by Dojyomaru
It would allow the shipping of large amounts of freight at once, you see. The reason I had wanted to absorb Amidonia was because more than half of this country’s border was with the sea. The new city we were constructing as a focal point for shipping was nearing completion, too, so being able to strengthen our maritime shipping capacity would be huge.
“Th-That makes a lot of sense...” Ludwin stuttered. It looked like Ludwin understood just how incredible this invention was now.
I asked Genia, “You said something about running energy through it before, right? What’s the power source?”
Since coming to this world, I hadn’t seen a single electrical generator, or even so much as a steam engine. Would the energy source for something mechanical like this be magic, like I was expecting?
“Well, sire, I’ve installed these inside it.” Genia pulled some sort of lump from her lab coat pocket and passed it to me. Though it fit in the palm of my hand, the jet black crystal cube was heavier than it looked. (It felt similar to holding a weight.)
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s a type of crystal commonly called curse ore.”
“Did you say curse ore?!” Liscia burst out.
“You know what that is, Liscia?!” I asked in the same tone.
“You didn’t have to say it like that...” she murmured. “In this world, we also use magic to mine ore. Water magic for digging, earth magic for reinforcing tunnels, wind magic for supplying air, and fire magic for melting down metals. But when we’re near a vein of curse ore, for whatever reason, we lose the ability to use magic. What’s more, if we try to force ourselves to use it...”
Liscia made a gesture where she quickly opened her closed fist, and said “Boom.”
“It explodes?!” I cried. “Aren’t explosions inside a mine really dangerous?”
“It’s a real source of frustration for the miners,” Liscia said. “If they’re digging a mine and they strike a vein of this stuff, they can’t dig any further, after all. In this world, we think of magic as the blessing of the gods and spirits, so this ore that makes magic unusable is a cursed rock that can’t accept their blessings. Basically, that’s why we call it curse ore. The troublesome thing is, it’s commonly found underground in Elfrieden,” Liscia added with an air of self-mockery.
The Elfrieden Kingdom was a country with little mineral wealth to begin with. Because of its mostly level terrain, it was possible to get a decent amount of iron, but gold and other such precious metals weren’t common here. If there were large amounts of curse ore thrown into the mix, too, then that would make the process of mining itself difficult. There sure were a lot of things I had yet to learn...
As I was thinking that, Genia wore a bold smile. “This ore is cursed? You shouldn’t say such silly things, princess. If anything, you could say this country has been blessed by the gods to have so much of this ore buried underground!”
Genia waved her arms with an exaggerated reaction.
“It’s because we look at it through the veil of mystery that we come up with childish ideas like it being cursed. Curse ore isn’t rendering magic unusable. It’s absorbing the energy from it. Think about that. If we can’t use magic near curse ore, and if we do, it explodes, where did you think that explosive energy came from? Isn’t it more natural to think that, because it’s absorbing the energy from magic, it explodes when it overcomes its tolerance threshold?”
Hrm... So, basically, curse ore was like a chargeable battery that had been absorbing the energy from magic? Then, if it was overcharged, it would explode.
...What was this feeling of restlessness? Were we, right now, witnessing something incredible? Something big enough that it might change the world?
Then Genia said something incredible. “So, I’ve succeeded in extracting the energy from curse ore once it’s absorbed magical energy. That’s what I use to power this device.”
“Wha?!” I yelped.
Her words sent a chill down my spine. If that was true, it really was like a battery!
There was still a lot I couldn’t understand just yet, but I could understand just how incredible the secret of curse ore was, and how incredible the woman who’d discovered it was. This was a world without electricity, or even steam engines. If we could acquire a technology for storing energy before any other country, this country would make great strides forward. In fact, it was a big enough deal that even growing more powerful than the Empire wouldn’t be just a dream.
Then, at the same time, the danger of this power occurred to me.
First, there were the superstitions surrounding curse ore. If people discovered we were researching curse ore, which hadn’t received the blessings of the gods, in this superstitious world, people might grow distrustful of us.
If it were only within the country, I might be able to enlighten the people with time, but I was sure to make an enemy of theocracies like the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria. For a nation ruled by religious doctrine, anything that might undermine a part of their dogma (even if it was of superstitious variety) would lead to a decline in their authority. They could never accept it.
Furthermore, if they learned a land without much in the way of faith had a technology like this, they were sure to demand we hand it over. From what Liscia was just saying, it seemed there was a considerable amount of curse ore in this country, too. If we weren’t careful, the neighboring countries might invade us for our resources.
It was looking like I could form a secret alliance with the Empire, and the threat posed by Amidonia had finally been removed; but if that sort of situation arose, this country would be wiped off the map. While this technology had the potential to make us the greatest power on the continent, it also had the hidden risk of destroying this country utterly.
I stumbled. “What am I gonna do...?”
“H-Hold on, Souma?! What’s wrong?!” Liscia cried out, supporting me.
“...Sorry,” I said. “I was imagining something high risk, high return, and I started to not feel so good.”
“Imagining something?” Liscia asked.
I explained my imaginings to Liscia and the others. As they listened, Liscia and Ludwin’s faces went pale. They must have felt the same fear as I did.
However, Genia was the only one who seemed unperturbed. “What’s there to worry about? We just need to finish the research before the other countries can start targeting us, then grow so strong they can’t say a word against us.”
“...You’re overly optimistic about it, but I guess it’s the only way, huh,” I said. “Still, we need to proceed with absolute secrecy on this...”
In which case, custody of Genia was going to be an issue. At this point, she was as vital to the welfare of this country as Tomoe. I couldn’t let her run off to another country, or to be kidnapped, and I wanted to leave her in the hands of someone I could trust. She seemed wholly devoted to her studies, but she was still in her early twenties; a young woman in her prime. I wanted to avoid a situation where some noble realized her importance and tried to make a move on her.
—In that case...
I waved to Liscia and whispered in her ear what I was thinking. Then, after I had her opinion on it, I turned to the handsome Captain of the Royal Guard who was looking at me dubiously.
“...Hey, Ludwin,” I said.
“Yes? What is it, sire?” he asked.
“Tell me, do you love Genia?”
Ludwin was clearly shaken. “Wh-What’s this, out of nowhere?! Sire!”
“It’s important,” I said, giving the flustered Ludwin a serious answer. “Depending on how you feel about Genia... and how Genia feels about you, I’ll need to change how I handle things here.”
Genia was a very important person to this country now. If possible, I wanted her to marry someone close to me, so she would put down deep roots in this country. That was why... if Ludwin was prepared to do it, all the better; but if not, I would have to come up with other plans.
Bef
ore I’d proposed this idea, I had whispered:
“Hey, Liscia. I’m thinking I should have Genia marry Ludwin. As a woman yourself, do you think Genia likes him?”
“...It’s a 60% chance, I’d say,” she’d whispered back. “She probably does.”
“That’s not a very clear answer,” I’d whispered. “Why so uncertain?”
“Girls are hard to read. But I don’t think you need to worry, you know? Genia’s a daughter of the nobility. If the king commands it, she won’t refuse.”
“You may be right, but... I don’t want to force anyone if I don’t have to.”
“...I see. Well, how do you think Sir Ludwin would feel about it?” she’d whispered.
“I’d say it’s like a 99% chance he loves her.”
“You sound awfully certain of that.”
“Guys are easy to read when it comes to this stuff,” I’d whispered.
All that stuff we’d whispered back and forth had been a secret.
Now, perhaps Ludwin realized I was serious, because his lips were pursed. He must have been wondering how best to answer.
At that point, the other involved party tilted her head to the side and asked, “Am I going to be Luu’s wife?” She said it in such a relaxed tone that you wouldn’t have assumed it was a decision affecting her.
“Would it upset you marrying Ludwin, Genia?” I asked.
“Nah. It wouldn’t upset me at all.” Genia said it so clearly and easily that it was almost a letdown. “I’m a woman, after all. I was thinking I’d like to get together with someone eventually, and I was also thinking I’d like that somebody to be Luu. Though, with Luu being as popular with the ladies as he is, I was fine with waiting until he found a proper wife and then having him take me as his third wife or so.”
Ludwin’s eyes went wide at Genia’s confession, but Liscia seemed to have found some point in it to sympathize with because she was nodding emphatically.
When Ludwin came back to his senses, he said with a pained look, “Sire, I ask you to forgive me for speaking against you,” then refuted me. “No matter how important of a person Genia is to this country, suddenly tying her down with marriage seems a little much...”
“You’re going to say that to the two of us?” I asked archly.
The former king, Sir Albert, had given his daughter Liscia to me in order to make me the king of this country. Conversely, from Liscia’s perspective, she had been made my bride to keep me as the king of this country. Though our relationship had started out in that warped way, now that we had overcome many trials and tribulations, we were bound by an absolutely unbreakable bond.
I patted Ludwin on the shoulder. “Having been through it myself, let me say, how the relationship starts isn’t the issue. It’s how you two spend your time together after that which is important, don’t you think? Besides, you already have all the time you’ve spent with her as childhood friends, don’t you?”
“Sire...” Ludwin murmured.
“Do you need another push? If you take Genia as your wife, you can call your house Maxwell-Arcs,” I said. “That way, the House of Maxwell’s name will remain. On top of that, the Royal House will cover all expenses for your wedding. ...Also, the country will cover nine-tenths of the expenses for Genia’s research from here on. The House of Arcs won’t need to carry that burden alone.”
“I-I’m very grateful for the offer, but... we still have to cover one-tenth of it ourselves?” he asked.
“If I don’t make you pay at least a little of it yourselves, I feel like there would be no limit to the amount of money she’d sink into it,” I explained. No matter how useful the invention, I couldn’t have Genia upending the country’s economy to build it.
When I shot her a cold glance, Genia looked the other way and whistled innocently.
When he saw that, Ludwin said, “I see...” and laughed wryly. “You want me to keep a firm grip on her reins, then.”
“Or to become a work-horse that can support larger expenses, I suppose,” I said.
“I’m afraid that seems like the more likely outcome,” he said wryly.
“All right, Ludwin,” I said. “Genia’s said her piece. Now I think it’s your turn, don’t you?”
“...Y-Yes, sire!”
Ludwin and Genia faced one another.
Ludwin had turned a bright shade of red, but Genia’s cheeks might have turned just a touch more pink. Though Ludwin was the taller of the two if you were to compare, with him freezing up from tension, they looked about the same. I worried if he was going to be all right, given how tense he looked, but this was the handsome Captain of the Guard who had led an army of tens of thousands. He quickly composed himself.
“Genia. Will you be my wife?”
“...Are you sure, Luu?” she asked. “I don’t think I’m really noble wife material, you know?”
“I know,” he said. “Still, I want to have you at my side forever.”
“You’ve got odd tastes... But, sure. Okay. Take good care of me, Darling.”
Then, the two of them shook hands.
I had to think, Shouldn’t you hug instead? but... well, this was more like them. They looked happy, so I wasn’t about to say anything. I was glad the matter had been settled quietly.
“Whew... Is that everything neatly taken care of?” I asked.
“...No, sire.” The moment I tried to relax, Ludwin said that with a deeply-troubled look. “Not yet.”
He’d looked so happy just a moment ago. What happened in that one instant?
“I’d forgotten up until now, too, but... Have you forgotten why we came here today?” Ludwin added, his face still looking troubled.
Ah... come to think of it, he was right. I had completely forgotten, but we hadn’t come here to see her inventions.
That was when Ludwin bonked Genia on the head with his fist.
“Ow?!” she cried. “Luu, I don’t want domestic violence when we just got engaged.”
“You idiot!” he shouted. “Listen, just apologize to His Majesty along with me!”
Having said that, Ludwin grabbed Genia’s head and pressed it to the floor. He then bowed low enough himself that his head scrapped the floor, too. It wasn’t quite the same, but it was this country’s style of double kowtow.
Ludwin apologized as he held Genia’s head down. “My... fiancée has done something truly outrageous this time...”
“Ow, that hurts, Luu,” she complained. “You’re pulling my hair out.”
“Genia, be quiet! I humbly, humbly, beseech you, sire, have mercy.”
No, he didn’t have to apologize so fervently... I wasn’t that bothered by it, you know. “Ludwin, Genia, both of you raise your heads. I’m not particularly looking to find fault here.”
“Sire... Thank you!” Ludwin cried.
“Ahh, but I am curious about it.” I sat down, looking Genia straight in the eyes and asked her, “Tell me, would you, Genia? Why did you take those dragon bones?”
You may remember, this had happened about half a year ago.
When we’d dug a hole for a sedimentation pond as part of the process of installing a water system in our major cities, we’d discovered a large number of monster bones. From among them, a full set of giant dragon bones had just up and vanished.
Because I had heard that dragons who died while bearing a grudge could come back as skull dragons, I had worried for a while that that might be the cause. Had that been the case, however, the skull dragon would have spread its miasma. Given that Parnam had stayed peaceful and quiet, that possibility had seemed unlikely.
My next suspicion was that someone had stolen them, but I had no inkling as to why they would. If they’d still had magic in them, they might be useful as a magic catalyst or an ingredient for crafting equipment, but these bones had been fully drained and lacking that value. In fact, it was precisely because there was nothing to be done with them that I had been keeping them in storage to eventually display in a museum. So, in the end,
people had said a collector must have made off with them.
While it was a strange case, I hadn’t seen it leading to anything too major, so it had gradually faded from my memory... or it would have, if the truth hadn’t come to light just the other day.
There had been a single piece of paper mixed in with Ludwin’s work papers. It had simply said: “Dear Luu, I’m gonna take the dragon bones, handle the paperwork plzkthx — Genia.”
Yes. The one who had taken the dragon bones was Genia.
She had apparently used the golems to carry them off. I suppose it could be said that the way she’d only turned in a single piece of paper saying she’d be doing it, then went ahead and did it without waiting for a reply, was very much like her. That paper had been turned in while things were a real mess, so it had gotten mixed up with some other documents.
The other day, when that paper had finally been discovered, learning his childhood friend was the criminal, Ludwin had come to prostrate himself before me in apology. Now, today, to confirm the location of the bones, we had come to visit Genia’s dungeon laboratory together.
And so, we at last learned where the missing bones had gone, but...
““Whaa?!”” we cried out in surprise.
The bones had changed completely... or rather, they looked totally different.
When asked where the bones were, Genia had led us inside the tent that covered half of this huge space. When we’d gone inside, my eyes nearly jumped out of my skull at the sight of that giant mechanical dragon with its shining, metallic body. The moment I’d seen that thing which was only fit to be called a mechadragon, the main theme of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla with its low and heavy sounds started to play in my head.
No, it wasn’t that big, and it was only twenty meters tall at most, but its form was just so far away from anything that felt real.
While I was standing there dumbfounded, Genia proudly began to explain, “I call this baby ‘Mechadra.’ I put armor and parts from wild creatures and monsters on top of the skeleton of a dragon, then threw in some mystery parts found in a dungeon to flesh it out and make my own mechanical dragon.”