Magi Craft Meister

Magi Craft Meister 580

17　Resolution With The Demons Arc

17-29　A Bright Future

Having learned that there was a solution for the issues with his body, Jin figured that he could take this opportunity to consult with No. 700672 regarding another problem that had been on his mind.

“One more thing, do you know anything about ‘Magic Excess Syndrome’?”

“Magic Excess…? …Would that be a physical condition caused by having too much magic inside one’s body?”

“Yes.”

Magic Excess Syndrome. The disease plaguing Elsa, who Jin considered as a younger sister.

Thanks to the bracelet that Jin made that absorbs any surplus of magical power, she was now able to live her life without any risk of succumbing to her condition, but all he had managed to do was to treat the symptoms and not the cause, so her disease was far from cured.

He had been searching for a solution for this disease along with the ways to put an end to the threat of the Ether Stampede.

“Hmm… I may have an idea.”

“Really!?”

“Yes… You know how Ether can be turned into Mana, right?”

“Yes. By the ‘Magi Mitochondria’ inside our cells, correct?”

“Do you call it ‘Magi Mitochondria’? …But yes. There are microorganisms that convert Ether into Mana coexisting within the mage’s cells.

No. 700672 explained this slowly as if reviewing a lesson. Jin nodded in silence.

“When using magic, it is the mage himself who draws in the Ether from the air. And they have no need for it, it is the mage himself who leaves the Ether in the air alone.”

Having listened so far, a sudden realization flashed inside Jin’s mind.

“…That’s right!”

“It looks like you understand. Those suffering from ‘Magic Excess Syndrome’ take in Ether even if they don’t need to.”

With this, Jin finally understood the nature of the “Magic Excess Syndrome”. Now he could focus on finding an actual treatment.

“What do you need in order to gain control over Ether?”

“…A mental catalyst, right?”

“That’s correct. Probably, their body… especially their brain, doesn’t have enough of this mental catalyst. So even though they can use magic, they don’t have enough control over the Ether surrounding them.”

Jin pondered about this. Elsa was a top-level caster when it came to both Engineering and Healing Magic. And yet, she could not control Ether. How could this be?

After sharing his concerns with No. 700672, Jin received a clear answer.

“Don’t forget about the frequency.”

The frequency of magical power for using spells was different from the frequency used for manipulating Ether. Jin was instantly reminded of this fact.

“That’s right. It seems I have forgotten about that.”

No. 700672 looked at Jin with a gentle smile on his face.

“If so, do you have any idea how to cure it?”

Jin answered immediately.

“Yes. After all, the mental catalyst is the key, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. If you can supply her with enough mental catalyst, you can cure her with up to 99% effectiveness.”

That gave him hope. But there was also a problem. What if the amount of mental catalyst left wasn’t enough for Elsa’s treatment?

There was that mysterious substance found under the Inad Mine that also seemed to be more of that mental catalyst, but Jin was a little hesitant to suddenly prescribe it to Elsa.

They had guessed the substance they had found was another batch of mental catalyst, but facing the possibility of administering it to Elsa, Jin wasn’t so sure about the substance’s nature anymore.

However, after thinking about it a little, he quickly realized that his worries were unfounded.

“…A very small amount will do for a single dose, right?”

No. 700672 nodded.

“Remember that I said that you need about 1 million brains from living creatures in order to synthesize the mental catalyst? The opposite is also true. One millionth of a gram would be enough for a single human brain.”

Conversely, it could also be said that it would be exceedingly difficult to accurately prepare such a minuscule amount.

“What would happen if I were to give her too much of it?”

“The mental catalyst affects not only Ether, but also Mana. In other words, their… her magical power would increase dramatically… or rather, explosively. And the result of that would be…”

“Her body running out of Mana, right?”

That was the condition known as “Magical Exhaustion”.

“Exactly. And that would be a problem.”

“I understand. Thank you very much.”

Jin was relieved to have finally found a lead about a potential way to rid Elsa of her illness.

He still had about 0.1 grams left of the mental catalyst he had received from No. 700672. That alone would probably be more than enough.

“So how should I administer the mental catalyst dosage? Should I mix it into a liquid solution for her to drink?”

“That’s right. The mental catalyst should be quickly absorbed from the stomach, circulate through the body via her bloodstream, and eventually accumulate in her brain.”

This would completely cure Elsa’s illness. Thinking about that, Jin couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

“Hmm, judging from your reaction, is the afflicted an important person to you, Mr. Jin?”

“Huh? Yes. She’s a good disciple, an excellent healer, and more importantly… like family to me.”

Elsa’s face appeared in Jin’s mind as he replied. Only Reiko noticed that his cheeks had turned slightly reddish.

Having resolved his concerns, Jin thought it was the perfect opportunity to talk to No. 700672 about an idea that had been on his mind for some time.

“…Would you like to come live in my place?”

“You’d like me to go live with you?”

“That’s right. My predecessor created the foundation for a base which I later developed. I might be able to provide better treatment for you there.”

He didn’t mention the name “Hourai Island”.

“Hmm, so you’ve considered my situation as well. But I…”

“I also know that you need a certain supply of Ether. I have the means to provide that for you, among other things you might need.”

Jin stared at No. 700672, awaiting his response. But No. 700672 shook his head.

“…Thank you very much for your kind offer. But I’ll have to pass.”

“Why?”

“…This is the place where my masters used to live. You could say I’m attached to it. And I’ve decided that when the time comes for me to perish, I want it to be here. I don’t know how many years or decades it will be before that happens, but my life expectancy is already over. I want to cease functioning in this place, which is full of fond memories.”

“…I see…”

“Your offer and thoughtfulness are truly kind. I hope you can forgive me for turning them down for such a selfish reason.”

No. 700672 bowed apologetically.

“Oh, don’t say that.”

Jin then turned to the alternative that he had just come up with.

“In that case, please allow me to make this place a little better for you.”

Nega-Doll 001 had been using this place as a base, so there had been some adjustments put in place by him that no longer served a purpose.

“Hoho, that sounds like a plan. Then I’ll take your word for it.”

“Great.”

First, Jin transferred one of the Ether Condensers that he found b under the Inad Mine the other day.

It was brought over by one of the Land units who gave it to Reiko. She then placed it in front of No. 700672.

It was about the size of a tissue box. Jin took it and placed it next to No. 700672’s pillow.

“What do you think of this?”

Seeing the device, No. 700672 appeared to be a little surprised.

“This… Where did you get this?”

There, Jin briefly explained how he found it in an old facility buried deeply underground in his own territory.

“I see… So you’re saying that our ancestors had set up a mental catalyst harvesting facility there… But something caused that place to stop working at some point…”

“That’s what I think. But this place ended up giving birth to creatures known as Giant Centipedes.”

“Hmm…”

No. 700672 then said that no property of Ether could make living organisms grow to that extent.

“There must be another factor behind their extreme growth. …Or perhaps their gigantic size was already innate to them to begin with, and the individuals you came across were actually small in comparison because they simply could not grow any more than that.”

“I see, that’s a possibility as well.”

According to No. 700672, an Ether-rich environment can prolongs the lifespan of living organisms.

The long lifespan of the demons in this land seemed to be a result of both the effects of the higher concentration of Ether of these lands and the innate physical make-up of the “originators”.

After their short digression, Jin installed then activated the Ether Condenser brought from Hourai Island.

“Oh… this feels nice.”

The new Ether Condenser improved by Jin was designed to collect Ether from a wider range than the old model was capable of.

“The Magi Craft Meister, huh… Humanity certainly is changing.”

No. 700672 took several deep breaths to make sure that he could feel how high the Ether concentration was with his entire body.

“Hmm… This actually reminds me of how the air felt back in Hale. Mr. Jin, I can’t thank you enough for this.”

Jin laughed.

“Don’t mention it. Like I said, I did this for myself as well.”

“Hah, I see. You have indeed.”

The two of them smiled at each other. Jin then figured it was time to leave this place.

“Mr. Jin, I owe you so much, in so many regards. Please, do come again. If you have any questions, I’ll be more than happy to oblige.”

“Yes, thank you very much. I’ll be sure to come visit again.”

With the promise to return someday, Jin left the White Room.

After this, Jin gave instructions to both the Land and Smith units to improve the facilities around the “White Room” and install a Warp Gate.

With this, No. 700672 would be able to continue to cooperate with Jin from time to time as his adviser.

And thus, the uproar involving the demon race as a whole had come to an end.

＊　　　＊　　　＊

“Oh, Big Brother! Welcome back!”

Hanna welcomed Jin back to Kaina Village after his three-day absence.

Her smile revealed a beautiful row of newly grown front teeth.

“Hello, Hanna. Here, I brought you something.”

Jin handed her some cookies made from buckwheat in Martha’s kitchen.

The cookie dough was made by mixing buckwheat flour with sugar and eggs. The buckwheat flavor was brought out slightly by the cookies’ crunchy texture, making for a delicious treat.

Martha’s Golem maid Sara brewed some tea. This tea would bring out the flavor of the buckwheat cookies.

“They’re delicious, Big Brother.”

“They’re really good, Jin.”

“I’m glad you like them.”

Their impressions made Jin think that it would be great if Kaina Village could grow its own buckwheat and make these cookies a local specialty.

Autumn clouds flowed in the sky over Kaina Village, as the sun still managed to shine over some of the now golden ears of wheat in the fields.