| Author: Akashari | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mui | English Source: Re:Library |
“Heh, so this is the engine room.”
“How about it? Impressive, right? Just try not to touch anything inside.”
Under the condition of being accompanied by a guard, I managed to enter the engine room, and it was beyond my imagination.
The first thing that caught my eye was the gigantic pale pink crystal set in the center of the room. Inside the transparent crystal, magic power shimmered and swirled.
The magic circle carved into its surface was a work of art; every line and shape was etched with precision, without a single unnecessary line.
“Well, well, well, welcome, Lady Laika!”
“I didn’t see you with the Saint, and turns out this is where you were?”
In front of the crystal, sitting cross-legged on an ornate pedestal, was Koutei. There seemed to be some sort of magic circle on the base as well, functioning like a cable connecting him to the crystal.
“You’re sitting there, so are you the power source?”
“Ah, as expected. You have a keen eye to discern that in one go!”
Koutei laughed heartily at my question, confirming my suspicion. Despite the tremendous speed at which magic power was being drawn from him, he seemed unfazed.
“I see, the magic power drawn from you is compressed and emitted from the top and bottom of the crystal… The collision of the emissions is converted into energy.”
“Oh, you can see that much? Then there’s no point in hiding it.”
“You’re overestimating me, I’ve only managed to read the surface of the magic circle, for now.”
“Haha! It would be quite a trouble if you uncovered all the confidential information!”
When Koutei slapped his knee, the crystal behind him instantly turned black. It was a recognition-blocking spell, making it difficult to discern the internal mechanisms.
“Apologies, but it’s troublesome if too much is seen.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just admiring this marvelous piece of art. Who’s the creator?”
“It’s unknown. This crystal is an oopart.”1
“An oopart…?”
“Yes, magical components found in lost ruins or ancient buildings are called as such. In short, it’s a treasure with outrageous power.”
An oopart from a lost past—indeed, the technology used in this crystal was far beyond anything I knew. But my knowledge was from a thousand years ago, and even in the present day, the magical technology embedded in this crystal is considered super technology.
So, when was this crystal created, and why was it forgotten?
“Oops, it’s about time for departure. It could be dangerous when we start moving, so you should probably head out.”
“Oh, it’s that time already? Sorry for taking your time.”
I left the engine room, thanking Koutei and the follower who had guided me there. Though I felt a bit reluctant to leave, something else had piqued my interest more. Unless I answered the question now forming in my mind, my intellectual curiosity would remain unsatisfied.
“…What exactly happened in this thousand-year gap?”
Walking down the long corridor connecting the rooms of the ship, I muttered to myself.
…Considering this distance, I wondered if my stamina would hold out until I reunited with Momo.
――――――――…………
――――……
――…
“Grrr…! Boss, the fire won’t come out anymore!”
About an hour after the ship started flying, I continued practicing magecraft next to the cage, but I didn’t seem to be improving at all. The fire only lit up once, and after it quickly went out, I couldn’t get it to work again.
“That’s because you’re out of magic power, miss. Tough luck.”
“No way, it only sparked up once!”
“That just means you have very little magic power. It’s rare to find someone with as little as you.”
“Really? So there’s a difference in how much magic power people can store?”
“Yep. Think of it as having a bag inside your body that holds magic power. The bigger the bag, the more talented a wizard you are.”
“Huh, I see.”
As an Outlander, I didn’t have a bag to hold this mysterious energy called magic power. No matter how hard I tried, if my MP was zero, I couldn’t use magecraft. It was an obvious realization when I thought about it.
“I have a question. Can that bag be made bigger?”
“You can train it to some extent, but what’s important is the balance between storage, output, and control.”
“Uh, storage is the size of the bag… What’s output and control?”
“Output is the amount of magic power you can draw out at once, and control is the capacity to manage it as magecraft.”
“Wow, I see…”
Even if you can draw out a lot at once, it’s meaningless if the bag is small. Conversely, if you can draw out only a small amount, having a large capacity to control it would be wasted. It’s a tricky balance.
“That’s amazing, Boss! You explain things so well. You’d make a great magecraft teacher!”
“M-Me, a teacher?”
“It doesn’t really… Ouch! Don’t hit me, Boss!”
“Shut it! …But they’re right. Me, a teacher? What a joke.”
“But thanks to you, Boss, I was able to use magecraft.”
“That’s because you’ve got potential, miss. From here on, ask that kid for help.”
True, Boss and his gang were thieves. They had done unforgivable things to the villagers. Once a crime is committed, it can’t be erased. Even so, I believe in second chances.
“Alright, I’ll go ask Miss Roche!”
“Huh!? Wait, wait, wait, don’t do that!”
“Why not? You guys don’t want to stay in a cage forever, right?”
“Sure, but what if she gets mad and kills us? That would be a hell of a way to go!”
“It’ll be fine. Miss Roche is a good person. I’m sure we can understand each other if we talk!”
“This girl’s an idiot, a real idiot! Hey, where’s that kid―”
Just as I opened the storage room door to look for Miss Roche, it happened.
I stopped in my tracks, feeling the ship sway slightly. Was it a sudden gust of wind? No, it felt different somehow…
“Oh, hey miss, come back for a second! Here, I’ve got candy for you!”
“Hey, that’s sneaky! Where were you hiding that, Boss?”
“Shut up, you idiot! I’m telling you, come back, miss…”
“…Everyone, get down!!”
The moment the uneasy feeling turned into a shiver down my spine, a shock as if the world had turned upside down rocked the inside of the ship.2
