Field Trip (4)

Its alcohol. A concentration of 40% or more is sufficient.

Kleio raised his head.

If you conduct ether while it is in contact with the catalyst, you will be able to engrave the tiplaum. It softens it as it returns to its original form.

My god! Was it like that?

The catalyst was so common and obvious no one had thought of it. Or maybe the author had just thought of it while drinking.

So?!

I found the catalyst to use when engraving the formula, but the formula to stabilize activation wasnt completed. After Robert was arrested, my quarters at the academy were burned down, and all that research was lost. After going through all that, my desire to do research vanished.

Assassination, imprisonment, suicide he was in the midst of all that.

What the hell did Melchior do? Kleio lamented deeply at the loss of such talent.

Haah

In fact, its questionable whether its a problem that can be solved with only scientific methodology.

Kleio buried his head in his hands.

Well, I dont know much about science in this world

Frans tone softened as if he noticed that Kleio wouldnt understand what he was going to say.

Youre a wizard, so let me explain it in a magical way. For example, you have to create a single formula that combines [Reinforcement], [Consolidation], [Continue], [Overturn], and [Repeat]. If those can be combined and imprinted, the etheric activity will be permanent.

But Fran, humans cannot create new magic formulas.

In this worlds setting, the formulas were gifts left by the daughters of the goddess to humanity. Therefore, no one had ever succeeded in creating a new one.

I had a dream of writing a formula inspired by magic. But now, I find no pleasure in learning. No matter what I look at, the faces of the dead float on the blank papers.

Fran muttered quietly, his expression distant.

Fran, thank you for telling me this difficult story.

Even if I dont, Melchior will figure it all out.

If you need help later, please tell me. Ill offer as much power as I can. Dont die alone.

How far will that go

Fran, buried in his chair, began to fall asleep. Kleio removed the boys glasses and covered him in a blanket. He received the needed information, but it was a bitter dawn, nonetheless.

***

The winter palace annex was empty. Fran had returned to the capital, having many things to deal with, but the most significant reason was so he didnt encounter Melchior. The rest of the students left to hunt, led by Lippi and Leticia. Kleio was faking sickness, which everyone believed, given his usual record. Once all the lodgings inhabitants left, Kleio got out of bed and pulled a flask of whiskey from his luggage.

I thought Id need it, but who would think it would be so useful?

And, more importantly, he pulled out a palm-sized piece of tiplaum. He had to ask Arthur to snatch him a bit.

That child is a master of stealth.

Arthur didnt even ask why and just brought him a large piece. There was quite a distance between the palace and the mine, so he didnt know how he moved so fast.

The mine is royal so that Arthur will own it all in the future anyway.

Thus, Kleio rationalized their crimes. He took a sip from the flask first, thinking it a waste to pour it all out. The smell of peat passed by his nose and cleared his head.

I feel like itll work out!

He poured the whiskey into a teacup. Instead of ink, he put alcohol into a pen and used it to carry the ether through. The circle didnt open, however.

This should be possible without opening one.

He scratched the top of the tiplaum with the alcohol-soaked pen, which gently dug into the metal without a sound.

It works!

He tested it out several more times. The ore had a soft texture like soap as it was scratched by the pen. Once the ether and alcohol left, it hardened once more.

If you scrape tiplaum normally like this, the marks will disappear after a few seconds, but it remains.

Fran was a genius, after all. It wouldve been nice if they still had that data that had been burned up too

Now, the catalyst issue has been resolved. The problem now is the formula

Magical science had played a vital role in the second half of the last manuscript.

Making an anti-aircraft defense net or attaching guidance devices to firearms can only be done if tiplaum processing becomes feasible

The problem was that Kleio didnt have the mind to create such a formula.

Im barely capable of common science! But now its magical science?!

If so, there had to be another way to find the answer. As Fran explained, why not use a new magic formula? Kleio began to stroke the ring stuck on his hand.

Its said that humanity cant create new formulas, but I already have items given to me by the god of this world, so why not?

Understanding, the second function of Promise, was the ability to understand the elements of the narrative to discover others ether levels and unique skills.

Would it be possible to use that with the right magic formula to understand it?

Kleio memorized the magic formula of [Reinforcement][Consolidation][Continue][Overturn][Repeat], scratching it down on a piece of paper. Understanding judged only the overlapping of four magic formulas as magic, but the five magic formulas that exceeded his number of slots werent judged as magic.

Because I only have four magic slots at level 4, I cant even test five at the same time. I have to turn on Understanding and look into if it is correct

It felt stupid, like he was trying to brute force a math problem meant to be solved by a formula. He skipped lunch and immersed himself in his work, but things werent going well. If it could be solved so quickly, the brightest minds in the country wouldnt be losing their heads over it now.

Ive already wasted three-hundred sheets of paper. Haah

Still, his progress wasnt zero.

Some argue that magic formulas arent something that can be read, but it is a kind of text, so this way should be right.

Six segments in a circle. It was only that much, but unlike the other lines he scribbled down, when he injected ether in it and used Understanding, it shone gold.

It feels like Im putting together a 50,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, but ahh.

Putting down the pen, Kleio went outside to cool his head. The sun was setting, so the wind was rather chilly. At that moment, a familiar voice could be heard from the palaces yard.

Ahaha! I won today! Sixteen!

It was Lippie, running through the yard. When she saw Kleio, she ran straight to him.

Oh! Lei, can you stand up? Are you feeling okay?

Im feeling a little better now

Then come here. Look what I hunted!

She grabbed his arm and dragged him along with frightening strength.

Oh, please, thats

Kleio, helpless as he was dragged along, saw the hunting groundskeeper with a pile of wild beasts loaded onto a card. There were birds, rabbits, and deer all piled up, with the smell of blood hanging heavy over them. The other hunters looked just as proud as Lippie.

That little girl was awesome!

Incredible!

How many times have you been here before?

Ahahaha, thank you! Look, Lei, all those rabbits are mine!

Lippie jumped over to the cart and picked up two large white rabbits on the top.

They have very soft fur. Ill give one to you, Lei! Its cold, so make a rabbit fur muffler!

Oh, thank you

Lippis eyes sparkled like that of a cat who just brought its owner a rat. Kleio gingerly reached out toward the rabbit, but the hunting groundskeeper saved him.

Hahaha! Lady, the blood needs to be drained first.

Come here; Ill take care of it.

The other students were returning to the palace, one by one, as they chatted. Cel, Isiel, and Leticia were together holding long guns, their sports tweed jackets and long boots matching nicely. There was also Arthur a little farther away, who had leaves all over his head like he had taken a nap.

Lippie, Leticia, how did you know where each other was? You drove the animals better than the hounds.

Oh, Arthur, you mustve seen it for the first time. That means

Leticia shrugged, interrupting Cel.

I can feel where Lippi is.

I can tell exactly where Leticia is, even if shes far away!

Its a twin thing.

So, Lei, did you get Lippis gift? Wheres the rabbit, rabbit?

She said, Thank you for playing with us before.

Hey, pay respects properly.

Arthur and Cel chatted with Kleio between them.

If I received two of those, I might die from surprise The keeper took it to take care of the cleaning.

Were you surprised to see a rabbit body?

I know for sure that hunting doesnt suit my aptitude.

Youre seriously that weak-stomached? How will you fare in the compulsory service?

Cel pounded his back and teased him, but Kleio met her eyes.

Im not joining the military. I will graduate in third place.

Wahahaha, do it well. So, what cant you do? Our wonder Kleio.

Dont say that, Cel!

Oh, youre so sensitive too.

.

.

.

The rabbits and pigeons caught by the twins were definitely delicious. They werent as soft as animals raised for their meat, but with the proper seasoning, the flavor was great. Of course, it complemented the Tarsus wine rather well. Though, Kleio himself didnt ever want to hunt.

***

The next day

Kleio had eaten and slept well, but he kept faking illness. They knew it was because he didnt want to go hunting, so the twins backed up his excuse. In the meantime, Leticia was burning with a sense of competition against her sister.

Sleep well, Lei. Ill catch a fox today! Thats better for a muffler than a rabbit!

It was clearly not for Kleio; she just didnt want to lose to Lippi. After everyone left for the hunt, the annex grew quiet again. With that, he produced a new piece of paper. He was in good condition because he had rested well. Kleio turned on Understanding at the same time he opened his Perception. Hopefully, he could read something, anything, from the etheric flow on the paper. Opening both to the maximum caused his head to spin and made his body feel like it was floating.

The passage of time tangled together, making what was an entire day feel like it passed in an instant. Kleio couldnt even remember moving his hand. It was like the authors will to correct the worlds direction when Fran stopped his research by possessing him. Like an oracle dictating the future, the magical formula was drawn, updated, redrawn. Finally, he felt a terrible headache and fever strike him, and Promise was burning on his hand.

Blood was flowing from his nose to stain the paper as the ring vomited out golden letters.

[Users narrative involvement increases.

The cumulative percentage of narrative involvement is being calculated (%)]

[As the users participation in the narrative is increased, the additional function of Promise has opened.

You can judge whether an issue is true or false and whether an element is appropriate.

*Caution: When using this function, 95% of the ether in the body is temporarily consumed.]

[Would you like to use the appropriate judgment?]