Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Burden of Uphills
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For Calun Uphills, life was a grueling ordeal.
You could tell just from his surname.
He was an orphan from the northern beast frontlines.
The Uphills name had originally been bestowed as an excuse for "selective aid to war victims."
But reality was a bit different.
Among the uneducated masses, the name rang like this:
"This kid has no parents or home, so no need to worry about backlash."
The Uphills surname itself had become the perfect tag for selling off to some mad mage.
What a shitty world.
"It's winter, so... watch out for colds."
"I've been such a burden all this time... Thank you for everything, Master!"
...But it wasn't always shitty.
Calun's hands trembled faintly.
With those parting words, he left Tobin's Workshop.
The workshop could only survive if he was gone.
"That old coot Tobin... Why go through all that trouble for me..."
Suddenly, Calun thought of someone who shared his surname.
Isaac Uphills.
The heroic Uphills, just like him.
If Calun were like him, he could have lived without a care.
But Calun wasn't Isaac.
Isaac Uphills was probably just born different.
Rumors said he was two meters tall, could fly through the skies, and could burst an orc's skull with a flick of his wrist.
The first two might be true enough, but the last one felt like a exaggeration.
Orcs were tough as hell...
Calun wanted to ask him.
What to do in times like this...
Of course, even sharing the Uphills name, their positions in life were worlds apart—he couldn't even dream of asking.
Thud. Thud.
Clink. Clink.
With every step, coins jingled in his pocket.
His master's severance pay.
'...Maybe one last drink before I go?'
Not a bad idea.
He headed straight for a dingy tavern.
"Oh, Calun! Here for booze from the old man?"
"Tonight, I'm drinking."
"...That's rare."
Damn it!
That old guy's shadow haunted him everywhere.
Calun swallowed his curse and downed his beer.
One glass. Two.
The booze hit hard.
Stumbling drunk, Calun staggered out into the chilly night air that cooled his flushed cheeks.
Now he really had to leave.
But his feet wouldn't move.
He missed the sound of his master hammering iron.
'His gut's probably eating him up inside by now.'
In the end, he turned back toward the workshop.
Just one last look.
Then he'd leave without regrets.
The old man rifled through the blueprints and muttered.
"Even looking at it again, it's just mind-blowing."
Flip.
"How did you even come up with this?"
Flip. Flip.
"Calun! Come here and look at this... Ah. He's gone."
Then he'd pause midway, lost in thoughts of his apprentice from earlier.
He turned to me.
"So, who designed this?"
"Me."
"You're an orphan, right?"
"Yes."
"..."
He stared at me blankly.
"Uh, your name wouldn't happen to be..."
"Isaac Uphills."
"You're that... hero?"
"Yes."
I went for the bold approach.
The hero title still felt awkward, but what could I do when that's what they called me?
"No way. The capital's hero is two meters tall and crushes logs with one hand."
"..."
What kind of rumors were flying around?
Instead of more excuses, I pulled out my Magic Tower ID.
"...It's real?"
"Told you."
His hands shook as he took the ID.
"P-please forgive my rudeness up to now..."
"Just speak casually. It's uncomfortable getting formal honorifics from my elders."
"..."
"For real. Not testing you."
"Alright then. Ahem... Got it."
We followed up with some awkward icebreakers to ease the tension.
Introductions.
"Name's Tobin. No surname."
Favorite things.
"Drinking beer."
"You don't drink on the job, do you?"
"Nah. I'd lose fingers that way. Never while working. But lately, no jobs..."
"Ah."
"...So I've been drinking every day."
I recalled the story from when I was first introduced here.
Something about pissing off a noble.
"..."
"..."
The mood grew heavy somehow.
Shouldn't have asked about favorites.
Damn.
Let's talk work.
"Let's do the contract first."
"Ahem. Sure."
Before coming, I'd prepared tiered contracts based on the artisan's skill.
I handed over the level 5 one.
[Exclusive Technology Partnership and Investment Contract]
For reference, level 5 was the top tier.
Lucky me.
The contract wasn't just a simple commission.
It included workshop equipment support, priority raw material supply, guaranteed base pay, and more.
Tobin rubbed his eyes repeatedly after reading it over.
"...This is basically an exclusive contract, isn't it?"
"Exactly."
Too good to share with anyone else.
Tobin asked in a trembling voice.
"Why show me such favor? Haven't you heard the rumors...?"
"Whatever the rumors, they're probably not as important as this."
I picked up a small metal part from the workshop corner.
It looked like ordinary scrap, but not to my eyes.
'This is insane.'
Forging lines so uniform you wouldn't notice without mana observation.
Reaching this level with a hammer was a triumph of human skill.
Even after industrialization centuries from now, it'd take time to match.
The Tycho Brahe of ironworking.
I looked at Tobin and replied.
"At this level, even the Magic Tower's 'Metal Processing Magic School' would have scouted you. Honestly, I'm curious why someone like you hasn't been recognized until now..."
Before I finished, Tobin cut in.
"You can see that? Incredible. You don't seem to have studied metallurgy."
Of course.
Talking iron with hands free of calluses must look ridiculous.
"Not with my eyes. I used magic to calculate the 'fatigue limit' and 'tensile strength' this part can withstand."
"Fatigue... tensile...?"
Knew it.
Our languages differed slightly.
I translated into his terms.
"How long the iron can endure without tiring, and how hard you have to pull before it snaps."
"Hah... You see that in numbers? Unbelievable."
I'm the one who finds it unbelievable.
Proper tempering to prevent martensite formation, without decent tools.
Tobin continued.
"...As expected of the princess's chosen hero. Your knowledge is vast. Mastered metallurgy too, huh."
"Ahem."
The blatant flattery made me a bit embarrassed.
I'd only taken one grad school class on it.
I asked him.
"So, doing the contract?"
"Would I say no?"
Tobin gripped the quill with his callused hands.
"So, we're making this. Elastic metal processed into thick plates like this. Possible?"
"Tricky..."
"If not, I'll revise the design."
"No. I think I can manage somehow."
Tobin lit the furnace and grabbed an iron ingot.
Life returned to his eyes.
Making a 'coil spring' to bear a vehicle's weight with this era's tech was near impossible.
So, leaf springs it is.
Long, curved elastic metal plates.
Still springs.
...Of course, making leaf springs isn't easy either.
Wonder if he'll pull it off.
"Hup...!"
Clang, clang, clang!
The hammer rang through the workshop.
He twisted, folded, and hammered the heated iron endlessly.
Sweat poured like rain, but his movements held no hesitation.
"Need help?"
"No! I can do it alone!"
After hours of battle, Tobin completed four leaf springs.
"Damn... I've wanted to do this for so long...!"
He exhaled in exhilaration at the finished springs.
"You've held back a lot, huh?"
"No work feels like not living."
"Oh..."
Strange perspective.
I feel alive when resting.
Tobin asked.
"Now assemble the parts here and done?"
"No. More to go."
I picked up one spring.
It'd improve carriage ride a bit.
But still lacking.
Add some magic.
F = -kx
Force the max restorative force from Hooke's Law higher.
σ = M * y / I
Reinforce bending stress to prevent fatigue failure.
Finally, convert the spring's kinetic energy to thermal for shock absorption.
Magic ends there, but magic tools are different.
I have to engrave these laws into the spring.
I drew a magic circle centered on a mana crystal.
'More mana than expected...'
I figured, but efficiency's worse than thought.
Not one-shot; magic bears load every instant.
Circuit complete.
Activate.
Flash.
A beam of light spread.
Suspension done.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"No incantation...?"
"Skipped it."
"Oh."
I asked the slack-jawed Tobin.
"Got a handcart around?"
"Yeah."
"Let's test with it."
We prepped two creaky wooden handcarts, attaching suspension to one.
Placed water cups on both.
If successful, only one spills less.
Rolled them.
"...My god."
"Success."
Sure enough, only the suspended one was intact.
Tobin said.
"It actually works. Put this on carriages and... the Empire's logistics will change completely."
Possibly.
Fragile goods like glass or porcelain become road-transportable.
No slowdown from road bumps. Shorter transit times.
Supply lines easier, lower death rates for transport workers.
But...
"Still a ways off."
"What? Why!"
I pointed to the glowing blue mana crystal embedded in the suspension body.
"Needs high-purity mana crystals. Four per carriage."
Each one powerful enough to cripple a Cayenne.
"Blanketing all carriages? Even nobles would balk at the cost."
Four Cayenne Winterhearts per carriage.
Who could afford that?
"Damn... Such a shame."
"If you're that regretful..."
I continued.
"How about making it purely mechanical, no magic tool?"
"...That'd be really tough."
I know.
Coil springs for carriage weight are beyond current tech.
"Got a way?"
"Hm..."
'Vary silicon and carbon content to find the right alloy ratio...?'
Make springs first...
For mechanical shock absorption, need hydraulic cylinders too...
Beyond that, I'm lost.
I'm a physicist, not an engineer.
I shrugged.
"That's for you to figure out, Tobin. I'll just explain the principles."
"You bastard..."
Harsh words, but his lips curved up.
"More work and you're happy."
"When did I say that!"
His body was honest, though.
Lips still smiling.
Must've burned with regret from the downtime.
"Feels good to move after so long, but..."
Tobin stroked his chin.
"Testing alloy ratios means thousands of quenchings."
"Too much for just us two."
Need more hands.
Competent, compatible, tight-lipped.
'Scout from the capital guard?'
...No.
Can't misuse soldiers.
Then.
Creeeak—
The workshop door opened.
The apprentice from earlier stood there.
His gaze went to Tobin.
"Picked up a new apprentice already?"
"...Misunderstanding."
"What misunderstanding... Fine. Makes sense."
He asked me.
"...Who are you?"
"Isaac Uphills. Your master and I..."
"Haha. If you're the capital's hero, I'm Archmage Valerius."
"..."
Silence from me, and his eyes shifted to Tobin.
"...For real?"
"..."
Tobin nodded silently.
I told him.
"Work with me."
"Whoa..."
The apprentice froze, mouth agape. Then.
"I'm a fan. Sign please."