Fire Magic Tools

For roughly a season after that, my peaceful daily life continued as usual. Since I'd practiced magic and trained every day during that time, I thought I'd grown considerably stronger. My magic power had increased quite a bit, too.

But I planned to work even harder. I had never fought either monsters or knights, so I didn't know how strong I needed to become. Well, there was no harm in being strong.

Lately, practicing magic and training had been taking up so much of my time that I hadn't gone to Marcel-san's at all, so today I decided to visit him for the first time in a while.

Winter had recently arrived, making it very cold, and there were even days when snow fell and piled up. Once winter came, I desperately wanted a heater and a hair dryer.

I might not be able to buy magic tools, but nothing could begin until I actually made the thing.

I could use fire and wind magic to make something like a heater, but it consumed a great deal of magic power, and keeping it going required so much concentration that it was exhausting.

In the end, I had to stay in the kitchen, where the cooking hearth was lit, to keep warm. When I went to bed, all that cloth weighed heavily on me, since I had to cover myself with everything in the house.

It was terribly hard to sleep. I desperately wanted a heater.

"Marcel-san! It's been a while!"

I opened the door to Marcel-san's house and called inside. Then I heard a voice from deeper within say, "Come on in," so I entered without hesitation.

"Hello, Marcel-san."

"Oh, Leon! It's been a while."

"Sorry I haven't been able to come by lately."

"It doesn't matter. So, what brings you here today?"

"Today, I came because I wanted to devise a fire magic tool. Once winter arrived, it was so cold that I absolutely had to have one."

I said that to Marcel-san with a wry smile.

"That's fine, but fire magic tools never work, you know. Magic iron can't withstand heat."

"I know. That's why I thought I'd work hard to come up with something. Maybe I'll think of a good solution."

I said that and began thinking about how to make a fire magic tool work.

First, magic tools work by embedding a magic stone in magic iron, causing the magic built into the stone to manifest. When it manifests, it does so from the magic stone.

For example, with a water tap, water comes out of the magic stone. With a light orb, the magic stone shines. With a fan, wind comes out of the magic stone.

Since fire magic produces fire from the magic stone, the magic iron couldn't withstand the heat. That was why it failed.

How could I solve this problem...? For example, I could cover the magic iron surrounding the magic stone with an insulator...? What would count as an insulator in this world? Rubber or stone, maybe? But I don't think I've ever seen rubber in this world.

If I remember correctly, rubber trees weren't grown in Japan. I think they're native to tropical regions. If that's the case, this country's vegetation resembles Japan's, so maybe there aren't any rubber trees here.

There might be some in other countries, but searching for one would be far too difficult. Besides, rubber doesn't conduct electricity, but wouldn't it melt when heated? No good.

That left stone, but processing stone would be far too difficult, and stone was too heavy.

Using an insulator was impossible... Besides, the magic stone had to touch the magic iron, so no matter how much insulation I used, heat would travel through the point where the magic stone was touching it.

Insulators wouldn't work.

Then what other methods were there...? What could I do? If the fire magic manifested somewhere away from the magic iron, it would be easy.

...Huh? The ice maker I created had wind magic manifest away from the magic stone, didn't it?

That's right! Then fire magic should be able to do the same thing!

Why hadn't I noticed this until now? I had the fixed idea that magic manifested from a magic stone had to emerge directly from the stone. When I made the ice maker, I was so focused on creating ice that I didn't notice.

I wanted to try it right away!

"Marcel-san! The magic that manifests from a magic stone comes directly from the stone, right?"

"Isn't that obvious? It's a magic stone."

"But when I made the ice maker, I made wind magic manifest away from the magic stone."

"You certainly used wind magic, but wasn't that just making wind come out of the magic stone?"

"Yes! I made the wind arise from the center of the box."

"No way... I had no idea that was possible... But you're right. Why didn't I notice it until now...?"

"It's a preconception. Things we take for granted are hard to notice. So, may I try using fire magic?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Marcel-san gave me a magic stone and some magic iron, so I decided to start by shaping the magic iron. I wanted to make a heater this time, but if I made the parts surrounding the heater from magic iron, there was a chance they would melt.

So I made the magic iron into a single thin plate with a place in the center to fit the magic stone. I imbued the magic stone with a small Fireball that would manifest about thirty centimeters above the magic iron.

When I fitted the magic stone into the magic iron, a Fireball appeared a full thirty centimeters above it.

Success!! If the magic iron still melted with this setup, I could put stone or something else between them, but heat rose upward, so it seemed fine as it was.

"Marcel-san, I've done it! Now all we need to do is cover the outside with something like an ordinary iron grate, and it'll be complete!"

"Leon... It pains me to see you create so easily what we'd given up on... But I suppose it can't be helped, since you're Leon."

What did that mean!? I wasn't that far outside the norm!

Marcel-san was surprised at first, but his expression gradually became one of exasperation.

"What do you mean, 'It can't be helped because it's me'?! But this will make things much more convenient."

"That it will, but... it might be better not to report this to the royal palace."

"Why?"

"The ice maker already attracted quite a bit of attention. If I stand out any more, they'll definitely investigate me. Someone will probably trace it back to Leon, too. You should avoid attracting attention, shouldn't you?"

"I know, but... Do I really stand out that much?"

"Of course you do! It's only been a few decades since magic tools first started being made, and only four products have been commercialized so far. If you register several more within a year, of course you'll attract attention!"

I see... Thinking of it that way, maybe I shouldn't register it...

"Then I'd appreciate it if you didn't register it..."

"That would be best."

"But what should we do about this? Besides, since I made wind magic manifest away from the magic stone with the ice maker, it's only a matter of time before people notice, isn't it?"

"Ugh... You're right. Since we handed over the ice maker we made for the previous registration, it's only a matter of time before they notice."

"In that case, shouldn't we register the fire magic tool before someone else beats us to it?"

When I said that, Marcel-san thought for a while, but perhaps he decided it would be the same once people discovered that magic could manifest away from the magic stone. In the end, he reluctantly agreed to register it.

"Well, in that case, we'll register it this time. But this is the last time! From now on, once you've gained a position, you'll register them yourself."

"Yes, I will! And... couldn't we set one aside for my personal use, too? I was thinking that, since I'm not a noble and might not be able to buy magic tools, couldn't you buy one?"

I had taken Marcel-san's statement that all magic tools were sold to the Royal Magic Tool Workshop and couldn't be sold at face value, but there were magic tools in Marcel-san's workshop, too.

So I thought I might be able to buy one from somewhere like the Royal Magic Tool Workshop or a magic tool store. Commoners might not be able to buy them, but nobles probably could.

"Well, yes... You're right. I can't sell one to you directly from my workshop, but I can buy one from a magic tool store and sell it to you. That wouldn't be a problem."

"I knew it! Then could you buy me a heater?"

"Well, all right."

Yes!! I was getting a heater!

Now I could at least somehow endure the unbearable cold!

After that, in addition to the heater, I made the magic-tool components for a cooking stove and a water heater, and drew rough blueprints for the parts made from ordinary iron. Since we were going to register them anyway, I figured I might as well make every fire magic tool I could think of.

Apparently, Marcel-san would take the magic tools and blueprints to a workshop he favored, and they would complete them there.

Then he would take the finished products to the royal palace to register them.

He also promised to buy a heater for me.

"Then, once I register all of these, I'll have the money deposited into your account as well. I'll deduct the amount for the magic tools you purchase."

"Yes! Thank you! Oh, speaking of which, when I checked my account the other day, there was more money in it than the amount you told me, Marcel-san. Why was that?"

"That was your reward for discovering a new way to use water magic."

"You get rewards like that? Thank you for giving me that money, too!"

"I didn't discover it, after all. You deserve it."

He could have kept it without telling me, but he gave it to me honestly. Marcel-san really was a good person.

As I grinned at Marcel-san, he seemed to become embarrassed and suddenly started ushering me out.

"Leon, isn't it about time? You should head home soon."

Marcel-san waved his hand at me as if shooing me away.

"Okaaay. Well, I'll be heading home now."

I said that with a wry smile, left Marcel-san's house, and began walking slowly toward home.