Artifact creation

Karl wanted to ask if she just wanted to bring her good friend here. But he didn't. Why ask if he already knows the answer? And if she said that her friend was good, then that must be the case. So he just agreed.

"Alright."

"She's very good at it. And, hm, what about his sparing partner?"

"Khm, my lady. We have some knights and guards kids who are around the young master's age."

Captain Siegfried chimed.

"No, I won't allow it. They are trained from a young age. It would be dangerous for Ethan, who doesn't have experience fighting."

Brenda said, which Siegfried might refute, knowing how easily Ethan dealt with the kid, but it was a secret, so he kept his mouth shut.

Unexpectedly, Lena stood up and turned towards Brenda.

"Then allow me to be his sparing partner."

She said it calmly.

"You? But it might be dangerous! And I'm telling it for your own sake."

Brenda was shocked. Though it was only her. Karl and Siegfried were looking at Lena with knowing smiles; Muller's expression didn't change much, and the little girls with Ethan were looking at them confusedly.

"I know that it might be dangerous, but as his maid..." Lena looked at Ethan and continued, "... I want to be more helpful. Not only is he kind to me, but he even taught me how to read and write, so I want to return this kindness. Besides, I have some experience with woodsword, and I can say that I'm pretty good with it because even boys who were older than me weren't able to win against me."

Though she said it calmly, she was genuine. So no one was able to utter a word for some time. And after some time,.

"Hoho, it looks like the one in danger is the young master."

"Khm, alright. If it's you, Lena, then it should be good. Do you agree, Ethan?"

Brenda looked at Ethan, and though she asked calmly, her voice was commanding. And Ethan knew that he wouldn't be able to disagree, though he didn't even want to, because this way he might have more time to spend with Lena.

"Um, okay."

After that, the conversation turned to the need for necessary equipment for Lena, and it was decided that tomorrow she would go to the city with Leta to buy necessary clothes and other stuff for training. They enjoyed some tea over such small talks until it was over.

Though the celebration ended like this, nonetheless, Ethan enjoyed it. He left the dining hall and returned to his room.

[The celebration is over; it's time to work. So, Ethan, how much mana do you have?]

[Um...] He looked inside his mana heart. [I think I'm full.]

[Good, then let me control your hands. You might even learn a thing or two about artifact crafting.]

[Um, okay.]

Ethan lost control over his hands, and his mana started to move.

First, his teacher brought out two pieces of mithril and made them float with 'telekinesis'. After that, he put some kind of barrier with none-elemental magic around these two pieces, and inside it, two magic formulas appeared. By the symbols of the circles, Ethan was able to tell that it was some lightning element circle, and he was sure that it was a custom magic circle made by his teacher.

[Look closely, my student.]

The circles activated, and the mithril started to melt down in no time.

[Wow, so fast! And not fire, but lightning. Is this electromagnetic induction, about what you taught me?]

[Yes.]

[It's amazing! When you told me for the first time that lightning can be used to heat things like fire, I was very doubtful.]

[Heh, it's not bad to be skeptical about things that you learn without solid proofs. And even solid proofs might be broken if you are skeptical enough to pursue the truth.]

The circles disappeared, and the melted mithril took the form of a sphere. After his teacher's sophisticated manipulations of the sphere, the bracelet was formed.

[It's time to make some engravings, the most difficult job of artifact creation.]

[But, um, why is this difficult? Isn't it just some magic symbols?]

[No, symbols will only appear after the artifact is finished if you put in such an enchantment. And they are just showing the meaning of the engraved enchantments; besides that, they are meaningless. You would know that if you were paying attention when reading books about artifact crafting and magic symbols.]

[Isn't it because of you, teacher? You were telling me to turn pages before I was even able to read half of the page!]

Ethan felt wronged.

[Blame your slow comprehension speed.]

[Ugh...]

Even when they were talking, his teacher was busy carving the artifact. First, he conjured an unknown spell for Ethan that enlarged the image of the artifact twenty times. After that, he kneaded Ethan mana into four thin, needle-like forms, which started to rotate at high speed. His teacher then moved these needles towards the bracelet and started to carve different lines, circles, and symbols with their help.

Each needle moved separately, but everything they carved was connected to each other perfectly. It was such a mesmerizing sight that Ethan didn't even talk. Though it was only one part of why he didn't talk, the other part was because he didn't want to disturb his teacher's focus.

After some time, half of the bracelet was covered with the carvings, and his teacher made the needles disappear and the carvings sink under the bracelet surface, leaving only some lines and symbols where his teacher began and ended the carvings.

[Um, are you finished, teacher?]

[Yes.]

Said his teacher, with a slightly exhausted voice.

He removed all the mana, and the bracelet landed on Ethan's hand. He fastened the bracelet around his wrist.

[So how can this artifact help you read the books without my help?]

[Heh, I'll show you.]

He took out a book about water elements from Ethan's ring and moved the bracelet towards it. After that, light shone from one point of the bracelet and covered the book. When around two seconds passed, the light disappeared, leaving the book untouched.

Though Ethan didn't understand what happened, somehow the idea that this artifact scanned the book appeared in his mind.

[One function of this artifact is to scan the book and its content. And the other...]

His teacher moved the mana towards the bracelet, and before Ethan's eyes, the word 'Search' and the image of this book under it appeared.

[Try to touch the book image with your mind.]

[Okay...]