Chapter 45: Commoner’s Example
QzELe“I’m thinking of confiscating all the rings.”kiKfCl
gCH0cThThe morning in the territory of the Grand Duchy began with Ruri’s complaints.PzOHw
e5lTmWith a clearly annoyed expression, she approached while speaking.V2I
eWvRgzFor Perda, who was having breakfast, it was uncomfortable.naLJd
WqzIk“I see.”p7E7s
FMrQ6NWSo he responded without much interest.4Tb
dKgjF“The workers you brought don’t listen to me at all. Is it really that hard not to spill even a single drop of blood in this castle?”2Q7
PUDXYX“I don’t know.”QiCwYc
EizLg“Fine, let’s say they can spill some. But they don’t even clean up what they dirty!”vm4G0
xfSaKQX“Oh, really?”1qC8v
mMI3k6“If they were afraid of dragons, they would at least correct their behavior, don’t you think?”jnxM7
ab39E3T“Do whatever you want.”tOO8g
AkMmlqRuri’s talkative mouth stopped.iXVB
R0fShe glanced at him sideways, looking irritated.WeOYxu
C4A“Perda is the worst.”lHVT
i0TEEt“Oh, really?”1F5v
qFQJ70“Even now you’re answering carelessly.”ta40S0s
uvr1“I see.”xUeBy
vED“Is it just because I cleaned you once that you’re acting like this?”INJ
XxDnXHow petty.gjAcPnN
Q7NShe said it very quietly, but Perda heard it.bN8
lRZLIt would be a lie to say he didn’t hold a grudge about that day.KYk
nmRmGBut since he had already taken revenge, he decided to respond more seriously.0rI
5tSHov“The refinement of mana stones is a long process. Research doesn’t happen overnight.”oHYd
qs7“And you, who reached the third circle so quickly, can understand that?”U5g7seS
PlQH“I learned to see it from the perspective of ordinary people.”bye
O7EMThe Perda of the past wouldn’t have understood.j1jxclt
e1aBut the current one, remembering his own rapid progress, could understand others to some extent.gMU
Ma2E7“I see.”j1N
YrQecThis time it was Ruri who responded without interest.17kq
xnSz8th“Then delay the punishments a bit. If there are good results soon, then—”21r88
KCwCo“UHAHAHAHA! UHAHAHAHAHA!”usUax
bn6L2Before Perda could finish, a mad laugh echoed through the castle.huLWjaJ
njRf1dThe sound was getting closer.2kT
p4P“UHAHAHA! Finally! I finally did it! I don’t have to keep baking these damn mana stones anymore! UHAHAHA!”kKnIE
sznLThe madman was Vernell Marquis.rJfy4uW
41ZySBGreasy hair and a half-open robe.6V9B
mqMBoth Perda and Ruri followed him with their eyes.2A06
Ck7cPerda took a sip of his tea.QdNJEO
u6g4Uh“They say if you speak of the tiger, it appears. Looks like he finally got results.”1fque
7aKXAt last, the reason he had brought Vernell was confirmed.nrQ
eyIUAfter running around like a madman, Vernell devoted himself to sleeping.OTw
Dqeo9He had sacrificed sleep and life for his research.A7r
uWmzWhen he stood before Perda, he was properly dressed.1t4eO
4Wt“I thought it would work today, but I actually did it. Hahaha!”YROD
zcRhumO“Then explain it to me.”fHbi
tt1q“Yes! Of course. You see, it works like this…”5ul
Ao1Vernell began explaining enthusiastically.iXt2
lT9For a full hour, he talked nonstop, filling a board.y7yq9YV
Zs7CK“Did you understand?”4W5Qgm
pkYdAfter listening to everything, Perda replied.PJg3fo
nPr“Did you understand it?”YbioH
uyS“I-I, of course I did! I even organized it… I tried to explain it in the simplest way…”EK99YN
PEcz“Hmm.”s2FK
cdJQ7Perda thought.6NSPj
ClA‘It seems I’m not very intelligent.’8b1
kASq3HBecoming an archmage had been pure effort.mI6p
UiqfHe didn’t understand anything Vernell said.fiQoe
qQUnkPNAfter 30 minutes, he already felt like he was seeing the universe.KqEaB
foWpnHe lost focus and came back when it was over.a8IXVhQ
DkN4xHe looked at the assistant researchers.3bnqv
qams1EOTheir eyes were shining.dpY
Pm0KRFar too bright to have understood anything.gfEanxm
WtQJmsu‘No one understood anything.’vfOF
d3TThey were people sent by Stephan Pascal, supposedly talented.omD0
t5GskhIf he was a good merchant, he would have sent the best.BtGq
xah‘At least there’s no risk of leakage for now.’e9BEiF
9Y7fWvPerda took it positively.14S2kl
1Eq8auAfter all, it was enough for Vernell to understand it.IEf
ZDSc“Show me.”eY2
0Ks“Yes!”dZfWUD
FPnAPrVernell brought one of his devices.szlTAf
auPIt was a mana stabilizer.caQQ
3yQBy infusing mana, it fixed a zone in the air with fifth-level magic.8W7dvvY
8brWVCk“A beast’s corpse is inserted stimulated with electricity…”KKe9aw
mE2FMana emerged from the corpse.eDEEgnM
iDYwbkIt was impure mana, useless, floating like contamination.hOtTP3o
PpPYEw“Then it’s heated to a certain temperature, compressed, and cooled like this…”toqY6
x4TeEIAfter the process, a crystal appeared.Sb4tvw1
GVLV2It emitted white vapor.ehDh3
1CBVA bright blue object.u3J44
Lds“This is a mana stone!”jW6D
KPaVernell presented it proudly.l1lg
Etuv8It glowed faintly like a magic crystal.PNE
Eh7ZLIt was an impressive moment.uyiwt
rxJBut not for Perda.xy34Tw
1hNeIl5‘It’s impure.’vHgS0
bsMTkZIt was something he had already seen in the future.rYbLjL
lQb5EoHowever, unlike that time, the color was duller and gave off a somewhat crude feeling.FZ4
VHxJust in case, Perda asked Vernell.qDL
aJ8“What’s the efficiency?”Ss50v
j6mttKn“Uh… that…”dUKtfw
gvsAjkVernell, who had been confidently spewing incomprehensible knowledge, froze.dZ7DLll
PfmFyQ“Vernell Marquis.”pRbW
9IFCzX“Y-yes.”6DsCAju
N0eum0“I asked you a question. What’s the efficiency?”KBs
yd2j“I-it’s just…”3sHLdoW
oK1j69UVernell answered with difficulty, sweating cold.6kInC
Xt6kh“If seven mana stones are consumed… one can be created.”rYDz
oZu“Then the efficiency would be 14.2%.”RFt6
JdQI8w“Rounded, it would be 14.3%. And also…”LHy2tY
Q98YIt seemed there was still more.o0Cg
71DmhAnd it wasn’t good.667fd
ZhDzbq“Mana leaks when increasing the stone’s capacity… so it would have to be reduced by half…”gUsN
erqIn other words, fourteen stones were needed to produce one at real efficiency.Vl8J
M5trLlN“About 7% then.”GnlT
kjyKsuu“If the initial process is included, it’s 7.1%… ah, I’m sorry.”RjI9
jkZZVernell thought.q8Z
b7nfAh, it’s over.DlDfjY
onXXMy research ends here.04HqcL
uYyDb4It would be better to hire mages than use something with 7.1% efficiency.DaJvN4B
mYMudInternally, he had already sentenced himself.8Qibe7
XhSAs he went through the five stages of grief, Perda spoke after a moment of silence.L25GaNv
E03cZp“About the efficiency.”v9KTlvJ
gOPeb“Yes.”9wZ
l3u“Can you increase it?”DReC9qR
2OF7“Huh…?”ZC9T
SuRw“I asked you if you can increase it.”KxgK
ACtxYbPerda had already decided since the moment he brought him.vIZhP
mtcGj6If this man didn’t give up, he had no intention of considering it a failure.mjCW
ZZruSVernell nodded.aF9
2LS“Y-yes. It’s possible. I’ll achieve it.”R5Iu
nAyn“Good.”rBZWs
rkAfgJPerda stood up.98qdS
FLRSR“Then continue researching.”yKMe
rtIVernell blinked.mqLP2I
qCQWas that all?Fwei6
VIG4Perda added.LMK
sx9j“I’ll gather those who need to hear this. Until then, organize the research and the demonstration better. Understood?”R9e
N52bT“Y-yes!”ycsR
YJ94nPerda left.8buBcJ
cxRjRHe was betting on something he couldn’t even guarantee.WBX
crCDuJTSo he could only do his best.p7Lg
pMz7FBut unlike Vernell, who was trembling, Perda thought differently.8cv
B2pXIxm‘If used properly, it works.’WPWFmUj
U6Qdbv5Perda knew it.cmU
zWLCZMagitechnology would advance no matter what.HDuvuQ
5YmT5ZZAnd he knew how difficult that process had been.7pME3
c9CWhen Vernell first presented it, he was ridiculed.piKOWU
hxJORRH“Who would use that?”, “What is it for?”, “It’s vulgar.”3OG
ihgX6But what happened afterward?tLugEKO
QPLBB‘The mages ended up using it more.’Q2R
o6NIBecause it offered a convenience impossible for traditional magic circles.er0x
zy0J3SThe era where magic was an exclusive monopoly would end.4L5lvV
FRSsbPerda knew it.3Geh
hgzThat was why he had enough reason to trust Vernell.g2C
DN4cc***C6PC
jsCq48Ten days later, guests arrived.NNEs3M
QIiCount Consilus and the manager of the Pascal company, Stephan Pascal.3yGf5M
qo68cavVernell repeated the demonstration and explanation.9uZh1i
03YWith ten days of preparation, it improved.JB4
FP8nqLxBut it was still complicated.NnqUkS
AXVU“Ho… I see.”RHn
pjX8Dp“I understand. Interesting.”HYzpn7P
hbZOZvEPerda observed them and asked.wTXzc
6eb“Did you really understand it? I didn’t. Speak honestly.”tlKJp
kk2EBoth confessed.xAqvC
SW7pZOzIt was clear there was no sincerity in their words.oeNZhi
Fhs“Haha… sorry. It’s a habit to nod. I’m ignorant in this.”JwMwj
PKnhMs“I didn’t understand either… I was embarrassed to admit it…”hYKQX
AbF2Vernell felt uncomfortable.DLQl
ic7TnKHe thought he had simplified it quite a bit.fNXQ1
tM7T3“But in summary, the efficiency is low, right?”pPJ
GSI“That’s correct.”JJFqu
2qfxycd“Hmm… it’s quite an ambiguous object.”Swir
3EjCConsilus muttered, stroking his beard.qXg
IOIVernell was sweating.8vKb
kf6Stephan tried to salvage the situation.naSp6o
bLz8ue“From an economic standpoint, it doesn’t seem good right now, but being able to supply mana is valuable…”CAcku
1IHA2Oa“Ah, I already explained that… it can’t be used to supply mana to mages. It doesn’t recover or recharge like potions or elixirs.”95EWNm
JHBU“Ah… then it’s complicated…”PjoB
2TZCJkStephan stepped back.Dc4Doz
H7pzkeBoth were negative.EKhTR
Kd0kkLVernell’s back was soaked.x8Dw3
UUGBut Perda had already expected this.ZWQ0
9VZ“Don’t worry about efficiency for now. That will be our chief technician’s job later.”dSSiD
JykYMOJPerda had anticipated it.bADpg
zfkHe knew that at this stage, all he would get were negative opinions. That was why what he had shown them wasn’t really for that, but for something else.oSl7GC
uAAGNY“I’d like to hear your ideas on what we should create first with this.”wbTMwA
gecvqOD“What exactly do you mean?”1BUZ3
sxtNUSNPerda raised the mana stone that Vernell had created.ZLLA0Th
RdgCZv“I mean a revolutionary energy source that can replace what mages do. Think about tasks that require mages, and also those that, honestly, are too trivial for them.”DZ6tjjh
PwgWhat he needed was an idea.qFZu
NjYYptCount Consilus and Stephan were experts in their respective fields. At Perda’s words, the count was the first to speak.C6C
RfA3“If we can imitate mages with this… does that mean we could fill the lack of mages on the front lines with infantry?”fWrAWC
QRkdHe was a military man to the bone.b0X
jcmwmSo the first thing he thought of was war.0eLG
Y4ctP“It’s possible. If it becomes a weapon, using magic won’t be a problem.”Cfg
HjGPerda gave it a name that would one day be known.3JH67r
1rc5“Magitechnological infantry.”MvOJXLr
81gCE“Ho… magitechnological infantry…”m3Pfo
PavThe count’s eyes lit up.9ND
0Y7mHrAMages were efficient in almost any situation, especially against creatures.YoK
0QWIn the Far East there were more magical creatures than monsters.uyH8
DHR9x4CIt was an urgent need.JyivJRK
mtRNBut, as on any battlefield, mages avoided it.yVgpjiS
9sOHzyQ“The concept is good. If we can cover the absence of mages, there is hope. If we solve the efficiency, we should focus on weapons first.”vw4AJ
3yyiyFThe count was resolute.oT1N
ZeHj4iwBut Stephan intervened.rEsXsvJ
UwcrtPg“Your point is valid, count. But… what about transport?”pM4PVg
e7XrXebStephan already had his own interest in this investment.Rd0Z
EclpY“Transport?”BOz
4rrnUjg“Yes. In war, the most important thing is supply. Power is useless if you can’t sustain it.”3qCB8J
X1R2“That’s also true. But in the Far East there is an abundance of materials. If we focus on producing here, that problem can wait.”RvFt
X1FNeither of them gave in.IW6
OZw‘I did well to ask them.’Kso
JKz7Just by watching them argue, it was already clear what they wanted and what the problems were.a8skZd
lYPm9RWStephan wanted to reduce logistical costs.aW7cr
wNPvmUhThe count wanted to save lives.I9wA9
xHtBoth had solid reasons.uLe6Z
poRIuL“It seems we won’t reach an agreement. It would be best for you to decide, Lord Regent.”MPmc
2Ptbg“Yes, I think the same.”6p8
mVuBmQLThe decision fell to Perda.Ara
7U7ic“I think it’s best to leave the decision to the one responsible for development.”9kX1Al0
tSPC2“Huh?”hqDyt
wMfKykPerda threw the responsibility directly at Vernell.boRRiy
z4h“Me?”kQcPZrS
qRyqVernell was stunned.bmK
7cdBut everyone was waiting for his answer.bnc
hvQJmHe had to choose.XabW3
gwU6bE“Uh… well… I…”Gvq3l8X
T5kVernell was a pacifist.f7e
tLhxuqHe preferred to create useful things rather than weapons.3bDxmiR
g05Even so, he spoke cautiously.pbKNQL
QQVKNF“I think… it’s best to start with weapons…”TAj1V
pZ1XTe“As expected.”lvKX1KR
YG2“Of course weapons are important, but… after seeing the count’s territory… I changed my mind.”6WhJ
VbWMvZHe remembered when he had been on the verge of death due to mana overload.mxyEl
dGDXHe saw the people’s suffering.23p1a
wI6zAX8“First, we must stop the creatures that threaten our home.”72rx
MGP5sz“Hmm… alright…”rMQ
yahStephan yielded.6rNvDy
oCVVAlthough his priority dropped, he would eventually benefit as well.YfbEvdu
fV4uJQ“We are also researching weapons. We’ll be able to give good news.”HqYcB
cQ8“Well done. Your research will be the light of the Far East.”d9qBUau
HUu7srhIt seemed everything was ending well.dVWK
tTTevNU“About those weapons…”Xs6j
rptgWGPerda intervened.TlLnE
QZJg“Will they be as complicated as your explanation?”bZoN8Ap
83oTtWC“Uh… probably yes…”S88y
tzxD9Q“Perfect.”o5U
QDOPerda already knew.VZgEN3S
cRuz6MVernell created incredible things but far too complex.kpeEUox
AS1FEHe didn’t understand the importance of simplicity.VjkBwDg
rw47z“Fortunately, I have an excellent test subject.”lDkuF
CCL“A test subject…?”loERbd
VOMQY6“Yes. Come in.”2Vl9Sd
16zVtA man entered.kqg
LHyuEveryone was surprised.gdAdCNX
TUdbD7UHe wore armor but marched in a ridiculous way.AsBirk
nS0A complete mess.C2tajg
9gCRK8Vernell felt chills.nkNY6K
Ouzz“Malcolm of Peach Hill! I have arrived!”i3Bc
0Mlho“Good. I have a task for you.”BnxBeBY
xTAsO6u“Give the order!”Y8ta
4el3He looked like an energetic child.VsyHFk8
p6l6b2BIt was not pleasant to watch.520Z1x
ccoE“What is 2 times 2?”i8sjHO
DVpE6“4!”3Z6
Jx5ZZ2G“Correct. And 7 times 6?”c5EhFc
Bbs“13!”qGPW
va5Jl6l“Well done.”PaEmN
zLgYTB“Thank you!”ba4VR
usqMalcolm smiled proudly.T67xD3
BVxThe others were horrified.3XZ63H
PshHTJWhere did they get this guy?Lvi0Ou
pCUjPerda patted Vernell on the shoulder and said.QSgB
Za6zL“Make it simple enough for this guy to understand and use.”6ZLcBA1
APwR“Huh?”9giUL
CaDBR4“I trust that at least you’ll be able to do that.”lUTrvwT
bzUQFO“……Huh?”5EJ
pyRKuTVernell felt his mind go blank.6Qra8q
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Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationThis Malcolm boy is so smart 👏 😂
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationVernell you can do it. I feel pity for him.
ater xter
MortalIdiot proofing weapons, that’s the way to go
Elite Phantom
MortalLMAOOO 😭🙏🙏