After the Chief Priest's instructions, I was set to spend the next morning, between the third and fourth bells, making medicine. Once this medicine was complete, I would become healthy, but I was terribly worried about the Chief Priest, who was so eager to rush the mana compression. As I was led to the Chief Priest's hidden room and bustled about, pulling out materials and checking equipment, I called out to his back.
"Chief Priest, is the mana compression something that needs to be done quite urgently?"
Startled by my question, the Chief Priest turned around with a bitter expression, looking as though he were biting into something sour. "What are you saying at a time like this?"
"…Lord
"I don't know. I've been compressing unconsciously just to survive. …I taught
My answer prompted the Chief Priest to mutter, "That figures."
"If it works when we test it, we'll have others in the same faction try it as well. After that, we'll need to teach those who join factions specifically for the mana boost. But if you think about raising the baseline mana of all of Ehrenfest—how many years would that take? If possible, before
Damuel, whose mana had been gradually growing thanks to my blessing, had taken about half a year for the increase to become noticeable to those around him. If we wanted to run experiments on whether adults past their growth period could increase their mana at all, how long it would take, and obtain results before the end of summer when Georgine would return—there truly was no time.
"…This is urgent indeed."
When he said "before Georgine comes again," I felt I could understand the Chief Priest's impatience. This was the kind of man who could cause that much upheaval just by playing a waiting game. If he really put his full effort into it, there was no telling what would happen.
"That is why I want to put the making of Leherl on the back burner."
When the Chief Priest narrowed his eyes and said this, I shook my head vigorously. If I gave in here, it was plain to see that it would keep getting pushed further and further back. I wanted to become healthy quickly.
"No! Absolutely not! That would mean making Leherl comes after Lady Georgine's visit, wouldn't it? I can't wait that long. I want to finish making the medicine quickly, and then do the mana compression."
"How stubborn…"
Even if he thought I was being selfish, this was something I could not yield on.
"Just as the Chief Priest wants to compress his mana before Lady Georgine arrives, I, too, wish to obtain my health before I have to face her! In my current state, if something were to happen, I couldn't even run away!"
"…That is a fair point."
My own health took priority over amplifying someone else's mana. "We don't know who will be targeted"—that was the Chief Priest's own words. If we were talking about raising the baseline, my physical stamina came first.
My desperate argument seemed to get through. The Chief Priest gave a single nod, then hugged a wooden box and headed for the exit.
"First, we'll make a hidden room in your High Priest's chambers."
"Huh?"
"We need a place to brew the medicine."
"Isn't this room fine?"
I looked around the room, overflowing with materials and equipment. The Chief Priest surveyed it as well and let out a sigh.
"…Isn't it too cramped to work in?"
The room was packed with experimental equipment, materials, and stacks of documents, notes, and recorded experimental results. The Chief Priest's hidden room had far too many things.
On top of that, unlike the hidden room in the orphanage director's chambers, you needed a certain amount of mana to enter here, so the attendants assigned to clean couldn't get in. Whenever an experiment reached its final stages or a new material was found and the Chief Priest was deep in thought, the state of the room became truly terrible.
"You'll need a place to lie down and sleep after taking the medicine, so the hidden room will have to be built regardless. While we're at it, making it large enough to brew the medicine on-site is hardly any extra effort, so just get it done."
Since we knew Leherl would put me into a coma, we apparently needed a hidden room with restricted access to avoid any danger.
"How large does it need to be?"
"The size of your High Priest's chambers will be sufficient. The mana registration will be done by you and me. It would be troublesome if no one could enter while you're asleep."
Following the Chief Priest's instructions, I set about creating a hidden room in the High Priest's chambers. I had registered one in the orphanage director's chambers before and had also created one at the small temple, so I wasn't particularly nervous. I placed my left hand, wearing the Magical Tool ring, against the magic stone on the door leading to the hidden room and flowed my magic power into it.
Receiving my mana, a pale blue magic circle rose to the surface of the door.
As I continued to pour my magic power in for the registration, a red light began to race across the pale blue magic circle.
At the same time, around my wrist where I held the magic stone, red light traced complex patterns and characters.
…No matter how many times I see this fantasy-like spectacle, I never get tired of it. It's so exciting.
As I watched the magic power coursing through the circle with an elated feeling, the Chief Priest placed his hand over mine and began flowing his own magic power in. I was startled for a moment, but then I remembered he had said we would register together.
…Wait, how does joint registration work exactly?
While I was tilting my head in confusion, the increased flow of magic power caused the red light racing through the circle to grow stronger.
Behind me, the Chief Priest gripped his staff in his right hand and chanted, "Stil."
When he touched the magic circle with his staff, the characters written in red light began to dance—some disappearing, others multiplying. Characters burst out from the circle and vanished like sparks, replaced by new characters and shapes drawn at the tip of the staff, as the magic circle was rewritten over and over.
The sight of him freely manipulating characters with his staff and rewriting the magic circle was wondrous, beautiful, and brimming with a charm that made me want to try it myself.
"Chief Priest, the way those characters float and swirl around is so cool! Please teach me how to write magic circles too!"
"That will have to wait until you have a staff of your own."
"Aww."
It seemed that becoming cool enough to write magic circles on my own was still far off. My shoulders slumped in disappointment at almost the exact same moment the hidden room was completed.
"This should do."
Once the hidden room was finished, the Chief Priest had his attendants put on brooches made from magic stones he had infused with his own mana. These were absolutely necessary to enter the hidden room in the High Priest's chambers. Then he mobilized those attendants and had them carry wooden boxes packed with materials from his own hidden room, one after another.
"Line those boxes up in that corner."
While giving instructions to the attendants, the Chief Priest spread a large cloth across the center of the room. At first glance, it looked like the teleportation magic circle used by tax collectors during the harvest festival.
"Chief Priest, is this a teleportation magic circle? It looks like the ones used for taxation."
"Ah, something like that. Step back a little."
The Chief Priest told me to move back and began channeling his magic power.
The taxation magic circles were designed to place large quantities of goods on them and transport everything to the castle in one go, but this one was apparently the opposite—a circle for retrieving items. The Chief Priest began pulling out all manner of things, reaching into it as if plunging his hands inside.
…Wow, just like a certain nanny from a British story.
From the circle came enormous boxes made of white stone that looked like they could serve as bathtubs, a pot large enough for me to fit inside, long metal-like poles resembling oars, a large table, and on top of all that, wooden box after wooden box.
Incidentally, it was the attendants who carried the retrieved items.
"…This is supposed to be my hidden room, but it's starting to look like your second workshop, Chief Priest."
"Not my workshop—rather, it's your workshop. You'll need one once you enter the
Why did my mood lift just from being told it was my workshop? It must have been because my dreams were already expanding—should I put in bookshelves and stock it with plenty of reference materials, or perhaps make it something like an enclosed library?
"Rosemine, stop daydreaming and start putting the seasonal materials you collected into the brewing pot."
As I was envisioning my dream workshop, the Chief Priest pointed at the large pot and said this. I was to put the materials in and blend them together with magic power.
"That's a huge pot. I could fit inside it."
"What, do you want me to stew you in there?"
The Chief Priest's eyes looked deadly serious. I quickly shook my head.
"I cannot be eaten, whether boiled or baked!"
"Ah, I have no intention of eating you—I wouldn't want to upset my stomach. …I was just thinking it would make a good source of magic power."
"That's even more terrifying!"
Keeping a wary eye on the Chief Priest, I removed the decorative cords attached over my sash and tied them in a cross pattern so my sleeves wouldn't get in the way. Then I stood on a wooden box to adjust my height.
Before me was the enormous pot. In my hand was an oar-like ladle for stirring. If I had a headscarf, I'd be the perfect school-lunch lady.
"I'll put in the magic stones you gathered one at a time, starting with the ones from spring. When the first one begins to dissolve, add the next."
"Yes, sir."
Following the Chief Priest's instructions, I placed the green magic stone made from altered Railene honey into the pot. Then I stirred it round and round with the long, large oar. I could feel the magic power being drawn out of the staff.
"Chief Priest, does brewing medicine require quite a lot of magic power?"
"If you want quality, yes. And it also depends on the quantity."
At the table, the Chief Priest was weighing out the non-stone materials using a scale, answering in a clipped manner. His profile clearly said, Don't distract me. Squinting, he measured with a focused gaze—he was completely in his element, and clearly enjoying the experiment immensely.
The Chief Priest was having fun, but I quickly grew bored. I was just standing on a box, stirring round and round. Tedious. The magic stones clattered and clinked against the pot, but nothing changed at all.
…How long am I supposed to keep doing this?
Just as I was thinking this, suddenly the magic stone began to soften and lose its shape, melting down against the bottom of the pot in a gooey mass.
"Whoa! The magic stone is getting all gooey!"
"Add the next one and keep stirring."
"Yes!"
I put the blue magic stone made from a Lirselphalke egg into the pot and continued stirring. The dissolved green stone meant the clattering sound had stopped, but in its place, moving the oar felt heavier.
Round and round, round and round… Round and round, round and round…
Perhaps because the green stone had already dissolved, the blue stone began to melt relatively quickly. When I saw it starting to lose shape, I added the Ruel fruit and stirred, then finally put in the Schneetilrm magic stone.
Round and round, round and round… Round and round, round and round…
"Chief Priest, my arms are getting tired."
"Endure it."
Dismissively brushing aside my complaint, the Chief Priest peered into the brewing pot and began adding materials I had never seen before, one after another. The way he placed small, neatly cut pieces of material into the pot to help them blend was reminiscent of cooking. Looking at his meticulously and precisely chopped ingredients, I thought the Chief Priest might have a talent for being a chef.
Round and round, round and round… Round and round, round and round…
"Chief Priest, I'd like to take a break."
"Not yet."
From a small jar the Chief Priest pulled from a wooden box, a black liquid dripped into the pot. I was startled when this dark substance was added to what had been a four-colored marble of colors inside, but the color of the pot's contents didn't change.
I tilted my head, wondering why the color stayed the same, and then the volume of liquid in the pot suddenly began to increase. The medicine, which had barely covered the bottom, rose past the eight-tenths mark.
"Wh—what!?"
"Don't be surprised by every little thing."
"I can't help it! There's no way I can drink this much!"
I had been planning to keep a little leftover as a standing medicine, but this was far too much. When I pointed at the brewing pot and protested, the Chief Priest gave a slight shrug.
"You'll drink about half a cup, but Leherl isn't really a drink. You soak in it."
Saying this, he pointed at a white stone rectangular tub that had been made. I would be placed in that tub filled with the Leherl, and apparently sleep there. It was unexpected. Every medicine until now had been something I drank, so I had assumed this would be too. Everyone carried them as standing medicines at their waists.
"…I won't drown, will I?"
"I have never heard of anyone drowning in Leherl. Do not worry. More importantly, your hand has stopped. This is the final step. Mix it properly."
As I stirred the pot round and round, the Chief Priest added a single drop of some medicine. The instant it fell in with a plop, the surface of the liquid flashed brilliantly and turned into a pale blue medicine.
"It's done. You can use it anytime now."
The Chief Priest said this while placing a lid on the brewing pot and draping a cloth emblazoned with a magic circle over it. It was apparently meant to prevent the quality from degrading or spoiling. The Chief Priest's mysterious tools seemed to be full of useful inventions I knew nothing about. I wanted him to show me a complete list someday.
"Chief Priest, after I use this, how long will it take before I wake up?"
"Somewhere between one month and a full season, I'd say. Honestly, I have no real estimate. But to be safe, you should take care of anything that needs doing, in case it drags on a bit longer."
"Things that need doing… like writing letters to my family, giving instructions to my attendants?"
"Yes, exactly. While you are asleep, I—your guardian—will take over all business related to the printing industry. Contact
"…Understood."
If I was going to be asleep for an entire season, my family would certainly be startled. I needed to prepare the letter to give to
I could leave the orphanage in Vilma's hands without worry, and with
I counted off on my fingers, confirming everything I needed to finish before the spring when I would use Leherl.
With the Leherl complete, the Chief Priest hurried me along, and the next day I headed to the castle. I was scheduled to teach the mana compression method that afternoon.
"Are the contracts prepared?"
"Yes."
In the Lord's office, where everyone unrelated had been sent away, a wooden box, several mantles, leather pouches, and an iron were prepared just as I had requested.
In the room were myself, the Chief Priest, the Lord and his wife, the
"Then, please sign this contract."
The documents, Contract Magic clauses stipulating that they would not become my enemies and would never reveal the mana compression method to anyone else, were signed by each person in turn, and I collected the money.
The higher nobility paid two large gold coins, with half-price for the second person from the same family. Going forward, middle nobility were to pay eight small gold coins, and lower nobility two small gold coins. I had decided to submit half of that amount to Ehrenfest as payment for the Contract Magic, and my adoptive father was overjoyed to the point of tears.
This time, Damuel—who was exempted from payment—also signed the same non-disclosure documents as everyone else, and after the Contract Magic was complete, the explanation began.
"Now, I'll have Damuel assist me."
Just as I had done when teaching Damuel, I demonstrated the mana compression method. I explained that stuffing a mantle spread across a wooden box and squeezing it in tight was the compression method used at the Royal Academy, and that to pack in as much mana as possible, it was best to compress carefully, folding the mantle neatly. Together with Damuel, I folded mantles and placed them in the wooden box.
"I see. It's quite easy to understand when you watch it, and it does seem to make mana compression easier."
My adoptive father closed his eyes and began moving the mana within himself.
"Father, do you think even an adult past their growth period could increase their mana?"
"Yes, I believe so."
The Lord said this cheerfully as he compressed his mana. My adoptive father had never folded a mantle himself, but being able to see it done gave him a mental image of the folding action, which made it far easier than expected. I could tell that both Father and Mother had their eyes closed in concentration.
"Damuel said that compressing too much at once can make you feel sick from mana intoxication, so please only increase it to a comfortable level."
Compress a little, increase the mana, then compress the newly increased portion again. Through this accumulation, mana grew—but if you suddenly raised the concentration of mana inside your body, you would suffer mana intoxication. I had always been nauseous and collapsing, so I couldn't really tell what counted as mana intoxication, but compressing mana didn't seem to be very good for one's body.
Damuel, who wanted to increase his mana by summer, had apparently pushed himself quite hard, but it was important to raise the concentration gradually and let the body adjust.
"Even I still seem to have room to increase."
"Impressive, impressive. It seems you had quite a bit of leeway."
"Now I'll keep increasing and become stronger than Brother
Brother Eckhart, Brother Lamprecht, and Brother
While everyone was exclaiming in amazement, the Chief Priest shook his head with a complicated expression.
"I don't think it will work much for me."
The Chief Priest, who had apparently already been compressing his mana through a similar folding-like image, saw almost no effect. As expected of the meticulous and earnest Chief Priest—he had apparently tried all sorts of things during his time at the Royal Academy to find any way to increase his mana even slightly.
"Then, let's move on to the next stage."
"There's more?"
In front of the wide-eyed Chief Priest, I placed several folded mantles into a leather pouch and compressed them with my own body weight, squeezing them tight. Seeing the pouch now less than half its original volume, the Chief Priest's eyes went round.
"This is the Rosemine-style compression method."
"Let me try it."
The Chief Priest furrowed his brow, closed his eyes, and set to work on the mana compression.
He concentrated so intensely that beads of sweat appeared on his furrowed brow. Then suddenly, he grabbed the medicine pouch at his waist and took a generous swig.
After finishing his drink, he closed his eyes again and resumed his concentration.
"Chief Priest, what did you drink?"
"A mana-boosting potion. If I don't increase it, how can I compress it?"
He said this as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and my cheek twitched.
"That's terrible for your body, isn't it!? I just said moments ago that compressing too much mana too quickly puts a strain on the body! Please stop doing dangerous things! We went through all the trouble of attaching conditions and even signing Contract Magic to reduce risks, and now what are you doing!?"
Even Damuel, who had waited for his mana to increase naturally, had suffered mana intoxication—and now the Chief Priest was boosting his mana with potions?
Despite my anger, the Chief Priest brushed it off with a light flap of his hand. "If it's dangerous, I'll stop. It's fine." Then he closed his eyes and resumed concentrating.
With nothing else to do, I began ironing the mantles that had gone wrinkled from the pouch compression. By the time I finished ironing the third one, the Chief Priest opened his eyes.
He let out a slow breath and looked at me with a complicated expression.
"…Rosemine, you are remarkably tough. Mentally."
"What do you mean?"
"Compressing to the extent you do is quite the ordeal."
As he said this, he pushed his bangs aside. His complexion didn't look very good. I frowned with concern, and the Chief Priest tapped his temple lightly with his finger.
"This is my personal observation, but how much you can compress is largely dependent on mental fortitude. That hasn't changed from before. Even knowing the new compression method is useless without the mental strength. Also, since the concentration of mana inside your body changes abruptly, I think it's best to start by picturing the folding of mantles and raising the concentration gradually. If you use the Rosemine method and suddenly more than double the concentration, it will make you extremely nauseous. It will likely take a great deal of time to acclimate."
Hearing him say this with such a serious face, I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows.
"That's almost exactly what I said first! Were you not listening to me!? Lord Ferdinand, are you actually an idiot!?"
…Someone, please bring me a foam bat!
Clear results would likely take some time, but the top brass had officially begun their mana compression.
The medicine was complete.
And the mana compression of Ehrenfest's leadership had begun.