Chapter 191 191 Welcoming Array



"Really, Wolfe? Right in the middle of the afternoon?" Ella giggled as he led her and Cassie back to the bedroom.

"Yes, we are definitely doing it in the middle of the afternoon. But only after I finish the next few tests. I want your help to test some of the new knowledge that I gained from the magical butler in the Lumix house. I have created an array that should increase mana gathering and aura building, according to the information in the Inheritance spell, but I can't test it without you." He explained.

It was one of what the Inheritance called the [Basic Utility Magic] abilities. It was on the checklist to be completed before his next birthday, but Wolfe had combined that with his lessons on basic Array Creation, and he was pretty sure that he could make an effect large enough to cover the entire Den that would power itself with mana it pulled in.

The fact that the Magi called this sort of thing [Basic Utility Magic] that should be learned in your first year with your abilities was a bit depressing, contrasted against what could be done by the Witches of this era, but if he could get it active and covering their home, then every resident would benefit, and he could grow an army of Witches to defend this place who would gladly stay, just for the benefits.

"Alright, let's see what your spell can do." Cassie agreed.

Their growth had slowed right down once they got to the peak of their natural talent, so everything afterward was going to be a struggle, even with Wolfe cleansing the Curse from their Mana Veins and working to increase their flow rate constantly through their bond.

They would make a lot more progress eventually, but it might take years of hard work, the same way that other witches struggled right from the start.

The Array was a complex one, and the Utility spells turned out to be much more difficult to use than the attack magic had been, but after carefully drawing it out on the wall with a piece of chalk and erasing a half dozen times, Wolfe finally felt the ping of magical connection that informed him the Runes were correct.

He focused on the Den as a whole, stopping the effect before it reached the surface so that they didn't attract unwanted monsters to their location, and poured the entire contents of one of his Mana Focuses into it.

A gentle, warming feeling crept into his bones, and the mana seemed to return to him twice as fast as before. It wasn't a huge increase, but it was definitely better, and the difference would make everything that they did down here easier.

"That is incredible. It's almost squeezing into me." Ella gasped, and Cassie nodded her head in agreement.

"How much of a change do you feel? For me, it feels like my ability has doubled." Wolfe replied, ready to take mental notes on how to improve the spell.

"It feels like you are trying to push everything that you can into my Aura. It's nearly overwhelming, and there is so much power it feels suffocating. We draw much more slowly than you can, remember? What doubled your intake has got to be nearly ten times what we can normally gain from the atmosphere." Cassie informed him.

"What we need is a Witch without a Familiar. If they can rebuild their auras without one, then this will be a resounding success and save us a lot of time working individually once their Mana Veins are cleared and healed." Wolfe replied while trying to decide who to call over.

Alice ducked her head into the bedroom only seconds later. "I was passing by, and it felt like you needed me. I don't know what you're doing in here, but can you back it down a little? It's too strong, and it's making all the witches dizzy."

Wolfe focused on the Array for a moment and cut it to one-quarter of what it had been at. "Hopefully, that is better. What I wanted to know is if this extra mana can be worked into your Aura without a Familiar."

Alice focused for a moment and nodded. "It's not as easy as having a Familiar, but if I concentrate to the point of meditation, I can integrate the extra into my Aura."

That made the Array a success on his first try. Since it was running at such a low output right now, he could also increase it in the future, or in certain areas, to allow stronger witches to gather as much as possible.

Wolfe's smile caught all of the Witches in the room off guard, but only Cassie saw the scheming behind it.

"You really are planning to steal an entire village from the Covens and keep them here with you, aren't you?" She asked.

"Of course I am. The Frozen Wastes need a defence point in this region, and I have every intention of it being us. If we have the strongest witches, the Covens won't even be able to argue against our position's strategic value, so we can live here without anyone bothering us.

I know it was Reiko's dream to live outside and away from the Fortress Cities, and she's been pulled back to her mother's side inside Morgana City, but it's still a pretty good plan."

The other four Servants came in a few seconds later, followed by Priya and the other officers.

"What was that? The mana influx was intense, and I nearly fainted from the energy density." The Myrrh Colonel asked.

"It's a new array I'm working on. It is supposed to gather mana in the area that can be used to enhance your spell casting as well as to build your aura during meditation. I think that having it active at this level all over the Den at all times will be a great public service." Wolfe told her with his best salesman's smile.

"Forget a public service. It's practically a miracle. We were healing some of the injured villagers in the front room, using the entrance to keep the crowd under control, and the additional power let our healers cure nearly anything.

Not just injuries, they had the power to cure the long-term illnesses that a lot of villagers suffered from. Normally only the stronger witches can do it, while the rest just focus on healing the major wounds.

It will be incredible for a garden as well. Most of the best vegetables that we grow are actually magical plants, and they thrive in a mana-dense environment. We will be buried in food in no time." She raved.

"In that case, would you like to be in charge of the village garden? We don't really have an organizational structure yet, but it needs to be built, seeded and maintained by someone." Wolfe asked.

"You've found the right witch for the job. I will send an application for long-term forward deployment back to the Myrrh Coven tonight, and I will have the garden carved out by morning."

She darted out of the room, and Wolfe breathed a sigh of relief. That was one major project taken care of. Now he just needed to learn her name.