Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Became the Greatest Genius in History
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After the banquet, the Kingdom of Yustina enjoyed a time of peace.
No major incidents like the Polar Anomaly or the plague occurred anymore.
The countless people living in the kingdom were able to return to stable lives.
Along with this, great changes swept through the kingdom, and the most dramatic shift occurred on the eastern front, where fierce battles raged against the demons.
The four Hell Tanks initially produced by Ester Tristy, combined with the ten finally completed by the Crimson Tower, were at last deployed to the battlefield.
Mithril alloy, purification cores, hellfire main guns—even with blueprints in hand, these were such unfamiliar concepts with sky-high costs that production faced immense difficulties.
But the mages of Erps and the School of Flames spared no effort, pulling all-nighters until they succeeded.
These Hell Tanks, born from the workshop at last, rampaged across the battlefield, sweeping away hordes of demons and carving out new paths forward. The eastern front, which had been desperately holding the line, now launched a counteroffensive against the demons.
Commanders bellowed orders to advance, and the soldiers following them were ablaze with morale—it was an unstoppable momentum.
"......"
Meanwhile, Felix was also on this eastern front.
As the third son of Tristy, he had been exiled to Porto and thrown into battle as a private.
Just as environment shapes a man, his appearance had completely transformed.
His body, now bulky with muscle, was covered in scars earned alongside his comrades through life-and-death struggles.
The weak and selfish personality he once had was nowhere to be found.
He had grown into a true soldier, setting an example for his comrades as the leader of a mere squad.
One could hardly imagine the hardships he had endured on the battlefield up to this point.
"Ester...."
He witnessed with his own eyes how the weapon his little sister had developed was saving countless soldiers.
Each roar of the main gun shredded innumerable loathsome demons.
This tank, with performance far surpassing any steam tank, served as a mobile fortress protecting the infantry.
What should have been a bloodbath with massive casualties had been turned on its head by the arrival of the Hell Tanks.
The advance into Pandemonium, once thought impossible, was now one step closer.
"Thank you."
Felix regretted his past.
To Felix, who had experienced so much on the eastern front, the wrongs he had inflicted on Ester were a grave mistake that demanded correction.
Though it began with resentment toward him.
As he built bonds with new comrades and fought battle after battle, his nights filled with self-reflection.
He had no choice but to realize just how shameful and pathetic Felix Tristy truly was.
"And... I'm sorry."
He shouted at the top of his lungs and marched forward with his soldiers.
Toward the horizon teeming with demons.
If he survived this battlefield to the end, he would one day apologize to Ester and beg her forgiveness.
Felix steeled his resolve inwardly, his eyes blazing like hellfire.
The miracles Ester had wrought were not limited to the Hell Tanks.
"Congratulations. You no longer need to stay in the hospital. Your illness is fully cured. Actually, calling you a patient now feels off. You once told me your dream was to go home and eat with your family. That dream has come true, sir."
Antibiotics and mana suppressants.
Among them, antibiotics in particular were saving countless lives.
Terrifying diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and boils had claimed innumerable victims until now, but the miracle drug developed by one genius was mass-produced by the Azure Tower and distributed to doctors everywhere.
Survival rates for those dying from disease and infection skyrocketed.
Moreover, his book Basic Pathology offered a new, logical approach to diseases, pointing the way forward for those in the medical field.
"We need to start researching the biological immune system from now on."
"According to the pathology text, if parents have a certain disease, their children are more likely to get it too... so about genetics..."
Doctors, alongside mages from the School of Life, formed the Kingdom Medical Association, where countless studies and debates now flourished.
A genius who had made monumental contributions to medicine and warfare.
Though credit for the Hell Tanks went to Haniel.
It didn't stop everyone from seeing Ester as a godsend.
Just half a year.
No one at age 15 would ever achieve so much again.
Everyone wondered what direction Ester would take next.
And there was a reason.
He hadn't shown his face to the world since the banquet ended.
One newspaper reported occasional sightings in the garden of a peculiar mansion built in a minimalist style ahead of its time, but he refused all interviews, offering only quiet smiles to those around him.
In response, King Bimark stated in Yustina Monthly, "He is a modest man who seeks no office or title, yet with his extraordinary mind, he charts a path toward a distant future—a peerless pioneer. He will return someday and show us another miracle." This drew massive attention.
Furthermore.
"To be honest, there's someone I want to catch up to."
There was a girl praised for developing the new spell Cross Blend, bringing yet another revolution to the world of magic.
Etila Badford, a student at Tristy Academy, said this unexpectedly while giving her acceptance speech at the Yustina Magic Awards, attended by tower lords and countless mages.
"I could complete Cross Blend all thanks to Ester Tristy. He glanced at what I thought was my masterpiece spell, pointed out its flaws, and demonstrated a far more refined version. He's the real MVP."
Etila declared she'd tell a pathetic story at a celebration everyone was sharing.
"Compared to Ester, I'm lacking. The title of genius is too much for me. That's why I absolutely want to catch up to him."
Etila finished her remarks amid applause and stepped down from the podium.
Ester should have received an award for solving the Millennium Problem, but he wasn't present.
She fidgeted her hands while looking at the maid who accepted on his behalf.
'I thought I'd get to see him this time too....'
She pushed aside her disappointment and returned to her seat.
Thus, Ester's name was constantly on people's lips.
Curiosity about the absent Ester grew and amplified with time, but well.
Public interest is ultimately fleeting.
As time passed, fascination with Ester naturally faded.
When seasons changed, newspapers stopped running stories on him, and the name of that genius slowly slipped from people's minds.
But those who had witnessed his genius up close still thought of him.
Surely, they awaited the day he would leave his mark on the world again.
***
"......"
I closed the book.
The study was lined with countless books, none of which I hadn't read.
There were more books in our house than in any bookstore, so no need to explain how many I'd devoured since the banquet.
A year and a half had passed since then.
I picked up the cup on the table.
Dalpi had just brought the steaming tea.
Slurp.
I sipped it with a serious expression.
A crisis had now befallen me.
This was an unprecedented crisis in my life, including my past one—something even His Majesty the King and other high nobles couldn't resolve.
'Wow, this is really boring....'
Was life like this always so dull?
I'd overlooked one fact: this world had none of the entertainments from the web novels I enjoyed or the blessings of the modern era.
Money was truly plentiful.
Enough to hire 500 maids at Dalpi's salary, eat lavish meals all day, splurge on luxuries till I died, and still have leftovers.
But what good is a ton of money when there's nothing to spend it on.
No X-Tube, movies, webtoons, comics, anime, or games to dopamine-hit me.
And, sorry to say to Dalpi, but even gourmet food had grown tiresome.
What I craved was seaweed seasoned with kimchi, sesame oil, and salt.
Pork belly stir-fry with gochujang and doenjang stew—I missed them so much.
That wasn't all.
Where had all those J-Pop tracks gone that always pampered my ears?
'Yonezu Kenshi, I miss you....'
Was this the curse of knowledge? If I hadn't known that paradise, I wouldn't suffer like this.
"......"
No good. Nob AI.
『Yes.』
『(-Ò｡Ó-”)』
Time to get this engine running.
We have to make do somehow.