Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Lucia's Workshop
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A corner of Marquis Frederick's mansion.
A bizarre building that didn't match the grand main house at all stood there.
'...Is this the workshop? Isn't this a junkyard?'
It looked just like the mad scientist's lab from the movies.
Unknown pipes and gears were grotesquely intertwined on the building's exterior, endlessly spewing steam, and next to the entrance, piles of scrap metal that seemed like failed experiments were stacked like mountains.
"Um... is this really the workshop?"
The old butler guiding us nodded familiarly at my question laced with doubt.
"Yes, young master. It's the workshop the young lady designed herself."
He approached the workshop with a very practiced motion and warned us, looking back.
"The young lady doesn't hear outside noises well when she's focused on her work. It might be a bit noisy, so please bear with it."
Then, standing before the heavy iron door, he braced his stomach and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Young lady!! Lady Lucia!!! You have a guest!!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of pounding on the iron door echoed loudly.
But from inside, only the noise of machinery whirring came, with no sign of life.
The butler didn't give up and raised his voice once more.
"Lady Lucia!! A guest sent by the marquis...!"
"Ah, I'm busy! Tell them to come back later!!"
At that moment, an irritated woman's shout burst from inside.
Crash! The sound of something glass-like shattering came as a bonus.
The butler, sweating coldly, shouted urgently.
"Ah, young lady! No! This time it's really important! The head of the BlackStone family has come personally! The marquis specifically instructed to attend to them politely!"
"...The Court Count has come? Why?"
A moment later, clattering sounds came from inside, and without warning, the iron door swung open.
Hiss—
As soon as the door opened, thick black smoke billowed out, and a woman emerged from it, coughing.
"Cough, cough! Ugh, seriously... what bad timing."
A work uniform covered in grease and soot.
Silver hair messily tied back into a bun.
And wearing large goggles that covered half her face, holding some unidentified tool in one hand.
It was Lucia Frederick, the 'society's greatest beauty mage' I'd only heard rumors about.
'...Beauty?'
For some reason, it felt familiar and nostalgic, and upon thinking, it was the typical sight from my previous life.
Freshmen engineering goddesses worshipped at first, but as time passed and academics wore them down, by graduation, they were just 'long-haired engineering students.'
Lucia before me now looked exactly like that.
She spotted my father through her goggles, hurriedly straightened her clothes (which only smeared the soot around), and bowed her head.
"My greetings are late, Your Excellency the Court Count. I am Lucia Frederick."
"Er, um... long time no see, Lady Frederick."
Even Father seemed flustered, half-heartedly returning the greeting, then slyly reached behind me and pushed me forward.
"Lady Frederick. It's not me who has business with you, but my son. Talk it over with him."
And with that, he stepped back one pace.
Lucia shoved her goggles up onto her forehead and scanned me up and down with emerald eyes.
Clear and pretty eyes, but filled openly with dissatisfaction and suspicion.
"What do you want?"
She gripped the magitech tool in her hand and snapped curtly.
"As you can see, I'm very busy. I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste my time with useless talk. Especially, I have no intention of marriage, so if you're here for that nonsense, turn around and go back now."
Aha.
I grasped the situation the moment I saw her reaction.
Being so famous as a beauty, she'd been bombarded with confessions from noble sons, so her defense mechanism had kicked in, assuming any young man approaching was a suitor.
The way to deal with this type is simple.
Get straight to business, and poke at her interests.
"I have no intention of marrying Lady Frederick either. I'm here because I'm interested in magitech tools."
"...What?"
The furrow in Lucia's brow slightly relaxed.
Replacing the irritation and annoyance on her face were faint curiosity and doubt.
"Specifically, the 'image recording crystal.' I heard you improved this magitech tool before."
At those words, Lucia's expression twisted oddly.
"...That wasn't an improvement. It was a complete failure."
"A failure?"
"I succeeded in drastically increasing storage capacity and clarity... but the sound didn't record at all. Who'd use a video where mouths just flap open and closed?"
She waved her hand dismissively with a self-deprecating laugh.
But...
'Perfect.'
A bright smile formed on my lips involuntarily.
Separating audio from video and syncing high-quality voice later separately is far better for broadcast footage than on-site sound!
"I need that crystal."
"...Really?"
Lucia's eyes widened round.
"Yes. A lot of them. At least 100."
At those words, life sparked in her dead emerald eyes.
Like a child discovering a new toy.
"Come in first? Let's talk details inside."
Without waiting for my reply, she grabbed my wrist and yanked me into the workshop.
Her grip was so strong that before I could say "Wha, wait?", I was dragged inside.
Bang! The heavy iron door closed shut. Just like when we arrived.
And... outside the workshop, only the old Frederick family butler and Count Del BlackStone were left standing awkwardly.
The two exchanged awkward glances for a moment.
"...My apologies. The young lady isn't ignoring the family head; she's just so immersed in her research..."
"I understand. You must have it hard."
After sharing brief words of comfort, the two stared blankly at the firmly shut workshop door for a while, then turned and trudged back toward the mansion together.
For some reason, their retreating figures looked as forlorn and lonely as autumn leaves.
"So, you're saying the lack of sound is actually an advantage?"
"Exactly. It's easier to edit when sound and video are separate."
Once inside the workshop and seated, we chatted endlessly, losing track of time.
I explained broadcast techniques from my previous life, translated into this world's terms. Zoom in, zoom out, fade in, and even cross-editing concepts.
Lucia was skeptical at first, but as my explanation continued, her eyes sparkled, and she scribbled madly on paper.
"My god... refracting light to zoom in on the subject. Theoretically possible. I knew overlapping lenses makes a telescope, but why didn't I think of this?"
"And we need to change the crystal's shape too. No reason to keep it round. A boxy shape would be better for engraving magic circles and easier to film with."
"Ha, haha! This is fun. You're growing on me. You're the first person I've clicked with like this!"
Scratching her messy hair and muttering calculations, she looked every bit the engineering student.
Just like me in my previous life.
Before long, Lucia had tossed off her goggles completely and was beaming as she implemented my ideas on blueprints.
"But, do you have the budget? Making 100 will cost a fortune. Can't do it for free. Mana stones are pricey."
"Don't worry. My backing is solid. Marquis Frederick promised full support."
"...So, you're buying my crystals with the money from our dad right now?"
"Well, isn't this a form of creative economy?"
After that, we quickly agreed on crystal improvements, separate audio recording magitech production, and setup costs for magic circles in the competition hall.
The compensation I offered was quite generous, so Lucia seemed very satisfied.
Finally, we shook hands in high spirits. Her hand was rough with grease stains, but far more trustworthy than any noble lady's smooth one.
"By the way, Leban."
Lucia asked seriously with a slightly worried expression.
"Do you really need this many crystals? It's good for me to offload junk from storage... but even recycling failures, magitech isn't cheap."
To that question, I smiled confidently.
"We need this many. What I'm aiming to create isn't just recording events."
"Then?"
"The first and greatest show in history."
Lucia burst out laughing at my bold declaration.
"No idea what it is... but sounds fun. I'll cheer you on, partner."
The initial wariness was gone from her eyes.
Instead, there was even a friendliness, like meeting a comrade sharing the same madness.
The technical issues were solved.
Now left were... fun to excite the people, and authority to elevate the show's status.
Fun... no way around it now. That's on the participants.
So the last puzzle piece is one: authority.
Just recruit a member of the royal family.
'The royals... this is the final hurdle.'
I looked toward the palace and rubbed my dry face.
Please, even someone far down the succession line is fine—just one!
Someone open-minded and easy to talk to would be even better.
But I didn't know.
That a far bigger fish than I imagined had bitten my bait.
At the same time, in the palace greenhouse garden.
Yuria von Ispell, the current king's eldest daughter and the kingdom's second in line to the throne.
She elegantly swept back her gorgeous golden hair and gazed at the book in her hand with interest.
The cover read King of Winter, a somewhat irreverent title for royalty.
"...Hngh."
A strange sigh escaped her lips.
Beneath the mask of the noble, sacred princess, long-suppressed dopamine was exploding.
A fallen prince. A blood-soaked battlefield. And a patricidal epic stabbing the father's heart.
Such a stimulating, delicious story was a first in her life.
"So irreverent... such a radical tale."
With flushed cheeks, she asked her maid.
"Who was the author again?"
"Leban BlackStone, the second son of the Court Count, Your Highness."
"Hm..."
Yuria tapped the table with her slender fingers, a curious smile playing on her lips.
"BlackStone... From that strict, rigid Court Count's family, this came out?"
Closing the book and standing, the corners of her mouth curved in an elegant arc.
"Shall I arrange a meeting soon? I'd love to invite the author and debate this beautiful aesthetic of depravity."
"Your Highness will handle it personally?"
"Yes. And..."
Her gaze lingered on the name 'Leban BlackStone' on the cover.
"I need to ask when volume 3 comes out right away. I'm dying to know what happens after the prince dons the frozen crown."
In Yuria's blue eyes, playful obsession and desire burned fiercely.