Chapter 18
Chapter 18
If Toma Harens had shown even the slightest sign of remorse, I might have revised my plan a little.
But instead, he was smirking with that mocking expression.
So I decided to completely crush that shameless face.
“Before we begin, there’s something I’d like to say.”
When I raised my hand, everyone’s attention turned toward me.
Perhaps thinking I was about to surrender, Toma Harens curled his lips in a sneer.
“To properly prove our skills,”
I continued while staring straight at that irritating face.
“I think it would be more appropriate to demonstrate making the triangular roof model right here, rather than bringing a pre-made scaled model.”
Perhaps caught off guard by my words, Toma Harens’s expression stiffened slightly.
“What nonsense.”
It lasted only a moment.
He twisted the corner of his mouth and said,
“You’re trying some trick because you couldn’t finish it in time.”
“That’s what you think?”
“Are you going to make excuses and say otherwise?”
“Oh, so that’s what you think.”
When I shrugged as if regretful, the space between Toma Harens’s brows tightened.
“What do you think, my lord?”
Calix Krauvel glanced beside me and raised an eyebrow.
“Did you truly fail to finish it in time?”
“Of course not. I already brought it.”
When I clapped my hands, Tabin, who had been hiding nearby, appeared carrying the triangular roof model I had made.
“…Impossible.”
Seeing it, Toma Harens muttered as if shocked.
“What exactly is impossible?”
I grinned at him.
“You sound like someone who was absolutely certain I would fail.”
“…You’re still making absurd accusations.”
Toma Harens flinched, then snorted and turned his head away.
As if he hadn’t been the one making accusations first.
“Since both sides are ready, let’s begin the experiment.”
Noah Roheim stepped forward as if mediating.
“Who will go first?”
“I’ll go first.”
That way, when Toma Harens failed, it would remain longer in people’s memories.
Toma Harens nodded indifferently.
“Then prepare, Miss Aileen.”
I placed the triangular roof Tabin handed me onto the scaled building model and fixed it with nails I had purchased from the System Shop.
It felt a bit like cheating, so I originally didn’t plan to use them.
If Toma Harens hadn’t pulled those tricks.
I’ll crush him thoroughly.
So he’ll never be able to show his face again.
“It’s finished.”
When I stepped back, Calix Krauvel signaled to Noah Roheim.
Roheim stepped in front of the model.
What is he doing?
He wasn’t holding anything, so it didn’t seem like he planned to pour water.
When Noah Roheim raised his hand over the model, wind suddenly began to blow.
A blue glow spread from his fingertips, and soon a large droplet of water formed.
Wait… he’s a mage?
I thought he was just an ordinary aide.
Apparently not.
Then again, someone assisting that ill-tempered lord could hardly be ordinary.
In any case, it was my first time seeing a mage in real life, so I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
When Noah Roheim murmured something, the large droplet shattered into many smaller ones and fell over the architectural model.
It looks like real rain.
I had secretly worried how they would reproduce monsoon-level rain with this era’s technology.
But it turned out to be unnecessary concern.
The droplets slid down the roof and fell to the ground.
The flow of water gradually intensified.
But the triangular roof didn’t budge.
After a while, the experiment ended, and Calix Krauvel personally checked the building model.
“The exterior walls aren’t wet at all.”
“There are no signs of water entering the building interior either.”
Noah Roheim added in admiration.
Of course not.
I had calculated the angles precisely so rainwater wouldn’t reach the building.
I smiled inwardly with satisfaction and glanced at Toma Harens.
He frowned irritably, but he still looked confident.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Toma Harens stepped confidently in front of the scaled building model.
He tried to secure his triangular roof to the model, but it didn’t seem to fit properly.
His face twisted in irritation.
“Is there a problem, Team Leader?”
“No—no problem at all.”
When Noah Roheim asked, Toma Harens shook his head hastily.
He adjusted the triangular roof repeatedly, then wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stepped back.
“It’s ready.”
Noah Roheim cast the same magic as before.
On my triangular roof, the rainwater flowed down immediately.
But on Toma Harens’s roof, water pooled along the edges.
As the rain intensified, the roof began to shake.
Soon it lost balance and collapsed completely.
Water poured into the interior.
The scaled building model collapsed miserably.
“Th-this is impossible!”
Toma Harens cried out and crouched beside the ruined model.
“Something’s wrong. Yes, something must be wrong.”
He lifted the triangular roof and inspected the wrecked model frantically.
“Her model is fine—mine can’t be the only one collapsing…!”
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
I stepped behind him and asked.
“I’m very curious how my model being fine has anything to do with yours collapsing.”
Toma Harens froze and slowly turned toward me.
“Ah—could it be?”
I clapped my hands as if the thought had just occurred to me.
“Were you the one who stole my triangular roof blueprint, Team Leader?”
At that moment, Toma Harens’s eyes shook violently.
“What nonsense!”
He jumped to his feet and shouted.
“Why would I steal your blueprint?!”
“How would I know? The thief should know that better.”
“What?!”
“Now, now, calm down.”
Noah Roheim stepped in again.
“Miss Aileen, what do you mean by your blueprint being stolen?”
“Two days ago, someone secretly entered the temporary warehouse, destroyed the triangular roof I had made, and stole the blueprint.”
Except for Anton Brown sneaking in, everything I said was a lie.
The triangular roof was intact.
And the blueprint he took was the one I had personally given him.
Of course, it wasn’t the real blueprint.
It was a fake I had deliberately prepared as a trap.
I filled it with modern architectural terminology and intentionally incorrect angles and measurements.
“If you give this to the team leader and say you followed his instructions, I’ll overlook what you did today, Sir Brown.”
I also made sure to threaten that if he tried anything else, I would go straight to the lord and reveal everything.
Apparently he was terrified of the lord.
Anton Brown followed my instructions exactly.
The miserable collapse of Toma Harens’s triangular roof was proof of that.
“Such a thing happened? Why didn’t you report it earlier?”
“Well, after checking again, I realized there were calculation errors in the missing blueprint. I needed to remake it anyway, so I just let it go at the time…”
I grinned and looked at the shattered triangular roof model.
“But why does the triangular roof you built look remarkably similar to the one I had designed incorrectly?”
At that moment, the atmosphere turned icy cold.
All eyes focused on Toma Harens.
“What’s going on here, Team Leader Harens?”
The lord, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.
“I-it’s a coincidence.”
After hesitating for a long time, that was the excuse he produced.
So much for his supposed eloquence.
“Then please show us your blueprint.”
When I demanded it, all color drained from Toma Harens’s face.
“That would be best. Bring the blueprint, Team Leader Harens.”
Now that the lord had demanded it as well, Toma Harens awkwardly stepped back.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
“What’s wrong, Team Leader Harens? Anyone would think a thief’s conscience is bothering him.”
Wow. Hearing him strike directly at the heart of the matter with such a blank expression was even more chilling.
“I’ll ask one last time, Team Leader Harens. Did you really not steal that woman’s blueprint?”
Toma Harens opened his mouth.
But in the end, he said nothing.
He simply lowered his head.
It was no different from confessing.
“I suppose there’s no need for further answers.”
Calix Krauvel spoke coldly and flicked his hand.
Immediately, knights carrying swords appeared from somewhere and seized Toma Harens by both arms.
“Imprison Toma Harens in the underground dungeon.”