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I barely made it to the cafeteria in time, where Alfe and Hom had set aside a portion of the daily special for me. After eating quickly, I returned to my room.

Now, time for another task. By tomorrow after school, I needed to finalize the design for the magic staff that Alfe’s unit would use.

A magic staff was a wand-like magical weapon used by sorcerers. The staffs that Alfe and Lili-Lulu had used in their mock battles also fell into this category. Magic staffs functioned by amplifying the user’s aether, allowing for directional magic casting. This not only enhanced a spell’s power but also improved its precision and control.

It was common practice for a type of mecha known as Magic Soldier units to be equipped with magic staffs. In other words, it was simply a scaled-up version of the staffs used by humans, designed to be wielded by a Mecha Soldier.

After returning to my room, I took a quick bath before getting started on the blueprint.

Modern magic staffs were produced using magic tool auto-generators. Simply put, once a design blueprint was loaded, molten materials could be poured into a mold generated by the system, resulting in a finished product.

In other words, as long as I completed the design, the parts would be automatically generated, and assembling the staff would be as simple as putting together a model kit.

In the past, everything was handmade. Even now, witches still used wooden staffs, but metal-crafted ones had become the standard. In any case, given the durability requirements for a Mecha Soldier’s magic staff, metal was the only viable option.

For this project, I decided to use a special alchemic metal known as Aetherite.

Aetherite was a pure white metal created through alchemy by combining thunder, water, and earth magic stones with a small amount of platinum, along with several alchemic catalysts such as mana liquefaction agents. Due to its exceptional aether conductivity, it was ideal for processing magical information and was commonly used in Mecha Soldiers’ magic control circuits and the internal structures of their magic reactors.

Now, for the staff’s design—I wanted to make something that Alfe would like. The staff she received as an entrance gift seemed similar to ones that were popular back when I was Glass. If she liked that style, a design from that era would probably suit her. Melua, for example, seemed to have taken a liking to my past life’s work, so it wasn’t a bad choice.

That said, when it came to a staff’s performance, its design was less important than the aether amplifier attached to its tip. Since that component determined about 80% of its effectiveness, I needed to make sure it was as functional as possible.

For the handle, I decided to keep it simple—a straightforward pole design that would be easy to maneuver. That way, I could focus my efforts on designing the aether amplifier.

The aether amplifier was the most critical component of a magic staff. To significantly enhance Alfe’s magical power, the best choice would be to use a synthetic magic stone called Blood Grail.

By using this synthetic magic stone, which was created through alchemy by combining water, fire, earth, lightning, and wind magic stones, I could ensure compatibility with all elemental spells while dramatically increasing aether output.

Ah, I also needed to consider a control device to safely regulate the aether amplifier.

The control device for an aether amplifier functioned through intricate combinations of simplified formulas. By stacking multiple plate-type formula boards, they could function as a computational system.

I wanted to inscribe the runes carefully—both to ensure proper magical function and to create an aesthetically pleasing design. It was tedious work, but I needed to do it meticulously. If I got it right now, I would only need to feed the blueprint into the auto-generator, which would then engrave an enlarged version of the runes onto an iron plate.

“…Master.”

While I was busy inscribing the simplified magic formula, I heard Hom’s hesitant voice from behind me.

“Oh, Hom. I’m going to be up late tonight, so you can go ahead and rest.”
“Understood…”

That said, we hadn’t had much time to talk during dinner either. I should at least have a short conversation with her.

“Hey, Hom. Even if you’re lying down, why don’t we talk for a bit?”
“Okay.”

As I turned toward her, Hom immediately lit up with a happy smile.

It seemed I had made the right decision. After all, we were family—it was only natural to make up for the time we hadn’t been able to spend together.

“Don’t hold back. You can lie down.”
“Thank you.”

I motioned for Hom to get into bed, then sat on the edge of my own.

“How was today’s training?”
“Lady Farah, Vannabelle, and Numelin’s units have been arranged, so today, we held a mock battle using the Legion. I was paired with Vannabelle to face Lady Farah and Numelin… but…”
“It’s rare for you to team up with Vannabelle. Did the battle go well?”
“Against Lady Farah’s Magic Eyes, both Vannabelle and I struggled as she kept predicting our every move. However, by making full use of our thrusters, we managed to gain some ground…”

Hom spoke earnestly, but she was clearly exhausted. Her eyelids drooped slowly, and before long, she drifted into quiet slumber.

She had been trying not to worry me, but if she fell asleep mid-conversation, she must have been truly exhausted. From what I overheard during dinner, Mr. Tanutanu’s military training had been especially rigorous today. Hom must have pushed herself to her absolute limit.

“Goodnight, Hom.”

I no longer watched over every part of her life like I once did. Even so, I could still feel how hard she was working, and that made me cherish her all the more.

As her gentle breaths filled the room, I pulled a light blanket over her and brushed my fingers through her hair. Then, I turned back to my work—continuing the design of Alfe’s magic staff.

After inscribing a full set of simplified formulas onto the aether amplifier’s control device, I shaped the Blood Grail into a rounded form and designed a crown-shaped control mechanism to fit over it. With this, the aether amplifier was essentially complete.

Tomorrow, I should delegate some of the tasks to Isaac and Romeo, while I focus on the crucial step—synthesizing the Blood Grail.

Ideally, I would use high-quality magic stones as materials, but for something on the scale of a Mecha Soldier’s aether amplifier, I would need a considerable amount—far more than just a small quantity.

After thinking for a moment, I decided to consult Melua. As a special-class alchemist, she might have a way to procure what I need.

With most of the plans set in motion, I realized how late it had gotten. I wasn’t entirely free of impatience, but this was as much as I could accomplish tonight.

Tomorrow, I would have Romeo handle the mold creation and ask Isaac to refine the Aetherite needed for the staff’s production.

Being able to rely on others like this was turning out to be a far more valuable experience than I had anticipated.

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