Supporting An Interesting Research Project.

Around 4 p.m., Viscount Rubingston returned to the royal office and immediately reported to the king about Dr. Salosa von Benzin.

“Light, huh. It would not mean the power of light contained in the White Crystal, would it?”

“It seems that is likely the case.”

“Even if it can be seen, is it something that can actually be seen? And even from fragmented tissue of a biological weapon, at that?”

“That is why he seems rather exceptional. He appears to have made a device that can see the energy of the White Crystal.”

“A device that observes energy already soaked into biological weapons. So the devices that were destroyed in the explosion back then must have been that.”

“Yes, it seems so. To be honest, I think it is amazing.”

“I think so as well. To think he would take biological weapon tissue and make a device that could examine such a thing. His mind is quite extraordinary.”

“From what I heard around him, he is known as quite an eccentric. However, they say he achieved many results at the research institutes he passed through until now. Such a person is called a genius.”

“There was another genius.”

Dr. Billeor, who was currently the master of biological weapons, was also a person who belonged among geniuses. Learning of another genius like that was a very pleasing thing. To begin with, it could be said that great discoveries and developments in the world were made by a small number of geniuses. As such, the more geniuses there were, the better.

“Considering that such a person has remained unknown until now, it seems many geniuses must be buried beneath the unfairness of this world.”

“Our intelligence department will search carefully for such people.”

“Try looking for them. More than that, you said he was looking for a way to use that light energy?”

“Yes, he said that while looking for a way to observe the energy, he also tried to find a way to use that light, then failed and caused the explosion.”

“He survived such an explosion quite well, didn’t he?”

“He said safety came first, so he had filled one side of the room with steel plates he had bought on the market. It seems he conducted the experiment while hiding behind that.”

“He seems like quite an interesting fellow.”

“To me, he seemed more like a truly strange person than an interesting one.”

“Even so, did he not achieve one result? I mean the method of observing the White Crystal’s energy located inside a biological weapon. That alone is truly an amazing result.”

“That is true.”

“For now, I would like to meet him once.”

“You intend to meet him personally?”

“I want to meet him once and learn what he is thinking. Bring him here.”

“Understood. Then, since it is late today, I will bring him tomorrow morning.”

“Do so.”

Like that, Ian felt anticipation for seeing the man called Dr. Salosa von Benzin tomorrow. He was curious about what the man was thinking and what he wanted to do.

“I am telling you once again, but do not act carelessly. Depending on your actions, your neck may be cut off immediately.”

“I think you have already said that at least twenty-three times?”

“That is how important it is. Though you cannot see them, secret guards are always present near His Highness, and the moment you do anything even slightly strange, they will immediately eliminate you.”

“Hearing you keep saying that seems to make me even more nervous.”

Salosa thought he seemed to feel a nervousness he did not usually feel. At present, he had entered the royal palace. From the moment he entered, he had no choice but to be overwhelmed by its splendor. From the floor to the wallpaper and the ceiling, it was filled with such splendor that he wondered whether this was truly a place where people lived.

‘All of those are luxuries prepared by the previous kings, right?’

He also knew what kind of person the current king was through the words he heard around him. It was said that unlike the kings of previous generations, he was a person who did not indulge much in luxury. At the same time, he was said to be a very frightening existence to the nobles. In addition, Salosa had heard that he was the wisest king among all the kings of the past.

‘He is the person who created the Polia Kingdom of today.’

It has become a much more developed country than in the past. He could feel it directly on his skin as well. At the same time, unlike the past, there was no more starvation, and people were living while enjoying material abundance. Since people were living so well that the things of the past seemed like a dream, he could tell how great the king was just from hearing stories.

‘And I am about to face such a king directly.’

It was said that the king had called him because he wanted to see him personally. From what he had heard, the king was deeply interested in what he had researched.

‘Come to think of it, they said His Highness the King is deeply interested in scientific development as well.’

For example, he had built a total of three large-scale research complexes of a kind that could not be seen until now, in the capital and across the country. Salosa knew how many scientists participated there and conducted research. Inwardly, he had also wanted to enter, but unfortunately, he had been rejected at the document stage long ago because of an accident at a research institute he had previously worked at.

At the moment he was thinking this, he happened to arrive at a corridor where several people were standing. At a glance, he could tell that the king existed beyond that door. At that moment, Viscount Rubingston spoke to the chamberlain standing before the door.

“Announce us.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Viscount Rubingston has arrived.”

“Tell him to enter.”

At the young man’s voice heard from inside, the door opened before long. Before he knew it, Salosa moved his steps through this door, and soon he could see the interior made up of splendid decorations, and amid that, he was able to confirm the sight of the king standing from his seat and watching him.

‘He really is the king. His face is exactly the same as the one I saw in the newspaper.’

His red hair, handsome face, and the unknown pressure that could be naturally felt made his whole body tremble. It made him think that perhaps this was the true presence of a king. Just as nervousness surged again, he heard the king’s voice speaking toward him.

“Are you Dr. Salosa von Benzin?”

“That is correct. It is an honor to meet you like this.”

“What honor? For now, sit.”

At the words pointing to the sofa, he was able to sit on the sofa before he knew it, and in that situation, the king seated at the place of honor was watching him. As their gazes met, Salosa could not help but feel himself shrinking for some reason. This was not how he normally was, but perhaps because he thought he was facing the king, he seemed to keep losing confidence strangely.

‘Come to think of it, he said earlier that there were secret guards nearby. Where are they?’

Even when he briefly looked around the room, he could not see anyone anywhere. At that fact, he thought that perhaps it had been said just to scare him after all. At that moment, he heard the king speaking.

“I am interested in the research you conducted.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“You were able to observe the energy coming from the White Crystal, correct?”

“That is correct. I happened to have an opportunity to obtain biological weapon tissue, and while investigating it out of curiosity, I wondered how something like this could be made, so I found a method to observe it.”

“How did you find it?”

“Uh, well, to explain, I thought that this kind of result definitely could not be achieved with cellular tissue alone. Among magic tools, there is one that displays differences in a person’s temperature, so I used it with the idea of applying it once, and then, while sending a faint electric current through the biological tissue……”

Since the content contained something complicated, Ian raised his hand as if to say that was enough for now. Salosa stopped speaking at that, and Ian said to him.

“So it was a discovery made by using even a magic tool?”

“That is correct. It was a result that came out while searching for various methods. In fact, I failed many times even in finding a method to observe it.”

“You somehow found it.”

“Well, I had nothing to do because I was staying only at home. So I tried researching it as a way to pass the time.”

He researched such a thing as a pastime because he was unemployed, so Ian thought he was amazing in a different sense. Then, soon recalling one fact, he said,

“You said you were looking for a way to use the light of the energy you succeeded in observing?”

“Yes. Since it could be observed, I thought perhaps something could be done with it. So I tried experimenting, but it was not easy.”

“There was a burned journal found in your house. More than half of it was burned, but from the remaining parts, it showed you had conducted at least over five hundred experiments.”

“Yes, I wondered whether there might be a way to draw something out, so I experimented, but most things did not react at all. To begin with, it seems to be engraved into the biological weapon fragment, so the energy can no longer escape.”

“Since it has already been used, I suppose it cannot be helped. But what method did you use for it to explode?”

“Well, I thought it would not work no matter what methods I used, so I found another approach. In fact, after researching for several years, the money I had saved up until then was almost gone, so I thought another method might be better, and I took the method of shooting sunlight through magnifying-glass-shaped glass at the biological tissue.”

“You gathered sunlight through glass?”

“Yes. Of course, it only burned and had no reaction at all. So I tried another method, and since it did react to electrical signals, I first gave the biological tissue an electrical signal and then shot sunlight at it. But there was no reaction at all.”

“Was that also a failure?”

“No. It did not burn, did it? That meant something was definitely acting on it and making it react.”

At this explanation, Ian felt intrigued. Shooting sunlight received through magnifying-glass-shaped glass onto biological tissue and also sending electricity through the biological tissue itself—he thought it was an absurd yet groundbreaking method.

In effect, he thought it was a method that anyone could use if they knew it, but would never know at all if they did not.

“So what did you do?”

“So I wondered if perhaps there was a problem with the glass, and I commissioned a somewhat different model to be made. I tried making it triangular and also square, but there was no reaction, so when I shot sunlight through hexagonal glass, would you believe it, it reacted.”

“So that was why it exploded?”

“No. It only reacted and stayed as it was. So I thought I should try something else.”

“What was that something else?”

“A magic tool.”

“A magic tool?”

“I wanted to try using the magic tool I had used for observation. It had cost me an enormous amount, so it was a shame, but I still thought that perhaps it might react somewhat to the energy called mana inside the magic tool.”

“Then, perhaps…?”

“Yes. I placed the biological tissue on top of the magic tool like that, sent electricity through it, and had sunlight shot through hexagonal glass as before, and then…”

“It seems it exploded.”

“Yes, that is correct. I did not know it would show such an excessive reaction either.”

Looking at Dr. Salosa von Benzin scratching his head as he spoke, Ian thought that he really was eccentric. He wondered who in the world would use even a magic tool to do something like that.

“If you experiment next time, do you think you can succeed?”

“Can I experiment again?”

“I have become interested in your research. I would like to support you.”

“Thank you! As it happens, this time, if I reduce the intensity of the light in a different way and also spread the light somewhat wider, then use it on a mana stone, I think I will definitely be able to draw out a reaction!”

“A mana stone?”

“After trying to use a magic tool, I thought it would be better to use a mana stone instead. Of course, even a very small size should be enough.”

“Do you know how expensive a mana stone is, even a low-grade one?”

“It must be… very expensive, right?”

“It is very, very expensive.”

“Then, even a magic tool…”

“Did you not say a mana stone is needed?”

“I think it would be needed to make things more certain, but if it is too expensive, could it not be substituted with a magic tool?”

“What if it fails? Did it not explode while using a magic tool?”

“…….”

Seeing that he said nothing, it seemed he was also thinking of the possibility of failure. At that sight, Ian thought about mana stones. It was not as if there were no mana stones. At present, Sara had created a mana circle as a wizard through the mana stone he had purchased before. And he knew that even now, she was building mana in her circle through the mana stone.

‘I suppose I have to buy one more.’

He thought there would be quite a large financial expense. Fortunately, since Salosa said a small one would be enough, Ian thought he should try obtaining even one that was lower-grade among low-grade mana stones. If it was one like that, the price range would probably be somewhat lower than the one he had obtained last time.

Inwardly, he wondered whether he had to go this far. But right now, his instincts were telling him. That research seemed as if it would do something quite extraordinary.

“I will obtain a mana stone as well. Speak to Viscount Rubingston here if there are materials or tools you can obtain or if there is something you want to make. I will have all of them made and obtained for you.”

“Truly, thank you! I will definitely succeed. Ah, could you perhaps obtain glass in an octagonal shape instead of a hexagonal one? After trying it this time, I think the hexagonal shape has limits.”

“Understood. I will have it made and given to you.”

When Viscount Rubingston said that, Salosa felt as if he could fly. To think it was research supported by the king, not something he did alone. Research on a scale incomparable to before would be possible.

While inwardly feeling that he could not believe such an opportunity had come to him, he soon thought that he would definitely show results that would satisfy the king.

“I will definitely show results.”

“I will look forward to it. For now, rest a little. It will take time to prepare the various tools and materials.”

“I have already rested enough. After lying down for nearly five days doing nothing, I keep wanting to do something. Could you perhaps send me to my house? I want to see if there is anything worth salvaging there.”

“I heard that most of what was there had already been collected.”

“There may still be something left.”

“Do as you wish. Viscount Rubingston. Take him to his house.”

“Understood.”

With that answer, support for the person called Dr. Salosa von Benzin was confirmed. No one could guess right now what kind of result this would lead to, but what was certain was that an extraordinary result would emerge.