Chapter 3 - The Protagonist of the Lumina Festival, but Didn't Participate
The Protagonist of the Lumina Festival, but Didn't Participate
Translator : Elizabeth
chapter 3
“Have you heard the news?”
Late spring, as the approaching summer began to bring the heat.
The Empire was always full of groundless rumors, and such stories passed through the mouths of busybodies, merchants, adventurers, and commoners alike.
Among them, the hottest topic was—
“They say the Enersis Count’s Estate is holding a massive festival!”
A declaration from the Enersis family—descendants of the Archmage Elena Enersis—that they would brightly illuminate the night.
To prove it, they had spread rumors far and wide that they would hold a festival.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Jackson Cullid, the legitimate son of a swordsman family. He was listening with one ear, as if used to the fuss of his academy classmate.
“Hey! Jack! Have I ever lied to you!”
“No. Dolen, you just exaggerate.”
“Tsk! When did I ever!”
His classmate, Dolen, had a drinking habit of inflating his experiences whenever alcohol was involved.
Assuming this was just another instance, Jackson pretended to listen.
“Who am I? I’m the businessman who closed the deal to supply magic materials to the Enersis family!”
“Here we go again.”
“And yet here I am with information that’s going to hit it big, but now I’m so hurt I don't even want to tell you anymore!”
Of course, the fact remained that his experiences were based on truth. So, if one were to strip away the fluff… this friend's information was the real deal.
“Bartender. Bring us a bottle of Philokis.”
“Yes, Lord Jackson.”
“Ehehe! Now you’re talking!”
It would be worth the price of one expensive bottle. Dolen, enjoying the luxury thanks to his quick-witted friend, finally began to spill the story between hiccups.
“When I, hic! arrived at Enersis for this delivery, hic! it was evening, right? But the thing is….”
Cutting through Dolen’s flowery language and hyperbole, a few substantial words stood out.
‘Incandescent bulbs, streetlights.’
The incompetent youngest master of the Enersis family, Archion Enersis. It turned out he was a genius alchemist. And Archion had developed a new mana lamp that overwhelmed existing ones… something worthy of being called "artifact-grade." He had used it to brightly illuminate the mansion in the middle of the night.
“Ha, artifact-grade? At least make it sound believable!”
Artifacts were magic tools said to be made with ancient technologies forgotten thousands of years ago. Those mysterious tools, powered by mana, were said to perform miracles. Thus, they were called artifacts.
Countless mages had challenged themselves to create artifacts, and all had failed. No matter how much of a genius alchemist someone was, would it even be possible?
“What, you’re saying it’s several times brighter than existing mana lamps, yet the mana it consumes is practically a pittance?”
“Did you use mind-reading magic or something?”
“What?”
But those very words came out of Dolen’s mouth. Furthermore, he was glaring as if he had never been drunk.
“It’s reasonable to think it's impossible. However! I saw it clearly with these two eyes!”
“Uh, okay….”
“And the reason I’m bringing this up to you is because I trust your tight lips… and I want to meet your second older brother.”
“If it’s my second brother….”
Jackson’s second brother was the one in charge of the family’s merchant group. He was a merchant trusted even within the Empire.
“This is something that would give me indigestion if I tried to eat it alone. We have to sign a contract with Enersis faster than any other merchant group in the Empire!”
Finally, the fact that Dolen had set aside even the alcohol he loved to say such a thing….
“……My brother will likely arrive around dawn tomorrow. I’ll tell the head butler to prepare the guest room.”
“Phew! Thanks.”
It meant that the artifact-grade mana lamp—the incandescent bulb—was the real thing. Jackson also began to feel anxious, just like Dolen, fearing someone else might go to buy those incandescent bulbs first.
“It actually worked.”
Two months.
In just two months, Archion had installed streetlights all over Lidasid, the commercial city.
Impossible? As Archion’s past-life professor said, "Impossible" is a word that comes out of the mouths of those who have failed.
“Y-Young Master. Is it really finally over…?”
Dozens of mages belonging to the family, along with countless blacksmiths, carpenters, metalworkers, and so on….
When he plastered the project with all that manpower, resources, and money, it actually got done in two months. From the improved incandescent bulbs to the installation of streetlights.
“Yes. It’s finished once we do the lighting ceremony this evening… so you can just head in now. I’ve already taken care of the parts that had issues.”
“Gaaaah! It’s quitting time!”
“Finally, I can finally go home! Waaaah!”
Thanks to this, the mages belonging to the family developed "Archion-phobia," but the streets of Lidasid, the commercial city of Enersis, had become a single work of art.
After sending everyone home, he walked along the streetlights toward the clock tower with Goldie. The residents of Lidasid had hung all sorts of ornaments on them, praying for a good harvest and peace.
“Young Master, you were like a wicked slave driver.”
“What’s so wicked about it? It worked, didn't it?”
“That’s exactly what’s wicked! What if someone had died…?!”
“No. You don't die from just that. It worked because I tried it.”
“Hieee.”
It really was beautiful. Just as much as the screams of the project participants were melted into it.
“Stop with that boring talk. Up we go.”
Chatting with Goldie like that, the two soon arrived at the largest clock tower in Lidasid.
“Please, come in.”
“Thank you. Let’s go, Goldie.”
“Yes! But what is it you’re going to show me?”
The clock tower manager, who had been waiting, opened the door, and Archion took Goldie to the top floor.
“You, the developer of the incandescent bulb, should be attending the lighting ceremony….”
“It’s only right that Father attends such an honorable and public occasion. More than that—”
Clatter!
As soon as he opened the door on the wall side, a gentle breeze blew in. By the time Archion leaned against the balcony railing, the sun was hiding below the distant ridge.
“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”
“It looks like it’s starting!”
Below the clock tower, the streets of Lidasid were visible, sinking into darkness.
“Six! Five! Four! Three!”
“Sniff, the Head Maid said she’d make something delicious today….”
“I’ll buy you dinner, so stop being disappointed. Just watch.”
As if they didn't fear the coming night, the citizens of Lidasid counted down with sparkling eyes.
“Two! One!”
Woooong!Clang, clang, clang!
The moment the countdown ended, a flash of light erupted in the streets of Lidasid.
“Gah! It’s bright!!”
And by the time Goldie opened her eyes….
“Ooh-waah…….”
The streets of Enersis were shining brightly despite it being night.
Streetlights sparkling with the color of warm sunlight. They reflected off the glass windows of luxury buildings along the main road, sparkling even more. That light combined to reveal a night view rarely seen in this world.
“It’s beautiful….”
“Right?”
Looking at it from this distance, it was beautiful enough that he wanted to pick each of those grains of light and collect them in a jewelry box. Goldie’s golden eyes also sparkled with the reflected orange-yellow jewels embedded all over.
“Goldie, I heard it’s your birthday today.”
“Pardon?”
And Archion revealed the reason he had brought her all the way here.
“I thought you liked this kind of thing since last time, so I wanted to show you.”
“………”
Since she had looked at the incandescent bulb as if it were a beautiful work of art, he felt she would surely like the night view. That was the reason. Just as Goldie had been the first to show respect for his incandescent bulb, Archion desperately wanted to show her this night view. The fact that the start of the festival coincided with Goldie’s birthday was a nice bonus. Anyway.
“It’s not something material, but how is it?”
“……It’s truly beautiful.”
However, seeing Goldie smiling quietly, unlike her usual self… Archion wondered if she didn't really like it. If it were before, she would have made a fuss, shouting "Ooh-waah!"
“A night view like this should make money, too. We can sell admission tickets for the clock tower to the nobles.”
Feeling awkward, Archion immediately changed the subject. Since it had become embarrassing to talk about her birthday any further, he planned to finish talking quickly and buy her some delicious food. He’d even go along with the shopping she liked so much.
“But Young Master.”
“Yeah?”
“You can just fly with flight magic, can't you?”
“Ah…….”
But he was immediately shut down by Goldie’s cold judgment. Why don't I have any magical talent! Archion let out a series of deep sighs as he looked up at the sky.
“Sigh. Let’s go down. While we’re eating, let’s go buy your present, too.”
He felt even more embarrassed. In his eyes, as he hurriedly tried to head down….
“Hehe. This is enough for me.”
Goldie’s cheeks looked slightly flushed.
“Yeah, right. Your eyebrows jumped the moment I mentioned a present.”
“Ah?!”
It must be because of the light from the streetlights. Archion guessed as much and opened the door to the top.
When they came down,
[Delford Enersis is on board!]
“Archion! My proud son!”
“Pffft!”
With a sign with those words attached to the back of the carriage, Delford was stepping out of it proudly.
“Eh? Young Master, what’s so funny?”
“It’s nothing.”
Archion suppressed the urge to tell the coachman to drive carefully.
Once the festival, named the "Lumina Festival," ended, and Delford was screaming with joy at the flood of contract proposals—
“Gaaaah.”
“Whimper….”
Summer began to strike. Archion and Goldie had completely collapsed in the sweltering heat.
“Goldie. Use some more ice magic….”
“Pant, pant, Goldie used all her mana, I can't do any more….”
“Gaaaah….”
Nobles who had lots of money or were mages endured the summer with basic ice magic. It was something even a child could do if they had Enersis blood. In other words, only Archion couldn't do it. Because of this, Goldie was the one stuck doing all the magical labor.
“I’ll go call another servant….”
“No. Don't bring anyone. It’s a waste of the budget.”
“Then you want us to keep living in this heat?! Waaaah! Goldie’s going to turn into a soggy doggy!”
There were at least a few fortunate things. First, the summer here wasn't as lethally hot as the heatwaves in Korea. It was bearable just by going into the shade, and places like valleys were so cool they were almost a bit chilly.
“Goldie’s melting to death… Young Master, can't you make a cool artifact with that engineering of yours? Ideally, one that can be distributed to the masses!”
“Goldie. Why are your requirements so specific….”
Second, because of that, an air conditioner wasn't strictly necessary. The temperature was bearable just by fanning oneself. An air conditioner wasn't needed right this second.
Even so, the reason he was specifically putting off developing an air conditioner?
“There’s a lot that goes into an air conditioner, so it’ll be tough for now….”
To make an air conditioner, you needed a motor, a compressor, refrigerant, a heat exchanger, and even an expansion valve… there were too many parts to develop. Its priority was pushed back. Of course, he would make it eventually, but for now, using just one of those parts would be enough.
“Then, let’s make a motor and build an electric fan.”
“A mo…tor? An electric fan? What are those?”
“The basic principle is that rotating blades push air—”
The electric motor, also called a power machine, known as the muscle of all engineering machinery.
“Then… could we make it small like the incandescent bulb so we can carry it around? Then the farmers could stay cool even in the middle of the day. Magic stones are cheap, after all.”
“Oh, that’s good. We could even make it a structure you hang around your neck—”
Archion was planning to make a portable fan.