A Fated Encounter with Medea
The most reliable method Shirō currently envisioned was constructing proper Magic Circuits.
Firstly, this method was not only available in the system's database, but Shirō also had a way to gain hands-on manufacturing experience.
Secondly, even if the circuits were damaged, he could reproduce replacements through Projection Magic—something he was already skilled at. This made the process both convenient and practical.
As for why he didn't simply project circuits outright, but instead went through the painstaking process of crafting them, there were natural reasons.
One reason was the matter of consumption: maintaining flight while simultaneously sustaining the existence of projected circuits would drain his chakra and prana reserves at an alarming rate.
Another reason was academic. By crafting circuits rather than merely copying them, Shirō's knowledge of magecraft would grow in the process. Each success—and failure—would further his research into new spells, killing two birds with one stone.
Cough. But enough rambling—it was time to return to the main topic.
In short, the Magic Circuits Shirō chose were capable not only of flight but also of producing offensive spells when combined with the proper magecraft. More importantly, they looked incredibly cool.
Shirō's model came from none other than Medea's cloak. In the Age of Gods, Medea—Caster of the Black Sea, Witch of Colchis—had woven sorcery into her garments. The cloak granted flight and could even unleash beams of magical energy when fueled with sufficient mana. (Strictly speaking, the cloak was not her Noble Phantasm; her true Noble Phantasm was Rule Breaker, the dagger of betrayal. Still, the cloak was an iconic tool of hers.)
There were many other flight-capable circuits in the database, but Medea's cloak left the deepest impression on Shirō. He had projected Rule Breaker enough times to become familiar with her magical structure, making this design easier to reproduce.
Of course, "easier" was not the same as "perfect." Without Medea's foundation in Age of Gods Magecraft, Shirō could not fully replicate her offensive spells. Still, he valued its flight function most, and he had no shortage of offensive options given the Noble Phantasms in his arsenal.
After some thought, Shirō erased his earlier training plan from the scroll and instead began drafting a materials list for constructing the cloak's circuits, cross-referencing the database. That way, if he came across the components in future, he could collect them—just as he had been doing with materials for his Workshop. Over half of those materials were already in his possession, and the remaining were relatively common.
Naturally, the Workshop still took priority.
Afterward, Shirō followed his usual nightly routine: he applied medicine to his injuries, meditated, and, while his mind was still sharp from meditation, studied the magic scroll. Then he slept. One round of study was enough; pushing further into the night would only weaken him the next day.
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A week passed in this manner.
During this time, Shirō limited his use of Projection Magic to allow his body to recover. Instead, he focused on theory—expanding his understanding of circuits and barriers. He also took care of practical affairs: he purchased extra honey for friends (since the small amount his grandfather sent would not have sufficed) and even stayed at his grandfather's for two days.
He did not find any houses for sale during that week. And since Kushina was preoccupied with Katsuki's matters, he chose not to disturb her. Housing could wait; there were still obstacles in the Workshop's construction, and Shirō estimated it would take at least another year to complete, perhaps longer if he hit a bottleneck.
Still, he did not bury himself in books alone. He occasionally accepted low-level missions to test his research. After all, experimentation is the true criterion of knowledge.
Of course, he wasn't reckless. He wasn't about to test modified circuits on living subjects. Instead, he practiced spell applications: during one mission to drive away wild beasts, he deployed a basic barrier to test its stability and experimented with small-scale offensive spells to gauge their effects. Successes and failures alike were valuable; both became stepping stones in his pursuit of magecraft.
At present, he had begun a new experiment.
Sitting atop a large rock, he gazed at the bandit camp below.
His current mission was to deal with a group of mountain thieves. Unlike the infamous Missing-nin–led groups, these were poorly equipped amateurs. From the crude camp layout, however, Shirō noticed the beginnings of organization: a rough training ground, tents arranged with forethought. Clearly, someone capable was guiding them—perhaps exiled, perhaps betrayed. Left alone, such men might one day become a true bandit lord's retinue.
But there would be no "someday."
They would be harvested here, before they could grow into anything more.
After verifying the mission's intelligence reports—that the group truly lacked high-level shinobi—Shirō retreated from the camp and summoned a contingent of Dragon Tooth Warriors.
These skeletal soldiers, inspired by Medea's own creations in the legends of Colchis, were his test subjects for this battle. The earlier versions had been frail, collapsing under the simplest stress. This time, with his improvements, Shirō hoped they would hold their ground.
He watched from the rock as the soldiers advanced.
Yet flaws remained. Against ordinary bandits, the skeletal warriors should have held an overwhelming advantage—terror alone was a weapon—but some batches scattered mid-battle, collapsing under pressure. Shirō sighed and shook his head.
Their poor performance was not surprising. His own magical cultivation was still shallow compared to Medea's. Without the depth of Age of Gods magecraft, his Dragon Tooth Soldiers could never reach their true potential.
Still, every failure was a lesson.
And Shirō was determined to learn.
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