Chapter 88
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I'm a homebody who ended up possessing the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower. Chapter 88 It began today. The day the Tower Master and the Mages of the Magic Tower started staying at the Blaire Grand Duke Residence! The reason was to fulfill the notice posted on the last page of this newly published edition of "Safety Guidelines for Goedam Duchy."
And so.
"Thank you so much for coming all this way!"
Standing before the teleportation magic circle of the Grand Duke Residence, which I had infused with mana beforehand, I eagerly welcomed the Mages as they arrived one after another. And the very last to arrive was Grandfather Tower Master, whom I hadn't seen in quite some time.
"It's been so long, Tower Master! I'm sorry for bringing you such a long distance."
"Not at all. In fact, we Mages cooped up in the Magic Tower have taken quite an interest in these comic books. Truly... what a remarkable thing. Hehehehe."
The Tower Master, whom I hadn't seen in ages, appeared remarkably brighter than before—perhaps thanks to the Magic Tower's improved condition. As he lavished praise upon me regarding the comic books, he continuously exclaimed in admiration at the splendid appearance of the Grand Duke Residence.
"Oh my, to finally see the Blaire Grand Duke Residence with my own eyes, which I'd only heard about...!"
I suppose I was equally astonished the first time I saw the Grand Duke Residence, even though I had been kidnapped here. The Blaire Grand Duke Residence was built with formidable strength to withstand the harsh northern weather and prepare for monster waves, so it was far from ornate. Yet because each material was of the highest quality, it exuded an elegant atmosphere of classical grandeur and dignity. In fact, rather than merely feeling like a "grand mansion," it possessed the bearing of a royal palace befitting a kingdom's sovereign.
"The Tower Master and the Mages will be staying in one of the Annex Buildings. The Grand Duke Residence has several annexes, and one of them is being used by the painters who produce the comic books."
"Oh, how intriguing. Then we might encounter the people who create the comic books... but surely the Blaire Grand Duke wasn't inconvenienced by this?"
Grandfather Tower Master seemed concerned about the absence of the Blaire Grand Duke. In truth, he had planned to greet them today as well, but early this morning, signs of an imminent monster wave suddenly appeared, so he had set out to the outskirts with his Knights. 'I've heard that monster waves have become more frequent lately....' I shook my head, trying to suppress the rising worry.
"His Grace also wished to meet you, Tower Master, but he departed to handle the monster situation."
"Hmm, I had thought this period would be relatively quiet, but it seems the disturbances are already beginning."
"Yes, and since the comic book-related business has become closely tied to the livelihood of the people of Blaire Territory, His Grace said it was only natural to treat you as honored guests and instructed the staff to pay special attention to your needs."
Though it was I who had used my wish token as "the ear of the Magic Tower."
Deliberately taking credit to change the mood, I felt a slight ache in my heart realizing I had no wish tokens remaining. Yet I harbored no regret about using it. There was no more certain solution to be found. 'This is my approach to dealing with those wretched counterfeits, you shameless fakes.' The authentic certification the Mages inscribed with magic could produce an effect similar to—no, far more powerful than—affixing a genuine hologram sticker. Since it was all composed of mana, it could neither be erased nor tampered with. Cheers to myself for conceiving this idea. However, even if I had devised a solution, requesting cooperation from the Mages was an entirely different matter, and ultimately I had no choice but to use my wish token, setting aside my reluctance. 'But now that I think about it, I don't regret it one bit.' This was a venture I had started, one I had to take responsibility for. Soon, the Tower Master, who had stopped before the chamber assigned to him, smiled warmly with eyes full of goodwill and opened his mouth to speak.
"By the way, I wish to offer my thanks. Through the ideas you presented this time, our Mages in the Magic Tower have learned a great deal."
"Really? What could you possibly have learned from me...."
"A Magic Tower authentication seal that only the Tower Master's mages can imprint—one that cannot be forged. That's what broke through our wall. We simply never thought to use it that way, despite knowing how."
I understood what the Tower Master was saying. When I had asked whether there existed an unforgeable seal that only the Tower Master's mages could imprint, every mage in that room had been struck with shock. It wasn't that they couldn't use such magic—the spell itself was remarkably simple—but no one had ever thought to apply it in that manner.
"Our mages possess the desire to create new inventions. Yet we struggle to determine what we should actually create."
"...."
"If we had a specific goal in mind, we would develop the appropriate magical formulas and begin work immediately. But lacking creativity is nothing short of catastrophic for us."
That made sense. So that's why corporations have separate departments for product planning and technological development, isn't it? I nodded, understanding the Tower Master and the mages' struggles.
"Still, doesn't the Magic Tower receive numerous commissions?"
"Haha, commissions as creative as what the Young Lady requests are rare indeed. Most requests are simply to produce existing items."
Well, I had lived as a modern person of the twenty-first century, so my standards were certainly different from everyone else's.
"The Young Lady apologizes for summoning us from so far away, but every mage dispatched here was genuinely pleased with this task. I wanted you to know that. Hehehehe."
Ah! At that very moment, a brilliant idea struck me like lightning. It was none other than.... 'A beam projector!' In truth, I hadn't just thought of it then—I had conceived of it weeks earlier when I was bedridden. Trapped in bed unable to move, and even forbidden from reading comic books, I was practically dying of boredom. And people simply cannot survive on a single form of entertainment alone. Having sampled all manner of content back in South Korea, I was especially susceptible to such deprivation! 'What I need is a beam projector. A magical box where I can stockpile entertaining videos and watch them whenever I have free time!' Eventually, lying in bed and writhing from boredom, I made an emergency request to Bonita.
"Shall I mention it to the Grand Duke? He might summon a circus troupe or theater company for you."
"That won't work...."
"What? Why not?!"
"The lodging and meal expenses are already unbearable, and adding miscellaneous costs on top of that would be...!"
Yet at the same time, I found Bonita's suggestion quite appealing. Though worry over expenses made it difficult to pursue actively. But if mages were involved? 'The situation changes entirely.' Of course, my initial thought had been a television, but that would be difficult to construct with this era's technology, and it was far too large and heavy, so I had dismissed it lightly. So how did I plan to make a beam projector? 'Simply recording and displaying images can easily be replaced with magic.' In fact, photo stones and image stones powered by magic boasted quality superior to 4K resolution. The problem was merely that the price hadn't become cheap enough for widespread distribution. And the image quality, which seemed to transfer reality exactly as the eye perceived it, sometimes became a drawback. When images were captured through image stones or photo stones, every pore and blemish on a face was captured without exception. Without correction functions, nobles and royalty preferred to commission portraits rather than preserve their overly realistic likenesses. At minimum, a portrait painter can be pressured(?) into rendering subjects more beautifully and handsomely than reality allows. Anyway! If photograph stones and video stones exist, couldn't we develop them into a beam projector? Then I could honestly say I'd survive even if I were confined to this house for a hundred days eating nothing but garlic and mugwort. And if we reduced the size while we're at it, portability would be even better.
"Tower Master! Just a moment, please!"
"Hmm?"
I caught the Tower Master's grandfather before he could enter the chamber.
"I have something to tell you. Something very interesting and fascinating that I'd like to create."
So why don't we have a conversation about it?
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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