Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 221

Stonemagic...

It was a method of activating magic using mana extracted from mana stones. Though I didn’t know the specifics of how it worked, since I was the one who created this world, I knew the broad strokes of how it worked.

Of course, Stonemagic can’t be used if you can’t manipulate mana at all, so Louis Ankton could not suddenly become a mage overnight.

Most people looked like they were hearing the term “Stonemagic” for the first time.

“I don’t know what Stonemagic is specifically, but I figured such a thing might exist. It looks like it does.”

I was hoping for some confirmation, and Harriet hit the nail on the head.

Harriet seemed perplexed.

“But that’s incredibly difficult... You’d essentially have to relearn magic from scratch. It’s so complex that no one bothers using that branch of magic.”

‘Right. I know that because I wrote it that way.’

Stonemagic involved manipulating external mana, which was completely different from the manipulation of internal mana that was used in traditional magic.

So, while there was a theoretical foundation for it, it has been largely neglected.

However, I wasn’t advising Rudina to learn the obscure branch of Stonemagic.

“Then we just need a magic stone that can store external mana as if it were internal mana.”

“... You make it sound as if it’s easy.”

Yeah, my theory sounded implausible and seemed to lack any grounding in reality. But what could I do, given that I had foreknowledge that such a thing would actually emerge in the future?

Harriet thought I was just babbling ignorantly, and Rudina seemed sulky at the suggestion that she should learn a new type of magic just because she was a mana dud.

‘Oh come on, listening to an adult for once wouldn’t hurt! Also, I’m not just an adult; I’m the Creator! So I’m always right!’

“Adelia?”

Adelia looked startled at being suddenly addressed.

“... Huh? Me?”

“Yeah. If it’s not possible, then make it possible.”

Adelia... This was the girl who later created such a magic stone—an artifact, to be precise.

An artifact that stored mana and allowed it to be used as if it were internal mana for casting spells.

I knew that she created something called a Power Cartridge.

The Gate Incident began in the first semester of the third year, and the kids would get caught up in an unavoidable conflict. Of course, after the initial chaotic sweep of battles, the Temple students officially joined to support the combat.

However, even within the Royal Class, there were combatants and non-combatants, and there were definitely some who couldn’t fight.

Those whose talents were unsuitable for combat couldn’t be dragged in to fight battles, so they inevitably had different roles and tasks.

A prime example was Louis teaching magic to magic majors during his spare time.

Adelia, with her talent for Summoning Magic, fell into the combatant category, but she also has a talent for Magic Crafting.

Since nearly every battle became a prolonged fight, magic majors constantly suffered from mana depletion. At the age of nineteen, aside from certain exceptional cases, every student inevitably faced the limitations of absolute mana capacity, since their talents had yet to fully develop.

This wasn’t just a Royal Class problem, but an issue faced by all mages involved in battles.

Magic was powerful, but it couldn’t be used frivolously. Yet, avoiding battle wasn’t an option.

Adelia would find a way to address this problem while being deployed on the battlefield.

An artifact that allows mana contained in external mana stones to be used as internal mana: the Power Cartridge.

The Stonemagic that Harriet spoke of was similar in form, but applied differently.

Adelia would eventually create a cheat-like mana amplification device, and I was telling her to make it in advance.

“If it’s not possible, make it possible.”

Adelia looked dumbfounded.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is that even possible...?”

She, the one who would end up creating it, was basically that saying such an outrageous thing was impossible. Harriet, eyes blazing with irritation, glared at me as well.

“If something like that could be made just because you said so, Adelia would be a legend in the magic world. Do you think it’s that simple?”

‘Oh. She will become a legend.’

But no matter how I explained it, I just sounded like an ignoramus with big dreams giving unrealistic orders. The others’ reactions were no different, their lukewarm expressions suggesting I was woefully uninformed.

“Yeah. Do you think my mana is going to stay like this forever? You’re being really, really ridiculous right now!” Rudina shouted at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

‘I’m doing this for your own good! I am the god of this world! Everything I say is right! But how can I convince you of that...’

“Ah, screw it.” In the end, I frowned at everyone’s uncertain expressions. “You think I’m easy to mess with, huh?”

Ultimately, I had no choice but to resort to the most convenient solution.

Regressing to the basics...

‘Have you forgotten that I’m the Reinhart?! Do I seem like a joke to you, just because I’m hobbling around with crutches after going head-to-head with a senior?

‘Should I show you?’

Everyone seemed startled when I suddenly flipped out.

“You guys made me the president by force, so do as I say, damn it. Arguing with me about whether something is possible or not—hey! Adelia!”

“Y-Yes! Yes!?” Adelia responded, her face turning pale.

“If I tell you to make it, then make it. Don’t make me flip out.”

“Y-Yes, okay...”

“You still don’t seem that enthusiastic about it.”

“Yes! I’ll make it, for sure!”

“Good. That’s what I want to hear.”

I gave Adelia, who answered me energetically but with her face pale, with satisfaction.

‘Since you made me the president, then it’s all your fault that this club is run this way.’

Adelia nodded furiously at my coercion as Harriet, along with the others, watched in shock.

However, no one dared to speak up when confronted by my furious demeanor. Because that was who I was.

“Who said it’s impossible? You guys keep saying it can’t be done without even trying. Youngsters these days have no fighting spirit,” I muttered with my arms crossed.

I didn’t forget to throw in a bit of blatant nonsense.

There was no need to worry about whether they could even grasp such an unconventional task.

Giving the order in such a way made it so that Adelia was so scared that she’d likely approach the development with the mindset that failure wasn’t an option.

“And Rudina, help Adelia with her research. This is being made for your benefit, after all.”

“M-Me too...?” Rudina said cautiously, watching my mood.

“Of course. Did you think you’d get a free pass? You have to do something.”

“You really think it can be made?”

“Stop arguing and start helping.”

Rudina was assigned to assist Adelia with her research. No objections accepted.

“Next, Cristina.”

“M-Me?”

“Yes, you.”

All of them had begun to get comfortable around me, and had suddenly realized again who I actually was. My sudden fierceness seemed to leave them with slightly bewildered expressions.

Cristina, with her talents in Alchemy and Enchantment, was a non-combatant.

“For you, I have something specific in mind. You’ll need to help me directly.”

“Help you directly...?”

I had assigned Adelia her task with the excuse of solving Rudina’s mana deficiency, and I had a good excuse here as well.

“As you can see, I messed up real bad using Mana Reinforcement and ended up like this.” The side effects of Mana Reinforcement were significant. “I want you to make a potion that can make one more sensitive to internal Mana Manipulation and response.”

This bombshell request drew a plethora of priceless reactions.

‘Ugh... These kids! You guys don’t get it! These things will actually all be made in the future! It might sound impossible now, but you’re really going to make them one day!’

During the time of the Gate Incident in the first semester of the third year, many couldn’t even master Mana Reinforcement by graduation.

I had been forced to stir things up with the Gate Incident because I had run out of things to write about by the end of the second year.

Given the size of that particular disaster, even Temple students were drafted into the fight, but despite their potential, they were still not the strongest in the empire.

At that point, only Ellen, Vertus, and Ludwig had mastered Mana Reinforcement, while the rest of the combat major students hadn’t. So, in between the constant battles, they had to quickly master Mana Reinforcement.

Cristina would eventually end up creating a special potion that helped everyone adapt to Mana Reinforcement. Its name was Moonshine.

I named it Moonshine, in reference to the light of the moon, but later found out from comments that Moonshine actually referred to illegally-made liquor—embarrassing!

Anyway, the name can always be changed. What I was asking Cristina to create was a potion that helped someone master Mana Reinforcement and become even more adept at it, while aiding in raising the user’s mana capacity.

Harriet finally exploded.

“This is ridiculous! Just one of these things would be enough to make history in the magic world. Why are you asking us to make such groundbreaking items here? If you want such amazing things made, you should go to the Temple’s Graduate Comprehensive Research Center or the Magic Tower!”

Harriet was right. I was ordering them to create two things that would leave a mark in history at the same time.

It was absurd to ask a high school club to create such things. But if it were possible for the university labs to create such things, I wouldn’t need this club at all and could have just placed an order with them.

However, these items could only be made by the people in this club. I wasn’t sure the university labs would even listen to me, and even if they did, that wouldn’t mean they could actually create these items.

I couldn’t convince them that they were the only ones in the world who could make these.

So, coercion was the only answer.

“Thick-Skull. Do you want me to repeat myself? If I say so, then just do it. Here, I’m the king.”

“D-Don’t call me Thick-Skull!” Harriet yelled, frustrated and flushed with anger as Class B students watched on.

“Just give it a try, okay?”

Cristina nodded reluctantly, not wanting to anger me further. “I will give it a try, but I can’t guarantee success...”

There was something else I had to tell Cristina.

“Also, I have another question.”

“What is it?”

“Why is Enchantment only applied to objects?”

‘I’ll give her one super practical combat tip right now.’

It was common knowledge that Enchantment was only applied to objects.

“Why not enchant something like a potion?”

“... Huh?”

Everyone seemed surprised by my entirely different approach.

“Well... I guess it might be possible. But would that really be... useful?”

There was a common preconceived notion that enchantments were only reserved for objects, one that would be shattered later on.

Moonshine, the potion, would ultimately be created by combining Alchemy and Enchantment.

An enchanted potion.

Everyone seemed to mull over this new concept with puzzled expressions.

“Anyway, I’ll think about it some more.”

“Good.”

We were embarking on developing two powerful items: the Power Cartridge for the magic majors and Moonshine for the combat majors.

Once completed, these items would significantly strengthen the magic majors.

Louis was already preparing his lecture, so there was no need to interfere there.

The only remaining challenge was for our versatile grand duchess, Harriet, and also Anna de Gerna with her dark magic talents.

For Anna, she wouldn’t end up creating anything particularly special. She would be utilizing her dark magic in combat.

I would assign her the tasks when needed.

I turned my gaze to Harriet.

“Come to think of it, aren’t you the ace here?”

“... A-Ace?”

“In terms of talent, you’re top class.”

Even among these prodigies, she stood above them all with just the simple and straightforward talent of Magic.

In the original story, Harriet de Saint-Ouen was insufferably arrogant, but her skills were unmatched.

Now, though, she had changed so much that she looked utterly adorable. Seeing her like this filled me with a strange sense of pride.

Who knew she could be so cute?

Harriet blushed at my comment about her being the top magic major.

“W-What are you saying... You call me a thick skull one moment, then praise me the next... Make up your mind already...”

She fidgeted, evidently embarrassed.

‘Why is she blushing? This isn’t the time to be happy about praise, is it?’

“So, you can do anything, right?”

Harriet’s face turned ashen when she realized the weight of my expectations.

I had tasked the two students with talents in Alchemy and Magic Crafting to create unprecedented magical items.

She couldn’t even fathom what kind of impossible task I might ask of her, with her all-encompassing talent for magic.

She seemed sure that I would ask her to do something ridiculously outrageous.

Unfortunately for Harriet, in the original story, she didn’t create or invent anything revolutionary and mostly engaged in combat as a battlemage, decimating foes with overwhelming magic.

In the original story, wielding a Power Cartridge basically turned Harriet de Saint-Ouen into a walking death machine, and this power made her even more arrogant and entitled.

For now, it was enough that she was adorable.

I was going to ask Harriet to do something that wasn’t in the original story.

So far, everything I have tasked them with, and the things I planned to do, were preparations for when the Gate Incident occurred.

But for Harriet, I had a completely different assignment.

“Hey, have you ever thought about researching dimensional magic?”

“Wh-What?”

The task of preventing the Gate Incident entirely.

That’s what I was assigning Harriet.