The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Chapter 51
The Tower (3)
“Is it still far?”
“That, that… … .”
I said, resting my chin on my hand, pretending to be relaxed.
The teacups on the table had been left cold for a long time. Also, the wizards, busy discussing something, still looked busy.
Occasionally there was a nod, perhaps discussing the possibility of its realization.
Well, that makes sense.
Because the knowledge I gave them was future technology that had developed over the course of 20 years.
‘It’s been about 10 years since the technology to use magic stones in magic circles emerged.’
Anyway, for them now, adding a magic circle is like a real innovation.
That was also the reason why I deliberately told them about future technologies.
‘It’s like advancing development by at least 20 years.’
Although adding a magic circle to strengthen power was an excellent technology at the time, it was an unfortunate technology that was not commercialized to a large extent.
This was because the artifact called ‘Magic Seal’, which could already scatter the target’s mana, was widely known.
But what if it’s already been 20 years since the starting point?
What if Esteban could even control the information on the dwarves’ weapons and magical engravings?
Although it may not be known, there will be no way to pierce that armor. And armed with this, the knights of Esteban will have a level of strength that no other country can match.
‘That would be the most ideal future.’
The corners of my mouth went up.
Of course, in order for that to happen, there had to be something that had to be prioritized above all else.
Yeah, for example, through this temple we can block information about ‘them’.
I glanced at my watch and got up from my seat. Wilford noticed this and quickly approached me.
“It’s getting late. I wish we could continue the temple tour soon.”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll show you right away.”
“Before that.”
“yes?”
I looked around and then said in a flat voice.
“I don’t see the director of the research center.”
“Hmm? You mean Duke Cromwell? I sent you a message earlier… … Oh, you just arrived.”
At that moment, the one who opened the door to the lab and came in was the director of the lab, Cromwell.
Cromwell approached with a slightly excited expression on his face.
“I apologize for being late, Your Majesty. I was late because I had to relay new instructions to the wizards.”
“I see.”
“Haha, it would be better to have someone who is well-versed in research to guide you.”
Wilford, the tower guard, scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. Then he gestured toward the next lab.
“Sorry for the delay. I will show you the next research.”
The next place we were guided to was a training ground surrounded by thick walls.
If the place right now was a workshop for making artifacts, this place could be said to be a place where you can actually test the performance of various magic and artifacts.
Cromwell approached me there holding several bundles of papers.
“This paper is called a scroll.”
“scroll?”
“Yes, it’s a consumable that grants magical properties to objects. It’s one of the technologies that seems to be almost commercialized.”
“Hoo.”
A rare exclamation came out. This was because it was a technique I had never seen before the regression.
For the first time since I entered the tower, I felt a surge of interest.
“It has reached the commercialization stage.”
“Yes. And this scroll has the effect of temporarily enchanting the knights’ swords.”
“I see.”
A piece of paper with an ornate geometric pattern gently landed on the dagger placed for the experiment.
Then, the pattern drawn on the paper began to move and transform into a halo of light, slowly being absorbed into the dagger.
Eventually, all the halos were absorbed and all that was left was a faint glow of a dagger.
Cromwell picked up the dagger and handed it to me.
“Your Majesty, you are said to be an expert in swordsmanship. Would you like to briefly test its effectiveness?”
It seemed like they wanted me to try it out myself and experience the effects.
“… … Well, okay.”
I shrugged and took the dagger.
Then he turned the dagger around to check its appearance.
But aside from the fact that it had a flickering light, its external appearance was not much different from that of a normal dagger.
So, how is the performance?
Crack!
“… … !”
In that moment, the eyes of the captain and the director of the research center became as big as lanterns.
I instantly closed the palm that was covering the dagger and gripped the blade tightly.
But what actually fell was not the blood that had seeped out.
Chaeng-grang-!
“Your Majesty?!”
The broken blade fell limply to the ground with a loud noise.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
It would have been shocking to have been wounded by the blade rather than the palm, but now was not the time.
“Are you okay? Your hand… …!”
“Don’t be so excited.”
After I finished brushing off the shavings, I examined my palm.
… … Even though I didn’t apply any aura to the palm that held the blade, not a single scratch appeared. My eyebrows quirked in dissatisfaction.
‘There is no difference.’
Just as the appearance hasn’t changed much, the contents also seem to have changed little.
Well, it’s not that I didn’t expect that to happen. I said indifferently, looking at the metal spur on my shoe heel.
“Did you say it has reached the commercialization stage?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be of much use to me.”
Magic is equivalent exchange.
Even though the price of the miracle that takes place at your fingertips is not limited to material things, there will be no change in the fact that it basically draws on the power called ‘mana’.
That’s why this technique was useless. The medium that would amplify and maintain the magical power was nothing more than a piece of paper with little mana, and the practicality of the magic inserted in the name of strengthening was even more lacking.
If you use magic stones to reinforce this, it won’t be cost-effective.
To put it simply, it is nothing more than a show-off study that does not even follow the basics.
‘There was a reason I never heard of it.’
… … It would be difficult to expect any practical benefit from magic that was originally created for performance purposes.
At that moment, my gaze fell on the documents lined up next to the stack of scrolls.
And when I checked the name of the research wizard in charge written there, I almost burst out laughing at the absurdity.
“If my information is not incorrect, this name seems to belong to the disciple you are training, Wilford.”
“… … Yes.”
“How much funding was invested in this research?”
It was a question that cut to the heart of the matter.
At this, Wilford’s eyebrows, which had been consistently calm, twitched slightly for the first time.
But the disturbance was fleeting, and soon the atmosphere returned to its original calm state as if nothing had happened.
“Haha… … Please don’t misunderstand. Even if you are a disciple of the Butapju, the support money you receive is no different from that of any other wizard. There are no special privileges either.”
“… … .”
“The fact that it is close to commercialization means that it is still in the development stage, so I think it will be able to fully demonstrate its value with just a little bit of work.”
“… … I see.”
I nodded my head, swallowing the laughter that was about to burst out without me realizing it.
Anyway, what was important right now was not that scroll, but dealing with the agents who had infiltrated the magic tower.
I said to Cromwell, the director of the research lab who was watching the conversation.
“I hope you can show us your most confident performance soon.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please follow me.”
The last place they guided us to was a research lab in the innermost part of the Magic Tower, which was guarded with strict security.
Among them, it was a place where access was prohibited to anyone other than those involved in research.
And the research there was something I was also familiar with.
“This is the artificial magic stone that the Kingdom Tower is proud of.”
Unlike the common magic stones that are found in nature, these tiny pieces of jewel have a soft blue glow.
Cromwell described the objects contained in the square glass case with a look of pride and satisfaction.
The gestures and speech, full of enthusiasm, may have seemed exaggerated, but the items inside were actually valuable.
“It’s the mana in the air that the wizard has crystallized.”
“Yes, that’s right. I see you noticed.”
Cromwell shook his head confidently at my question.
Then, a robe embroidered with silver magic circles fluttered like waves.
“The researchers at the Kingdom Tower are developing this technology with the goal of mass producing concentrated magic stones.”
“Hoo.”
“Of course, it is still not easy to create a concentrated magic stone. However, if we improve the condensed magic circle, we expect that we will be able to successfully mass-produce it with less manpower.”
“I see.”
Even as I muttered like that, I captured the appearance of the magic stone in detail.
It was a new feeling, but this is truly an amazing technology.
The very idea of mass producing magic stones in advance when not in a wartime situation and using them to make up for the lack of magical power when a battle breaks out.
If the Guardian Attribute Artifact we saw earlier showed the direction of development, this Magic Stone can be said to be the essence of Esteban’s unique magic.
That’s why I spoke honestly.
“That’s amazing.”
“Ahem… … This would have been impossible without the knowledge of Lord Matap, who was in charge of the research, and the support of the royal family.”
Director Cromwell nodded, at a loss for words at the generous compliment.
It seemed like he was really happy about the compliment.
However, my gaze as I looked at the Magic Stone gradually grew colder. Finally, the emotion that appeared on my lips was ridicule.
“okay?”
Artificial magic stones are a technology that has been developed over a long period of time.
Naturally, research from the past continued even before the regression, and in fact, research progressed day by day.
Finally, Matap was proud that the level had reached a level where commercialization was possible.
But there was an unexpected problem. That was the fact that Esteban wasn’t the only one whose research on artificial magic stones was progressing.
… … No, to be exact, the content of the research was hijacked.
‘The Federal Empire, by their own hands.’
As I continued to think, my eyebrows rose crookedly.
They took advantage of their surplus of research personnel to commercialize artificial magic stone technology ahead of Esteban.
Because of this, Esteban’s kingdom’s magic tower was reduced to a dog chasing a chicken in an instant.
Even the magic stone technology was far more advanced than Esteban’s, so the things he had worked so hard to research were rendered powerless under the Federal Empire.
And this was true not only for artificial magic stone technology, but also for other studies.
‘At the time, I just thought I was unlucky.’
It just so happened that the research topic overlapped with that of the Federal Empire, and I just thought they had completed it first.
It’s a natural thought, if it’s obvious. You wouldn’t have thought that a spy would infiltrate the inside of the heavily guarded Magic Tower to steal technology.
Because no one would have thought that someone high enough to undermine internal security would be an agent.
‘Well, that won’t happen anymore, you know.’
Yeah, that will never happen again.
… … No, it won’t stop there.
One step forward.
Esteban’s technology will be so far ahead that no other country will be able to keep up.
In addition, the technology of artificial magic stones will also achieve great results that are incomparable to those created by the Federation Empire before the return.
Under my direction and no one else’s, that is.
At that moment, my eyes reflected in the glass display case flashed.
“By the way, did you ask if anyone had given you any information about the technology?”
“yes?”
Wilford asked dumbly at the sudden mention of the story.
But the moment something was taken out of my arms, those eyes narrowed and distorted.
… … Those were the documents of the agents that had been retrieved from above.
“That’s good. I also happened to have a question for you.”
I have fully investigated the situation inside the tower.
So now it was time to get down to business.
