CHAPTER 2
PART 1 : THE AETHOMETER , REVEALED
Today, Arcus was visiting the Magician's Guild with Craib, Noah, and
Cazzy. They were here regarding the aethometer; it was finally time for its
official unveiling, and it was to be announced at the Guild itself.
That being said, the announcement would be limited to a very select few.
The meeting could almost be considered secret, with only a number of state
magicians, medical luminaries, generals, and important military figures in
attendance. There was a good reason for keeping the meeting so small, and
that was to do with the aethometer's inherent nature.
One of the biggest advantages of the device was its potential to increase
the pace of magical acquisition, which could lead to an explosion of powerful
magicians in a very short span. This potential would have a direct influence
on military affairs. Not only would this boom of powerful magicians create
more might for the armed forces to make use of, but those already in the
army would benefit from the aethometer as well.
This was also why unveiling the aethometer on a grand scale was risky.
Assuming its existence became common knowledge, the device could easily
leak to foreign powers, meaning Lainur would not be the only country to reap
the benefits. Even if it was just a matter of time before rumors spread
anyway, it was paramount that the kingdom treat it like any other secret
weapon; the overwhelming advantage it offered would only last as long as its
mystique.
The representatives had gathered in the Guild's Blue Room. The room
was reserved for large meetings and high-priority gatherings of state
magicians. The room was long, narrow, and windowless. The embroidered
carpet was bright red. Tapestries hung from the ceiling. The abundant pillars
were hung with the royal family's flag. In the very center of the room was a
glass, C-shaped table, with nameplates set at each seat.
All in all, it was everything a meeting room should be, with the flair of a
medieval European castle to boot. The state magicians and military leaders
who Godwald and Craib had summoned were already in their seats. In less
clandestine circumstances they would have called on the heads of more military families. Purce Cremelia was present, but Joshua Raytheft was not,
which was likely a decision made by Godwald and Craib.
It took ages, but I finally made it...
Arcus was waiting to speak, partitioned off in a small space in the room
and trembling in joyful anticipation. It had taken two whole years to get to
this announcement. Two years of finalizing and fine-tuning his invention, and
acquiring the means to mass produce it. His age played no small part in the
timing, and while he knew that it was important to unveil it at the right time,
two years was not an insignificant wait for a child.
"Nervous? You're shakin' like a leaf," Craib, who was waiting with
Arcus, said.
"Yeah, I mean... look at where we are."
"You need not be nervous, Arcus Raytheft," Godwald chipped in from
behind him, his expression as grim as ever. "Should anything go wrong, we
are here to step in."
"Th-Thank you, Guildmaster."
"Though it's not like we know as much about your invention as you do,"
Craib added.
"Indeed," Godwald said with a small smile.
Despite their attempts to calm him, Arcus was unable to feel completely
at ease. He was about to address Lainur's highest authority figures. Anybody
with even an ounce of respect for them would feel nervous. Craib and
Godwald, of course, were exceptions.
"These are not the type of people you need to be nervous around,"
Godwald said.
"Yeah, just look at 'em."
At Craib's encouragement, Arcus peered around the side of the partition.
Everyone in the room was currently enjoying themselves and partaking in
high-spirited conversation. Only the military leaders were quiet, presumably
because they knew this announcement was magic-related, and therefore
decided it didn't directly concern them. The magicians, on the other hand,
were brimming with excitement as they chattered earnestly among
themselves. Arcus studied them one by one.
There was a slender man who looked equally likely to be fifteen or forty;
an elegant, elderly gentleman dressed to the absolute nines; a magician who
busied himself by playing with the walnuts on the table as he leaned back in
his chair, hardly seeming to care where he was; a woman with long bangs clad in a white dress; and a young girl who was the spitting image of a
stereotypical witch, hat and all.
Arcus pricked his ears to see if he could pick up any interesting tidbits of
conversation.
The walnut magician let out a deep sigh. "I can't be assed with this..."
Whoever he was, he had quite a nerve to be speaking like that in a place
filled with so many important people. Quite aside from his words, even his
tone of voice gave off a clear message that he didn't want to be there.
The witch in the high-peaked hat sitting across from him glared at him.
"Why did you attend if you would rather be somewhere else?"
"Crucible asked me, that's why. It was easier to come than to argue with
him."
"Really, it shouldn't matter who invited you. We have a duty to attend
these meetings. I cannot understand why you wouldn't be excited about this,
either."
The walnut magician's expression hardened. "I had to give up something
incredibly important to be here, y'know."
"And what would that be?"
"Sleep."
"Oh, you are awful!" The witch glared coldly at him.
Meanwhile, the magician in the white dress was speaking to the man
sitting at the head of the table.
"Have you heard anything about today's presentation, Roheim?"
"I have. The Guildmaster explained it to me in great detail."
"And?"
"Well, listen to the presentation, and you shall see for yourself."
"O-Oh, of course. Please excuse me." Clearly, she felt he was chastising
her for being too impatient. She bowed her head several times in apology.
"No need to apologize," Roheim responded. Apparently he didn't mean
to criticize her.
The walnut magician smiled suggestively at Roheim. "You sure you just
don't know yourself, Master Waterwheel?"
Roheim chuckled, neither confirming nor denying his question.
"Hey, don't just laugh! I wanna know!"
"Waterwheel, if I may. I believe he is trying to get the information from
you so that he might leave before the presentation."
"Yeah, 'course I am."
"Is that right, Frederick? Well, please be assured that you would regret
sitting this one out."
"Ugh..."
Despite his attitude, even he didn't dare to speak back to his superiors.
The older gentleman sitting opposite Roheim spoke up. "From your
words, I gather the presentation we are due to witness is not to be sniffed at."
"Indeed, although I'm surprised the Guildmaster hasn't already told you
all about it, Gastarque."
"I've been busy planning our new stronghold, not to mention training up
my disciple. I didn't have the time to ask him." Gastarque turned to the
general sitting next to him, Purce Cremelia. "How about you, Count
Cremelia? Heard anything? You are fairly close to Mr. Abend, aren't you?"
"Nothing this time, I'm afraid, My Lord."
"Is that so? It would appear that anything substantive regarding this
project is being kept closely guarded."
"Oh?"
"Information like this spreads very easily through the routes the
researchers use to procure their materials or consult their documents, or
through the state magicians they ask to assist them. Yet in this case, nobody
even knows who will be presenting; whoever it is has been very careful to
circulate the information to a small and tight-lipped circle."
Purce and the other generals let out a hum of admiration at Gastarque's
deduction.
Roheim looked back at him. "I have heard that the project in question
was not Craib's."
"What? But he's the one who called us here."
"What could this mean?"
"It shan't be long until you all find out. From the looks of things, the
presentation is ready."
The Guildmaster stepped out onto the stage, and all at once the curious
magicians fell silent. Reaching the center of the stage, he began to address the
members in front of him, his voice as stern as ever.
"Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to
join us today." The Guildmaster swept his gaze over the crowd, leaving a
highly-charged tension in its wake.
This man was the leader of the state magicians, and even the generals
respected his authority. The only people in the room who weren't shrinking back were Gastarque, Roheim, and Purce, who looked to be the eldest among
the military representatives.
Aside from them, there was someone who reacted very differently. It was
the young witch in the robe and hat. Arcus studied her closely, his curiosity
piqued.
"That is Mercuria String," Noah whispered in his ear, noticing his
confusion. "I understand what you might be thinking, but she is actually in
her late twenties."
For whatever reason, Mercuria was burying her face in her hands.
Godwald cleared his throat. "Mercuria? What is the matter?"
"I'm sorry, sir! Your face is just too terrifying! I cannot bear to look at
it!"
Arcus felt a prick of pity in his chest for the poor Guildmaster. Godwald
waited patiently until Mercuria slowly began to peer out from under her
fingers.
"C-Can I look now, sir?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I shan't look your way anymore," Godwald lied,
staring right at her.
Mercuria, however, seemed to believe him, and removed her hands from
her face... before swiftly flying into a panic.
"A-Ah! S-S-Sir! You deceived me! You're looking right at me!"
"Simply seeing my face should not fill you with despair!" Godwald
snapped.
"Eeeek! I'm sorry, sir! I'm so sorry! Please! Spare my life!" Mercuria
wailed.
Arcus thought back to the last time they visited the Guild. It seemed there
were a lot of people who decided the Guildmaster was after their blood.
Perhaps he had a very dark past Arcus wasn't aware of. It wasn't too hard to
imagine, given the scar on his face.
"Good show as always, sir," Gastarque said. "Your very existence strikes
fear into the hearts of even us state magicians."
"That... wasn't..." Godwald's eyebrow twitched.
Once he somehow managed to finish up his address, Arcus took to the
stage alongside Craib. His uncle was acting as his guardian today, with Noah
and Cazzy as Arcus's assistants.
The crowd couldn't disguise its surprise at the sudden appearance of a
child and his two unconventional attendants. Craib was the first to speak once everyone was in position.
"I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to be here today."
It took Arcus a split second to realize those words really had come from
his uncle, and no one else. He didn't know Craib was capable of being so
polite, given how blunt he usually was. Undoubtedly it was to do with the
number of people in the audience who outranked him. He recalled the last
time Craib and Purce met; Craib had surprised Arcus the same way.
Once Craib finished speaking, the walnut magician opened his mouth.
"Hey, Crucible! Could ya try and keep things short today? I wouldn't even be
here if it wasn't you and the Guildmaster who summoned us."
"Huh? Who'dya think you are? You saying if Gastarque or Roheim
called you here, you'd have skipped?" Craib asked.
"What? Uh, no, I didn't..." he glanced at the two older magicians, a
stream of flustered excuses gushing from his mouth.
Roheim raised a finger in the air. "Don't worry, Frederick. Every
generation of state magicians has its troublemaker. You've always been
difficult to deal with, and we are very much used to it."
"U-Uh... Um..."
"Look at you, stumbling over your words," Mercuria said.
"Shut your mouth," Frederick grumbled.
"Hold on a second, Roheim," Craib chimed in. "If every generation has a
troublemaker, who was ours?"
"I am sure I do not need to answer that question."
At that, every head in the room turned to look at Craib. It seemed the
rumors were true. Roheim started to chuckle, leaving Craib with a very
uncomfortable look on his face. Since he wasn't speaking back, Arcus
guessed that Roheim was also one of his superiors, just like Godwald.
Craib cleared his throat before sweeping his gaze over the room.
"Alicia's not here for obvious reasons, but has anybody heard from Renault
or Cassim?"
It was Godwald who answered his question. "I'm having Renault keep an
eye on the south, and His Majesty has asked Cassim to keep watch over
Alicia."
"Right. I was hoping everyone would be here, but I guess we'll just put it
down to bad luck."
"Bad luck?" Roheim asked quietly with a raised eyebrow.
"The worst of luck. I can see Renault throwing a fit when he realizes what he missed."
"Renault? Throwing a fit? Are we thinking of the same man?"
"That's exactly how big this announcement is."
Gastarque watched their exchange with great amusement. Arcus
meanwhile, couldn't help but frown. Craib implied there were three
magicians missing tonight, but even counting those three, the numbers didn't
add up.
"Noah," he whispered, "there are twelve state magicians, right, including
Alicia Rotterbell? But that means there are more than just three missing,
doesn't it?"
"Indeed. The remaining two, however, come from and reside in different
kingdoms. Twisted Karma, or Shurelia Rimaleon, is a general of
Sapphireberg, one of Lainur's allied nations. Swift Wind, better known as
His Majesty Al Ritsuellie Baldan, is king of Zelipus, a kingdom which falls
under Lainur's jurisdiction."
"Oh... I didn't know Lainur appointed state magicians from different
nations."
That would explain why they weren't in attendance. Sapphireberg was
one of Lainur's neighbors, but it was still a long way from the latter's capital.
As for the king of Zelipus, it wouldn't be a great look for you to rush off at
the request of another country when you had your own country's problems to
deal with and territory to look after. Then there was the aforementioned issue
of wanting to keep the aethometer a secret within Lainur's borders...
Arcus suddenly realized that the female magician in the white dress was
looking at him. "Who is that young girl with you, Craib? I'm assuming she
must be related, with hair like that."
"Indeed. She looks as though she'll be a stunningly beautiful woman in
five years or so," Gastarque added with an unsettling chuckle.
Arcus began to tremble, but couldn't quite pinpoint why. Perhaps it was
the lecherous glint in the old man's eye.
"Please, Gastarque, he's my nephew."
Frederick's eyes widened. "'Nephew'?! He's a boy? A boy, with a face
like that?! Or is this a wolf in sheep's clothing-type deal?"
Meanwhile, Gastarque was completely stiff for a split second, before he
righted himself. "Oh, I see. He's a boy. Unusually pretty, for a boy. What a
shame!"
The old magician wasn't even trying to hide his disappointment. Arcus wished he would stop sobbing about it. Despite how well he was dressed, he
couldn't conceal his moral bankruptcy. If he wasn't mistaken, the two women
in the room had shifted their chairs ever so slightly away from him.
So this was the real Gastarque Rondiel, the state magician known as
Fortress. He was the most famous magician in the land, and Arcus was a little
disappointed to find out the true nature behind this national hero. He was a
soldier from the previous king's generation, and it was common knowledge
that, without Fortress and his military exploits, Lainur would long have been
absorbed by the more powerful Empire.
...But he was also a freak of the highest order.
Quickly gathering his bearings, Arcus introduced himself with a hurried
bow. "My name is Arcus Raytheft. It's a pleasure to be here."
There was a stir throughout the room. Many of the attendees here likely
knew of him as Joshua's talentless son.
Frederick was the first to voice his confusion. "So what's this nephew of
yours doin' here, then, Craib?"
"He's the one givin' the presentation, that's why."
"What? Really?" Frederick turned to Godwald this time.
"That's right." The Guildmaster nodded. He then stepped forward to stop
the place descending into chaos. "Please, if I may have order. I understand
you might have your doubts; however..."
Sensing what was about to happen, everybody in the Blue Room got to
their feet at the Guildmaster's words.
"In the absence of the usual chair, Renault Einfast, please allow me,
Godwald Sylvester, to whom His Majesty has bestowed the title of
Magician's Guildmaster, to lead the oath instead." Godwald's deep, somber
voice boomed out over the room. "First, however, we have some absentees.
As mentioned already, the fifth state magician, Stronghold: Renault Einfast.
The eighth state magician, Swift Wind: His Majesty, Al Ritsuellie Baldan.
The tenth state magician, Twisted Karma: Shurelia Rimaleon. The eleventh
state magician, Blinding Flare: Cassim Lowry. The twelfth state magician,
Dry Spell: Alicia Rotterbell. The above state magicians cannot be in
attendance for various reasons, and I ask for your understanding on the
matter."
Godwald paused before continuing in a loud voice.
"Please join me. For His Majesty the King!"
"For His Majesty the King!" the room echoed.
The magicians, the military leaders... Everyone in the room swore their
eternal loyalty to the king in one clear voice, their hands on their hearts and
their boots stomped firmly on the floor. The booming tapestry of their voices
seemed to shake the entire building. Arcus felt like the gravity in the room
increased tenfold.
Wh-Whoa...
Darkness seemed to overtake his vision for a split second. Lights flashed
before his eyes. It didn't take him long to realize it was an accumulation of
the intense majesty of every person in the room. He looked at their faces, but
not one of them looked calm any longer. They all seemed to have a
bloodcurdling shadow cast over them. That included the military reps, despite
their former lack of interest in this magical presentation. It fell on the young
witch, who had cowered at the Guildmaster's face; the indolent walnut
magician; the lecherous national hero. Even Craib, who was standing right
next to him, was not exempt.
Every face in the room was so starkly stoic, they almost gave off an air of
a total disconnect from reality. Every last pair of eyes burnt with the
unwavering desire to die for their king, should it come to that. Arcus didn't
need to ask them to know that everyone here was willing to sacrifice their
life, not just for the king, but for their country and its honor too.
They were united by a force stronger than iron. Arcus only managed to
hold on to consciousness because of how much time he spent in Craib's
overwhelming presence.
Just then, Arcus felt Noah's face by his ear. "Are you all right, Master
Arcus?"
"I-I think so. What about you?"
"More or less, although I'm having some difficulty remaining upright."
Cazzy's face looked gaunter by the second. "I wanna go home."
"No."
"You can't."
"I was just sayin'..." He let out a tired sigh.
Arcus could sympathize completely, but if they didn't stand their ground
now, they were essentially throwing years of hard work down the drain.
The pledge finished, Godwald moved on to the main topic. "Today's
presentation concerns the creation of a new device based on research by the
eldest son of the Raytheft house, Arcus Raytheft. It has the potential to
revolutionize this kingdom's magical advancement, and so I would like you all to pay close attention."
"Revolutionize?"
"Correct. That is what I believe."
"Yes, but..."
"I understand you may have your doubts, but please listen to the
presentation first. Arcus, could you step forward?"
"Yes, sir," Arcus replied, stepping up onto the stand Noah prepared for
him.
Though the fact that he needed a stand like this would usually irritate
him, this meeting was too important for him to worry about that now.
Arcus took as deep a breath as he could, holding the air in his lungs for a
moment before speaking. "Today, I would like to introduce you all to a tool
that is capable of measuring aether."
It was finally time for the first step in unveiling his invention to the entire
world.
Arcus had just concluded his opening statement on the aethometer. The
Blue Room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. It wasn't that the
attendees hadn't understood the presentation; far from it. They needed time to
let the vast significance and implications of Arcus's invention sink in.
After a long, long pause, finally the magicians began to stir.
"A-A tool which measures aether?" The magician in the white dress
murmured.
"That certainly is something..." Gastarque remarked.
Next, the walnut-bearing magician came back to his senses, and he
turned towards Craib.
"Hold up, hold up! Is this for real?! Crucible, this isn't some kinda joke,
right?!"
"Gimme some credit. I wouldn't call on the most important folks in the
kingdom for a joke."
"Well, yeah, I know, but...is this...really for real?" Frederick began to
mutter under his breath over and over, as though he couldn't believe his ears.
The tiniest of smug smiles rose to Craib's lips as he witnessed the
confusion Arcus had unleashed within the Guild. "Like I said, Fred, this ain't
a joke. I mean, look, even old man Godwald's here!"
"I-I know. But..."
"Right, so this is clearly real," Roheim cut in. "Now, Craib, does this mean that you—no, that this nephew of yours has actually created said tool?"
Craib nodded. The next moment, the magician in the white dress was on
her feet, leaning across the table. The skidding of her chair was amplified in
the silent room, causing everyone to look at her. They waited patiently for her
to speak, but so far her mouth was just opening and closing like a fish
gasping for air.
"C-Craib," she finally managed. "Is this... It is real, isn't it? I mean..."
"I know it's a shock, Muller. I get it. Just keep listening, and all'll
become clear, yeah?"
"Oh! Yes, I'm sorry... I was just...it really is a surprise." Muller bowed
her head repeatedly at every corner of the room, firing out apologies at a
breakneck pace.
From the looks of things, the presentation had shocked her more than
anyone else, and it seemed like Craib knew exactly why.
Craib turned his gaze back to Frederick. "Hey, Fred. Still wish you sat
this one out?"
"Nope. This is way more interesting than sleep. To think I was gonna
skip, huh? Feel free to praise me for workin' up the motivation."
"Yeah, well done. Now you just gotta keep quiet till the end, 'kay?"
"'Course." Frederick was practically on the edge of his seat at this point.
He sat back down and straightened his back, as if to show that he wasn't
going to move an inch until the presentation was done.
"Oh, that's right, Crucible. You must have been keeping this amazing
thing under wraps all this time."
"Well, yeah. Actually, that was Godwald's fault."
"I beg your pardon?!"
"I mean, it was, right? You said we should keep it quiet for a while."
"Yes, but you needn't make it sound like a bad thing..."
"C'mon, it'd be way nicer to have a Guildmaster who's totally honest,
right?"
"I'll have you know I had very good reasons for suggesting we keep it
quiet!"
Craib seemed to be picking on Godwald in an attempt to lighten the
mood. No one was ready to point out that he was being particularly insolent
to his superior, likely because they were already aware of the bond the two
shared.
"Um... may I start presenting the details now?" Arcus spoke up tentatively.
At those words, Noah smoothly passed his master some documents.
Aside from that, he didn't make any move to help Arcus catch everyone's
attention. He was probably enjoying this as much as they were. The subtle
twitching at the corner of his lip showed as much. Arcus doubted that he'd
ever grow out of this immature streak.
Once he had Craib's and Godwald's permission, Arcus spoke up again.
"Noah, Cazzy, if you please."
His servants nodded, stepping towards the magicians. Each carried a pre-
prepared paper bag.
"There's an aethometer for each magician in these bags, which my
attendants will hand out to you. I would like to ask the non-magicians to pay
close attention too."
Every attendant received a manual, as well as a reference sheet with the
mana required for various words and phrases. The magicians in particular
wasted no time in studying the materials they received.
"What is this?"
"A wooden frame with numbers, a glass tube, and some... red liquid?"
"I haven't seen anything like this before. Although I can't quite see how
it would work..."
Aethometers were being lightly shaken and turned upside down all
around the table. However, thanks to the red liquid's cohesive properties, it
didn't move an inch.
"The liquid inside those tubes is a specially-processed form of Sorcerer's
Silver. If you release a little aether, the colored Silver will react and expand,
moving as far up the tube as the amount of aether that has been released.
Please stand the device upright and try releasing some aether now."
The magicians immediately followed his instructions as the military
leaders looked on with bated breath. The next moment, the room was filled
with gasps.
"Wow!"
"Oh, my!"
"Th-The liquid's moving! A-And you say it's in response to my aether?!"
Every magician was staring at the Sorcerer's Silver as if nothing else in
the room mattered.
"The numbers on the aethometer represent mana, the unit of measure for
aether. Using psychokinesis requires ten mana. If we split the spell into its three components, it's three plus three plus four mana, equaling ten."
The spell's full incantation was: "Guide the object according to my will."
Split into three, it became "Guide," "the object according(ly)," and
"according to my will," with the two final phrases overlapping somewhat.
Each of these components cost roughly three, three, and four mana
respectively.
Psychokinesis was the most basic spell around, and would be as simple
as breathing for the magicians gathered here. They cast it one by one, each
aethometer showing the exact same result. The magicians eagerly began to
compare their aethometers to the mana guides in front of them.
One of the military leaders leaned forward to speak to Muller. "Madame
Quint? Does the tool match up with what it says on that paper there?"
"Yes, indeed it does. It's a perfect match." Muller showed the aethometer
and paper to him.
"You're right..."
Arcus looked at the rest of the magicians. It looked like they were done
explaining to their neighbors, too. Even Frederick was leaning back in his
chair like before, though he seemed to be in a daze of astonishment.
"Maybe I really am sleepin', and this is all a crazy dream..."
"Come on now, if this were a dream you'd have woken up from the
shock. Although you'd likely have gone straight back to sleep," Mercuria
said.
"I guess."
The magicians were still playing around with their aethometers, looking
even more surprised with each consistent result.
"What do you think?" Arcus asked, once the magicians finally started to
calm down. "I'd be happy to answer any questions."
Roheim put his hand up in the air. "Arcus, was it? I'm afraid I have
several questions—is that all right?"
"Ask as many as you like."
Noah leaned in to whisper in Arcus's ear and remind him that this was
Roheim Langula, the state magician known as Waterwheel.
"I know it was already in your explanation, but could you tell us again
about this liquid?"
"Certainly. This is ordinary Sorcerer's Silver, which has been specially
processed and colored with cinnabar. I have yet to give it a name."
"Understood. And from what distance is this tool—this aethometer—
effective?"
"From around three to six-and-a-half feet. Any further than that, and
although it is likely to detect aether, it will not guarantee an accurate
reading."
"In other words, it could not be used for detecting aether."
"That is correct."
"Equally, one of these could not be used dishonestly to learn how much
aether is required for another magician's spells," Roheim said. "What about
measuring aether in continuous increments?"
"I could not recommend that, either. It takes a while for the Silver to
react, so it would be difficult to measure a single spell all at once. You would
get a much more accurate reading by breaking a spell down into its
components and measuring each one by one."
The aethometer was slow, and the Silver needed time to expand and
contract. It would be difficult to keep track of if you were trying to feed it too
much information at once. It wasn't like a speedometer, scales, or indeed a
traditional thermometer, which could react in an instant. Although the
aethometer was sensitive, it was also still rather primitive.
Arcus had toyed with ideas to fix this issue, such as introducing a new
metal into the mix, but the man's memories proved to hold very few solutions
so far.
"So you must take your time in relaying each part of a spell to it. There
aren't many situations where you would need to measure a lot of aether in a
short space of time, so I suppose that's not an issue. Hmm..." Roheim paused.
"Can this special Sorcerer's Silver react to anything other than aether?"
"Not that we know of, no, but we have looked into it. The Silver has been
processed twice, so it shouldn't be affected by heat or humidity, either."
"Does the Silver degrade at all? And what about the other materials?
Would that lead to inconsistent measurements?"
"We're still studying the Silver itself, but the tube is made of glass, so we
can assume that it will deform when cooled or heated rapidly."
"Oh?" A light frown appeared on Roheim's brow.
Arcus still wasn't sure how knowledgeable this world was about the
concept of temperature, particularly freezing point. Magicians knew about
ice, of course, or they couldn't use it in their spells, but Arcus was wary of
speaking in terms specific to the man's world.
The magicians were taking rapid notes, so perhaps Arcus had introduced
them to a new concept.
"What I mean to say is that, yes, the tool can lose accuracy as a result of
its materials degrading. Glass can expand or contract due to rapid temperature
changes, and it can also degrade over time. These situations would cause the
aethometer to lose accuracy."
Arcus was talking about the phenomenon that occurred when glass is
heated to a high temperature before being cooled rapidly. In a thermometer's
case, the heat would cause the glass to expand, but the difference in
temperature from the cooling would be too great for it to return to its original
form, increasing its volume temporarily. Where the mercury inside would
usually have accurately measured zero degrees, with the extra volume, it
would actually show below zero at the same temperature—a false
measurement. In turn, every measurement would show up slightly lower than
it actually was.
An opposite effect was also possible. This was something that occurred
over a long period of time after the thermometer's production. As time went
by, the glass would begin to shrink, slowly decreasing its volume and the
amount of mercury it could hold. This would end up putting pressure on the
mercury and pushing it up, causing the thermometer to display a higher
temperature than it actually was.
As long as the aethometer was made of glass, it was in danger of falling
victim to these twin phenomena.
"In other words, we cannot expect it to remain accurate forever."
"That's right. We're still looking into how long it can measure accurately
for, and so far we've found that it stays accurate for a year at the very least."
"Should we be storing these in any particular way?"
"There are cases where the Silver has remained expanded if it received a shock during use or was stored at an improper angle for too long. I would
recommend storing it as upright as possible."
"I see. May I ask just one more question?" Roheim said. "What exactly is
it about the aether that allows this device to measure it?"
This was it: the most vital part of the aethometer's inner workings. Arcus
was expecting someone to ask him that very question. Unlike other
measuring tools, the aethometer did not measure things directly. It wasn't like
a pair of scales, which directly compared weights, nor a newton meter, which
worked with a spring. It wasn't so much measuring the amount of aether as it
was its value.
It was obvious when you considered the aethometer's roots. Temperature
could not be measured in amounts, either. It held no physical weight. At the
same time, to say that the aethometer measured how much aether was
released was not entirely wrong.
"The aethometer measures how much pressure the released aether
creates, which comes in the form of waves."
There was a stir among the magicians. The military leaders, meanwhile,
had lost track a while ago.
This continued for a while before Roheim opened his mouth again.
"Understood. Simply put, this liquid expands in response to the aether
released, meaning that these numbers represent how much aether there is,
correct?"
"That's right."
Roheim studied his aethometer thoughtfully. Despite what he said about
his question being the last, Arcus was sure he would come up with more.
Arcus tried to anticipate what these questions might be.
If this were a thermometer, he'd probably be asked about using it in
liquids. When a thermometer was placed partway into a liquid, it would read
the temperature from both the liquid and the air around the exposed part at
the same time, leading to an inaccurate measurement. Since the aethometer
only measured pressure and waves, it wasn't vulnerable to this kind of
problem.
Arcus was readying himself for Roheim to throw him a curveball, but
instead the state magician raised his aethometer up to the Sol Glasses in the
ceiling and gazed at it, a twinkle of deep admiration in his eyes.
"It seems so obvious now that it's been invented. If only we dug a little
deeper, perhaps we would have noticed the absence of such a useful tool before." He sighed. "This is a wonderful invention."
He had the air of a man who had at long last achieved his dream after
many, many years of trying. This time, the military leaders began to stir.
"Look! Even Roheim's impressed!"
"This must really be something, then!"
Even if they couldn't follow Arcus's explanation completely, seeing one
of the top state magicians express his admiration made them realize the
gravity of the invention.
Suddenly, one of the generals spoke. "Can I ask something?"
"Of course," Arcus replied.
"There should be research on this sort of thing already. So why has no
one come up with a way to measure aether before?"
"Um..."
As Arcus hesitated, Roheim raised a finger. "Allow me to explain. In the
past, there have been several forays into measuring aether. For example, a
previous study relied on using aether to push up water in a container and
comparing it to a measure. However, due to varying amounts of excess aether
getting mixed up in the air and surrounding water, the results were never
consistent. Unable to overcome this hurdle, research on measuring aether has
been stuck ever since."
"I-I see." The general nodded.
Another general turned to Muller. "So, what exactly does this mean?"
"Until now, magicians had to rely on their intuition to determine how
much aether was needed for each word and phrase in their incantations. With
this, we will be able to determine the needed amount accurately and
objectively. This will make mastering magic several times... no, at least ten
times faster!"
"It's that amazing?"
"It'll also make switching between troops on the battlefield that much
easier, as the magicians in the field will no longer have to work out or
remember how much aether they need to cast their spells."
"It also means that it will be easier to pass down spells to the next
generation. Very handy for someone like me, who's already got one foot in
the grave."
"I'm hoping, Gastarque, that you will still be able to serve this country
for many years to come. You are one of our best magicians."
"You'd think I would have done enough to earn my retirement by now,"
Gastarque replied with a gentle smile.
"With this," Mercuria burst out suddenly, "the very nature of magic has
changed! The Guildmaster was right! This is revolutionary! It's a
masterpiece!"
The magicians were overcome with excitement, just as Craib, Noah, and
Godwald had been when they had first laid eyes on the aethometer. They
were like children on a field trip, while the military generals discussed the
usefulness of this new invention among themselves.
"What sort of effects do you think this will have on the future of magical
technologies, Roheim?"
"Now that we have a way of measuring aether, we will be able to
standardize all forms of magical advancements. All sorts of output, from
human resources to production, will become more efficient and therefore
accelerated."
"Yes, yes! It will help those magicians who struggle with controlling
their magic, and allow us to train many more to enter our military forces! Our
national and military strength will be through the roof!"
"Really?!"
"Yes," Roheim confirmed. "I have no doubt."
With the mention of military power, the generals were finally starting to
understand the aethometer's full potential. Only now were they beginning to
look really interested.
Just then, Arcus noticed Muller drawing back slightly, her gaze slightly
downcast under her long bangs. On closer inspection, she was trembling.
Whether from surprise, excitement, or pure emotion, Arcus couldn't tell, but
she was clearly having trouble suppressing her delight.
"This will do absolute wonders for the medical sector. Treating wounds
has always required a very even distribution of aether and a level of control
that very few magicians are capable of. But with this, so many more could
learn to be healers... and so many people will be saved because of it."
Muller must have worked in the medical sector. If that was the case,
Arcus could well understand how excited she must have been. He himself
had already considered how helpful his invention would be in healing people,
although it admittedly wasn't one of the first uses that crossed his mind.
Suddenly, Muller leapt to her feet. "You... You have invented something
truly wonderful, young man!"
"Th-Thank you!"
"Please allow me to thank you on behalf of the entire medical sector! The
very announcement of your device has already removed one of the greatest
roadblocks in magical medicine!"
"N-No, I am grateful that you are here!" Arcus replied, not knowing what
else to say.
It was likely a habit he picked up from his dream: the habit to say thank
you or apologize, often for no reason at all. It usually resulted in a long back-
and-forth of sorries and thank yous.
"When are you gonna start selling these doodads?" Frederick asked.
"Come on. You just want him to tell you you're allowed to take it home
with you."
"Well, yeah. I wanna give this baby a spin soon as I can."
"This isn't something that can be sold. It's far too precious for that."
"Yes, yes! With something as powerful as this, the king could lose his
head!"
"The aethometers I have handed out are yours to keep," Arcus cut in.
"You mean it?!"
"Yes. I even have a spare for each of you, in case your aethometers
become inaccurate due to the factors I spoke about before."
"You gotta be yanking my chain! Don't come crying to me later if you're
kidding right now and I've already taken it with me!"
"I am being completely serious. Please, everyone, feel free to take it with
you."
The magicians broke out into cheers at the unexpected, but extremely
welcome, development.
"I must warn you now that any attempt to sell it on the black market, or
any instances of your aethometer going 'missing,' will result in severe
punishment. Please look after them very, very carefully," Godwald added in
his booming voice.
Of course, every person here was hand-picked precisely because they
would not do that sort of thing, but that didn't stop him from giving the
warning.
"How many of these can you make?" This time, the generals were asking
the questions.
"Good point. It doesn't look too complex, so we'll have them in the
military soon, right?"
"It'll be good if we can get some of these to the nobles at the borders, too."
"I'm sure His Majesty'd have something to say about that! He'll want to
see anyone who requests one of these to make sure they won't abuse it!"
Aside from the national armed forces, several nobles kept their own
private militaries. For the most part, they answered only to those nobles,
making them risky candidates for handing over aethometers.
"In that case, we should prioritize the national army!"
"No!" Muller objected. "We should prioritize the medical sector!"
"Yes, medicine is important too, but we are talking about national
security over here!"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot agree! Do not forget that this would help tend to
injured soldiers as well!"
"Well, yes, but—"
"Please, General Ruedmann, try and understand my position!"
Arcus wasn't surprised to see a fight breaking out between the magicians
and the military.
"May I say something?" he said.
"Hm? What is it?"
"The Guild is already in possession of five hundred aethometers, each
complete with a manual."
"F-Five hundred?!"
Both the general and Muller gawked at him.
"Plenty to go around, then," Roheim said. "I'm happy to see you planned
for this."
"Does this mean our troops will be equipped with them immediately,
Guildmaster?"
"We won't have enough for every magician, but in theory, we would be
ready to send some to each unit as early as tomorrow."
"A-And what about the hospitals?!"
"There are more than enough for them too. Of course, we must first
decide how to distribute and manage the stock. Please allow us the time to do
so."
"Would you mind lending me a few, Godwald? I still have so many
spells I would like to teach my sons."
"Yes, of course."
Gastarque held a long catalog of spells that only he fully understood, and
it was in the best interests of the kingdom that he passed them down.