Ch.82This time, safely… #2

“Um… You want to enchant the castle walls with magic?”

“Yes. Is it possible? Specifically, I was thinking we could twist the magic that killed mosquitoes before to make it work.”

The next day.

Helena dragged Eve, who had been cooped up resting in the guest room, out to the outer wall and dropped a bombshell.

It was reasonable for Eve to be dumbfounded at the sudden request for such a large-scale project. I would have felt the same way.

“I’m… really sorry to say this, but engraving magic circles on the castle walls seems impossible. Unlike the flat ground where I set up circles before, the castle walls are too uneven to properly draw the circles.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. Besides… I can’t even estimate how many years it would take to engrave magic circles on such large walls. And if repairs were needed, bricks with the circles would have to be removed, which could break the magic or cause serious side effects…”

In short, she was saying it couldn’t be quickly completed like the mosquito-killing spell.

The structural characteristics of castle walls made the attempt nearly impossible.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help…”

“You have nothing to apologize for, so please don’t look so dejected. But, would it be possible to place magic circles around the perimeter of the castle walls?”

With Eve being the only magical personnel available, there were clear limitations to what could be accomplished even if we worked her to the bone.

Instead, I thought magic circles drawn on the ground might be possible with a bit of leeway.

Eve nodded, affirming this possibility.

“Yes… that would be possible. However, if your purpose is defense, placing them in such an open area might not be very effective…”

“Then would it be possible to place magic circles that conceal other magic circles?”

“Concealment…? Ah. That would work.”

Eve clapped her hands together and parted her lips slightly.

It was both fortunate and pitiful to see her so happy despite the grueling labor ahead of her.

I could vividly imagine her future, sweating profusely while engraving concealment magic circles.

“Good. Then I’ll prepare the necessary materials like before, so please speak directly with our butler about what you need.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Ah. And since this will be quite laborious again, if there’s anything you want, please let me know. I’ll arrange it separately from your compensation, so don’t hesitate.”

“Wow…! Thank you!”

A bonus on top of her salary. Eve’s eyes sparkled with delight.

We had already discussed that I would buy her anything she wanted, as long as it wasn’t excessively expensive.

And we had already decided what kind of magic to engrave.

Sleep. Sleep magic.

Originally, Helena had planned to develop and engrave magic that could instantly kill anyone who entered its range.

But from my perspective, that seemed like spraying deadly poison gas everywhere, which was chilling.

While it would be convenient for protecting the territory and reducing casualties, the repercussions seemed too severe.

So instead, we concluded that large-scale sleep magic would be the alternative.

It was partly because I thought it would be too cruel to make Eve personally engrave magic designed to kill people.

Of course, one might argue that killing someone rendered helpless by sleep magic amounts to the same thing.

But I thought it would cause much less guilt than directly stabbing someone with a blade.

◎◎◎

“Let’s just go with an antidote item.”

Helena made this suggestion during a meeting to decide on a birthday gift for the king.

An antidote item that prevents poison would certainly be a useful and excellent gift.

The problem was that antidote items were among the most expensive magical items.

It was so expensive that academic consensus held that even the king couldn’t afford to purchase one.

Expensive and rare, they were difficult to acquire.

It was a good idea, but with the king’s birthday just weeks away, it was questionable whether we could find one, and the biggest issue was that we’d have to tighten our belts for a while.

Yet Helena casually suggested procuring such an item.

I wondered if she had something in mind.

When I asked, her answer was rather deflating.

“Couldn’t we just ask Eve to make one?”

“Wait… You want to ask someone who’s already working hard engraving magic circles outside the castle walls?”

“I feel bad too… but using resources when they’re available is also part of management, isn’t it?”

Helena seemed determined and showed no signs of backing down.

Seeing how efficiently she wanted to use the magician she’d brought to the territory, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Eve.

It reminded me of overworked engineers toiling away at this very moment.

“Well… I suppose we have no choice.”

With no better alternative coming to mind, I could only nod in agreement.

As Helena said, gifting an antidote item would greatly improve the impression that had been damaged by last year’s incident.

An antidote item was worth that much.

However, Eve’s single statement upon returning late in the afternoon made my mind go blank.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have the skill to create items…”

“Ugh.”

Creating specific items required crafting skills beyond magical ability.

For example, current antidote items on the market were typically necklaces or other easily worn accessories, designed for quick use in any situation.

They were the result of efforts to achieve both convenience and speed.

And Eve, having focused on research rather than developing manual dexterity, severely lacked these crafting skills.

While she was good at engraving magic circles in large areas, she was far from capable of enchanting items.

Even a genius isn’t necessarily omnipotent. This was a moment of stark realization.

“I was wrong. It was my mistake to assume too much.”

Helena, who had assumed Eve would have some expertise in item creation as a tower-trained magician, bowed her head, admitting her thinking had been too simplistic.

“Right. The only mistake was thinking too conveniently. Even though it seems thoughtless now, we could still put together a large package of silk or luxury goods…”

“Um, excuse me…”

Though we still had time, considering the preparation needed for the gift, it was better to hurry.

So I was quickly trying to think of alternatives when Eve cautiously interrupted.

“Yes? What is it?”

“If… if your goal is detoxification, would something other than an item be acceptable?”

“What do you mean by that?”

The implication that detoxification might be possible without an item caught my attention.

I found myself widening my eyes and my voice trembling involuntarily.

It felt like being given false hope.

“It would be extremely inconvenient to carry, almost impossible really… but I think I could create a detoxification field. When I was at the magic tower, I had the chance to work with various formulas from different people. I encountered detoxification formulas then.”

“Really?!”

“Y-yes! Really!”

When I unintentionally raised my voice in question, Eve shrank back but answered firmly.

I hadn’t meant to intimidate her, but my excitement had unconsciously raised my voice.

Additionally, Helena’s expectant gaze must have made Eve even more nervous.

“U-um…! I apologize for getting excited. Anyway, you seem to have something in mind… How long would it take you to create this ‘detoxification field’? If it takes too long, you don’t need to trouble yourself…”

“No, it’s just that the magic circle is large, but the creation itself won’t take too long. If you give me about three days…”

Heavens!

I found myself gratefully clasping my hands as if in prayer, thanking whatever god might exist.

Though they typically only bestowed occasional blessings and mostly just watched, except when sending someone like me, this time it felt like they had intervened.

No… it seemed like they really had intervened, given how smoothly things were going.

While Eve’s genius certainly played a part, I felt there was more to it than just that.

“Please, I’m counting on you. I’ll compensate you properly, though it may not be enough. Please.”

“Ah, yes…”

As Helena gently took Eve’s hands and made her request, Eve nodded with a reddened face.

I felt quite sorry for how efficiently we were using her.

Especially since the technical fee would be exorbitantly expensive.

◎◎◎

Three days later, Eve presented us with a completed product, just as she had promised.

Even at a glance, the densely packed magic circles covering one side were dizzying, and she explained that the back side was also engraved with magic circles for enhanced durability.

It truly felt like witnessing the essence of complex magical formulas.

Though the item was complete, we needed to verify that it functioned properly.

I was about to consume some poison we had procured in advance, but Eve said there was no need.

She explained that when activated, the magic circle would automatically neutralize any poison within its range.

“The poison should be gone now. Go ahead and drink it.”

The magic circle flashed blue and then faded.

This meant it had neutralized all poison within its range.

We had prepared an antidote just in case, so there was no risk of death.

Trusting Eve, I uncapped the small glass vial I was holding and poured its contents down my throat.

The fast-acting poison should have burned my throat and twisted my insides the moment I swallowed it.

Yet I felt no irritation at all, as if I had merely drunk water. This meant the detoxification magic had worked properly.

“Yes, there’s no problem at all. Thank you for your hard work.”

When I smiled calmly and thanked Eve, Helena and Ellen sighed deeply in relief.

Despite having prepared an antidote, both women had strongly opposed my volunteering to drink poison.

So their relief was understandable.

“Now that we’ve verified it, the performance is definitely reliable. As long as no one deliberately tries to break it, preservation shouldn’t be an issue either.”

“The problem is… it’s going to be quite a task to move this large thing.”

Ellen agreed with me and looked down at the magic circle on the floor with a sigh.

More precisely, she was looking at the huge stone slab engraved with the circle.

Originally, this stone slab had been procured to lay sleep magic circles and concealment magic around the castle.

It just happened to meet the requirement of a large object needed for engraving the detoxification magic circle, so we used it for both purposes.

“No need to worry. We’re already modifying several carts linked together to move this stone slab. We won’t be late.”

Helena replied with a casual smile, appearing very relaxed.

She had been preparing since the moment we decided to use the stone slab, so she seemed quite confident.

“Ah, that’s right. That’s fortunate.”

“Yes, very fortunate indeed. But… are you really okay with giving us something so expensive without compensation?”

Suddenly, Helena’s gaze shifted from Ellen to Eve.

It was natural to be concerned about receiving such an expensive detoxification magic item without payment.

One might even suspect some ulterior motive.

However, Eve shook her head, saying she couldn’t accept payment for a failed product.

“The greatest advantage of an antidote item is… its portability. It’s valuable precisely because it can be carried easily anywhere, anytime. But… what I’ve made lacks that portability, and by extension, immediacy. For example… if someone consumes poison away from the magic circle, it can’t detoxify immediately, so it might end up being just a decorative piece.”

She added that she couldn’t bring herself to charge the first people who had recognized her value.

Though still timid, her voice carried a newfound firmness unlike before.

In response, Helena gently took both of Eve’s hands and spoke, seemingly genuinely moved.

“Thank you… so much. I will definitely repay this kindness somehow, even if it’s later. I promise on my name.”