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I brushed my hand over the surface of the Artificial Elemental that Elteman had created and continued speaking.

“I have seen what you’ve shown me. Truly impressive. Even if I’m ill-versed in magic, I can tell how innovative this technology is that you’ve produced, brother.”

“Hahaha!! Right? There have been concepts about this Artificial Elemental, but I’m the first one to actually create it!!”

“However, it seems a bit cramped here to contain everything your vision encompasses.”

Turning my head, I spotted the disorganized research lab before me.

Materials piled here and there, and magical lines spreading across the ceiling and walls. It was truly a mess. Upon closer inspection, it seemed there was some sort of distinction by area, but that just looked like the excuse of a guy too lazy to clean up.

The Academy’s provided research space wasn’t small by any means, but it felt insufficient to hold all the items Elteman used. Also, all the original lab members had been captured, leaving Elteman here alone, which was another problem.

No matter how small the project, it couldn’t be completed alone; organization was necessary, yet Elteman was solo. And it wasn’t as if his research could be deemed trivial. A more systematic organization was needed to develop this technology.

Normally, the Magic Tower would fulfill such a role, but Elteman had left the Golden Tower himself, and he was of Edelweiss. As the head of Edelweiss, destined to become the tower master of Dawn’s Tower, it was unlikely for him to continue research within a different lineage, so a completely new organization distinctly different from the Magic Tower was required.

One that could keep running even without him.

“The Imperial Family isn’t negligent in supporting the Academy, but you must know, brother, that their support clearly has its limits. We need an independent organization solely for this research. Not just material support, but human resources as well. Your personal strength is certainly remarkable, but achieving that dream alone isn’t feasible. You can’t keep relying on the bounties from criminals forever for research funding, can you?”

“W-who could do that?”

“You’re quite the celebrity in that area, aren’t you? Why act surprised now?”

When I mentioned the bounty, Elteman appeared greatly shocked.

It wasn’t tough for me to discover he had received bounties several times since the Empire’s Imperial Family was rather diligent about confirming identities in such matters.

It wasn’t widely known, but if one wanted to know, they could find out as it wasn’t controlled to the extent of secrecy.

Perhaps Duke Joachim had known for ages that his son had been doing something akin to bounty hunting.

“As far as I know, there’s no clause preventing you from holding a professorship at the Academy… I’ll set up a research institute within the university, so I’d like you to take charge of it. As for the internal staff, I’ll leave that entirely to your discretion. You can consider filling the positions to take a generous one-year timeframe. We’ll need to get the Imperial Family’s approval as well.”

“W-what? C-can you repeat that?”

Could it be he hadn’t expected the scale of this proposal? Upon hearing my conditions, Elteman momentarily lost track of reality, displaying a slightly dazed expression.

It seemed he hadn’t considered receiving such sponsorship. Showing off something fascinating to his obedient younger sibling only to suddenly be offered an entire research institute must have taken him aback.

Of course, considering the background of the House of Edelweiss, it was rather amusing that he would be shocked by such a proposal, yet given how he had been funding his research without family support, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

The more I thought about it, the more astonishing it became.

Though it appeared that those heretics had sponsored the development of the Artificial Elemental, the current state of this lab and considering the scale they operated at, it surely didn’t provide ample support. It wasn’t poor, but it wasn’t good either.

Considering that this level of artificial intelligence had been developed in such an environment, it was evident that this gentleman wasn’t just an ordinary genius. It was like assembling a reactor from parts scavenged from a junkyard.

With such conditions yielding an Artificial Elemental, one couldn’t imagine the acceleration of progress with proper support.

Even if the main focus was a giant Golem, the technologies derived from completing it would revolutionize the field like no other. Right now, they were merely concepts in Elteman’s mind, but he should certainly be able to complete them. No, even if he couldn’t, someone at the research institute would manage to create it.

Elteman seemed to have steeled his resolve internally, yet he asked me with concern etched on his face.

“Um, just so you don’t forget, I’m unable to stay at the research institute indefinitely. Maybe for five years at most? After that, I might return to the North.”

“I understand. You’ll need to carry on the family legacy. But precisely for that reason, we must build an organization that differs from the present one. So that research can continue even if you vanish. Once a tower has been built, it endures even if the original builder disappears. And I know you have no intention of giving up.”

“…..”

Elteman nodded silently.

Since this was something he had initiated, it would be nice to see it through himself, but more than that, witnessing its completion mattered to him.

He showed he was on board, and the rest was my responsibility.

“Alright. Then I’ll take that as your approval… Oh, if you have any conditions or requests, just jot them down. Maybe the location of the institute or other minor things? Personal needs are fine too.”

“Right now?”

“Of course not. Take your time. It might not be a bad idea to show it to Michelle since it seems you transact with her often. I’ll give her a heads-up, so if you show it to her, she’ll handle it appropriately.”

“R-really? Is that alright? I feel like I’d be imposing too much.”

This guy, honestly. Why is he so timid?

Truthfully, if someone asked me to spend money like that, I’d hesitate too.

But since this is a public matter, it’s all good. I doubt my research-obsessed brother would waste money on frivolous things, and if he did, he could justify it as staff welfare. It’s like a maintenance budget. Something like that.

Coincidentally, a map of the Empire’s distribution hung on the wall of the lab, so I made my way there.

True to being from the Golden Tower, the map indicated the specialty minerals mined in each region, and naturally, Sarham, where Kraus was located, had goods listed as well. I pointed to the lands held by Kraus with my finger.

As I suddenly placed my hand on the map, Elteman, who had been puzzled, finally noticed my finger and exclaimed.

“Oh, Dragonstone!!”

Dragonstone, as the name suggests, is a red stone resembling dragon’s blood, a type of magical stone mined only in the South, including Sarham. Compared to other magical stones, it possesses a high concentration of mana, making it especially popular among wizards, and Sarham is the primary source of this stone.

The origin of its name comes from the legend that the blood of a dragon slain by our ancestors had seeped into the ground and solidified.

Whether it truly is dragon’s blood turned into stone, I can’t say, but the essential fact is that Dragonstone fetches a high price in trade.

The merchants from the South supply this Dragonstone to the Magic Tower, and most of those merchants buy it from Kraus.

In our territory, it’s not only agriculture that flourishes, huh?

After death, I became an oil tycoon. That’s me.

I didn’t casually propose to Elteman to create a research institute. With a solid plan in place, establishing a school comparable to Estellia Academy in the South wouldn’t be difficult at all. It’s just that the Imperial Family’s symbolism keeps it at bay.

“Now you see? If there’s something you want, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Hahaha… Okay, got it.”

When I spoke again with confidence, Elteman nodded as if entranced by something.

*

As soon as I exited Elteman’s lab, I couldn’t contain my joy and broke into a smile.

“Is it that good?”

“Of course. Elena, brother is a genius. How did he even think to create all those things by himself? I hate to say it, but I wish he wouldn’t inherit the Magic Tower and just continue his research.”

How could I not be delighted to experience the marvels of modern science in this fantasy world? No matter how advanced the magic engineering of this world is, it can’t surpass the convenience of modern civilization. Unless the two combine, the development of science here remains meager.

The troubles I had half-accepted until now suddenly found a solution with Elteman’s appearance.

I might just throw out some keywords later, and who knows, he could whip up things like a reciprocating engine or even a reactor. This isn’t just a casual joke; something tells me Elteman could pull it off, and I can’t stop laughing.

It feels like I’ve become the protagonist of a territory story, huh?

I had been so consumed with the original plot that I hadn’t thought of this angle at all. Once I graduate from the Academy and return to the South, it might not be a bad idea to pay some attention to this path. Giving input with just half-baked knowledge might do more harm than good, but a stimulating presence like this might not be so bad.

I figured my brother would handle things just fine.

I flexed my hands and looked at the gloves fitted on both of my hands.

“The fit… isn’t bad. Is Elteman Edelweiss a god?”

Those gloves were indeed the ones Elteman had first shown me.

I retrieved them from Elteman’s lab as proof to gain the Imperial Family’s approval. Elteman even transferred ownership to me, and while they might not be the same level as the gear I used in my past life, they were among the most comfortable metal gloves I had worn here.

While they didn’t have any remarkable functions other than automatically attaching themselves to me in the absence of an Artificial Elemental, that alone was impressive.

The clattering sound they made was also oddly addictive.

“Hmm… Damian, pass that here for a moment.”

“Sure?”

As I praised Elteman almost to the point of worship, Elena looked at me with a somewhat sulky expression before taking the gloves from me.

The ownership should have been mine, yet Elena easily took them.

She lightly tapped the gloves with her finger, and they immediately stuck to her.

Is this the power of a transcendent being?

“They’re indeed quality enchantments. But I can see a few unnecessary elements here. Let’s remove this…”

Elena muttered softly while adjusting the gloves with her fingers before returning them to me.

“How’s that?”

“Huh? What do you mean… wait?”

As I reflexively clenched my fist after the gloves reattached, I felt a flow of mana like never before. Tentatively channeling mana, I noticed a thin layer starting to form around the gloves. Even though I hadn’t released enough power to produce a protective charm.

When I looked at Elena with my mouth agape, she spoke to me with a slightly more relaxed expression than before.

“I took out what could be removed and inscribed a few useful spells. Your prior enchantments were a bit fascinating, but they weren’t perfect. I reinforced them a bit. So… how do you like it?”

Elena is the best.

 

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