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‘It’s a matter of proximity,’ said Garovel. ‘The distance over which you can create your iron is exactly the same as the distance over which you can destroy it. Obviously, you can’t create something from a hundred kilometers away, so you wouldn’t be able to destroy it from that distance, either.’

“Hmm...”

‘Think of it as if you’re always standing at the center of a giant bubble. That bubble is your “sphere of influence,” so to speak. Anywhere within that space, you can create and subsequently destroy your iron.’

“Okay...” Hector annihilated the crude sword he had been using and crossed his arms. “So then... if someone is standing within my range, could I create metal inside their body?”

‘Ah. You’re thinking if you could materialize iron directly into a servant’s brain, you could kill them instantly, right?’

“...Yeah, pretty much.”

‘As far as I know, that’s not possible. I definitely would’ve told you to do it earlier if I thought it was.’

“Why isn’t it possible? Er, why don’t you think it is?”

‘Because the mass that you’re creating has to accumulate before taking form. And it can’t do that within a space already occupied by a solid object. There’s too much physical resistance for the atoms and molecules to gather properly. Within a gas or a liquid, though, it’s fine. There’s not enough resistance there to cause a problem.’

“Mm...” He wiped his brow. Even in the shade, he’d been sweating for a while.

‘That’s the idea, anyway. Emergence is always a bit of a wild card, but I’ve never heard of a materialization user who could do that.’

“But, umm... haven’t I already done that, kind of?”

‘What’re you talking about?’

“I’ve cut into flesh with my metal before. I know I have. I mean, it didn’t start inside the body, but once the metal went through, it kept going and came out the other side. Doesn’t that sort of count? Or...?”