Episode 468 - Montagnier, the Magician Puppet Master

God is overrated.

　When I say this, Montagnier, the magic puppeteer, shakes his head.

No, no, without Dr. Grimm, the shadow puppet industry would never have been created."

　Talking to Montagnier in the conference room, it seems that the shadow puppet paints I published have been well received in France.

　And in France, they plan to open Shadow Puppet stores around the world and brand the product in the future.

　Branding, that sounds interesting. Maybe I should think about branding too. I remembered Ami. She said she wanted to make Shadow Puppets her business, so I could help her with the start-up and leave the rest to Ami.

　If it is truly branded, it will be a lifetime job. I don't think I could keep it going. My day job is as an adventurer, so I can't. I'll discuss it with Ami, Arisa, and the others and give it serious thought.

　Montagnier apparently came to Japan with a French bureaucrat to discuss the procedures and taxes involved in exporting shadow puppets to Japan.

　There seems to be a difference of opinion among nations as to whether shadow puppets are biological or robotic. They are discussing such matters with Japanese bureaucrats and politicians.

By the way, you said you wanted to see me. What do you mean?"

　I asked, and Montagnier nodded.

First, I would like to see the combat shadow puppet that was shown at the World Adventurers Forum.

　At that time, I presented Haklo and Elmore, and someone from France who saw it must have told Montagnier about Elmore.

You want to see Elmore? But Elmore was just rebuilt the other day."

I am very pleased to hear that you have further upgraded your product. If you don't mind, I would like to take a look at it.

　Although they would not know the true value of Elmore just by looking at it, they felt Montagnier's enthusiasm and decided to show it to him. When Elmore came out of the shadows, Montagnier and Sato were surprised at its size.

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　Montagnier gulped and spat at Elmore.

It's wonderful. It combines power and artistry."

　He said that it showed a physical beauty and intelligence similar to that of Greek sculpture. In a way, I thought the artist's sensibility was keen. However, I have mixed feelings when people say they feel artistic when they see Elmore's face, which resembles a moai statue.

'Dr. Grimm, would you like to come to France and work with us?'

　This was the most important thing, he said. Montagnier told me that if I went to France, I would become a respected leader in shadow puppets. It was a nice offer, but I turned it down. My goal was to develop life magic and raise the reputation of life magicians.

'Yes. Would you be willing to show us your work?"

　I asked and Montagnier nodded happily. He then brought out of the shadows a shadow puppet that mimicked the appearance of a Bengal wildcat. The shadow puppet was equal parts wildness and cuteness, and I was impressed that it was indeed a work of art created by a first-rate artist.

It's a shame. I wanted to work with you in France. Yes, why don't you come to France once?　I hear that this winter they are opening the way to the fifth level of the Versailles dungeon."

　The fourth level of the Versailles dungeon is an area with a vast expanse of ocean. It is said that once every few years, there is a period when a mysterious phenomenon occurs: the sea level of the fourth tier drops.

　At that time, a tunnel that was normally under the sea surface will appear, and through that tunnel you will be able to go to the fifth layer. The goblin empire is said to be built on that fifth layer.

　Incidentally, the four-layered sea is inhabited by a giant species of leviathan, and it is said that it is next to impossible to dive into the sea and pass through the tunnel.

　And there seems to be an ore deposit of Orihalcon in the fifth layer. Moreover, there seems to be a goblin emperor in the middle boss room.

　I'm interested to hear that. I don't want to fight leviathans, but I heard that killing goblin emperors drops useful magical equipment, so I want to give it a try.

　After much discussion, I decided to accept the invitation. I had not been able to do any sightseeing when I went to Thailand for the second time, but since I was going all the way to France, I wanted to eat authentic French food at a reputable restaurant and visit tourist attractions.

Is there only one Elmore shadow puppet for combat?"

　Montagnier asked.

No, there's another one.

Can I see it?"

　I nodded and brought Tamegoro out of the shadows. Although Tamegoro is shorter than Elmore, he has far more muscle mass than Elmore. And with his bushy fur covering his entire body, Tamegoro looks twice as big as Elmore.

He said, "This is War Bear's Heavy Warrior. Great, and you seem to have a lot of ingenuity built into it."

　Montagnier roared as he spoke.

Elmore and Tamegoro are friends who explore the dungeon together, so they have devised ways to fight the demons."

We are sometimes asked to make shadow puppets for escorts, but we don't make them this heavily equipped. And we can't make shadow puppets of this size yet because we don't have a large amount of shadow clay with D-particles kneaded into it.

　Shadow clays with D-particles kneaded into them will ruin the shadow puppet in the final finish if the D-particles are not mixed homogeneously.

　So the method of creating shadow puppets from a combination of processed shadow clays prepared by several living wizards working separately does not work.

'In our country, we are working on how to do that. I see that ...... Dr. Grimm has already solved it, but won't publish it."

We don't publish large shadow puppets because they are dangerous if misused."

　Hearing this, Sato rolled his eyes.

Is that true?"

It's true. It's not only dangerous, but also very useful. I even have a butler shadow puppet at home that I use."

Butler Shadow Puppets? I'm sure there will be a rush of people in our country who will want one when they hear about it."

　Montagnier looks envious.