episode_0053
by fnovelpia
53. Roman-Style Concrete
I began discussing various plans with the Huldra sisters and Aris.
First, I explained the concept of apartments to them.
A residential space not expanded horizontally but built vertically to accommodate multiple people.
However, Aris, after hearing my explanation, wore a troubled expression and timidly rebutted.
“But that’s impossible… Sir. While the idea is truly brilliant, stacking more than two floors using wood is extremely difficult.
Materials as hard and heavy as marble might make it possible, but that would skyrocket the budget and time required.
Even if built that way, the limit would be around three floors like Grace Manor.”
Even while addressing me respectfully as “Sir,” Aris didn’t hesitate to point out what wouldn’t work.
She was indeed a sharp and loyal advisor.
She wouldn’t blindly follow orders without thought.
Still, I patted Aris’s shoulder reassuringly.
“It’s fine, it’s fine! There’s a way.”
“Uh… Alright, I’ll trust you… Sir…”
Though skeptical, Aris eventually relented, likely due to my reputation.
After all, if no one else could find a solution, that’s why they had come to me in the first place.
Aris still seemed uneasy but asked diligently.
“First, how large of a site would you need?”
“Let me think…”
Since we needed something built urgently, let’s take a small apartment as the standard.
If each unit is about 30 pyeong (approx. 990 sq ft), and we fit 10 units per floor… roughly 320 pyeong (~10,560 sq ft).
Accounting for corridors and staircases, I factored in extra space.
Originally, boilers, furnaces… or even elevators would be needed, but with fiery enthusiasm, who needs those?
Weaklings just drop dead in medieval times anyway.
Awesome, medieval folk! Since I’m not living there, let’s gloss over it.
Well, if I think seriously, the heaters and thermal bulbs I made should prevent freezing deaths.
“I’d need about 320 pyeong. Each household gets around 30 pyeong.”
“Uh… Alright, we do have some spare land. Leveling the rocky hills will take about three days.”
“After that, drill holes and pour molten metal to strengthen the ground.”
I gave Aris as much detail as possible on what she needed to do.
Having received all my instructions, she flipped through her notes to reconfirm her tasks before asking me another question.
“Sir, how many floors do you intend to build?”
“Fifteen.”
“““Impossible—!!”””
The dwarf sisters and Aris immediately protested in alarm.
“Sir! Even fully fortified castles max out at four floors!”
“She’s right, dumbass! Even towers with wooden floor supports collapse beyond five or six floors!”
“I… I agree it’s impossible! By tower standards, fifteen floors would have to be over 80m (~262 ft)!
Anything beyond 30m (~98 ft) would lean and crumble…!”
Aris, Brook, and Eitri took turns objecting.
But I just patted Eitri’s head like a puppy and reassured her.
“Don’t worry—it’ll work.”
Brook sighed at my confidence and wiped her face with both hands before asking sharply:
“Sigh… Fine, genius. You must have a plan… What’s first?”
“What should we prepare first…?”
Eitri, too, clutched her chest anxiously but nodded along.
Seeing the sisters ready to work, Aris started protesting in disbelief.
“How are you all just accepting this without question…?”
At Aris’s bewilderment, Brook shrugged and answered:
“We just trust him.”
“Right. I can’t even imagine Sir Kainen failing.”
Eitri agreed cheerfully.
Ah, the beauty of unwavering trust in a superior.
Seeing this, Aris seemed to realize something and murmured quietly:
“Trust…
Honestly, I’ve never considered it before.
I always assumed I had to know everything, calculate everything, and brace for failure.
That’s why I never held back criticism, even toward my lords…
Because deep down, I couldn’t trust others…”
Aris nodded to herself before gripping my hand tightly with desperate resolve.
“I’ll trust you, Sir!”
With that, she calmly discussed her tasks.
Aris’s job was securing the land for the apartment complex.
A single apartment building could house about 150 families.
Five would solve the immediate housing shortage.
“The site for the complex is land Adel purchased. I’ll handle negotiations with her.”
Apartments weren’t without drawbacks.
The issue was the medieval agrarian economy clashing with high-density housing—an era antithetical to vertical living.
But most migrants to Presia sought factory work.
With jobs available, demand for apartments would soar regardless of the era.
Yet, apartments were a stopgap.
If more flooded in, we’d raze farmland just to expand.
Slapping up buildings recklessly would turn the city into a chaotic maze.
Proper urban planning was needed—but that wasn’t Aris’s call.
“That’s beyond my authority. Once our lord returns, I’ll propose it.”
Finishing our talk, Aris rose from the workshop sofa.
Bowing deeply, she vowed:
“Sir, I’ll trust you and do my utmost.”
“Uh… Fighting!”
“…Yes, fighting!”
She gracefully accepted my awkward response before hurrying off to work.
As she left, Brook slapped my back and demanded:
“Hey, genius! So, what do we need?”
“First, tons of iron—can you secure it during war?”
“Wait, are you suggesting an all-iron building…?”
“No, reinforcing pillars with steel rods… I’ll explain later.”
Eitri sighed in relief, but Brook whacked my head with a snack tray.
“At least know your own region’s resources, idiot!”
“Huh?”
“Redmain’s famous for iron and silver mines!”
Oh, really?
Brook scoffed at my ignorance before sneering:
“That’s basic common sense, moron.”
“…Aren’t specialties things like skatefish or potatoes?”
“Unreal…”
She stared at me in disbelief before demanding gravely:
“…You’re joking, right? You seriously don’t know regional resources?”
“Anyway! Here’s what I need!”
With 21st-century memories, “specialties” meant food first—global shipping had erased resource-based distinctions.
Though raised here for 20+ years, I’d grown up rural and clueless.
Brook glared as I diverted the topic.
“…I want to take back trusting you earlier.”
“Same here…”
Geez, so harsh over a little knowledge gap.
“First, we need limestone—lots.”
“Redmain’s got plenty. Half the empire’s limestone comes from here.”
“Lucky us.”
True, Redmain’s terrain, like Korea’s, is mountainous with clean rivers—or so I recalled from the war march.
Brook’s reaction confirmed it.
“Sand, gravel… and clean water.”
“Easy. Grace’s assets can bulk-purchase those.”
The concrete materials were nearly ready.
Roman-style concrete—the stuff of the Colosseum, amphitheaters, and labyrinthine structures.
Structures standing tall for millennia.
Combined with modern rebar techniques, high-rises would be a breeze.
A fusion of forgotten Roman tech, medieval smithing, and modern engineering—architecture blending past, present, and future.
Finally, I named the most critical ingredient:
“Oh, and volcanic ash.”
The linchpin of Roman concrete—pozzolana, rich in silica and alumina.
Luckily, my Emotion-Sense skill could verify quality.
Nodding, I gestured for Brook to hand it over—but her face twisted.
“…Are you messing with me?”
“Huh?”
Both sisters stared incredulously.
Wait, even Eitri? What did I mess up now?
“Where the hell does volcanic ash come from?”
“…Volcanoes?”
“B-but there are none nearby…!”
What?
Nonsense! A fantasy world without volcanic ash?
“You’re kidding—no volcanoes or lava monsters?”
“You… half-witted wingnut… Believe me, I wish you were joking.”
“There’s volcanic terrain on the far side of the continent… or S-rank dungeon calamity monsters. Doubt their byproducts would work…”
Seriously? Physics-defying fire scales exist, but no volcanic ash?
And the nearest volcano’s a continental trek away?
I stared blankly.
“…I talked big. Are we screwed?”
“Pretty much.”
“…Mr. Kainen, I believed in you.”
We’re fucked.
Maybe I should grovel?
0 Comments