Chapter 222: Until It’s Done. (1)

They had achieved more than expected in the capital and even resolved the Piote issue.

It would be nice if things always proceeded this smoothly, but not everything went according to Ghislain's plans.

"Still not done?"

"Yes, it seems it's not an easy task."

Claude responded indifferently to Ghislain's question.

The development of the new material entrusted to the dwarves and the large incubator commissioned to the mages were taking longer than expected.

The new material development wasn't a big concern. All the necessary materials had been provided, so it was only a matter of time before success was inevitable.

In his previous life, Galbarik had succeeded on his own, even with no prior knowledge of the process.

However, the humidity magic used in the large incubator was an issue Ghislain couldn't resolve.

"So… they haven't even properly started on the incubator design?"

"That's what I'm saying. They need to create a humidity control magic, but creating magic from scratch isn't something just anyone can do, is it? Unless they're a dragon, the masters of magic. Have humans ever truly created magic from nothing?"

"Hmm…."

Indeed, even 7th-circle or 8th-circle grand mages could not easily create new magic. Most innovations came from modifying or combining existing spells.

As Ghislain pondered, Claude spoke cautiously.

"Why not pause it for now and assign them to other tasks? It'd be a waste to let the dwarves and mages idle around like this."

The other vassals also supported Claude's suggestion.

"Exactly. Lord, you always prioritize efficiency, don't you?"

"If we deploy the dwarves and mages to other tasks, the work progress will accelerate."

"With how rapidly we're advancing, do we really need those things right now?"

Ghislain shook his head. To advance even faster, those two projects were essential.

He tapped the table with his finger, deep in thought, and then made an abrupt remark.

"Those barbarians in the north, when they curse someone, that person inevitably dies."

Claude was startled by his comment.

"What? Really? How is that even possible? Do they have some incredible shamans or something?"

"They keep cursing until the person dies."

"...."

"Even if the person dies of old age, they claim the curse worked. There's even a story about someone cursing for 30 years."

"...."

"That level of determination is worth learning. We'll do it until it's done. Order them to focus on developing the humidity magic and ensure they succeed."

The vassals sighed and shook their heads. Once their lord set his mind to something, it was impossible to stop him.

And since Ghislain's stubbornness had led to success in the past, there was no way to oppose him. The vassals resigned themselves to the belief that it would somehow work out again.

Under Ghislain's relentless drive, the mages were pushed to their limits. Despite their daily research, creating new magic was no easy task for the average mage.

Eventually, Vanessa took over the research, while Alpoi and the other mages merely watched from the sidelines.

"This is impossible... We can't create magic."

"Exactly. The lord has given us an impossible task this time."

"Even the tower lord can't create magic. How are we supposed to?"

Though the mages voiced their discouragement, Vanessa remained steadfast, devoting herself entirely to the research.

Alpoi and the others secretly enjoyed the situation. Using research as an excuse, they could continue to lounge around.

'Hehehe, it's like a vacation.'

'Vanessa is so diligent. She's the best! I'll just rely on her!'

'I hope we can keep this up forever.'

After a few days of lazing around, the mages had grown completely indolent.

However, they overlooked one critical fact: Vanessa, when conducting research, would naturally carry out experiments as well.

"Hmm, let's try this."

Having spent days glued to her chair, surrounded by a pile of books, Vanessa suddenly stood up.

Seeing her sudden movement, Alpoi, who had been watching her cautiously, was startled.

"Why? Did you figure something out?"

"I'm going to try an experiment."

"How?"

"Just wait a moment."

With dark circles under her eyes, Vanessa suddenly grabbed Alpoi's wrist. Startled by her abrupt approach, Alpoi's face turned slightly red.

"Wa-wait… this is a bit sudden. I know we've grown closer recently, but coming on this strong… I'm not prepared… Gaaaah!"

Before Alpoi could finish his nonsense, his mana was drained in an instant, and he fainted.

Vanessa and the other mages were all equipped with mana-transfer bracelets inscribed with the word "Charnel."

They were always prepared for Vanessa to siphon their mana.

As Alpoi collapsed, the other mages quickly backed away, but Vanessa paid them no mind and immediately cast the magic she had devised.

Ziiing!

A magic circle materialized in the air. Vanessa observed the slowly rotating circle intently before shaking her head.

"It's a failure."

Although briefly disappointed, Vanessa quickly bit her lip and reignited her determination.

Even a genius couldn't create new magic easily. Success on the first attempt would have been miraculous.

Vanessa modified several formulas in her mind and approached another mage.

The mage, sensing his fate, pleaded desperately in a trembling voice.

"W-wait! I never mentioned it before, but I have a fiancée! So please, don't grab my hand… Aaaaagh!"

The mage's mana was drained, and he collapsed next to Alpoi. The two of them looked like mummified corpses lying side by side.

Ziiing!

A new magic circle formed and spun in the air. Vanessa shook her head once more.

Her darkened eyes and expressionless face frightened the mages, who all stepped back.

She looked utterly mad, her demeanor radiating insanity.

Terrified of her, the mages either tried to flee or break their bracelets.

But, unfortunately for them, Vanessa, who had absorbed mana from two people, still had some energy left.

"Hold."

With that one word, all the mages froze in place. Even with her limited mana, she had immobilized dozens of people at once.

Such a feat, even for a 6th-circle mage, was no easy task. Her mastery of mana manipulation was astounding.

"P-please don't! I've never even held a woman's hand except for my mom's!"

"Keeek! Nooo!"

"Spare meeee!"

One by one, the mages had their mana drained and collapsed. Meanwhile, Vanessa cast magic dozens of times, identifying and fixing issues as she went.

Still, the desired effect eluded her. With no mana left to draw from the exhausted mages, they all lay motionless.

"Tsk…."

Vanessa bit her lip and clenched her fists.

She had no more mana to work with. It would take a few days for the mages to recover enough mana to continue.

She was frustrated. She wanted to succeed quickly so the estate residents could eat their fill of meat.

But her abilities alone weren't enough. Only a dragon's level of power might be able to create a new spell.

'What should I do? I need more mana for the experiments.'

She hesitated to use rune stones, as they were a vital resource for the estate's development.

Rune stones were essential for many facilities, making their use in experimental magic a significant burden. Each failure would consume a massive amount of rune stones.

Still, the development of the large incubator was crucial for the estate's growth.

While Vanessa was wrestling with her thoughts, Ghislain arrived.

"Whoa, what happened to you? Is the research not going well?"

"My lord…."

The moment Vanessa saw Ghislain, she staggered toward him, her eyes glinting with determination.

Her disheveled hair and gaunt face made it clear just how much effort she had poured into her research and experiments.

Seeing her zombie-like approach, Ghislain whispered to Gillian beside him.

"There haven't been any dark mages or resurrection rituals happening, right?"

"...."

Vanessa's appearance was that bad.

Standing before Ghislain, she extended her hand and said.

"My lord, please lend me some mana…."

Knights' mana and mages' mana differed in refinement and nature. However, since their source was the same, it wasn't entirely unusable.

While it would be less efficient than a mage's mana, Vanessa, skilled in mana manipulation, could make use of it to some extent.

Seeing the obsessive glint in her eyes, Ghislain flinched and backed away.

"Um… I can lend you some if you need it. But maybe you should rest for now?"

"No… I need to move quickly… If it's too much trouble for you, please call the knights."

"No, those guys will die if their mana gets drained. Poor things."

These knights would vomit blood and collapse when their mana was depleted. Forcing them would likely kill them.

Still, Vanessa didn't give up. At this rate, she seemed ready to forcibly drain Ghislain's mana to continue her experiments.

Ghislain patted her shoulder and said.

"There's no need to create humidity control magic."

"…Pardon?"

Vanessa looked puzzled, unable to comprehend his words.

For the large incubator to work properly, humidity control magic and temperature control magic were essential.

But Ghislain shrugged and continued.

"The goal is to maintain a stable humidity level, right? If we can measure the humidity accurately, we can adjust it manually. For example, sawdust can absorb moisture, so you could monitor its weight for changes. Or you could place water in a cup and check its weight as it evaporates… There are plenty of ways."

Of course, Ghislain didn't know the specifics of measuring humidity. He was simply recalling the advice he'd often heard during his mercenary days.

— Hey! It's too dry. Splash some water on the ground!

Mercenaries traveled through all sorts of climates and adapted accordingly. In dry regions, they would splash water on the ground and keep large water containers inside their tents.

The same principle applied here. Soldiers in the barracks would hang laundry to increase humidity or sprinkle water on the floor.

Ghislain himself had no concrete ideas about materials that absorbed moisture or how evaporation worked.

But he figured that if he shared these ideas with the intelligent mages, they'd find a solution.

And, as expected, Vanessa's eyes widened as if struck by lightning upon hearing his words.

What Ghislain said was common knowledge to her. Yet, she had been so fixated on solving the problem through magic that she hadn't considered other options.

Freed from that preconception, her mind flooded with ideas.

"Ah…."

Magic wasn't omnipotent. In Fenris's estate, they had resolved more issues through technology than magic.

The estate had talented dwarven craftsmen. Magic was only needed to address the parts that were technologically challenging or indispensable.

The order had been wrong. Gaining the necessary knowledge for incubation should have come first, before resorting to magic.

"Ah, I think I understand now! I think I can solve this!"

Vanessa beamed with a bright smile and immediately stormed out of the research lab. Watching her leave, Ghislain shrugged at Gillian.

***

Vanessa immediately began meeting with farmers. Though they were initially shocked by her disheveled appearance, they gladly answered her questions once they learned she was a mage of the estate.

"How do we check the inside of an incubator? By hand, of course."

"By hand?"

"Yes, you just stick your hand in… um, something like this? That's how it's done."

"...."

Vanessa pinched the bridge of her nose.

In this era, non-magic techniques were astoundingly crude.

There were no precise measurements or principles, just knowledge passed down orally based on experience.

The answers from other farmers were much the same.

"The temperature? My father taught me. Just stick your hand in and feel if it's warm enough."

"We'd poke small holes in bricks and sprinkle some water in them."

"You'd have to keep checking often if it's near the stove. Forgetting even once could ruin the hatch."

Everything was done by instinct. As a result, conditions varied every time, and hatch rates were low.

Still, it was better than complete neglect, which is why the methods persisted.

"I need to figure out what these 'feels right' measures actually translate to in numbers. That's the only way to set a standard."

Vanessa spent days among the farmers, trying to determine the optimal temperature and humidity levels for incubation.

The farmers' methods varied, making it difficult to establish a clear standard at first.

She meticulously recorded everything, eventually identifying the practices of the farmer with the highest hatch rate.

Still, that wasn't enough. That farmer was merely the best among the rest.

Vanessa differed from the farmers. She documented every condition she manipulated with precise figures and conducted endless experiments.

"Everyone, please take the tasks I assigned and record them one by one."

The recovered mages, under Vanessa's orders, began assisting with the experiments.

Each mage was assigned a small incubator and, like Vanessa, conducted repeated trials to find the optimal temperature and humidity levels.

After several days of experimentation, they identified the most effective conditions for hatching.

They had determined how much water to sprinkle and what temperature to maintain.

The mages proceeded with the final verification experiments.

"Please, let this work!"

Alpoi closed his eyes and prayed. It was an odd sight for a mage to appeal to a god, but none of the other mages mocked him. They were all equally exhausted.

Finding the optimal conditions had been grueling. Maintaining those conditions required mages to constantly use fire and water spells.

'I'm so sleepy… Haven't had proper rest in days.'

'Please let this succeed… I feel like I'm going to die.'

'If our calculations are correct, all the eggs should hatch today.'

The mages crowded around an incubator containing 30 eggs, watching anxiously.

Their disheveled clothes and haggard faces reflected their struggles.

How long had they waited?

Crack.

On an oil-soaked cloth, one egg began to shake before its top cracked open, and a chick slowly emerged.

"Oh, ohhh! It's hatching! It's hatching!"

The mages clutched their chests, hearts pounding as they watched.

One egg after another cracked. As more chicks emerged, their expressions brightened.

They spent the entire day watching the incubator.

By the next afternoon.

"It's… it's a success! A success!"

Alpoi and the mages raised their hands in triumph, cheering loudly. Though there had been a slight delay, all 30 eggs had hatched.

Compared to the farmers' methods, where over half the eggs often failed to hatch, this result was outstanding.

Vanessa couldn't hide her joy either. They had taken a significant step forward.

But this wasn't the end.

Turning to the assistants helping her, she said.

"Call the dwarves. We've identified the optimal conditions, so it's time to move on to the next stage."

Now, it was time to build a large incubator that could automatically regulate temperature and humidity.

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