Master and Slaves

"Mateus-san. The magic-infused item, was it? Have you finished analyzing it?"

"Oh, that is right. Nene, would you bring it here?"

"Yes, Master."

Helene went to Mateus’s desk, picked up the bag we had brought from Geizer’s castle, and carried it over.

"Will this do?"

"Yes, that is it. Thank you."

Helene set the bag beside the desk, and Mateus, still seated, began rummaging through it.

"I’m sorry. There was quite a lot, wasn’t there?"

"No, the problem is that I have only managed to examine one so far. ...Oh, found it, found it."

What Mateus pulled out of the bag was a pair of glasses.

The shape was similar to those from my original world... or rather, similar to the ones I used to wear.

"These. Would you put them on and pour magic into your eyes?"

I put on the glasses Mateus handed me.

"Um... like this...? Whoa!"

Something suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.

Let’s see... "Magic Constitution Analyzer MCA-20"?

Wait, this is Japanese.

No—kanji, the alphabet, and Arabic numerals?

"Are characters being displayed on the glasses?"

"Ah, yes."

"I cannot read what is written, but it is probably script from an era even older than the ancient Asteria civilization. According to analysis magic, these glasses can analyze objects... I would like to examine them a little further. If the characters could be read, then perhaps..."

"I can read the characters."

"...What did you just say?"

"No, I mean, I can read the characters written here. It says ’Maryoku Kousei Bunsekiki.’ Ah, it disappeared."

Even though I kept sending magic, it vanished.

Did it break?

"Hiroyuki-dono. Please look at this."

Mateus took a bracelet from the bag and placed it on the table.

When I looked at it, a magic circle-like diagram appeared in the center, something like an explanation in the lower left, and pie charts and bar graphs overlapped around it.

When I focused on something I wanted to see, it came to the front.

It was like the near-future glasses that appear in movies.

But the magic circles and graphs made no sense to me at all.

So I tried reading the explanatory text.

"Um, ’You can accurately know the time.’ ...It’s just a wristwatch..."

"...Hiroyuki-dono, please, I beg you to help with the analysis of the documents. There are books that use the same script and cannot be read. Please, I truly beg you."

The dumbfounded Mateus pressed his forehead to the table and pleaded with me.

"Ah, no, I’m free anyway, so I don’t mind. Please raise your head."

"Truly? That would be a great help."

Mateus bowed his head again.

Well, I really am free.

If I’m going to stay here, I should do something.

Still, these glasses are interesting.

When I stopped pouring magic into them, everything in front of my eyes disappeared.

"With these, analyzing magic-infused items will be easy."

"Indeed. They seem more detailed than my analysis magic. As expected, they do not reveal the full composition."

Mateus laughed heartily.

With these, I wouldn’t even need Mateus to examine them, would I?

"What will you do? Hiroyuki-dono may analyze them with those glasses, or if you entrust them to me, I will examine them."

"No, I’ll look at them."

Mateus seems busy, after all.

"Hahaha. Understood. If it is not too much trouble, would you at least tell me the results? I am curious as well."

"Of course."

I readily agreed.

"Now then, is there anything else? If there is something you wish to know, I will tell you whatever I know."

"Let’s see... Could you teach me about this world?"

Since I’m going to live in this world, I should know about it.

"Indeed, but where should I begin... Hmm, come to think of it, Hiroyuki-dono did not use magic, did you?"

"Yes. In the world I came from, there was no such thing as magic."

"There was no magic?"

Helene cut into the conversation between me and Mateus.

"Yeah, so I can’t use magic."

"Is that so."

Helene nodded with an expression of understanding.

"Indeed. Then let me speak about magic. We lump it all under the word ’magic,’ but many varieties exist. Broadly speaking, the ones we can use are six types: Constitution Magic, Spirit Magic, Holy Magic, Mechanical Magic, Biological Magic, and Ancient Magic. Each has a different source. First, Constitution Magic constructs a magic circle and channels magic power into it to interfere with the world and create something from nothing. Spirit Magic uses one’s own magic power as a medium to command spirits and produce various phenomena. Holy Magic uses magic power as a medium to pray to the gods of the heavenly realm and produce various miracles. Mechanical Magic pours magic power into matter to use it as a power source and move various objects. Biological Magic uses magic power to alter parts of the body, enabling things that would be impossible with the flesh alone. Finally, Ancient Magic—little is known about it in detail. It is certain that it uses magic power, however. ...In short, that is roughly it."

Mateus finished explaining magic in one breath and took a sip of tea.

"Haa..."

I sipped my tea as well.

So there are six kinds of magic in this world.

"There are others, but since we cannot use them, we do not know what they are. For example, the magic used by the Demon King’s army. It does not fit any of the six types. Therefore we call it Demon Realm Magic, but we know almost nothing about it."

Was the magic Demon King Geizer used the same kind?

"Also, each race has strengths and weaknesses. The human race can use all six types with neither particular excellence nor deficiency."

"Um, races... are there races other than humans?"

"..."

Mateus and Helene were surprised by my words and looked at each other.

Tiria also widened her eyes in astonishment.

"Tiria. Did I say something strange?"

"...Um, is Master’s world inhabited only by humans? ...Um, are there no elves or dwarves?"

Ah, right.

This is a fantasy world.