“I see.” [Elia]
“If possible, I’d like you to teach me a bit about alchemy, but…” [Michelle]
But even if she says that, Elia herself doesn’t know any alchemy. Well she knows a little from Ryouma, but it’s not at a level where she could teach it to other people. And more than anything, even if she does claim to have no prejudice, Elia still can’t help but feel hesitant to talk about Ryouma being an alchemist to other people. And Elia definitely won’t tell anyone about the things he makes.
“Unfortunately, I’ve only had the opportunity to meet with an alchemist, and I’m not actually studying it.” [Elia]
Elia refused as if it was a given. In response, Michelle didn’t say anything more, and she meekly backed down. Then she began to prepare for her experiment.
Michelle then laid the paper on the floor, and she opened it. After which she then took out some pink colored grains from her bag, and mixed it with ink.
“Michelle-san, what is that?” [Elia]
“This ink is just an ink. As for the grains, they’re fire and neutral magic jewels that were pulverized and mixed together. Our magic formation differs from the magic formation of alchemists in that magic power can’t pass through to the formation with the formation alone. Without mixing ink and powdered jewels, it’s not possible to pass magic power to it. And in the end, what we accomplish isn’t the same magic formation the alchemist’s use but our own version of the magic formation.” [Michelle]
“Then in that case, is there anything different?” [Elia]
“From what I currently know, the effect of the magic formation changes based on the attributes of the magic jewel powder that the ink was mixed into. While the ratio of the distribution of the magic jewel only adjusts its power.
For example, if the ink is mixed with a fire attribute magic jewel, and from that a magic formation is drawn, then any magic power that passes through it will be fire attribute. As for the strength of the fire, the distribution of the ink will deal with that, and the formation will be responsible for managing the flames.
The formation isn’t just some scribbles either. First, one must draw a circle. Then inside that, a pattern should be drawn, but I don’t understand that part much.” [Michelle]
“What do you mean you don’t understand much?” [Elia]
“The pattern drawn within the circle also affects the effect and efficiency of the formation. But unfortunately, I don’t know what the most efficient pattern is. So I’ve been trying out one formation after another in order to find out what’s efficient. But because of that, I’ve come to need a large number of magic jewels. And as a result, I’m always in need of money. Otherwise, I can’t continue with my research.” [Michelle]
“So that’s how it is… By the way, why are you doing this research again?” [Elia]
“The reason I’m researching? Well that’s because it’s interesting. It’s an unpopular topic without much data or progress on it. Which is really just another way of saying that there’s still plenty left to discover, right? So I want to unveil its secrets and see if I can make use of it.
And besides, even if I look like this, I am still the daughter of an earl. And the Willdan family has been a family of researchers for generations. If someone amongst us wants to research, then the family will without question wish them good luck and provide them the funds.” [Michelle]
When Michelle said that, Elia saw a slight resemblance to Ryouma in Michelle. As Michelle drew the magic formation with her ink, she said,
“I don’t know what effect will come out of this, so back off a little.” [Michelle]
Just as she was told, Elia took her distance. After confirming that Elia had distanced herself from the formation, Michelle allowed her magic power to flow into the formation. And the formation glowed bright red. When Michelle saw that reaction, she quickly distanced herself from it. And after five seconds, a small ball of fire flew out of the formation as the explosive sound like that of firecrackers resounded.