episode_0006
by fnovelpia
6. Why Do You Keep Wagging Your Tail?
I arrived at Freya, my city and earldom.
My cousin Luna, who had frantically followed me on horseback along the way, also appeared.
“You caught up quicker than I expected?”
“Unnie, are you actually insane…?! Who knows when war might break out, yet here you are, rushing back without even finishing your investigations?!”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve worked hard.”
Currently, the Frontier Empire is in a messed-up situation.
Those damn royal faction bastards have been manipulating state affairs and indulging in corruption for the past 15 years.
The great empire that seemed eternal has now reached the point of crumbling in just 15 years.
The emperor who had protected their greasy bellies died of illness.
Eventually, his young daughter ascended the throne, but there’s no way she could be controlled properly.
Only when there are people—subjects, nobles… no, at the very least, obedient people—does a king truly exist.
The nobles who have already lost trust in the empire, and those who crave new power.
The empire will tear apart as each declares themselves the rightful king.
“Especially now—it’s the perfect moment for war to break out!”
Not immediately, though.
The name “Empire” still holds meaning, and the landed nobles are just watching the situation.
At the very least, no war will break out this winter.
Unless I start one.
“Enough grumbling. Let’s go see our dear little invention.”
“Ugh… Seriously, you’re exasperating… .”
Luna, dragged off to the demonstration hall with an arm slung over her shoulder.
I was genuinely curious about what kind of creation they had produced.
――――――――――――――――――――
The blacksmiths who had assisted in the development and Vivian, who procured the materials.
About ten people had gathered in the hall with anxious expressions.
“Wait, the Grace Duke… no, the Count is coming right now?”
“Quick, do one last check!!”
The blacksmiths inspecting the portable stove prototype like that.
Of course, lacking the internal technical knowledge, all they could do was repeatedly turn it on and off… .
Vivian, munching on bread with me while waiting for Erica.
Then, she asked me a question.
“Aren’t you nervous? You’re about to meet a noble.”
“Mmm… Well, I think I’d only be really nervous when handing in my resignation.”
“Hahaha! Someone like you—I’ve genuinely never seen before.”
Even hearing the word “noble” didn’t inspire any particular awe in me.
I originally lived in 21st-century Korea, where class distinctions meant little, and even after reincarnating, I was stuck in the countryside… .
Besides, Erica isn’t the type to dress up or flaunt her status.
She wears simple, comfortable clothes like a commoner and has a down-to-earth personality, so the reality of it never really sinks in.
Not to mention, even among her own family, Vivian—a close aide and subordinate—casually calls her “Unnie.”
“They’re here.”
“Ah, just the two of you eating here? Why not something tastier?”
“It’s expensive.”
Erica looked at me with surprise upon hearing my words.
Not a lie.
A single hard-as-rock loaf cost 35 bronze coins.
Back in the countryside, that was the price of the decently soft bread I was eating now.
She stared into my eyes, seemed to realize I wasn’t bluffing, and let out a stifled laugh.
Then, ruffling my hair happily, she spoke.
“Ha, alright! Let’s get this demo started already!”
And so, the technical demonstration began.
――――――――――――――――――――
A small cylindrical case sat before me.
Its outer shell was made of wood.
Opening the top lid released a satisfying *pop* along with the contents inside.
“Hoh, so this is a thermal sphere? The iron casing has been replaced with paper. What kind of paper is this?”
“It’s made from woven brantha, a type of reed.”
“Brantha—those reeds that stubbornly stand even through wildfires? Since they’re everywhere naturally, this must be far cheaper than iron.”
Considering the bulk of a thermal sphere’s cost, this reduced the price by about a third.
A more reasonable change than expected, but my favorite part was…
“The weight passes too. It’s about half as light as before. How’s the durability?”
“Weaker than the original thermal spheres, but if kept inside the wooden case, it won’t be a problem.”
I adore it.
By swapping the cast-iron casing for paper, they lowered both cost and weight.
Of course, durability suffered as a result.
Yet they solved it with the outer shell—what a talented darling.
“Alright, let’s test it. How do I use this ring on top?”
“Pull it upward, like a folding umbrella….”
“An umbrella? Why mention that?”
“Oh! No, just pull it up, and it’ll unfold.”
An umbrella—isn’t that the rain shield made of wood and leather?
It felt slightly off, but following Cain’s words, I pulled the ring upward.
In an instant, the folded wooden rods expanded around the center, spreading the paper wide open.
The cylinder rapidly transformed into a sphere.
“Hoh… There, now it looks like the thermal sphere I know.”
“And if you infuse it with mana like the original….”
As I channeled mana, the paper sphere began glowing like a candle flame.
A warm heat freeing me from the audacious, biting cold.
Not only that, it radiated warmth several feet around me.
“Magnificent.”
The value of such an object was beyond my imagination.
Winter.
A ruthless season where freezing chill and merciless winds steal lives.
Because of that, no matter how bad relations were, winter was effectively an unofficial ceasefire.
But mass-producing this and supplying it to the military would grant me the ability to maneuver even in winter.
Seeing my satisfaction, my dear little inventor smiled too.
Do you like seeing me pleased? Just as I thought that, Cain held something out toward me.
A reward, perhaps?
“My resignation… .”
“… .”
What am I supposed to do with this guy…?
A groundbreaking invention, yet he seeks neither praise nor celebration—just resignation.
As I sighed, I noticed something stuck in Cain’s ear.
“What’s that in your ear?”
“Oh… This?”
Cain, unbothered by my touch, plucked the object from his ear and held it out.
A small wooden stick? The black, pointed part—was that ink?
“It’s a pencil.”
“Pencil?”
Did he create another strange thing?
“You know how people wrap charcoal or graphite in cloth to draw lines? That’s so inconvenient, so I made this.”
“Hoh….”
Why does he keep doing things I adore?
The more details I heard, the more rational and profitable this item seemed.
A core made of graphite and clay, baked solid.
Inserted into a processed wooden rod to form one simple tool.
Sharpen the tip with a knife, and you can use it endlessly until it’s too small….
“Alright, how much to sell it?”
“Huh?”
“Name any price. I’ll buy it.”
An item sellable not just to mages—who only use quills—but common citizens too.
Warfare and military are like shattered pottery.
No matter how much gold-named water you pour, it leaks ceaselessly.
So, anything marketable to the people would be invaluable.
The improved thermal sphere and the pencil.
These two alone were worth immense investment.
Just as I thought so, Cain looked at me seriously and made his demand.
“Resignation….”
“Fine, for what my dear wants—one quality mare and five gold leaves as a reward!”
“Resignation….”
Why does this feel so good?
Fair labor warrants fair compensation, after all.
Thinking this, I turned to Vivian stationed beside Cain.
“Vivian, how much financial support did this darling ask for?”
My subordinates disliked Cain.
They argued it made no sense to conscript a backward, rural commoner like him.
What was it they said…?
“Surely, permitting a lowly countryside peasant to stand among us will leave the Grace family ridiculed by the world.”
That’s why I decided to personally handle Cain’s ledger.
Vivian—my unwavering little sister—was stationed beside him to report any corruption.
When I asked Vivian about the expenses…
“Uh… He never asked for money?”
“What?”
“Seriously! Just material support for the blacksmiths… Oh, and he requested some artists to draft designs. Otherwise, he just holed up in that back room, researching nonstop.”
“Huh….”
Why does he keep doing such endearing things?
I’m not even this kind of person, yet he tempts me toward wicked thoughts.
“Freeeedoooom…!!!”
Cain, kneeling on the ground, stretching his arms toward the sky.
A troublesome little thing who kept wagging his tail at me.
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