Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“Wow, I’ve learned a lot!”

“U-Umu, I see.”

Ryo said with a huge smile.

He was able to understand the enchantment formula to his surprise.

It would be useful for the golems specializing in paddy field management in Rondo Forest.

As to how he would go about utilizing such a thing on the paddy field management golems was, of course, a mystery…

Furthermore, they were also allowed to dismantle the destroyed Holy Knights as they pleased.

However, to be honest, nothing was interesting about them.

Said to be the best golem in the Western Countries, which by the way was, in a sense, a classic golem that used a surprisingly large magic stone to increase its output…

“The core of the Theocracy’s golem lies within their Kingsguard, the ‘Holy Guards’.”

Neil said to Ryo, who was a little downcast because there wasn’t much to learn.

Needless to say, Ryo’s eyes lit up again when he heard that…

“Someday, I’ll dismantle a Holy Guard…”

Ryo’s muttering was not heard even by Neil Andersen next to him.

((…))

Instead, the king in a distant place heard it through Soul Resonance but chose to remain silent.

Perhaps because he thought there was no point in saying anything.

They were walking back to the castle, but Neil Andersen glanced behind Ryo.

Behind Ryo were six larger than the usual <Wagons> in a row.

Each was carrying a wrecked Civilian.

Ryo was helping to carry them to the hangar.

When Neil first saw these <Wagons>, his eyes were wide open in amazement.

“I’d rather learn the magic behind those <Wagons> from Lord Ryo…”

Neil’s words were too hushed to be heard by Ryo, who was in a good mood.

The six wrecked units were placed in the hangar.

The rest, the ones with minor damage, were already being repaired.

In addition, the thirty that were mostly intact had what appeared to be thick cables attached to them.

Perhaps that was the medium diverting the magic power from the castle walls…

“Sir Neil, can I ask you a fundamental question?”

Ryo once again turned to Neil and asked, although he was still smiling.

“Sure.”

Neil nodded his head in satisfaction, confirming that everything was going well in the hangar,

He replied.

“Initially, it seemed that the Republic’s ‘Civilians’ were inferior to the Theocracy’s ‘Holy Knights’ in almost every respect, and I’d like to know how they managed to surpass them. Despite the Holy Knights equipped with astonishingly huge magic stones. It stands to reason that they possess considerable output and durability. So how exactly did you do it?”

Ryo asked him squarely.

“Hmm. It’s simple. I just made sure to use up all the magic power accumulated in the magic stone.”

“Use it all up? So normally, you can’t use it up?”

“Yeah. Usually, when about eighty percent of the total is used up, the magic stone is believed to have run out of magic power. In fact, it’s impossible to pull out any more magic power from it once that happens. It may be some kind of self-preservation of the magic stone.”

Normally, even human beings have some strength left when they say they have exhausted their strength.

Because if they really give it their all, they’ll die…

Since they need to retain some strength for the circulation of blood and breathing, right?

It seemed that Neil Andersen made the stones give it all, even those reserves.

If the magic stone was a living thing, it would have been in serious trouble.

“As you know, magic stones can store magic power. And they also can release the magic power they have accumulated. Monsters that have magic stones inside their bodies transform the magic power stored in these stones into their strength to perform such extraordinary magic spells and power.”

Neil’s explanation was something Ryo also knew, so he nodded.

“But in fact, it is known that the magic stone itself increases the accumulated magic power by itself.”

“Eh…”

“The volume is very small and slow… but yes, it does what you might call self-propagation of magic power. In other words, if left alone, the reduced magic power in the magic stone will naturally fill up again with time. However, if it’s maneuvered like we did this time and used until the remaining magic power in the magic stone is empty, the magic power will not self-propagate. Multiply one by a hundred and you get a hundred, but multiply zero by a hundred and you still get zero, right? It’s the same principle. In this way, a magic stone that has been completely emptied of its magic power… becomes like that.”

Saying that, Neil pointed to a Civilian magic stone.

It was a blackened magic stone.

Ryo looked at it and for some reason, it reminded him of the blackened crystal-like thing he had seen on the way back from the dungeon’s 40th floor.

“It is pitch black, huh.”

“Yeah. Once it becomes like that, its magic power will no longer increase naturally. So, this time, we will forcibly fill the magic stones with the magic power used to power up barriers on the castle walls. And the United Kingdom army is still advancing from the west. So whether or not we can make it in time is…”

Neil said with a small shake of his head.

“For the time being… the Theocracy has been defeated…”

“All that remains is the United Kingdom.”

At the command center, Supreme Advisor Lord Burley said, and Head of State Columbano nodded.

“The United Kingdom forces will arrive in the capital in about three days…”

“Yeah. Let’s just hope everything goes according to plan.”

Columbano let out a loud sigh as he said that.

“If only I could be there, I would make sure of it…”

“The Head of State can’t go to the front lines.”

“But me being here hasn’t been of any assistance either…”

Columbano blurted out.

Though, he knew it in his head.

The role of the head of state is to sit firmly at the high command, make various decisions, and take responsibility for the war.

However, as a man of the sea and someone who has always exposed himself to the front lines of naval battles, he was not comfortable waiting for the results at the official residence of the head of state, far away from the battlefield.

It’s much easier to be on the front lines…

“We should see results by the end of the day, still…”

Columbano said with a sigh.

“Even if it goes well, we’ll be in trouble if the United Kingdom continues their march.”

Lord Burley added with a sigh.

In the end, they both sighed loudly and fell silent.

Head of State Columbano and Lord Burley had two plans.

Both must succeed to achieve the desired result.

And the plans were already in motion.

Whether it would work or not, and what would result from it, was already out of their control.

But they must be held accountable for the outcome.

The two were in agony as they waited for the outcome…

What on Phi was Ryo doing at that moment?

He was having an alchemy discussion with Neil Andersen in a corner of the hangar lined with golems.

They both seemed to be having fun.

It was no surprise that Ryo was smiling, but Neil, who was supposed to be over a hundred years old, also seemed to be really enjoying himself.

Previously, he said that he had lost much of his passion for alchemy over the past decade or so.

But, now, his passion was beginning to bubble back up again after all the things that happened today.

However…

“Eh? When this is over, you’re leaving the Republic?”

Ryo was surprised. How come, when there were plans for new ships from the Franzoni Shipping Company?

“Yeah, well, that was the agreement. It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.”

Neil drank his coffee with a bitter smile on his face.

It was brewed with coffee beans from the Dark Continent, brought from the official residence of the head of state.

Holding up the coffee, Neil said:

“I’m going to try to cross over to the Dark Continent.”

“Ooohhh! ”

Ryo was astounded by Neil’s decision but expressed his approval.

The Dark Continent… the very sound of it was kind of cool.

“The people of the Western Countries only trade with the coastal countries of the Dark Continent. I am curious to learn about the hinterlands.”

“I get it, I totally get it.”

Ryo nodded repeatedly in agreement with Neil’s words.

He would like to visit there someday…

“They may have alchemy that I don’t even know about there. Like how I didn’t know about enchantment when I was in the Central Countries.”

Apparently, Neil himself had created the enchantment formula.

Enchantment as a form of magic is rare, but not totally obscure.

However, Neil was the first to manifest the magic phenomenon of enchantment through alchemy…

“Wow, that’s amazing…”

Ryo applauded from the bottom of his heart.

In fact, the enchantment formula written on the Civilians was beautiful.

Sometimes, even in mathematics, mathematical formulas appear ‘beautiful’, and this is something similar, the magic formula version.

The first alchemy book Ryo read was written by Neil.

In other words, it was no exaggeration to say that one of the most fundamental aspects of Ryo’s alchemy was Neil’s alchemy.

Hence why.

He found the enchantment formula created by Neil beautiful.

Neil, on the other hand, seemed to be very interested in alchemy in the Central Countries after he left, and he asked a lot of questions about it.

Whenever Ryo had time, he would lie down on a certain king’s sofa and read alchemy books…

That was, after all, to learn about the development of alchemy in the Central Countries in recent decades.

So he was able to answer Neil’s questions quite smoothly.

Both sides were having a good time talking about alchemy.

Finally, a quick horse arrived at the command center from the front lines.

“Reporting! We succeeded in destroying the United Kingdom’s ground supply unit and burned their supplies.”

“We did it!”

Lord Burley shouted involuntarily.

Head of State Columbano made mini fist pump gestures over and over again.

It was the report they had been waiting for.

However, they’re only halfway there.

“All that’s left now is the sea.”

“The fleet… the very men you trained. We just have to believe in them and wait.”

Lord Burley replied to Columbano’s muttering with a faint smile.

Two hours later.

Again, a quick horse from the front lines arrived at the command center.

“Reporting! The United Kingdom fleet has been captured off the coast of Grun Island, and we succeeded in sinking all the ships of the supply fleet.”

“Goddamn right!”

Head of State Columbano made a flashy fist pump gesture.

Lord Burley nodded repeatedly and said:

“Both plans came through.”

“Yeah. Above all, defeating the Theocracy’s golem corps, which they must have been relying on, is a heavy blow. They don’t have their strongest reinforcements, nor supplies from land or sea. We’ve done everything we possibly can…”

“It will be impractical for the United Kingdom forces to continue with this war.”

It was two hours later that the report came in that the United Kingdom Army, which had been heading for the Republic’s capital from the western border, had changed course and turned back toward the border.

However, all was not well.

The Republic’s Secret Services Agency.

“Chief, we have a problem! Cesare has escaped from the underground prison!”

“What!”

“We managed to prevent four of Cesare’s men from escaping, but in the end, they all committed suicide.”

“What a total fiasco…”

Bureau Chief Bonifacio Franzoni lamented.

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