“Well, it was still a brand new dungeon, and monsters hadn’t popped up yet, so I got lucky there! That meant the reward money wasn’t all that great, though! So, this is the treasure chest that I got at the time!”
I looked at the wooden box again. It wasn’t anything flashy, but the carvings on it sure were pretty.
Wait... a treasure chest?
“So what sort of treasure was in here?”
“Open it up and see!”
Huh?! He just left it in there?! They didn’t sell it off or anything...?
“Um, well then...”
I reached out and opened the lid of the wooden box.
Squeeeeeeeak...
Inside was a red gemstone wrapped in cloth, and a transparent, light blue card.
“What’s this?”
“A dimension stone and analyze card.”
Dimension stone and... analyze card...?
“A ‘dimension stone’ is one of those gems you use in item bags and the like, right?”
“That’s right. Watch this!”
Mom reached out the palm of her hand towards the red gemstone.
She moved her other hand as if to cover it and...?! H-her hand disappeared up to the wrist!
“Hey! Are you alright?!”
“I’m just fine. You can put items in and pull them out of the space inside like this. Living things get pushed back out, though!”
Amazing! I’d learned about them at school and seen the one they had on hand, but I never thought my house would have one!
“How much stuff can fit inside?”
“I don’t really know, but 15 of Sola’s boxed lunches fit in there.”
“...Why did you put so many inside?”
“Man, this thing sure did help make my work go smoother!”
“We never really tested how much could fit inside, did we?”
Hey, you really should have. That’s kind of important. I don’t really know all that much about it, but item bags are worth a lot, aren’t they? I’m sure it’d be a valuable treasure for an adventurer. Just using it to store boxed lunches from your lover... And Mom must have been amazing back then, too, to make 15 of the things... Well, then again, she’s running a restaurant now...
“This doesn’t look like much, does it? But it’s an analyze card!”
I’d never heard that term before.
“So what does it do? It’s a treasure, so it must be something special.”
“It gives you a basic stat readout. Well, I suppose it is special, but it’s a strange tool. Anti, try holding this card up towards me and yelling ‘Analyze!’”
“...? Alright.”
Now that I’d picked it up, I felt how thin the card was. It looked light blue, but it would probably be nearly invisible with light shining through it.
“Analyze!”
[—Analysis complete. Derek Kythera
Human (♂) age 38. Status: Healthy.]
I-it spoke?!
“W-what is this thing?!”
“Ahahaha! So you heard it? Whoever’s holding it can hear that voice. Now, take a look at the card.”
I looked at the surface of the analyze card in my hand, and found that the same words I had just heard were written there.
“What’s this...?”
“Apparently ‘analyzing’ is like a downgraded version of status display magic. You can use this to figure out whether or not a target is healthy.”
“Whether or not they’re healthy...”
I-I see. Compared to the dimension stone, it’s really not all that impressive.
“But still, isn’t it a good thing, being able to know the state you’re in? When you’ve come down with an illness, it’ll say ‘Status: Sick.’ And I’d use it to check on my work buddies when they looked tired, and Sola when she was pregnant. I hope you’ll use it on yourself whenever something feels out of sorts. Don’t push yourself, and rest up when you’re sick.”
“Dad...”
Am I tearing up a bit...?
Mom smiled. “We’re giving both of them to you, Annie.”
“A-are you sure?!”
“We decided a good while back that we’d give that treasure box to you when you became a magician.”
“They should save you the trouble of lugging everything around, and also help keep tabs on your health. I’m sure you’ll find them helpful.”
“Mom...”
“Well, I can’t say we expected you to learn magic like this. But anyway, the time has come for our one and only daughter to leave the nest. Go ahead and use those however you want!”
“...Thank you. I’ll treasure them.”
I’d shifted into full Polite Mode without even realizing.
This treasure was filled with thoughtful consideration from my parents.
“Haha... well, I don’t know when you’ll be heading out, but you’ll need to prepare a bit first. Make sure you’re good and ready, alright? And be sure to come back for a meal every now and again! We’ll whip you up something, no matter when you show up!”
“Hehe, look at you, Dear, trying to act cool!”
“H-hey!”
Alright. I don’t know how things’ll turn out, but I’ll give it my all! If I don’t, then I’d probably be too disappointed in myself to even enjoy a tasty meal. I need to make sure to do my best, so I can enjoy their cooking with pride.
Even though I can only make gears...
I climbed the stairs while holding the two treasures my parents had given me.
When I reached my room on the second floor, I thought back over the events of the day. Everything already felt a little distant, which helped me get my head straight.
Atop my desk were the red gemstone and transparent card.
I needed to start thinking about how to use my skill, so as not to waste these gifts...
I tried making a gear.
Swoosh.
Sproing, sproing.
Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
...It sure can spin. Hmm, I dunno...
Just what exactly can I do with this little guy?
Dad said that “spinning brings about some sort of power.”
...It really does seem like it’d be good at scrambling eggs.
“Haaah... try out all sorts of things, huh?”
Ka-klunk.
The gear stopped and fell onto the desk. The dimension stone and analyze card were inside the hole in its center.
Hehe, it was like a ring toss.
My golden gear, the red dimension stone, and the analyze card. Right now, those 3 things were all I had.
At any rate, I suppose I need to test out my power. I don’t even know how many gears I can make...
Yaaawn... I’m feeling a little tired...
I did cry an awful lot, after all...
...
.....
......
Zzz.... zzz....
✦ ✦ ✦
Vrrrrrrrrrrrr...
[——]
[——]
[—Status analysis, on.]
[—Receiving interference from skill.]
[—Receiving interference from skill.]
[—Receiving interference from skill.]
[—Unusual status detected. Commencing troubleshooting.]
[—Analyzing.]
[—Analyzing.]
[—Nearby items: 2.]
[—Attempting to share status.]
[—Commencing status sharing.]
[—Analyzing.]
[—Analyzing.]
[—Item link established.]
[—Error.]
[—Request for synchronization received from skill.]
[—Issues in status after synchronization: unknown.]
[—Analysis impossible.]
[—Analysis impossible.]
[—Analysis impossible.]
[—Analysis impossible.]
[—Analysis impossible.]
[———Permission to synchronize?]
“Hrggh... you’re so loud... just do whatever you want...”
[Permission confirmed. Status: —beginning synchronization.]