Chapter 53
Staring at the stone that came from the prey.
Even though it's a monster, it's still an animal. A stone from an animal... Is it an illness?
Could this have something to do with a curse?
I'd never thought about it before, but...
Purifying it made no difference, which is a relief... But what is this?
What should I do?
For now, I'll try channeling magic into the stone.
Wow!
To think the magic spread through the stone in an instant.
Much faster than with a rock.
I wonder if it can store magic like a rock?
To make magic operate automatically, it's important to store magic.
When the automatic flush in the first-floor toilet stopped working, I figured out what powered it.
Well then, I'll hold the stone and pour magic into it. Pour, pour, pour.
A soft light briefly spills out.
Wow!
Looking at it, I see that it has changed into a beautiful green stone.
That's a different reaction than with a rock. Even if you fill a rock with magic, it's still a rock.
The stones that came from monsters had been dark-colored, though.
Now it's a translucent green stone.
I wonder what's happening.
I'll try pouring in a little more magic.
Hm? The magic won't go in.
Does that mean it's full?
For now, I'll imbue the other stones with magic too.
In front of me are
a green stone, a red stone, a dark red stone, a light blue stone, and a blue stone.
These colorful stones must each have a purpose, right?
How should I investigate this?
Come to think of it, I managed to store magic in them, but can I get it back out?
...It's not working.
Hm? Core?
Core breathed fire from its mouth.
...That startled me. What happened all of a sudden?
Wait, could Core use magic?
I thought that might be the case, but... I see.
Next, Core held down the red stone with its forepaw and breathed fire again.
The force has doubled. That's a terrifying amount of power.
...???
Core repeats the same thing once more.
Could the stone be doubling the power of the magic?
A little experiment.
Holding the red stone, I say, "Water"... Nothing changes?
It's the usual amount.
Core nudges the light blue stone and the blue stone with its foot.
Holding the light blue stone, I say, "Water."
...About five times as much water pours out.
So it doesn't double the amount? Now the area is flooded.
"Clean."
For now, I hold the blue stone and say, "Water."
An absurd amount of water pours out. I should have done this outside.
Maybe it needs to be adjusted; this is difficult.
For now, I'll give them to Core and the others if they need them.
...
I shape rocks into fist-sized round shapes, imbue them with magic, and cast a heat spell on them.
I make fifty identical ones.
I shape silver ore into a sink one meter wide and 50 centimeters deep.
I fill it with the round rocks I made.
The barbecue grill is ready.
I shape gold ore into long, thin rods.
I skewer the cut meat on them, and the meat is ready.
I hold my hand over the sink and imagine glowing embers.
"Heat."
Judging by the result, it seems to have worked.
The rocks I made as a substitute for charcoal continue to produce heat.
I place the meat skewers on the barbecue grill.
Once they start to cook, I sprinkle them with salt and put them back on.
Delicious... I usually just sort of grill things with fire magic, but the shape really does matter too.
From now on, I'll think about making a cooking station too.
It also left me craving some sauce even more.