Ryo and Abel waited in the annex. Kenneth was out working elsewhere, but he was expected to return any minute.
“Talented people are always busy.”
“Yup. Always in high demand.”
“That makes one wonder if a certain swordsman, who always seems to be reading a book in the dining hall, is really as talented as people say...” Ryo said.
“Maybe he’s just efficient with his time. Gets his work done quick. That’s a talent too, ya know.” Abel, unfazed by the petty jab, brushed it off easily.
“You always have a retort ready, don’t you? I’d hate to ask someone so argumentative to do any work for me.”
“Don’t worry. I’d turn down any job from you by quoting an absurd rate.”
“You’re terrible, bullying your juniors like this!”
Abel scoffed. “You’re terrible, treating me like your senior only when it’s convenient!”
Obviously, they were only bantering.
Kenneth stepped into the annex. “Apologies for the wait.”
“It’s all right, Kenneth. Abel is free as a bird, the lazy dog.”
“No problem, Kenneth. Believe it or not, Ryo has even more time on his hands than I do.”
Kenneth smiled ruefully. Of the three, he was probably the busiest.
“Look what you did, Abel. Now Kenneth doesn’t know what to say. You should really be more considerate of others.”
“Don’t worry, Kenneth. Ryo’s nonsense is nothing new.”
“Nonsense?! Rude! Anyway, I say we ignore Abel and get to the real topic...” Ryo rummaged a ten-centimeter by ten-centimeter cube out of his bag. “This alchemical device!”
He handed it over.
“Hm...” Kenneth examined it.
“There isn’t any kind of switch or button...” Ryo said. “I suppose my first question would be is this an alchemical device?”
“Yes. A very advanced one too,” Kenneth answered with an emphatic nod.
“Did you hear that, Abel? He said very advanced.”
“Yeah, yeah, and what do you want me to do about it?”
“Well, now we know why I had so much trouble with it.”
“Really? You roped me into the conversation just to make that point? You are such a... You know what? Forget it. Kenneth, you think you can figure it out?”
“Manners, Abel! Kenneth is an excellent alchemist, unlike you. He’ll figure it out just fine.”
“Why are you bragging like he’s your dad or something? Get a grip, man.” Abel shook his head in exasperation.
“This type of device only activates when you recite a specific phrase while channeling mana. Therefore, even if stolen, its information—including details about what kind of alchemical tool it is—remains unknown.”
“Password authentication...” Ryo muttered, thinking of the modern term. An alchemical device that had strict security measures... It positively boggled the mind.
“Meaning we can’t crack it open unless we know the specific phrase...” Abel said, frowning.
“Which we’ll have to extract from the prisoners...” Ryo frowned too.
“I heard a mind-break chair was requested. While the device can certainly extract information from a person’s mind, the amount of information in a person’s brain is enormous. There are alchemical tools that can analyze the data, of course, but it would still take someone months to do a thorough study...”
“That sounds incredibly difficult.”
“I agree.”
Both Ryo and Abel sighed at Kenneth’s explanation.
Kenneth walked over to a large travel bag in a corner of the room and pulled out one of the many folders stored inside. He placed it on a workbench, opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper.
“If we’re lucky, this might work.”
The paper was an A3 sheet about the size of a cafeteria tray. The writing looked quite intricate...
“A magic circle?”
“Correct, Ryo.” Pleased, Kenneth showed it to him. “Would you like a closer look?”
Ryo placed the page on the table and studied it intently.
“What is this? It’s so complicated... Is this a loop mechanism? No, looped, but shifting one layer at a time? A kind of simultaneous grouping? Huh? This external input—do you place your finger here and channel mana?” Ryo muttered.
Kenneth took out a thin, foldable clipboard from another travel bag. It seemed to be something you placed under a magic circle.
“Kenneth... I don’t fully understand it. But, judging by the schematic and the context of our current situation, I suppose it works by forcibly extracting the ‘activation phrase’ from the box?”
“Very good, Ryo,” Kenneth praised him. “I knew you would figure it out.”
Ryo had spoken like a student who knew their time was almost up but didn’t know the answer to the final question on the exam. He hadn’t wanted to leave the answer blank, so he’d thrown out an answer. He looked embarrassed by his friend and mentor’s compliment.
“I may have correctly guessed its purpose, but I didn’t actually decipher the magic circle...”
“Don’t fret. That comes with experience. Alchemy is a process. You’ll eventually master it too.”
Kenneth was the type of person who built others up with praise and positive reinforcement.
Abel, who’d been silently watching, mumbled, “Yeah, well, looks like pretty scribbles to me...”
Kenneth unfolded the board and spread the paper with the magic circle over it. Then he placed the cube in the center of the circle. He pressed his thumbs against two spirals that seemed the most significant of the circle’s many patterns and chanted, “Initiate Scan.”
A dim light began glowing within the circle—the same gleam that always emitted when alchemy was underway. It flickered rapidly, subtly oscillating between colors.
“I’ve never seen the light do that before,” Ryo said.
Abel hummed. “The colors are beautiful.”
It was a fantastical sight, this soft light pulsing in the silent chamber, and it would’ve been only prettier in the dark.
After a minute, a series of characters appeared on the board underneath the paper.
“‘Long live His Imperial Majesty, and may the world unite under the Empire’s banner,’” Kenneth said, reading the inscription. “We have our activation phrase, gentlemen.”