Chapter 37 - Thinking of a Distant Friend
Amidst the daily grind of training, I was also occupied with the development and refinement of various magitech tools at the Fortress. The days felt like they were speeding up, leaving me with little time to return to the main estate. Yet, neither my father, my mother, nor my elder brothers uttered a single word about how I managed the guerilla unit as I saw fit.
It was something beyond mere trust or confidence. As the third son of a frontier knightly family, it was only natural to lead a unit with a sense of pride. Slacking off or trying to take the easy way out would surely have earned me a reprimand, but it seemed my family deemed my busy days as evidence that such measures weren’t necessary.
I felt the love of my family.
They silently watched over me, waiting until the moment I might voice a complaint. My father, as the head of the knightly family. My mother, as the one who oversaw the family’s finances. My two brothers, as the ones responsible for managing the family’s military forces. They quietly observed my actions.
Always prepared to step in and help, should the need arise.
I was deeply grateful. I was certain this was family love. And so, I knew I had to deliver results and achievements that matched their trust, confidence, and affection.
That being said, I had only just reached adulthood and couldn’t help but feel a little fatigued. It was around that time, during a rare dinner with my family in the dining room of the knightly family's estate, that my father handed me a letter.
"This is a letter from a high count’s household. Quite an impressive connection you’ve made, but who might this person be?"
Receiving a letter from a central noble of such standing was exceedingly rare for a knightly family in the frontier. And what’s more, the letter was addressed to "me." Even my father, the head of our household, seldom received letters from high-ranking aristocrats. Thus, I straightforwardly explained the sender’s identity.
"It’s from a friend I met at the Alchemy Tower during my time at the Magic Academy. While not the heir of their household, this person is highly regarded for his abilities, both at the academy and within his family, which holds the title of Minister of Magic. He primarily focuses on the development of magitech tools and has proposed numerous inventions. He also took a strong interest in my "research," and we worked together quite closely."
"I see. Cherish that connection. It will be a valuable asset for you."
"Yes, Father."
The letter was from a classmate at the Alchemy Tower. With permission, I opened it on the spot.
It conveyed news that the First Prince had been officially declared Crown Prince, and the young lady from the Grand Ducal family was to become the Crown Princess. The announcement was reportedly met with widespread surprise by many, including the common folk.
This was because most had assumed the Second Prince would be named Crown Prince.
The proclamation by His Majesty the King on that fateful day, at that time, in that place, had finally been enacted. In other words... the Second Prince had been sentenced to lifetime confinement within the royal domain. While there seemed to be no official announcement of this punishment, rumors of some form of disciplinary action were spreading among those close to the matter.
The ceremony to formally establish the Crown Prince was still some time away, but the official proclamation had already caused a significant stir. It seemed the sudden change of direction had thrown the upper echelons of the royal court into chaos. The letter also mentioned that various schemes and movements were taking place within the royal castle.
--- Of course.
Here in the frontier, the official proclamation from the capital had yet to arrive. Neither my father nor my brothers were aware of this information. I informed them, though they remained somewhat skeptical. Additionally, there were rumors of a large-scale reallocation of noble territories, which might include the marquis who served as our foremost lord.
So that’s how it is...
Something must have been brewing behind the behind-the-scenes of that farcical incident. Perhaps His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister were taking steps to weed out the nobles who had lost their sense of noble pride (those who were causing trouble), reorganizing and preparing for the eventual transfer of authority to the Crown Prince.
The brave, resolute, and compassionate King must have had a profound reason to make such a "momentous decision." As a member of the kingdom's nobility, it was our duty to accept the situation with solemnity. For those who pride themselves as bulwarks of the realm, the King’s will was absolute.
It was the same even for the lowest of the low noble houses, like mine, a knightly family.
My friend from the high count's family, with whom I had various interactions, lamented my return to my hometown. Concerned that I might lose touch with the situation in the kingdom, he took the time to share these rumors in his letter.
I was deeply grateful for our friendship. Learning about these matters in advance allowed me to prepare accordingly. I discussed it with my father, wondering if we should send a gift in return, but the other family was immensely wealthy. There was no suitable gift within the means of a knightly household like ours. Then, my mother’s eyes lit up as she offered her suggestion.
"Why don’t you send him one of the magitech tools you’ve created? He is from the household of the Minister of Magic, correct? If he takes an interest, it would surely make for a good gift."
"You’re right, Mother. That’s a wonderful idea. I shall soon prepare something... a good thing to present as a gift."
"That would be wise."
Perhaps Mother’s intention extended to fostering future relations. Connections with the Minister of Magic of the capital could also aid in the business she managed for our household. It was no exaggeration to say that Mother was always seeking new opportunities for trade. After all, magitech tools were a crucial commodity in our knightly family’s homeland.
Mother’s resilience, her ability to rise from any setback without fail, was something I deeply admired with reverence.
As I mulled over this, I suddenly thought of someone else—a certain individual who had just become the heir to the family of the Minister of War. What would he do in this situation? Knowing his knack for strategy, he likely would have accounted for such possibilities from the start. Even if I pointed out something he missed, he would brush it off with a smile, handling the situation with ease while "wriggling" through the palace and capital.
To my friends, I had formed bonds with, I sent a quiet thought of encouragement:
*"Keep going, future Minister of Magic, and future Minister of War."*
--- § ---
Two months had passed since I was appointed commander of the guerilla unit. The men of the frontier, already well-trained, had transformed into formidable soldiers of the guerilla unit. Compared to the training program in the royal capital, their progress was leaps and bounds ahead. The difference lay in their raw potential, their heightened sense of danger, and most importantly, their passion for protecting their homeland.
For now, I still haven't authorized the use of guns. I wanted to gauge how far they could go with their current capabilities. In preparation, I had completed two types of scouting magitech tools, designed based on the soldiers’ requests.
The first was modeled after a standard heavy infantry helmet (Metia).
A display was integrated into the inner side of the helmet’s faceplate, designed to be retractable to allow for normal vision. When flipped up, the rune would deactivate, while lowering it would light up the display. Its precision had significantly improved, now capable of detecting even the faintest traces of mana.
The advantage of this new model lay in its ability to provide normal vision during regular use, with the display deployable only when needed, for as long as required. The disadvantage, however, was that it wasn't suitable for constant surveillance. It was designed for pinpointing specific locations and observing from there, making it a magitech device particularly suited for spotters.
The second was an improved version of my earlier prototype.
To my surprise, half of the fifth-year soldiers requested modifications to this design. It seemed the rough appearance of the original had struck a chord with them, though they found the monocular view cumbersome to use. When I asked what they wanted, their response was:
"It would be better if we could see it layered over our regular vision."
--- That was their request.
The memories of my past life stirred within me. What the soldiers had described sounded remarkably similar to a gadget called see-through smart glasses monitor. Of course, I had never seen the real thing, only read about it in a gadget magazine left behind by a former colleague. At the time, I marveled at the concept but wasn’t particularly interested. Now, I regretted not delving deeper into the details back then.
However, the soldiers' request was vague, based on intuition. In contrast, I knew—even if it was just from reading about it in a magazine—about a device that had actually been developed in my previous world. That knowledge gave me an edge. Undeniably so.
"The insectoid skulls can stay as they are..." the soldiers said. The reason being that they felt stronger by using them. It seemed there was a psychological factor in mimicking the enemies they had previously struggled against. The fifth-year soldier leader looked displeased but didn’t object, respecting the sentiments of the other soldiers. There were ten insectoid magic beast skulls in total, and I decided to use all of them. As for the spares... I told them they could distribute them to any soldier they deemed worthy.
--- I listened to their requests.
The compound eyes were removed and replaced with a slit-like opening. I refined the sintering process for the crystal powder, then redeveloped a mana-blocking paint to handle any leakage of mana. The result was a finished product that received high praise from the soldiers.
Several soldiers expressed a desire to use them, so I was told that an additional ten... or ideally twenty, including spares, would be necessary. This meant I’d have to appeal to Second Brother for help acquiring the materials. Or perhaps they could hunt the creatures themselves. It might even serve as excellent training.
What I had come to realize, deeply, was that the opinions of the users were like precious gems to the creators. For the sake of preserving and strengthening our strength, we had to unite as one and exhaust all our knowledge and efforts.
---
As a gift for the son of the high count's family in the royal capital, I decided to send the new type of mana-blocking paint that I had completed after re-research and extreme modifications. While it had evolved from the original, it remained a work of its own. The original patent rights belonged to my classmate from a high count's family, whom I had met at the Alchemy Tower. Therefore, rather than turning this into a new patent, I decided to pass on the new production method and mass-production materials to him.
Without a word, I dispatched the improved product, along with the formula, to the capital as my gift to him. The response I received was ambiguous—neither a complaint nor outright gratitude—but it brought a sly smile to my face. This was also a gesture of thanks for the information he had provided about the kingdom’s affairs.
The original patent was his. By paying the patent fee, I was legally allowed to create, modify, and use the good product without issue.
In the words of my past life, this was a "win-win" situation...
Respect for the rightful owner of the rights must be upheld above all else. Creating something from "zero to one," was an incredibly difficult task. Exploiting loopholes to steal from such creators would tarnish one’s dignity.
Even as one at the very bottom, if a person possessed noble pride, such actions would be unforgivable. To live this life with my head held high, I would always choose the just and proper path.
This gift was my offering to him. That's right, I would give him something that represented the fruition of my talents.
--- With gratitude for our friendship.
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