Ch.103Chapter 103 – Seems Like It Can Be Recycled?

— 1 Week Ago —

“Now, today’s class will be about magic stones. I believe everyone is already familiar with magic stones. After all, all the magical tools we encounter in our daily lives use mana charged in magic stones.”

After returning from the Grendillet Mountains, there was something that caught my interest.

“Magical tools and artifacts are both items that use mana, allowing even people without mana to use magic.”

That something was artifacts and magical tools.

By the way, “magical tool” was often abbreviated as “mado-gu” in common speech.

Originally they were called magical tools, but as people kept using the term, the abbreviated form “mado-gu” became more convenient to say, so that’s what people started calling them.

“Some of you might be wondering—am I right? Both magical tools and artifacts allow people without mana to use magic, right? So why are they considered two separate things… you might ask.”

The professor standing at the podium was wearing an outfit that would be considered quite bold even by the standards of my original world, let alone this one.

A black leather jacket with fur trim around the collar, a tight-fitting black leather miniskirt.

And black leather boots that came up to her thighs.

I couldn’t tell if she was a professor teaching at an academy or a model at a fashion show.

On top of that, she had the kind of looks that would make most men weep in bed.

With black hair and brown eyes similar to mine, she really stood out among students and professors with their rainbow-colored hair.

‘But why didn’t I see her last semester?’

That was a bit suspicious, but it wouldn’t be strange if they had recruited a new professor for the new semester.

Hmm, hmm.

Anyway, I chose this class because I wanted to learn more about magical tools and artifacts.

And when I came to class, I found that the professor was quite beautiful~that’s all.

“However, contrary to what most people think, magical tools and artifacts are different items. I’ll give you the exact classification criteria, so remember them well. Ordinary people may lump magical tools and artifacts together, but you should be able to distinguish between the two accurately.”

Hmm. Wouldn’t it be better to just lump them together?

“Do we really need to distinguish them accurately?”

At that moment, a male student raised his hand and asked a question.

Oh, good question. I was wondering about that too.

“Hmm? You there, student?”

“Y-yes?”

When the male student’s eyes met the professor’s, his face suddenly turned red, clearly flustered.

I soon realized why—the professor had leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the student…

‘Oh, w-wow… that’s impressive.’

I saw something incredible.

The massive valley formed between those enormous peaks was truly destructive.

“What’s your name?”

“Arkan Deleth.”

“Arkan Deleth, Arkan Deleth. You’re from the Knight Department?”

“Yes, I am.”

The professor checked the student’s department and nodded as if to say “that explains it.”

“I see. Since the Knight Department is part of the Martial Arts Faculty, you might not know. If a student from the Magic Faculty or Alchemy Faculty had said something like that, I would have deducted points immediately.”

So it’s understandable for Knight Department students not to know, but strange for magic or alchemy students not to know?

“Alright. Since the question came up, I’ll explain properly. Student Arkan?”

“Yes? Yes, Professor.”

“Why do you think magical tools and artifacts can be lumped together?”

“Well, they both use mana as tools, don’t they? So aren’t they essentially the same thing?”

Arkan answered the professor’s question.

The professor smiled in response, looking exactly like someone trying to seduce a man.

“Is that so? Why should magical tools and artifacts be grouped together?”

“They both use mana to enable various tasks, so…”

“Wrong. You’re answering that way because you don’t know ‘why’ magical tools and artifacts are different. Now, I’ll explain why magical tools and artifacts should not be placed in the same category, but should be considered different.”

Arkan couldn’t respond to the professor’s rebuttal.

If he were a student from the Magic or Alchemy Faculty, he might have had a counterargument… but he was a Knight Department student who was likely completely unfamiliar with magical tools.

The professor began writing on the blackboard.

“Magical tools and artifacts are the same in that they ‘use mana to allow people without mana to use magic,’ but the underlying premises are completely different. One piece of information: artifacts are generally much more expensive than magical tools. Does anyone know why?”

No one raised their hand in response to the professor’s question.

Thinking about the professor’s comment about different premises, I felt there might be a hint there.

‘Magic requires mana, so what’s the difference between magical tools and artifacts?’

If magical tools and artifacts are different as the professor said…

‘This bracelet I’m wearing was described as an artifact back then.’

And even I, a person without mana, could use this artifact.

Wait, mana?

‘Both magical tools and artifacts need mana to operate, so why does the artifact work fine without me charging it with mana?’

Then a thought flashed through my mind.

‘Do artifacts and magical tools receive their mana supply differently?’

I raised my hand to answer the professor’s question.

“You there, student? The only one who raised a hand! I don’t recognize your face—what’s your name? Which department are you from? I’ll give you extra points for your courage.”

Extra points. I don’t really need those, Professor.

“Patos Severio.”

“Patos Severio…?”

When the professor heard my name, her eyes suddenly widened.

Then, pointing at me, she exclaimed—

“Ah! Could you be the Magic Sword Destroyer?”

She mentioned my embarrassing title.

I simply nodded in response to the professor’s words.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. I’ve been doing research inside the magic tower recently and only came out a short while ago, so I didn’t recognize your face.”

Ah, that makes sense.

If she’s been doing research in the magic tower and only recently came out, she might not know my face.

“Hmm, what should I call you? Count? Student?”

“Just call me student, that’s fine.”

I do have a title, but academy professors typically receive treatment equivalent to at least a baron or count, so I have no intention of pulling rank.

“Then I’ll call you Student Patos. That’s easier to say, isn’t it?”

“That’s fine.”

“Good. Now, Student Patos. What do you think is the difference between magical tools and artifacts?”

The professor’s question continued.

“Isn’t it the difference in where they draw the mana needed to power the magic embedded in each?”

“…That’s exactly right.”

I knew it! The answer was in how my Infinite Shadow worked without needing mana charging.

“As Student Patos said, artifacts and magical tools are classified according to where they get the mana needed for magical operation. For example, what’s the most commonly used magical tool in our daily lives?”

“Hair dryers!”

“That’s right! And what do you need to attach to make a hair dryer work?”

“Um… a magic stone?”

“Yes! That’s it! Magical tools require a separate magic stone to supply the mana needed to operate the magic!”

As I listened to the professor’s explanation, batteries came to mind.

It’s just like replacing batteries to use electronic devices.

“Conversely, artifacts either have a separate power source other than magic stones, or they draw mana from nature to supply the mana needed for magical operation.”

In other words, if it needs battery replacement, it’s a magical tool; if not, it’s an artifact.

Learning new knowledge every day.

“Magical tools use magic stones as a medium to activate magic. So what happens when all the mana stored in the magic stone is consumed?”

“Um… since all the mana is depleted, it just becomes a pretty stone shaped like a magic stone.”

“That’s right. A magic stone that has been completely depleted of mana becomes what we call a degraded magic stone, which can no longer be filled with mana.”

“Is it impossible to recharge magic stones?”

“Ah, Student Patos. Both theoretically and practically, recharging magic stones is impossible. As mana leaves the magic stone and it becomes degraded, the crystal structure changes in a way that can no longer hold mana. It means they can’t be recycled.”

So magic stones are disposable batteries, not rechargeable ones.

And at this point, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Degraded magic stones… I wonder if my ability would work on those too?’