Abandoned in the mountains, I was adopted by a lizard ~I mastered magic and surpassed my parents, but I didn't know they were legendary ancient dragons~ - Chapter 42 & 43

Chapter 42   Magic Tool Making Outsourcing

“When I mention the second advantage, both President Wright and Jasmine looked a bit puzzled.

‘Magic circles that can’t be drawn on the surface of a magic stone…?’ ‘Complex and advanced magic circles…?’

“The more sophisticated the spell, the higher its power per unit of magic consumed. The same applies to magical devices. By inscribing a detailed and grand magic circle on the large canvas of an artificial plate, we can employ techniques far beyond the capability of inscribing on a magic stone alone. This is the primary advantage of Magisite Mithril.”

I added this to make it clearer.

“Moreover, it’s possible to connect multiple magic circles in series to create a complex array that can’t be achieved with a single magic circle. For instance, the ‘Mana Plasma Cannon’ uses a multilayered magic circle with 1700 layers of parallel-connected magic circles. This allows it to achieve firepower equivalent to a dragon’s breath and much higher rapid-fire capabilities with significantly less magic consumption.”

I continued, showing a magnified view of the Magisite Mithril part of the Mana Plasma Cannon.

What Jasmine initially described as a “box with magic circles engraved on it” was, in fact, a stack of 1700 plates with magic circles engraved on each.

“Whoa, that’s a lot of magic circles…” “Just looking at it makes me dizzy…”

Both Jasmine and President Wright murmured, slightly overwhelmed.

To create a high-powered weapon with magical devices, it’s essential to use such intricate magic circles to improve efficiency. I agree that the sheer number of magic circles can be daunting.

“On that note, I have a request.”

“What is it? A request from you, Hadar…”

“If you adopt this weapon for the fortress, could you introduce me to a good magic device manufacturing company? I’d like to outsource the engraving of the magic circles.”

So, I decided to bring up that request.

Dealing with 1700 meticulously detailed magic circles, and carving several sets of them on my own would be a huge task. Therefore, I planned to outsource the engraving part, providing only the original templates of the magic circles on Magisite Mithril plates and paper.

Of course, it would incur expenses, but if I can really get the full weapon acquisition budget from the country, the amount I would pay from there would be trivial. President Wright might know some good companies through his connections.

“I see, so that’s the kind of consultation it is. Of course, there’s no reason not to adopt such an outstanding magical device… I’ll introduce you to a good acquaintance.”

“Thank you. Who is it?”

“They’re called Fuji Pattern, a contractor specializing in client-side magical device creation. I often have drinks with their president… Without any favoritism, their number of employees, pricing, and quality are unmatched.”

“Is that so…”

“Absolutely. Even though we get along well, I can’t involve any unreliable companies in a major project entrusted by the state. Rest assured, this recommendation is unbiased.”

Upon asking, the president introduced me to his recommended company.

Fuji Pattern… such a company exists?

If I can outsource the magic circle engraving, then assembling the rest would be relatively straightforward for me.

Once the request is submitted, it feels like most of my work will be done.

◇◇◇

Chapter 43   Switching

After finalizing the contract for weapon delivery with President Wright, I left the Ashgano branch and headed to the Fuji Pattern office.

I successfully arranged for them to engrave the magic circles onto the Magisite Mithril plates. Although the complexity of the magic circles seemed unprecedented, the fact that they would be engraved on broad, flat plates rather than directly on the magic stones made the task somewhat easier. They assured me, “We can manage to replicate the provided samples.”

By the time all this was sorted, it was evening, signaling the end of construction work for the day. I had dinner and then headed to the Inferno Continent for Francois’ training.

Today’s training involved Francois battling powerful monsters with minimal assistance from me. We searched near our meeting spot for monsters but couldn’t find any Great Seitan. Instead, Francois fought another monster of similar strength—a centaur-like creature called Sekitoho-sen, with a rabbit head, human torso, horse legs, and wielding a strange spear with crescent-shaped blades on both sides.

Francois faced two of these Sekitoho-sen creatures in succession. The training seemed quite challenging for her, so I think I designed a pretty suitable regimen.

That night, looking at the two Sekitoho-sen magic stones before me, I contemplated the future.

Honestly, with today’s training method, I didn’t need to be physically present. I could provide the same level of support via an aerial reconnaissance drone. If I build another drone to accompany Francois, I can manage the training remotely from tomorrow. This means I would only need to go to the Inferno Continent for mock battles with Francois.

This led me to a significant realization: “Do I even need to stay on the Ashgano Peninsula anymore?”

Now that Francois is handling part of the safety management duties, my original task of dealing with minor threats at Ashgano Cape is almost unnecessary. Considering the behavior of the coastal monsters and the fact that Great Seitann is considered a mythical creature here, the chance of a monster stronger than Francois attacking before the fortress is completed is virtually zero.

Therefore, I could return to the academy, attend classes, and just keep an eye on the relay devices. If a mock battle with Francois is needed, I can quickly fly to the Inferno Continent since it’s only about an hour away.

Given the substantial budget allocated for safety management, I must ensure no “what-ifs” occur. Even with a nearly zero probability, I need to prepare for the unlikely event of a monster appearing that Francois cannot handle.

However, I already have a potential solution for this.

Francois is likely already asleep, so I’ll need her cooperation for this plan. I’ll have to test it tomorrow, and if successful, I’ll seriously consider returning to the academy.

With these thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

◇

The next day at lunchtime, I immediately began testing my idea.

First, I moved to the tip of the cape and sent a wind magic voice message to Francois through the aerial reconnaissance drone accompanying her.

‘This might surprise you, but don’t panic. It’s due to my magic.’

Then, I activated a certain spell.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery changed dramatically. The aerial reconnaissance drone that had been with Francois was now right beside me.

“Alright!”

I couldn’t help but pump my fist in triumph. The spell had worked perfectly.

The spell I just used is called Switching, a tamer’s magic. Its effect is “to swap the positions of oneself and a familiar.”

I hadn’t formed a familiar contract with Francois, so I shouldn’t have been able to cast this spell. However, there’s an exception: if a monster adores the caster immensely, the spell can activate even without a familiar contract.

I thought it might work, so I gave it a try, and it did.

Realizing this, I knew for sure—I no longer had any reason to stay on the Ashgano Peninsula.

The Switching spell instantly swaps my position with Francois’s. This means that as long as Francois is near Ashgano Cape, I can teleport there from anywhere on the planet in a moment.

In essence, Francois becomes a teleportation hub.

If a super-Francois-level monster were to attack while I was at the academy, I could instantly teleport to Ashgano Cape and deal with it directly. This makes risk management perfect. The safety management of Ashgano Cape can now be handled remotely without any issues.

Using Switching from the academy would result in Francois suddenly appearing there, but as long as I get permission from the teachers in advance, it should be fine.

Taking out the Great Seitan’s cloud, I flew through the sky towards Francois.

“What… what was that just now!? What did you do, Aniki!?”

“It’s a spell called Switching. It swaps the positions of me and Francois, so as a result, Francois also teleported.”

I explained to the flustered Francois, who was understandably surprised despite my prior warning.

“So, that’s what it was… But why did you suddenly decide to try such a spell?”

“Well, it was a bit of an experiment.”

“An experiment…?”

“Yeah. Actually, there’s something I need to tell you about that.”

With that preamble, I decided to share everything I had been thinking about regarding the future.

“I… don’t actually live here. I originally attended the academy in the capital, which is around here on the map. I came here temporarily for an internship-like purpose.”

I projected a holographic world map as I began to explain.

“Starting tomorrow, I’m planning to return to the capital and resume my studies at the academy. My job here was to fend off monsters that come to the cape, but now we know from this experiment that in case of an emergency, I can switch places with you and rush over anytime.”

“Really…? Huh?”

Francois tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then her expression suddenly fell as if he had realized something.

“Does that mean… you and I will be separated…?”

It seemed Francois was sad about the idea of being apart from me.

“Well, physically, yes. But for training like yesterday’s, I can still assist through the magical relay I set up this morning. And since it’s only about an hour’s travel, I can come over if you want to spar with me.”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

Even though I assured her that our training could continue, Francois seemed somewhat unconvinced. Ah, she probably doesn’t like this idea.

I thought so, but then Francois quickly changed her expression and said,

“But if it helps you, Aniki, it’s okay with me!”

It seemed like Francois had managed to sort out her feelings and come to terms with the situation.

I appreciated it, but I also felt a bit guilty. Maybe I should do something to thank her.

“I’m sorry for making you agree to this. I’d like to do something to thank you. Is there anything you want?”

“Hmm… oh, I’d love to eat a ton of delicious food!”

“Got it.”

That should be doable. I could probably arrange for some court cuisine through Ian’s connections with a bit of money.

Given this situation, it might be better to introduce Francois to the construction workers as my employee, rather than keeping her existence a secret. If I’m going back to the capital, even though the safety is theoretically ensured, some workers might still feel uneasy. Explaining that I’m leaving the watch to a dragon from the Inferno Continent could help alleviate some of those unnecessary worries.

“Well then… come with me. There are some people I need to introduce you to.”

“…Really?”

As our lunch break came to an end, we walked from the very tip of the cape towards the construction site.