Chapter 175: Not Much Time Left (2)
Ghislaine’s face lit up at the news that the hot air balloon was complete. He had been secretly waiting for it to be finished, as flying machines could be used for various purposes.
“Great! As expected from the dwarves. How about it? Didn’t I tell you? We can make a flying machine!”
“Indeed! The hot air balloon has truly been completed based on what the lord taught us! Hahaha!”
Galbarik laughed heartily. Though he had received help from Ghislaine, mastering a new technique was certainly a cause for joy.
In his excitement, he showered Ghislaine with compliments. After all, giving a few compliments didn’t cost any money.
“Really amazing! Who knew you could come up with something so incredible!”
“Yeah, it is impressive.”
“Be more joyful! We’ve created the continent’s first flying machine!”
“Yeah, yeah. We are the first.”
Having seen countless hot air balloons in his previous life, Ghislaine gave only dry responses to the exuberant Galbarik.
In fact, he thought developing it was a natural result and not particularly surprising.
However, for Galbarik and the dwarves, it was completely different. The development of the hot air balloon was truly a historic achievement.
“Finally, humanity can fly on its own power without relying on magic! This is truly a victory for technology! Hahaha!”
In the present age, flying was considered impossible. To soar through the sky, one had to use mana to defy the laws of nature.
But creating a flying machine using purely technology without magic made the dwarves, who were dedicated to technology, ecstatic.
All the dwarves cheered while looking at Ghislaine.
“Indeed, the lord is remarkable! Such observational skills to not miss a small phenomenon!”
“Even more impressive is the ability to create new technology from that phenomenon! Such thinking is rare!”
“I will never doubt the lord’s knowledge again! The lord is a genius! A genius intellect!”
“How much has he studied since childhood to know something like this!”
As the compliments poured in, Ghislaine scratched his cheek and glanced away awkwardly.
It hadn’t been long since he was referred to as the kingdom’s best doctor, and now he was being called a genius intellect.
At this rate, his gravestone would read “The Great Scholar.”
‘Oh, this is a bit embarrassing.’
Ghislaine’s area of expertise was fighting, and everything else was just knowledge he had picked up in his previous life.
Still, he couldn’t bring himself to ruin the joyful atmosphere.
“Ahem, it was just a lucky discovery. What studying…”
“Of course! A true genius doesn’t need to study for long! They say when you see one, you understand a hundred!”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Still, it’s a shame; if you had gone to the academy, you would have definitely been at the top! Being the top of the Royal Academy would be quite esteemed, wouldn’t it?”
“Am I not being evaluated?”
You probably became the top, not through studying, but by causing accidents.
Embarrassed, Ghislaine waved his hands to change the subject.
“The test must have been completed properly, right? No safety issues?”
“Don’t worry! We flew for 20 minutes with a sheep, a duck, and a rooster, and afterward, the Mage boarded to confirm. Safety is guaranteed! The first one was a bit small, so we made this demonstration model larger and sturdier!”
I don’t know why it was a sheep, duck, and rooster, but since the Mage confirmed it, there probably wouldn’t be any safety issues.
“Alright, then let’s start the demonstration right away. Gather everyone.”
Once the summons was issued, the Lord’s retainers quickly gathered.
The people gathered in the wide open space looked on with a mix of excitement and curiosity at the contraption resting in the center.
Rumors had already spread throughout the territory that the Dwarf had created something amazing. With something floating in the sky, it was impossible for rumors not to spread.
Especially Claude, brimming with excitement, sputtered his words as he asked Ghislaine.
“Lord! Is it really made for reconnaissance? That’s what the Dwarves said! Right? It would be great for spotting enemy forces during defense!”
“Uh, yeah… It is mainly used for that purpose.”
“Cough, I thought the Lord might change his mind! Right? We can’t take the sick into battle!”
Claude swallowed his rising emotions, wiping the tears that welled up in his eyes.
If Galbarik was to be believed, the hot air balloon was indeed a very effective tool for defense.
The problem with defending was that it was hard to see what the enemy was doing beyond the castle walls.
But by using a hot air balloon, you could easily observe the movements of the enemy forces.
The fact that the Lord, who was supposed to head out, created something like this almost meant he had changed his mind.
Seeing Claude joyful alone, Ghislaine clicked his tongue and asked.
“Are you happy?”
“Oh, of course!”
Claude realized a truth about life. No matter how much of a fool someone is, if you persist with sincere persuasion, they eventually understand.
‘Our Lord has changed. He’s finally starting to listen!’
As Claude began to tear up with emotion, Belinda sparkled her eyes and asked.
“Younger Master, does it really float? Can we fly in the sky?”
“Of course, it does. The tests are already complete.”
“Wow, then let’s go on an outing in this! Outing! That sounds fun!”
“That sounds good, it’ll really be fun to ride this. But first, let’s do the demonstration. Alright, start!”
As Ghislaine signaled, Alfoy approached the hot air balloon’s airbag. He enjoyed the attention focused on him while wearing a smug expression.
As someone who had participated in making the prototype, the interest in the hot air balloon was like interest in himself.
Using wind magic, he quickly filled the air, and as the bag inflated, he breathed fire from his hands.
There was a heating device, but it was faster to use magic for heating.
Whoosh!
As the air heated quickly with the fiery magic, the bag began to rise slowly.
“Ooooh!”
The people gasped at the sight.
Alfoy shrugged proudly and hopped into the basket to light the fuel tank connected to the air hole.
The Mage couldn’t keep using his magic for the entire flight, so they used hay, wool, and oil as fuel.
Tethered to the ground by long ropes, the hot air balloon rose about 20 meters before stopping. After a moment of silence, people erupted into cheers as they continued to watch the balloon floating in the sky.
“Wow! It really flew!”
“Awesome! How could someone make such an amazing thing?”
“Can we actually do this?”
“Of course, it’s the Lord! Dwarves, as expected!”
Amidst the cheers of the people, the dwarves, brimming with confidence, clasped their hands behind their backs and cleared their throats, while Ghislaine wore a satisfied smile.
As Alfoy landed after about ten minutes of flight, he spoke with an excited expression.
“I’m going to cut the rope now and let it fly. Who wants to hop on? It’s not that big, so only one person can ride!”
Alfoy spoke in a tone reminiscent of a child with a special toy.
Watching this, the other mages sighed and shook their heads.
After successfully test flying, Alfoy refused to give up his spot. He was as immature as they come.
In reality, there was no issue operating the hot air balloon without a mage.
But Alfoy insisted that it was better for a mage to be on board to quickly adjust the temperature, claiming his seat every time the balloon took flight.
After all, in the otherwise dull Perdium, the hot air balloon was one of the few toys available.
“Alright, hurry up and decide who’s riding! I’ve successfully flown several times now, so I can guarantee safety!”
Having just witnessed Alfoy boarding the balloon, there was no room for doubt. People eagerly raised their hands.
“Me, I want to ride!”
“Lord! I’ll check if it’s dangerous first!”
But their shouts were drowned out by a single roar.
“What are you talking about! As the next Penris Knight Commander, I must ride first! If you don’t want to die, you all better back off!”
The voice belonged to Kaor, who had been holed up at the training ground for days.
His eyes lit up at the sight of the hot air balloon.
Something this exciting absolutely needed to be ridden first. It was like a manly belief.
“Let’s settle this with a duel! The winner rides first!”
At Kaor’s words, people flinched and took a step back. It was best not to even exchange words with that lunatic.
However, not everyone stepped back. Belinda and Gillian swiftly drew their weapons and approached Kaor.
In this tense moment, Ghislaine clicked his tongue and said, “I’ll let you all ride so don’t fight. Kaor can go first.”
Since he was openly showing his desire, it was better to let him ride first and get it over with.
“Ah, the Lord really knows what’s up.”
Brimming with pride, Kaor climbed aboard the hot air balloon. The others looked on enviously, pouting.
As soon as Kaor got in, Alfoy took to the skies again. The difference this time was that they cut the rope and rode the wind.
To prevent any potential accidents, they decided to stay at a confirmed safe altitude for a few minutes before descending.
“Wow! This feels awesome!”
As the balloon soared high, Kaor looked down and gasped in admiration.
The people gazed up, following the hot air balloon gliding on the wind. It was so mesmerizing that they didn’t realize how strenuous walking had become.
Kaor looked down at the people below, wearing an arrogant expression. They appeared small, like toys.
‘Being high up means I can look down on everyone like this.’
Only after coming up did he realize: heights suited him much better.
A sudden thought flashed through Kaor’s mind. He immediately conveyed his brilliant idea to Alfoy.
“This feels amazing. Hey, let’s go higher. Let’s reach the very edge of the sky!”
“What? You want to go higher?”
“Yeah, let’s go higher and look down at those ant-like people! Right now, we’re the lords of the skies!”
“That’s a great idea. Or, wait, should we just escape to the Mage Tower on this thing?”
With two like-minded individuals together, there was no chance of a dissenting opinion.
Agreeing with Kaor, Alfoy abandoned temperature adjustments and stared down beneath him.
Alfoy stopped adjusting the temperature and looked down at his feet.
His expression was far more arrogant than Kaor’s.
“Ah, looking down like this feels so refreshing! The heir of the Mage Tower deserves to be in such a position! Look up at me! Worship me!”
While those two fools were grinning, the uncontrollable hot air balloon began to rise aimlessly.
As the balloon climbed too high, the people following it looked puzzled.
It wasn’t just getting higher. The airbag of the balloon was shaking this way and that in the strong wind.
“What’s going on? It’s shaking too much!”
“Is something wrong?”
“It looks a bit dangerous up there…”
Ghislaine tilted his head at the commotion behind the crowd.
Something was definitely off. He couldn’t figure out why it rose so high.
Then it happened. The hot air balloon shook violently and began to descend. The sight left the onlookers in shock.
“The bag is shrinking!”
“Is it falling right now?”
“H-Huh? It’s speeding up!”
At first, the balloon descended slowly as the airbag still had some air left.
But falling objects pick up speed.
As the airbag shrank, the hot air balloon fell faster and faster.
But there was no one to help.
It was visible from a distance due to the balloon’s height, but the actual distance was quite far away.
As everyone fell into confusion, Alfoy’s shout echoed.
“SAVE—ME—!”
Kaor’s shout followed right after.
“Hey—! Damn—! Shit! We’re done!”
Driving Ghislaine to mumble while staring blankly at the falling balloon.
“Ah, it was a defective product.”
Unfortunately, it was an unavoidable situation. Invention doesn’t happen perfectly without failures.
Even as Ghislaine clicked his tongue, the hot air balloon was plummeting.
“Uwaaaaah!”
Alfoy clutched the basket of the balloon and screamed.
He’d come to this crappy territory, only to suffer as a slave and now face death. It was frustrating and infuriating, causing his grip to tighten.
“I should’ve stayed at the Mage Tower! I was happy then!”
But that thought didn’t last long.
As the falling speed increased, the fear of death made his mind go blank.
Then came Kaor’s thunderous shout.
“Hey! Get a grip! If we keep falling, we’re really going to die! We’re all going to die!”
“Uwaaaaah! I don’t know! I’m scared!”
Alfoy shut his eyes tight and trembled, just screaming.
He had only done research in the Mage Tower, and now he was living at a construction site in the Penris Territory, leaving him with zero real battle experience. So, there’s no way he could handle a crisis.
In that regard, Kaor, who had been through all kinds of hardships, was slightly better off.
Kaor tried to compose himself and said with eyes wide open.
“Aren’t you a mage? Can’t you do some flying magic? Just float for a moment before you hit the ground! That way we can survive! Think!”
“Huh? What?”
Hearing the word ‘survive’ brought a flicker of life back into Alfoy’s eyes.
There was a way. The 3rd Circle levitation spell ‘Levitation’.
Gravity magic was 7th Circle, so he couldn’t use that, but Alfoy could definitely cast a 3rd Circle spell.
Although it used an excessive amount of magic for a 3rd Circle spell, he could at least slow down his fall for a moment.
“I-I have it! I can float for a moment!”
Kaor’s expression brightened at Alfoy’s shout.
“Good, listen carefully! We’re going to jump out of here!”
To the sudden declaration of jumping off, Alfoy looked at Kaor as if he were insane.
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