Side Mana
After handing over the Multi-functional Beast Carriage to the Alliance dispatched to Rio, we returned to Alka after stopping by Bestia.
We gathered information on Libertà in Bestia, then flew to Floate and exchanged information with my older brother. To our surprise, Solmne had already occupied nearly 40% of Libertà’s territory.
Normally, with such heavy losses, they would request reinforcements from Amister, Torencia, and Alegria, but neither Floate nor Bestia has received any distress calls. This suggests that there’s a traitor in the Libertà Congress, colluding with Solmne.
However, if we unilaterally send troops without a request for aid, problems will arise with Libertà after the Solmne issue is resolved.
Therefore, both my older brother and the Grand Order’s Master have decided to observe the situation for now.
Yamato and Mako seemed to be considering going as Hunters, but Wing Crest is a union belonging to Amister, and Yamato is also an O-rank Order. Therefore, there are likely to be council members who would object to this.
So, I’m sorry to say to them, but there’s nothing we can do until an actual request for aid is made.
Perhaps it’s for this reason that today, a day later, Yamato and Mako seem to be venting their pent-up anger on the monsters.
“I didn’t expect to find an Iceberg Swan here too.”
“I heard that areas with many abnormal species have a higher chance of catastrophe species appearing, right?”
“No, I recall hearing that abnormal and catastrophe species don’t appear simultaneously.”
We are currently at Seryado Volcano, where we encountered an Iceberg Swan, a P-rank Monster.
However, the Iceberg Swan had already been defeated by Yamato and Mako.
What’s more, they defeated the Iceberg Swan, which should have high resistance to ice, utilizing only the barrier magic of Nibbleheim and Alfheim, without even moving a single step.
We, and even Prim, were taken aback.
“…I heard that this is also for my combat training, but am I supposed to do something like that as well?”
“There’s no way! Aria, just use your magic reliably without overexerting yourself.”
Aria’s exclusive equipment is already complete, and she’s finally able to try it in actual combat today. Normally, witnessing a P-rank monster being defeated without moving an inch would be shocking.
However, Aria, while clearly taken aback, seems less damaged than expected.
Ah, Aria has no combat experience, so she’s been tasked with primarily assisting with magic.
Therefore, I thought a short staff like Yuri’s, or a long staff like Mako or Carol’s, would be good for her weapon. However, Yamato came up with an interesting weapon, and Mako strongly supported it, so that’s what we decided to use.
That weapon, Yamato called it a Celestial Globe, is a Tenma Stone made from processed Twilight Dragoon magic stones as its core. Around it, magic stones of fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, light, and darkness are arranged like stars, with decorations resembling a combination of the sun and a crescent moon.
The Tenma Stone apparently corresponds to the sun, while the crescent moon part can also deploy a shield to protect Aria, and even with Aria’s lack of strength, telekinetic magic support is provided so she won’t be blown away.
Furthermore, the core Tenma Stone was created by Flam using Fusion Magic to combine the elemental magic of myself, Yamato, Prim, and Mako, as well as Yamato’s Telekinetic Magic and Prim’s Barrier Magic. The resulting Tenma Stone boasts incredible performance.
It could be called an All-Elemental Telekinetic Barrier Tenma Stone, perhaps?
Only the dark element is a bit weak due to a lack of aptitude among us, but even so, its performance is unparalleled in the history of Helios Orbs, making it a national treasure.
In addition, the magic stones for each element are made from at least G-rank monsters, making them the highest quality magical aids.
It’s difficult to hold due to the lack of a handle or grip, but it can be moved freely with Telekinetic Magic, so it’s interesting to see it floating around Aria.
The Crest Defender Coat, which serves as her armor, is similar in principle, but the decorations and armor are understated, making it suitable for a High Priest to wear.
It’s a design similar to that of the Pope, or rather, the Grand Priests Master.
The skirt is similar to the pleated skirt of a High Priest, and it’s red.
The coat is a “goban-iro,” a slightly yellowish white, making it an excellent item that could easily be used by a High Priest.
Still, Yamato and Mako said they felt a sense of incongruity.
Ah, the Celestial Globe is named Starlight Orb.
“My bad, my bad. Next, I’ll have Aria fight too.”
“That being said, we won’t push her too hard, so don’t worry.”
Even when the two guests in front of me say that, I can hardly believe it.
“Understood. At my level, the monsters of Seryado Volcano, and even the two of you, will have no effect on me, so it’s okay to fire on each other, right?”
Aria’s level is 27, so she can’t expect much effectiveness against the Icicle Tigers that inhabit Seryado Volcano in packs.
Therefore, while I want her to use her magic without hesitation, I still want her to be careful about friendly fire.
Well, our Ancient Class can completely block even the magic of ordinary High Classes, let alone Aria’s.
“We don’t mind, but don’t friendly fire Shirayuki, okay?”
“Of course.”
Mako has brought Shirayuki, the young Slume Lord she has a Summon Contract with.
Shirayuki has evolved into the Snow Mirage Tiger species, so her Monster Rank is likely P-rank, similar to Jade and Fluorite.
Although she’s still a newborn, she’s probably equivalent to an S-rank. Even so, she’s stronger than ordinary familiars.
For that reason, Mako has also summoned Kaede, her Battle Horse, and I’ve summoned Luna, Spica, and Sirius, and everyone else has brought their familiars.
“I also want to hurry up and form a familiar contract, but I’m wondering what kind of monster to choose.”
“Me too. Ideally, I’d like a monster capable of pulling a ship. However, aquatic monsters can’t go hunting with us regularly, so I’m at a loss…”
Not only Ludia and Flam, but also Lydia is considering a familiar contract, yet all three are undecided about which monster to contract with.
Flam and Lydia, in particular, are considering monsters capable of pulling ships, which narrows their options even further than Ludia’s.
A common choice for familiars that can pull ships is the Preciser. However, the Preciers in Feel are also used to pull the Trader’s Guild ships, so unfortunately, they cannot be purchased.
While they can be purchased in Floate and Memoria, there aren’t many, and more importantly, even though Preciers can crawl on land, their true strength lies in water. Therefore, no one takes them out for land hunts.
“This is a troubling problem.”
“Indeed. For now, we’re moving the ship’s hull with magic stones imbued with wind attribute magic. I think that’s a viable option, but it consumes a lot of mana, and the magic stones might end up being disposable.”
“On the other hand, I don’t want to burn fires like with Steam Battleships, as it pollutes the air.”
Yamato and Mako sighed at Yuri’s muttering.
One of the reasons Yamato, Mako, and Grandmother Sayuri want to destroy all of the Steam Battleships is air pollution.
Apparently, inhaling the soot mixed in the steam can lead to lung diseases similar to those of mine workers. Because of this, I, as well as Yuri and Carol, who are healers and heard about it, were strongly opposed.
“Are there no other methods?”
“There are, but I don’t understand the principles myself, and if we were to create it with Helios Orbs, it would still rely on magic stones. So, I don’t think it would be much different from now.”
Yamato answers Mina’s question, but in the end, it still involves using magic stones.
“Ultimately, a sailing ship is the best option, isn’t it?”
“I think that has its own set of inconveniences?”
“That may be, but since the sails can be operated with Telekinetic Magic, it might feel close to autopilot.”
They’re having another one of those conversations I don’t quite understand. What is a sailing ship?
“Ah, a sailing ship is a ship that moves by catching the wind with large pieces of cloth called sails. However, due to its characteristic of moving by catching the wind, it can’t do anything without wind.”
There are ships like that too.
Before Steam Battleships appeared, all the ships of Helios Orb were pulled by monsters, so this is the first I’ve heard of it.
“You can also change the course by operating the sails, but it requires quite a bit of strength. However, with a Tenma Stone capable of telekinesis, that effort can be reduced, and with wind attribute magic, we should not be immobile even in a windless state.”
Hearing that, it sounds like a good idea, even great. However, Yamato doesn’t seem very enthusiastic. Is there a reason?
“It’s difficult to achieve high speeds. If we make the sails larger and catch a lot of wind, we can manage to some extent, but that would throw off the overall balance and increase the risk of capsizing. So, if we were to do it, we’d need to balance those aspects carefully. This is all I know with my current knowledge, and I’m not even sure if it’s accurate.”
The sails might not hold up if they catch a gust of wind, and even if they can withstand it, the momentum could tip the ship, leading to capsizing.
Moreover, it requires tall poles called masts to hoist the sails, which presents an aesthetic problem.
If we prioritize practicality, it’s a problem we can overlook. However, if we’re going to do that, I feel we should also consider the appearance.
“Now that you mention it, sailing ships also have their problems. Especially the risk of capsizing, which I had completely overlooked.”
“Exactly. I think building a sailing ship hull is a possibility, but ultimately it’s just a hobby.”
“That’s true. Besides, come to think of it, I have no idea how to set sails.”
“Me neither.”
Isn’t that a fundamental problem?
Sails move byCatching the wind, so regardless of the ship’s course, they must be able to catch the wind properly.
However, since both Yamato and Mako say they don’t know how the sails work, we really have to start from scratch, don’t we?
But a ship that moves by catching the wind, even without being pulled by monsters, doesn’t seem like a bad idea.
I’d like to hear more about it, even if it’s just within the scope of their knowledge.
“Ultimately, it’s about using the mana from the magic stones more efficiently.”
“That’s what it comes down to, I guess. I don’t know if it’s possible, but maybe I can think of something.”
Efficient use of magic stones.
In the test run the other day, we were advancing by blowing wind backward using a Wind Magic Stone imbued with wind attribute magic. Does that mean it’s wasteful?
“It is wasteful. We’re constantly using enough wind to move a ship over 20 meters long, so even a high-ranked monster’s magic stone won’t last long.”
Flam, a High Crafter, also had doubts about that method.
According to Flam’s explanation, they were pushing the entire ship, including the hull submerged in water, with a strong gust of wind. Because of the water resistance, the mana consumption is greater than normal.
With a sailing ship like Yamato and Mako mentioned, the wind power would be used to move the sails, thus reducing mana consumption. However, it seems impossible with the prototype hull we are currently using.
“Hmm? Wait a minute. The hull of the ship?”
“Um, actually, Solmne’s Steam Battleship…”
Oh, Yamato and Mako have started pondering something.
Although Flam’s explanation caused it, was there something strange somewhere?
“Solmne’s Steam Battleships, if I recall correctly, are equipped with a propeller at the rear of their hull. They rotated it by burning fires to generate steam, and propelled themselves with that force. Regardless of the origin of the technology, it’s revolutionary as a ship’s propulsion system.”
“That’s it!”
“That’s it!”
Yamato and Mako exclaim in unison. But what is “that”?
“Huh? Huh?”
Flam looks very confused, and so do I.
“The word ‘propeller’ just made me remember. That’s right, they had that.”
“Yes. If we use that, the consumption of magic stones should be reduced.”
Perhaps it’s because they are guests from the same world, but their perfect synchronization is making me envious.
“Eh? Oh, sorry. I just…”
Mako lowers her head, blushing crimson, but her reaction…
Well, that’s also concerning, but I want to hear about that idea now.
“Ah, that is… Alright! Aria, are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you!”
While we were continuing our conversation, Aria kept unleashing magic spells at the Icicle Tigers, and Prim and Mina were supporting her.
Due to their habit of living in packs, Icicle Tigers are numerous.
Prim on the front lines could easily wipe them out, but that wouldn’t be any good for Aria and Yuri’s combat training, so they are now thinning out the numbers appropriately to make it easier for Aria and Yuri to cast their magic.
Mina, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, Raus, and Rebecca are also fighting separately from Aria and Yuri.
There’s a reason for this. Since I, Yamato, Flam, and Mako are talking near the two of them, we don’t need to worry too much about their safety.
We’re also killing a few Icicle Tigers while we talk, and Yamato just intercepted an Icicle Tiger that lunged at Aria mid-conversation.
Aria’s Earth Lance directly hits one of the weakened Icicle Tigers and kills it.
Yuri is also doing this, and they’ve defeated several monsters this way.
Even with support, when attacked by monsters stronger than themselves, they have no choice but to fight with all their might. Therefore, not only Aria but likely Yuri’s level is also increasing.
“So, the word ‘propeller’ reminded me. There’s something that uses water flow.”
“Water flow?”
“Yes. If water has momentum, it can move heavy objects, right?”
“Yes. If you watch water attribute magic, you’ll notice that.”
Many people use water attribute magic to daze their opponents with water flow, so we see it often.
“That water flow, if it has enough momentum, it hurts when it hits, right?”
“It hurts, and the water flow used by high-ranked monsters can pierce not only bodies but also metal.”
High-ranked water attribute monsters, naturally, also use water attribute magic.
However, that water attribute magic is quite troublesome, as they attack with blades of water and even try to pierce with spears of water.
“We use that momentum, or rather, the recoil, to move the ship. In Alka’s hot springs, isn’t there a bath where hot water gushes out forcefully? It’s like that.”
Indeed, there is a bath like that in Alka’s hot springs.
It feels great, but I did feel like my body was being pushed out.
Ah, so they intend to use that for ships.
“Yeah. I think I’ll try making a propeller called a Hydro Jet, or perhaps a Water Jet. I think it will be more efficient than the wind magic stones we’re currently using, and we won’t need to rely on catching the wind like with sailing ships, so it will be more user-friendly.”
It seems Yamato intends to try using water attribute magic, wind attribute magic, and mirroring.
I wondered why mirroring, but to expel water with force, a certain amount of space is needed, and mirroring is for securing that space.
The actual production will start tomorrow, as today is for Aria and Yuri’s combat training, collecting the Transfer Stone Tablet at the Treasure Tree of Seryado Volcano, and then picking up Sister Hilde at Bestia.
Sister Hilde is finally able to come to Alka now that her work has reached a temporary conclusion.
Although it’s been nearly three weeks since her engagement to Yamato, she’s had to reorganize the Saber’s Guild, which had its numbers reduced due to the Slume Lords and Solmne. Even though vigilance can be lowered, Golud Great Glacier still requires close observation.
Information from Libertà and Valentia also needs to be thoroughly examined, so Sister Hilde truly had no time to rest.
Now that Sister Hilde can finally take a vacation, she will be embraced by Yamato for the first time tonight.
It’s also Sister Hilde’s first time, so with that in mind, all of us plan to dote on her.
