The revised edition of Encia’s book, “Basic Theory of Magic by Cientia,” continued to fly off the shelves.
So much so that it was common to see customers snatch a book from the vendor’s hands before the scribe could even finish binding it, tossing down cash and zooming off with a whoosh.
“Hmm… At this rate, the scribes will be worn out and collapse. Isn’t there a good solution?”
「A good solution?」
“Yeah. Like creating books with magic or some spell for duplicating items would be nice.”
A spell for duplicating items…? Hmm… It is possible to create matter using magical power, but the consumption of magic would be ridiculously high.
If you were in a country swimming in mana, that might be feasible. But for Encia to pull that off… Yeah, it would be tough.
On the other hand…
「Maybe a spell to make a feather pen move by itself could help.」
“A spell to make a feather pen move by itself?”
「Yeah. After the scribe records the pen’s movements, create a spell that allows it to replicate those movements automatically without needing a scribe.」
In other words, a magical printer, I guess.
Well, it wouldn’t supply ink or paper, so they’d still need people for that. But it means there could be scribes working non-stop, so productivity would definitely go up.
And with less work for scribes, labor costs would go down too!
“Hmm… A spell that remembers and reproduces movements. I never thought of that.”
「That’s not an easily conceived spell.」
If Encia wasn’t using magic freely, that spell would likely be impossible.
Most other mages usually stick to the kind of magic they handle.
“So, should the enchanted feather pen be made to recharge mana, or should it be equipped with a mana stone to use its power?”
The former would save costs since mages could use their mana, while the latter would allow anyone to use it, giving more people access…
Only suggesting one idea, and Encia was already digging deep into thoughts.
“Speaking of which, I heard the dwarves have techniques that use mana stones as power… If we could apply that…”
Thus, Encia commenced the creation of a feather pen that could remember movements and write automatically.
A few weeks later…
“Complete!”
Encia held a stunning feather pen high and shouted with glee.
Other than a small mana stone nestled in the gripping area, it looked just like any ordinary feather pen, but its functionality was completely different.
“Phew! Implementing that movement memory feature was so tough! Plus, there were parts that didn’t turn out as expected, and once it learns the movements, I couldn’t make changes!”
「Well done, Sia.」
“Yeah! Thanks to Tia! If it weren’t for your idea about using the mana stone as a memory storage device, it would have been impossible to implement!!”
If she fully unleashed her abilities like when making Talos, she could’ve given the feather pen a personality… But she didn’t borrow any power for that! Encia did it all herself!
The feather pen could only remember the movements for writing one page. Once the paper and ink bottle were placed in predetermined spots on a flat desk and mana was poured into the stone, it merely reproduced remembered movements.
Even so, she had created something that could write on its own!
It came with various limitations, but… Perhaps she’d started a revolutionary breakthrough in automated production.
“Great! Now, let’s call a scribe to remember the movements!”
「Uh… I don’t think the scribe will like that.」
“I mean, I’ve created a tool to do their job. They might even appreciate the help, right?”
「But that’s like creating a tool that takes away their work. They might just want to smash it!」
Like how weavers smashed the machines that wove cloth automatically during the Luddites movement, you know?
Oh, but maybe that’s a bit different? Next, she’s saving the scribe’s handwriting, so if they get a fair payment, it could work.
“Hmm… Let’s do it this way! For every page this pen writes, we pay them as if they wrote 100 pages! That way, they won’t have a problem with it! Plus, the scribe won’t be drowning in excessive labor.”
「Well… It’s fine as long as the scribe doesn’t have an issue. But what will it be?」
Perhaps the role of a scribe could change. From merely copying and writing down book content to preserving their unique handwriting.
Well, that’s not something I’m concerned about! I already have a lot on my plate; I can’t be babysitting every little thing!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
After paying a hefty sum to the scribe and making them remember the movements of the magical feather pen, the speed at which Encia’s books were produced increased by dozens of times.
What started as just two or three copies a day skyrocketed to nearly a hundred, sufficiently meeting the extraordinary demand for Encia’s books.
As a result, a decent surplus emerged, and a significant amount spread beyond Procyon.
As books continued to sell at that pace…
“We, the Procyon Elder Council, bestow the title of the Beginning Mage upon the weather mage, Encia, for ushering in a new era of mages.”
“Thank you very much.”
Encia received the grand title of Beginning Mage.
Well, that makes sense. A new breed of mages, fundamentally different from the existing ones, was starting to grow.
The numbers had surged overwhelmingly, and those wanting to walk the path of magic constantly knocked at Procyon’s doors, leading to a resurgence beyond compare before.
It’s only natural to give this title.
“Beginning Mage… Truly, my master as a mage is amazing!”
Cecil, Encia’s disciple, gazed at her with sparkling eyes, determined to remember the moment her admired master etched her name deeply in magic’s history.
In everyday life, Encia might appear scatterbrained, but as a mage, she was incredibly skilled.
“Hehe. Thanks, Cecil. You’ll become a great mage that won’t lag behind me.”
“Me? How can someone like me…”
“How can you say that? You are the one and only disciple of this ‘Beginning Mage,’ you know? Don’t underestimate your potential.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best! Master!”
The cheerful exchange between master and disciple drew smiles from the other mages around them.
Watching this scene, I turned my attention to Encia.
No, to be precise, to the mass of faith forming inside Encia.
It began to sprout rapidly—a seed of divinity.
A seed for becoming a god was growing within Encia’s body.
But, Encia was completely unaware of it.
Could it be because the seed was infinitely small and faint compared to magical power? Or was it obscured by the force of magic, making it hard to notice?
Or perhaps that the human body was restraining this seed from sprouting?
I don’t know. Trying to make a living human become a god… hmm… Is this the first time since Rychlen? How did the gods attempt to convert Rychlen into a god back then…?
They poured faith into a living human to make it happen? Could a human ever truly become a god that way? Or maybe during that process, the body would vanish, and faith would reconstruct it?
I don’t like that process. It’s like destroying a living being’s body to create a god. I’m not comfortable with that.
When I made other beastmen gods, they all died of old age first before their souls were taken to become gods, which makes things different… hmm…
What should I do? Leave the seed of divinity inside Encia and hope it becomes a god after death? Or transcend the limitations of her flesh?
I don’t know. What would be the best for Encia? I really don’t know.
“Tia? Why are you so quiet?”
「Oh, it’s nothing.」
For now… let’s just observe the situation. Encia isn’t aiming to become a god right now, anyway.
“Hmm… When you say that, it really feels like you’re thinking of something.”
「Really, it’s nothing.」
“Okay, if you say that, I’ll take your word for it.”
But if Encia wishes to become a god…
Well, if that time comes, I’ll teach her how. The way to become a god through the soul, divinity, and magical power.
Even if it means bringing her human life to an end.
