Chapter 404
"Fundamentally, that suit has no meaning unless *you* wear it.""So this suit is actually exclusive equipment?"
An item that appeals to people's hearts and raises favorability—it was clear to see how it could become something incredibly dangerous depending on its use.
I was worried that if it were something like divine robes and someone claimed to be a divine messenger, they could start a cult.
A "dangerous when mixed" skill combination. In FBO, I only ever used it for things like increasing favorability, so I hadn't been careful. But in reality, of course there are skills with unthinkable applications.
"No, it's not exclusive equipment. Anyone can equip it if they want. But they won't be able to manifest its full effect.""? Skills are skills, right? I thought anyone could use them."
While reflecting on my lack of proper understanding here, I tried to confirm these points to decide how to handle things in the future. However, the second daughter said not to worry.
Skills are something anyone can use if they obtain them.There may be differences in acquisition difficulty, but it's almost unheard of for someone to obtain a skill and be unable to use it.
Therefore, I couldn't quite trust the second daughter's statement that my worries were unfounded.If this were at least exclusive equipment, something only a specific person could equip, it might be fine, but it's not even made exclusive.
If this suit were misused, something terrible could happen.
"They *can* use it. But they won't achieve the effect you did.""??? Skills produce a certain effect, right? Why not?"
The more I pressed with questions to resolve this concern, the less I understood the second daughter's explanation.
"To put it simply, it's because the skills have poor compatibility with each other.""????"
Hearing the answer made me even more confused.I tilted my head, then put a hand under my chin, still unable to comprehend.
*What does that mean?* It made me tilt my head even more.
Didn't they create equipment that anyone could use to deceive people precisely because the skills had *good* compatibility?So what does "poor compatibility" mean?
"Ahh, you really are unconscious of it, aren't you? Look. When you activate a skill, how do you think about it?"
Still not reaching the correct answer, the second daughter leaned forward a bit impatiently, her golden hair, now undone, swaying and emitting a faint floral scent.
Her spirited eyes peered into mine as she asked. I had to be careful not to let my consciousness drift elsewhere and focused on the question.
"Well, I consciously activate the skill. I wouldn't normally activate it unless I thought about using it, right?""Right, that's normal. So then, if you were to try to activate a magic item like that, without knowing what effects are on it, what would you do?""You don't know what the effects are, right? I guess you'd have no choice but to channel magic into it for now?"
I couldn't grasp the intent of the questions at all. They were utterly ordinary.
"In that case, the skills wouldn't activate."
The answer to that question brought me back to another contradiction.
"Huh?"
An unknown magic item—in this case, the suit.According to the second daughter, even if you channel magic without recognizing any skill, the skill won't activate.But I activated it.
Here lies another contradiction.To activate a skill, a process of recognizing the skill type and activating it is necessary.However, when I wore the suit, I didn't recognize the skill types.That means the process was missing.
And yet, it activated.
Everything the second daughter has been saying since earlier has been weird.
"Wait a second, I'm getting confused. To summarize: I could activate this suit's skills because it's *me*. However, it's not exclusive equipment, so anyone can equip it. But people other than me can't manifest its full effect even if they equip it. The reason is poor compatibility between the skills."
Even if I desperately try to organize my thoughts, everything just leads to more confusion. How can this be explained without contradiction?
"To unravel this seemingly contradictory explanation, my interpretation is that something is needed that allows activation without knowing the skill types... Am I wrong?""No, you're correct."
It feels like staring at a tangled ball of yarn where the threads are hopelessly knotted.
"Let's resolve the questions one by one. First, what do you mean by 'poor skill compatibility'?""Exactly what the words mean. The four skills—'Intimidation,' 'Inspiration,' 'Morale Boost,' and 'Charm Up'—are skills that counteract each other's strengths.""Well, thinking calmly, 'intimidating' while 'inspiring' is provocative. Morale wouldn't rise in that state, and you wouldn't appear charming either, right?""See?""But in practice, it helped negotiations proceed smoothly. Thinking about how that's possible... Wait. Second Daughter-san, is skill recognition simply about whether you know that skill or not?"
That first step, the thread to unravel the contradiction.
"That's right. Skill recognition isn't about understanding what's imbued in the equipment. You just need to know the skill itself.""Indeed, I know these four skills. So, by channeling magic, I meet the condition for activation. I used them almost unconsciously."
The first contradiction, once realized, was simple.It wasn't about recognizing the skills imbued in the equipment, but whether you fundamentally *know* the skills that are imbued.
One piece of the puzzle obtained.
"In that case, how to handle a composition where skills clash... Is it simply fine-tuning the skill output? Like, applying emphasis or de-emphasis to certain skills when activating?""And once you obtain even one piece, you can take the next step from the first.Skills are designed to always produce a certain effect when activated.But that doesn't mean output adjustment is impossible.
While maximum output has an upper limit, the lower limit goes all the way down to zero.Appropriate intimidation can be appealing and draw attention.Moderate inspiration in that state can express confidence.And showing that confidence can make someone appear charming as morale rises, increasing favorability.
With that, I could decipher two contradictions.
"But that means you can't balance them without understanding the skill contents... In that case, there must be another mechanism—a method to unconsciously fine-tune the output of certain skills.""You taught us that method too, remember? During the after-party of the live show, while eating together.""Ah!? Could it be... that!? You actually made it!?""I made it, that's why this exists. It was truly a lot of work."
However, even after resolving these two contradictions, many contradictions remained.Fundamentally, consciously adjusting skills imbued in equipment is quite difficult. You have to use the active skills 'Intimidation,' 'Inspiration,' and 'Morale Boost' simultaneously while fine-tuning them.Doing that consciously while negotiating is extremely tough, even for someone accustomed to multitasking.
It's like negotiating while signing documents with your right hand, operating a calculator with your left, and reading a book with your eyes.If you used all of them at once at the same output, it would be easy. But that wouldn't activate the 'charisma' effect.
In that case, the equipment would be downgraded to trash.That's the reason why the second daughter said it couldn't be completed by just imbuing skills.The reason I had no idea about this suit's effect was also because I couldn't immediately think of an effect that activates 'charisma' through a combination of multiple skills.
To solve this, you'd either have to master a level of mental operation that borders on breaking the limits of multitasking, or...
Invent a method to solve what sounds like a joke.
"You made a Tsukumogami?""Yes, we've only just begun, but we made it."
Tsukumogami—something bearing the name of a god.Normally, it refers to tools that, after long years, house spirits or souls and become youkai or gods. But in FBO, it's different.
This is an artificial AI.A necessary existence for automating golem operations.An existence made of magic alone.Not alive, yet capable of thought.
"Could it be... all the recent clothes?""Yes, a collaboration with that Dark guy. When I heard about it from you, I thought it was something like us, but I never imagined you could create something that moves in a lifelike way using just magical formulas. We're still at the beginner stage, but among the ones Dark made, he's trying to create something even more advanced. The vessel isn't stable yet, so it can't settle.""Just understanding from that explanation and managing to create something is impressive."
Even at the level of having no emotions and performing only set routines, creating one requires considerable effort, as I know from my experience making them in FBO.
That work demands talent, effort, and patience.It's like a puzzle, meticulously constructing intricate magical formulas in three dimensions through precise calculations.
And it's a puzzle without an answer.There is no definitive "finished form"; the more you pursue it, the deeper the swamp.
The equipment needed to create a Tsukumogami can be obtained, at a minimum, from dungeons in the Spirit World.For higher levels, you'd need to go to the central continent, but it's fine until you get accustomed.Because it's such a thing, I never imagined they were making one, so I was surprised.
"I see. So that effect was possible precisely because the Tsukumogami was completed."
An artificial AI called a Tsukumogami that automatically adjusts skill output and can activate skills on designated targets.With this, it makes sense that even if someone else tried to use it, it wouldn't function properly.
"But doesn't this make it effectively exclusive equipment? You registered me in the Tsukumogami's recognition, right?""That's true. But this Tsukumogami doesn't consume a skill slot, does it? For equipment to be 'exclusive,' you have to consume one slot to imbue an exclusive skill."
Technically, it's something that likely couldn't be made in the surface world.Well, I doubt the idea would even occur to them.
How much time does it take to develop unknown technology?Perhaps the best way to conceal something is simply for it to be unknown.
"Right. A Tsukumogami is limited to one per equipment piece but doesn't consume skill slots, so it has various applications."
However, I never expected a Tsukumogami to be completed. This is a very welcome miscalculation.
"Which means..."
From here on, the uses for a Tsukumogami are endless.Even automating construction sites wouldn't be a dream.
In a place where such dreams expand, thinking I should invest, I rummage through my Magic Bag and take out a certain item.
"Second Daughter-san, please use this.""That's... an earring, isn't it? It has quite strong magic power, but...""The Time-Reducing Earrings. A rare drop item from a Class 9 monster.""Eh."
The Time-Reducing Earrings, whose use I had been uncertain about.I would invest them as a catalyst to accelerate Tsukumogami research.
There's also the trust that they, as spirits, wouldn't misuse them.
The second daughter, who had taken them out and was examining them, nearly dropped them in surprise upon hearing "Class 9" and hurriedly caught them.
Watching that scene, a mischievous thought sprouted: I wonder what kind of reaction she'd have when I explained its effect.