A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

216 – War Is a Business (6)

After leaving his father’s study and bringing Bathory back to the Gorge Nursery.

“Please come to your senses.”

“Alchemy Master… Hehe, ehehe…”

Bathory is broken.

“Budget is unlimited… Anything… Hee hee, hee hee…”

Bathory laughed heartily, touching his face with both hands, as if he were drunk on some kind of drug, even more intoxicated than Caroline or someone who was drunk on silver.

“It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a lot of time, but we have an overwhelming budget that exceeds that… Hehe, hehe…”

It seems that this woman is crazier than I thought.

Perhaps, rather than being the shadow of the empire or the emperor’s right-hand man, he may be positioning his identity as a ‘magic engineering researcher’ who can be said to be a combination of alchemy and magic.

‘If that’s the case, then the way to handle it is simpler.’

I think my father just left the budget and other procedures to me because he was lazy, but I guess that was the pinpoint that helped me understand Bathory’s true feelings

“Major General Bathory.”

“College?”

“I will now treat you as the temporary director of the Gibraltar Institute of Magic Engineering, so wouldn’t it be appropriate to call you director?”

“A father and son make me really wet?”

“…”

“Ah, that doesn’t sound strange. It means that you are motivated to research. Isn’t that strange?”

Bathory quickly waved her hand and tried to contain her remarks.

“Rather than that, can I ask how you raised this budget?”

“I sold the photo.”

“…Photo?”

“I secretly took pictures of my father and sold them as pictorials.”

“…You raised this much money through that? It’s ridiculous.”

“I heard that the photos of my father that women in the Empire were purchasing on a whim sold better than expected. Couldn’t you confirm that?”

“Still, I don’t think the sales amount will be this much… “

I tried to get over it by selling out my father, but it doesn’t seem to work for the head of the Empire’s Shadow Intelligence Service.

“I can’t help it. I have no choice but to tell you the truth. It goes without saying, but there’s no way you could get that much budget just by selling photos. Photos… Were just a means of developing a sales route.”

I opened the sealed door leading to the basement of the orphanage facility.

“…!”

As soon as the seal on the door is lifted, Bathory’s expression hardens.

The fact that there was a basement under the orphanage was surprising in itself, but Bathory swallowed his saliva and stepped in front of me at the pungent smell coming from inside.

“Here, no way…”

“This is an underground laboratory that I personally planned and established.”

Literally, an underground laboratory.

A special facility where magic herbs are grown using only the power of mana, filled with the smell of earth and somnus flowers, but without a single ray of sunlight.

“Except for members of the Gibraltar family, only the Grand Duke of Winchester, Queen Carmen, and Viscount Hex Romana are aware that such a laboratory exists in the basement of the Canyon Orphanage.”

“No way here…”

“You know, but if you didn’t know, I want you to know for sure this time.”

I picked up a sample while being greeted by the children of the canyon – orphans from the orphanage – who greeted me as soon as they saw me.

“Caroline.”

“…”

“It is a material created based on imperial silver.”

“As expected… “

Bathory’s eyes sparkled sharply as he fiddled with the glass bottle containing Caroline that I gave him.

“…You know that if you tell His Majesty about this, you’ll be in really big trouble, right?”

“Did His Majesty the Habsburgs not know?”

“Rather than not knowing, you thought it was planned and researched by Crimson Gibraltar, not Gray Gibraltar. I guess Caroline is often used for that, right?”

“…Let me make it clear that we have opened our hands to each other.”

I gently shook the other glass bottle.

“Caroline was not originally created to be used for that purpose.”

“No?”

“Of course not. I was about 10 years old when I came up with this. “What kind of 10-year-old would think that he would create a miracle for adult men with erectile dysfunction?”

“…Isn’t it real?”

“No.”

Although the whole world uses it that way, Caroline is at least ‘officially’ a mana supplement.

“Mix the somnus flower with the magic herb, then mix it with the bones of the monster or other materials and then absorb it as mana. It was just a mana supplement made by the knights of Gibraltar to absorb mana more quickly.”

“…”

“Because it uses a few ‘special’ ingredients, unintended side effects arose. Well, now those side effects have actually become the main thing.”

With a slightly bitter expression, he puts Caroline back in the storage box.

“For me, this was a way to quickly gather magical energy and become stronger. Although it’s bittersweet now that I’m getting stronger in other ways…”

“But?”

“I heard that this is mainly used by men who have bowed their heads due to broken pride throughout the kingdom and the empire. And especially, those who frequently purchase this…”

“Many of the noble ladies of the empire. It’s good for skin care and married life. Really, in many ways.”

Bathory slightly opened Caroline’s lid, and she poured a little bit of it onto the back of her hand and started applying it to her cheeks.

“You didn’t know this? It’s something the women of the Empire apply to Caroline’s skin.”

“…”

“Know this because it also helps improve wrinkles… Wait a minute. It’s not because I’m old enough to care about wrinkles that I know about this. I’m doing this to let you know that it’s a use that only those in the empire know about.”

“I know. Director Bathory’s skin looks young enough without Caroline’s help.”

It is rude to say that you look young.

Since Director Bathory has decided to help us in many ways, we must say even the most gut-wrenching words out of our mouths.

“Your knowledge has increased. Next time, I’ll try making it with something viscous like slime to make it easier to apply.”

At least, it’s much better than calling people like Captain Zeros and Viscount Balzac the ‘Great Nostrum’ and getting caught up in the gambling of dirty men.

“I wish it was white if possible. Something sticky.”

“…Yes?”

“No, think about it. It feels like your skin turns white when it’s white, right?”

“I think it’s already white enough…”

“I am, but not many people. Some people have a purpose in whitening themselves. Freckles or something like that? …I don’t have any!”

“I see.”

It was a bit unfortunate that he had to tell me one by one that it wasn’t him, but I tried my best to pretend not to notice and pointed to the inside of the lab.

“Anyway, you can stay here in the lab for a while. It’s underground where there’s no sunlight-“

“Perfect!”

“…”

“For a laboratory, this dark atmosphere is perfect. The ventilation seems to be good, and the scent of the magic herb gives the illusion of man accumulating in the body. But…”

“Just?”

“I don’t think what the director of Yeongjijeon is drawing is a bit in sync with the research results obtained here.”

“Let’s talk about that here.”

Squeak.

When I opened the door to the deep room inside the basement, a new space soon unfolded.

“This is…”

“It’s a research lab. The position of director of the research center has been vacant for several years, but if someone like that were to appear, the space was set aside to accommodate that person.”

A structure reminiscent of a luxury hotel suite in the islands.

At the same time, there is a separate laboratory, so research can be conducted underground.

“It was built with reference to the space for the court mage in the Kingdom of Nostrum and the special room of the magic tower owner. It may be a bit crude since it was built without the knowledge of others…”

“It’s sloppy. Such a neat and perfect lab…Sigh.”

Bathory whet his appetite

“It seems more sophisticated in some ways than the laboratory at the Imperial Magic Research Institute. Overall, it feels like a classic wizard’s workshop.”

“Is that so? It’s worth it for imagining hard while reading the Imperial Newspaper.”

“Did you make this?”

“I only drew the basic sketch. I got help from Morgania for the actual design and such.”

“…”

As it is a laboratory created by concentrating the future knowledge of the returnees, although the place is a little small and the furniture and fixtures have a bit of an atmosphere of the Kingdom of Nostrum, it is a composition that stimulates people’s ‘sensibility’.

“I thought that if there comes a time when we need to understand and deal with magic engineering against the empire, then we should recruit geniuses with talent for magic engineering here to learn and master it.”

At one time, I thought I must recruit a talent from the empire.

‘I didn’t know she was this woman.’

His identity is suspicious in many ways – in fact, there are some things that can be guessed – but it is true that he is still from the Empire, but even if he is the emperor’s right hand man, he can be made to ‘convert ‘ to Gibraltar if the conditions are right.

I’ll gather 300 Quislings and give them to you, but give me one Erzebet.

That feeling.

“When Orosol Academy opened and I heard that an alchemy professor from the Empire would come, I honestly looked forward to it. I thought that if I took the alchemy class, there would be geniuses who would excel in magic engineering among the students.”

“…”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t found such a student yet. So I thought it would be better to hire an expert who is most proficient in magical engineering…”

Lightly shrug your shoulders.

“I never thought I would be able to serve you, even temporarily, like this.”

“Temporary…?”

“After all, you are from the Empire. Since you came here as reinforcements for His Majesty the Emperor, you must return to Orosol Academy once the territory war is over.”

“…”

Bathory nodes lightly.

It seems a bit disappointing, but I am not a person who is confused about construction.

“While you are here, these friends will help you.”

Pair.

“Merlin. Are you outside?”

“Yes, master.”

“Bring the children from the lab and come in.”

“Excuse me.”

I clapped my hands, and soon a group of people gathered outside the collection lab.

“This is Merlin. I’m the director of the orphanage.”

“Nice to meet you, young lady. Merlin, who is in charge of the daycare center…”

From noble mtl dot come

“Baby, Mr.?”

Bathory laughed and looked Merlin up and down.

“Who is calling whom as a lady, huh?”

“…Isn’t this the noble lady you brought with you…?”

“Didn’t you hear us talking?”

“I’m sorry. I’m an ordinary maid, and you don’t call me unless it’s something I want to hear.”

“…Didn’t you hear?”

“If it’s necessary for work, I’ll figure it out. I’m sorry. That…”

Sometimes.

“Master. Is this person… ?”

“Professor Bathory Erzsebet of Orosol Academy. He came from the Empire, but he decided to temporarily help us here in the lab.”

“…Excuse me. She looked younger than me, so I thought she was a noble lady.”

There are times when acting without notice is the quickest way.

“Hmm. That’s not it. I’m 28 years old this year, so I’m past the age where I can be called a lady.”

This is why I chose Merlin to be her daycare director.

And since she became the director of the daycare, she has never disappointed me.

“Excuse me, Bathory. I should have told you earlier.”

“Hmm, no. It came suddenly, and if I didn’t know, wouldn’t that mean I didn’t overhear?”

“Thank you for your understanding, Merlin. Let’s make up for this by treating you well.”

“Yes, Master. I will serve you with all my heart.”

“Yes. Even in the ‘research’ direction.”

“Research…?”

“Yes.”

I pointed Bathory to Merlin and other children.

“These children have been making Caroline in the basement since they entered the orphanage.”

“…Children?”

“Yes. Now they are all teenagers, and some of them are adults.”

Even though he was wearing a white coat, he looked like a researcher from that empire.

“They will assist with research.”

“…”

Among the orphanage children who could not become knights, but at the same time had a talent for research, they were all raised for this day.

“These kids really like magic engineering, so you can do as much as you want.”

Symbol.

“If you take the entrance exam to the Magic Engineering Research Institute, everyone will pass 100%. At least they have the basics.”

Ability.

“These are people who want to succeed based on magical engineering.”

Reality.

“Above all, these are the people who remained in Gibraltar and were not sent elsewhere.”

And, passion.

“I feel so bad that if Orosol Academy opens a graduate school in the future, I would like to send them to the graduate school at my request so that they can directly learn the empire’s advanced magic engineering and hone their skills.”

Bathory suddenly came here, but these are the talents I had prepared eight years ago.

“Your physical strength will be sufficient through Gibraltar-style apprentice knight training, and you will be able to concentrate while drinking Caroline.”

“…No way.”

“Yes. Caroline was literally a nourishing tonic, an item made to temporarily relieve fatigue.”

Assistant alchemists for the Empire’s magic engineers working in Gibraltar.

“Roll as much as you want.”

Prepared, graduate student (preliminary).