New chapter of Control Engineer is out! (2/2 chapters)

 

 

Hunting Magic Beasts in the Southeast Forest (3)

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“Not aiming? What do you mean by that?” (Griffith)

Ah, I had answered honestly without thinking.

Griffith, who was accompanying me, narrowed his eyes.

“Ha. You mean there was no time to aim before defeating them.” (Griffith)

“That is clearly incorrect.” (Leon)

“O-oh, hey, Griffith.” (Harcon)

There was no point in evading the truth.

“I am not lying. The aiming is done with magic art. I only activated it and supplied mana.” (Leon)

Yes. Integrated sensing magic art. It is a byproduct of research on low-level spatial magic art for storage magic art. Not only can it detect visible light and infrared electromagnetic waves, but it can also sense gravitational waves.

Setting the detection weight range is difficult, but if I distinguish between inertial and stationary weights, it is sufficiently usable. Furthermore, by overlapping detection methods, I am confident it has few gaps in sensing.

Looking down, all the magic beasts had been struck precisely at the center of their heads as intended. All three were hit. This is natural, as the relative velocity was nearly zero this time.

“Hmm. Targeting with magic art? I have never heard of such a thing. It is unbelievable, but otherwise, it would be impossible to shoot that quickly with such precision. And three instead of two, no less.” (Griffith)

Oh? Griffith seems sensible enough, unlike Harcon.

“I apologize for questioning the depths of magic art. However, Leon, you should not speak lightly about such things to others.” (Griffith)

For some reason, Harcon, who was beside me, nodded vigorously.

“That is right. Even I, who focus on the sword alone, am slightly envious. Ordinary people would surpass envy and feel jealousy. Right, Griffith?” (Harcon)

I see.

“I am not envious at all.” (Griffith)

“What did you say?” (Harcon)

“Magic art that hits without aiming. Do you think such a thing is easily obtainable?” (Griffith)

“Ah?” (Harcon)

“It requires considerable training, or an unbelievable level of practice. Perhaps both. He must have accumulated both.” (Griffith)

“Oh. So, you, Leon, paid the price of effort in advance?” (Harcon)

“Indeed. However, there are those who do not understand this.” (Griffith)

“No, I understand.” (Harcon)

“Rest assured, I will not speak of this to anyone else. Harcon, do not mention it either.” (Griffith)

“Of course! Even if we told someone, they would only scoff and not believe it anyway.” (Harcon)

Both of them seem to have good natures. Though slightly different, they remind me of Nii-sans.

“By the way, may I keep this Ash Boar until assessment?” (Leon)

“Yes, that is fine.” (Griffith)

≪Storage Magic Art – Deposited≫

“Are you going to carry it with you? It is quite heavy… it disappeared?” (Harcon)

Griffith grinned.

“So, you have a magical apparatus like ours!” (Harcon)

“Harcon, it is not a bag.” (Griffith)

“Huh?” (Harcon)

“He is not using a magical apparatus for storage right now. Right, Leon?” (Griffith)

I nodded.

“Amazing… but what is the point of it?” (Harcon)

Griffith closed his eyes and scratched his head.

 

—

 

Afterward, we took turns defeating magic beasts, and our coordination gradually improved.

“Very well, let us have lunch here.” (Harcon)

“Agreed.” (Griffith)

I was becoming hungry as well. We found a fallen tree and sat facing opposite directions. I sat down as well.

They hastily began eating. It seemed to be bread with something in between.

“Leon. You said you brought food, did you not?” (Harcon)

“Yes.” (Leon)

I retrieved the meat skewers I had purchased yesterday.

“Mm, mm, mmm…” (Harcon)

“Swallow before speaking, Harcon.” (Griffith)

“Ungh. Leon, did you get that from a stall at the outpost? It was not there, was it?” (Harcon)

“I bought it in the royal capital yesterday.” (Leon)

“But steam is rising.” (Harcon)

“Did you store the meat skewers using magic art other than a magical apparatus?” (Harcon)

I nodded while chewing.

“I have thought this for a while. Harcon, you are very sharp when it comes to food.” (Griffith)

“Indeed! What did you say?” (Harcon)

He is cheerful.

“So even items stored in a magical apparatus do not age?” (Griffith)

Harcon and Griffith turned to me.

“Age? What do you mean? I do not understand. Right, Griffith?” (Harcon)

The other placed his hand on his chin.

“Hmm. They do not age. Such an interpretation is possible.” (Leon)

“What do you mean?” (Harcon)

“The meat of magic beasts placed inside does not rot. Hot or cold, it comes out just as it was.” (Griffith)

“Oh! And how does that relate to time?” (Harcon)

“I had assumed that it was because the magical apparatus is isolated, but that is not the case.” (Griffith)

“I do not understand the logic of intelligent people.” (Harcon)

After finishing three skewers, it seemed they had finished as well.

Indeed.

“Hey, you two. You have cups, do you not?” (Leon)

“Yes.” (Harcon/Griffith)

“How about some hot tea?” (Leon)

I showed them the retrieved pot.

“Leon, you even stored something like that?” (Griffith)

“Clever, is it not? It cools otherwise. I would like a cup.” (Harcon)

They handed me tin cups, and I poured the tea. Steam rose abundantly.

It had been brewed this morning.

“No sugar.” (Leon)

“That is fine.” (Harcon)

“Thank you.” (Griffith)

“Hmm, delicious. Next time we should do it the same way. Even when we brew it ourselves, it is just warm, yet somehow it feels more satisfying.” (Harcon)

“Then, we should buy a pot.” (Griffith)

“But if we put a pot in the apparatus, will it not spill inside?” (Harcon)

I supposed it was similar to my own magic art.

“Yes. If you are careful when retrieving it, it should work. After all, time does not pass inside. It is worth a try. One attempt will suffice.” (Griffith)

 

—

 

After finishing our meal, we moved to another location. From the territory of the beginner Ash Boar, we moved over a small hill into an area where slightly larger prey appeared.

Harcon approached me.

“What do you feel with magic art?” (Harcon)

“Nothing. At least within 100 meters I sense nothing.” (Leon)

The sole weakness of integrated sensing magic art is distance. The further the distance, the more difficult it becomes to sense gravitational waves. Various objects emit gravitational waves that introduce errors. The effective range for auto-aiming depends on precision settings. With a setting for hitting within 30 mm, the range is roughly 50 to 60 meters. Of course, with time, it is possible to remove error factors and increase sensitivity, but then there would be no immediate response. Moving targets could not be aimed at.

According to the system documentation in my mind, substituting numerical calculations into deep learning surrogate models could speed up error removal. However, training data of the actual distribution of magic beasts is required, so practical implementation is still far off.

Putting that aside.

For purposes not requiring maximum precision, such as scouting, much greater distance can be achieved. 100 meters is the minimum, and model-based estimates suggest about 200 meters is feasible.

“Impressive. I agree. Shall we head toward the courtyard?” (Harcon)

Hmm.

“What is the basis for that?” (Leon)

“Basis? Does my instinct require justification?” (Harcon)

Instinct, yes.

Considering his relatively young age, the achievement of becoming a Superior-level veteran adventurer is evidence enough. Should he be proud of something equivalent, or pessimistic that it is merely instinct?

“The instinct says that the larger prey is in this direction.” (Harcon)

After several hundred meters, we arrived at a small ravine. The width of the stream was less than 10 meters. It did not cross but curved.

“Upstream, it seems.” (Harcon)

I see.

Following the stream, I turned left and felt a shiver run along my spine. It was not unpleasant.

“Ho, ho. A thrill of battle. Excellent. There is something worth seeing here.” (Harcon)

Harcon patted my back vigorously.

 

—

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