Chapter 31 - Manifestation of Ambition (1)
I learned this in the royal capital: Research requires time and... above all else—money.
If I had been born without talent, I could have lived idly as part of the knightly family. Among our retainers, there were even those without any internal mana. Some were granted Skills that were utterly unsuited for combat. No matter how hard one might try, differences in capability inevitably arose. In such a situation, it would have been clear to anyone that I would lead an ordinary life.
However, I had been granted count-level internal mana from God, along with the Skills of a Craftsman and a Soldier. The life I had lived in vain, drifting along without purpose, could no longer be allowed. Those who had been gifted with talent in the frontier must refine, hone, and develop it, contributing to their homeland.
That is the common sense of the world, and without it, the homeland would sink into the Demonic Forest.
Yet the path to fulfillment is something that those who are gifted must discover for themselves. What to refine, what to offer others, and what challenges to undertake—all of it depends on one's own character.
To me, this world was a realm I had been sent to as a form of atonement.
The difficulties necessary for survival in this world far surpass those of my previous life. Indulging in self-centered thoughts, retreating into a shell, and simply watching time pass luxuriously is not an option. I realized this during my childhood when I mingled with commoners' children in the streets and began my basic education at a learning school.
Even commoners devoted significant time to acquiring the knowledge and wisdom necessary for survival.
I made my first friends in that place. When my friends turned ten and were assessed at the church, they each received their own Skills and chose professions suited to those Skills... They worked diligently to fulfill their potential. Amidst this, because I possessed internal mana of a count’s caliber, I was sent to study at the Magic Academy in the royal capital.
I was still a young child, uncertain of what I should do. But as I pursued my studies at the academy, I began to develop the perspective of a man from a "knightly house"—a low-ranking noble family.
And little by little, I began to see what I could achieve.
Protecting the safety and tranquility of my homeland—this was the duty entrusted to the knightly family. I came to understand that this responsibility extended to me as well. If that was the case, then I needed to acquire the knowledge, wisdom, and strength necessary to fulfill that duty. From that point onward, my days at the Magic Academy gained purpose.
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My pursuit of knowledge in the Alchemy Tower presented me with new challenges.
As a knightly family, a minor noble family, we had no surplus budget. Most of the students at the Magic Academy came from families of counts or higher. Because of my close interactions with them as classmates, I had overlooked this fact. Research in the Alchemy Tower required money.
The academy provided the basic equipment and facilities. However, the experimental materials required for specific research projects had to be procured at the researchers’ own expense—a rule meant to ensure earnest commitment to research.
My classmates, coming from wealthy count families or higher, had access to abundant resources. They simply had to inform merchants of their needs, and their families would handle the payments. With just one signed approval, they could acquire even the most expensive equipment or materials.
I, on the other hand, was different. As a result, I even sought advice from my classmates on how to earn money.
Fortunately, I was lucky. One of my classmates desired something that turned out to be immensely profitable for me. Even when my once-tight finances suddenly became abundant, my character remained unchanged—perhaps because I had witnessed the unwavering resolve of my classmates.
Children of mid- to high-ranking noble families paid no heed to wealth. They dedicated themselves entirely to honing their abilities, always striving forward for the sake of their families and their nation. Watching them inspired me to do the same. Thus, I decided that all the money I earned in the royal capital would be used solely for my research.
Even after returning to my homeland, I planned to continue my research, albeit on a smaller scale.
However, without resources, execution becomes difficult. Yet, the bonds of friendship I had formed with my former classmate from the Magic Academy’s Alchemy Tower gave me the means to continue.
He delivered the refrigerated storage unit to the royal castle. He paid me half of the sales price. The basic patent for it belonged to the magitech tool shop in my hometown, and I held the rights to use that patent. In other words, I had received compensation under legitimate rights.
I could proudly claim it as personal property, but hoarding it felt unsettling. If I didn’t move the money, it would just be chunks of metal. To keep the economy of my homeland going, I had to make good use of it. Money, the lifeblood of the economy, stagnates and kills the economy if left idle.
Moreover, I had a strong ambition. However, it was clear that fulfilling it would require a huge investment.
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As my first step, I sent a letter to my classmate in the royal capital.
I bought the usage rights to his mana-blocking paint patent. It was an absolute necessity to operate legally and without issue. Without it, my grand ambition would have been impossible, so I acted quickly.
I also commissioned the local Mason Guild to create items according to the designs I made and placed permanent collection requests with the local Adventurer Guild.
To secure the necessary materials, I needed a considerable amount of money. I gave the adventurers a task to gather the scrap magic stones from the shallow level of the forest. Adventurers often hunted beasts but discarded these scrap magic stones on the spot before returning. When this happened, the scrap magic stones would accumulate throughout the forest.
This accumulation of scrap stones would eventually attract more monsters and magical beasts. "Cleaning" this up had been an ongoing concern, but no budget had been allocated for it. For me, it was a treasure trove. I knew I would never run out of use for scrap magic stones. Therefore, I set up a permanent collection request with the guild, offering a reward that could serve as pocket money for the adventurers. It would be a good source of income for beginner adventurers.
Well, I did all those things. It was all an important investment to gather the necessary things.
The goal was to implement what I had developed at the Alchemy Tower in the royal capital's Magic Academy in the frontier on a larger scale. For that, a suitable experimental—or rather, research—location was essential. Fortunately, I had a great place for it. Yes, the mansion of Granduncle, who had abandoned everything and left our homeland. Due to his nature, it had been built near the Demonic Forest and had become a sturdy fortress, left almost entirely hollow and abandoned.
With my father’s permission, I thoroughly renovated the mansion. I didn’t want to use too many workers from the local Carpenter Guild as it would harm the regional economy, so I relied on my Alchemy Magic which took some time, but I was able to secure a suitable space.
The first thing I prepared for mass production were magic powder and crystal powder. To use guns, I needed to ensure a steady supply of ammunition, or it would just be a metal stick. Additionally, producing magic batteries would be impossible without these two essential materials.
The scrap magic stones, which were causing me trouble, were now easy to collect. The magic crystals were already piling up in the disposal areas. I only had to wait for the completion of the large stone mill, made from high-strength stone provided by the Mason Guild. I renamed Granduncle's mansion to Fortress.
The patent rights I had asked my classmate for were for the manufacturing and usage of his mana-blocking paint. With such a large concentration of magic stones in a huge factory, there was a concern that it would attract monsters and magical beasts.
To prevent that, I coated all six walls of the room where the stone mill would be placed with mana-blocking paint to stop the mana from dispersing. There were still improvements to be made, but I was generally satisfied with what I had created and was now waiting for the stone mill to be brought in.
At the same time, I set up my research products from the royal capital in another location. I wanted to confirm whether I could replicate the alchemy results here using the same equipment I was familiar with, just like in the royal capital. Therefore, I was frequently commuting between the knightly family's residence and the fortress.
No, except for the time required for training and survival, I could almost say I was always at the fortress.
It was about two months after my father’s decision that I started seeing the soldiers' battleproofing taking shape. Meanwhile, I quietly continued my own preparations—setting up the large stone mill, gathering the scrap magic stones and magic crystals, and developing and activating the magitech tools needed to operate the mill.
I had also reached the point where I could mass-produce magic powder and crystal powder.
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