Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Magic Tower Genius Hides Physics
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The Magic Tower felt strangely empty with all the researchers gone.
Was it the chill of early winter making my heart feel hollow too?
If I'd majored in creative writing, I might've penned a poem or something...
But that's not my thing.
STEM all the way.
Sip.
So I just quietly drank my tea.
"Come to think of it."
Princess Isolde, sipping tea beside me, spoke up.
"I heard you sent the assassin's finger to Winterheart."
"Yes, Your Highness. That's correct."
Was she curious about the method?
She'd shown a real knack for science during my explanation of the disguise magic tool's principles too.
I continued.
"First, I drained the blood using fluid manipulation magic, cauterized the cut surface, coated the entire finger with alcohol to dry it, then wrapped it in clean cloth to minimize air exposure. And sent it off in a box like that."
"..."
Truth be told, formaldehyde would make all that hassle unnecessary.
Too bad I have no idea how to make it...
'Should've studied chemistry instead of physics if I knew it'd come to this.'
Anyway, that left me improvising a pseudo-mummified finger.
The princess stared at me blankly for a moment, at a loss for words.
"Th-that... wasn't what I meant to ask."
"Then what did you want to know, Your Highness?"
"Why... did you send the assassin's finger to stoke Winterheart's rage?"
Ah. Got it wrong.
I scratched my head sheepishly.
"It... seemed like we needed to trick him a bit."
"Trick him how?"
"By disguising it as Kaiyen's finger, to lure the Winterheart family head to the capital as fast as possible."
"Lure him to the capital. I see."
Having his son linger in the capital too long could look like a hostage situation.
It was a ploy I could pull off thanks to Gwendolyn's advice.
By now, the Winterheart patriarch was probably racing to the capital.
The princess nodded thoughtfully, murmuring to herself.
"Better for you to draw the Winterheart head here than for you to go there yourself."
I nodded too.
Home turf beats away games, after all.
"You've got a real talent for setting the board. I was wrong to think of recruiting you for the Imperial Propaganda Department. Intelligence would suit you better."
"...I just want to do research, Your Highness."
"I know. Researchers shine brightest when they're at work."
The princess continued.
"What do you plan to do with the funds from this contract? Buy new research materials, I assume?"
"That's tempting, but I've picked up a new hobby lately."
"A hobby?"
Donating to the orphanage and teaching Anna had planted the idea.
"I'm thinking of starting a foundation to support orphans from the northern beast frontlines."
No matter how much money I have, there's only so much I can do in this world.
No streaming sites or video games here, after all.
The ultimate luxury I can enjoy is just good food...
And with my simple tastes, even stew with chili powder satisfies me.
A soft smile spread across the princess's lips.
"For the northern war orphans... A foundation for the Uphills, then."
"Yes. And if it grows, expand it to other children too."
"Remarkable. Even the Empire gave up on that... How could one person..."
Right then, urgent knocks echoed at the lab door.
In came Sergeant Marcus of the Capital Guard. He said,
"Viscount Winterheart has arrived in the capital!"
Finally.
Three hours after Marcus's report.
Hans asked me,
"The viscount got here ages ago. You sure it's okay not to go?"
"It's fine. Let's make him wait a bit longer."
"Why? Shouldn't we go first and seize the initiative?"
I gazed out the window and replied indifferently.
"I don't know the exact reason, but dictators playing power games always show up late on purpose."
"Huh?"
"So I'm just copying them. Might work."
"...I don't get it, but it's intentional. Got it, I'll trust you."
An hour passed like that.
The meeting spot with Alcad Winterheart was an old lab in the Magic Tower Annex.
Right now, he was probably pacing an empty room in that abandoned annex, waiting endlessly for me.
Time to go.
"Let's head out."
As I stood, Hans and Marcus—my escorts—followed.
When we opened the lab door, Alcad Winterheart was anxiously circling the bare room.
"..."
"..."
His gaze locked on me, and his steps halted abruptly.
He said,
"You bastard... Hand over my son now!"
I ignored him lightly and signaled Hans.
Hans opened the door and wheeled in Kaiyen, lying paralyzed on a portable bed.
I told Hans,
"Show him."
"Okay."
Hans lifted both of Kaiyen's hands, fully paralyzed.
All ten fingers were intact, without a single wound.
"H-how... is this..."
Alcad stared blankly at his son's hands.
He continued,
"So... this whole scheme... was just to drag me from my territory!"
"..."
"Damn it... My lands are probably under attack right now."
...Hadn't thought of that.
Are people from this era all devils?
I just smiled silently instead of answering.
Alcad's face flushed crimson.
As he gathered mana, I spoke first.
"I bring a decree from Her Highness the Princess."
His momentum crumbled at those words.
"No need to kneel. You can listen standing."
I recited the princess's edict slowly, deliberately.
"'Acts against a recipient of the Empire's First-Class Medal shall be deemed treason against the Imperial Family; all participants will be beheaded, and their houses stripped of titles.' ...She said."
A suffocating silence filled the lab.
Cold sweat beaded on Alcad's forehead.
"What... do you want?"
He growled through gritted teeth.
"Could you repeat that? I didn't hear you."
"Dragging me here just to threaten beheading and title revocation... You wouldn't even need to summon me for that."
"True."
I held out a thick stack of contracts before his eyes.
['Mutual Cooperation and Investment Contract between "Newton Company" and the Winterheart Family']
This contract won't harm the territory's people.
I'm planning to lower taxes first, after all.
But in the process, the Winterheart family's finances will gradually run dry.
Of course, I have no intention of directly ruling Winterheart territory.
Why bother with that hassle?
Just extract the resources.
Alcad's face turned ashen after reading every clause.
He muttered,
"This mad..."
People from this era aren't idiots.
They know even slight mismanagement of their territory could leave them destitute.
So work for me if you don't want that.
Alcad glared at every corner of the contract, searching for an escape clause.
As if there'd be one.
It's based on standard modern legal templates.
No exits.
Any loopholes are pre-set traps.
His hand trembled.
"Damn... damn it..."
"Don't like it? We can stop. I'll have the Capital Guard escort you straight to the palace."
"..."
Moments later, he spoke.
"...Damn it, no choice. I'll sign."
"Smart decision."
The final page had a signature line and a small magic circle.
The 'Geas (Oath)' spell.
"Now swear on your mana. That violating the above clauses will make the signer's heart explode."
I met his eyes squarely.
"..."
Alcad silently placed his hand on the circle and infused mana.
Of course, I didn't swear.
Why would I do something that scary?
I asked him,
"How's it feel to sign the contract?"
I'd always wondered.
What does it feel like to swear on mana?
Like your body floating or something?
Grind.
I heard teeth gnashing.
"...Thanks for not killing my son... or me."
He muttered on.
"My son... will withdraw from the Magic Tower today. And he'll never set foot in the capital again."
Uh... wasn't why I asked.
Ended up trash-talking him unintentionally.
The carriage back north was filled with suffocating silence.
Alcad Winterheart sat with Kaiyen beside him, staring blankly out the window.
Unlike the peaceful winter fields, his mind was a storm.
Humiliation, rage, and a faint relief.
"It's... not over yet."
Even ashes hold embers of hope.
All the money and resources flow to 'Newton Company' per the contract.
Just seize that.
With Winterheart's intelligence network and funds, buying off or eliminating one executive is child's play.
He clenched his fist.
Once that company was his, this humiliating contract would be worthless scrap.
But he didn't know yet.
That 'Newton Company' was a ghost corporation, existing only on paper in the Free Cities outside the Empire.
After the Winterhearts left.
Marcus muttered,
"One viscount house vanishes into the dustbin of history."
"Hey now. Say it's fertilizer for 'great progress' instead."
Pfft.
Hans's words made me chuckle.
Then Marcus asked me,
"But Uphills, sir. If the Winterhearts go all out to crush that 'Newton Company,' won't all our plans fall apart?"
"You're right."
"So you're prepared for an attack?"
Hans and I burst out laughing at once.
Hahaha.
Hehehe.
Hans said,
"Never thought we'd use that here."
"Lucky break."
Without 'Newton Company,' I'd have borrowed one of the princess's factions.
Couldn't have gotten such blatant terms then.
Noble backlash would be too much.
Marcus still looked puzzled.
"What's so special about 'Newton Company'?"
Hans grinned and clapped his shoulder.
"A paper company with nothing but paperwork in the Free Cities."
It was originally a shell to dodge underworld eyes.
Shelved after the Malakai incident, but perfect timing now.
As a ghost company, Alcad's reach won't touch it.
Fund tracing? Impossible.
Executives? Nonexistent.
Hehehe.
Catch me if you can.
I thought that, watching their carriage fade into the distance.