kscans

Chapter 171 - Episode 8: Part 1, The Existence of the Spectrum

A man not noticing when a woman slightly cuts her hair or changes her accessories, this was a story I often heard in my previous life. I probably wouldn't notice small changes myself, though no one's ever told me that.

However, when you're at my level, the double-edged sword is that if my hairstyle is changed so drastically that anyone would notice, I'd be perceived as a different person.

Which means, the situation has progressed to the point where even I can tell something is off.

"What kind of meals do they serve at the ducal house?"

"They're even more luxurious than in the Empire. Well, for my taste, they're a bit too pretentious, it makes my shoulders stiff."

Before the experiment began, I started gathering information. Of course, I already understood the situation through Alfina, but primary information is crucial.

"By the way, what about lunch today?"

"Oh, I was thinking about today's experiment. I might have eaten one piece of bread. Didn't I tell you, I don't really eat much for lunch to avoid feeling sleepy."

Maytyl puffed out her chest. I see, so she 'doesn't even eat lunch'. I exchanged a glance with Alfina. I recalled our conversation with her in the archives.

◇◇

"Apparently, she didn't eat breakfast even when she was in the Empire. In addition, here, she doesn't seem to have much appetite for lunch or dinner. Sometimes, for dinner, she merely touches the food as a formality."

Alfina explained Maytyl's situation from what she heard from the Grand Duchess, who is the First Princess and her guardian.

"Doesn't that mean all three meals are a problem, then?"

"She herself says she was originally a light eater. Also, perhaps she doesn't care much for the food here."

"If the Kingdom's food doesn't suit her, can't we offer her Empire-style meals?"

"Apparently, they suggested that, but she said not to bother with the consideration. She apparently never liked meat or vegetables much to begin with, especially vegetables."

On top of that, she's a picky eater.

"So, it's just bread and fruit, then. With a diet like that, she must have had problems even when she was in the Empire."

At the ducal residence, at least, various fruits are prepared. Far from not bothering with consideration, she's actually causing more trouble. White bread is a luxury item even in an agricultural nation like the Kingdom, and obtaining fruit in the Royal Capital is not easy.

"I was also surprised by the difference from how I knew her to be here. But, perhaps there's also a mental burden."

Some people can't sleep if their pillow changes. The climate and customs are probably different between the Empire and the Kingdom. Above all, she is in the position of a hostage. There's no way she isn't stressed. I see, from Alfina's perspective, it's a sympathetic situation.

"Let's organize the problems. Is the primary issue her loss of appetite, a combination of her original picky eating habits, the burden of her hostage status, and the differences in eating customs between the Empire and here?"

"Yes, I think so too."

If there's an underlying illness, there's nothing we can do, but for now, we should consider it calorie deficiency.

"Understood. For the time being, let's think about how she can supplement her nutrition, even a little, at the lab."

If she feels more comfortable at the lab, we can have her consume calories in the form of snacks.

◇◇

And so, today, I prepared a secret weapon. I watched intently as Maytyl brought a green, square confectionery to her mouth. But Maytyl put down her fork with a puzzled expression.

"Ricardo's gaze is rather intense today. It would be nice if you're thinking of switching to me, but being too forward is not admirable, you know."

Alfina looked worried, and Noel glared at me. I wish she wouldn't waste energy on sharp remarks.

"I was just curious about the reaction to the new yokan."

"Oh, that green tea-scented yokan. It's not bad."

Maytyl seems to like matcha yokan. Good, just as I intended.

"Well then, take some home as a souvenir. It keeps reasonably well this season. I've also prepared the plain one. How about two, or even three?"

What she lacks most is calories, after all. Yokan is a block of sugar. Given her current calorie deficiency, easily absorbed sugar should be good.

"What's really wrong with you?"

"Why are you looking at me like I ate something strange? I'm eating the same thing."

"One is enough. I am a captive, so I have to be careful. Besides, while I like this scent and taste, sweet things still tend to make my head fuzzy."

Maytyl said. Even if she takes it home, it will likely be offered to others at the ducal house. One piece of yokan won't be enough.

And in the end, Maytyl only ate two slices of yokan.

◇◇

"How was it, Ricardo-kun? The result of your enthusiastic observation of Princess Maytyl."

After seeing the magic experts ascend to the second floor, I talked with Alfina in the lab.

"Uh, I wasn't looking at Princess Maytyl in any strange way."

"Princess Maytyl seemed quite pleased to be stared at by Ricardo-kun."

"No, towards the end, she seemed grossed out."

I spoke frankly about what I felt. Maytyl is only interested in what's in my head. As an expert in the systematic knowledge of sorcery, she is fascinated by the scientific knowledge from my previous life.

"Sorry, I got sidetracked. So, what do you think?"

"I forgot about the sleepiness."

She eats mostly bread and fruit, yet she doesn't want to eat many sweet treats? How many demands does she have?

"What did she eat in the Empire?"

I genuinely wondered. With such a picky diet, wouldn't she have had health problems even back there?

"Ricardo-kun, Princess Maytyl once mentioned that in the Empire, they mix grains and beans into their bread, didn't she? Perhaps she prefers stronger flavors?"

Alfina said. I thought about it. I could understand if someone who ate bland bread resisted strong-flavored bread, but the reverse is hard to imagine. Besides, staple foods are meant to be balanced with side dishes.

"Wait, balance..."

"Did you figure something out?"

"There's a high possibility that the nutritional balance is quite different between the Empire's bread and our white bread here."

White bread uses only the white part of the wheat, removing the husk. It has a high proportion of starch and carbohydrates. Compared to using the whole grain, the proportion of minerals and proteins is significantly reduced. Their buckwheat and wheat in the Empire probably used the whole grain.

And soybeans. Thanks to the nitrogen fixation of rhizobia, beans contain far more protein than wheat.

While it doesn't mean vegetables become unnecessary for vitamins, bread mixed with buckwheat and soybeans should be much more balanced than white bread. If supplemented with fruits, it might have been minimally sufficient.

"Nutritional balance, you say?"

Alfina looked bewildered.

"Well, just as stone, wood, and plaster are needed to build a house, three major nutrients are required to maintain the human body."

The three major nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Among these, only carbohydrates can be entirely synthesized in the human body. Proteins, that is, amino acids, and fats, contain elements that the human body cannot synthesize.

"Are you saying the cause is a lack of nutrients found in beans and meat?"

Alfina asked. That's a possibility, and if so, it's serious. However, judging by Maytyl's diet, what's absolutely needed first and foremost is calories.

Something doesn't quite sit right. And if it's simply a calorie deficiency, then she should just eat more yokan. But that would induce sleepiness.

"Then, perhaps that 'fourth nutrient' is involved."

The words of a classmate from my previous life, who said they never ate lunch, came to mind. White bread lacks other things as well, like dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is often found in the husks of grains. And if it contained not only beans but also buckwheat.

"It might be a problem with GI, the Glycemic Index."

"Glycemic, what's that?"

"Simply put, it's about the digestion speed of nutrients abundantly found in wheat."

If my hypothesis is correct, then at least we can prevent her from skipping lunch to avoid reduced concentration and sleepiness.

"Let's get Sherry's help."

I said.

◇◇

"See, keeping the magic flowing steadily was the key."

"Yes, I think so too."

"Indeed. We might need to adjust the magic-sensing paper a bit more to match this. But still, this is quite something."

As I ascended the stairs, I could hear the excitement from the second floor. It seemed things were going well.

"Oh, Ricardo. You missed the moment of the century while you were entertaining the princess."

Maytyl said to me as I opened the door.

Meanwhile, I was busy with the important task of consulting on the project members' health management.

"Hey, why are you looking at me so intently today?"

She seemed to notice my gaze, which was peering at her complexion. By the way, 'peering at her complexion' is meant literally.

"It's your imagination. More importantly, the experiment seems to be going well, doesn't it?"

"Hehe. Look at this. It's much clearer now, wouldn't you say?"

Maytyl happily handed me the experimental results. I looked at the magic-sensing paper she gave me. Three bands of varying intensity were lined up on it.

｜▍｜

"That's amazing. It came out so clearly."

It seems that Maytyl's application of magic circuits to regulate the magic drawn from the Magic Crystal was effective. Indeed, the boundaries on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the reactive surface were much clearer.

In essence, this Magic Crystal must be emitting three types of magic wavelengths, meaning three types of magic with different energies.

"When it separates this clearly, even we can see differences in color with our own eyes. The faint line on the left is tinged with orange. The dark one in the middle is red. The right one is too faint to judge easily, but I'd say crimson."

Presumably, the amount of magic per unit light intensity increases towards the right. Normally, all of this would be mixed together and appear red.

"So your hypothesis about separating magic by strength has been proven, hasn't it? What is it? Is something strange?"

Noel pouted.

"No, no, I'm just thinking how remarkable it is that you achieved this in such a short period."

I said it sincerely. With this, the existence of the magic spectrum has at least been proven. It's a huge step towards understanding the basic properties of Magic Crystals, the source of magic, or rather, a fundamental analytical method for magic. This is an achievement that can be called a major discovery.

"I never imagined that color differences were hidden within the magic emitted from ordinary Magic Crystals. Ricardo, you've surprised me again. What will you come up with next?"

Maytyl looked at me. She truly comes alive when she's in research mode.

"Speaking of which, you applied the principles of magic circuits, didn't you? Is that alright?"

"It's for the elucidation of the fundamental principles of magic. I judged it to be within the scope of necessary cooperation. Besides, it's only the very basics."

Fulsy, Noel, and now even Maytyl participating. The magic team might never be this dream team again.

That's precisely why my responsibility as manager is heavy. Maytyl's ability and motivation are wonderful. However, immersing herself so intently while in a state of poor physical condition is far too dangerous for health management.