After listening to Nathan's idea, Charlotte proposed to start right away. It was extremely time-consuming after all.
First of all, they first had to understand the principle of time. It was the basis of creating time magic. This was usually the hardest part.
Still, for Nathan, it wasn't a big deal. Thanks to Evelyn, he understood that the concept of the space itself was similar to science, but he had to adjust it with the concept of ena.
Of course, he was just a failure on Earth. Even though he had gotten some basic education, he wasn't a top student or anything. Even novels were not enough to supply his knowledge because they were fiction, not nonfiction.
Fortunately, Nathan could use that little knowledge about time and combine it with the novel's way of bullshit, which ended up working most of the time. That was the reason Nathan managed to impress Vivian in the first place.
On the other hand, Charlotte used a unique way to create a magic circle. Normally, people would have to record it in one way or another, which was projected into the two-dimensional magic circle according to their interpretation.
However, Charlotte was a master of illusion. She first used Nathan's memory to project the flow of ena. Then, she stopped the illusion and changed its shape to match the magic circle.
As a result, creating the initial form of the magic circle, which was supposed to take a long time, was done in less than an hour.
Nonetheless, Nathan still had to proceed with trial and error when adjusting the magic circle. He had to cut everything that wasn't necessary in the magic circle, including the side effect. The adjustment to the timer and the flow was also necessary.
Last but not least, Nathan created his brand. After thinking for a while, Nathan chose an hourglass as the basis of his brand.
It was just a classic symbol to signify the time element. Of course, he could go for the clock, but the people in this world were more familiar with the former.
In the middle of the hourglass, specifically the small joint where the sand flows, he added another symbol. It was actually the head of a wolf.
Yes. Fenrir was his first familiar, so it wouldn't be weird if their relationship was much better than anyone else's. It also signified that he was the beast summoner.
Of course, other familiars protested because there were other beasts that looked more imposing, but Nathan ultimately rejected them.
It took both Nathan and Charlotte quite a long time to create the five magic circles, but they still succeeded. All that was left was for Nathan to familiarize himself with the magic circles and the time element.
Two weeks after Nathan got the time element, the girls gathered once again. This time, Nathan didn't come. Instead, Mae represented him.
"I have brought the message from my master." Mae politely bowed.
Selena's expression turned solemn. It was the expedition she had been waiting for. "When is it?"
"One week. The expedition will begin in one week. Master has entrusted each of you with a task because he's busy familiarizing himself with his new power." Mae turned to each girl.
"Master asks for Lady Selena to take care of the preparation. Of course, he also asks for you to handle the daily necessities."
"Fair enough." Selena agreed.
"Lady Serafina. He asks you to prepare the food for the entire trip. Most of it will go into the space bracelet, but please prepare the box and other things to handle the smell. Preserved food is better because it can last longer."
"Lady Flora. Master wants you to handle all the administrative processes as well as informing all the people that might end up worrying about this journey."
"It's not a big problem for me. Besides, I'm sure Duke Coline will be curious about it as well."
"Lady Noelle, Lady Alavenya. Master entrusts you with the task of creating the route."
"Creating the route? Me?" Noelle was baffled. "Won't it be better for Selena to do it? She's much smarter than me."
Alavenya nodded in agreement. "Although I won't say I'm stupid, there's certainly a better candidate."
"He knows you two will refuse. Hence, he told me it can only be the two of you. Lady Alavenya is a mercenary before she is a student. Although others can create a better path, it's only in theory. It can't be compared to Lady Alavenya's experience as a mercenary.
"After all, a mercenary not only progresses with safety but also considers cost-efficiency.
"Meanwhile, Lady Noelle comes from a knight family. Her knowledge about defensive bases is higher.
"By combining both of your powers, Master believes you can create a route better than anyone else."
Alavenya and Noelle exchanged looks. They wanted to deny it, but Nathan put it in a way that they couldn't reject it.
"I understand. I'll do my best." Alavenya accepted while Noelle nodded.
"Regarding Lady Sera and Lady Flora's request, Master told me to come in three days."
"Got it." Both of them knew the request she mentioned was actually the request for him to evolve their familiars. Charlotte had approved it as well, so there shouldn't be much problem with their summoning.
"That's all." Mae politely lowered her head, pausing for a moment with a troubled face.
Selena couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
Mae hesitated at first, but she ultimately asked, "Don't you find my existence troubling? Because I was the one passing the message from my master…"
Flora and Sera looked at each other and exchanged a smile.
Alavenya and Noelle just tilted their heads, clueless.
Selena shook her head. "If it's anyone else, I might be concerned. However, if you know Nathan, he definitely knows about the fact that sending you here means he's showing a bit of favoritism.
"It's just… Nathan doesn't like formality like that, so all of us here have gotten used to it. Instead of favoritism, I bet his aim is to let you familiarize yourself with us by spending more time to show that you're not a threat or something along those lines.
"If you're worried about that, why don't you spend time with us today? I certainly want to know more about you."
Mae looked shocked, not expecting this kind of answer. After seeing so many royal families and noble societies, she thought it would be the same this time. This might also be included in Nathan's so-called 'luck.'
Upon realizing it, Mae just smiled. "Yes. It's my pleasure."