Chapter 48
Chapter 48
“Phew, it’s done.”
With help from Theo and the people I had helped before, the survey covering Districts 6 through 10 and even the outer districts was completed successfully.
As for Districts 1 through 5, I went around personally to investigate them.
Now the only thing left was organizing everything into a report to submit to the Lord.
That part wasn’t difficult since I had done it so many times I practically had it down to a routine.
The real problem was the volume.
Since the deadline was this week and the weekend didn’t count, that meant only tomorrow remained.
Which meant I had to work overtime tonight.
It also meant I wouldn’t be able to return home because the stagecoaches would stop running.
Well, one night of overtime won’t kill me.
Compared to the autumn monsoon period, this was nothing.
Thinking about the look of surprise Calix Krauvel would have tomorrow even made me start humming.
“Aileen, did you hear the news?”
While I was busily writing the report, Allen Cranter asked excitedly.
“What news?”
“They’re going to use magical lighting for the night shifts starting next time.”
Magical lighting was a magical device that used Arcana as its bulb, producing brightness incomparable to candlelight.
A single Arcana no larger than a fingernail could last for an entire year, so its maintenance cost was low.
For a magical tool, it was actually fairly common.
The lighting used in offices and in the Lord’s Castle was all magical lighting.
However, that only applied to the middle and upper classes.
Ordinary commoners mostly used candles.
Naturally, we had also used candles during the previous drainage construction.
So suddenly using magical lighting?
“Drainage is crucial if we want to prevent flooding during the summer monsoon. So the Lord allocated a special budget.”
Huh. He treats me like this, yet he manages the territory quite thoroughly.
“Oh, that must be the magical lighting for night construction.”
Just then, employees arrived carrying boxes, and Allen Cranter hurried over.
“You’re bringing the magical lighting, right?”
“Yeah. The Administration Department asked us to check how many would be needed for night work, so we brought them for confirmation.”
“Then we’ll need Aileen’s help. Aileen, come over here!”
Sigh… they’re calling me even for something this small?
I understood they were worried since they had never done drainage construction before.
Still, it was a little bothersome.
Especially when I already had so much work to do.
“Aileen.”
“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”
I swallowed a sigh and stood up.
“Look at this.”
Allen Cranter took a magical lamp out of a luxurious wooden box and showed it to me.
The lamp, made of rough iron, looked like the kind used for camping.
“It looks different from the ones we use.”
The magical lighting in the office was made of glass and shaped like round spheres.
“They said if you use glass lamps outside, they might break, so these were made of iron.”
The employee who had brought them explained.
Oh. Whoever thought of that had a good head on their shoulders.
“This is where you insert the Arcana to produce light.”
“Let’s try it.”
Allen Cranter took the Arcana from the office lamp and inserted it into the device.
A blindingly bright light burst out immediately.
“With brightness like this, construction could continue late into the night without any problems.”
The biggest issue during evening construction was lighting.
“Late into the night? How late are you planning to work?”
“Well… maybe until around ten?”
“I’m against that. If we work until ten, it’ll affect the next day’s work.”
Allen Cranter shook his head vigorously.
Another employee nodded in agreement.
“That’s because you report to work the next morning. Night construction workers start in the afternoon.”
“Still, ten at night is too late.”
“That’s right. People doing physical labor need proper rest.”
They themselves worked overnight shifts all the time, yet opposed laborers doing the same.
That was somewhat unexpected.
Instead of answering, I simply shrugged.
“The light is bright, but the construction area is wide. We’ll probably need more lamps, right?”
At Allen Cranter’s question, I nodded.
“Yes. It depends on the exact construction point, but we’ll need at least three. For outer-area work, we’ll need five or more.”
“Good. I’ll inform the management office right away.”
After the employee left, Allen Cranter carefully removed the Arcana from the lamp.
“You know, every time I look at Arcana, I feel the same thing. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Then, somewhat surprisingly for his appearance, he spoke in a sentimental tone.
“Whenever I see this, it reminds me of the sea.”
“The sea?”
Arcana looked extremely red, almost like a ruby.
So hearing him say it reminded him of the sea left me confused.
“When I look at Arcana, I’m reminded of a forest with deep green foliage.”
A passing employee added, making things even more confusing.
“Come on, that’s just because Mr. Stern can use mana, so that’s how he sees it.”
Allen Cranter scolded him for bragging and then held the Arcana toward me.
“Aileen, what color does this look like to you?”
Red.
The word rose to my throat, but I swallowed it.
For some reason, it felt like that wasn’t the right answer.
“…Does Arcana appear in different colors to different people?”
I asked, deciding I needed to clarify.
“That’s right.”
Allen Cranter innocently explained everything he knew.
“To people with mana, it appears green. To ordinary people like me, it looks blue. Oh, and to priests with divine power, it appears white.”
“Are there any other colors besides those?”
“No. Not that I know of.”
I was right not to say red.
“But why are you asking?”
“Oh, I just learned for the first time that Arcana appears in different colors to different people.”
“Really? Well, since you never attended the Academy, it makes sense you wouldn’t know.”
Allen Cranter added that it was something taught in the first year at the Academy and proceeded to explain several other unnecessary details.
“Allen Cranter. We’re heading to the site soon, so stop fooling around and get ready.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll prepare immediately!”
Allen Cranter returned the Arcana to its place and packed the magical lamps back into the box.
“See you later, Aileen.”
After he left, I returned to my seat.
But I couldn’t focus.
The fact that Arcana appeared red only to my eyes kept bothering me.
My uneasy thoughts about Arcana didn’t last long.
The moment I realized I might actually lose to Calix Krauvel if I stayed distracted, my concentration surged back instantly.
“This is the report you requested.”
Thanks to that, I completed the report on time and placed it on the Lord’s desk.
“Good work.”
Calix Krauvel answered indifferently without even glancing at the report.
So he really did assign this just to mess with me.
Annoyance rose in my chest, but I forced it down.
If I confronted him now, things would only get worse.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Are you just going to leave?”
I bowed and turned to go, but Calix Krauvel spoke.
“You should have something more to say to me.”
Something to say? What?
I stared at him in confusion.
His eyebrow tilted upward.
“You received the newly made magical lighting, didn’t you?”
…Was he expecting a thank-you?
“Yes, I received it. Thanks to your consideration, night construction will proceed much more smoothly. Thank you very much, my Lord.”
As expected, that was what he wanted.
Calix Krauvel nodded with satisfaction and smiled.
What a strange man.
He was the one benefiting from improvements to the territory he ruled.
So why did he want me to thank him?
“And?”
“…Pardon?”
“Isn’t there something else you want to say?”
Something else?
No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind.
When I simply blinked at him, the smile disappeared from his face.
“This.”
Calix Krauvel picked up a stack of documents and handed them to me.
“Finish these by next Monday.”
Today was Friday.
Which meant he expected me to work over the weekend.
If the task had been urgent, weekend work would have been understandable.
But the work he gave me wasn’t urgent at all.
And it wasn’t even work for the Urban Development Department.
So he’s being petty again.
What had offended him this time?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.
“Can’t do it?”
Calix Krauvel asked with a crooked smile as I stared at the documents.
His gaze seemed to say, You can’t even do this?
It scratched directly at my pride.
“No.”
I gripped the documents tightly and answered clearly.
“I will complete it by Monday.”