Konbini Ossan Volume 3 Chapter 34 — The Old Man Understands

When I came to, I was lying on a bed. From the surroundings I realized this was Arisa’s room.

Looking out the window, it was nighttime — I must have slept a long time from the backlash of the enchantment.

“Hmm.”

I glanced around. Arisa was beside the bed, half-asleep in a chair, watching over me. She must have been nursing me.

Her thoughtfulness warmed me, and I couldn’t help but grin. But there were more important things to think about right now.

First — the enchantment had succeeded.

For a brief moment I had the Calculator’s power; I processed a vast amount of information and gained answers, a wealth of knowledge.

It had been only an instant, so I couldn’t have verified every piece of knowledge stored by «Complete Record», but even that glimpse produced more than enough remarkable results.

I discovered combinations of skills I’d never considered before.

That outcome was expected and not terribly surprising — my intellect alone couldn’t exhaustively test every possible synergy between skills.

There were unexpected pairings of skills I hardly knew, and surprising interactions among skills I already understood.

Next, I acquired knowledge about magic circles. Saying it like that sounds modest, but in reality it was extraordinary.

I’d read the books Shuri gave me and others I’d obtained, collecting knowledge about enchantment circles and many other magical diagrams.

All of that was saved by «Complete Record».

Among that mountain of information were unresolved problems — research-level gaps and fanciful techniques not yet realized.

The Calculator swept through those undecided questions and solved them.

In other words, I’d effectively become a cutting-edge expert on magic circles.

Unresolved means even Shuri couldn’t crack them. If I can now understand them, I possess deeper knowledge of magic circles than most experts in the world.

That knowledge solves the long-standing issues of magic circles — energy constraints, the difficulty of skill bestowal via enchantment, and so on.

Once those are resolved, the freedom of application explodes.

Enchantments I’d thought impossible become feasible. The resulting profits and advantages for my plans are enormous.

Finally — and this is tied to the magic-circle knowledge but deserves separate mention — I obtained a solution that, frankly, is supreme.

If I applied enchantment magic according to that knowledge, I could become overwhelmingly powerful in this world.

But there’s one problem.

“Ah — old man! You’re awake!”

Arisa suddenly stirred awake. I forced a smile to shake off the dark thoughts.

“Good. When you collapsed I really panicked. You were bleeding from your nose and eyes and ears. Don’t scare me like that, idiot.”

She gave my shoulder a light, scolding pat.

“My apologies, Arisa-san. I’ll be more careful.”

“Yeah, you better. Don’t push yourself again. I hate that crap.”

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

I can’t promise never to overdo things, so my answer was vague.

Arisa probably knows that about me, which is why she pursed her lips in annoyance but didn’t press further.

“In any case — I’m glad you’re okay. Maria left supper as a care package here. I’ll go get it.”

“Thank you.”

Arisa left the room. She’d probably warm the food in the shop’s kitchen and bring it up.

My niece really is a kind girl.

That’s exactly why — I shouldn’t choose the path to become the strongest.

Because to do so would require sacrificing Arisa.

The enchantment configuration the Calculator suggested — the one that would make me invincible — is an abomination that would put Arisa’s life in danger.

I can’t build my power on the sacrifice of someone I want to protect. That knowledge must be sealed.

I pushed that technique deep into my memory, hoping I’d never need it.

If possible, I prayed I’d never have to use such power.

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E/N:

Arisa-chan's just a kid but if Ossan had the Calc skill, he might have been omnipotent. Anyway, this just goes to show his versatility and respect for Ossan!

P.S. It's festive season all over my country. Been busy with stuff past 2 days. Apologies for the delay! Thus, enjoy 2 chappys at once! (1/2 chapter)

Stay tuned!

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