Strange Wand and Freak

Gauss did not have to wait long.

Andeni returned to the hall carrying a pile of long staves.

"Good thing I have a habit of keeping old things. I haven't lost them even after all this time."

Setting the staves on the table, Andeni put her hands on her hips and spoke with considerable pride.

Gauss lowered his head to look at her.

Though he knew she was probably old enough to be his mother—perhaps even his grandmother—her tiny stature still made her seem more like a mature child.

"What are you staring at me for? Hurry up and try them."

Andeni raised a hand and gave Gauss's waist a push, urging him to get on with it.

Gauss looked toward the wand-like objects on the table and found that they were indeed different from the wooden wands from before. This time, the types of Base Material were far more diverse.

Bone, stone staves, green vines, and several other kinds of wooden wands.

"The types of wood I tested you with earlier were the most common materials, and also the most suitable for making wands. These are some relatively obscure Base Materials."

"They're called obscure because most Spellcasters find it difficult to make their magic compatible with them."

"And yet, they really can respond to magic. So in theory, though the odds are low, they still have owners suited to them."

"Matching a wand goes both ways. A person chooses a wand, and a wand chooses its wielder. It can't be forced."

"Your magic seems rather special. Maybe these oddballs suit you. Just pick one and try it first."

Andeni could not be bothered to introduce the specific types of wand Base Materials on the table.

There was no need to know any of that for the test anyway. Once it was over, if there was a suitable one, it would not be too late for her to explain.

Gauss first picked up the green vine wand closest to hand.

The slender green vine wand was less than thirty centimeters long, like the little teaching pointer his teachers had carried in class in his previous life. But unlike the pliant softness people associated with vines, this green vine wand had clearly undergone special hardening treatment. It felt more like holding a branch.

Magic seeped into it.

The familiar sense of rejection remained, but compared with the most commonplace wand materials from earlier, the resistance seemed to have weakened somewhat.

Gauss controlled his magic and sent it through the wand once, then set the green vine wand down.

"How was it?"

"Better, but it's still a little uncomfortable," Gauss answered honestly.

Next, he tried every stone staff and wooden wand. The results varied, some good and some bad.

One pale yellow wooden wand circulated magic rather well, enough to serve as a fallback.

A relaxed expression appeared on his face as well.

If the final Bone Staff was not an especially good fit, then the result was already decided.

He picked up that Bone Wand.

Though it was called bone, which sounded grim and chilling, its Base Material was exquisitely smooth and rounded.

It was around forty centimeters long and two fingers wide.

There was a joint in the middle. The relatively short lower section had been polished into a grip, with a groove left at the bottom for later crafting and processing. The upper portion was a comparatively slender, straight wand body that gradually tapered toward the end.

Though it was said to be bone, it looked more like a work of white jade art, even radiating a faint sense of holiness and purity.

Gauss muttered to himself inwardly.

Is this really a Base Material I can afford?

But since Andeni had taken it out, he might as well try it first.

He guided his magic slowly toward the wand body.

The instant his magic touched it, he felt a warm current surge out from within.

Gauss's entire body suddenly shuddered.

An intensely comfortable feeling rose in his heart.

It was as though this piece of white bone had originally been an extension of his own body, fitting naturally in his hand as one seamless whole.

At the same time, magic flowed through it with extraordinary smoothness, without the slightest obstruction. Every particle within the wand body seemed to be helping him circulate his magic.

I want it!

Gauss's heart pounded wildly.

Even though he knew little about wands, he knew he had encountered a Base Material exceptionally suited to him.

"What creature's bone is this?" Gauss swallowed, suppressing his excitement as he looked at Andeni and asked.

To his surprise, Andeni merely shook her head.

"I don't know."

"I picked it up in a cave during an adventure many years ago. There was only this single piece of bone. I saw that it responded to magic, so I collected it at the time."

"Senior, haven't you used an appraisal-type spell on it?" Although Andeni had touched his Life Magic Stone only briefly earlier, she had indeed cast some kind of spell. He guessed it had been for appraisal.

And as the owner of a shop dealing in Magic Items, it was hardly strange that Andeni had mastered identification spells.

"I already used an identification spell. The results were extremely superficial—I couldn't tell what kind of creature it came from."

"In all these years, I've never encountered a Spellcaster whose magic had even the slightest compatibility with it. At first, I thought it was some great treasure, but in the end, it simply wouldn't sell."

"Senior, could you sell this to me?" Gauss was holding the white-bone Base Material and was already reluctant to let go.

"Uh?" Andeni's eyes suddenly widened, as though she had heard something utterly unbelievable. Her mouth hung open like a goldfish's.

"You mean your magic can resonate with this Base Material?"

"Don't tell me you just think this staff looks pretty and are trying to fool me."

Andeni had taken out this Bone Staff simply because it had been piled together with several others, so she brought it out while she was at it.

In truth, after all these years of testing, she had long since stopped expecting anything from it. It had never shown the tiniest hint of obedience toward any of the Spellcasters who tested it.

"What spell have you mastered?"

"Mage Hand."

"Then try casting with this Bone Staff."

Andeni herself was rather curious now.

Over the years, the price of this Bone Staff had dropped again and again. By now, she no longer cared in the slightest how much it could sell for.

If this miraculous Base Material could truly find a Spellcaster owner compatible with it, it would finally settle a concern she had carried for all these years.

Gauss nodded.

This Bone Staff suited him perfectly. Even though he had only just picked it up, he was confident he could cast successfully.

"Mage Hand!"

The instant magic flowed into the Bone Staff, that silky-smooth sensation returned.

This feels incredible! Gauss could not help blurting it out.

There was no going back.

There really was no going back!

After experiencing the exquisite feeling brought by this Bone Staff, Gauss felt that he would probably never again be able to tolerate the rough casting sensation of casting barehanded.

A pulse of magic traveled out through the tip of the staff.

The surrounding magical energy instantly received the pulse's command and began converging.

In the air before him, the invisible Mage Hand rapidly took shape.

Mage Hand formed incredibly quickly!

It took only around half as much time as before.

And when Gauss waved the Wand to control Mage Hand, its movement speed was roughly 20% faster than before as well.

"It's... it's real!"

Even more excited than Gauss was Andeni, who had confirmed that he had successfully cast through the staff.

She hurried forward in excitement, her face glowing as she fiercely punched him twice around the waist and abdomen.

"Gauss, you're absolutely a freak!"