Chapter 118
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118
The southeastern district of the Eredor territory.
Meister Academy was located not far from the Hall of Truth. Originally a branch campus that had split off from Eredor, it was only a ten-minute tram ride away.
The four of us stepped off the tram.
I’d only asked Beatrice to come, but the other two had tagged along anyway. Yulina, who had been trailing behind me with a perpetually annoyed expression—likely because she’d finished her exam later than me and was still sore about it—finally spoke up.
“Roen, are you seriously going to accept Meyer’s challenge?”
“In terms of compatibility, I have the upper hand. It’s a winnable fight.”
At first, I hadn’t planned on accepting any challenges, but Meyer was a different story. He was an opponent worth facing, and there was much to be gained from a victory.
When I confidently declared I could win, Yulina retorted immediately.
“Meyer’s physical abilities might be similar to yours, but his magical aptitude is on a completely different level. He’s from the McDowell family—a prestigious line of mages.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded slowly.
A mage’s abilities were mostly passed down through bloodlines. It wasn’t exactly like the inherited magic circuits found in some games, but talent and mana affinity were definitely hereditary in this world. In fact, even the game’s marriage system offered a probabilistic chance of passing down an ancestor’s [Trait], and initial stats were heavily influenced by one’s parents.
The McDowell family, a prestigious house that has been around since the founding of the Empire, is renowned for the meticulous management of its bloodline.
Meyer, the one who had challenged me, was incredibly talented in his own right. His trait was [Magic Armor]. He possessed a specialized talent for developing ‘magical armor’ that a human could wear, and its performance was said to be extraordinary. You could think of it as a high-performance, autonomous golem that moved according to the wearer's will.
Thanks to that, Meyer was ranked 72nd in competitive matches. It was an incredible rank for a pure magic engineer. Just as Yulina said, he was a formidable opponent. However…
“When it comes to bloodlines, I don’t fall behind either.”
At my bold statement, Yulina pouted, clearly finding it absurd.
“That’s true, but… the Devalis family is a house of swordsmen.”
“I’ve learned swordsmanship, too.”
“You’re awfully confident for someone who’s only been practicing for a month. So, what, are you going to fight him with a sword?”
I shrugged.
Fight with a sword? Did I want to get hit once by his magic armor and end up back in the hospital?
As I was talking with Yulina, Bell cut in.
“By the way, where are we going? The Meister Academy administration office is over there. If we’re meeting Meyer…”
“I’m not here to see Meyer. I’m here to see the dwarf triplets.”
“…?”
“I have a few things to ask them while I’m at it.”
*
Clang! Thud!
Screeeech—!
Whirrrr—!
The ear-splitting screech of welding and the rhythmic pounding of hammers echoed from the workshop.
Beep.
I opened the door with my Union Key Card, stepped inside, and scanned the interior. The spacious room was filled with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, a materials warehouse, and even living quarters for quick naps or washing up.
This was an ‘A-grade’ workshop, one of the best Meister Academy had to offer. It was the new space I had provided for the dwarf triplets, who had previously been bouncing between C and D-grade workshops.
Spacious and nice.
I thought it would be great to secure a workshop here for myself later. My current lab lacked proper equipment and was too cramped for manufacturing homunculi or golems. I’d just have to beat that Meyer punk and negotiate a deal afterward.
“Hey, how’s production coming along?”
I waved and called out. The three dwarf triplets, who had been engrossed in their work, turned their heads. They lifted their welding masks and spoke.
“Oh, you’re here. Living the good life, aren’t you? With three girls in tow.”
“Ke-he-he, what did you bring this time?”
“Wh-wh-what did you bring?”
They had the classic dwarven build—short, stout, and packed with solid muscle. All three brothers sported long beards that reached their chests.
The brothers Melga, Malgor, and Murgan.
It was amazing they could grow beards that long at the same age as me, but I’d heard it was a unique part of dwarven culture. Apparently, the more magnificent the beard, the more popular you were with the ladies.
Judging by their reactions, they seemed to be expecting another OOPArt blueprint from me, but unfortunately, I couldn’t meet their expectations today. I had been too busy to find time for ruin exploration.
And even if I had found a new blueprint, giving it to them now would be a bad idea. They would get completely absorbed in the new design, and the production of the carbonated water machines I’d requested would be delayed. To manage them effectively, it was crucial to provide the OOPArt blueprints at the right pace.
“Sorry, but I don’t have a new blueprint. I brought some good news and some stout instead.”
I handed a gift set, neatly packed in a wooden box, to the eldest brother, Melga. It was a stout beer set I’d bought from the pub where the Alchemy Club had held its party on the last day of the athletics festival. I didn’t know much about alcohol, but Trish said it was delicious, so it should suit their tastes. Dwarves were the type to go crazy for booze.
Melga examined the box with a satisfied smile.
“Hoh, Imperial Stout. You know your stuff. Malgor, take this and put it in the fridge.”
“Agh, damn it. Murgan, you put it away.”
“N-n-no way. Melga, you do it.”
The three brothers bickered, trying to push the task onto each other. What a beautiful sight—the classic passing of the buck.
Beatrice walked past the squabbling dwarves and fixed her gaze on their work. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the carbonated water maker.
“Hoh, so this is the rumored device. Melga, may I touch it?”
“Be my guest.”
With Melga’s permission, Beatrice placed a hand on the mana engine. She examined various parts of the machine, including the engine, before speaking.
“The craftsmanship is excellent. I can’t find a single flaw. Your skill is truly outstanding.”
“You flatter us. We just followed the blueprint. It’s an honor to have you come to such a humble place to see our work. Ahem.”
While Beatrice and Melga exchanged pleasantries, Yulina stared at the rows of carbonated water makers in the workshop. Her face turned pale as she turned to me.
“You’re not… going to make me create ice again, are you?”
She shivered, clearly recalling the memory of being used as my personal ice machine during the athletics festival. This time, the number of machines had multiplied several times over, so it was no wonder she was having flashbacks.
I reassured the trembling Yulina.
“Don’t worry. I had them add an ice generation function. Right?”
The second brother, Malgor, slapped the machine with his palm and replied.
“That’s right, ke-he-he. Ice generation magic is inefficient in terms of mana, but the principle itself isn’t that difficult.”
“Good. When is the first unit scheduled for completion?”
The one who answered was the youngest, Murgan, who had just returned from putting the stout in the fridge.
“The first unit is a-almost finished. All that’s left is installing the core. The r-rest will be completed in order, too.”
“Hmm.”
Production was proceeding smoothly. If things continued like this, we’d be ready to start doing serious business with visitors from all over the continent during the academy festival. I felt a surge of satisfaction seeing my cola franchise plan coming together so nicely.
Just then, Melga spoke with a grim expression.
“But there’s a problem. To operate these machines, we need a power source with higher technology and output than what we have now.”
“So the cores you currently have aren’t enough.”
Melga nodded.
“Right. We modified them as you requested, but they’ll be unusable as they are. If we keep using the existing cores, there’s a high chance they’ll break down.”
The power source currently in the carbonated water makers was the same model used in the Union’s autonomous golems. Its output was by no means low, but since the technology in this machine was an OOPArt far beyond current tech levels, it consumed more mana than expected.
Furthermore, the machines currently in production were designed to handle a volume several times greater than the prototype used during the athletics festival. Another factor was the extensive modifications we made, such as increasing the machine’s size and adding several extra features.
Yulina asked, “Then can’t you just use two or three more cores? You said it’s an output issue, right?”
“If only it were that simple. But the manufacturing process for this new DT101 The First Edition Ver. 1.31 is completely different from the prototype. It requires a new power source to match.”
“The… First, what?”
Yulina tilted her head, unable to bring herself to repeat the bizarre name.
“Don’t mind it. Melga just has a terrible naming sense for his inventions.”
In any case, not having a usable core was a major problem. In car terms, it was like having a perfectly built sports car that was missing its engine. It was a fish-shaped pastry without the red bean filling… but as it happened, I had a solution.
I spoke in a confident voice.
“You don’t have to worry about the core. I think I can create a new mana core that’s far more efficient than the one we’re using now.”
“Wh-what?”
“Ke-he-he, are you crazy?”
“N-n-no way.”
The dwarf triplets offered a variety of shocked reactions.
I turned my gaze to Beatrice. “You should listen, too. You said you wanted to reinforce the Union’s military power, right?”
“Don’t tell me…”
Beatrice’s mouth fell open as she instantly understood my meaning.
“You’re right. The roughly 800 autonomous golems patrolling the Union’s vicinity—my plan is to replace all their cores with new ones that are a dimension higher in performance.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
Beatrice’s reaction wasn’t much different from the dwarves’. Yulina and Bell were also staring at me in disbelief.
And for good reason. A next-generation core wasn’t something that could be developed easily. It took the greatest minds of the continent locking themselves away in magic towers for decades to develop a new generation of cores. Then it would take even more time to commercialize them. Anyone would react this way if a mere undergraduate student—a delinquent with no knowledge of magic engineering, no less—claimed he could make one.
I added a disclaimer, just in case.
“It’s not certain yet. It’s more like… I might be able to make it.”
The dungeon where the core’s blueprint lay dormant was one of the more difficult of the Academy’s 7 Great Mysteries. Unlike the Spooky Dungeon, which I’d cleared with ease, this one would be difficult to conquer with my current strength.
Now was the time I needed Beatrice’s power.
“For this, I need your help, Beatrice.”