Chapter 89 - The Improvement of the Compact Magic Stove
Early in the morning, Dahlia laid out materials and parts in her workshop, taking notes continuously.
The compact magic stove in front of her was considerably smaller than the ones typically used in kitchens.
However, it still seemed too large and heavy for Volf and the Monster Subjugation Force to carry on expeditions.
Thinking in terms of luggage weight, she wanted it to be no heavier than a leather pouch with wine or water enchanted with anti-spoilage magic—or preferably even lighter. If it could be carried by forgoing just one round of drinks, that would be ideal.
However, achieving that goal meant she had to cut its current weight by at least half, even with simple calculations.
She had already reduced the size of the compact magic stove significantly, but a completely different approach would likely be necessary to make further improvements.
Dahlia jotted down every idea that came to mind for improvements, from materials and shapes to the properties of the materials, emptying her mind onto the paper.
Once she felt her mind was empty, she overturned the compact magic stove on the desk, touching its materials and parts. Each time new ideas came to her, she jotted them down in her notes.
After repeating this process several times, her fingers were stained black with ink, and her notes had grown into a thick stack.
Back when she worked in the workshop with her father and Tobias, she used to say, "Let’s have tea in the morning and afternoon," or, "Let’s take a break since we’ve been working so long."
But when she worked alone here, time and her sense of it seemed to slip away. She often found herself unable to stop until she reached a good stopping point. While her productivity had improved, she suspected it wasn’t the healthiest approach.
As she stretched after finishing her notes, the gate bell rang.
When she went to check, it turned out to be a messenger from Volf. He handed her a letter along with a thin, light-blue box.
The letter requested that she use the messenger if she needed any shopping or supplies.
Since she didn’t need anything in particular, she wrote a reply: "I’ll be working on improving the compact magic stove at home for the whole day. Good luck with your drill."
She wished she could have written something more thoughtful, but that was all she could think of. Deciding she should buy a book on letter-writing during her next trip to the bookstore, she saw the messenger off.
The thin, light-blue box contained colorful sugar candies. Volf seemed to have remembered how much she had enjoyed eating these at the drinkware shop.
Popping two pieces—white and pink—into her mouth, she savored the sweetness as she returned to her work.
On her workbench, she sorted the notes she had compiled into categories.
Ideas that seemed feasible and effective were placed at the top, while those that seemed impossible or impractical went to the bottom, clipped together. Afterward, she would test the ideas from the top of the pile as much as she could.
She began by selecting materials and examining their properties.
Weighing the candidates for metal plates, she frowned at their unexpectedly heavy weight. Although she could make them thinner, there were limits due to the heat generated by the compact magic stove.
She wished she could use aluminum or titanium, but unfortunately, neither existed in this world.
If cost weren’t an issue, she could have used monster shells or rare metals, but those were quite expensive. Since the stove would be used in considerable numbers by the unit, it was more practical to stick with common metals.
She decided to thinly reduce a mix of iron and copper plates and apply a weight reduction enchantment after assembling the stove.
Next, she moved on to shaping the materials.
Using a book on weight reduction design for small objects borrowed from Fermo as a reference, she reshaped the metal plates.
First, she reduced the stove’s height to the bare minimum needed to fit a small magic stone. Then, she altered its shape from a square to something closer to a circle. To prevent it from rolling, she left one edge with a flat line.
The result was a shape resembling a slightly truncated circle, which significantly reduced the weight.
To ensure no sharp edges remained that could cut someone's hand in the dark, she carefully rotated the plates, rounding and smoothing them. Every so often, she used magic to fine-tune the curves and rims.
Her fingers inevitably became scratched during this process, as usual. Once her fingers, slightly prickling with pain, confirmed everything was smooth, she added a compartment for the small magic stone and a sliding lid on the underside.
For the expedition-use compact stove, she simplified the heat settings to three options: low, high, and off.
Additionally, she designed the dial to lock in the "off" position, ensuring it wouldn’t accidentally switch on during transport or if dropped.
While removing the magic stone was the safest option, that would be too much of a hassle, so this approach was a compromise.
After completing the mechanism, she cast the weight reduction enchantment and set the small magic stone in place. Then, she carefully checked all the functions and heat levels.
So far, everything was proceeding as planned. Feeling a slight nervous excitement, she weighed the stove.
"...It’s still a little heavy..."
The weight exceeded her target by about ten percent.
One would need to place a pot on top of it. Considering the pot's size and weight, it would inevitably become cumbersome. Yet, without a pot, they wouldn’t be able to enjoy soups or broths.
For expeditions, where boiling water and heating soup were essential, a pot was indispensable.
"Even if I add a weight reduction enchantment to the pot, there’s a limit..."
As she muttered in frustration, a faint clatter caught her attention.
Startled, she turned toward the sound. It came from the area near the magic-sealing box containing the prototype "Dagger of the Demon Lord’s Minion." Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the metal plate placed on top of the box had shifted slightly.
For a fleeting moment, a terrifying thought crossed her mind. She quickly shook her head to banish the idea.
The more she hesitated, the scarier it would become. Resolving to act, she stood and promptly opened the box's lid.
After confirming that the dagger remained unchanged and that there was no issue, she securely closed the magic-sealing box, ensuring the metal plate on top was firmly in place.
"...Oh!"
The sight of the magic-sealing box sparked an idea.
She had been thinking of the compact magic stove and pot as separate components. But what if she turned the pot into the stove’s lid—a cover, essentially? If the pot served as a cover during transport and could be flipped to function as a pot when needed, it would prevent them from becoming separate items.
And instead of creating a compartment for the magic stone on the underside, she could design it so the stone could be placed and secured from above, with the pot resting on top. Of course, she would need to reinforce it and ensure the stone didn’t come into direct contact with the pot, but this could significantly reduce the weight.
"Hehe... This might actually work..."
The joy of turning a spark of inspiration into something tangible was unparalleled.
She prepared two new sheets of metal and began working on both the stove and pot.
Since no one was around, she allowed herself to laugh freely as she worked. Moments like these made solo work truly enjoyable.
After shaping the components, she flipped through her notes and found a section about handles.
She had completely forgotten about handles. Without them, the pot would be too hot to hold. Yet, handles could be cumbersome during transport.
To solve this, she decided to make the pot’s handles detachable. They could fold in two and be attached to the side of the small magic stove, fitting into the section where a circle had been cut out. This way, the handles wouldn’t get lost or be in the way.
"Looks good..."
Excitedly, she weighed the second prototype.
It weighed about the same as a wine leather bag, plus an extra tenth of the weight. However, that included the pot.
As for its size, it was just slightly larger than a circle made by joining her hands, with a thickness of around five centimeters—similar to a small commercial pot.
Next, she planned to test its durability, disassemble it to check if any weight could be reduced, and ensure the parts were safe and functional.
Afterward, she would draft detailed diagrams and seek input from Volf, Ivano, and Fermo.
At that moment, her stomach let out a loud growl.
"Huh?"
She glanced out the window and saw the sun already dipping toward the horizon. She had completely forgotten about lunch and her afternoon tea.
The dryness in her throat and the faint dizziness made her panic slightly.
Back in her previous life, she had often pulled all-nighters and skipped meals for work, pushing her body to the limit. But she had learned that even the young could collapse if such habits piled up—or worse, they could die.
She reflected deeply on this and resolved to set a sand timer or use a magic timer from now on.
After tidying up her workspace, she headed to the second floor.
In the kitchen, she laid out walnut bread, milk, and some stored side dishes for a simple meal.
The room felt unusually quiet, perhaps because she had spent the previous day walking through the lively marketplace and, later, with Volf all afternoon.
The Green Tower was perhaps a bit too spacious for someone living alone.
Had she married and moved out, she would have turned this place into storage or rented it out after organizing her belongings.
Still, even if the tower felt too large, she wasn’t ready to take on an apprentice yet—not when she still considered herself only half-trained.
"Renting out a room would be tricky too..."
The kitchen and bath would need to be shared, and the entrance was right next to her workshop. Without a trustworthy tenant or someone she got along with exceptionally well, it wouldn’t work.
She was about to break her walnut bread in half when her hands froze.
A memory of Volf staying at the tower resurfaced.
Whether they were talking, eating, or working, being with him had been so effortless and enjoyable. Perhaps he was the perfect candidate for a housemate.
"But it’s quite far from the royal castle, isn’t it..."
Though there were stagecoaches available, his schedule was limited.
The western district, near the city wall, was one of the less populated areas of the royal capital. While delivery carriages occasionally came to the area from the central area, reaching one required a considerable walk from the western district’s central neighborhoods.
Volf, who lived in the barracks near the royal castle, used a delivery carriage to visit here, but for the return trip, he often ended up walking most of the way.
He always said he didn’t mind, but Dahlia couldn’t help feeling guilty about making him walk back late at night, especially after having drinks.
"...How much does a horse even cost?"
The price of a horse itself was one thing, but the upkeep would surely be expensive.
Since Dahlia had no experience caring for a horse, she’d also need to hire someone to take care of it.
Ivano had mentioned that once the company expanded, they could buy horses and carriages and hire coachmen, but that still seemed far off in the future.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Dahlia tilted her head in confusion.
Something felt odd.
Why was she even considering Volf as a hypothetical housemate?
He lived in the barracks. There was no logical reason for him to move to the Green Tower.
More importantly, Volf was a man. There was no way it would be appropriate for him to live with her—a single woman living alone.
"...When I’m hungry and tired, I really do start thinking about strange things. Right, time for food!"
Resolving to shake off her unusual train of thought, Dahlia took a big bite out of her walnut bread and resumed her meal.
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