Marius, who had been treated as a monster by the people of Ranleo, decided to revive items that had been completely destroyed by Demon King Zagan.
He had a desire to contribute to the national interest and truly become a citizen of this country.
Of course, it would be perfect if Lovisa and Emma’s favorability increased.
His first attempt was to make a “bag of holding.”
He thought that having one would significantly change the difficulty of fighting enemies of Demon King class.
All the opponents he had fought so far could be instantly defeated without him even needing to go all out, but Marius was not optimistic.
After all, the mastermind behind the Wyvern attack incident had not even left a single clue.
It could be the machinations of another country, but he judged that possibility to be slim.
He sensed that someone had repeatedly attempted to infiltrate the royal palace and contact Marius, only to be thwarted each time.
This was likely a part of his ability as a “Sage.”
He mused whether he should call it convenient that his abilities expanded the moment he became aware of them, or if he should say that they were not as useful as their name suggested; he was uncertain.
Putting that aside, considering the events unfolding around him, he felt that Filat’s counter-espionage capabilities were quite high.
Despite that, the fact that not even a single clue could be found led Marius to consider that beings surpassing human capabilities should be kept in mind.
While there was certainly a possibility that more capable individuals than Filat’s intelligence agency existed in other countries, he had only recently realized in a mock battle how painful it was to underestimate an opponent.
If a Demon Lord had revived, there should have been incidents equivalent to the disappearance of at least one city, so he concluded that all Demon Lords must still be sealed.
Therefore, the strongest enemy at present would be a Demon.
However, if the enemy were a Demon, the scale of the attack, with six Wyverns, would be too small.
If they wished, they could mobilize monsters in the hundreds of thousands.
This was likely why Filat’s intelligence agency was struggling to narrow down the enemy.
He had not even realized that preventing them from narrowing down the enemy was also part of the Demons’ scheme.
“A bag of holding?”
Marius replied with a nod to Lovisa, who had asked him back.
He explained his thought that if he could create a bag of holding that could ignore weight, it would provide a significant advantage in combat.
“Regarding bags of holding, they were widely used throughout the continent in the past, so it would be difficult for our country to monopolize them. It’s customary to disclose the manufacturing method and collect royalties based on the patent rights,” Emma explained politely. Marius was surprised that this world also had the concept of intellectual property.
“We all have to pay money to learn from those who can invent new things, lest we suffer painful consequences.”
She recounted how, in the past, a human who invented the compass had been neglected. This inventor, driven by resolve, went on to invent warships and magic cannons, contributing immensely to the rise of a mid-tier nation on the Farmia Continent.
“The Farmia Empire that appears in history was that mid-tier nation,” Emma pointed out. Marius was taken aback.
(The Farmia Empire appears here… and magic cannons, too?)
If the foundation of a superpower that once ruled a large part of the world was laid by the invention of a single individual, it was understandable that inventors would be protected.
However, he wondered if that meant no one would try to monopolize the manufacturing methods.
When he posed this question, the answer he received was that it was difficult except for military technology.
“Inventors have their livelihoods to consider, and investors want to recoup their capital, so it’s generally best to sell widely,” Lovisa explained. Still puzzled, Marius pressed further.
“But, for example, with new ways to grow plants, if someone only makes enough to eat, couldn’t they keep it secret?”
“Unless they have power comparable to yours, Marius, or live in a remote area far from civilization, wouldn’t it be impossible to keep it entirely secret?”
“I see.”
Indeed, unless one lived a solitary life, they might eventually be discovered by someone. And as the saying goes, “the tongue cannot keep a secret.”
It would be a different story if one could use magic that interferes with memory, like Marius.
“If one tries to hide it carelessly, it could invite invasion from other countries. Therefore, unless it’s something truly extraordinary, it’s more profitable to disclose it and earn royalties.”
Although the demise of the Farmia Empire was a distant memory, its lessons remained, and the country tended to be sensitive to the actions of other nations.
“The intelligence agency was originally created for that very purpose,” Lovisa added.
Every country was sensitive to profit-making opportunities.
“What about countermeasures against Demons?”
“That’s the job of the intelligence agency, but the results have been less than satisfactory. It all goes back to the Tragedy of Seraeno fifty years ago,” Lovisa replied.
Beginning with the assassination of key figures by Demons disguised as civilians, Seraeno lost most of its territory and military strength to an attack by a 600,000-strong demon army.
However, for some reason, after a while, the Demons abandoned the occupied territories and vanished.
The monsters, having lost their leadership, disintegrated, and the various countries mopped them up, neatly expanding their own territories.
Seraeno was already struggling just to prevent further land loss.
Since then, intelligence networks against Demons had been strengthened, but as Lovisa mentioned, there had been few positive results. It was proof that the power of Demons surpassed that of humanity.
“Well, let’s get back to item creation for now. What about the royalties?”
Deciding that dwelling on Demons was fruitless, Marius changed the subject.
His seemingly nonchalant attitude was misinterpreted by Lovisa and Emma as confidence in his ability to handle Demons without fear, and they received it favorably. His display of unfathomable power had, this time, worked in his favor.
“All necessary expenses will be covered by us. The royalties will be ten percent of the sales price. From that, you will remit thirty percent to us.”
In other words, Marius’s actual share would be seven percent.
He was unsure if it was a lot or a little but immediately agreed.
His original goal was to contribute to the national interest, and he lived off the blood tax of Filat’s people anyway.
He couldn’t be greedy, Marius thought.
“Then, this will be the material for the bag. The manufacturing method for this had also been lost, but it was revived in recent years,” Emma said, presenting a white drawstring pouch that faintly pulsed with magic.
“Huh? The bag has been revived?”
“Yes, the problem is that there’s no one who can use the second-tier magic ‘Another Room’,” Lovisa explained. Marius nodded in understanding.
He recalled that even Lucas, the kingdom’s strongest mage, could barely cast third-tier magic.
The mages of other countries might be in the same situation.
Marius could use it, but if no one else could, mass production might be difficult.
Applying magic to specific targets was an essential skill for mages.
Support magic and healing magic also involved applying magic over a wide area.
However, the difficulty varied greatly between magic intended for application and magic not designed for it.
“Another Room” was a space-attribute magic, similar to “Teleport” and “Warp,” that created a storage space in a pocket dimension.
Although only the creator could use the space, it was popular among high-level players as a convenient spell that effectively increased the upper limit of usable items.
(I guess I should try it first.)
With Lovisa and Emma leaving to attend to other matters, Marius turned his attention back to the bag.
Having never experienced this in games, he was unsure of how to proceed.
He decided to experiment and infused it with magic.
Instantly, the bag disintegrated.
“Hmm…?”
He tried a second bag, this time reducing the power, but it disintegrated again.
(It’s… too fragile, it won’t hold…)
This was completely unexpected for Marius.
Did the people who used to make bags of holding have less power than Marius, or were the bags themselves more durable?
He felt like burying his head in his hands, facing an immediate roadblock.
He couldn’t ask for help after only a few seconds.
He pondered if there was a better approach.
After a few seconds of thought, he decided to try “Durability,” one of the enhancement spells.
While inferior to “Strengless” in terms of strengthening physical abilities, it was a versatile support spell that could also enhance magical resistance.
He cast it at the minimum power level.
The bag did not break.
Relieved, he then cast “Another Room” at the minimum power level.
The bag did not break.
(Alright!)
Marius clenched his fist in triumph, feeling he had made progress.
He placed several magic tomes on the desk into the bag.
Emma had said they were cheap books detailing mostly twelfth-tier magic, so he figured he could apologize and get away with it if he accidentally lost them.
The success would be confirmed if the bag’s weight did not change.
When he lifted it, the weight was the same as when it was empty, meaning it was a success.
Or so he thought. The bag then emitted a light, tore apart, and the magic tomes clattered to the floor.
It seemed the enchantment had failed to stabilize.
Marius realized that things weren’t that easy.
