12 – Chaos Wand

[Kaleidus]

"That's true. Well, helping you isn't out of the question, but I can't be her bodyguard for years or however long Reconquista is around, you know? I have things to do, places to be."

I kicked myself away from the tree and walked closer to her, speaking seriously.

"This protection needs to be better defined. What I can do is extract her from Albion to Tristain outside of Reconquista's domain, and you can take over from here. If you want me to remove Reconquista as a threat permanently, that will cost you more than just the ring..."

She shook her head quickly. "That won't be necessary. If you can help me get her to Tristain alive and unharmed, that would be enough. But I need your word that you won't turn against us once you learn who she is, or after we arrive in Tristain. You must leave us in peace once our deal is over."

"I can't give you blanket immunity forever, but I can agree not to betray you on the mission, or target you two specifically after. If you get in my way on your own, if you side with my future enemies, then all bets are off," I said.

For a moment, she hesitated, staring at me. Then she nodded. "Fine."

I chose not to seal the deal with a Geas, and simply shook her hand. In this case, I had little to gain from enforcing a Geas, and it would be difficult to make one that worked effectively. The central component of Geas was consent—specifically to the conditions and the penalty that gave me power over them. In my early experiments with the curse, I had learned that spoken agreement and coerced consent didn't count. Essentially, for a Geas to work, they had to be willing to follow through on the penalty anyways even without a curse enforcing it, and that generally didn't work for business deals.

It was a bit of a catch-22, but where it worked wonders was making sure people couldn't change their minds later, or if they didn't realize the full implications of what they were agreeing to, such as in the case of Saito.

O O O

The next day, there was a path through the forest where it looked like a great battle had taken place.

Many trees were bent and uprooted as if hit by a golem, and others were cut apart cleanly as if a sword had sliced through.

Fouquet had lost the cloak, while her clothes were dishevelled and dirty.

I carried the form of 'Miss Longueville' back to the Academy along with the 'Staff of Destruction'.

When we arrived, there was a crowd of staff members gathered at the Vestri court, looking up at the destroyed wall to the vault.

They cried out in shock as I landed.

Colbert ran over to support and fuss over Miss Longueville as I set her on the ground.

I proceeded to weave a grand tale, starting with Miss Longueville going out for a stroll in the garden last night and noticing the theft. A story of how she came to me for help, believing that only a great hero like me could stop someone as dangerous as Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, who had boasted gleefully to her about stealing the Staff of Destruction before taking off.

The staff were enthralled by the epic chase and battle that ensued.

"Regretfully, I allowed Fouquet to escape in the end, after taking the Staff of Destruction from him, as I believed it too risky to continue fighting Fouquet when Miss Longueville's safety was also at stake, and sealing away this weapon of mass destruction was the highest priority," I said. "It was very wise of Miss Longueville to come to me, for the Staff of Destruction's power is great, and I shudder to think what may have become of anyone who dared to fight Fouquet without my experience and skills."

"I believe you made the right decision, Sir Axion. I witnessed the power of the Staff of Destruction firsthand many years ago, as I saw it kill a full grown dragon with but a single spell," said Osmond.

Once again, the group looked at me with awe.

I handed the rocket launcher to Osmond, then spoke again. "It seems that the Staff has a limited number of uses. Fouquet was only able to use it once. I could not be sure, so I did not take the risk that I was wrong."

"Why, that is definitely possible. I don't know very much about the Staff myself," Osmond said looking over the M72 LAW curiously.

Then he smiled at the gathered teachers. "Nevertheless, this is wonderful news! Isn't it, everyone? No need to blame anyone anymore, for Sir Axion has taken care of the problem for us!"

O O O

Things went back to normal afterward.

The deadline for Fouquet to bring back the Staff of Destruction was still a couple of weeks away. And because our plan now was to extract the target to safety in Tristain, Fouquet had to maintain her job at the school. Additionally, she couldn't let me go to the target by myself, so we decided to schedule the operation for the next Void Day, in less than a week's time.

The days passed quickly as I researched the local magic and trained Louise. I never taught her anything except to give her pointers on how to refine her own existing capabilities, but she was more than satisfied with our lessons, as she'd never gotten that kind of attention from any other teacher.

As her control improved, I introduced the concept of creating new incantations.

"Incantations are not an inherent part of most spells. Unless it's to invoke a specific system, they are just ways for you to help focus your will, a sort of hypnotic device."

"Really? But the school teaches us that they're necessary. Only the strongest mages can cast without them, and even then, they think the incantation in their minds." Although she protested, her eyes were attentive and showed a willingness to accept my teachings.

"Well, to say that they're purely a hypnotic device isn't entirely accurate either. The theory behind this is very complex so I won't go into detail, but over the course of millennia, the incantations that have been passed down have gained [Conceptual Weight] in the magic system through accumulated belief and repeated use. Therefore, by performing the same actions, you are also invoking the [Ritual of Casting the Spell], which makes it far easier to cast. In your case, however, we are essentially inventing new spells personalized to you, therefore using the ancient incantations will only hinder you in the long-run."

I said all this with the utmost seriousness despite not being sure of the theory myself. They were theories from Nasuverse magecraft that may or may not be applicable elsewhere, and controversial among magi even in Nasuverse.

"Then what should I do?"

"Make your own."

"Hah? But…how?" She looked at me dumbly.

"Just think of any words you like, whether in a real language or a made up one, then use it as the incantation. Try to match the length of the incantation to how long it takes for you to mentally focus the spell structure, and give the spells new names."

In the end, she did what I told her to. Even if it was a placebo though, with more practice she got better.

O O O

"Partner, this body is perfect! Perfect!" Derf exclaimed from inside the sword I grew with my Armoriont. It was made of the same cellulose nanocrystal of my armour, but without a nervous system or organized living cell network.

At first, I was a bit hesitant to discard the old sword because of its potential to have high Mystery as an ancient weapon. Mystery was an extremely useful thing that accumulated with age, causing the trope "older is better" to have a basis in reality, at least with magical phenomena. It was a sort of natural magic resistance, and even resistance to physical laws, warping the world.

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed as Derf informed me that he had switched swords every few decades. There was absolutely nothing special about the rusty sword he was in when I found him at the shop.

This new sword was superior to the old one in every way, except one. It didn't have a good cutting edge, nor could it be sharpened effectively. My Armoriont was simply not capable of growing so sharp an edge, and the other powerful properties of the nanocrystal relied on a molecular structure that could not be sharpened with grindstones like steel could.

"I can even feel that my capacity for absorbing magic is a hell of a lot higher! It's coming back to me now…my limit goes up when decorated with jewels. I guess the stuff this blade's made of counts as a huge jewel," Derf continued with an excited tone.

If that was true, then perhaps I spoke too soon. The sword could be sharpened by Derf with magic, so the extra magic would more than make up the difference.

Were Saito the one using the sword as he was meant to, he couldn't easily charge it up, nor could Louise charge Derf without risking the sword simply exploding. I and Agate, on the other hand, could channel magical energy directly into Derf after processing od or mana through our circuits.

"Let's get started then!" Agate flew over to touch Derf's new form and immediately started processing magical energy.

"Oohh! Ahhh! Yes! Keep going! More! More! The last time I've had so much magic running through me on a regular basis was with Sasha thousands of years ago! Hahahah…the true legendary Derflinger is back, just like old times baby!"

"Hm? Who's Sasha?"

"Eh? I don't remember. Someone strong, I think."

When Derf was powered up enough to do some tests, I was very satisfied with the results, and that was putting it mildly. If we kept this up and charged him every day until he reached his limit…

O O O

Once Saito was healthy again, he joined in on Louise's lessons. I gave him Derf's old sword after I polished the rust and bad edges away.

"What's going on? I thought Lord Derflinger wasn't in here anymore," he said. "Why do I still feel so powerful when holding this sword?"

"Derf gave you a small boost, but the power was within you all along. You are Gandalfr. That superhuman power will activate whenever you are holding any weapon."

"So it was really my own power that duel…?"

"That's right. As I told you, Derf has the power to destroy magic. That was my main reason for lending him to you for the duel. No matter how physically superior or skilled you are, what do you think would happen if you try to fight a magic golem with a common weapon, especially when your opponent is an Earth mage?"

Saito's mouth formed an O in understanding. "The weapon would break! Right, they mentioned in class that Earth mages could transmute materials and make them harder or softer."

"Exactly. Guiche was weak, but against more powerful mages, physical ability alone won't be enough. Know your enemy and know yourself, otherwise you will be imperiled in every battle. As Gandalfr, you will gain great power when holding a weapon, but that's also your weakness. If you lose your weapon, or if it breaks, you return to normal."

"Got it. I should probably carry backup weapons then," Saito said nodding.

"Now let's begin. We'll start with a simple spar. Come at me with the intent to kill," I said.

"You sure?" He asked, face looking dubious. "What if I hurt you?"

"If you don't use your full power, you won't stand a chance."

"Well…alright," he said, getting into a ready stance. When he noticed that I wasn't getting into a similar stance, he asked, "Um…aren't you going to draw your sword?"

"If you can make me draw it, I will," I said with a smirk, and made a come hither motion "Now come at me whenever you're ready!"

"You'll regret saying that!" He yelled as he shot forward.

He moved impressively fast, though I had already expected it from watching his duel.

I dodged a few of his slashes, though they were close.

Then I parried his sword with my gauntlet, and stepped in. A simple push to his chest sent him stumbling backwards, though I didn't seize the advantage.

"Shit!" He took up another stance warily once he caught his footing again. "You actually know how to fight."

"Did you think all mages were like Guiche, relying solely on their spellcasting?"

"I kinda did think that, but I also expect you to be different. You look like someone who can get up close and personal," he circled around me with hawkish eyes. "But I'm not done yet."

Another charge that came even faster than before, and I was hard pressed to continue dodging the flurry of strikes that followed, instead having to parry the blows.

A short distance away, Louise had stopped practicing her spells to gawk at our sparring, which must have looked like a whirlwind of action.

The agility of Saito's limbs was higher than even my basic Armoriont boosted speed without magical reinforcement. His strength, however, was not even close to me despite being enhanced, nor was his body's durability, which wasn't much better than a baseline human.

I tossed a few test punches at him, and determined that his reflexes were excellent, though his overall skill level was amateurish at best. It seemed that the runes gave him the knowledge to use the weapon, but did not grant actual mastery of it.

Finally, I ended the bout by simply grabbing the sword, which couldn't hope to scratch my armour.

"What the—?" He struggled with both hands on the hilt, his wide eyes locked on my single hand that held the blade edge in an iron grip.

He was distracted enough that he didn't dodge my palm strike, which this time had some serious force behind it.

The force of the push took his feet off the ground as he lost his grip on the sword and landed sprawling on the ground.

Saito groaned and cursed while lying there. "I can't believe it…how are you that strong? That's not human!"

"Magic, obviously."

Louise's face turned indignant as she reprimanded Saito. "Of course Lord Axion is strong! He's an elite knight, nothing like that idiot Guiche! Lord Axion must be at least Square-class!"

"I don't use that ranking system, so I don't know how powerful I am compared to a Square-class mage. Still, Louise is right. Your own new power is a result of magic, so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that I can enhance myself too. Well, I doubt any mages here can reach my level of physical ability, but the point remains."

"Ugh…I'll keep that in mind," said Saito, sitting up.

"We'll take a break, and I'll tell you what you should work on. I've a good idea of what your runes can do now."

O O O

The power of the Gandalfr runes was somewhat disappointing to me.

With just this much, how could he possibly battle an army of 70,000? Was it really just Derflinger that allowed him to perform that feat, or was I missing something…? I cursed that I did not know either the novel or anime stories very well.

Louise, on the other hand, was very dangerous. I tested her explosions against a piece of armour I grew and detached, and she had no trouble destroying it. If the armour was Reinforced, then she couldn't target and blow it up directly with the newly named 'Detonate' due to magic resistance, but she could still destroy it with the 'Blast' created from her failed Fireballs.

Luckily a heavily magic charged Derf could withstand a Blast, and even absorb some of its power.

As for myself and Agate, we never managed to cast any local magic, even with using the local wands and staves. We did, however, learn to use the wind stones to fly and make a strong breeze.

Moreover, we learned something peculiar about the wands and staves we investigated. By channeling processed magical energy from my circuit into the foci before using it to actualize a mystery, the mystery gained varying amounts of strength.

It didn't do anything for Agate, but after a series of experiments, we concluded that the wands were acting as external artificial magic circuits that possessed only one of the features of internal soul circuits. They were not connected to the soul or the Root to generate od, nor could they actively draw in ambient mana for a spell, but they could amplify the mystic potential of magical energy.

In other words, if a magus had very low quality circuits, they could use such wands to enhance their spellcasting a little bit after first using their own circuits to generate magical energy from od and mana.

Although Agate's circuits could serve the same function for me, these wands could be a useful backup, and I investigated the theory and method of their construction.

Physically, it was just carefully crafted wood. What made them magical was the inclusion of mage's blood through a ritual. My own blood apparently didn't qualify—I tried and it didn't work. But the quality of the wand supposedly corresponded directly with the potential of whichever mage the blood came from, so I took some from Louise.

The ritual itself was supposed to need willpower to cast, but we somehow got it to work after extensive experimentation.

How? Well, it all started when Agate had the bright idea of seeing if Derf could absorb Chaos energy. While we didn't risk phasing Derf directly into Agatespace, Agate phased some other objects into Agatespace to collect Chaos energy so that Derf could absorb it from the object once she phased it back.

As it turns out, he could absorb a small amount of it, though in his own words, "I feel like I'm having indigestion…"

He could use the Chaos energy for a quick boost, but wouldn't be able to use any powers for over half an hour afterward.

So Agate suggested that we try using Chaos energy to substitute for the ritual and see what happens. We did, and it failed spectacularly when the wand exploded in a bloody mess shortly after being brought back from Agatespace.

However, inanimate objects didn't normally explode like that when saturated with Chaos energy—only brains did.

The reaction showed that something was going on, and so we experimented with it until we figured out that Reinforcing the wand would stabilize the destructive effects of the Chaos energy to an extent, until it could dissipate. By finding the right balance and timing of exposure to Agatespace, it somehow worked in the end.

Once my new wand was completed, further testing showed that its quality in mystic amplification was roughly on par with Agate's own A+ Rank magic circuits.

The only 'problem' was that the wand had the side effect of causing spells to explode violently, just like Louise's own spells. It was extremely effective when casting Reinforcement Break. It turned the windstone breeze spell into an air blast while the wind flight spell turned into a shockwave of air pressure that exploded outwards from me in every direction.

Now wands and staves were actually fairly expensive at 500 écu each for the cheapest low quality ones, so I couldn't actually buy anything useful. But they weren't a pressing concern either, considering how few spells I could cast, so I could just wait to make a new one if the opportunity to get a high level mage's blood arose.

O O O