184 A Day Feels Like Three Autumns

[Certainly. It was the unique magic I developed on commission and provided to Waresoft. I remember giving it the fantastical and captivating name ‘Ash Tail's Ring.’ But why are you showing this to me...?]

[Professor Volkov, look closely. This person is a player, not an NPC. Surely you didn't hand over unique magic of the fifth circle under the GPL (open-source license), did you?]

[No, of course not... So are you saying Waresoft leaked my unique magic to this person?]

[We don't know yet whether there was some kind of deal with the company or whether this was castojacking carried out unilaterally. But one thing is certain: someone must be held responsible. Would you sign here? We'll step in and resolve the matter for you.]

Unique magic of the mid-circle or higher was practically a mage's identity.

The more complex the spell formula, the more the caster's habits were reflected in the circuit arrangements and runes incorporated into its magic circle.

It was especially obvious that a former military mage was a valuable strategic asset to an entire nation. In the modern era, when wars broke out so frequently, it had become common knowledge that there was nothing to gain from revealing one's unique magic.

Ophelia, an ASI manufacturer headquartered in Britain.

After Waresoft unilaterally broke its contract, Ophelia faced the prospect of its flagship product's technology being leaked when a replica was passed on to a private individual.

If the matter became a corporate lawsuit, it would take at least ten years to reach a Supreme Court ruling. It was obvious that Ophelia would go bankrupt before then...