Chapter 16 - New Slaves Are Always Welcome!
New Slaves Are Always Welcome!
Translator : Elizabeth
Chapter 16
So, how was he going to build the mansion’s plumbing system?
“I’ll also connect this Bourdon tube pressure gauge I made in advance—”
“How on earth did you even make that…?”
“Wait, you can measure pressure with that tiny thing…?”
Archion had already laid the pipes in the kitchen, bathrooms, and washrooms—places where running water was essential. Of course, the wails of the Enersis artisans echoed through the mansion frequently, but anyway.
“Yes. As this wire is compressed and deforms, we measure the pressure using that pressing force.”
“Hoh, such a method exists….”
First, he started by manufacturing the new type of water tank—the Archion-made pressure tank.
He roughly made holes for the inlet pipe, outlet pipe, and air vent, and while he was at it, he attached a pressure gauge that measured pressure through the deformation of a wire.
He even added a small manhole for someone to go in and out. Water tanks are better for hygiene if they are cleaned regularly.
“Young Master. Tell me honestly. When did you make this pressure gauge?”
“…….”
“So this is why you’ve been sneaking out at night for the past few days? Young Master, you’re getting a spanking!”
“Aigoo, the maid is beating her master!!”
The inlet was connected to the water pump piping, and the outlet to the water supply pipes he would build throughout the mansion. The air vent would serve to adjust initial pressure and act as an emergency relief valve should the pressure continue to rise due to a turbine pump malfunction.
But before that, what about the tank’s body?
“Haha, my goodness.”
“To think you could fix plates together using this principle….”
Rivets, heated to a glowing 800°C, were inserted into holes drilled through both steel plates and then hammered. This caused the main steel plate and the iron lid to be fixed together with incredible strength.
The blacksmiths, emerging after hammering countless rivets from both sides, spat out exclamations of wonder at the two chunks of iron that were now fantastically joined. In their decades of experience, this single rivet was an innovation among innovations.
“Young Master Archion is surely a genius.”
“Mm-hmm, he is my disciple, after all.”
“When did I become your disciple again?”
And the method for getting this water tank onto the roof? Unfortunately, Archion had not yet developed a crane—a hoist. Since winter was approaching and time was tight—
“Uuuuurgh…!”
“Heave-ho, heave-ho!”
He mobilized Psychokinesis mages. There was no shortage of mages in Enersis. He called everyone from the mansion and the Magic Tower to barely manage to hoist the tank onto the roof.
“It would have been over in an instant if you had just asked me.”
“I don't know what kind of humiliation I’d suffer if I got into your debt, Tower Master.”
“Get rid of that look in your eyes, as if you’re looking at a pervert.”
The fact that the mages who heard this conversation wept tears of blood was quickly forgotten.
Afterward, he connected the existing water pump piping and the pipes that would send water throughout the mansion to this new pressure pump.
“Blow more air into it.”
“Uuuuurgh…! This is the limit…!”
“Didn't I tell you to leave it to me?”
“Based on what trust?”
After calling the mages again to blow air in and maintaining high internal pressure, he hermetically sealed the manhole cover.
“Finished.”
The pressure tank was finally complete. And not long after—
Swoooooosh!!!
“Whoaaaaa….”
In front of the newly renovated, state-of-the-art modern kitchen. The Head Maid, turning on the faucet, let out an exclamation that didn't suit her age.
“To have such clean water gushing out….”
Furthermore, the used water was discharged outside the mansion through a pre-planned sewage pipe. And the flush toilet in the bathroom? All they had to do was maintain it properly. In short, the servants no longer needed to perform the majority of their tedious chores.
“Hahaha! Look at this, the water is coming out of the shower head even more forcefully!”
“Even if it’s a bit big, a bathtub this size… I never thought I’d be able to bathe like this again!”
Since the majority of the servants were from noble families or were commoners with magical talent, they now finally had time for one of their original purposes for joining Enersis: magic training.
“Perhaps Young Master Archion is an Apostle of the Lord of Heaven?”
“How can you say something so heretical…!”
“No, no. I didn't mean it like that, I meant it as a compliment!”
Everyone was a bit taken aback by one servant’s remark, but—
“Well, it’s understandable.”
“Right!”
For some reason, they felt quite proud and grateful for those words.
“But what is this red… dot? And what about the blue one?”
“The Young Master said they indicate the temperature of the water, but… mm. I’m not sure.”
And they didn't know that this wasn't the end yet.
“Time to lay the boiler.”
Since there were many devices already developed and he could rely on the sheer brute force of mage labor, the work didn't take long. However, as time passed, the weather was gradually getting colder. Archion began to feel the necessity of a boiler.
“But Archion. Wouldn't that boiler you mentioned, the one installed under the floor, require too many processes?”
However, the process he first dreamed of—the floorboards of the entire mansion becoming warm—had become too large an undertaking.
“My son. Are you telling me to go live somewhere else…? While the money you’ve earned is more than enough to buy this mansion, I would appreciate it if you could consider your father’s age once more.”
“I suppose it is a bit much, isn't it…?”
First, you’d have to rip up all the wooden flooring, lay the pipes for the boiler underneath, and then add an extra floor to support those pipes, and so on and so forth…. It was too big a job. Furthermore, he’d have to temporarily evict the residents, and winter was right around the corner.
“Then I’ll give up on that….”
“You look more disappointed than I expected. Here, lie down with your head on my lap.”
Archion gave up on his dream of underfloor hot water heating for now. The family had plenty of money, so they did have villas, but it would be too much to kick them out of this mansion, which already had its own heating measures.
“Fufufu, you look quite cute lying still… Is my thigh really that good? If you admit it, I’ll grant you my thigh until the day you die.”
“Goldie. The thigh.”
“Yessir!”
“A-ah! Don't go!”
In that case, the next step was a hot water boiler. If you ask if it’s the same hot water boiler, this time he was talking about the hot water that comes out of faucets and the like. This was possible because he had installed separate inlet piping for hot water, unlike a standard home boiler.
“The most important thing is the heat exchanger.”
“Mmm. Knowing your meticulousness, Archion… I assume you intend to not contaminate the hot water you use directly?”
“Huh… how did you know?”
“Fufu. Aren't you my disciple?”
“Since when.”
Among the components, one had to be managed most carefully: the heat exchanger that would boil the water inside the boiler; a heat-resistant turbine pump to move the scalding water; and a switch to cut off mana once it reached a certain temperature.
If even one of these three failed, the boiler might explode. Just in case, Archion applied the Bourdon tube pressure gauge he made earlier to create a kill switch.
Archion then connected the prototype hot water boiler to a hot water mat he had made through a blacksmith. Modern people would look at it and say, “Isn't that just a water tank for a hot water mat?” but anyway.
Click.
“How is it?”
When Archion inserted a large magic stone into the boiler, filled the water tank, and turned it on—
“Mmmmmmm. Hmmmmmmmm….”
“Huuuuh….”
“Don't answer with animal noises.”
The results were top-tier. The early adopter Goldie Heritage and the Tower Master could not get up from the hot water mat.
“So this is a home boiler… I feel like I stopped you for nothing.”
“If it was going to be like this, I think it would be fine to flip the whole mansion over….”
“Winter will be over by the time it’s finished. Where were you planning to stay in the meantime?”
Having realized the principle of the home underfloor heating Archion wanted, the Tower Master and Goldie were sold. Seeing the two of them melting away on the mat, Archion instinctively knew this would also make money, but!
“Since it’s come to this, it can't be helped.”
Archion’s priority was to spend this winter warmly; selling it was a secondary concern. Since the floor boiler wasn't an option right now, he instead distributed hot water mats throughout the mansion. He began installing the hot water boiler that would supply the plumbing in the basement.
The principle was similar to the existing pressure tank, but it used a heat exchanger heated by magic stones to turn the pressure tank into a boiler tank. He had to be even more careful with pressure management. In the meantime, Archion—
“Young Master. We’ve finished the electric heater.”
“Oh, already?”
He participated in the development of the electric heater. He didn't lead it, just participated. Because the principle itself was similar to the incandescent bulb….
“As expected, since you know the principle, you made it quickly.”
“Hahahaha! It would have been impossible to make it this fast without the Young Master’s advice and guidance!”
The artisans from various guilds who had been with Archion all this time had worked together to create it. Archion wanted it, and the artisans were honored to have the chance to practice engineering.
“Right then, shall we try mass-producing this now?”
“Pardon?”
“Come on, we made the prototype, so why wouldn't we be able to mass-produce it? Let’s go, keep your spirits up!”
Of course, they had forgotten just what kind of existence Archion was.
Clang!
Everyone, who had been excited about the thought of going on vacation, dropped their tools and sundries in horror.
“N-no way!”
“Yes way. Let’s try to get it done within a week.”
“NOOOOOOOO—!!”
To Archion, the wails of the artisans were truly sweet.
Exactly one month later.
“The bath preparations are finished, I assume?”
Countess Lucretia was about to take a midwinter bath in this Romance Fantasy world. In the past, the servants would have fetched hot water while silently cursing under their breath, but—
“Yes, Madam.”
Whoosh~!
They simply opened the bathroom door to reveal clouds of warm steam billowing out.
Step, step.
The floor was not made of wood, but of the colorful tiles Archion called ceramics. Countess Lucretia crossed the newly decorated bathroom in the nude. And then—
Sizzle, sizzle….Gulp.
Even though it wasn't being heated by fire magic in the middle of winter, she swallowed hard at the sight of the bathtub billowing with steam.
“Is this… truly a bathtub…?”
The bathtub itself was truly magnificent. The exterior was encased in bronze, looking resplendent, while the interior boasted a creamy milk-white color thanks to something called enamel coating.
“Phew.”
The Countess wanted to throw herself in immediately to confirm this was her bathtub. However, she had to maintain her dignity even in the bathroom, so she carefully stepped into the tub.
Swoosh.
“Haaaaaaaaa…….”
Despite her resolve, she let out a dizzyingly ecstatic sigh. It held the heat of the water as well as a wooden tub, yet far from being crude, it satisfied her aesthetic sense more than any bathtub she had ever seen.
“Haaah.”
Above all, this overwhelmingly warm water billowing with steam! Lucretia didn't know what to do as the warmth melted away even her ill feelings toward Archion.
Though she had mistreated him, Archion had installed the ceiling fans. Although she was caught stealing his fan, he had renovated her bathroom. Even though she was caught by the Head of the House asking her second child for help, Archion pretended not to know and had gifted her a completely overhauled bathroom.
“…….”
Splash!
Suddenly becoming embarrassed, the Madam peeked out only her eyes and blew bubbles into the water. Perhaps Archion was doing all this because he wanted Lucretia to fill the empty spot left by his mother who passed away when he was young. She reflected on her own faults, wondering if she had been too harsh on a child who had even given up his succession.
“Carlena.”
“Yes, Madam.”
So, she decided to take courage first.
“Do you happen to know... what Archion likes?”
“……The youngest master enjoys thinly sliced, grilled pork.”
She would reconcile with Archion.
Archion stared at the pack of grilled pork belly in his hand.
“I heard you like this.”
“……Why are you giving this to me?”
He was bewildered by the sudden change in attitude from the person who gave it to him, Countess Lucretia.
“I liked the bathtub.”
“Ah….”
At Archion’s exclamation, Lucretia assumed he meant it in the sense of, ‘Just for something like that?’
‘I didn't give it to you to reconcile, though.’
Of course, Archion’s true thoughts were different. Where would 17 years of bullying go? He had just laid it out as insurance in case she said something else later. He didn't want to be close to Countess Lucretia at any time, anywhere, or in any way.
“And Archion. If you wish… I would like to assist with your research as well.”
“Pardon?”
…But! A new slave was always welcome. To think she would volunteer to be a research slave like his sister! Above all, she was a high-circle mage. Though not as good as the Tower Master, she was a whopping—
“Although I am not as great as the Tower Master staying by your side… my 8th Circle magic might be of some help.”
Whoosh!
An 8th Circle fire mage. Just as Hermione had a high understanding of water, the Countess might be ahead of Archion in her understanding of fire. If so, his various researches would gain significant momentum.
“Hermione is returning in a few days, so let us all gather then. And….”
Still, though.
“If you wish, you may call me Mother.”
“That’s a bit much.”
The mother act was crossing the line. Countess Lucretia became slightly dejected.
A few days later.
Bang!
“Young Master, it’s a disaster!”
Yet another servant brought Archion an urgent letter.
“Who sent one to me this time? What is it?”
“They say Lady Hermione is in a crisis!”
“……Tell me in detail.”
It was news that his research slave, Hermione Enersis, had been captured by someone.