"Since you all must kill the Demon King, we will buy as much time as we can for you to become stronger, while providing the maximum support the empire can offer," said the Emperor.
It was amusing, but there was nothing they could do about the situation. They couldn't exactly say, "Well, that's actually our plan."
The audience with the Emperor had finished, and the holiday had begun. Soon, the last day of the year was approaching.
On the day the year changed, a small party was held at the A-class dormitory, attended by like-minded individuals.
I prepared the food, and everyone, except for Bertus, had gathered. Today, even the notoriously clueless trio and Clifman joined in the fun at the cafeteria.
I cooked, and Ellen helped by my side.
"Ah, no... Reinhardt, you... you made all this?"
"What's impossible about it?"
As it was the first time the clueless trio had tasted my cooking, their eyes widened in surprise. Cliffman, who had occasionally snuck bites of my food, didn't seem particularly shocked.
It was a day filled with eating and having fun.
Of course, the true troublemaker, Liana de Grantz, who had surpassed our wildest expectations, went on an expedition to bring alcohol from the duke's mansion.
"Pour it up!"
"Drink up!"
Naturally, no one else even took a sip, but Liana and I drank heavily and became quite drunk before being subdued by Ellen and Harriet, respectively.
Thankfully, due to being subdued early, there were no unfortunate incidents with the supervising teachers discovering us.
The new year had dawned.
Since Sarkegaar was in contact with the revolutionary forces, and Eleris could ask for the Vampire Council's help at any time, we decided to stay in the imperial city.
I wanted to accompany Ellen to her hometown, but the circumstances wouldn't allow it.
It was a shame.
"You can go alone."
"Who doesn't know that?"
I walked beside Ellen, who was dragging a large trunk.
I didn't know when Ellen would return from her hometown, but she would be away for at least a few weeks.
The temple had long since been left behind, and all Ellen had to do was enter the huge gate in front of the temple.
Moreover, since she could use the royal crest to get a free pass, there was no need to wait.
It would be nice if she could pass through the gate quickly.
But somehow...
I felt a pang of sadness.
She would leave right after the holiday started.
Ellen's hometown was a rural village so remote that it didn't even appear on maps.
Ellen glanced at me while dragging her trunk, with the gate visible in the distance.
"I'll go."
"Uh-huh."
Ellen tilted her head, noticing my intense gaze.
"Should I... not go?"
"Uh?"
"If you tell me not to go, I won't."
This is insane.
Why would she throw me such a curveball?
"No, you should go. Your parents must be worried since they haven't seen you in a long time."
Ellen's parents would undoubtedly be concerned about their daughter's well-being. I have a lot to do, and I might be away from the imperial city for several days, so it wouldn't make sense for me to selfishly ask Ellen to stay.
It was because she had come this far with me. Ellen stared at the gate for a while, then at me.
Suddenly, she pointed to a café in the distance.
"Should I leave a little later?"
She said there was no rush, so she could kill some time and then go.
"Okay."
At my sharp response, Ellen grinned.
In the end, we spent nearly six hours at the café, sipping on beverages and idling away the time before she finally departed.
It wasn't as if we had shared any particularly exciting stories. We just sat there, staring blankly at the passersby and occasionally ordering a dessert to snack on.
"..."
"..."
This felt like a soldier on leave who was reluctant to return to duty and separate from his girlfriend. Of course, the roles were reversed. Ellen was the one leaving, and I was the one staying.
Unable to make a decision, Ellen tilted her head as the time grew more ambiguous.
"Should I just leave tomorrow?"
I swallowed down the words that almost came out in agreement.
"…No, I'm sure we'll do this again tomorrow, and you'll end up leaving the day after. Just go now."
"…"
Ellen pouted slightly.
"I don't mean it like that. I'm just saying it'll end up like that."
"I know what you mean."
We continued to waste time until Ellen finally stood in front of the gate.
"I'll be back."
"Alright, take care."
I didn't know what she had to be careful of, but I said it anyway.
"You too, be careful. With everything."
Ellen nodded and walked towards the massive warp gate.
Feeling a sense of regret, I watched her until she disappeared through the gate.
Before entering the gate, Ellen glanced back at me, gave a small wave, and disappeared into it.
I don't know how to put it.
Ellen and I...
We're awfully clingy...
Not that it's a bad thing...
"Is it safe to try this?"
"They haven't finished safety tests yet. What will you do if something goes wrong?"
"Would it kill me?"
"Yep, it might."
"Oh... really..."
I brought the bottle containing an unidentified blue potion to my lips, then set it down.
The Magic Research Club's mansion.
I was here to check the progress of Moonshine and the power cartridges.
It felt as if I were some sort of supervisor, but my actual role wasn't much different, considering I was the president of the Magic Research Society.
Christina, an alchemy major, said she had somewhat grasped the concept, so I tried to taste it, but she warned me that it might be lethal, so I put it down for now.
"So, when do you think it'll be complete?"
"Um, I can't be sure. Honestly, I think it's a miracle that we've come this far..."
Christina believed it was unbelievable that she had come this far. And she had a point. The Magic Research Society had been established less than six months ago.
It was true that, even in the original work, this was something that was created quite quickly. So, I'm confident that it will be completed before this vacation ends.
"It's amazing... I know it's funny to say this, but... it feels like fate. There's something like that."
A seemingly impossible item was ordered to be created. However, while working on it, Christina seemed to feel a sense of destiny as she figured out how it could be done.
"Then it's a good thing."
"Yep."
I can't go as far as to discuss the fact that I know the future.
Christina is not the problem.
The problem is somewhere else.
"Reinhardt..."
"...Uh, why?"
"Would you like to try this...?"
Anna de Gerna.
She was one of the main characters in the alchemy experiments with Christina, and she was the problem. Anna presented me with an unidentified pink fluorescent substance with a gloomy expression.
"Wha... What is this?"
"It's good for your body..."
"Oh, no. I... I'm healthy enough, so I don't need to be better... I... I'm sorry."
She's so scary!
Every time I come here, she subtly tries to feed me something, but her intentions never seem pure!
I can't mess with her like I do with Liana. Although she seems to have some goodwill towards me, I have no idea what kind of things she might do if this goodwill turns into malice.
"Anna! Stop trying to feed Reinhardt weird stuff!"
Thankfully, Christina stopped Anna, and Anna put the medicine bottle back into her arms with a sullen expression.
"Tsk..."
Really scary...
Every time I come here, I firmly resolve not to eat anything accidentally.
Next up was, of course, the power cartridge. The purpose of the Magic Research Society was mainly focused on Moonshine and power cartridges.
-Uuung
In the basement of the mansion, designed to withstand the greatest shock, Harriet was concentrating intensely with her eyes closed, holding an artifact made of blue crystal.
-Uuuung!
The blue artifact vibrated, emitting light and pulsating.
Adelia, myself, and the little senior, Rudina, were watching it, holding our breaths.
The vibration from the blue-lit artifact gradually intensified.
-Kukkak!
-Kyak!
In the end, the power cartridge exploded and shattered into pieces. Harriet wasn't injured due to the protection field she had deployed, but if it had exploded without protection, it would have been a terrifying explosion, enough to blow away an arm.
"...It exploded again."
Adelia sighed as if the ground was collapsing.
"Does it explode often?"
"Almost."
Isn't the process too dangerous? Although the explosion was defended by the protection, Harriet, with her hair sticking out, came out of the safe room.
"Why are you doing it so dangerously?"
"...If not like this, then how else should it be done?"
In response to my reproach, Harriet placed her hand on her waist and challenged me as if to say, "If there's another way, show it to me."
"Well, I can't argue with that... But still, it's because we're worried."
"I know you're worried, but there's no other way."
In the Magic Research Club, Harriet has the most outstanding ability to handle magic power. Therefore, only Harriet can attempt to use the unstable magic power within the cartridge like the magic power within her body.
If an unskilled person fails, it would be unclear whether the failure is due to their lack of magic power control or a defect in the cartridge itself.
That's why Harriet has always been in charge of the power cartridge experiments.
Recently, while they've managed to store magic power in the cartridge, there seems to be a problem with its utilization.
Every time a cartridge explodes, so does their budget.
"What could be the problem?"
"I felt the artifact's magic power resonate with my physical body, but it's still weak. When I try to cast magic, it seems like the circuitry can't withstand it."
"Is it a matter of durability?"
"It doesn't seem to be just that."
"Underclassmen! Let's review the circuit design!"
The three magic major students mumbled incomprehensibly. Nevertheless, it seemed they had made some progress and entered the intermediate stage.
Moonshine and power cartridges.
One way or another, it seems they should be completed by next year.
Honestly, even if they're not completed by next year, it doesn't matter much.
Both will be helpful even after the Gate Incident. If they are completed before the incident, they will greatly enhance their power.
Harriet has succeeded in drastically reducing magic casting time. So, all they need is magical power.
Once the power cartridge is completed, it will unleash tremendous power.
And the one who motivated Harriet to awaken her new way of using magic,
"I think we should use an open-type."
"Do you think so?"
"Try it, and if it doesn't work, then stop!"
Little Redina.
Harriet mimicked Redina's talent.
With Redina's no-casting talent, they should be able to fully demonstrate the true power of the power cartridge.
Things are going well, but bitterness eventually surfaces.
The thought that all their work here, huddled together, ultimately leads to war is inescapable.
These young ones will soon be thrown into a fight to kill or be killed, and some may die.
They didn't want to deny that this was necessary, but knowing that everyone would get hurt in the end, they couldn't feel entirely happy.
The trio, who had been mumbling for a while, seemed to have set a direction for the time being, as Adelia decided to design the power cartridge according to the new blueprint.
"Hey."
"What?"
"I'm going out of the temple for a while, do you have time?"
Harriet seemed to have some business to attend to.
"It's time to start researching dimensional magic."
Harriet's original role was to research dimensional magic.
With the tournament over and the break upon us, it seemed like it was finally time to focus on dimensional magic research.
"Why should I go?"
"Just come with me, you fool!"
Harriet seemed to insist that I follow her without question, and so I did.
Harriet and I left the Magic Research Society's mansion. Harriet carried a small backpack with her, though I had no idea what was inside.
"I wonder if Ellen made it back safely?"
"I'm sure she did."
Everyone knew that Ellen had returned to her hometown.
"I'm curious about what Ellen's hometown looks like. Aren't you?"
"It's just a countryside village, what's there to be curious about?"
"Well, it's also the hometown of Ragan Artorius..."
Ah.
Come to think of it, Ellen's hometown was also the birthplace of Ragan Artorius.
So, she's thinking about it as visiting the hero's birthplace.
But the general public didn't know which village Ragan Artorius was from. If they did, it wouldn't be a simple countryside village anymore.
Putting aside the discussion about whether Ragan Artorius' sacrifice was necessary or not, it seemed that Harriet personally admired and respected the hero. Who wouldn't?
"Should I ask if we can visit sometime?"
"…That's up to you, but remember that it's a countryside village."
"What's wrong with that? I think it would be a quiet and lovely place, like something out of a fairy tale."
"Do you think turning a faucet there would give you running water?"
"…Ah."
Don't assume that the living conditions would be the same as in the capital everywhere on the continent. Harriet seemed a bit taken aback by my comment.
"Consider yourself lucky if you don't pass out when using a traditional toilet."
"Traditional…? What's that?"
Harriet tilted her head as if she'd never heard the word before.
Well, there's no reason for you to have toilets on your mind.
"Never thought I'd be the one to explain toilets to you. Listen up, you blockhead."
"What, what? If it's something disgusting, don't say it!"
"In places without proper sewage systems, they dig a large hole in the ground and bury a huge container. They then build a toilet on top of it, and that's where they do their business…"
"Stop it, I said!"
"Of course, the waste doesn't go through sewage pipes; it just accumulates in the container. Every time you go in, you can see the traces of life piled up so thickly…"
"I said stop it! Ugh, I feel like I'm going to throw up!"
"That's not all; when the container is full, they scoop it out one bucket at a time. Then, they mix it with straw and let it ferment…"
-Slap!
"Stop it!"
In the end, I got slapped. Harriet had a vivid imagination.
It seemed that what she heard from me had stuck in her mind, and she couldn't help but picture it.
"But…that can't be… Wouldn't it smell?"
"Of course, it would."
"Then how…how do people… use it?"
"They just endure it."
"Uh, ugh... ugh..."
Harriet's face fell. She might have seen worse on the deserted island, but that would still leave her traumatized.
She'd faint the moment she enters a traditional restroom, definitely.
"Just because it's a place like something out of a fairy tale doesn't mean we live like we're in one."
"You're really horrible, you know!"
Harriet grumbled at me for unnecessarily shattering the illusion as she strode ahead.
"Didn't think I could go to such a place, huh?"
"No idea!"
"Aren't you pointlessly sorry to Ellen now?"
"Shut up!"
In the end, Harriet's face crumpled and she pleaded with me to be quiet.
Harriet and I arrived near the huge warp gate at the entrance of the temple. The atmosphere of the main street was still tense, but the commotion had subsided, so it wasn't as crowded as before, except for the queue at the warp gate.
"Dimensional magic..."
Harriet had used the excuse of 'wanting to go to another world,' but she seemed to have been conducting research on dimensional magic as I had asked, albeit sporadically.
Of course, she was busy with other things, so it was difficult to achieve any significant results.
"Remember when I told you that dimensional magic is used in various magic fields, even if only a little?"
"Right."
"Do you know the difference between dimensional magic and spatial magic?"
"How would I know?"
I only knew there was such a thing as magic, but I didn't understand its principles. Even if Harriet explained it, I doubted I could understand.
Harriet and I went to a quiet open space outside the temple.
It was a place where the temple's warp gate was visible in the distance.
"I still can't use teleportation, but you've seen me use blink, right?"
"Right."
"Watch this."
Harriet seemed to concentrate, and soon she appeared about three steps to the right of where she had been.
"This is blink."
"Yeah, I see."
It seemed she had chosen a place with few people, so they wouldn't be alarmed when she used magic.
"The concept is that my body moves. Teleportation isn't much different. It's the concept of swapping the spatial coordinates where my body is with the target location... You don't understand this, do you?"
"No, not at all."
Seeing my eyes lose focus while listening to the explanation, Harriet sighed as if she was deflated.
"Anyway, teleportation and blink are magics that deal with space."
"Aren't space and dimension similar concepts?"
"Uh... They're similar but a bit different. In magic, dimension is a higher concept."
Harriet pointed to the distant warp gate.
"The warp gate system is not magic that deals with space, but magic that deals with dimensions."
"What's the difference, specifically?"
"Uh... How should I explain this? There are many types of magic related to portals and gates, but ultimately, they connect one space to another."
Harriet spread her right and left hands wide apart.
"Imagine that my left and right hands each represent a gate of the same system. Then, there is magic that connects these two separate spaces unidirectionally or bidirectionally as if they were attached. That's what a gate is."
"Well... I guess so."
It's not like I haven't used a warp gate before. A warp gate creates a dimensional door that functions as if two distant spaces are connected.
"Do you understand the difference between my body moving and creating a dimensional door that connects spaces?"
"So, connecting spaces is a higher-level magic, is that it?"
"I'm not sure if 'higher-level' is the right expression, but the basic premise is completely different. Spatial travel magic requires precise calculation of my spatial coordinates and the target coordinates, while gate magic is about creating a portal that connects two separated spaces."
Although traveling through distant spaces may be the same for warp gates and teleportation, the basic concepts are completely different.
"Of course, it's not entirely incorrect to call spatial travel magic a type of dimensional magic. However, gate magic is a field that more delicately interferes with dimensions."
The concept of dimensional magic itself was said to be scarce. That's because it is used to some extent in most magic systems.
"Actually, the method of going to another world that you're curious about isn't that difficult."
"Really?"
Is it easy? What's this about?
"If you have infinite magic power and accurate location, it's possible."
"So, you're saying it's not possible?"
"If we know the exact location of another world, we can open a dimensional door to it with infinite magic power. Of course, it won't work with a regular dimensional door."
"So, you're saying it's not possible?"
"Yeah."
Harriet gave a clear answer. The method itself is simple.
It's just that infinite magic power does not exist, and we can't know the location of another world, so even if we know, we can't do it.
However, infinite magic power is not an essential condition of the two.
As long as infinite magic power isn't required to connect the other world with a dimensional door. Anyway, warp gates are connected to other worlds, and that means the condition of infinite magic power does not have to be met.
Apart from my small epiphany, Harriet was looking at the warp gate in the distance.
"But while studying separately, I found out something about that warp gate."
"Oh?"
"It's a much more advanced magic than I thought, and there are a lot of secrets. There's hardly any public information, and the Magic Association and the Royal Family strictly manage it."
"Well, that's to be expected, right?"
"Of course, it is. Not just anyone can create a warp gate."
Warp gates must be crucial infrastructure for humanity, so maintenance would be thorough, and keeping the technology secret would be important. Harriet looked at the warp gate and tilted her head.
"So, I was kind of curious."
"About what?"
"Could someone create a private warp gate? If they could, would it be possible to connect it to that warp gate? If someone could interfere with the dimensional doors of the warp gate system itself... wouldn't that be a big problem?"
Harriet hadn't foreseen the gate incident.
However, it seemed that she had become somewhat aware of the inherent dangers of the warp gate itself.
