Chapter 81
○○○
Chloa mentions the Teleport Device.
Is it something like the Anywhere Door from that famous national anime?
「So you’re saying we can go anywhere instantly using this?」
I ask.
You wouldn’t believe such a magical device exists so easily, right? Even in a world with magic, it sounds far-fetched.
「Well, Low, while that might be possible in the future, unfortunately, it can’t do that much at the moment.」
Anon, clearly intrigued, prompts him, 「Meaning?」
Of course, anyone would be excited when faced with such a groundbreaking invention.
「First of all, this Teleport Device has a name. Its official title is ‘Crane’s Guidance’ — though I’m not the one who named it.」
He adds that he’ll explain more about that later and continues with his explanation.
「This ‘Crane’s Guidance’ requires a paired device to function accurately.」
「Paired?」
「Yes. To put it simply, this ‘Crane’s Guidance’ is a magical device that allows instant transportation to a location where its counterpart is installed.」
I see. So it’s not about going anywhere, but only to predetermined locations… Still, that’s hardly a drawback.
「Eventually, we hope to enable teleportation to specified locations with some degree of accuracy, even without a paired device.」
Wow, that’s amazing! I’m getting excited, but then I notice that Sensei doesn’t seem very impressed.
Maybe she’s capable of teleporting on her own. She’s truly unfathomable and a bit scary.
「About five years ago, we had already determined the direction of our research. Since then, we’ve been submitting papers to the Magic Guild and simultaneously acquiring patents. You might be surprised to learn that ‘Crane’s Guidance’ was actually created based on portals.」
Anon exclaims, 「Ah!」 and adds, 「Indeed, considering the transportation capabilities of portals, it makes sense that they could be applied to teleportation.」
Portals. I’ve used them too.
They’re essential items for exploration, allowing instant return from dungeons.
Especially in the Mirror Dungeon, the first one I entered, we repeatedly set up portals as we explored, returned, thoroughly prepared countermeasures for that level, and then tried again. We did this over and over until we felt dizzy.
This strategy wouldn’t have been possible without portals.
Despite using portals countless times, I only thought, 「What a fantastic item that allows instant return!」 It seems I don’t have the talent for invention.
「I’ve always believed that portals were the key to developing the Teleport Device. Portals themselves are prime examples of lost technology, created through set procedures without fully understanding the underlying theory, so the research was extremely challenging.」
「Ah, indeed. There’s so much we don’t understand about them.」
Anon agrees with Chloa’s explanation.
「Since we were trying to create an unknown magical device, every problem we faced was complex. We needed not only to combine existing technologies and knowledge but also to come up with many breakthrough insights.」
Breakthrough.
Overcoming existing concepts.
In many cases, it’s said to require breaking common sense.
How could I not be interested in how this was achieved?
「Issues like how to handle the enormous amount of mana needed for teleportation, or how to accurately specify the destination — I managed to solve these problems on my own. But there was one problem I just couldn’t overcome.」
「A problem you couldn’t solve?」
Anon, who’s well-versed in magical theory, asks.
「Yes. Portals originally had a safety lock that prevented specifying destinations other than ‘from dungeon to outside’ or ‘from outside to dungeon.’
This lock was the real troublemaker. We couldn’t disable it because we didn’t fundamentally understand the portal theory.
But to modify portals for use as a Teleport Device, we had to disable this lock. This was the biggest hurdle in trying to use portals as a Teleport Device.」
Chloa seemed to hesitate for a moment before choosing his next words — or so it appeared.
「To be honest, I wasn’t the one who actually accomplished this.」
I had a bad feeling.
I could feel my heart rate suddenly increase.
「I still remember it clearly.
It was about a week or so after rumors started circulating among nobles, high-ranking clans, and parties about a Hero being summoned. A clan member burst into the research lab with a panicked expression.
‘A theory to disable the portal’s safety lock has been submitted,’ they said.」
Chloa made a slightly bitter face as he recalled the moment.
「I never thought someone else would beat us to it, but what surprised me even more was the person who did it. I couldn’t believe she of all people had outpaced us.」
My bad feeling is proving correct.
It’s almost a certainty now.
「The person who accomplished this was Princess Puffy, the princess of this country.」
I look up at the sky.
I desperately search for the right words to say.
But I just can’t find them.
If you enjoy it and wish to see more, please consider giving it a 5-star rating for the series on NU. Click Here.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link