Ah, the toilets in this house with the bidet function really are the best.
This is the high point of civilization.
Excuse me, Maria. Come over here. I need to ask you something.
O-Okay.
What do you make of those two?
They are quite openly crazy about each other.
They are? So, they're already going out now, right?
I can't say that for sure.
There's no doubt they're both emotionally involved.
But Sizilien hasn't realized that what she's feeling is romantic interest.
What makes you say that?
Sizilien has both those looks and that personality.
She's had boys declaring their love for her forever,
but she's never accepted any of them. So she doesn't know how it feels.
Then what you're saying is...
He's probably her first love.
"Wise Man's Grandchild"
Is it still a long way to Bean Works?
We're almost there.
Still, it's too bad about Tony not being able to come.
What's the matter? You've been frowning for a while.
Aug, Schtrom is probably still alive.
What do you mean?
You saw the parade grounds, right? The impact from my heat ray magic?
I tried it out in the wilderness, but it just created craters;
there weren't any explosions.
The explosion that happened with him was probably meant to trick our eyes.
Then Schtrom is...?
Shin, when we get to the smithy, order whatever you need made.
The royal family will sponsor it.
Hearing what you just said...
You're the only one who can fight on equal terms with Schtrom.
Let's make sure you're outfitted with what you need.
"Bean Works"
Welcome to Bean Works!
Be my guests!
Good morning, everyone.
Morning, Mark and Olivia.
By the way, why are you two together so early in the morning?
If you wouldn't mind...
...telling us all about it right away...
Please go easy on me!
Daddy! Daddy!
"Harold Bean"
What do you want, dumbass?! And don't call me that at the top of your lungs!
In the smithy, I told you to call me "Boss"!
Sorry to disturb you while you're working. I'm August von Earlsheid.
Prince August?!
As it happens, I'd like you to help Shin develop a weapon.
This boy's--I mean, this young man's weapon, you say?
Oh, I guess introductions are in order.
This is Shin Wolford, grandson of Wise Man Merlin.
Th-Th-The grandson of the wise wan?!
The one who defeated the demonoid who recently appeared?!
Mm-hmm. How about it? Will you help him?
Well, sure, by all means! There could be no greater prestige
than for us to forge the new hero's weapons!
So then, what kind of weapon are we making?
Shin?
Right.
"Blusfia Empire, Imperial Castle"
Zest, tell me,
where did you gather your information about the Kingdom of Earlsheid?
I'm working with someone within the kingdom.
He tells me that the whole kingdom is in commotion
over the proliferation of demons.
Hmph, this might finally be my chance to take over the kingdom.
"Zest"
I very much hope that it is.
Hmph, I don't need well wishes from a commoner like you.
Although, I will make good use of the information. You should be honored.
Yes, it is my humble pleasure.
Okay, sir, I'll leave the rest up to you.
Right!
Have you finished explaining it to him?
Yeah. How about you?
Well, you might say that.
What else do you sell out of here?
The second floor is housewares, and the third floor is accessories and stuff.
Accessories, huh?
Is something the matter?
Oh, I was wondering if there were any accessories you'd like.
A-A-Accessories, you say?!
You mean, like a ring, or something?
Ah, but that would be so sudden! Maybe for now, a necklace would be better...
Though bracelets would be hard to pass up, too. Oh, and earrings...
Y-You really want that much?
N-No! It's not like that. I-I was just wondering what I'd like...
I was thinking that enchanting accessories with defensive magic
would prove highly effective.
Ah... I suppose that's true.
Huh?
You can't pull something like that.
How could you get her hopes up? What kind of monster are you?
Poor Sizilien...
Huh? Huh?
Ah! The way I asked the question...!
Uh, Sizilien...
What is it?
I-I'm sorry.
It almost seems like I'm being pushy.
That's okay, that's okay. I'm making up for bumming you out.
Besides, I do kind of want to buy an accessory for you.
I'll do the enchanting. Which one would you like?
Um... would you mind choosing?
Huh? You can choose whichever one you wish.
I can't decide by myself.
Well, okay...
How about this one?
I think it will look good on you, miss.
This one, please.
As you wish.
Okay, Sizilien...
Shin, thank you so much.
I'm glad you like it.
This will keep you safe.
Shin is keeping me safe...
"Earlsheid Royal Castle"
"Day of award ceremony"
The actual award ceremony is finally here.
Master Wolford, sorry to keep you waiting.
This is it, then.
The man of valor who saved the kingdom, and our new hero,
Shin Wolford, has arrived!
I-Is this for real?
Shin Wolford, your labors in this matter have been truly exemplary.
I confer upon you the First Order of Merit.
I-I most humbly accept.
Well done.
It is my humble pleasure.
Ladies and gentlemen, hear my words! Shin Wolford here is the grandson
of my friend, Merlin the Wise Man!
When I invited him to the kingdom to attend the magic academy,
I made a promise to the wise man
that I would not exploit him for political or military gain.
If that promise is broken, their heroic household will depart this land!
Under no circumstances forget this point!
He really did tell everyone about the promise...
You look exhausted.
After yesterday's award ceremony, there was this party, and that function, and...
Oh, Shin is coming out!
Shin!
Our new hero!
--So that's him! He sure looks striking! --Shin! Look over here!
How come?!
You got your award, but because of His Majesty's consideration,
you were not presented to the public,
so that's why they're descending on your house now.
We can't get to the academy like this.
Oh well, I guess we'll use a gate today.
Oh, sorry!
You startled me!
What kind of magic is this?
It's unbelievable! What's going on?
Oh, there was a huge crowd of people at my house, and we couldn't leave, so...
So you came by gate.
Gate? What's that? Tell me more.
This magic is what I call a gate. It connects two different places.
Amazing. Wolford, are you able to use teleportation magic?
Strictly speaking, it isn't teleportation. It is relocation magic, though.
What do you mean?
Teleportation is magic that relocates an object itself, right?
This isn't that?
This just reduces the distance between two locations.
Don't feel bad if you're having trouble understanding.
Not even Grandpa is able to get his head around it.
I can't make sense of this!
Not even the wise man?
Well, you might be able to use it in time, too. You are in the study group.
Mm-hmm, I'll do my best!
I should hold a training boot camp soon and put everyone through the wringer...
He's up to no good again.
You want us to level up?
You looked like you dreamed something up, and now we know what.
There have been a string of strange incidents lately, right?
We've managed to get through them, but I thought we should get you leveled up
to be ready for the next thing that comes along.
That makes sense. It's not as weird an idea as I imagined.
Hey!
So, what are you planning to do for this "level-up"?
Have you all get proficient with a certain level of attack and defense magic
and enchant some defensive magic accessories.
Ah, like Sizilien's ring.
Ahem! How about we start by checking how much magic power you can control?
Magic control? How come?
How come? Higher level magic requires proportionate magic control, right?
I thought higher level magic required devising chants
and more precise visualizations.
Oh, no.
To use magic, the first thing you need is magic power, to act as fuel,
and to use higher-level magic,
you have to be able to control enough magic power, or else...
I'm going to have to change their entire perception from square one.
Gather around, everyone. Maria, conjure up a magic barrier for us.
Huh? Oh, okay...
That won't do. The barrier is too thin.
This won't defend against very much magic at all.
Huh?!
Sizilien, would you activate the defensive magic
from the accessory I enchanted earlier?
Oh, sure.
Wow, amazing!
Two layers?
Ah! It's enchanted with a physical barrier, too!
This is enchanted with my control visualization.
It gathers the necessary magic power to that end and projects it.
Indeed it does. Controlled magic power is incredible, all right.
Earlier, Schtrom blocked my first attack, remember?
That was a magic barrier.
What?
Magic barriers are walls made of pure magic power
and are the easiest things to make, right?
I always thought it was some other, more powerful magic.
With enough magic power,
you can defend against magic well enough with just a magic barrier.
Do you want me to show you a portion of the magic power I can control?
That's incredibly dense!
No way! Is it really this concentrated?!
If you can't control that kind of magic power, you won't get anywhere.
So with that in mind, we're going to practice magic control every day.
No slacking off.
"The Blusfia Empire"
Ho, the kingdom is preparing to go to war?
Yes. The imperial army's movements were quite overt,
so they realized it immediately.
It sounds like Zest did well. So, what do you think will happen, Miria?
"Miria"
That is difficult for me to say, Master Schtrom.
Dance well, everyone.
Oh? Shin...
We're home.
Ah! It's the wise man!
And the guru, too!
How thrilling!
What brings you here with so many friends? Is something the matter?
When we were leaving the academy, there was a crowd at the school gate.
--Shin! --Shin!
Honestly, this is a huge bother.
It will die down before long.
Ho, so you've started magic training under Shin's direction?
Yes, though he's pushing us awfully hard right from the start.
The wise man is the one who taught Shin his magic, right?
So does that make us the wise man's second-generation students?
We're also the wise man's grandson's first-generation students, too.
This is getting too hard to follow.
Well, I am the first one to have taught him, to be sure,
but Shin has his own way of visualizing things.
What do you mean by that?
Shin doesn't visualize the magic's outcome, but rather, the process.
Do any of you know why a fire burns?
Well, um, because you set it on fire?
I don't think that's what he means.
If you ask us why, exactly, we can't offer a definite answer.
I don't really know, either.
But Shin always raises those questions.
What is fire? Why does it burn?
As a result, he doesn't think solely about the outcome;
he grasps the mechanisms that get him there
to dream up new visualizations that have never been done before,
giving rise to more powerful magic.
Kind of like this...
Grandpa, is that...?
It sure wasn't easy, but thanks to your description using paper,
I finally figured it out.
Shin isn't the only one who can use his magic.
If you understand the mechanisms and combine it with the right visualizations
and the appropriate control of magic power, you can all use it.
Shin may not be conventional, but he isn't beyond the pale, either.
Grandpa, thank you...
Merlin, every once in a while, you do have your moments.
What do you mean, "once in a while"?
You learned how to create gates for Shin's sake, right?
What do you mean?
It seems like every time Shin uses magic,
he gets called abnormal or extreme.
Yes, it does.
But if you can use Shin's magic, one could say that he isn't a special case.
That's a good thing for the others to see, too, isn't it?
Their eyes all lit up over maybe being able to use magic like Shin.
There's no reason for him to feel alone.
You think so?
I do.
Lyn, what happened to you?
I was practicing my magic control, and it got out of hand.
Out of hand? Are you all right?
It happens a lot. No problem.
But there must have been damage to everything around you, too, right?
I mean, your hair is scorched.
My father is a court magician.
We have a practice room at home, so it's not an issue if I lose control.
So you do this all the time?
You're quite the unbridled magical girl, aren't you?
I like that! From now on, I'll call myself the Unbridled Magical Girl!
Good morning, Lyn!
No, call me the Unbridled Magical Girl!
Huh?
Oh, you're here! The prototype is finished.
Leave it to a professional!
That was quick work!
Well, of course!
Okay, go ahead and push the trigger on the hilt.
Here?
It came out!
This is amazing! I'm here to witness Bean Works's new creation!
What are you talking about, Tony? This was your idea to begin with, right?
Finished with your errand?
Yeah, and I got you some presents for keeping you waiting.
Huh? What are they?
Accessories for all of you.
Huh?
I'll enchant them with defensive magic and give them to you later.
Oh, like you were saying before...
But if you have one for all of us...
No, I didn't get rings for the boys.
Shin, about your sword,
I'm thinking of suggesting having the army adopt them, too. Do you mind?
Hmm? I don't think Granny will be happy about that.
You're doing what?!
No, not your vibration sword;
I want them to use them as general issue swords.
It will require some modifications, but if we mass produce them,
we can reinforce our weaponry while keeping the cost down.
The idea for the sword was Tony's, so if he's okay with it, so am I.
But why do you ask?
The truth is, war may be close at hand.
--Huh? --I knew it.
Our customers often say the same thing in passing.
War? With whom?
The Blusfia Empire.
The empire? But why?
You'll have to ask them.
Apparently, there's a massive buildup to go to war in the empire.
If a drawn-out war breaks out, then we students may be enlisted, too.
W-Well, it hasn't started yet. There's no point in getting worked up.
Especially you, Shin.
Demonoid attacks are one thing,
but we will never drag you into fighting a war.
That would be military appropriation.
Sure, you may not draft me,
but if all of you are in danger, I will take to the battlefield.
All of you that I've met here are friends that I couldn't do without.
I see.
So the imperial army is starting to advance toward our kingdom.
We have to sweep aside any sparks that rain down on us.
Dominic!
Majesty?
Order all of our forces to move out.