Chapter 469 - The Foundation of Magic Craft
"What is this, magic?"
"Nope, it's kinda like a status window."
The reply to my question as I pointed at the light spreading through the air was one that I couldn't help but tilt my head at. At the very least, my version of Arcadia doesn't come equipped with such a stylish, visually-focused status window.
"'D-Sphere'—it's called a Duality Sphere. It's the 'visualized talent' that each Magic Crafter possesses. Though maybe 'individuality' is a better word than talent?"
"Dee-Sfee-ah."
Duality, huh. I wonder what two things it's supposed to represent.
"To put it in super, super simple terms, how you see this, how you perceive it, and how you interpret it is the foundation—and the entirety—of Magic Craft."
"Don't 'see,' 'perceive,' and 'interpret' all basically mean the same thing?"
"And that's what leads to each artisan's own unique system of techniques."
"You've been casually ignoring my retorts lately, Nia-chan."
But well, I mostly get what she's trying to say. It must be one of those typical Arcadia things, the kind of mysterious fantasy stuff that's difficult to explain with words.
"Learning about Magic Craft basically means having someone guide you until you can understand your own D-Sphere... make sense?"
"Sorry, not at all. Could you break it down into even smaller pieces?"
"Mmm... Training wheels on a bike. A kickboard for swimming."
I see, I don't see—my thoughts must have been written all over my face.
"I told you it's hard to put into words! Once you receive the [Magic Craft] skill from someone, you'll get it naturally, you'll see."
Nia puffs out her cheeks, signaling 'impossible.' I suppose I have no choice but to pretend I understand for now.
As usual, I'm sure there's some kind of direct brain-installation involved with Arcadia's systems—and, hold on, another question just popped up.
"What do you mean, 'receive it from someone?'"
"...Hey, are you really interested in anything besides combat? Isn't your antenna for other genres a little too low?"
"It's not that it's low, it's that I don't have time to put it up. You of all people should know that, Lady Milmarinus, you who have been involved with the Acrobat since the very beginning."
As I met her skeptical gaze with a half-lidded one of my own, Nia seemed to concede with a, "Well, I guess..." before pinching my thigh and adding, "Stop calling me that."
It doesn't hurt at all, but it's ticklish, so cut it out.
"[Magic Craft], see, you can't acquire it automatically like other skills. It's a special category you can only learn by having it bestowed upon you by someone who already possesses it."
"What's with that? What about the very first person to get it?"
"Ahaha, that's simple. They got it from an NPC."
"Aaah... I see, so that's possible too."
It's probably not quite the same as an apprenticeship, but I bet a lot of players would include that in 'receiving teaching.'
From the sound of it, Nia didn't get her skill from Nono-san, though.
"An-y-waaaay, that's how it is. In the beginning, I just couldn't understand my Sphere, so Nonomi-chan helped me out with that."
"Huh..."
Her original teacher—the one who gave her the skill—should have been able to help, I thought for a moment, but there are probably compatibility issues.
Especially with a difficult problem that can't be understood just by listening. I suspect Kagura-san probably saw that Nia and Nono-san were similar types—or something along those lines.
"How you see, perceive, and interpret it... was that it? So, how does this lovely planetarium look to you, Nia—oh, wait, is it okay for me to ask that?"
Even if it was just an example, calling it 'kinda like a status window' means there's a possibility it's confidential information, just like a build is for a combat player.
Having asked too casually, I instinctively hit the brakes, but the reply from Nia was a light, unconcerned, "It's fine."
"For me, it's a 'puzzle.' Through that, 'Magic Craft' for me is like an attraction where I shuffle and rearrange and reconfigure the pieces—kasha kasha kashaaa—to create the shape I want. Something like that, I guess?"
Her words bring back the memory of her workshop, which I've seen several times before.
The way she manipulated the numerous magic circles she had created at her fingertips, with a kashari-kashari sound, was indeed, now that I think about it, exactly like a 'puzzle,' just as Nia said.
"I see... No, I really get it now. So, that perception is what makes the work process completely different for every Magic Crafter, right?"
"That's right~"
It's still a bit fuzzy, but I seem to have reached some level of understanding.
As I caught the forefinger of the smug culprit who was trying to poke my cheek, my questions were more or less settled, and I felt a sense of relief.
"You've seen Kagura-san work, right? His method is completely different from mine, but it's not because the genres are different, like weapons and armor versus accessories and outfits."
"All I can say is 'I see.' No, really, that was educational. By the way—"
Her voice is starting to melt. She must be getting sleepy while we talk, as usual. I should probably start persuading her to call it a night...
But since it's not confidential information, there's one last thing I'd like to ask out of curiosity.
"What is the Sphere to Kagura-san?"
Perhaps she had sensed my interest—and that I already had a pretty good idea of the answer.
A grin spread across her cheeks, which were beginning to slacken with sleepiness. My partner's answer was,
"—'Flames,' he said."
Just as I had expected.