On the day before the attack on the magictec beast nest, Tor visited Coen’s workshop.
“Modifying a magitec car?”
Coen had an annoyed expression when she heard Tor’s request.
“It can be after you acquire the aluminum. I want you to make a few optional parts.”
He handed her a sheet of paper with the requests he and the twins had come up with.
Coen looked at the list and smiled thinly.
“What is this? A wine cooler? And it’s at the very top. You must really like to drink.”
“No, that was by Euphie and Mailey’s request.”
“Those two?”
The twins, who had Coen’s permission to read her books on magitec books, raised their hands.
“It’s what we want the most. Please make it so that the wine doesn’t shake inside.”
“That won’t look very nice.”
Aside from that, they also wanted a suspension and other mechanical parts.
“And what kind of magitec car are you going to buy?”
“After looking around, we have a few candidates, but…”
After telling her them, Coen looked back at the list and opened her mouth.
“In that case, I would recommend the Raclea. In spite of appearances, it is impressive with cornering and acceleration. Also, since its center of gravity is towards the bottom, it will be difficult to knock over.”
The Raclea that Coen recommended was also the first candidate for the twins.
It was quite spacious inside, with something like a second floor with a sunroof. If you positioned a sniper in there, you could attack while driving.
It had been designed with Adventurer Clans in mind, and so the armor was very durable as well.
“It will cost you, but it’s a good magitec car.”
“Mr. Tor. That is three against one. Let’s get the Raclea!”
Mailey pressed.
Coen looked at Tor in surprise.
“Is there a different one that you were considering?”
“I liked the Garon.”
“Men often do. It has a severity that I quite like. But the habitability is the worst, you know? It may be the fastest, but Adventurers won’t be going to places where you could make the most of that speed. I would advise against it.”
“I see. I’m sure you’re right…”
There was nothing that he could say, as her arguments were perfectly sound.
And so Tor solemnly gave up on the Garon.
“So, how many of these requests can you fulfill if it’s the Raclea?”
“All of them. But starting with the wine cooler, I think you are putting too much weight into comfort. Since it is not efficient, I will have to use a different magic stone than the one for mobility.”
“That is fine. I don’t want to run out of fuel during a critical moment.”
“Normally, people would hate it, since it is so difficult to acquire magic stones. But I guess the mentality of a high-ranker is completely different.”
She said with a laugh. And then she immediately started to draw up some plans for the requests.
“Acquiring magic stones… Yes, it is quite troublesome.”
The highly pure magic stones acquired from magitec beasts were like crystals of energy. And because of all that energy, just like the Enchant skills, they were known to have great resisting power to any interference from outside energy.
Because of this, while you could send energy through an empty magic stone, you could not fill it up again. And so empty magic stones were crushed and then mixed with metals with relatively low melting points, such as zinc and tin, resulting in a composite material that conducted magic energy very well. This was used in magitec cars.
“If you have the skill to imbue it with magic energy…”
“If one could develop such a skill, they would make a fortune. But it’s just a fanciful dream.”
When Coen laughed, Euphie stopped turning the page of her book and raised her face.
“Is it really not possible to imbue them with magic?”
“I suppose there is reason to doubt? After all, magic energy is different for everyone. With magic that is activated with an Enchant, there are differences because of the magic wavelengths. So perhaps if one had the exact same magic wavelengths as a magitec beast, then you could fill the magic stone with energy again.”
Coen said, and then she opened a drawer and took out a magic stone that was about the size of her palm.
“Why don’t you try it then? Here is an empty one. It was from a Golem that I made previously, and I don’t mind if you crush it.”
“A previous Golem?”
“As it is like a corpse, I buried the dog tag in a communal graveyard. People looked at me as if I was mad.”
While Golems could use magic stones until they were empty, they were disposable. They adapt to the stone’s magic energy, and so if you change it, then their specs would drop dramatically. In some cases, they would not move at all.
And so such Golems had to be returned to scrap metal.
Coen had a rather sad expression.
“He was a good one. In spite of being slender, and clumsy, he was stronger and…”
“Are you still talking about a Golem?”
“Of course. He was better than any human I ever knew.”
Tor had no reply as Coen spoke with a far away look. He then turned to the twins who had been given the stone.
They held it up to the light and shook it. And then Euphie tried to imbue it with energy. The next instant, she seemed to be surprised, and nearly dropped it.
Coen and Tor looked at each other and grinned as if they had pulled off a successful prank.
Euphie glared at Tor.
“You should have told me that it vibrates.”
Euphie turned away sulkily. As she had said, magic stones vibrate when you imbue them with energy.
This vibration varied depending on the quality of the magic energy, which helped prove that the energy was different depending on the person.
Coen turned to Mailey.
“Since you are twins, I suppose your magic energy is the same?”
“While their Enchant was the same, surely their magic energy would be a little different?”
Tor thought about how identical twins still had different fingerprints.
Euphie then handed Mailey the stone.
“The vibration is the same.”
Apparently, their ability to share their thoughts included the vibrations as well.
Coen smiled with amusement.
“In that case, perhaps if we search for a type of magitec beast that breeds like rabbits, then we could secure multiple magic stones with the same characteristics. Very interesting.”
Coen wasn’t even thinking about reusing magic stones, and talked of more realistic methods.
The twins looked puzzled.
“Breed like rabbits? I thought the magitec beasts were created in a facility?”
“Aye, people often make that mistake. But magitec beasts were originally animals and monsters. They are then modified in the facility to become magitec beasts. And since they can still mate in the magitec beast state, they sometimes return to being in herds, if that is their instinct. Of course, their aggressiveness is different.”
“But they aren’t born with the magic stone, right?”
“It seems like it is embedded in them as a core when they are turned into a magitec beast. But it’s a technique from the ancient civilization, so we do not know much about it.”
Coen said as she leaned on her elbow with a mischievous smile.
“So, do you think you can imbue magic stones with energy? If you could do it, it would be such an achievement that you could laugh at the person who developed the carbonated potion.”
“I would never laugh at myself.”
“…Hmm?”
Coen seemed surprised by their answer.
“You mean the person who developed it…”
“Yes. We did it in Flaretalia, and Mr. Tor helped us spread it.”
The twins said with a smile.
Coen turned to look at Tor.
“I had heard a rumor about someone in the hierarchy being involved. So that was you, Mr. Tor?”
“I have no knowledge like these two. I’m just an average, high-ranking Adventurer.”
“That’s not average.”
Coen said with a shake of her head.
“I could see that you two knew a lot, but this is quite remarkable. You might just be the ones to find a way… I hope you tell me, when you do. Before I get used to saying goodbye to my beloved Golems. Yes, please do.”
“We cannot say no after being asked like that. We shall think about it then.”
The twins said, and then they smiled at each other.
“We would like some scale insects.”
“And tree sap.”
“…You already have an idea?”
“It is a secret.”
The twins said, putting a finger to their lips and tilting their heads.