After finishing dinner, I sat on the sofa and used the year-measuring device to check the magic cores I had obtained in the dungeon. Since I was responsible for doing the laundry, I would be the last one to take a shower.
As I stared at the device, I remembered that it had been invented by a former Brave. The same went for the dungeon recorder. There were probably many other inventions I didn't even know about.
Maybe I should invent something too.
After all, I had obtained the ability to create things. If I didn't invent a few things myself, it would be embarrassing to call myself a Brave.
But what should I invent?
The only thing I was dissatisfied with right now was communication. Speaking of modern communication methods, the first thing that came to mind was the telephone—or rather, the mobile phone.
(I know how phones are made, but the process is extremely complicated.)
At that moment, I looked again at the magic core inside the age-measuring device. The dungeon recorder also contained magic cores, and magical tools relied on them as well.
(Magic cores are way too versatile.)
I picked one up and held it close to my eyes, examining it carefully. No matter how I looked at it, nothing seemed particularly special.
But I already had a rough idea—using a magic core as the core of a phone.
The problem was, how would two magic cores connect with each other?
Could the manufacturing method of the year-measuring device serve as a reference? I glanced at Jacob, who was reading a book nearby. Maybe he knew something.
"Jacob, do you know how the year-measuring device is made?"
"I do."
"How is the magic core inside it processed? Why can it detect the year of another magic core?"
"If I remember correctly, you just say "Detect" in your mind while injecting magic power into it."
"Really?"
"Really."
Jacob answered confidently, but I still found it hard to believe. It sounded way too simple.
I might as well try it myself.
"I'll give it a shot."
I opened the back cover of the device and removed the magic core inside. Then I took out a one-year-old magic core from my storage hole. Even if I was a magic-core tycoon, I couldn't just casually experiment with ones that were over a hundred years old.
Next, I silently said "Detect" in my mind while channeling magic power into the core.
The magic core flashed briefly.
Did it work?
I placed it back inside the device, closed the cover, and then put in another magic core whose age I already knew.
The display showed 695—the same result as before.
Even though it was still hard to believe, it was true. The manufacturing method of the age-measuring device was really that simple.
Then I took out another one-year-old magic core and silently said "Connect" in my mind while injecting magic power into it.
Nothing happened.
Did I use the wrong word? Maybe it shouldn't be "connect" but "link"?
I tried again.
Still nothing.
Maybe the key wasn't the word itself, but the process used during the invention.
I looked up to ask Jacob again, but he had gone to take a shower. Instead, Alice appeared.
But when it came to things about the Brave, Alice should know more.
"Alice, do you know if the former Braves invented things?"
"Of course I do! The items invented by the Brave brought great convenience to the world! Mr. Karen, are you interested?!"
The moment the topic of Braves came up, Alice became extremely excited. She looked like she could talk about it for three days and nights straight.
But I wouldn't be overwhelmed by that enthusiasm. Right now, I was only interested in the invention process.
"I want to ask about how the Braves invented things. Is there any historical record of the process?"
After hearing my question, Alice's excitement faded. Her eyes slowly drifted into the distance. After a long pause, she finally answered.
"...No."
There wasn't any record?
What were the Brave's companions even doing? Such an important matter wasn't recorded? Useless. Completely useless. Were they so blinded by the Brave's kindness and romance that they forgot everything else?
Seriously useless.
I sighed softly and said to Alice,
"Then I have no more questions."
"Ehh?! Mr. Karen, don't you want to hear how the Brave's inventions changed the world?!"
Alice could only become the explaining side when it came to Brave-related topics, so she clearly wanted to share her knowledge with someone.
Unfortunately, I was busy.
"No."
"That's so mean..."
Alice lowered her head in disappointment.
Then I remembered I had gifts prepared for Alice and Ethefelis as a reward for their hard work gathering ingredients.
I took out the first gift and handed it to Alice.
"Alice, this is for you."
"This is... a sheep?"
She examined it for a moment before realizing what it was.
"That's right. It's a sheep plushie. It is cute, right? Think of it as a reward for gathering ingredients."
"Ethefelis, you have one too. This one is a dolphin."
"Dolphin?"
Ethefelis took the dolphin plush and looked at it from different angles, so I explained,
"Remember that rare animal I told you about at the port of Bales? That's a dolphin. This is what it looks like."
Since Alice liked sheep and even wanted to protect them, I chose a sheep plush for her. I didn't know what kind of animal Ethefelis liked, so I picked a dolphin—the animal I once promised to show her.
"I remember."
Good. At least she remembered.
However, their reactions seemed surprisingly calm.
Wait... could it be they didn't like them?
That couldn't be right. Who would dislike plushies? They were incredibly comforting.
If they didn't want them, they could return them to me. I could always hug them while sleeping. Just don't let them gather dust in the storage hole or mistreat them.
"If you don't want them, you can return them..."
Before I could finish speaking, both of them interrupted me.
"I want it! Thank you, Mr. Karen! The sheep plushie is so soft and cute!"
"Eis wants it too. Thank you, Ren bro."
Alice hugged the sheep plush tightly, burying her face into it and rubbing her cheeks against it repeatedly.
Ethefelis also hugged the dolphin plush, staring at me with a look that clearly said she would never return it.
Good.
As expected, no one dislikes cute plushies.
I felt relieved and said warmly,
"I'm glad you like them."
Then I looked back at the magic core.
Now I was back to square one again.
Inventing things was really difficult.
"Mr. Karen, is that all?"
Grace suddenly said something confusing.
What did she mean, "Is that all"? It sounded like she also wanted a plushie.
I looked at her and saw her holding out both hands, as if expecting something.
But I hadn't prepared one for her. I hadn't even planned to give her one, because I remembered she had said she didn't need plushies before we left.
"There isn't one for you. I remember you said before the trip that you didn't need a plushie."
The moment Grace heard that there wasn't one for her, her expression immediately changed.
But since she hadn't received one, she refused to admit her real feelings and started stubbornly defending herself.
"I—I'm already eighteen! I don't need one!"
"Then maybe you should put your hands down first."
Grace denied it with her words, but her hands were honest.
After I pointed it out, she quickly withdrew them. Then she kept glancing at Alice's and Ethefelis's plushies while mumbling quietly.
"...It's not like I wanted one..."
Grace clearly wanted a plushie. I should get one for her later.
At that moment, Alice's helpful personality kicked in.
"Ms. Grace, do you want one? You can have mine."
Alice offered her plush with a kind smile.
But Grace refused.
"No. This is Mr. Karen give for you. You shouldn't just give it to someone else."
She was right. You shouldn't casually give away something someone else gifted you. You should ask for permission first.
"But you kept staring at it, so I thought you wanted it."
Alice had noticed Grace's gaze.
Grace had been caught. She panicked and quickly tried to explain.
"I—I just think it's cute! It's normal to enjoy looking at cute things, right?"
"Is that so?"
I could understand what Grace meant, but her words clearly weren't sincere.
So I decided to make a promise.
"Grace, what animal do you like?"
"Huh? ...Dogs."
She seemed startled by my sudden question, but after a brief pause, she answered.
"Then when we reach the dungeon in Dilibrash, I'll bring back a dog plushie for you."
I didn't have dungeon access magic for this place, so I couldn't instantly teleport to specific levels. Each trip took a lot of time.
And I no longer had any reason to enter the Butnashso Dungeon, so I would have to visit the dungeon in the next country.
Grace shyly made another request.
"Then... could you bring me a bigger one?"
"How big?"
"About... about my size."
That was just a little bigger?
A dog plush the size of an adult human? Grace was pretty greedy.
I might as well just look for the biggest one available.
"...I'll try to find the biggest one."
Personally, I preferred smaller plushies. Most people thought small things were cuter anyway.
"Yay!"
Grace responded excitedly.
She clearly really wanted a plushie. She had just been denying it because of her age and image.
But honestly, we already knew she was a girl who loved reading romance novels. And her cute polka-dot pajamas had already revealed the girlish side of her heart.
There was really no need for her to hide it anymore.