Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 296

Union House was finally completed, and we secured a direct transfer method to Feel.

Before, we had to exit Feel to transfer, which was extremely bothersome, so eliminating that hassle is a cause for great celebration.

That’s why, in addition to the 7 million El payment to the Crafter’s Guild, we’ve paid out an additional 1 million El.

In terms of scale, it’s large for a Union House but small for a mansion. Originally, it was meant for transferring to Alka, so a size equivalent to a private residence was sufficient.

However, at Wing Crest, we have royalty like Princess Mana and Yuri of Amister, as well as Prim, formerly the Countess of Valentia, and Hilde, the Queen of Torencia. Having them around makes such a small scale problematic.

Therefore, we needed to maintain the appearance of a mansion, even if it was small.

Furthermore, while we are usually in Alka, we do use Union House occasionally, so this is a necessary expense.

“Being able to transfer directly from Feel to Alka really saves us a lot of trouble and makes things easier,” Viola said.

“Yes. It also makes it easier for us to go shopping for supplies,” Viola, who returned to Alka with me said.

Previously, we would use a Gate Crystal to teleport outside of Feel, travel into the city, and then buy daily necessities and food. We had to confirm our licenses at the entrance, which was incredibly inconvenient.

Recently, due to expeditions in other countries like Torencia, we had fewer opportunities to visit Feel. However, with the war against Solemne over, we no longer need to be involved in other countries to that extent.

There are still occasional visits to Solemne’s capital, Deseo, for Hilde’s escort or assistance, but it’s not daily. And since it’s usually just us going, Ed, Raus, and the Butlers will be in Feel more often.

This isn’t the only reason, but Marisa, Viola, and Yuria are also considering familiar contracts with Battle Horses and have asked to borrow the box-shaped beast carriages we initially made.

While Multi-functional Beast Carriages are convenient, their size makes them difficult to maneuver, and such a thing isn’t necessary for shopping. However, I agree that they are suitable for Butlers to use.

We use the Tree-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage, but Raus’s group sometimes acts independently, and so does Ed’s group. So, the prototype Unit 2 will be used by Raus’s group, and the box-shaped carriages will be used by Ed’s group and the Butlers, and we’ve reached an agreement.

Though I doubt Raus’s group will have many opportunities to use the prototype Unit 2.

“So, it’s not just for shopping, but you’re going to contract with Battle Horses, right?”

“Yes. I heard that Eos, the Dragonian, cannot contract, but Marisa and Yuria both said they want to contract.”

Battle Horse is the most popular mount among purchasable mounts.

They are quite expensive, so not everyone can afford them, but I’ve heard that many high-ranking Hunters have contracted with them.

Marisa also considered a contract around the same time I married Mana, but she couldn’t afford it with the salary of an S-rank Butler, so she had to wait until now.

Viola is in the same situation. Since both of them have had relations with me, I decided to cover the purchase price of the Battle Horses. I proposed this to them just before returning to Feel, and in return, the night was quite… eventful.

As for Yuria, Raus will cover the full cost.

Yuria is Carol’s attendant, and she’s also close with Rebecca and Reina.

Since Dragonians cannot use familiar or summoning magic, there’s nothing that can be done about Eos.

“Understood. Then, as planned, we’ll go to Ragnard Ranch tomorrow. If we don’t find any suitable ones, we’ll go to Respet.”

“Yes, thank you for your cooperation.” Viola bowed her head.

Respet is the capital of the County of Trumalina, governed by Count Sofia, who is also the provincial governor of Feel. It has Amister’s largest Battle Horse ranch.

Raus, Rebecca, and Carol all formed familiar contracts with Battle Horses in Respet. Mina also has a familiar contract with a Battle Horse that Count Sofia brought with him after being assigned to Feel. Therefore, even if we can’t find a suitable individual at Ragnard Beast Farm in Feel, I believe we can find one in Respet.

“Ah, so that’s why you wanted to get that qualification.” After officially entrusting the management of Union House to the Butler’s Guild, Viola purchased reference books for the qualification exam offered by the guild.

The exam Viola intends to take is for the qualification of caring for and breeding familiars and summoned beasts. As the presence of ranches suggests, the jurisdiction for the care and breeding of familiars and summoned beasts falls under the Crafter’s Guild, and those professionals are called breeders or trainers.

However, not everyone who has a familiar or summoning contract hires a breeder or trainer, and there are simply not enough of them to go around. Therefore, the contractors themselves often manage them, or they delegate the task to their butlers. Still, in terms of knowledge and practical experience, they are inferior to the professionals. While it’s within the contractor’s acceptable range of self-responsibility, butlers are employed, so any problems that arise could lead to responsibility issues. For this reason, the Butler’s Guild places importance on the qualification exam, which enables individuals to perform tasks close to those of professionals and use relevant Guild Magic.

“Yes. While we have Nonno in Alka, she can only do so much alone. Care is also important when traveling.” Nonno is a Homunculus who manages the ranch in Alka. We generally leave the care of our contracted familiars and summoned beasts to Nonno. However, Homunculi rarely leave Alka. In fact, during the war against Solemne, the Homunculi did not accompany us. Therefore, if Viola obtains the qualification to care for familiars and summoned beasts, it will be a great help to us and should reduce Nonno’s burden in Alka.

“However, the exam is extremely difficult, so it won’t be easy.” I also heard about it at the Butler’s Guild. The qualification for familiar management requires not only the knowledge of breeders and trainers but also veterinary knowledge. Naturally, the physical characteristics and ecosystems of monsters vary, so the exam is designed with difficult questions that take these factors into account. I can only say “do your best” as I don’t know if I can help.

“Yes, I will do my best. By the way, Lord Yamato. About the Communication Tool, what’s the progress on its development?” Viola suddenly mentioned the word “Communication Tool” as if she just remembered it.

“It’s been difficult, but we’re starting to see some progress, so we’re almost there.” The magic communication tool that enables long-distance communication is, unfortunately, not yet completed. One of the reasons for this is the war with Solemne, which prevented us from fully dedicating ourselves to its development. I’ve been working on it during my free time while marching, but it’s not going as smoothly as I hoped, and I’m struggling quite a bit. We’ve confirmed that light-attribute magic stones are the most compatible, and since magic power is abundant with Helios Orb, we don’t need to build anything like a radio tower, which is a relief.

“Is that so? I heard it’s a magic tool that allows us to converse with people far away. It sounds like it will be amazing when it’s completed.”

“It might not be just that. But that’s a discussion for after it’s completed.” The magic communication tool I’m currently developing involves fusing several magic spells onto the magic stone of an Aurora Dragoon and then embedding it into a desk-sized casing made of Jade Silver. The casing, with its eye-like camera and ear-like speaker, is connected to the Aurora Dragoon’s blood and nerves acting as wiring. It couldn’t be made any smaller than this. However, there seem to be issues with the screen that displays images and the microphone that transmits sound. If we can somehow resolve those, it should be fine. But since those are core components, it seems like it will still take a while to complete. As for the audio, I think we can manage by imbuing it with wind-attribute magic, but the problem lies with the screen.

“What’s the problem?”

“The video, you see. We can send video by using the Aurora Dragoon’s eyeballs, but I’m struggling with how to display it on the receiving casing.”

“Displaying it? Isn’t that different from a mirror?”

“Yes.” Mirrors can reflect one’s appearance and blind spots, but perhaps due to their excessive reflectivity, they couldn’t be projected properly. My own face was reflected, so it became confusing.

“Well, I’m not rushing the development, so I’ll take my time and think it through until I’m satisfied.”

“Yes, I’ll be cheering for you.” Got it. Now, we’ve arrived at the Main Hall. After a brief chat with everyone, I’ll head to the Crafting Hall. Even though the war with Solemne has ended, there’s still administrative work, and problems with Retisencia and Abaricia remain. So, the sooner we complete this, the better. It will also make communication with Hilde, who is governing Solemne, easier. According to the schedule, Hilde will return to Deseo in ten days, so we ideally want to complete it by then.

Side Marina:

Yamato returned from the Crafter’s Guild and Butler’s Guild, but he looks tired. It’s probably because of Prim and the others who are discussing matters at the Main Hall, but there’s nothing to be done about it. I’ve been holed up in the Crafting Hall since returning to Alka myself, so I don’t know the specifics of their discussion, but I have a pretty good guess.

“Yamato, did something difficult happen?” Fiana, Fina’s younger sister, asked him with a worried expression. She seems genuinely concerned, but it’s probably an issue involving Yamato and the others. It’s not something outsiders should interfere with, so leaving it be is fine.

“Fiana, you don’t need to worry. It’s likely about Aria and Mako. Even if we say something, things will unfold as they will,” Yamato replied. That’s a frustrating way to put it, but it’s the truth, so I can’t argue…

As expected. Aria and Mako both pretended to be Yamato’s fiancées to avoid nobles who were hitting on them at the victory celebration held in Float and Bestia. Now, Prim, Mana, and the others seem to be discussing their future.

Aria of Prysla is only fifteen, but she came to Yamato as an Oracle Priestess. There’s a need to deter nobles who foolishly think they can control Yamato by confining Aria. While few nobles in Amister or Torencia would think that way, they do exist. So, I think it’s necessary.

Mako, on the other hand, is a guest like Yamato and an Ancient Human, which is a more serious matter. I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to make enemies of two Ancient Humans, but the rewards are substantial, so there will be nobles who, despite the risks, will try to “confine” them. In fact, at the celebration in Bestia, several noble sons were hitting on Mako. Even when told she was engaged to Yamato, they didn’t listen. Apparently, they received a stern reprimand from the Phantom King’s family and the head of the family afterward.

“So, what was the outcome?”

“The discussion is still ongoing, but they said they would respect my opinion.” It will eventually end up that way. However, if that’s the case, it feels like the discussion should have ended by now.

Oh well, I’ll ask Prim about it later.

“So, Yamato couldn’t stand the atmosphere and fled to the Crafting Hall?”

“That’s not the case. On my way back, Viola mentioned the Communication Tool, so I came here to work on that.” I see. The Communication Tool Yamato is developing is an excellent device that allows him to converse while seeing the other person’s appearance even from afar. However, the image is often unclear or flickers, and the sound is intermittent, so there are many areas for improvement. For the sound, he plans to imbue the core Aurora Dragoon magic stone with wind-attribute magic. The problem, however, is the visual aspect. In the worst-case scenario, being able to communicate even by voice would be sufficient. However, the Communication Tool itself is desk-sized and was designed with the assumption that visual communication would be possible. If they were to abandon that, it would be easier to rebuild it from scratch. Moreover, Yamato is determined to create a Communication Tool that allows for visual conversations, so he’s probably trying to find a good method.

“Huh? Imbuing it with water-attribute magic?”

“Yeah.” Ed exclaims suspiciously but it seems the conversation is progressing. Or rather, how did we get to the point of imbuing it with water-attribute magic?

“This is where it gets interesting. On Earth, there’s something called a Water Screen. You can make water flow like a waterfall or spray like a mist, and project images onto it.”

“Is there such a thing?” You mean projecting an image onto water? Come to think of it, Veil Lake sometimes reflected Mylight. The idea is to use that to project the other person.

“Well, I had forgotten about it until Mako mentioned it,” Yamato said. Ah, so it was Mako’s advice. If Yamato knew about it, it’s not surprising he would have thought of it sooner.

“Alright, let’s start with an experiment.”

“Sounds interesting. I’ll help too.”

“Please do.” Ed is also helping Yamato. It does sound interesting, so I’ll help too. First, we’ll experiment with an easily obtainable water-attribute magic stone, then process it into a Tenma Stone and check its usability, and then incorporate it into the magic communication tool. Let’s begin the experiment.