Chapter 175: Not Much Time Left (2)

At the news that the hot air balloon was completed, Ghislain's expression brightened. A flying device could serve a multitude of purposes, and he had secretly been looking forward to its completion.

"Good, as expected of dwarves. See? Didn't I say it could be done? A machine that flies in the sky."

"That's right! We really built the hot air balloon based on what you taught us! Hahaha!"

Galbarik laughed heartily. While he had relied on Ghislain's guidance, mastering new technology was still a cause for great pride.

Overjoyed, he showered Ghislain with praise. Giving compliments didn't cost anything, so he gave them generously.

"You're truly remarkable! To have thought of something like this!"

"Indeed, I am remarkable."

"Come on, show a little more enthusiasm! We've made the first flying machine in the continent's history!"

"Sure, sure. We're the first."

Having seen countless hot air balloons in his previous life, Ghislain gave dry responses to the ecstatic Galbarik.

To him, the success of the development was an expected outcome, nothing extraordinary.

But to Galbarik and the dwarves, it was a monumental achievement that would go down in history.

"Finally, humanity can fly without relying on magic! This is truly a triumph of technology! Hahaha!"

In this era, flying was considered impossible without mana to defy the laws of nature.

Creating a device that could take to the skies using only technology was an achievement that thrilled the dwarves, who dedicated their lives to innovation.

All the dwarves cheered for Ghislain.

"As expected of our lord! To notice even such minute phenomena!"

"Even more impressive is the idea to use those phenomena to create new technology! That kind of thinking is rare!"

"I will never doubt the lord's knowledge again! You are a genius! A true intellectual genius!"

"How much must you have studied as a child to know such things?!"

As the flood of compliments continued, Ghislain awkwardly scratched his cheek and looked away.

Not long ago, people had been calling him the kingdom's best doctor, and now they were calling him a genius intellectual.

At this rate, his gravestone might read "The Great Scholar."

'Ah, this is kind of embarrassing.'

Ghislain's actual expertise was fighting; everything else was just recycled knowledge from his previous life.

But with everyone so delighted, he couldn't bring himself to dampen the mood.

"Hmm, I just happened to stumble upon it. It's not like I studied much…"

"Exactly! A true genius doesn't need to study for long! They say a wise person sees ten things by observing one!"

"No, that's not what I meant…"

"What a shame! If you'd attended the academy, you would've graduated as a top student for sure! Being a top graduate from the Royal Academy carries great prestige, doesn't it?"

He probably would've graduated top, but not for academics—more likely for causing trouble.

Feeling increasingly flustered, Ghislain waved his hand to change the subject.

"You've run all the tests, right? No safety issues?"

"Don't worry! We tested it by flying a sheep, a duck, and a rooster for 20 minutes, and later a mage flew in it to confirm. It's completely safe! The prototype was a bit small, so we made the demonstration model larger and sturdier!"

Why it had to be a sheep, duck, and rooster was unclear, but since even a mage had confirmed its safety, there didn't seem to be any problems.

"Good, then let's begin the demonstration. Gather everyone."

With the order given, the vassals quickly assembled.

Those gathered in the large open space looked expectantly at the machine resting in the middle.

Rumors about the dwarves' marvelous invention had spread throughout the estate. It was hard to keep it a secret with something floating in the sky.

Claude, especially excited, approached Ghislain, practically spitting as he spoke.

"My lord! Is it true this was made for reconnaissance? The dwarves said so! Is that right? It seems perfect for spotting enemy movements during a siege!"

"Well, yes… it'll mainly be used for that."

"Ha! I knew it! I knew you'd change your mind! Right! You can't fight with sick knights!"

Claude wiped away tears of joy as his emotions overflowed.

From what Galbarik had said, the hot air balloon would be extremely effective in siege defense.

The biggest problem in a siege was not being able to see what the enemy was doing beyond the walls.

But with a hot air balloon, it would be easy to monitor enemy movements.

The fact that the lord had built such a device must mean he had reconsidered the campaign.

Watching Claude celebrate alone, Ghislain clicked his tongue and asked.

"Does that make you happy?"

"Of course!"

Claude felt he had learned a profound truth: even the most wayward master could be reasoned with through persistent and heartfelt persuasion.

'Our lord has changed. He's finally listening to reason.'

Tearing up with emotion, Claude sniffled while Belinda, her eyes sparkling, asked Ghislain.

"Young master, does that thing really fly? Can it really go into the sky?"

"Of course, it does. We've already tested it thoroughly."

"Wow, then let's take it on a trip! It'll be so fun!"

"That sounds great. It's really fun to ride. But first, let's start the demonstration. Go ahead!"

At Ghislain's signal, Alpoi approached the balloon's airbag. Relishing the attention, he wore a smug expression.

As someone who had helped with the prototype, the interest in the hot air balloon felt like interest in him.

Using wind magic, he quickly inflated the airbag. Once it was full, he unleashed a burst of fire from his hands.

Although there was a heating device, using magic was a faster way to heat the air.

Whoosh!

As the magically produced fire heated the air rapidly, the balloon slowly began to rise.

"Ooooh!"

The crowd let out gasps of awe as they watched.

Alpoi, basking in their admiration, shrugged his shoulders arrogantly and jumped into the basket, lighting the fuel tank connected to the air hole.

A mage couldn't continuously channel mana to keep the balloon afloat, so materials like hay, wool, and oil were used to maintain heat.

The balloon, tethered by a long rope, rose about 20 meters into the air before stopping. As it remained suspended, the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Wow! It's really flying!"

"Incredible! How did they even make such a thing?"

"As expected of the lord! And the dwarves!"

Amid the cheers, the dwarves strutted with their hands behind their backs, coughing modestly, while Ghislain gave a satisfied smile.

After about ten minutes of flight, Alpoi descended and, with an excited expression, declared.

"Now we'll cut the rope and take a free flight. Who wants to ride? The basket isn't very big, so I can only take one person!"

Like a child flaunting a new toy, Alpoi spoke with exaggerated pride.

The other mages sighed and shook their heads.

After successfully test-flying the balloon, Alpoi refused to let anyone else have a turn, insisting on occupying it every time.

While a mage wasn't strictly necessary for operating the balloon, Alpoi argued it was better to have one for temperature control, ensuring he always reserved a spot.

The hot air balloon was one of the few sources of amusement in Perdium, and Alpoi had no intention of giving it up.

"Come on, decide who's going to ride! We've already had multiple successful flights, so it's perfectly safe!"

Having just witnessed the demonstration, the crowd felt no hesitation. People eagerly raised their hands.

"Me! I'll go first!"

"My lord! Let me test the safety first!"

But their shouts were drowned out by a roar from one individual.

"What are you talking about? As the next commander of the Fenris Knight Order, I should be the first to ride! Get lost unless you want to die!"

The owner of the voice was Kaor, who had been buried in the training grounds for days.

As soon as he saw the hot air balloon, his eyes lit up.

Anything exciting was something he had to do first—it was a matter of honor for him.

"Let's settle this with a duel! Winner gets the first ride!"

At Kaor's suggestion, the crowd recoiled. No one wanted to cross swords—or even words—with the lunatic.

But not everyone backed down. Belinda and Gillian drew their weapons and approached Kaor.

As tensions escalated, Ghislain clicked his tongue and intervened.

"Everyone will get a turn, so don't fight. Kaor, you go first."

With Kaor so openly displaying his desire, it was easier to let him go first and get it over with.

"Hah, as expected of our lord. You understand me."

Grinning ear to ear, Kaor climbed into the balloon while the others watched enviously.

As soon as Kaor boarded, Alpoi launched the balloon again. This time, the rope was cut, allowing it to drift with the wind.

To minimize risks, they decided to descend after a few minutes at a safe altitude.

"Wow! This feels amazing!"

As the balloon rose higher, Kaor looked down and marveled at the view.

The crowd followed the drifting balloon below, so enthralled they didn't notice the strain of walking.

Kaor looked down at the tiny figures below, grinning smugly. The people looked like mere dolls from his perspective.

'So this is what it's like to look down on others from up high.'

It felt like he truly belonged in such lofty heights.

A sudden thought struck Kaor, and he immediately shared it with Alpoi.

"This feels incredible. Hey, let's go higher. Let's climb all the way to the sky."

"What? Go higher?"

"Yeah, let's look down on those ants even more! Right now, we're the rulers of the sky!"

"That's a great idea. Or better yet, how about we take this thing and escape to the magic tower?"

With two fools egging each other on, there was no room for dissent.

Agreeing with Kaor, Alpoi stopped managing the temperature and glanced down at their increasing altitude with a smug expression.

'Ah, this feels fantastic! This is where the successor of the magic tower belongs! Look up to me! Worship me!'

While the two idiots grinned in glee, the balloon, now untethered and uncontrolled, continued to ascend.

As the balloon climbed too high, those following below began to look uneasy.

It wasn't just that the balloon was too high—it was also swaying in the strong wind.

"Why is it swaying so much?"

"Is something wrong?"

"It looks dangerous…"

Behind the murmuring crowd, Ghislain tilted his head.

Something definitely seemed off. He couldn't understand why the balloon had gone so high.

Then it happened—the balloon began to wobble violently before descending. The sight left everyone gasping in shock.

"The airbag is deflating!"

"Is it falling?"

"Oh no! It's speeding up!"

At first, the air in the bag slowed the descent.

But as with any falling object, acceleration soon took over.

As the airbag deflated, the balloon began plummeting faster and faster.

No one could intervene.

The balloon, while visible due to its height, was still too far away for immediate assistance.

As everyone panicked and froze, Alpoi's scream rang out.

"Save meeeeee!"

Kaor's shout followed closely behind.

"Damn it! We're all gonna diiiiie!"

Watching the falling balloon, Ghislain muttered.

"Ah, it's defective."

Unfortunately, it couldn't be helped. Inventions rarely worked perfectly on the first try.

While Ghislain clicked his tongue, the balloon continued its rapid descent.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Alpoi clung desperately to the basket, screaming.

He had been brought to this miserable estate as a slave and was now about to die. Frustration and resentment filled him, and he gripped the basket tightly.

'I should've stayed at the magic tower! Life was good back then!'

But his thoughts didn't last long.

As the descent accelerated, the fear of death blanked out his mind.

Then came Kaor's thunderous shout.

"Get a grip! If we hit the ground, we're dead! We're all going to die!"

"Aaaaaaah! I don't care! I'm scared!"

Alpoi closed his eyes, trembling as he screamed endlessly.

Having spent his life in research at the magic tower and working on construction projects in Fenris, he had zero practical experience. He had no crisis-management skills.

In contrast, Kaor, who had faced countless life-and-death situations, was far better equipped.

Forcing himself to focus, Kaor opened his eyes wide and yelled.

"You're a mage, aren't you? Don't you have a spell to make us float? We just need to hover briefly before hitting the ground! Think of something!"

"What? Huh?"

The possibility of survival lit a spark in Alpoi's eyes.

There was a way: the 3rd-circle levitation spell, Levitation.

While he couldn't use 7th-circle gravity magic, a 3rd-circle spell was well within Alpoi's capabilities.

Though it consumed more mana than usual for its level, it could slow their fall enough to make a difference.

"I-I can do it! I can make us float for a moment!"

Hearing this, Kaor's face lit up.

"Good. Listen carefully. We're going to jump out of here!"

At this unexpected declaration of suicide, Alpoi stared at Kaor as if he had gone insane.

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