No Need to Drag It Out
I’ve seen this trope pop up in movies, novels, comics, and games more times than I can count. Lines like, “Actually, I’ve been hiding a secret from you.” Or, “It’s still too early for you to know.” And the classic, “We’re still investigating. I’ll tell you once we’re sure.”
Just say it already! Dragging things out like that always ends with someone getting stabbed in the back and dying, or the situation exploding because they waited too long to act. Sometimes the big reveal in the final act turns out to be completely underwhelming. Not every story does this, of course, but you see it all the time—problems that could’ve been solved early if someone had just opened their damn mouth.
Well… from the author’s perspective, it’s a solid cliché. They get to sprinkle breadcrumbs everywhere and clean them up however they want later. Plus, it’s not the kind of hook you can use right at the beginning of a story anyway.
What I’m about to do is different from that scene. There’s no reason to drag this out. Unlike other stories where the protagonist lacks power or influence, I don’t need to play coy. I have both.
“Gather the kids.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Golden magic power flowed from my eyes, linking with the Magic Stones I’d placed in advance. Through them, I could watch the slave merchants from an incredible distance using a magical surveillance technique.
“There’s no point in wasting time. If something goes wrong, I’m the one who’ll be pissed off. Let’s wrap this up quickly.”
“Understood.”
Chloe and Serin moved immediately. I turned my gaze away from them and used the Magic Stones as projectors to monitor the remote surveillance system.
In my old world, this would’ve been nothing special. The principle was different, but it was basically the same as installing cameras and watching through an internet connection. The only difference was that this kind of magic control method didn’t exist in this world. It was extremely rare.
It all came down to perspective. For example, the magic control technique I’d used before to block nearby vision. Methods similar to camouflage or stealth existed, but they were inspired by monsters like chameleons that blended into their environment. I’d taken that concept and recreated it with magic. That particular technique had spread quite widely.
So I wondered—weren’t there other control methods that mirrored modern science or even matched it exactly? I’d thought about it and looked into it. Strictly speaking, they did exist. Some noble family on the continent probably had something similar.
But most of them ended up as family secrets. Ideas drawn from nature or monsters—like blocking sight—were usually shared, or abandoned because they were too difficult to implement. In many cases, only a handful of families succeeded and kept the technique as their exclusive vision.
If you wanted to use a special magic technique, you could either come up with the idea yourself or study what other families were doing and develop your own version. The approach was free, but every path took time. Since information wasn’t shared, only the few who witnessed it would research it, and it would end in monopoly once again.
Someday these techniques might spread, but it would take a very long time.
Anyway, the important thing was perspective. The people of this world weren’t stupid. There were probably plenty who were smarter than me. Nobles engaged in political battles, merchants calculated every penny with meticulous cunning, and there were writers and singers too. They were advancing their own culture in their own way.
I didn’t think they were dumber than me. The only real difference between us was that I possessed memories from my previous life. It was a matter of common sense from my past world.
I didn’t know how to make things or the underlying scientific principles. I couldn’t explain them or even fully understand them. But I knew the end results of that science.
Even if I didn’t understand semiconductors, I knew about all the electronic products made from them. I didn’t need to know exactly how the internet worked. I just needed to know that you could see things from far away through connected devices.
Airplanes fly through the sky, but their designs are based on countless scientific theories. I knew drones flew using batteries and motors, but I didn’t need to know exactly how they were built. I just needed to know you could launch something into the sky and use it for reconnaissance.
And it wasn’t limited to science. Dramas, movies, novels, animations, games—every imagined invention that people around the world had dreamed about while talking to each other. Knowing those end results was enough.
The people of this world simply lacked that kind of inspiration. If I provided the concept, they would develop it using principles I didn’t understand.
Just like now.
Project Camera initiating. Transferring magic power from Lord Leoric. Three… two… one…! Transfer complete.
Magic stone connection confirmed. From now on, all magic stones will be designated as cameras. Check.
Check. Camera 1 connected.
Check. Camera 2 confirmed. Position locked. Stealth control initiating… Magic power blocking complete.
Check. Camera 3 no response… Ah. Response received. As expected, control becomes difficult at this distance.
“Switch to covert mode and release control. There’s a high chance of detection.”
“Understood.”
“As Lord Leoric mentioned before, it would be good to install relays that connect magic power to magic power.”
“Relays, huh… We’ll need to research how to install them.”
In front of me was a team centered around Chloe—smart individuals chosen from among those with magical talent. It was essentially a research team.
“The farther the distance, the weaker the magic composition becomes. Our magic power alone isn’t enough.”
“There are limits if we rely on Lord Leoric and other nobles’ power every single time. We need to increase versatility.”
“How about strengthening the magic control method, or simplifying the structure to increase durability?”
“That would make it easier to steal. There’s also the issue of secrecy… At this level, it’s hard to keep it hidden.”
As expected, engineers really shine when you put them to work. I’d only dropped a few vague hints, yet they’d somehow managed to complete it on their own.
Of course, the range, image quality, and convenience were laughably inferior compared to modern technology—like comparing a frog to a space shuttle—but even so, a remote surveillance camera had been successfully created in this world.
It wasn’t ready for actual combat yet. That’s why I hadn’t used it during this war either and was still having them research it.
“Using this method, other things should be possible too.”
“If we process two magic stones and connect them only to each other, couldn’t we communicate over vast distances?”
“The problems are still distance and secrecy. In the current case, it would definitely be detected.”
“It’s difficult.”
Isn’t that basically a cell phone? Or maybe a walkie-talkie at this stage? Either way, it was reassuring to see them thinking for themselves.
Still, unlike the modern world where radio waves were invisible and undetectable to humans, the magic power that served as radio waves in this world was clearly visible and easy to sense for anyone with magical power. So developing it the same way would be tough.
…The engineers would figure it out eventually.
I turned my attention away from the brainstorming research team and looked at the screen. The image quality was terrible, but it was clear enough to identify what I was seeing.
Honestly, with my own power I could see it without this device, but I needed to check how usable their technology was. And… what should I even call this? Magic technology? Magical engineering? Magic engineering? It wasn’t exactly magic. …Magiscience? Whatever the official name, I turned my gaze to the screen.
It showed the slave merchant caravan unpacking their luggage at a large lodging facility meant for big groups, preparing for the night.
“Anyway, keep watching. We strike at midnight exactly.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to observe their movements and see what their purpose is before going in?”
I shook my head at Chloe’s suggestion. If my father or older brother were here, that approach might not be bad. But right now, I was the only one in Franz Territory.
If I just watched and something unexpected happened, my position would become awkward. Besides, I couldn’t be certain I could completely prevent any incident. And most importantly—
“This is just my guess, but I don’t think their goal is us.”
“Pardon?”
It really was just a guess. Still, as Chloe had confirmed, the documents themselves were clean, and their schedule showed they would leave the territory immediately afterward. The lodging they were staying at was also listed as a one-night stop before departure.
The only thing that stood out was how strictly they guarded that one particular item. Even if they caused trouble here, it was far from the inner castle of Franz, and there weren’t many people around.
“Is their destination Boreng? Or the capital? Or are they simply passing through?”
“So you’re saying they really just happened to pass by here?”
“Probably. They came from far away, so they might not have known the details. If they had, they would’ve changed their route long ago. Plus, arriving the day after we mobilized was something they couldn’t have predicted.”
The strengthened checkpoints couldn’t have been welcome news for them. Changing their route after learning the situation around here would look far too suspicious. They might not have noticed right away, but eyewitness reports would have reached them eventually.
What could their purpose be?
…I could just capture them and torture the answers out. Honestly, even if something did happen, it probably wouldn’t matter much.
After watching for a moment, I glanced at Chloe standing beside me. Her expression didn’t look good. It seemed she was still bothered by the fact that she hadn’t noticed it earlier.
“By the way, you didn’t notice it before, did you?”
“…No. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Their method was more secretive than I expected.”
I thought back to what I’d seen earlier. Slave merchants didn’t only deal in slaves. Among their trade goods had been a certain box. The strange presence and subtle magic I’d felt from it. Judging by the size…
“……A person?”