The Seeds of Industrialization
Zelos McMillan.
Who was he, exactly?
Just as Sir Zelos claimed, he truly was the mage who had discovered the magic-stone vein for the family back in Grandfather's day.
Perhaps that was why Father treated him with such extraordinary deference.
"Had you sent word ahead, I would have come out to greet you myself."
"The day your father helped me and I found him that magic-stone mine, Palaon's debt was settled cleanly."
"Then what brings you to Palaon today?"
Yes—I was curious about that myself.
It's definitely not about the Heart Core, at least.
If it had been, there would have been no reason to say something like "Palaon already knows the magic-stone mine is about to take off."
Yet, surprisingly, Sir Zelos did not answer Father's question.
Instead, he looked at me.
"My conversation with your son is not yet finished…"
"I'm fine with it."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Perhaps because he had secured my consent, Sir Zelos finally laid out his business without further hedging.
"It concerns a certain line of research I've been pursuing."
"Research?"
"Research that requires a great deal of money. That is why I came to Palaon. Once the magic-stone mine is fully operational, Palaon will be sitting on a mountain of gold, will it not?"
In other words—
Research patronage… an investment?
Father's gaze and mine crossed naturally. I was the first to speak.
"Father."
"Yes."
"This doesn't seem to be about the Heart Core after all. Wouldn't that put it somewhat outside my authority?"
"You have a point there."
Disposing of a Heart Core was something I could handle on my own without issue. But ongoing research sponsorship that required continuous investment?
That would fall to Father… no, at minimum to Bilheim itself.
Sir Zelos seemed to have roughly sensed the delicate situation as well.
"I don't mind whom I speak with. So long as they hold real authority, anyone will do."
At those words, Father pondered a moment, then looked at me.
"Khtun."
"Yes, Father."
"It seems the time has come for you to take on a proper role of your own."
"Pardon?"
"I am well aware of all the effort and labor you have put in thus far, but when I think about it, your position within the territory has always been rather undefined. I would like to entrust you with real work, starting now."
"…?"
Suddenly?
Entrust me with work?
"Father, that is…"
"Yes, I am glad. When did you grow up so much… Of course, given your age, it would be proper for you to follow me or your brother a while longer and learn the ropes. But this father of yours has a feeling you will manage just fine on your own."
"No, I am still lacking—"
"And modest, too."
Father spoke with genuine pride in his voice.
"I leave Palaon's magical affairs entirely in your hands. From now on, I hope you will support your brother and take charge of one of Palaon's pillars."
"No, wait, that is—"
"I am counting on you."
Father smiled brightly.
Yet within that gentle smile, I could feel the iron force of his will.
No objections will be entertained.
Get to work.
"Fa—"
"If the family discussion is finished, might we move on to the main topic?"
Sir Zelos's voice cut in at the perfect moment, sealing my mouth shut. Father did not miss the opening.
"Yes, please, speak freely. Given the nature of the matter, however, I will remain and listen."
"Very well, as you should."
"So—what research do you intend to pursue?"
Father asked, and Sir Zelos answered.
"Golems."
Golems?
What is a golem, anyway?
As far as I knew, they were just…
Generic RPG trash mobs.
The lore varied from setting to setting. Some said alchemists built them; others called them the pinnacle of magical engineering. In certain worlds they were terrifying weapons of war; in others, mere laborers for menial chores.
They all shared one common trait, though.
They existed to measure the protagonist's combat power.
But golems?
"Could you explain in a little more detail?"
"Hmm. How much do you know about golems?"
"I've only heard the name, really."
"Then allow me to elaborate. A golem, in the conventional sense…"
His explanation went as follows.
The "ordinary" golem Sir Zelos described was a branch of magic practiced by Earth Mages.
"One shapes earth, stone, minerals, and the like into a human form, then the caster pilots it directly. Golems of this type demand an enormous amount of the caster's mental strength. Despite the advantage of being able to exert continuous, tremendous physical force, the discipline has been walking the road to obsolescence."
"Then the golem you speak of is somewhat different?"
"Of course. The golem I research is free of the caster… more precisely, it is a branch of artifact craft."
"Pardon?"
The explanation was a little confusing. He had just said golems were magic. And now artifacts?
"It will be faster to show you directly. Wait a moment."
Sir Zelos drew a small pouch from his robes. He tipped it over the table, and fine sand poured out in a soft cascade. A short incantation later, the grains of sand gathered themselves into a human shape.
"Up to this point, it is nothing more than a form shaped by magic. But if one applies this scroll, the story changes."
Sir Zelos produced a pair of scrolls and held them out to me.
"Try them."
"Ah—yes."
"Blue for the golem, red for yourself, young master."
"Understood."
Following his instructions, I tore the blue scroll against the golem and pressed the red one to my chest before tearing it as well.
A strange sensation washed over me.
How to put it—something felt as though it had connected itself to me.
This is the Call…!
…No, it wasn't.
For reference, the Call is how a certain alien species communicates in a certain game. I don't actually know the details either.
Anyway.
"I just move it, then?"
"Yes."
"All right, then…"
I tried moving it with a sensation similar to the one I used when operating my Valhalla Skeletons. Almost at once, something changed.
Woom—!
What?
The Vessel suddenly vibrated. Just as it did when assisting the Valhalla Skeletons, it thrummed—and then the palm-sized golem began to move.
Sssrk—
"Hm…?!"
"What is it? Did something go wrong?"
"Again. Do it again."
"Yes."
I moved the palm-sized golem. First I had it raise its right hand, then its left; after that, instead of individual motions, I gave it purposeful actions the way I did with the Valhalla Skeletons—shadowboxing in midair, for instance.
"Would you be able to answer a few questions for me?"
"Of course."
"A simple arithmetic problem. What is one thousand three hundred forty-two multiplied by one thousand three hundred seventy-two?"
"Pardon?"
"Hmm. So that level is beyond you."
"No—how is anyone supposed to multiply four-digit numbers in their head in one go? That was never going to work."
"…You can't even do that? What about three digits, then?"
"That's a stretch too."
"Then single digits should be fine?"
"Yes."
Sir Zelos promptly began putting me through basic single-digit multiplication—the multiplication tables, essentially. Of course I answered them all splendidly. The times tables are elementary arithmetic for any Korean child!
"But… how much longer do I need to keep answering these?"
"That should be enough."
"I see."
Something felt off, though.
I realized Sir Zelos's expression had changed completely from a moment ago. Look at him now. If it were me, after showing off my life's work, I'd be peppering the other person with questions—How does the golem look? What's your impression?—but Sir Zelos was staring back and forth between me and the Vessel like a dog that desperately needed to go outside.
"Is there… something you wished to say?"
At my question, Sir Zelos seemed to steel himself.
"The research funding no longer matters. That artifact… would you allow me to study it?"
"Pardon?"
"If you permit it, I will become Palaon's territorial mage. Please—let me research that Vessel."
"…?"
A free slave just dropped into my lap?
First, I listened to Sir Zelos's explanation—why he wanted to research the Vessel in the first place. I could hardly hand over my small, precious Vessel for study without knowing the reason, after all.
His answer to that question was this:
"Whoever made it, it clearly contains a highly advanced computational assistance circuit. That is pioneering knowledge that surpasses the magic of our present age. With it alone, I could advance my research by several years."
"Hmm."
As it turned out, Sir Zelos's "artifact golem" had not yet fully solved the problem of draining the caster's mental strength. It was a dramatic improvement over conventional golems, yes—but only by the standards of conventional golems.
By ordinary people's standards, it's still difficult to control?
Here I finally understood what Sir Zelos's artifactology was aiming for.
Artifacts for everyone.
Not the exclusive property of a privileged few, but popularized artifacts that even common folk could handle with relative ease after proper training—not just mages.
"Think of the change the popularization of artifacts would bring to the world."
The golem was only the beginning. If everyone could use artifacts freely, how would this world transform?
And as I quietly listened to that vision, a piece of knowledge from my previous life suddenly surfaced.
What was it?
Industrialization!
Too much of a leap?
But… I am a modern man whose bones are steeped in capitalism.
Picture it: instead of depending on the skill of a single individual, a grand reality in which systematized processes pour out standardized, high-quality manufactured goods. What is that if not an industrial revolution?
Indeed, Sir Zelos launched into an impassioned description of his ideal of popularized artifacts.
"Look here—this is a machine that sews in place of human hands."
"Sewing?"
"If you examine this blueprint, these two clamps replace a person's fingers. It, too, is meant to run on the user's mental power through a scroll, but its structural complexity has kept it from being realized."
"Hmm."
A sewing machine… wasn't that just a sewing machine?
Did a sewing machine really need to be that complicated?
"But if we added the computational power your Vessel possesses?"
"And then?"
"Then even a simple command from the user would be enough to execute complex motions."
"Huh."
Couldn't that already be done, though?
Thanks to modern civilization, which pumps random trivia into your brain even when you're just lying around staring at a phone, I happened to know that the principle behind a sewing machine… was not actually that complex.
In any case, the power dynamic had completely reversed.
No—I was always the one holding the cards.
So let me rephrase: Sir Zelos had grown considerably more desperate.
I thought it over.
If Sir Zelos's knowledge and my modern capitalist knowledge were combined—what could we accomplish?
Of course, my ideal and Sir Zelos's ideal were a little different, but it was only natural for an investor and a researcher to dream different dreams!
Still, there was one thing I needed to clarify first.
"If I simply let you research the Vessel, will you truly become a slave?"
"…? A slave?"
"Ah. Slip of the tongue."
A verbal misstep. But Sir Zelos paid my blunder no mind whatsoever.
"If that is what it takes, I would sell my soul to a demon."
"…? That seems a bit—"
"That is the measure of my resolve. So—what will it be? Will you take my hand and lead a revolution together?"
Revolution? He kept spitting out dangerous words. For a noble of a medieval feudal state, "revolution" was an unavoidably sensitive term.
Even so, I agreed on one point.
This world needed change.
I wanted to live in a world where cool air-conditioning blew in summer and warm heater air in winter.
And so—
"Yes. Let us try working together."
"Splendid!"
Sir Zelos clasped my hand.
Hmm. A certain poem comes to mind.
He was nothing more than a wandering mage.
When I recognized his worth, he came to me and became an engineer.
The title… Industrialization.
Though for the final character, let us use the one for "flower" rather than the one for "transformation."
And so…
Palaon—industrialization preparations complete!
The winds of change had begun to blow.