Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Thorough Meritocracy: Lua Polaris (3)
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The exhibition hall's stage echoed with roaring cheers.
There, Lua Polaris's heart pounded wildly.
Thump-. Thump-. Thump-. Thump-.
Was the echo in her ears the sound of her own heartbeat?
Or was it the anticipatory pulse responding to her presentation?
She couldn't tell which was right.
Perhaps both were.
But one thing was crystal clear: what she had to do.
The genius mage, Lua Polaris.
She had resolved to give her all to the role assigned to her.
- “The item I’m introducing to you today… is a new magitech device capable of long-distance communication.”
Her voice flowed out amid the trembling pulse.
Amplified by the projection spell, it reached every attendee in the exhibition hall.
Whooo-.
Jeers demanding more stimulating details flew toward her.
“Isn’t a simple communication magitech device hardly different from the paper you presented last time?”
“Existing devices can already transmit voices over short distances, right? You didn’t just extend the range a bit, did you?”
Lua's gaze swept over the sea of people.
Those who trusted their shallow knowledge demanded results befitting the title of genius mage.
Haa-.
A breath laced with emotion escaped her.
- “It’s completely different from existing magitech devices.”
……What?
- “This will drastically reduce the number of ‘formal letters’ in noble society from now on.”
And with that, the mage revealed sharp eyes and began showcasing her creation.
- “Based on all the theories presented so far, I present the prototype… the communication magitech device ‘Polaris No. 1’.”
No more lengthy words were needed.
A single action sufficed.
Clap-.
The moment Lua's palms met in the air.
An image of someone familiar to her projected across the exhibition hall via the crystal orb.
- “Hello, everyone!”
A bright-natured noble lady with sparkling golden hair.
The eldest daughter of the Alperatz Marquis family, Peria Alperatz.
She appeared from beyond the crystal orb.
“Who’s that girl……?”
“Hmm, she looks familiar, but… I can’t quite place her.”
“It’s the lady of Alperatz Marquis! We crossed paths in the capital before. I heard she’s been off searching for dragons or something.”
The audience buzzed as Peria's image appeared through the crystal orb.
Some recognized her and spoke up.
Others, failing to, questioned the face on display.
Amid the murmuring crowd.
What ignited their reactions was the story from Lua's lips, who had summoned Peria.
- “We’ve brought here today Peria, Lady Alperatz, our lab’s patron and assistant for this demonstration.”
- “It’s been a while, Miss Lua!”
- “Lady Peria, how’s the weather in Alperatz Marquis territory?”
- “The sky’s clear today! I love how sunny it is.”
The conversation between Lua and Peria.
The faces of the watching audience began to stiffen.
Their exchange was too natural.
Some in the crowd quickly grasped the meaning and exchanged flustered opinions.
“Wait, are they… talking through the magitech device right now?”
“Alperatz Marquis territory is… a long carriage ride from the capital!”
“The lady’s reactions are so natural. Are they showing her in real time?!”
Alperatz Marquis territory lay far from the capital.
A domain near the western borderlands.
Everyone realized what it meant to converse face-to-face with someone there.
Gulp-.
An officer from the magitech corps swallowed nervously in his seat.
“Face-to-face chats with someone at the empire’s edge?”
“Insane. An unbelievable invention.”
The audience's gazes shifted.
Eyes of those who grasped the item's value gleamed with greed.
And as if to heighten the mood, words continued from Lua's mouth.
- “Time is given equally to all, but some people’s time is far more valuable than others’.”
This wasn’t made for mass distribution from the start.
Only the wealthy and powerful elite could afford it.
Now was the time to persuade them.
- “From now on, ‘Polaris No. 1’ will become an indispensable essential in noble society.”
- “With this, nobles across the empire can converse face-to-face anytime.”
- “No more tedious scheduling just for a few words with another noble.”
Time was gold to everyone.
For high nobles, it was priceless.
Immediate reactions erupted from the nobles.
“Hah… To see something this big at this exhibition!”
“Polaris No. 1… What a remarkable device.”
“They say she’s a genius mage even the Blue Tower sees promise in. Her reputation’s well-earned.”
Intense responses toward Lua poured from all sides.
Waaaaah-!
Cheers and roars filled her ears.
Her excited heart heated her body, the venue’s fervor sharpening her mind.
—Rookie, Lua Polaris.
Amid those chanting the Blue Tower genius mage’s name, she drove in the final nail.
- “Oh, I might’ve been wrong about talking to everyone. Regrettably, you can’t connect with those without a ‘Polaris No. 1’.”
Puhahaha-!
Loud laughter burst from all around.
Despite the awkward joke, everyone in the venue laughed and cheered.
The electric atmosphere crowned her the star.
A sense of omnipotence, as if anything were possible.
Lost in it, Lua forgot the flow of time.
“How could we have high-level chats with broke nobodies who can’t afford one? Right?”
“I’ll order one the moment the exhibition ends.”
“Lua Polaris, was it… Gotta remember that name.”
Everyone strove to memorize her name.
Time accelerated in the heated fervor.
“I have a question! About this part here……!”
“When does it go on sale? I want one now……!”
Countless questions flew past her rapidly.
Answers flowed naturally from Lua's lips.
A sensation as if she weren’t herself.
Flawlessly acting the perfect self with impeccable poise.
- “Supply won’t be too limited. We’re rushing distribution with the Alperatz family’s backing.”
Time at the demonstration flew in that alien sensation.
Questions poured toward the venue’s star.
Cool responses followed.
Exclamations. Cheers. Amazement. Praise.
Fueled by all those emotions, Lua Polaris burned herself to the limit.
- “…….”
Thus, the fiercely blazing flame consumed her core, and the racing heartbeat cooled.
Before long, the long demonstration reached its end.
Clap clap clap clap clap-.
Amid the explosive applause below, Lua took deep breaths and descended the stairs.
How had that endless speech unfolded?
Even she, who had delivered it, couldn’t recall precisely.
Step, step-.
Stumbling down the stairs, Lua quietly tried to return to her seat.
“Huh?”
Ziiing-.
A faint vibration suddenly emanated from the brooch on her chest.
A call from the library’s Archmage, Johan.
Click-.
The moment her hand gripped the brooch’s gem.
Johan’s grave voice resounded in her ear.
- “Trouble’s coming. Prepare.”
“Y-Yes?”
- “Best prepare a freeze spell in advance.”
The message from Johan.
Lua’s face darkened instantly.
* * * * * *
Robert Aintail.
A formal Red Tower mage, once a promising talent full of promise.
One of the youngest to earn formal mage status in the Red Tower.
Now, Robert stood rigidly on the exhibition stage, face set hard.
The red-haired youth once called a genius overlooked the audience from the awkward stage.
- “…….”
The mood was off.
Though it was his turn now, he still wasn’t the star.
Lua Polaris-.
Everyone chanted not his name, but that of the mage who had just finished presenting.
‘Lua… Polaris……!’
The name laced with jealousy swirled in Robert’s mind.
His master’s old voice echoed in memory.
—You fool, how long will you keep pretending to be a genius?
Robert knew it himself.
He couldn’t remain a talented mage forever-.
He’d known it all along.
‘Why is a cowardly mage stealing the spotlight instead of me, with my superior talent……!’
Once, Robert had basked in such attention too.
The entire Red Tower had pinned hopes on him, watching his shining potential.
But no longer.
The audience now eyed him with gazes long stripped of expectation.
“What’s this? Why’s he silent?”
“What even is that? Looks like something from a trash bin.”
“Probably another worthless gimmick. The Red Tower’s nothing without combat spells.”
Various voices rang from below the stage.
Grit-.
Robert’s gaze fell to the cylindrical metal in his hand.
A special magitech device born of ambitious plans.
Normally, he’d deem this level sufficient.
Adequate to show his ‘potential’ to the crowd.
But circumstances had changed.
- “…….”
“No idea what he plans to show.”
“By the way, Polaris No. 1… I need to find out when we can buy it.”
“It’d be great for military use too. Should the magitech corps inquire separately?”
A genius mage had just stunned them with an astonishing device and left.
In its wake, mere potential display wouldn’t cut it.
Squeeze-.
Robert’s tense hand trembled faintly.
He envisioned his shabby trash bin becoming a laughingstock compared to that crystal orb.
Such was the gulf between ultra-long-range visual communication and a magitech incinerator.
- “The item I’ll show you now… is an innovative convenience: the incinerating trash bin.”
Yet, he had to proceed, even if mocked.
Robert was no longer a child.
He endured the gazes and painfully opened his mouth.
“Pfft… A trash bin?”
“After something that huge, a trash bin right after feels off, doesn’t it?”
As if proving his fears, mockery erupted immediately below.
Kh-hm-.
One audience member covered his mouth, failing to stifle laughter.
Others ignored Robert’s demo entirely, chasing traces of ‘Polaris No. 1’.
As if what Robert did didn’t matter, all eyes fixed on the false ‘genius mage’.
‘I have to seize their attention somehow.’
Otherwise, he’d fade into oblivion, forgotten by all.
He had to show something.
Creak-.
Robert’s hand righted the magitech device on the stage.
Then, with resolute face toward the crowd ahead, he spoke.
- “‘Polaris No. 1’… It’s impressive, no doubt. An invention that lets you talk to anyone across the empire anytime—anyone would be amazed.”
The audience's expressions turned subtly odd at Robert’s words.
But his story didn’t end there.
- “It’s a device comparable to this magitech I invented.”
“What? On par with that earlier one……?”
“What the hell is he saying?”
- “This magitech incinerates trash from across the empire easily and swiftly. The Red Tower’s triple incineration system burns anything, regardless of material.”
Puhahaha-!
Rowdy laughter exploded from the audience seats.
Still mockery-filled, but somewhat positive too.
That one line had drawn all eyes to Robert.
- “Now, I’ll demonstrate this device’s performance for you.”
Free of apathy, Robert’s hands swiftly operated the held magitech.
Roooar-!
The embedded flame spell activated, swirling flames charged with fierce momentum.
‘Incineration takes time. In this situation, normal performance won’t grab attention.’
Another mage had just shown ultra-long-range visual comm right before.
Stock output would earn only laughs.
He needed a far more intense show than usual.
Sizzle-.
Watching the heating magic stone, Robert picked up a wooden log rolling on the stage.
- “Material doesn’t matter. Even a big log like this will turn to ash in seconds.”
Thud-.
He tossed the log into the trash bin.
Then activated the magitech at max power.
Vrrrrm-.
It vibrated, pouring out design-limit output.
But Robert’s tweaks didn’t stop.
Flash-.
His right hand unlocked the output limit, infusing extra mana to amplify the flame spell.
- “…….”
Robert watched the log begin to burn.
Thanks to the incinerator’s overwhelming firepower?
It turned to scattering ash in moments.
Vrrrrm-.
Gazing at the vibrating incinerator, Robert wore a faint smile.
Performance was most satisfactory.
‘Good. Next, something more visibly trashy—.’
As he scanned for the next demo victim.
Pffft-.
A sudden sound in his ear chilled the flame mage to the bone.
Startled, Robert’s eyes fixed on the flaming bin.
—Something was seriously wrong.
His magitech was slipping from his control.
Robert’s face paled as he gripped it.
- “Ah…….”
Crack, craaack-.
Was the runaway output testing the magitech’s durability?
Cracks formed in the heat-blocking spell.
But Robert’s woes didn’t end there.
Clang-.
A clear ring, and sudden heat cracked the bin’s surface.
‘Wait, at this rate, it’ll be a problem—.’
A silent scream echoed on stage.
Releasing the scorching cylinder, the uncontrolled incinerator rolled across the stage.
Trembling eyes looked down at it.
Spreading heat.
Endlessly amplifying output.
Robert’s greed to captivate had turned the incinerator into something beyond the line.
The moment his lips parted to warn in shaking voice.
- “Everyone, run……!”
“—Freeze.”
Boom! Craaack-.
Icy chill whipped across the stage, stripping all warmth in an instant.
Hah, hah-.
Frosty breath spread in the scene.
Freeze spell expanding explosively.
Amid it, Robert’s gaze fell to the girl below the stage.
“It seemed dangerous, so I acted… Hope I didn’t cause trouble……?”
“…….”
Blue Tower mage, Lua Polaris.
The mage wreathed in ice fixed worried eyes on Robert.