Replacing Noir, who had finished her explanation with full of motivation, Alexia now started talking about her prototype.

''Then it's my turn. To tell the truth, the concept itself is the same as Noir's.
Did you get hit?
I put it on. We're talking about realizing the same concept with a different approach.

　Alexia took a silvery metal item from the parcel and handed it to me, sitting across the table from me.

　It's round and rectangular in shape, with a good amount of thickness.

　It fits in the palm of my hand, not much different from Noir's prototype, though this one is clearly heavier.

　But even so, compared to a metal lump of the same size as this one, it was much lighter, and I could tell that the contents were hollow without bothering to [analyze].

'It's hollow. Isn't it too simplistic and unlike you to say ...... that it's heated by burning fire inside? I understand that you put something inside and make it heat up, but how the hell does that work?
'I'm glad you asked. But the principle of the heating process itself is rather simple. There's a magic crescent of mithril alloy inside, and when magic is passed through it, it just releases heat.

　In terms of mechanism, it's the same principle as Garnett's sword.

　The mechanism of activating a specific action by flowing magic power into the metal carved with a magic crest.

　Compared to paper and cloth, it is more difficult to process in detail, and the use of expensive mithril is desirable for efficient operation, and I've heard that it is also difficult to make complex magic control like magic.

　But if it was only heating, there probably wasn't any problem.

''So if you channel magic power to this guy, he'll get warmed up?
''In principle, I can use my own magic power as well. It would be hard to keep it flowing for hours, so I'll put magic crystals in here and use them as an energy source.

　Alexia briefly explained verbally, while she pulled the other prototype she had prepared with her fingers to split it up vertically.

　The contents of one was hollow, as expected, and the heating structure seemed to be stored in the other.

''It's the same mechanism as the magic supply unit (supplier) that Luke and the others use. You see, it's the thing that you always stick in the pouch on your waist, the magic power of the magic crystal is automatically poured into your body.
As expected, isn't the cost of magic crystals too high?
'You can leave it running for ten days if you fill it up, so the hourly cost isn't so much.

　The magic crystal - also known as the magic stone - is a condensed crystal body of magic power produced by alchemy, and even a product the size of a knife handle is expensive enough to be worth the market price of a small gold coin.

　This prototype is thought to contain only a fraction of that amount, but when you consider that it is a small gold coin, or a fraction of the amount of money that a family can live modestly for a month, it is not cheap.

''Since I've been working with Noir, I've also started making magic-powered elaborations more frequently, and I've become a bit more familiar with the process of making magic crystals.

　Alexia put the prototype back together after splitting it into two parts and placed the rounded rectangular shape of it on the table, then poked it with her fingertips and spun it around.

'The magic crystals are refined into large chunks, but due to the fact that you have to hold them directly in your hand to draw the magic power out of them, you have to chop them up into small pieces from there.
I've heard that one before.
Most of the shavings from the machining process are discarded because they are considered useless. It's such a waste, isn't it?

　I heard that sometimes a wizard bought it and used it for something,'' she added as if it were trivia, and then Alexia continued her words with a face full of creative energy.

'So, Noir made use of Mithril to create a tool that could draw magic power from the magic crystals he put in the pochette, didn't he?　I wondered if this could be used to fill it with shavings instead of crystals that have been processed into a shape that is easy to grip.

　I ran my hands over my own waist as I listened to Alexia's story.

　I don't wear it today, but when I'm hiding in a dungeon, for example, I attach a pochette-shaped magic power supplier (supplier) to my waist and activate 【Restoration】 while replenishing magic power from the magic power crystals I put inside it.

　The magic crystals used at this time are commercially available crystals of an easy-to-hold shape and size, but it's true that if you're going to toss them into the magic power supply (supplier), they may not need to be shaped like this.

I'm still working on that one, but this prototype is the result of that idea being appropriated. You can use either perfectly cut crystals or cheap shavings.
'...... I see. So that's what you mean by trying the same concept with a different approach.

　Noir's prototypes are inexpensive, but only last for one day per unit.

　Alexia's prototype is more expensive, but can be used for a longer period of time with a single replenishment, and can be used again when its magic power runs out.

　So it's a prototype with different strengths for each.

''By the way, this alone is mostly Noir's effort, so I also tried to devise this and that. Take this one, for example. Do you see the part next to the exterior that can be moved with a finger?

　Leaning over the table, Alexia thrusts the prototype in front of my face and begins to talk enthusiastically about its elaborate functions.

　Next to her, Noir, who had received a surprise compliment, looked away in embarrassment.

'When you move this place, the internal mithril alloy circuitry switches, you know, and you can turn the heating on and off and adjust the amount of heat generated.
Oh, oh, .......
''I've made it so that if you heat it up beyond the set heat level, the magic power will be cut off, and when it cools down, it will start flowing again. Once you've set it to the desired temperature, all you have to do is throw it in your pocket.
"...... Wait a minute. Isn't that beyond the level you can explain in 'by the way'?

　I don't know much about the craft, but I feel like I've been lightly swept away by the considerable upgrades in technology.

　I gave them a break from work and funded them to focus on their research - I even felt like these two were going to go on and on and on with that alone.

''Well, anyway. It's great that the prototype is finished. I'd like to experiment with the effects next: ......

　In the current climate of Green Hollow, it may be difficult to see the effect now.

　The second level of the dungeon will be quite cold, but not as much as in the north.

''Then ...... let's try one thing here, a large scale experiment.