Light (2)
Gast Robel arrived at Iron Cliff Territory, feeling as if he had been transported to an entirely different world.
Along the winding mountain path that stretched from the training grounds to the research labs, shafts of light illuminated the trail at intervals, safely guiding him through the treacherous slopes.
“How in the world is this even possible?”
Burgess simply ignored him and kept walking.
Yeah, he doesn’t want me to know about it.
Gast understood Burgess’s attitude perfectly. If he were in that position, he would never share the secret of such a magnificent invention either.
And since the other party was from a rival family, it was even more so.
Indeed… no mana at all.
If it were magic, even the slightest trace should have been felt by his sensitive senses.
But this “lamp” gave off not even a fingernail’s worth of mana.
“Hmm… so it’s basically using a mana resonance blocking circuit to create a stabilizing field made of mana energy between the electrodes… then using the mana field to block electrical interference and control the flow…”
Robon Bladewyn, muttering while reading a book with a steel plate the size of his own torso in front of him, turned toward them.
“Eh? Brother? …What’s that?”
“Gast Robel.”
“…Who are you?”
Gast’s expression hardened.
“The knight who commanded the extermination unit alongside you last time.”
“Ah! The one who went out to hunt monsters with Brother Burgess and came back with nothing, right?”
“…I didn’t come back with nothing.”
Gast’s jugular veins bulged.
“Ah, or rather, I heard you said you did. But what brings you here at this hour?”
As he spoke, Robon’s gaze never left the book and the device.
Gast felt a flash of irritation at Robon’s casual dismissal, but he swallowed it down.
Still, I’m glad I came here.
Before arriving, doubts that had lingered in his mind were now completely resolved.
Robon Bladewyn was not a useless fool. He was a genius who had pretended to be one.
Across the continent, the mad inventor was despised as an alchemist who created magic-like machines.
No, one could even say he was greater than that.
Mages only focused on strengthening their own abilities, but the things Robon Bladewyn created made everyone around them extraordinary.
Swallow.
His mouth had gone dry.
The more thoughts piled on, the more terrifying Robon seemed—not the useless fool, but Robon Bladewyn, the brilliant genius.
If his talent was as a knight or mage, one could simply restrain him. Perhaps his brilliance would fade in that single generation.
But Robon would strengthen the entire Bladewyn family as long as he lived. Far more than any other family could compare.
What an unbelievable talent.
With just a thought, he could become someone who would not even be a scratch to himself. Yet his presence was greater than facing the head of the family.
A small giant.
Yes, a small giant. Though he might look like just a young man on the surface, something enormous crouched inside.
Thud.
Gast Robel knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
Both Robon and the indifferent Burgess could not hide their surprise.
“I come to you formally. Gast Robel, knight of the Robel family. I swear on the honor of my knight.”
Clang.
His armor clashed as he awkwardly took a knee.
Knees of knights were never light, especially when swearing on one’s honor. It meant staking everything.
Discovering that Gast Robel of the Robel family had knelt before a Bladewyn would mean immediate disownment—something far from impossible.
“…Please help.”
*
Startled. Suddenly showing up and asking for help?
Why did he do that?
Even though he had only lived in this world for a short time, Gast Robel’s action carried a heavy weight that Gast knew all too well.
Especially since the other party was a Bladewyn.
“For now, stand up. Let’s hear what you have to say.”
Gast Robel’s information was nonexistent. Burgess had not told him anything.
But merely knowing there was no bad word about him meant he was better than the other Robel brats, right?
Still, just the name “Robel” did not paint him in a particularly good light. Not until moments ago.
“The extermination unit has been isolated.”
“Why? I thought the Principality’s Guardian Knights had joined.”
“That’s….”
Listening to Gast’s story, the hatred for the Robel brats grew stronger.
It was the classic case of an incompetent ally commander being more dangerous than a brilliant enemy commander.
Still, among the Robel brats, Gast was at least slightly better.
“So… you need a weapon with a long range, right?”
“That’s right. The only way to catch those Black Cat monsters is something like that. Otherwise, a Black Knight-class powerhouse would have to step in.”
“Who is a Black Knight-class powerhouse?”
“Father.”
Burgess interjected.
“…Father?”
Was the Iron-Blooded Knight Ted Bladewyn a Black Knight-class?
Gast had no idea what rank it was, but hearing this made him realize anew just how terrifying they were.
“So those monsters are that strong?”
“No. Their senses are extremely sharp. Even a Knight Captain cannot approach without them quickly vanishing. Their mobility is also very fast, making them hard to catch.”
It sounded like a painful opponent.
In this world or on Earth, cat-like creatures were never easy.
“Last time, the crossbow should work, right?”
“Honestly, I can’t guarantee it. Those monkey monsters are far stronger than the ones I faced. Where did they even come from….”
Gast bit his lips so hard blood seeped out.
“Does the Robel family not have any Black Knight-class now?”
“There’s no way… There are only about ten Black Knights in the entire Principality, as far as I know.”
“So few?”
“Robon, Black Knights aren’t just anyone.”
“Then what rank is Brother Burgess?”
“I’m a 5th-rank.”
“And you, Gast?”
“Same as you, a 5th-rank knight. If I could fight on open plains without running, I could take you down with my current strength.”
“Then it’s fine. Just make sure you don’t run, right?”
A good weapon suddenly came to mind.
In modern warfare, it was nearly essential. He had no idea if it could be created here, but with magitech, it seemed possible to make something similar.
“It’ll take some time. Can you wait?”
“As long as you want!”
“But you said the extermination unit is isolated.”
“That’ll be handled by the Principality’s knights. The problem is, if we just sit back, we’ll miss the Black Cats too.”
“So… you were lying?”
“It’s not like that….”
This brat had sounded so desperate to save the isolated extermination unit.
As expected, the Robel brats were not to be trusted.
“Fine. If it’s urgent, the story can get a bit twisted anyway.”
“Hahaha! Of course! Geniuses don’t think small-mindedly!”
“So, what are you offering?”
“…Eh?”
“You’re not seriously asking me to help for free, are you? What’s the catch?”
Gast’s pupils trembled. Sweat beads formed on his forehead. It wasn’t even hot.
“Right now I can’t offer anything, but I will definitely pay the price someday—”
“You don’t mean… you want me to beg, do you?”
“I swore on my knight’s oath—”
“I don’t care if it’s a knight’s oath or nonsense.”
“…W-what? M-money?”
“Give me money. My research funds are short. I heard the Robel family has plenty.”
“I don’t have the authority. This came without telling the head either.”
“Who do I trust you for? The Robel brats aren’t that easy. Fine. I was already busy with my research anyway. Just go.”
“B-bribe?”
“What? No?”
“Not like that! I’ll give it! Money! I’ll definitely bring it after this mission ends!”
A smile naturally crept onto Gast’s lips.
What a windfall.
“Then shall we draw up a contract? Guest?”
“…Guest? What does that mean?”
“Ah, sorry. I meant customer. Customer. Haha. Here, shall I stamp this for you?”
Gast, pushed along, stamped the contract without even reading it properly.
It’s easy. Easy.
Robon immediately helped Gast up.
“Why are you kneeling? Brother. If you’re fine, could you teach Gast how to use the crossbow?”
“…Why me?”
Robon whispered into his ear.
“When we make the Black Terrahole later, I’ll give it to you. Then you can just sit back and head to the mission site comfortably. No need to drive.”
“Come on, Gast.”
As expected, there was nothing better for charming people than the Black Terrahole. Speaking of which, he would have to visit Vulkan once to make this, but when?
*
Light had various characteristics.
It helped people by illuminating the dark, but it could also blind the human eye.
The example: look straight up at the sun for ten seconds in broad daylight. You would know right away.
Your vision would be gone.
“Ah, I wonder if this will work.”
There was a lot to do. The most important was materials to blind the light and paralyze the ears—sound shock waves.
“The light source could be mana stone powder and iron sulfide reacting with oxygen, then amplifying the light… and sound is….”
“You’re using what I explained, right?”
“Ah, you heard?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right. I plan to use Lord Ramos’s mana resonance theory… calculations seem necessary. Of course, experiments on error margins and variables too. It should be enough if I have time, but I’m in a hurry.”
“Could you explain what you’re trying to make for me?”
“Sure. This is a flashbang bomb that uses light and sound to disable the opponent’s sight and hearing…”
Finding Andersen in the Principality was pure luck.
He perfectly supplied the magical knowledge that was desperately lacking for him.
The flashbang Robon-004 could not even have been attempted without Andersen.
Unbelievable versatility. How can there be so many things with mana circuits?
Even setting aside the extreme complexity of the circuits themselves, their universality was undeniable.
Just the uses that came to mind right now numbered in the hundreds, which was why making a Black Terrahole like a car from Vulkan had made sense.
“The base of the vibration generation circuit is a circular pattern. Attach a spiral pattern for amplification and a linear pattern to create a certain value and control the whole thing.”
Mana circuits had various patterns, but the length, width, thickness, number of circuits, curvature, and many other factors made the work extremely precise.
Even with blueprints available at Vulkan, why had only three been made so far?
The question was answered in an instant.
Following the blueprints alone would have been at the level of extreme difficulty.
Even making this small flashbang was pushing his eyes to the limit.
I need to hurry and make the precision machinery required for refinement. I’ll go crazy with my own hands.
The generator was complete, so development of the equipment would gradually speed up.
When that time came, Iron Cliff Territory would become an automated new city.
And his specialty—robotics—would be put to use in ways that were not impossible either.
Even the Titan Robon Bladewyn wanted to build could be made.
Grrrr—.
“Damn! Wrong! It’s too long?”
“Ah, sorry.”
“Again!”
*
Morning had broken.
Gast, who had been dozing off from fatigue, suddenly startled awake.
“Oh no, it’s already morning?”
He reflexively felt around and grabbed the crossbow, standing up.
“Enough.”
Burgess snatched the crossbow from Gast’s wrist.
“Sorry. Did you sleep a bit? Just a little more—”
“Look at your hands.”
Gast showed his hands. His callused fingers and bulging tendons trembled.
“I’m still fine.”
“Tsk.”
With a look of irritation, Burgess turned away with the crossbow.
Gritting his teeth, Gast grabbed his wrist with his left hand.
“Stop trembling.”
Vrrrrr—!
Creak!
The Black Terrahole arrived at the training grounds.
“What? You mean you’ve been training all this time?”
It was Robon Bladewyn.
“The opportunity was only once, as I said. I had no choice but to raise my skill.”
Robon looked at the pile at the end of the training ground.
It was completely honeycombed. How many bolts had he fired?
Indeed… different from the other Robel brats.
“Here, I made it. A weapon to catch that monster.”
“Really!”
“Be careful. It’s the only one.”
“I understand. How do I use this?”
“Just remove the ring there and throw it. It can paralyze everything within a 50-meter radius.”
Gast swallowed hard at the gray bomb the size of his palm.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Brother Burgess will take you. Make sure it succeeds.”
Unexpectedly, Burgess jumped out from behind a tree with a grim face.
“Why me?”
“You should practice driving in advance. To ride the Black Terrahole.”
“No need—”
“You don’t want to?”
“……Tsk.”
Burgess climbed into the driver’s seat. After thanking Robon, Gast sat in the passenger seat.
Vrrrrr—!
With a rough roar, the two drove away.
Robon smiled contentedly.
“This is real marketing. As long as it succeeds… heh heh.”
Make money, get publicity. Win-win, right?