kscans

Chapter 179 - Episode 12: Second Half, The Gap

"The things you make have such simple colors, Ricardo. I thought you said this was a cold dessert made with that tea?"

Maytyl tilted her head, spoon still in hand. It was true—there wasn't a hint of green anywhere.

"It's different from the one at Princess Lisabet's welcome party," Alfina remarked. "And what's on top looks like chunky red bean paste."

"It'd be boring to make the exact same thing twice. I think you'll find the flavor is on par with the last one. Go on, please."

Maytyl took her spoon and slowly pushed it into the dome.

"Oh, so it's inside."

Beneath the brown cream, the green ice cream revealed itself. The spoon now held a mix of coarse red bean paste, cream, and matcha ice cream. The moment it entered her small lips, Maytyl's eyes shot wide open.

"Hah, hahaha! To think I'd be fooled by its appearance again. A cold dessert is a luxury in itself, but what is this?"

Her lips curved into a smile she couldn't contain. It seemed to be to her liking. Of course it was—this combination was a guaranteed success with Maytyl.

Maytyl immediately went for a second bite. Seeing this, everyone else picked up their spoons.

"This cream is chestnut-flavored, isn't it? The sweetness is gentle, and the texture is so smooth," Alfina commented.

"When you eat it with the tea-flavored ice cream and the red bean paste on top... Ah! I know! This is that thing, isn't it?" Noel exclaimed.

"Vinder-san instructed us to create something close to a chestnut yokan, so I worked with Sherry and the people from Plural to make it," Natalie explained.

"...This might be the best thing you've ever come up with, senpai."

"N-No, I wouldn't go that far... But, I have to admit..."

"Of course it is. Ricardo prepared this specially for me, after all."

"Well, I did tailor it for you, yes. But this is to celebrate the magic team's accomplishment..."

"Princess Maytyl, that's twice in a row... Aren't you being a little too spoiled by Ricardo-kun?"

Alfina puffed out her cheeks. Maytyl simply thrust out her chest.

"Oh, but you're mistaken. It's not twice, it's three times. Ricardo made that dressing for me, too."

"...Three times."

Alfina's clasped hands began to tremble. Seriously? You both know the whole story from start to finish. Why are you even counting that failed dressing? It should be -1 for the dressing, +1 for the soba peperoncino, and +1 for this ice cream. The correct total should be one!

"That calculation is a little off," Mia interjected. Yes! Use your famous math skills to sort this out!

"There were three types of dressing. You should calculate it as five times."

"...Um, Mia-san."

In that case, it should be -3, which means the total is -1. This is strange. Why am I getting this simple addition and subtraction wrong?

Wait, the gazes from Noel, Sherry, and the others—who were just moments ago savoring the ice cream—have turned sharp. And Fulsy and Leonard have retreated to a corner, though they made sure to take their ice cream with them. How did it come to this?

"So, the next step is to point this analyzer at an actual magic vein. Should we go east or west...? We'll also have to figure out a method for investigating the tree rings. The magic-sensing plates are expensive, but we have to try them at least once."

"Why not go all the way to the great river? With this level of sensitivity, we could probably get a reading even from across the water."

"Um, if we're going to move it, we need to account for vibrations and..."

As expected, the magic team had already moved on to the next topic, their empty plates before them. Maytyl, who had been at the center of it, turned back to me.

"What are your thoughts, Ricardo? Whatever you come up with, I'll make it a reality. In the meantime, you can just think up my reward. Like this time."

Maytyl shot me a mischievous smile. What's with this vaguely stay-at-home-husband position she's putting me in? In truth, I can't do much more than offer concepts when it comes to magic.

She then turned and grabbed a troubled-looking Noel by the shoulder. "Right, Noel?"

"That division of labor might not be a bad idea..."

"Ricardo-kun!?"

"Senpai..."

Alfina and Mia stared at me.

No, if I fall for such a cheap provocation, it'll damage my dignity as a project leader. The right move here is to remain composed and show I have the magnanimity to entrust this to the magic team...

"Actually, I have an idea for a little diversion. Something I'd like you to test with that."

I pointed at the spectrum analyzer. I wasn't taking the bait. I was just trying something I'd been curious about for a while.

"And what might that be?"

Maytyl's eyes narrowed.

"Director. Do you have an empty, ordinary magic crystal and a crimson magic crystal?"

"I have the crimson one here. As for an empty one... Noel should have one. What are you planning?"

"First, place the crimson magic crystal in front of the slit like usual. Noel, I want you to put the empty magic crystal where the magic-sensing plate would go. Position it so it aligns with the thickest band from the crimson magic crystal."

"What in the world are you starting...? Just completing this device is a huge achievement..."

Noel's face was tinged with fear as she did as I asked. I wish she wouldn't react so dramatically.

"Hey, now, there's a good chance this won't work, so don't be disappointed if nothing happens. It's just for fun, remember?"

I emphasized that it was just a little diversion. If my hypothesis was correct, a certain phenomenon could occur. But if it was correct, the wavelengths would need to match precisely, so a disappointing result was entirely possible.

"Okay, now irradiate the empty magic crystal with magic from the crimson one."

Noel drew out the magic from the crystal. The released magic struck the crystal that had lost its luster. The magic vanished as if it were being absorbed into it.

At that moment, the expressions of all three of them changed. Fulsy looked like he'd just seen a new toy. Noel was bewildered. Maytyl's mouth was hanging wide open—even wider than when she was stuffing her cheeks with ice cream. Did it work?

"Alright, now measure the empty magic crystal that was just irradiated, using the magic-sensing paper as you normally would."

Magic emanated from the crystal, creating a crisp, clear band on the paper. The magic in the depleted crystal had been restored. The high-energy wavelength from the crimson crystal had likely excited whatever it is inside a normal magic crystal that holds magic.

"And you... call this a diversion?"

"To think you can replenish a magic crystal that's been completely drained..."

While I was just relieved I hadn't killed the mood, Fulsy and Noel were in an uproar. Maytyl was still silent.

Well, being able to charge—no, re-magize—a normal magic crystal with a rare one probably doesn't have much practical application.

But in principle, it's hugely significant. After all, this proves that magic shares the same fundamental structure as the other forces in physics.

To use electromagnetism as an analogy, it's a structure where you have an element with a 'charge,' like an electron, and a force carrier, like a photon, that conveys the force generated by that 'charge.'

"So, what do you think, Princess Maytyl?"

THUD.

Maytyl slammed her head onto the table.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay? Don't tell me you're feeling unwell again..."

But Maytyl, head still on the table, began to laugh.

"Unbelievable. To think the principle behind the Mana Charging Furnace was something like this. Seeing that speed... do you have any idea how valuable this alone is...?"

I'd intended it purely as an experiment for basic research, but Maytyl's reaction was far more intense than I'd expected. And she mentioned speed. What was she comparing it to that she thought was fast?

...Wait a second, I remember the Empire's ability to resupply magic was much higher than anticipated.

"Hey, could it be that—"

"Is Lady Alfina present?"

The door suddenly burst open and Claudia strode in. She spotted Alfina and quickly approached her.

"Perfect timing, Clau. You should try this new ice cream..."

"My apologies, Your Highness. We've just received a communication from the cathedral..."

Claudia informed Alfina of her business, her voice low, likely conscious of Maytyl's presence. The cathedral? The crystal was currently sending signals once a week. At that rate, the next one shouldn't be until the day after tomorrow. ...Did the interval shorten?

I instinctively shot to my feet. But Alfina, listening to Claudia, shook her head at me. Claudia didn't seem overly tense either, but...

"I'm sorry, Ricardo-kun. I'm going back to the cathedral, just to be safe."

"Alright... Please, don't overdo it."

"I'll be fine. It's a bit complicated, but I've eaten something delicious and I'm full of energy."

That's what Alfina said. All I could do was watch her go.

"You really saved the biggest surprise for last, didn't you?"

As I watched the closed door, Maytyl's voice came from behind me.

"Ah, well, I wasn't sure it would work. I just got lucky."

The energy levels of the magic in the crystal must be fairly simple.

"Is that really all?"

"...By the way, how are your meals coming along?"

I changed the subject. Seeing Maytyl's reaction earlier, this was clearly more than just a diversion. Maytyl visibly relaxed.

"I'm able to eat lunch properly now. ...And I'm making sure to eat salads, too. I can't very well have them prepare soba every single time. Besides, it's not like I didn't understand what you said about sugar."

"That's good to hear."

Though relieved by Maytyl's words, my eyes kept drifting to the window. I could see Alfina heading toward the waiting carriage with Claudia. They weren't rushing, but...

"Ancient Dragon's Eye..."

"Huh?"

Maytyl's soft murmur pulled my attention back into the room.

"In the Empire, that's what we call advanced magic tools that seem beyond human creation. I've never seen one myself, but in the Empire, the prophetic crystal would almost certainly be called an Ancient Dragon's Eye."

"...Come to think of it, they did call Alfina the Priestess of the Ancient Dragon's Eye."

"Apparently, the Empire used to have several of them. But now, only one remains—the lowest grade one, though we still couldn't possibly create it. The users for all the others died out."

"...The users died out."

I swallowed hard. For some reason, the pleasant, lingering astringency of matcha and chestnut on my tongue now felt harsh.

"Yes. It was over a hundred years ago, so I don't know the details of why it happened. But your concerns might not be unfounded. That's all I can tell you."

So that's it. She knew what I was worried about and shared that with me.

"...Thank you. I'll hurry the analysis of the crystal."

I bowed my head.

"I-It's fine. Look, now you have no choice but to share the results of the crystal's analysis with me, right?"

Maytyl turned her face away as she spoke.

"Yes, that's how I'll frame it."

I said it without hesitation. I couldn't afford to worry about political standings now.

I looked at the magic spectrum analyzer we had just completed today. Then I looked at the magic team who built it and Sherry and the others who helped. It's alright. I have plenty of reliable allies I can count on, including Maytyl.