I couldn’t help but wave back in response to his usual enthusiasm. After reaching me, Severin clicked open the attaché case in his hands. He then took out what appeared to be a small, rectangular crystal.
“Take a look at this,” he said. “Remember when you proposed a device to speak with people over long distances? Well, we made it.”
“Wait, really?!” I exclaimed.
Severin placed the rectangular crystal in my hand. “Pour your mana into it when you hear a beep. Just a little, though.”
While speaking, Severin took out another device from his case and operated it somehow. Before long, a soft whistle emanated from my device. As instructed, I poured mana into it, and Severin’s face appeared in the center of the crystal.
“Well, what do you think?” Severin asked, his smug expression plain to see on the screen. “Pretty impressive, right?”
This is exactly like a video call.
“Holy cow, this is amazing,” I replied. “This is even better craftsmanship than I expected. The mage’s order is something else.”
I recalled visiting the mage’s headquarters. Although Severin had spearheaded this project, everyone else I’d met in the cafeteria must have poured their hearts into it. I would have to give them all a thank-you gift. As I considered that, Severin handed devices to everyone else as well.
“Oh?” I said. “You made enough for everyone? That’s really amazing.”
While everyone fiddled with their imitation smartphones, brimming with curiosity, Giusto scrutinized the one in my hand. “What in the world is that, Ally?” he asked, looking over my shoulder.
“Oh, it’s—” I began, but Embert cut me off.
“It’s a magic tool that allows you to speak with others directly over long distances,” he said. “While it’s still in the prototype stage, we have plans to sell it on a large scale in the future. Speaking of which, I still haven’t introduced you to Severin Fregolini. He’s a member of the mage’s order in Gandolfin. Truth be told, I summoned him here to bring a certain other artifact.”
Giusto cocked his head. “What kind of artifact?”
“Do you mind showing everyone, Severin?” Embert asked.
“Not at all, not at all,” Severin replied.
He produced a familiar crystal ball.
“Oh, that!” I exclaimed.
I hadn’t forgotten this nifty little artifact, which could record magic videos.
“This might look like the same crystal ball as before, but it’s different,” Embert said. “We made some slight improvements based on the previous model. When you told me about the gazebo across the pond, an idea occurred to me. We might be able to keep an eye on the scene by setting this up there.”
Sharp thinking, Em. We’ll be able to record everything in the vicinity without needing constant surveillance.
“We designed this crystal ball to start recording whenever someone passes by it,” Severin explained. He handed the crystal ball to Embert, who continued the explanation for Giusto’s benefit.
“This artifact can record moving images of what happened in its vicinity. If I’m correct, the royal prince will speak to the assassin once more before the Founding Festival. Including today’s assault, they’ve failed to kill you twice within the castle, after all. By now, they must have realized that their previous methods will never succeed. Thus, I expect them to revise their strategy.”
“I agree,” Giusto responded with a nod. “I appreciate everything you’ve done to help, Prince Embert. My sincere thanks to everyone else as well.”
Giusto’s expression contained a mix of relief, happiness, and a touch of bashfulness. Smiling, the rest of us nodded as well.