So, I've decided to try to make a magic bag. ...... Can you do it?　Haruka.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

I've been reading the book every chance I get since I got it, and I've been experimenting with it a bit, so I think I can handle it.　As for the magic bag, it seems to be more of a challenge for Nao. Are you okay?

I've been practicing ever since I got here, you know.　Of course, I want to be okay .......

　No, seriously. I've spent a lot of time on it.
　I've been practicing fire magic as well, but more heavily with space-time magic.

　Both have something in common in terms of controlling magic power, but space-time magic is much more difficult to control.

　Because of this, the sad reality is that fire magic can be improved without much practice. It's easy and good, but it's not as good as space-time magic, which is less challenging. .......

　However, this has improved considerably since I got the grimoire. I'm also feeling good about "Extended Space", which can be used at level 3, so I'll probably be able to handle it in a little while.

"Well, let's start with my preparations. Yuki, you're coming with me.
"Yes, sir!

　Yuki raises her hand in response to Haruka's words. I'm very enthusiastic.

The first thing you need to do is transfer the magic circle on this page onto the object you want to make into a magic bag. Generally, we use this special ink, but this time we'll use this thread for embroidery.

"Embroidery?　Can't you use ink?　Isn't that common?

"Well, yes. First of all, the reason why we use special ink to draw the magic circle is so that we can pass the magic power over the line. A line drawn with ink and a line connected by a thread. Which do you think is easier for magic to pass through?

The thread, of course.　That's the usual answer.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's what the book says. And the easier the magic passes, the more effective it is. Then there's no reason not to do it.

Well, you're right. But it's not common, is it?
It's more effective, but not as productive. Yuki, how fast can you draw a line with a pen and how fast can you embroider?
More than 10 times. --I see. Even if it's more effective, it won't sell for ten times as much.
Especially in the case of magic bags, there's no point in going through the trouble of making them because they'll sell immediately.

　I've heard that magic bags are always in short supply.

　If there is competition, there is a reason to make a better product than others, but if it sells well, there is no reason to reduce production efficiency. If you dare to make a product, it would be when you need performance without regard to cost, but such a product is not something that is generally made to order.

In our case, we are inexperienced, so we want to be as effective as possible.

"Hmmm, okay. I'll just copy this and embroider it. But what's the point if I do it?　I haven't activated the alchemy yet.

I've talked about this with Nao and the others before, but I don't think it's a matter of 'I can do it because I have the skill', it's a matter of 'I can do it as a result of being able to do it'. For example, Natsuki, you don't have any cooking skills, but you can cook, right?

"That's also true. I haven't reached level 1 yet, but that doesn't mean I can't do alchemy.

　I think this is true for most skills, except for some special skills like [Help] and [Skill Copy].

　In other words, the skill descriptions seem to be pretty random. It's more like, "This is how it works.

　In fact, I don't know how it works, but the fact is that it is not generally known to people in this world. If it only affects your classmates, the evil god would probably just say, "It's good if it's a guide.

I'll draw a magic circle in ink for Yuki for today, and you can embroider it for me, okay?

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to do it.　I'm sure you'll be able to do it.

"...... That's true too, isn't it?

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　I'm not sure what to do.


　That's why I came back with Natsuki.
　Toya, who can't fight, continues training alone. Of course, I'm no good at embroidery either.

I'm sure there's something I can help you with. ......

　After cleansing her sweat, Natsuki sat down on the bed and said.

I'm sorry. Natsuki, you can embroider, can't you?
Yes, as well as anyone.

　"Yes, as good as anyone," she said modestly, but it was probably a lie. I don't think Natsuki, who is a high level Yamato Nadeshiko, would be satisfied with the same level as others (my bias).

　I mean, what level of embroidery is "human level"?　Can a normal person embroider?

　At least I can't. I can only do wave stitching.



"I'm going to draw a magic circle and I want you to trace it with your embroidery. Can you do that?

I don't mind, but I don't know if it's safe for me to do it.　It's alchemy, isn't it?

Yes, maybe. ...... If it doesn't work, I'll have to make Natsuki work for nothing.

You don't have to worry about that. If there's a chance, it's worth doing.

　Natsuki smiled at me.

　If it were me, I'd be forced to embroider this troublesome magic circle, and I'd be told, "It didn't work after all. I'm not sure what to make of it. ...... No, I don't think Haruka would say "Teehee! But Yuki might.

"First we have to decide what to embroider.
"Hmm?　Why don't we just embroider it on each backpack?
Well, it's not that simple. The equation for the relationship between the two is as follows.


　Size of the magic circle = Energy
　Energy = Difficulty (magic control power) x Magic power
　Energy = Range x Effect Level


"Hmm. In other words, if you don't have a lot of energy, you can't make a big bag, and the effect is low. So if you increase the energy, it's harder to make.

That's what I mean. If you don't think about the size of the magic circle first, you might not be able to use it even though you embroidered it hard.

So... How about Haruka embroidering a backpack, I embroider a medium-sized burlap sack, and Natsuki embroider a small burlap sack?　And if you fail, you can just leave it until you reach a higher level.

"That's a good idea. It won't be a complete waste.

　That's true. If you fail to add it to your backpack, you can use it as a magic bag for the time being.

"Oh. By the way, what happens if I put a Magic Bag with "Light Weight" inside a Magic Bag with "Slow Time"?

That's a bad idea. They would interfere with each other and neither would work.
I see. It's not that easy, is it?

No. Especially if you put it in a magic bag with extended space, it will be a disaster.

Why-- oh, yeah. You'll lose the capacity expansion, so either the bag will explode or everything inside will be a mess.

That's not good for an expensive magic bag.
We'd have to rebuild it, but it'd be a disaster for the average buyer, that's for sure.
It would be disastrous if they had raw meat or something in there. The flesh and blood would just splatter.

　Yuki laughed and said so.
　I'm not sure if that's the same thing as "misery" or "splattering".　It's a bit subtle, isn't it?

Well, let's start by drawing a magic circle on Natsuki's bag.
Yes, please. Yes, please.

　Haruka quickly takes out the bag, pen and ink.

"Hey, can you react a little?　Come on.
I let you go through with it. Five points. You don't deserve it.
That's harsh.　Natsuki.
It's not elegant enough for a greeting. The scene is too dirty.
Terrible!　Nao!
Oh, yeah. It's ...... a bit uke?

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. Thank you for your concern, but I think you should have made it a little more difficult to understand.　She didn't seem to like it at all.



　It's no use. Because it wasn't popular.
　Natsuki's right, the picture that comes to mind is too dirty. We're supposed to be carrying raw meat.

Yuki, you should watch this. I'll write it down.
Yes!　--You bought the ink, didn't you?　Do you know what it's made of?

Yes. It's in the book. And how to make it. Basically, it's crushed magic stone and glue.
Well, is that so?　It's like Japanese painting.

"Come to think of it, Japanese painting paints also use mineral powder and glue. But this one has been processed in other ways. As you can see, it's in an inkwell.

　What I mean is that a simple liquid mixture of glue and pigment has a problem in preservation.
　The ink that Haruka bought is a solution to this problem, making it easier to use.

If you want to use it right away, though, it's pretty easy to make. If I had the tools, I wouldn't have had to buy it. ......

　While saying this, Haruka scribbles down a magic circle.
　It's a pretty complicated pattern, but she does a great job of copying it freehand.

"You're good at it, Haruka. It's so complicated.
"Hmmm, you feel your hand move?　I'm sure you've practiced writing these magic circles as well as your weapon skills, since you're only level one.

　It's like when I use a spear, my body naturally moves.

"Good. "Okay, you take this thread and embroider this magic circle. It's better to use only one thread so that you don't have to join it in the middle.

"Okay, I got it. Did you buy this thread too?
Yes. Yes, but I just bought ordinary thread and soaked it with ink.

　It was a surprisingly simple manufacturing method. Apparently, this thread itself is not sold because embroidery is not common and it is easy to make.

　Haruka drew more magic circles for Yuki and herself and began to embroider.
　There's nothing I can do, so I'm going to go back and review the grimoire. I'd like to practice, but it would consume a lot of magic power.

I'd like to have an embroidery frame.
Yes, I do. But do you have one?　I'd like to have an embroidery frame.
In my case, I don't know if I can make it because the cloth is so thick.

　Oh, the embroidery frame, the round one.
　It's true that everyone seems to be having trouble embroidering. They are holding the cloth with their feet and pulling it with their hands.

Do you need help?
"Oh, sure. ......

　When I say this, Haruka looks at Yuki and Natsuki and slurs her words.

You can help Haruka with this.　It seems to be the thickest and hardest to work with.
That's true. Ours is still easy to hold.
Okay.

　Haruka, who is embroidering the backpack inside out, certainly looks like she's having the hardest time.

Now, can you pull me here and here?　Yeah, sure. Thank you.

　When I pull and hold the embroidery with both hands, it seems to be much easier for Haruka to use both hands. Her embroidery speed is also increasing.

　The cloth used for the backpack itself is quite thick, but it doesn't have the precision of machine-woven cloth, so it doesn't seem to require much effort to insert the needle.

　I helped Haruka with the embroidery for a while.

"It's done.

　The first one to finish was Natsuki.
　The first one to finish was Natsuki, who didn't have any sewing skills, but the magic circle itself was the smallest, so she was able to finish quickly.

It's a good job. I'll stop here for now and try to add it to Natsuki's bag. It consumes magic.
You're right. That'll give you time to recover.

　I don't know how much magic I'll be consuming, so it's better for me to have a break.

Rehearse first. Let's check the procedure. First, Nao and I will place our hands on the magic circle.
"Oh.

　Haruka puts her hand on the edge of the magic circle, and I put mine there.

I'll pass the magic into the magic circle and put it on standby. Nao is next.


I'll keep the magic in the state it was in just before I activated Slow Time and slowly let it flow in.
"I'll prepare the magic, and when it's done, I'll shift the magic circle to the end state.

That's it. Okay, that's it. Just visualize it!

　I've read the grimoire thoroughly.
　I've practiced holding the spell and manipulating the magic.
　All that's left is practice.

　--Can you do it?　...... No, I can.

　I have a gift. I spent my points!

Let's do this. You keep an eye on Yuki.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'll see you at ......!

　After confirming that I've put my hand down, Haruka channels magic power into the magic circle. I also activate the magic.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

　The book said that if the control is disturbed or the magic power leaks out, the performance will be degraded, so I just concentrated. But I'm not sure if it's correct that the magic is flowing more smoothly than I expected.

　I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do.

　--We're almost there.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea.

　A few seconds later, the flow of magic around the magic circle was no longer felt, and Haruka exhaled heavily.

I'm so tired. I'm so tired. This is a lot harder than I thought. What about you, Nao?
I have no problem with ...... magic power. At this size, I hardly need any rest. But it's mentally exhausting. It's nerve-wracking.

　It's like threading a needle.
　It's like threading a needle, it doesn't take a lot of energy but it tires your eyes, just like this work doesn't take a lot of magic but it tires your mind.

How difficult is it, Haruka?

"It's hard to explain because it's sensory, but Nao's magic?　Magic?　It is quite difficult to control it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm still at level 1 in alchemy.　I'm not sure if it's because I'm still at the first level of alchemy.

I'm not sure if I'm putting too much magic into it.　I've been trying to do my best with the maximum amount of magic I can control right now.

I think you're right, but the less ...... you put into it, the less time you'll have to control it, so that should make it easier. The difficulty of the control itself will not change.

　If you compare a magic circle to a tank of water, the size of the magic circle is the capacity of the tank.
　The amount of magic power I pour into it is the amount of water I put into the tank.
　However, regardless of the size of the tank, the spout is the same size.

　If I'm the faucet, then Haruka is the one who holds the tank underneath and supports it so that the water doesn't spill.

Hmm?　The more water you pour, the bigger the tank, the longer you have to support it.

Well, technically speaking, yes. But since I can't close the lid of the tank while the water is flowing, the ideal would be to pour a little more than the tank's capacity.

The ideal would be to pour a little more than the tank's capacity.　Me?

That's a matter of experience. With the current magic circle, maybe a quarter would have been fine.

Geez!　What a huge waste of time!
It's your first time. It's better than not having enough.

　That's true, but ...... well, practice makes perfect, right?
　No matter how talented you are, there is no way you can do it perfectly the first time. The fact that you didn't fail is fortuitous.

So, has this bag become a magic bag yet?

　Natsuki takes the bag, looks inside it, puts his hand in it, and then nods his head.
　It doesn't look any different.

"At first it would have been easier to understand if it was 'light weight'. Let's try this for now.

　With that, Haruka creates ice. Two ice cubes the size of ping pong balls.
　One is in the magic bag you just made, and the other is in a similar bag. Place them side by side on the floor.

"This way we can compare the passage of time. But how much difference?
A high performance magic bag seems to stay intact over the years. ......
I'm not an amateur ......, but it was made by a beginner, so what do you think?

I'm not a novice , but I doubt it.　But since it didn't fail, it should be able to perform as specified, right?


That should be about 1/10,000th of a percent. ......
"Hmm. ......

　How much is one ten-thousandth?
　If you leave it for a year, the inside of the bag will be .......

So I guess there's no problem in preserving food.
Yes. Well, you can't store food that's hot or cold.
But you can leave it in there for a month and it'll still last less than five minutes.　That's hardly a practical problem, is it?

　Five minutes in a month? Then it's less than an hour a year.
　Yeah, it's safe for raw food. I could eat sashimi.

If it's working, right?　If I could make a clock, I could measure it accurately. ......
Isn't that in the Alchemy Encyclopedia?
It's in there, but I don't think I can do it yet. I'm only one level.
I can make a magic bag.
Magic bags are rare because there are no users of space-time magic. It seems to be one of the easier alchemy levels.

　I see. So that's why Haruka could make one.

So that's why Haruka could make it. Can I ask Natsuki to do it again?　I'd like to make as many as possible for practice.
Yes, of course.

　By the time the sun went down, Haruka had embroidered a backpack, Yuki had embroidered two bags, and Natsuki had made an additional bag, for a total of five magic bags.

　One of them was made by Yuki and me with [alchemy] activated. I was also able to adjust the amount of magic power according to the magic circle, so Yuki was able to complete it without fail.

So now we have three Slow Time and two Light Weight. ...... The first one we made hasn't melted yet, right?

Yes. It's almost the same as it looked.
The effect of the "Light Weight" is more obvious. It's probably less than a hundredth of a percent.

　Yuki easily lifts the bag with one hand, which he had stuffed with all the heavy items he had on hand.
　I don't have a measuring device, so I don't know, but the way I held it was the same as Yuki's opinion.

"If it's this effective, it's more convenient to have both "Light Weight" and "Slow Time", even if they're half as effective.
It's true, but ......2 is hard to find, isn't it?

　I'm not sure what to do.
　I've tried practicing, but it requires the difficult task of deploying and maintaining two spells at the same time, and then pouring them evenly into the magic circle. I don't think it can be done overnight.

"But you've done all these successfully, ...... Nao, can't you manage it?

"No, no, it's quite difficult. To put it another way, there's a difference between playing the piano with one hand and with two hands.

"Hmm. In other words, if we add "Extended Space" to the mix, we can make an electronic organ that can be played using the feet as well?　I can do it!　With practice, you'll be able to do it!

　You say that so casually, man. I've been practicing too, you know.

It's that easy.
Come to think of it, Yuki can play the electronic organ, can't she?
...... Oh, really?
Yeah, well, maybe a little?

　I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

　d*mn, I missed the metaphor. If you are told by someone who can do it that you can do it if you practice, then you have no choice but to practice.
　Moreover, since you have "talent", you can't escape by saying "I don't have talent".
　Hahaha ...... It's kind of serious, isn't it?

But how can you play such a complicated piece of music? But how can you play such a complicated piece of music when you have to switch tones in the middle of it?
That's true. I can play the piano, too, but I don't know how to play the electronic organ at .......

Hmm, well, you can switch the tone automatically, and you don't play complicated melodies with your feet. It's confusing at first, though.

"Oh, I see. Practice. ......?　Oh, by the way, Yuki, you do have a background in space-time magic, right?
Oh.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

"Okay, okay. I'll teach you. Let's practice together.
Oh, no, no, no, I'll teach you alchemy. ......

You're going to have to learn it anyway, so work together. Natsuki and I will work on the embroidery.

Abandoned?
You should know how difficult space-time magic is!
That's not fair!
We're going down together!



　No, because practicing magic is just a steady work that wears on your mind. When you're practicing by yourself, your mood becomes dark.

　Moreover, since space-time magic is invisible, it is more prone to this than fire magic. From an outsider's point of view, you just look like you are grunting and groaning.

　Still, having a companion - no, not a companion, someone to engage in friendly competition with can help alleviate some of that feeling, right?


　But in the end, it would take some time before I could create a magic bag with two additional spells.