episode_0149

The inside of the magic tower brought in by Count Art was very spacious.

Because the Magic Tower itself was a building built by pouring in materials made through magic and alchemy, it was very large. It was four stories tall, an unusual scale, and its width was as large as that of an ordinary square.

“It’s wide, right? It is a building built about a hundred years ago, and it is said that the royal family’s finances were momentarily shaken by the construction of this magic tower.”

“This place has been around for a hundred years? It seemed like it had been built not long ago.”

“A hundred years and seven or eight years… … That would have been it. The reason it looks so clean on the outside is because it is a building made with magic and alchemy.”

Have your questions been resolved? I unconsciously nodded at the sight of Count Art, who seemed to be looking at me.

Count Art laughed lightly at me like that, and then immediately started introducing the Magic Tower.

“The first floor is an area open to outsiders. These people mainly visit stores that sell artifacts or elixirs made through alchemy.”

As I turned my gaze to see a figure pointing to a certain place, I saw a place full of people. In addition to stores with items that appeared to be artifacts on display, there were also stores selling unidentifiable items in glass bottles similar to the elixirs I use in the blast furnace.

“For your information, the elixir sold to Viscount Steel is not sold there. Anyway, there is no one other than Viscount Steele who would buy it, and there is an order from the Crown Prince that if it is taken over by a noble faction, it could be a headache, so it cannot be sold.”

I nodded and felt satisfied because I was told that the material for the special steel plate that had become Smith Skeleton’s main product was an exclusive deal.

Considering that there were people who raided the blacksmith shop and obtained information, it was obvious that there would be competition, so it was a good thing that I had an item that could give me a competitive edge.

“Would you like to take a look at the artifact? The quality is pretty good. I’m not saying this because it’s the same magic tower, but the quality is really good. Even though they are half-competitive because they are different schools, our school takes the artifacts and uses them.”

When asked if I wanted to look at the artifacts, I nodded lightly and started looking at the artifacts with Count Art.

There are items that seem strange yet strangely useful, such as a short staff that emits small flames when wielded, a stone that is said to emit a strong flash and an explosion when thrown, a ring with a weak healing magic, and a headband with a shield that can protect against projectiles. There were a lot.

“For your information, if you go inside there, there are some interesting things.”

“A fun item?”

“Necklaces that make animal noises when worn around the neck, whips that make a loud noise without hurting when hit, and makeup tools that make people look like they have ears or a tail like a beast are selling well.”

“Uh… … . Is that so?”

It seemed like a fun item in some other way, so I couldn’t help but smile awkwardly.

As if he didn’t know what I was thinking, Count Art tilted his head at me smiling awkwardly. However, he didn’t really try to inquire, but was concerned that I was no longer interested in the artifact.

“If there’s nothing more you want to see, shall we go up now?”

When I nodded when asked to go up to the second floor, Count Art took the lead again.

“The first floor is accessible from the outside, but from this floor onwards, only those with strict permission can enter. Of course, since I invited the Viscount, he can enter.”

As the saying goes, only authorized people can access it. It was only possible to go up to the second floor after passing the inspection by soldiers who seemed to be armed with artifacts.

And, the atmosphere on the second floor that we went up to was quite different from the first floor. While the first floor had a slightly market feel as it had an artifact and alchemy elixir store, the second floor had a very calm atmosphere.

“This is a place where beginner wizards learn magic. Once your magic skills reach a certain level, you can enter the school of your choice.”

“It’s like a magic academy?”

“That’s right. So the wizards on this floor are actually younger.”

Count Art said he would briefly show the class, and showed him a glimpse of one of the classrooms where the class was being held. Although I didn’t go inside, I was able to see the inside through the slightly open door.

“This bastard! You were thinking about random things again!”

“Ack! School, professor! I was wrong!”

And, at the same time, I could see a student being pulled by the ear by a wizard called the professor.

“… … Ho, ho ho ho! Shall we go look somewhere else now?”

Thanks to this, Count Art was so embarrassed that he closed the slightly opened door.

“It’s nice to remember the old days. When I was learning black magic, I also got scolded like that once. They say it is dangerous to think about something else when practicing black magic.”

“Did Viscount do the same? I also got scolded by my teacher a lot a long time ago. While I was drawing a magic circle, I ended up drawing the face of a boy I like. What happened?”

As I recalled old memories for a moment, Count Art also seemed to be recalling old memories. After laughing happily for a while, we went up to the next floor together.

“The third and fourth floors are shared by the schools belonging to the Magic Tower. Our alchemy school is on the fourth floor, so we go straight up to the fourth floor. It varies by school, but… … Most schools are not very welcoming to visits from outsiders invited by other schools.”

“It’s natural because there are many important things.”

I waved my hand at Count Art, who seemed sorry for not being able to show me around, and skipped the third floor and went straight up to the fourth floor.

Then, I went up to the fourth floor, passed through the other schools’ areas, and went straight to the alchemy school’s area. Because it was a very large building, the area allocated to one school seemed very large. Or maybe it’s because the head of the school is a princess.

However, despite being spacious, the area of the Alchemy School felt quite crowded. Beyond the research and development headquarters next to the blacksmith shop.

Dozens of cauldrons that I had sent as support supplies were heating up with flames and emitting smoke of unknown origin, and among them, I could see people mixing unknown things in shiny vessels that seemed to be made of silver. Even in a corner a little distance away, some people were panicking as if there was a fire.

“Ho, ho, ho… … . A little messy, right? When I do alchemy, I often end up making a mess, but I haven’t been able to clean it up yet.”

I nodded slowly as I watched Count Art, swiping the unknown black substance that was spilling on the floor with his foot and hiding it under the desk. When I researched black magic, my surroundings often became messy, so it was an understandable sight.

Count Art seemed to be glad that I didn’t react in any particular way, so he led me around again, offering to show me around his place.

The Count’s seat was not much different from the other places I had seen earlier. The only difference was that it was a little neater. There wasn’t any unidentifiable black stuff all over it, and the desk was neatly organized.

Of course, there were also commonalities. There was a cauldron identical to the one in the other place, and a rod that moved on its own, perhaps an artifact, was stirring the cauldron.

“What are you making? Oh, if it’s a secret, you don’t have to tell it.”

“Well, I’m not going to reveal it to the outside world yet, but it’s not a secret to Viscount Steele.”

“Yes? It’s not a secret to me?”

“Why are you so surprised? It was requested by Viscount Steele. Please make something that burns fuel more efficiently. Did you even sponsor it and forget about it?”

My eyes opened wide at Count Art’s words. That’s because I supported the alchemy school with a considerable amount of money and asked them to research what I wanted.

Even so, I came all the way to the capital because I wanted to check on that, but I forgot about it for a moment because I was visiting the Magic Tower. Still, I hadn’t completely forgotten, so I lightly shook my head.

“You probably forgot. Even so, I was curious about how much progress had been made. How is there any progress?”

“There is quite a bit of progress. Although the performance is not yet at the level desired by the self-made, it is possible to significantly increase fuel efficiency.”

“What you are saying is that it is not complete yet. To what extent?”

Since it was about what I had requested, I asked Count Art for a detailed explanation as a supporter, not just a person who was touring the Magic Tower.

“Based on firewood flowers, the thermal power itself is the same, but it makes it burn a little longer. Almost 30%?”

“3 Hal? Is that okay? It would be nice to have better firepower because you would need to use less fuel, but it is also important to burn longer.”

I nodded my head when I heard that about 30% of the firepower lasts for a long time. Honestly, I thought that was enough. Burning 30% longer means consuming less fuel compared to the same time.

But Count Art shook his head. And, from Count Art’s next words, I could understand why he said the performance was not satisfactory.

“Instead, the problem is the price. The materials used to make it are more expensive than the fuel that can be saved. Then wouldn’t it be a real fight?”

“Ah… … . That’s it again.”

If instead of saving 30% on fuel, it would cost more than 30%, it didn’t make sense. No, it was creatively damaging. It may have been unavoidable as fuel had become so rare, but in a situation where there was plenty of fuel to use, it was a loss in itself.

When I expressed regret at such thoughts, Count Art quickly waved his hand.

“Don’t be too disappointed. This is because it can be sufficiently controlled through improvement. We need to find the right level by slightly reducing the burning time and reducing material costs. Several members of other schools are already conducting research to improve it.”

“Then I’m glad.”

Even though it made the fuel burn 20% longer and cost 10% more, it was still worth using. Since Count Art was speaking with that in mind, I felt satisfied instead of regretful.

And, Count Art, who was looking at my face, smiled softly, as if he could sense my satisfaction. I think I was worried that they might withdraw their support because I was not satisfied.

“Would you like to take a look at some of the research being done separately?”

Perhaps that was why, but Count Art immediately said that improvement research was already in progress and showed the research being done by other school members.