Chapter 2
- Sparkle!
Let there be light!
The Count Enersis residence lit up brightly that evening, perfectly living up to the expression.
“……Good heavens.”
Delford Enersis. Akion Enersis’s biological father.
And the man who had sold him as a live-in son-in-law to a ducal family.
Now, in his hands, he held the incandescent bulb Akion had made over the past three months.
To the eye, it was merely a metaphysical work of art made from a glass globe, platinum, and various metals.
- Bzzzz….
But the moment mana was sent into it, it emitted more than five times the light of a mana lamp, along with a little heat.
And yet its consumption efficiency was nine times that of a mana lamp….
“Butler.”
“Yes. Here is the mana stone.”
The count soon pressed the mana stone the head butler had handed him against the bottom of the incandescent bulb,
- Whoosh!
“H-heh-heh! Hahahaha! Great heavens….”
He was dumbfounded by the incandescent bulb that continued to shine brightly.
This had been born from the hands of his useless youngest son?
“Butler. Do you think my eyes are deceiving me? Would you confirm it as well?”
“My lord. I was so astonished that I feel like washing my eyes a second time before checking.”
It used mana with nine times the efficiency of a mana lamp while producing five times the brightness.
Its only function was ‘very bright,’ but its efficiency was high enough to compare with artifacts made by the ancient great mages.
The count could not stop thinking about one remark from the youngest─Akion, who had handed him the incandescent bulb while reporting his research results moments ago.
“Father. I have no interest in the countship.”
Originally, it would have meant resignation. He was an ignorant fool who could not even use magic, after all.
Still, he was his child.
No matter how much of a count he was, he had no intention of pushing his child to the edge of a deadly cliff.
That was why he had planned to send Akion as a live-in son-in-law to the Northern Grand Duke’s family, where he would have value….
“I have no interest in the countship.”
“Gnnngh…!”
He had suddenly made an artifact-grade mana lamp and then said that?!
How much of a budget had Akion taken to make this thing called an incandescent bulb?
It was a speck compared to the cost of developing new magic. And once the wealth of the Count Enersis family was added in, it was less than a speck.
And with that, he had made an artifact-grade mana lamp like this?!
Its sale price would be lower than that of a mana lamp, and with this level of brightness, its applications would be endless.
“There will be demand everywhere light is needed. Then, in this field, too…!”
Naturally, it could replace candles and torches in everyday life.
At this level of brightness, it could even replace the torches at military bases.
Above all, if he lowered the production cost, it could be distributed to commoner households. They would work more at night, and productivity would skyrocket.
And there were so many other applications he could think of!
The moment he sold this, his money would multiply in an instant.
“Butler….”
“Yes.”
“Bring Akion here.”
And yet of all people, his youngest son, whom he had considered the most useless, had created this!
The result was far too clear to dismiss as a miracle.
This was a glimpse of Akion’s talent─a talent he had never known about!
“Akion. Why are you putting your father to the test….”
The count felt as if he were being tested.
Akion might have decided to leave the family.
Perhaps he had deliberately shown the finished product to reproach the count for failing to recognize his talent.
“Are you trying to punish me for neglecting you…?”
The count felt that the time spent waiting for Akion was eternal.
*
“What do you want from me?”
Why is he nervous? That was the first thing Akion noticed about his biological father, Delford, the moment he entered the study.
“Father. I─.”
“When you said you have no interest in the countship… do you mean you have no attachment to this countdom?”
“Huh?”
What on earth was his father suddenly talking about?
This was the family that had always persecuted him. Naturally, Akion had no attachment to the countship, but that did not mean he intended to leave the Count Enersis territory right away.
“So I will not beat around the bush. Akion. What do you want?”
“Father. I just want peace.”
A countdom boasting all sorts of high-quality mines, fertile land, and even a commercial city.
Moreover, there was a mage tower within the territory, making it easy to obtain alchemical materials─and, by extension, materials for engineering.
And even if he was sick of his blood relatives… the seventeen-year-old Akion, before awakening his memories of reincarnation, had liked this place.
Of course, he did not mean this mansion full of relatives.
He meant the rich and peaceful territory outside the mansion itself.
“I simply want to focus on alchemy research in my workshop without competing with my siblings.”
“Is that truly what you want? Really?”
That was why he had no reason to leave.
“Yes. A life without want is enough for me.”
“Ahem, without want, you say.”
Akion conveyed his feelings with utmost sincerity, and the count let out a low hum.
Because unlike his siblings, Akion had lived quite a poor life.
Akion, who had recalled his memories of reincarnation, considered himself to have lived quite comfortably, but in any case.
To the count’s ears, it sounded like, ‘I’m so hurt. I’m wondering if I should leave the family.’
It meant he had been hit where it hurt. Hard enough to break out in a cold sweat.
“If that is what you wish… I understand.”
Now that he had realized the value of the incandescent bulb, the count was the one at a disadvantage.
What if Akion left the family, was taken in by a hostile family or faction, and released this incandescent bulb?
Beyond making a fortune, people inside and outside the family would begin to question Delford Enersis’s leadership.
The family would likewise be branded as ‘ruffians who threw away a talented child.’
“I swear upon the name of Delford Enersis. I promise you my full support.”
“You said that before─.”
“No. I am not speaking indirectly. What I mean is….”
In that case, it was only right to hold on to Akion by making him fond of the Enersis family.
In that regard, Delford was an excellent material negotiator, even if he was inadequate as a father.
“It means Enersis will support you with all its might.”
“Pardon?”
“Use the family’s wealth as you please. In my name.”
He was the one who had made the incandescent bulb. What could someone like him not make that was even greater?
He had to hold on to him at all costs.
It was, in other words, the ‘Let our Akion do whatever he wants~!’ proposal.
*
- Thud!
Akion emerged from the count’s study. He was feeling dazed.
To briefly explain what had just happened, it was as if his cold-blooded father had suddenly panicked and grabbed him by the trouser leg.
Something that could never happen had happened to him.
Akion picked up the incandescent bulb that had been returned to him and examined it.
“Is this… really that impressive?”
It was clearly nine times more efficient in mana consumption than a mana lamp, while its brightness was five times greater, with room for even more.
On top of that, in a good way, its lifespan was unknown.
Since it used a bamboo filament, he had expected it to break down within three days, but the experimental piece left in the workshop had remained lit and perfectly fine twenty-four hours a day, even six days later.
It was not producing such an embarrassingly large amount of heat that calling it an incandescent bulb felt awkward, either, so perhaps….
- Clap clap!
“Don’t let your guard down.”
He must not burn through his hope circuits first. Engineering was a cold discipline.
The priority was to examine ways to improve it while keeping the possibility of failure in mind.
Akion slapped his cheeks and renewed his resolve.
He then moved on, opened the workshop door, and stepped inside,
“Kraaagh, Goldie! What are you doing?!”
“Ah, ah! It’s…!”
He smacked his forehead.
And covered his eyes because of the glare.
“No. Even if it is warm….”
“Heh, hehe. I’m sorry.”
Goldie had turned on the twenty incandescent bulbs he had made beforehand at maximum output and was warming herself in front of them.
No wonder the workshop had been sweltering despite it being winter.
“It’s fine. Better than you catching a cold.”
“Hehe, thank you!”
Since winter was nearing its end, Akion decided to let it slide.
“Come to think of it, the principle behind a stove and a filament are similar, aren’t they?”
And thanks to Goldie, he had also recalled the principle behind an electric heater.
Mana behaved like electricity, and the incandescent bulb emitted heat because resistance arose when electricity flowed. That was also the principle behind an electric heater.
Thinking that he would release an electric heater when the weather grew chilly again someday….
“Goldie.”
“Yes, young master. But why are you suddenly speaking with such a serious expression?”
He wanted to tell Goldie a piece of good news.
“D-don’t tell me! Did the lord say he was kicking you out?! Waaah! No! What will our poor young master do?! I’ll be kicked out with you, so you’ll definitely take me with you, right?! Right?!!”
“No, you slanderous doggy.”
First, he had to correct her misunderstanding.
After soothing Goldie for another ten-plus minutes, Akion told her about the authority he had received from the head of the family.
“Sniff, the lord even put his name on it, snort! He said he would support you, young master?”
“He told me to use the family’s wealth without holding back.”
“Wowow! Then Goldie won’t get kicked out either─ Waaah! Don’t kick me out!”
“No. I should pinch you a little, if only because you’re being annoying.”
As he stretched Goldie’s cheeks, Akion began planning for the future.
First, he had received a blank check for the budget. This meant they would pour in an enormous budget, one even an imperial ducal family could not dream of spending.
Spending that much money just to light up the Enersis residence felt a bit excessive.
Excessive luxury was outside Akion’s tastes.
“As you said, are you going to distribute it to commoner households as well?”
“I’d like to, but… even if we lower the production cost as much as possible, it uses platinum.”
So he would use this mana incandescent bulb elsewhere, too.
“Still, it would be nice if it became widespread, hehe. Something this pretty would look nice along the streets, too.”
“The streets?”
Such as the streets Goldie had mentioned.
“Streetlamps.”
Streetlamps standing along roads or sidewalks.
It would be difficult to install them throughout the entire vast Count Enersis territory. Still, perhaps they could install them along roads in the city center or near major facilities?
First, he would supply public facilities.
The necessary energy? Mana stones were abundant.
Moreover, since mana appeared to possess the properties of electricity, they could supply it through wires and make distribution boards to control the streetlamps on each road.
“You’re saying you’ll install these incandescent bulbs at regular intervals along the streets? And attach ones that bright to poles?”
When he explained this to Goldie as well, her eyes went wide….
“The poles alone are going to cost an enormous amount of money….”
“It’s fine. Father said he’d pay for all of it.”
Through mage-like reasoning, she calculated how expensive Akion’s plan was.
“But, hmm. Public safety will definitely improve.”
“Right?”
And she realized the benefits that would follow.
No matter how prosperous the countdom was, there was quite a bit of crime in the middle of the night. Even on fairly major streets!
Because of this, the security guards always patrolled while carrying torches. Sometimes, they even imposed curfews.
But what if the streets of the countdom were lit by streetlamps? They would be freed from security problems to some degree.
“And since I’ve received so much money anyway….”
Still, Enersis had money to spare.
Since he had received a blank check for the budget anyway, Akion recalled something he had wanted to try someday.
“Let’s put a sign on Father’s carriage.”
“A sign? That wooden thing?”
“No, I’ll make one by putting incandescent bulbs inside a semitransparent box.”
For the great Count Enersis, his incandescently filial son Akion planned to put a large nameplate on his carriage.
“In the shape of the letters ENERSIS.”
He would attach a glowing alphabet sign to the carriage.
‘Enersis is riding inside.’ In enormous, billboard-sized letters.
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