“Yes, that does seem like a lot of information to compile just like that,” said Godwald. “Especially considering that Lainur is one step ahead of our neighbors when it comes to magic technology. I cannot see us being overtaken.”
“I must agree.” Roheim Langula nodded. “It is one thing to come up with a unit, the mechanism itself, and a plan to spread such knowledge through one’s users. It is quite another to implement all of those things. I daresay it would take even more time and trouble than young Arcus did inventing the aethometer in the first place.”
“Yes, yes!” Mercuria String chimed in. “More than ten years, if we are to consider the level of magic advancement in some of these countries. And Lainur would not rest on her laurels when it comes to research during that time either!”
The kingdom had already analyzed the aether required for its principal spells, down to each individual word. In all other nations, which did not have access to aethometers, magicians still had no choice but to rely on their instincts. Not only that, but even if those countries were to get their hands on the device, they would first need to take pains to investigate how it worked. All the while, Lainur would be using the aethometer to make even greater magical developments.
“For our part, we have simply been given the aethometer and the means to use it,” Muller Quint pointed out. “We have been eagerly poring over the documents sent to us on a month-by-month basis and have used it in our own research. Who is to say that it shouldn’t have taken even longer for us to reach this point?”
“Yes. Its usage has taken on remarkably well, even when one considers that it has the backing of the Magician’s Guild and the royal family,” said Gastarque Rondiel.
The next man to speak had a heavy belly and was clad in extravagant, traditional noble dress. He looked to be around thirty years old. The perpetual smile on his face gave him an affable air. He was Al Ritsuellie Baldan, or Swift Wind. He ruled Zelipus, one of Lainur’s vassal states.
“Mmm, I do enjoy making things myself, but I never get to finishing any of them! Creates much work for many people. I can only imagine how much work went into this.” He turned to Arcus. “I can tell that you are going to be a worthy rival.”
“You honor me, Your Majesty.”
“Mmm. Aah, I look forward to the day when we can discuss our creative exploits.” The king grinned. He was much friendlier than his title implied. “Merry” and “pleasant” were also suitable descriptions. Then there was his large frame, which suggested that there was nothing “swift” about him. He contradicted himself; he contained multitudes.
Al wasn’t the only guest to have missed out on the previous presentation.
“A question for you, little bunny.” It was a girl in a wheelchair who spoke, with long, light-blue hair and eyes of the same shade. She stuck out among the other magicians by the fact that she wore the uniform of a prisoner of the Holy Tower. She was in a wheelchair not because she couldn’t use her legs, but in order to keep her restrained. The belts that bound her hand and foot were reminiscent of the bandages that preserved the bodies of mummies.
This was Alicia “Dry Spell” Rotterbell, youngest of the state magicians. When Arcus had been sent to the Holy Tower, she’d assisted him in his escape. As he recalled, he had found her endlessly curious, and that impression had not changed. All she did was smile thinly at him, giving no clues as to what she might be thinking. Perhaps unsurprisingly, her state of perpetual bondage was a protective measure for everyone else. That being the case, it struck Arcus as odd that neither Shinlu nor the other state magicians seemed especially wary of her.
Arcus grimaced slightly at the way she addressed him, which only served to elicit a smile from her. “Yes?” he asked.
“Why not just keep this all to yourself?”
“Please elaborate.”
“You could have changed the standards for magic in this country single-handedly. If you’d really wanted, you could’ve used your little invention to create spells that blew our old magic out of the water, then spread those throughout the kingdom. You would have become the sole master of Lainur’s magic. You still could, actually. Oh, and it might even be easier now that you have your foot—your entire leg, in fact—in the door already.”
Alicia did have a point. There were certain fundamental spells in the kingdom, and the documents detailing the aether they required were the basis for the aethometer’s manual. If Arcus had gone through the same process, but instead restricted those documents to a new slate of spells, he could indeed have become the “master” of the kingdom’s magic, as she put it.
“The thought never crossed my mind,” he said.
“No? I would’ve thought it’d be the first thing anyone would think of. You’re definitely smart enough.”
“Even then, I don’t think there would be much point. Any spells that were too difficult would quickly fall out of use, and even if my new magic were to catch on, magicians are constantly coming up with new spells anyway. Besides, it wouldn’t be enough to wipe out the old local standbys.”
“You have the royal family’s support,” Alicia pointed out. “You could reform the entire magic system if you wanted.”
“Even then, think of the backlash if I were to try and erase the spells handed down by the thaumaturgical pioneers who went before us. Besides, there are still improvements to be made concerning the device’s precision, which requires competition—something that wouldn’t exist if I monopolized it. Progress needs that competition.”
“Ooh. It sounds like you already know exactly what everyone’s going to do with your little invention.”
Arcus had thought she might just be acting weird again, but perhaps she just saw things in a different light from most. He could well understand how people might think him capable of looking into the future (when really, he was just drawing on his knowledge of the man’s world); he’d just never expected to be called out on it. While he struggled to come up with something that wouldn’t arouse suspicion, Alicia shot him a bewitching smile that should have been beyond her years.