design drawing of the tank equipped with caterpillar tracks.
Three days later, the dwarves at the workshop began making the magic tanks, and I explained the situation to Brother Roland and Sister Emilia.
Although Brother Roland seemed sad, he seemed to understand.
Brother Adel, who had quickly chosen soldiers from the Royal Castle Knights after our discussion, departed for the forest around the Capital to train the soldiers in operating the prototype magic vehicles.
The plan was for the soldiers to get accustomed to operating the magic vehicles and then hunt magic beasts in the forest, bringing back fresh blood.
Two weeks had passed since Aria was sheltered in the castle.
During that time, more than ten groups of assassins had snuck into the castle, attempting to kill her.
However, Knight Commander Bamberg and Captain Lyshiria managed to thwart all assassination attempts.
Some assassins managed to sneak into the room, but they were dealt with by Orlan.
I was unaware of this until Orlan mentioned it when he came to visit my room.
Brother Roland and Sister Emilia might have kept it from me to prevent me from worrying.
Given that assassins managed to infiltrate the castle, it’s safe to assume that the Elfast Magic Kingdom is already aware of Aria being protected here.
A week later, Brother Adel returned to the castle.
Barrels filled with the blood of magic beasts were loaded onto the back of the magic vehicle.
It took two days to hunt the beasts and transport their blood to the castle.
Given the time frame, the blood should still be fresh... probably...
I asked Brother Adel to carry the barrels to Aria's room.
I wanted to use my room, but the maids refused.
When I headed to Aria’s room, I found Orlan and Brother Adel glaring at each other.
Aria was flustered, seeking my help.
"Please stop them quickly!"
"What’s going on?"
"Prince Adel suggested to Orlan that they should test each other’s skills."
I see, Brother Adel is a natural warrior.
He must have recognized Orlan's strength at a glance.
I sighed deeply and spoke to Brother Adel.
"Please stop picking fights with my friends. Why are you here, Brother Adel?"
"Oh, I brought the barrels here. I was also interested in the magic circles that magicians use. Then I saw this interesting guy and couldn't resist."
"In any case, no fighting here. If you do, I’ll have Prime Minsiter Sylberg give you a lecture."
Hearing my words, Brother Adel grimaced.
Brother Adel is very curious.
It makes sense he'd be interested in magicians.
I gave a stern warning to Brother Adel and Orlan, so they shouldn't cause any trouble now.
I turned to Aria and explained my purpose for coming.
After hearing my explanation, Aria smiled brightly.
"You want to see me draw a magic circle in action, right? We have fresh magic beast blood, so it’s no problem."
Aria calmly took a glass bottle from the shelf and walked over to the barrels.
She uncorked one and poured the beast's blood into the bottle.
Then she placed the bottle on the desk and began drawing a magic circle on parchment with the blood using her own special pen.
I had previously heard from her that this pen, made from processed mithril, allows her to infuse her magic into the magic circle through the pen.
Still, being able to draw such a perfect circle without a ruler is amazing.
Magic circles won’t activate if there are even slight distortions or mistakes, so Aria’s concentration is truly remarkable.
After finishing the magic circle, Aria murmured something.
Suddenly, a small flame appeared above the magic circle.
"This is a basic fire magic circle. Large-scale magic circles require a significant amount of magic. Usually, this is supplemented either by the magician's own magic or by using magic stones, like in magic devices."
"I understand. But I noticed you murmured something. What was that?"
"That was the incantation to activate the magic circle. It’s dangerous if the magic activates immediately after drawing the circle. So, every magic circle requires an activation key in the form of an incantation."
I see... So, an incantation is necessary to use a magic circle.
Wait, something doesn’t add up.
"I've never seen anyone murmuring incantations when using magic tools. How does that work?"
"That’s because we adjust the amount of magic when drawing the magic circle. When the magic flows into the key part of the circle, the magic activates."
Adjusting the amount of magic when drawing a magic circle...
That’s something only a skilled person could do.
I didn’t know that fresh magic beast blood was necessary to draw magic circles, nor did I know about the activation incantation until recently.
Before meeting Aria, I thought magic circles could be easily used just by analyzing and drawing them...
It’s no wonder that the technology of magic circles hasn't advanced much in the Kingdom of Critonia.
What do you think about this chapter?
