Magical Stick

Snow started falling on the Capital. Winter has finally arrived in earnest. The use of the onsen had increased due to the cold weather, and they are becoming very crowded in the evenings.

As for me, I got more level-ups and new products have been added to the shelves. There are several additional items, but this one stands out in particular.

Product name: Stick Chocolate

Description: A stick filled with colorful chocolate pellets. When used as a magic item, it increases the power of one's magic by 30% for one time. However, it also increases the amount of mana used for the magic, so keep this in mind. Disappears after use.

Price: 30 rims

It's a small stick of about 12 cm in length, with a handle curved like the handle of an umbrella. The inside of the wand is filled with ordinary chocolate pellets, but the container itself is a magic item. This makes this item sell well to the magicians. Regal, whose specialty is his Fireball, sometimes buys them.

[When I'm done eating, I keep it as a good luck charm. The price is relatively cheap, and the power boost is nice.]

[Does that 1.3x damage increase really make a difference?]

[It would be the greater the power of your magic is.]

The larger the number multiplied, the greater the effect. If a magic originally deals 10 damage, a 1.3x increase would be turned into 13 damage, but if it originally deals 1000 damage, 1.3x of that would be 1300. It's no wonder it sells so well to veteran adventurers. I was wondering why some grumpy-looking magicians were buying so many stick chocolates.

I'm now nearing completion on the map of the 2nd Underground Floor. Since he has been helping me a lot with it, I gave 5 stick chocolates to Regal.

◇

When I came back to my room with Michelle, the room was cold. I immediately start up the magic heater. This is a magic item that makes use of Fire Magic, and in this world, in place of home appliances, there are many tools that run on magic crystals.

[That's strange, I should have set the heater's timer on when I left this morning.]

[Isn't it fine? Anyhow, come scooch over here.]

While shivering, the two of us stood side by side and held our hands near the heater. With us sticking to each other and trying to heat ourselves, I feel strangely warm. Michelle is a great magician, so if she wanted to, she should be able to heat the room right away. However, I knew she wouldn't do that.

[It's really cold. How about scooching over here a little more?]

I unfold my winter cloak and hug Michelle's shoulder close, and she then lightly leans her weight on me.

[It's so warm... Ufufu...]

[What's the matter?]

[I smell Yuusuke's scent.]

I don't smell bad, do I? I just took a bath in the onsen on the way home. Michelle is nuzzling her face against my chest, so it doesn't seem like she's bothered by my scent. Rather, she seemed to be pleased with it instead. I wonder if she has a smell fetish? We huddled together and waited for the room to warm up.

When the room reached a comfortable temperature, Michelle decided to make me her special stew.

[I'll help out too.]

[Yuusuke, why don't you go ahead and do the sales calculations and put together your map? I'll be fine on my own today.]

The map for the 2nd Underground Floor is almost finished. As soon as the maps of the 1st and Underground Floor are finished, I will distribute them to the rookies free of charge. Rookie adventurers had it rough in their early days of dungeon diving. I feel like the effort I made to make these maps is already worth it as long as they can make it below the 3rd Underground Floor.

Reading the notes I had taken today, I dug up my memory and drew a map.

[Arehh, what was this place again?]

I tried to remember the structure of the dungeon as I looked at my notes, but the lines were blurry for me to make out the details. I'm pretty sure there's a big cave in here... I would like to write down this area's features, but I can't seem to remember them.

Ah, that's right, this would be the time to use "Clairvoyance" and find out! When I use it, it seems like I would go into a trance-like state, so I sit firmly in my chair...

[Hmm, did I sit on something?]

When I went to sit down, I felt something solid in my pocket hit my thigh. I took it out and found that it was a stick chocolate with its contents emptied out. Come to think of it, I remembered bringing it home to give to Michelle.

...I wonder what would happen if I use this? Offensive Magic increases in power by 30%, Enchantment Magic increases in duration and its ability itself improves, so it has varying effects. In a way, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I use it with Clairvoyance.

[Let's try it out...]

Holding the stick in my right hand, I lightly waved it while using my magic.

[Clairvoyance!]

Feeling mana drain from my body, my consciousness drifted into the air. Even though I still haven't made my choice in how to use my Clairvoyance yet, it seemed I directly entered the state of astral projection.

[Arehh, I was thinking of checking out the dungeon...]

My consciousness feels light and fluffy, my thoughts won't settle themselves. There was even something in the back of my head that sought to ask me a question.

"Do you want to go forward or go back?"

Who the heck's asking? In any case, I feel like going forward in this state wasn't a good idea. Alright, let's go back. As soon as I thought that, time went backwards.

[What the heck is this!?]

As my astral projection floated in my room, I watched my room go in a reversed fast forward. Michelle and I leave the place walking backwards and the room became unoccupied again. Eventually, daylight returns and morning comes, and Michelle and I walk backwards into my place. From the way things were like earlier, this must be the video of this morning.

[Can I pause this?]

As soon as I thought that, the video promptly stops. Uwahh, the place ending up pausing just as we're exchanging a goodbye kiss... Looking at it again makes me really embarrassed.

Can I play it again? This time, the video continued normally. Arehh, what is Michelle doing? While I was putting on my cloak, she secretly turned off the timer on the heater. Did she expressly do that just so that we can have some intimate time earlier? Good grief, I'm not sure if I should say she's cute or she's troubling...

[Ughk!]

I suddenly felt pain in my chest. This is bad, is this recoil from magic overuse!?

[Yuusuke! Yuusuke!]

I can hear Michelle's voice. This is back... How do I get back?

[......…]

As the video blacked out and my consciousness was cut off, my surroundings were dyed in total darkness.

Feeling my lips forcibly pried open, I felt warm liquid pour in. That sensation woke me p with a start. Thereupon, I saw Michelle's face close to mine.

[Have you regained consciousness, Yuusuke?]

[Arehh, what was I...?]

[Don't you remember? You collapsed from mana exhaustion. What in the world did you do?]

If I'm not mistaken, I used a stick to activate my Clairvoyance and saw images from the past... That must have drained me all of my mana.

[Here, drink some more mana potions.]

Michelle put a teaspoon of potion in my mouth.

[How are you? Have you settled down? Can you remember what happened?]

""

[I saw it...]

[Saw it? Saw what?]

[I saw Michelle tamper with the timer on the heater...]

[That is...!?]

She looked flustered. As Michelle turned bright red and curled herself up, I explained to her what really happened.