Hmm, the familiar system is quite difficult…
There are three reasons why I created the familiar system.
First, I wanted scouts that could utilize the characteristics of animals.
For example, dogs could use their sense of smell to track enemies or something like that.
Second, I wanted magical sub-processing units or memory storage devices.
Basically, I wanted something like a USB drive.
Third, I wanted an AI that could automatically use magic.
It would be helpful to have something that could use magic systematically and autonomously without my direct intervention.
Well, those are the three reasons.
However, things are not going well.
Currently, I’m using modified fresh animal carcasses, but… it’s not quite working.
I can’t say for sure since I don’t fully understand animal brains, but I feel that there’s a ‘capacity issue’ with animal brains.
They can’t handle complex commands and don’t have the intelligence to use magic.
So, I thought, why not use a high-performance brain? I tried using a brain extracted from a suitable human corpse, but…
“Gi, gigigi…”
“Hmm, this won’t do.”
Well, it moves somewhat, but even after modifying a human brain and connecting it to an animal’s nervous system, the performance didn’t improve much.
Also, human brains are quite large.
Because of the hardware limitations, I couldn’t fit them into birds or mice, and even for larger animals, significant adjustments were needed.
This isn’t going to work.
I’ll put this on hold for now and start researching magical devices!
By the time my research on magical devices took shape, it was already time to leave the village.
No way? Already?!
Time flies when you’re focused…
Well, if it’s time, it can’t be helped.
I got into the carriage provided by the Carranheit family.
“The royal capital, huh? I’m excited, Lord Exus!”
Hmm?
Why is Ada sitting next to me?
I looked at Margaret-sensei, who was also in the carriage.
“Oh! Was I being presumptuous?! I thought it was natural to bring an apprentice…”
Hmm…
Well, it’s not bad, I suppose?
“Ada, are you sure about this? You might not be able to return to the village.”
“It’s okay… It’s a little sad, but I decided to follow Lord Exus.”
Alright then.
It’s not my place to interfere with someone else’s life.
But if she’s willing to follow me even at the cost of abandoning her hometown, I’ll give her some special treatment.
I’ll continue to cherish her as a test subject.
“Oh, and Sensei.”
“Yes?”
“Now that we’re out of the village, there might be dangers, so I’m in combat mode.”
“Y-Yes.”
“And in this state, I might accidentally trigger the delete magic app running in the background. So, I’m apologizing in advance. Sorry.”
“…… What?”
I snapped my fingers, and a rabbit’s head on the roadside exploded.
Yes… I’m keeping the ‘Delete Magic’ app running.
So right now, if I strongly think “disappear,” the object will vanish.
“…… Please give me a break!!!”
Teacher started panicking.
This person’s reactions are funny.
She could make a living as a reaction comedian.
But Ada, used to this, continued talking to me normally.
“By the way, what have you been working on lately, Lord Exus?”
“Lately? Oh, I’ve been making magical devices.”
“Wow, magical devices! Show me!”
“Sure, here.”
I handed her a penlight.
It’s like the kind of thing otakus wave around at live concerts.
“Wow! It lights up!”
It’s just a toy that lights up when you press the button.
Well… it didn’t go as well as I hoped.
This was all I could make.
I still have a long way to go.
Huh?
Sensei’s face looks distorted…
“Sensei, you’re making a funny face. What’s wrong?”
“What?”
“What?”
“Why can you make magical devices?!”
Why, you ask…
“I made it, so it works.”
I simply embedded a magic stone as a power source into an iron rod and wrote a simple lighting spell on it.
What I learned from the familiar experiments is that the amount of magic that can be embedded, or the amount of scripts that can be written, is greater for more complex and larger materials.
I could only write as much as an owl’s brain could handle.
For the iron rod, I could only write a simple spell.
“That’s impossible! The technology to make magical devices is a closely guarded secret of the Adon Magic Kingdom!”
“Even if you say that…”
“Only the upper echelons of the Adon Magic Kingdom know how to embed scripts into magic stones!”
Hmm?
“Embedding scripts… into magic stones?”
Ahhhh?
Wait a minute, have I been doing something stupid?
I quickly defrosted a suitable magic stone and wrote a script on it.
Then…
“Dammit, you were the memory all along!!!”
I ended up yelling to myself.
I mean, I thought all minerals could only hold simple spells, just enough to make them glow a little!
But magic stones, even though they’re just fingertip-sized, can hold a significant amount of information!
Because of the name ‘magic stone,’ I thought it was just a stone that emitted magic, and indeed it does, so I assumed it was just a magic power battery…!
So it was a memory all along?!
“Well then, I’ll just write to the magic stone! This also solves the familiar problem! I can embed an AI into the magic stone and implant it into the animal carcasses! Yes, I’ll do it right now!!!”
Damn it! I wasted so much time!
That’s why information gathering and collective knowledge are so important…
