l. From a magic systems perspective, it may be more appropriate to describe this as the blade extending through the air. From outward appearances, this was half of a broken sword flying to and fro through the sky. Since there was no physical connection between the two halves, this fulfilled the condition for "objects in flight due to magic".

"Tatsuya, did you create this thing because you knew about this ahead of time?"

At Leo's sincere query, Tatsuya could only chuckle wryly and shake his head.

"You overestimate me too much...... This was made purely on a whim.

I'm not in the habit of creating malicious tricks day and night."

It seemed that neither Leo nor Erika was wholly satisfied with Tatsuya's explanation, but time was of the essence, so he chose to ignore it.

"This Weaponized Integrated CAD — 'Mini Communicator' has already been calibrated for Leo's personal use. I've already adjusted the variability of the distance and duration like we spoke of earlier, so don't mess up the controls."

"Eh? You mean we're doing a live test in combat!?"

"Everything tomorrow would be the same thing as live combat."

Tatsuya switched his tone and paused before adopting an enigmatic smile.

"Besides, I guarantee that this time it'll be far easier to use than last time."

"Fine, hopefully this won't be a problem."

Facing Tatsuya's evil smirk, Leo fearlessly took the "Mini Communicator" from him.

"Next is Mikihiko's role......"

"Yep, Tatsuya, what should I do?"

Mikihiko rose from the bed. Although he was initially indecisive, he was now very proactive, or maybe he was simply motivated now. Being roused to action was infinitely preferable to how he was before, but Tatsuya didn't touch on this and focused on his mission briefing.

"Guerrilla tactics will entail providing support to either the offense or the defense."

After delivering this simplistic answer, Tatsuya continued to ask. "You are capable of other long range magic like the earlier lightning- based magic, correct?"

"Well, yeah......"

Mikihiko vaguely replied.

Families that had inherited Ancient Magic had a strong tendency to hide their own magic abilities.

In modern magic, thanks to the categorization and systems approach to magic, with a notable exception for a few BS Magicians, confidentiality has become a mere formality. However, due to the ingrained values system, this could still be seen at the subconscious level.

Nonetheless, they were headed into battle tomorrow, so if they couldn't be honest with one another now, they would be in dire straits.

"The destructive power for lightning magic is C-Rank, right?"

"......That's a magic that was only meant to disable the target, so it only rates as C-Rank. Since it hasn't been publicized yet, there is no actual record in the rankings."

"Unpublished, huh......

Wouldn't that be a huge problem if we used that tomorrow?"

"No......

There should be no problem. The theory behind it is not secret, but the Activation process is. If I avoid talismans and only use a CAD, we should be OK. ......Tatsuya."

"What's up?"

"Tatsuya......

You said this before, right? My......

The Yoshida Family's technique is too verbose, so I cannot wield magic in the way I desire."

"That is correct."

Erika stared at them with widened eyes. Next to her, Tatsuya decisively — more like ruthlessly — nodded.

Mizuki covered her mouth with both hands. Even Leo was struck speechless.

The technique that the famous line of Ancient Magic users had laboriously developed over many generations had just been judged to be a "blemished product!" Without a certain degree of confidence, no one dared to make that assessment.

Otherwise, they were fools of the highest order that believed solely in the superiority of their own techniques.

Obviously, Tatsuya did not belong in the latter category.

"......Then Tatsuya, can you tell me a more efficient technique?"

"I won't tell you, I will configure one."

"......I'm sorry, the difference escapes me."

"The magic you used was likely a variant of 'Thunder Child'. What I can do is remove the unnecessary portions within the technique and reduce the number of computations while maintaining the phenomenon rewriting ability and alter the Activation Sequence to make that Magic Sequence possible, that's all. At the end of the day, this is still the magic that Mikihiko is comfortable with."

"......So you weren't joking when you said you can comprehend anything you see. It is a variant of 'Thunder Child'. In order to hide the weakness of the technique, additional layers were added on to disguise the original ability. However, this may tie into the unnecessary portions that Tatsuya spoke of."

"There was a time when longer casting times required certain defenses to avoid interference. Nevertheless, with the advent of CADs and the rise in casting speed for modern magic, individual counter spells have become obsolete since the magic that is being activated remains unknown. Thus, the real counter to modern magic doesn't lie in the type of magic, but counter magic that can eradicate its effectiveness in the first place."

Mikihiko made a small noise.

Amazingly, his smile was in no way self derogatory.

"Haha, so that's how it is...... Ancient Magic was supposed to possess superior firepower, but now they cannot stand against modern magic."

"That's incorrect, Mikihiko."

"Eh?"

"Ancient Magic and modern magic are not separated by superiority or inferiority, but by their individual strengths and weaknesses.

In a head-to-head match-up, modern magic commands a devastating advantage in casting speed, but from the perspective of surprise attacks, Ancient Magic boasts superior firepower and secrecy.

Didn't Elder Kudou also say this? The key is how you use magic. The reason I recommended you was because I thought that your magic would serve as an incredible ambushing tool."

"Ambushing tool, eh......

That's the first time I've heard of that."

Mikihiko closed his eyes and ruefully murmured. Afterwards, as if dispelling all his doubts, he opened his eyes again.

"I understand. I will use this technique without the talismans, so I'll rely on the CAD instead. Tatsuya, we'll go with your suggestion. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Mikihiko. Since you said that, there's one other thing I wanted to ask of you."

"Sure. This can't be helped, right? Not that I planned to keep it a secret anyway. My father was the one who brought me here, so even if our secret got out, it's not like they have the right to complain."

"Don't worry on that account, my lips are sealed."

"Ah~ ......

Me too. I promise that I'll never let this spread."

"Likewise."

"I'm good for that too, as you know."

Besides Tatsuya, everyone present who had been silent until now affirmed their intent to keep his secret.

After viewing the last person (Erika) with considerable suspicion, logic finally trumped emotion as Mikihiko nodded towards Tatsuya.

"I'll keep this short. Can you use 'Visual Tuning'?"

Mikihiko replied after a short pause not because he was unwilling, but because he was totally shocked.

"......You know about that too? Did Kokonoe-sensei tell you that as well?"

"Maybe."

"......You certainly gave me a scare there, Tatsuya. Well, the answer is a definite yes. While I'm incapable of performing 'Five Sense Tuning', if it's only two at a time, I can still use 'Sense Tuning'."

"Visual is good enough, Mikihiko. In that case, our plan of attack is......"

Tatsuya didn't noticeably change his volume, but Mikihiko seemed to naturally crouch closer.

As promised, the calibration of Leo's CAD took less than an hour to finish.

After receiving his personal CAD and weaponized calculation device from Tatsuya, Leo opted to do some training to get used to the new model. Erika volunteered to be his sparring partner as they headed for the outdoor training facility.

The hour was late, but Erika said that with Leo around, nothing would happen to her or otherwise. So Tatsuya compromised.

Presently, Tatsuya was calibrating Mikihiko's CAD at lightning speed. Next to him, Azusa was staring at him in shock. As the user, Mikihiko was also present as he stared wide eyed at Tatsuya's unique calibration method and typing speed. Yet, the subject that astounded Azusa was not so superficial.

Right now, Tatsuya was assembling an Activation Sequence that took into account the traditional requirements for Ancient Magic and adapting them for use in modern magic. "Translating" the technique itself wasn't a particularly daunting task. Much like using a clumsy machine translation, awkward details and minor errors would be scattered all over the place.

Even Azusa was able to fix errors like those.

Yet the calibration being displayed before her eyes was nothing short of a complete rewriting of the Activation Sequence.

By fully comprehending the transformation process from Activation Sequence to Magic Sequence, he was rewriting the Activation Sequence without sacrificing any efficiency from the Magic Sequence.

The Activation Sequence is the blue print for the Magic Sequence. Rewriting the Activation Sequence implied that the Magic Sequence was also being rewritten. Not only did the magic have to be finely tuned to the individual Magician, the excess details in the Magic Sequence also had to be pruned to increase efficiency. That level of rewriting had long surpassed "revision" or "configuration" and had ascended to the realm of "innovation", which was the same thing as improving the very magic itself.

Before he began, Azusa honestly wondered whether this was even possible when she learned from Tatsuya what he was attempting to accomplish. Yet before Azusa's own eyes, he bypassed any experimental verification or live testing and proceeded directly to extracting the very essence of magic from the Activation Sequence and began cutting away at the unnecessary portions and redesigning the Activation Sequence. This was precisely what was unfolding on the editing machine.

Even Azusa, who had volunteered as Tatsuya's aide in place of the usual technician responsible for the Newcomers Division's Monolith Code event, felt powerless before this insane industry. Right now, the only thing she could do was examine the coding language for the freshly minted Activation Sequence as her gnawing doubts steadily solidified into conviction.

He — Shiba Tatsuya — had exceeded the standards of a high school Magic Artificer.

Scratch that, he had long since surpassed the boundaries of what it meant to be a Magic Artificer.

He must be—

Leaving Azusa milling in confusion behind him, Tatsuya used one full hour to completely rewrite Mikihiko's personal Activation Sequence.