Ghislain had returned from the capital with more than he’d hoped for and had even resolved the issue with Piote. It would be nice if things always went this smoothly, but not everything went according to Ghislain’s plans. “It’s still not ready yet?” “Yes, it appears it’s not so easy to accomplish,” Claude replied dryly. The dwarves tasked with developing the new material and the mages working on the large incubator were taking longer than expected. Ghislain wasn’t overly concerned about the material development. He had provided all the necessary ingredients, so as long as they invested time, they would succeed eventually. In his previous life, Galbarik had figured it out on his own, even without guidance. But the humidity-control magic required for the large incubator was a problem Ghislain couldn’t solve. “So... they haven’t even started designing the incubator yet?” “Exactly. You’d have to invent a humidity-control spell first, and creating new magic is no easy feat, especially not without being a dragon, who naturally manipulates magic. Has a human ever successfully created magic from scratch?” “Hmm...” It was true, even high-ranking wizards like those at the seventh or eighth circle struggled to create new magic. They typically modified or combined existing spells rather than creating anything entirely new. As Ghislain was deep in thought, Claude cautiously suggested, “Perhaps you should have them pause this project and assign them to other tasks? It seems a waste to let the dwarves and mages sit idle.” Other retainers quickly supported Claude’s suggestion. “That’s right. My lord, you value efficiency above all else.” “Diverting the dwarves and mages to other tasks will likely speed up our work overall.” “Our progress is already rapid; do we really need these particular items right now?” Ghislain shook his head. To push their development forward, those two things were essential. He tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought, then spoke with an unexpected turn. “Up north, they say that when barbarians place a curse, it always comes true.” Claude looked at him, shocked. “Really? How? Do they have some kind of powerful shaman?” “They just keep doing it... until the person dies.” “...” “They believe the curse worked, even if their target dies of old age. One person cursed for thirty years.” “...” “That kind of perseverance is worth learning from. We’ll do the same. Focus on creating that humidity-control spell until it succeeds.” Seeing the determination in Ghislain’s eyes, everyone shook their heads. Once he set his mind on something, he couldn’t be stopped. Ghislain’s tenacity had led to success in the past, so they couldn’t argue. Resigned to their fate, the retainers simply hoped for the best. The mages, however, were not so fortunate, especially as they struggled daily with the task of creating entirely new magic. While they researched daily, lower-level mages were far from capable of inventing spells. In the end, Vanessa took charge, while Alfoy and the other mages merely observed. “This... this is impossible. We can’t invent magic.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚 “Right, this is a task even the Tower Master can’t handle. How could we create it?” “Even the Tower Master has never invented magic.” As the other mages continued their discouraged grumblings, Vanessa silently persevered with her research. Secretly, the mages were quite content with the situation. With research as an excuse, they could continue lazing around. ‘Heh heh, it’s like a vacation.’ ‘Vanessa, you’re amazing. We’re counting on you!’ ‘I hope she just keeps researching forever.’ After lazing around for several days, the mages grew even more relaxed. But there was something they overlooked: Vanessa experimented as part of her research. “Well, I’ll just try it out.” Vanessa, who had spent days seated with books piled around her, suddenly stood up. Alfoy, who had been watching, leaned forward in curiosity as she approached him. “What? Did you figure something out?” “I need to run an experiment.” “How?” “Just a moment.” With dark circles under her eyes, Vanessa suddenly grabbed Alfoy’s wrist. Surprised by the sudden contact, Alfoy’s face turned slightly red. “W-wait... this is so sudden! Even though we’ve gotten closer recently, if you come on so strong, I’m not prepared for this... Gah!” Before he could finish his babbling, Alfoy’s mana was drained, and he passed out. The mages all wore “Mana Transfer” bracelets marked with “Sharnel.” They were always prepared for Vanessa to drain their mana. As Alfoy collapsed, the other mages quickly retreated, but Vanessa ignored them, focusing solely on casting the magic she had conceptualized. A magical circle formed in the air. Vanessa studied it carefully as it rotated slowly, only to shake her head a moment later. “It’s a failure.” Though briefly disappointed, she soon bit her lip and reignited her determination. Creating new magic wasn’t easy, even for a genius. Success on the first try would have been more surprising. Vanessa adjusted some formulas in her mind and approached another mage. Sensing his impending fate, the mage pleaded, his voice trembling. “W-wait! I haven’t told anyone, but I have a fiancée! So, please, don’t touch my hand!” The mage collapsed beside Alfoy, having had his mana drained as well, leaving the two lying there like mummies. A new magical circle appeared in the air and rotated briefly before Vanessa shook her head again. With dark circles under her eyes and an expressionless face, she advanced toward the remaining mages, who scrambled backward. The mages were ready to either flee or break their bracelets, terrified by the madness they saw in Vanessa’s eyes. But unfortunately for them, Vanessa still had a bit of mana left after draining two people. “Hold.” With that one word, all the mages froze. Even with minimal mana, she immobilized dozens at once—a feat not easily achieved even at the sixth circle. “Don’t come near me! I’ve never held hands with a woman other than my mom!” “Kyaah! Stop!” “Please, spare me!” One by one, the mages collapsed as Vanessa drained their mana, all while tirelessly adjusting her magic formula with each failure. Eventually, however, all the mages lay unconscious, completely drained of mana. “Damn...” Vanessa bit her lip, clenching her fist in frustration. There were no mages left from whom she could absorb mana. She would have to wait a few days for everyone to recover before resuming her experiments. It was frustrating. She wanted nothing more than to succeed, so the people of the territory could eat their fill of meat. But her capabilities were limited. Only a dragon could likely create such magic. ‘What should I do? I need more mana for further experiments.’ She wanted to avoid using runestones as much as possible since they were vital resources for the territory’s development. Runestones were needed for various facilities, so wasting them on these experiments felt like a huge risk. Still, developing the large incubator was essential for the growth of the territory. As Vanessa was deep in thought, Ghislain arrived. “Whoa, what happened to you? Having trouble with the research?” “My lord...” Vanessa staggered toward Ghislain, eyes glittering with desperation. Her disheveled hair and gaunt face showed just how much effort she had poured into her research. Seeing her approach like a zombie, Ghislain whispered to Gillian beside him. “Are you sure a dark wizard didn’t visit while I was away? No resurrection rituals or anything?” “...” Vanessa looked that bad. Reaching out to Ghislain, she said, “My lord, could I borrow some of your mana... just for a moment?” While the energy used by mages and knights was somewhat different, the source was similar enough for Vanessa to use it. Though less efficient than a mage’s mana, Vanessa could likely adapt and use it. Startled by her intense gaze, Ghislain took a step back. “Well... if you really need it, I guess I could lend some. But don’t you think you should rest a bit first?” “No... even just a bit more... if it’s too much trouble, maybe the knights could spare some?” “No way, they’d die instantly if their mana was drained. Poor guys.” They were the type to cough up blood if they overexerted their mana. Draining it forcibly would probably kill them. Even then, Vanessa didn’t back down. She seemed ready to forcefully draw Ghislain’s mana if he refused. Patting her shoulder, Ghislain reassured her. “You don’t have to create a humidity-control spell.” “What?” Vanessa looked at him, confused. For the incubator to work better than the previous one, temperature and humidity-control spells were essential. But Ghislain shrugged and explained. “The goal is simply to keep the humidity consistent, right? As long as you know what the humidity level is, you can adjust it manually. For example, wood absorbs moisture, so you could use sawdust and measure weight changes... Or, since water evaporates, you could put some in a cup and monitor its weight. There are many ways to do it.” Ghislain didn’t know precise ways to measure humidity, but he remembered what he’d often heard during his mercenary days. — “It’s too dry! Pour some water on the floor!” As mercenaries, they traveled through various climates. In dry areas, they’d often douse the ground and keep large water containers inside their tents . Hearing Ghislain’s suggestion, Vanessa’s eyes widened as if struck by inspiration. What he’d said was common sense, of course, but she had been so fixated on using magic to solve the problem that she hadn’t considered other approaches. Freed from that preconception, her mind flooded with new ideas. “Ah...” Magic wasn’t always the answer. In Fenris, many problems had been solved with technology rather than magic. Here, they had skilled dwarven craftsmen. The plan was simply to use magic where technology couldn’t manage alone. They had been approaching it backward. They first needed to understand the incubation conditions before applying magic. “I think I understand! I can solve this now!” With a beaming smile, she dashed out of the study, leaving Ghislain and Gillian behind. --- Vanessa quickly sought out the farmers. While surprised at first by her haggard appearance, they were happy to answer her questions once they learned she was a mage. “You want to know how we check the conditions inside an incubator? Of course, we use our hands.” “Your hands?” “Yes, you just stick your hand in... like this. That’s all there is to it.” “...” Vanessa placed her hand on her forehead, exasperated. Without magic, methods here were incredibly crude. Each farmer had their own method, and she struggled at first to figure it out. Taking notes constantly, she standardized the process based on the practices of the farmer with the highest success rate. While this was a starting point, it wasn’t precise enough. Vanessa was different from the farmers; she logged every parameter with exact measurements and continuously experimented. “Everyone, please track the specifics I mentioned.” The mages, now recovered, followed Vanessa’s instructions and began their experiments. Each mage worked on a small incubator, continuously testing to find the ideal temperature and humidity. After days of experiments, they identified the conditions with the highest success rate. Maintaining these precise parameters required manual intervention with fire and water magic. ‘So sleepy... I haven’t slept in days.’ ‘Please succeed... I feel like I’m dying.’ The mages anxiously watched the incubator containing 30 eggs, hoping for the best. After a while... Crack. On the oil-soaked cloth, an egg wobbled before the top broke open, and a chick began to emerge. “Oh! It’s hatching!” The mages watched, hearts pounding, as more eggs began to crack. As the number of chicks increased, their excitement grew. They stayed by the incubator all day. By the following afternoon... “It worked! We did it!” Alfoy and the mages raised their hands in triumph. Though the timing varied slightly, all 30 eggs had hatched, with none failing. Vanessa couldn’t hide her joy. They had finally taken a step forward. But it wasn’t over yet. Turning to her assistants, she instructed them. “Call in the dwarves. Now that we know the optimal conditions, it’s time for the next step.” The next goal was to create a large incubator capable of automatically controlling temperature and humidity.