4 – His Passion

The village only has one cafe, and the ones visited it are just locals or adventurers passing by. So, Evelyn attracts the attention of visitors and waiters.

Apart from her luxurious clothes, Evelyn's movements show that she's truly a noblewoman. The way she lifted the cup and sipped the tea displayed a gentle elegance.

"Sorry." Lance glanced at Cecil, who was sitting on the other side of the table. "This will be an important discussion and it will probably involve you."

The blonde woman smiled, but maybe a little too much. "It's okay. The more, the merrier."

"Thanks." Lance cleared his throat, turning to the witch. "Miss, Evelyn…"

"Just call me Eve, please." She responded. "I think we're the same age."

"Sure, Eve. Let's continue our conversation this morning. Regarding the mech…" The young man realized he needed to use a term that people in this world could easily understand. "Let's call it powered armor. The first thing I need is an energy source and something that can convert it into a magic spell. Then that magic will move the armor. I want everyone can use it, not just magic users."

Evelyn tapped her fingers on the table. Her expression showed no significant change. "There is a type of stone that can be a source of mana. In theory, you could use it for magic."

Cecil chimed in. "Mana stone? That's something rare, isn't it?"

"Not really." Evelyn sipped her tea again. "The wizards worried that granting access to the stone would enable ordinary people to use magic, regardless of their talent. It can give you a lot of manas, after all. So, there are no wizards to study it and develop it."

A first hurdle. Using that stone carries a potential risk. Some wizards may not be fond of that. If regular individuals possessed magic, their years of practice and study would seem pointless.

"Well, the wizard council didn't really forbid it, though." Eve resumed. "It's just that permission to conduct research is difficult. I think I can work on that."

As the daughter of one of the highest-ranking figures in the kingdom, she had connections.

"Then as for that 'movement magic' you talked about earlier." Lance looked around, finding that people weren't paying much attention to Eve anymore. "Can you activate it with an inscription or something so ordinary people can use it?"

"We can theoretically activate every magic with an inscription. But to activate 'movement magic' with inscription, we have to do a lot of experiments. The data is minimal." The orange-haired witch also looked around. "Like I said this morning. The wizards don't see the use of this magic, so they don't touch it."

The 'movement magic' that Lance mentioned was a spell that only moved objects a few inches. Although it may seem useless, Lance saw its potential.

"Sorry." A grimace adorned Cecil's face. "I'm not sure if I understand your conversation, guys."

Lance smiled at his childhood friend. "We will make an armor that can increase the user's speed and strength."

Cecil squinted her eyes. "Ah, you two need a blacksmith, huh?"

"We can't use your parents' workshop." Lance continued. "I was thinking of using the one left by your uncle."

"We'll rent it." Evelyn added. "And I will provide appropriate compensation. I will use this research as my final assignment as a graduation requirement. I wanted everything to run with minimal disruption, so an unused space was perfect. No one will bat an eye."

"Will this possibly make me unable to help my parents?" Cecil's gaze fell on Lance's red eyes. Not long after, the blacksmith smiled. "Well, even though I still don't really understand, I'm in. I can get away from my parents, who demand that I go to town to try my luck."

One of Lance's eyebrows rose. "I didn't expect it to go this smoothly. You always say that your parents are often in trouble. They often have to fulfill orders for agricultural equipment."

Cecil chuckled. "I've never seen passion like this in your eyes, Lance. I wanted to help you because of it. Usually, you just let your life flow."

Indeed, Lance felt his heart beating fast with excitement.

"I will collect various things in the city and bring them here." Eve finished her tea. "You two should make a list of what you need... Why don't you come with me?"

As Eve put down her cup, Lance and Cecil exchanged glances.

***

In the evening, Lance came to his mother, who was cooking in the kitchen. 

"Miss Evelyn was the only one who came today, and she mentioned not having a favorite food." The mother cuts something on a cutting board. "I'm afraid I won't be able to satisfy her."

"Your food is always delicious, mom." Lance leaned against the corner of the kitchen. "It'll be fine."

"She came here to refresh her mind from her studies." The mother smiled at her son. "I want to give her the best."

Lance watched his mother work. In the past, sir Arthur Moryet will bring his own chef. But one day he tasted her food, which was actually for Felix and Lance. He liked it, and since then he always asked Ruth to cook for Lance's mother when he came to this house.

"Tomorrow, Miss Evelyn and I will go to the capital." Lance told his mother. "I helped Miss Evelyn with her final year project. Cecil is coming too."

The mother stopped her activities. "Finally, you do something else. You always say you love work and life here."

"I gave her an idea…"

"And you want to make them your harem, right?" The mother interrupted her son's words.

Lance was speechless. He couldn't understand why his mother could come to such an absurd conclusion.

"I don't mind if you have more than one wife." Lance's mother laughed and continued her work. "As long as they agree and you don't hurt them... Yeah, don't be like your big sh*t dad, who hurt me by leaving me."

A heavy sigh escaped Lance's mouth. "I didn't think of anything like that, Mom."

"I know, I know." Lance's mother shrugged. "I can feel that you are passionate about this. I am proud of you. Honestly, I'm afraid you're stuck here, and have explored none other possibilities. You will never know your potential."

Lance already knows his potential.

"We will return here will be busy working on the project." Lance explained. "So, I probably won't be able to help much in this house."

"It's okay. Let Felix work his ass off so chicks will come to him."