Chapter 279 – Magic Bullet

The nobles seemed to be watching our situation while talking among themselves, but none of them approached us too deeply. Well, there’s nothing we can do about being the subject of various rumors. After all, Tephra is here, and this is also after the incident with Zadias.

Perhaps it would have been improper to skip formal greetings entirely, as the main figures did come to greet us. However, none of them tried to initiate any particular conversation, and the banquet concluded without any major troubles.

From our perspective, we enjoyed the food and music, and King Eberhart successfully demonstrated his recovery to everyone in the royal castle and, by extension, to the feudal lords. For the nobles who couldn’t take advantage of this precious opportunity, it must have been a disappointing outcome… Well, the timing was bad, and it’s none of our concern anyway.

After the banquet ended, King Eberhart called out to us.

“You all must be busy people. You likely have many duties to attend to starting tomorrow, so why not take your time afterward to select your rewards? I’ve already spoken with the treasure room manager. As long as it’s not something exceptionally valuable, there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“Thank you very much.”

…And so, right after the banquet, we were shown inside the treasure room.

“Exceptionally valuable” apparently refers to items essential to Silvatoria. That said, such items were stored even deeper within the treasure room.

“This way, please.”

We were led to the treasure room by the manager in charge. Similar to Termwills, there was also a catalog, with items organized by category.

“So, what kind of things are you looking for?”

Many items had apparently been donated to the royal castle from the Sages’ Academy, and Old Sigmund was accompanying us in an advisory role.

“We currently have enough weapons and armor for now… I was hoping for items that could enhance our abilities or broaden our tactical options.”

The catalog contained brief descriptions and origins. We all went through it with the feeling of literally browsing a catalog, and it seemed each of us found something of interest, as questions started flying about various items.

“What about this?”

“Gauntlets of Thunder… Well, they’re exactly as the name suggests. They deliver a lightning strike to whatever you touch. Like ordinary magic tools, they can be activated at will, and I’ve heard their power is quite considerable.”

Lightning, huh. Sheila might have taken a liking to that tactic she used in coordination with Marlene, where they electrified the sticky threads.

Restricting movement with sticky threads, and directly linking it to attack with lightning strikes. Both the sticky threads and the paralysis from lightning complement Sheila, who prioritizes speed in various ways. The fact that it’s a strong weapon against enemies in metal armor is probably another advantage for Sheila, who focuses on slash attacks.

“Mmm. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take this.”

Though tentative, Sheila made her decision.

“I’m curious about these Reciprocating Gems,” said Irmhild.

“Those, huh. They return to their paired stone even if you throw them. Since they float back, they don’t return at very high speed… They were developed with the idea of retrieving launched objects. There was talk of using them for projectile weapons, but the cost became prohibitive, so they ended up shelved.”

Irmhild has an eye for good items too. Their intended use would be as a pure enhancement for her giant arrows. Given the nature of using spears as arrow ammunition, until now she couldn’t carry many and had to create situations where she could land a sure hit, but with these, she could use them more freely.

The fact that they don’t return as fast as Ouroboros… means there will be a gap between shots, but there are advantages too. It would be dangerous and troublesome if the spears returned to her hand at high speed. Anyway, since she fights while leaping around, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Since they’re in gem form, if we take them back to the workshop and have Viola process them, they should be able to be incorporated into Irmhild’s equipment without difficulty.

“How about this for me?” said Seraphina.

What Seraphina chose was a transverse flute. It was said that playing it summons a spirit beast that protects the owner… If the horn is for offense, then this one is for defense, I suppose.

“What kind of spirit beast is this?”

“Something like a semi-transparent wolf’s head. It flies around and bites opponents.”

I see. It seems capable of handling aerial combat too… Since Seraphina often pairs with Irmhild due to her characteristics, it should also be suitable as an escort role.

Well then… Sheila, Irmhild, and Seraphina have probably decided on these.

“This Aura Amplifying Bracelet seems interesting to me,” said Grace.

“Enhancing destructive power, I assume?”

“Yes.”

At my words, Grace showed a smile.

Grace’s choice is straightforward. She intends to further develop her strengths and aim for increased attack power.

The catalog also mentions it can focus and emit fighting spirit, but for Grace, that’s probably just a bonus. Well, having an easily usable shooting technique added to her repertoire might be convenient in various ways.

“I’m interested in this grimoire,” said Ashley.

“A grimoire of healing magic, huh. It was on loan from the Academy for King Eberhart’s treatment… But, well, I suppose it’s fine.”

“Then, once I’ve learned it, I’ll return it.”

“It’s fine. It’s not a secret technique. It’s the kind of thing that’s more beneficial the more it spreads.”

Like Grace, Ashley seems to have chosen to enhance her strengths.

“What kind of magic is recorded in the healing grimoire?” I asked.

Old Sigmund answered while making a gesture as if recalling. “A Barrier of Regeneration, I believe, and things like launching healing magic that normally requires contact over a distance.”

That sounds useful. It should complement Ashley well in various ways, as she constructs defensive positions.

As we progressed through the catalog, Marlene pointed her finger.

“Marlene, that one?”

She nodded repeatedly. What Marlene indicated was a magical creature in the shape of a bird.

“…Could it serve as a substitute for a familiar?” said Rosemary.

At Rosemary’s words, Old Sigmund nodded. “That’s right. If you properly form a contract, that should be possible.”

A bird familiar, huh. It’s orthodox, but bird familiars are actually useful for reconnaissance, tailing, and such. While only magicians can utilize familiars, if the party as a whole possesses more of them, the options available increase. It’s probably good for Marlene to have one too. You can’t always get what you want with a summoning ritual.

“What about Marie?”

“As for me… the magic bag that appeared earlier seems nice. I’d like it if it’s a convenient size for carrying around.”

“That one has a protective ability that prevents items inside from breaking, but the weight and size of items don’t change when placed inside. It’s been passed down since Beriondora’s time. It can hold a considerable amount, but not an unlimited quantity. The size is about what you can hang from your waist. Living creatures cannot enter.”

“…I see. I thought it might be just right for carrying medicines.”

…That would mean she could keep things like the magical flames she used when we were inside the book readily available. Potions are one thing, but carrying glass bottles or flasks around regularly is inconvenient. Potions are manageable, but dangerous substances are even more so.

Being a magic bag, it’s certainly convenient, but Rosemary could probably make even more effective use of it by performing impromptu mixing on the spot or using prepared chemicals. Of course, it would also be useful during exploration.

“As for me… due to the nature of having magic on standby for activation, I can’t participate much in combat, so something defensive seems good. This Staff of Shadow Thorns looks nice,” said Claudia.

It seems to be a self-defense tool for magicians, where thorns extend from the staff to entangle opponents.

Hmm. So she wants something that can restrain movement while she uses teleportation magic on opponents. Hmm. Everyone is deciding quite easily.

“This is…” I followed the description in the catalog that caught my eye.

“Magic Bullet… It says it’s a weapon for users of magical power circulation…”

“This one has also been passed down since Beriondora’s time… It’s a weapon that hasn’t had a user for a long time. It seems to be a magical creature created for users of magical power circulation, who are weak at shooting battles, to deal with distant enemies. Well, the literature says it can be used without problems in close combat too.”

According to the catalog, it could probably be considered the same type of weapon as Marlene’s Saucer or Luceriage’s Dancing Sword. Though it’s single-shot.

It appears to be a weapon that launches a sphere filled with circulating magical power at tremendous speed to pierce through enemies—a literal living bullet, it seems. It’s also written as having an evil eye, so apparently it has an eye.

The bullet’s trajectory can be controlled by the user’s will… Hmm. I didn’t originally intend to engage in shooting battles, but it seems usable both for closing distance with opponents and for increasing options in close combat.

“Equipment suited for magical power circulation tends to have a magical creature feel to it, doesn’t it?” said Grace.

“Yeah. Normal materials break easily, you see. With magical creatures, you can probably enhance them as an extension of circulating ki.”

The Chimera Coat can also be incorporated into the circulation.

“Hmm. Your staff is quite interesting too… From the looks of it, it seems specialized for circulation.”

“It’s an item I received as a reward previously. It’s quite versatile, so I find it very useful. I’ll try it out a bit, and if there are no problems, I’ll go with this one.”

And so, each of us received the actual items to examine them.

The Magic Bullet was a black sphere about the size of a clenched fist. When I channeled circulating magical power into it—a single eye opened, and bat-like wings sprouted.

When it took off from my palm, it flew around me happily. The catalog mentioned that during a charge, it closes its eye and folds its wings to become a complete bullet… But normally, it takes this form.