Yep, it’s broken. Definitely broken. Feeling the jolt run through my palms, I cautiously peeked inside my clasped hands, and just as I’d sensed, there sat the material, split cleanly in two. As I was wondering what to do, the mage asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Uh, well, it seems to have broken.”
There was no point in staying quiet about it, so I hesitantly told the truth and showed them the cracked material. “What!?” they exclaimed, their face full of surprise. That reaction drew the attention of all the other mages around us, who turned to look at me in unison. Uh, what’s that about? That’s kind of scary. Stop staring.
While everyone, including the Director, froze in place, the mage looked at my hands and muttered in a daze, “It’s broken, huh.” Then they, too, froze, still muttering. Look, I don’t care who does it, but someone please do something about this situation.
“What you tried to enchant was mitigation of attribute magic, right?”
At that moment, I turned toward a voice from behind that felt like a gift from the heavens. Standing there was someone with smooth silver hair and blue-gray eyes that seemed vaguely familiar, framed by intellectual-looking glasses. I couldn’t help but mentally tack on a respectful “-sama” to their title, probably because of the cool aura they exuded and the fact that their voice had just broken the deadlock. Ignoring my gaze entirely, Intellectual Glasses-sama picked up the broken material from my palm and examined it closely.
“Was it really just mitigation of attribute magic?”
“Well, no…”
Their tepid glance sent a shiver down my spine, and I instinctively straightened up. It felt like I was a student facing a teacher.
“What did you try to enchant?”
“Um, well… I thought raising magic resistance might work for all attributes, so I tried that…”
“With this material, it wouldn’t have enough capacity.”
Saying that, Intellectual Glasses-sama selected another material from the box on the table. It was a black stone, about 6.5 millimeters in diameter. That’s twice the size of the last one. Is it really okay to use something this big? It’s got to be pretty pricey, right? I glanced at the mage, who looked surprised too. The Director as well, for that matter.
“Is that okay?”
I asked, looking between the material and Intellectual Glasses-sama’s face. They nodded and handed it to me. I took it, cupped it in both hands like before, and channeled mana into it while praying for increased magic resistance. The material briefly felt warm, but the sensation quickly faded. Did it work this time? Hesitantly, I opened my hands, and there it was, intact, looking just as it had before. It was so unchanged that I doubted whether it had actually succeeded. As I stared at it, Intellectual Glasses-sama picked it up from my palm again, just like last time.
“‘Appraisal.’”
The spell they quietly cast was the rare Appraisal magic, said to be usable by only a few people. I’d heard there were a handful of people in the Court Mage Corps who could use it, and it seems Intellectual Glasses-sama is one of them. Impressive.
As I watched, the corner of their mouth, which had been as expressionless as a Noh mask since their heavenly intervention, lifted ever so slightly. The faint smile vanished quickly, returning to the mask-like face, and they said, “It’s a success.” At that, the surrounding mages erupted into cheers of “Ohh!” Thank goodness, it worked this time. As I sighed in relief, another material was suddenly held out in front of me. Tracing the hand offering it, I saw it was Intellectual Glasses-sama again. Tilting my head in confusion, they opened their mouth and said, “Next…” Wait, there’s more? For now, I took the material, which was about the same size as the first one I’d used.
Translator’s Note
A Noh mask (能面, Nōmen) is an expressionless wooden masks used in traditional Japanese Noh theater, symbolizing neutrality or stoicism here.
“Poison mitigation effect.”
“Yes.”
Their commanding tone left no room for argument, and I nodded obediently. This time, I enchanted it exactly as instructed. Intellectual Glasses-sama’s judgment was spot on, and it finished without breaking. When I opened my hands, they picked up the completed core and cast Appraisal magic on it. It must have had the exact effect they’d asked for, because they nodded in satisfaction and held out yet another material. I took it, and they curtly stated the next effect to enchant. I quietly followed their instructions, and perhaps pleased by that, they kept handing me more materials one after another. I kept enchanting each one with the effects they specified. They appraised each enchanted core, confirming that every single one had the correct effect. It turned into a steady routine. Sure, enchanting isn’t that much effort, but still. What are we going to do with so many of these?
At first, the instructions were for mitigation effects like poison mitigation or attribute magic mitigation, but at some point, they started mixing in nullification effects like poison nullification or paralysis nullification. Eventually, they even told me to add two effects at once, though still within the mitigation category.
Somewhere along the way, my MP ran low, but I noticed a mid-tier MP potion had been discreetly placed nearby. It seems the mage who’d been watching everything had kindly provided it. Five bottles, no less… That’s a decent amount, and I drank them all. Took a little break while I was at it. For some reason, potions don’t fill your stomach, so you can drink as many as you want without worrying. Still, it was a lot. Yeah. Especially since someone was standing next to me, holding the next material and waiting while I drank.
“So, how long do I keep doing this?”
After finishing yet another enchantment and thinking it might be time to head back to the institute, I asked Intellectual Glasses-sama. The enchanted cores, delivered like items on a conveyor belt, were neatly lined up in front of them. Looking at the number, they nodded with a “hmph,” then walked over to a locked shelf by the wall and pulled out an especially large material. It was a transparent stone, over a centimeter in size. That’s not a diamond, is it? The sheer size of the material made some of the surrounding mages gulp audibly. Director, your mouth’s hanging open.
“This is the last one. Status ailment nullification, magic attack nullification, physical attack nullification.”
Wait, three effects? And all nullifications? I was shocked, but so was everyone else around me. I wanted to tell them their eyes would pop out if they opened them any wider. I started thinking about whether it was doable as instructed. Magic attack nullification and physical attack nullification didn’t seem like they could coexist. Hmm, but if it was magic resistance boost and physical defense boost, I might be able to manage all three at once.
“Magic attack nullification and physical attack nullification don’t seem compatible. I think I could do it with magic resistance boost and physical defense boost, though.”
“I see. Then go with that.”
They approved my suggestion, so I enchanted it with status ailment nullification, magic resistance boost, and physical defense boost. The heat in my palms was stronger than before, and it took longer, but I managed to complete it. I handed the finished core to Intellectual Glasses-sama, who appraised it and confirmed the enchantment. The slight upturn of their mouth suggested it had the exact effects they’d wanted. Immediately, the mages who’d been watching with bated breath started buzzing with excitement. As I let out a relieved sigh, the Director said, “Good work.” Yeah, the subtle tension wore me out more than usual. I’d love to get back to the institute and have a cup of tea.
“Here’s your reward for today.”
As the Director and I were about to leave the buzzing Court Mage Corps barracks, Intellectual Glasses-sama held out a black stone. It was the first one I’d made, the magic resistance boost one. A reward, huh… This would cost a pretty penny if you bought it, right? Is this really okay?
“Is that all right?”
“It’s fine. You’ve earned it with your work.”
“I see.”
Since they said it was fine, I gratefully accepted it. For a moment, I thought the stone in my palm glinted.
The secret title of this chapter is “Intellectual Glasses-sama.” I debated making it a subtitle but decided against it.