"We don't really need to add the timer function to the Cooling Magic Tool in the Division Commander's office, right?"
Honestly, I'd rather not do the work of adding the timer function again anytime soon.
"If you want the timer function, please buy it yourself once Lilien Trading Company starts selling it."
I should finish the spec sheet before then and hand it to Uncle Alex.
"Of course. Until then, I'll use the timer function myself and advertise it to the Division Commander."
...Isn't that just bragging dressed up as advertising?
Well, it really is a handy feature, so I guess it's not wrong.
Besides, if it actually gets used in the Division Commander's office, demand for the Cooling Magic Tool itself might go up too.
So then, maybe Big Brother Philip's bragging isn't such bad advertising after all.
Setting the thought aside, I got back to work.
Good thing I bought extra thin iron plates when I went to Lilien Trading Company. I didn't think I'd end up making this many Cooling Magic Tools, so it looks like I'll need to go buy more thin iron plates again soon.
Ah, next time I go, I'll probably need a lot of stuff, so maybe I should jot down a memo.
Thin iron plates... ten. Mana insulation plates... three. Replacement pen tips for the spell-drawing pen (fine)... five. Magic cores... ten small, five medium, maybe.
For now, that's about it.
Alright, let me pull myself together and make the Cooling Magic Tool for the Division Commander's office――
I've already made the cooling spell itself many times. But this time, it's going in the Division Commander's office. I'll work carefully, paying attention to how it looks and how stable it is.
――I'm not sure how much time passed, but the Cooling Magic Tool for the Division Commander's office was done, and the function check went smoothly as well.
When I happened to look out the window, the sun was starting to rise.
"...I ended up working until morning after all."
I'd been keeping a regular schedule lately, too... all because Big Brother Philip came back.
Instead of sleeping now, maybe I should just stay up, eat breakfast, and then sleep.
I've been using Mana nonstop, so I'm more tired than I expected.
Philip pointed to the board with a sigh. "Finn, about the spell array we're putting into this main body, it's so detailed that it keeps touching the circuit..."
"Ah, that part...... I actually changed the layout a bit when I installed it. I forgot to rewrite the spec sheet."
"I see. No wonder it didn't match."
Big Brother Philip nodded like he understood.
Even something you've already made needs its spec sheet fixed when you improve it... If I had a computer or a printer, fixing and printing would be so easy...
Well, I don't know how they're built, so I can't make one right now. But someday I want to try.
.....Also, a 3D printer. If I had one of those, I think making the main body would be a lot easier too........
But then again, that might hurt the work of the craftsmen who make the main bodies.
...That's still a long way off, though.
While helping Big Brother Philip, I carefully rewrote the spec sheet to give to Uncle Alex――
"Alright, it's finally done. Installing the timer function was painstaking work. My eyes are pretty tired."
"Yeah. But there's still room for improvement, I think. I feel like I could do it more easily next time."
"Is that so?"
"Besides, if we ever mass-produce Cooling Magic Tools with the timer function built in, the craftsmen are gonna collapse. Even Big Brother Philip gets tired just making one."
"True. Since I was controlling Mana so finely the whole time, I used up more than usual."
"So I want to make it easier to build. Oh, there's still a bit of time before breakfast, but do you want to wait with some tea? I'm thinking I'll finish the spec sheet and then have some tea until it's time."
"Sure. I want to recover what I used up, so let's eat breakfast and then sleep. Until then, I'll wait with some tea."
While I boiled water with the water heater in the Workshop, I finished the spec sheet.
I brewed tea for Big Brother Philip and for myself, and set it on the side table.
"Thanks. It's been a while since I've had tea you brewed, Finn. It's clean and easy to drink, so I like it."
"These tea leaves are light, so they're easy to drink even between Mana-heavy tasks."
"I'll keep these tea leaves stocked in the Magician Corps from now on too."
...Wouldn't that mean everyone else ends up working like it's a black company...? Well, even if that happens, it sounds like the Vice Captain will stop them.
"Anyway, I'm really grateful you made the Cooling Magic Tool! It's been so hot lately I didn't know what to do, so I was cooling things with magic, but that would've messed with work no matter how much Mana I had."
So he really was handling it with magic after all.
Even Big Brother Philip finds it a big strain to keep things cool with Mana for a long time.
"Now I can focus even harder on work!"
...He was being told to take time off, and now he's planning to become even more of a workaholic?
As we were talking about that――
Soft raps sounded against the wooden door.
"Master Finn, breakfast is served," Noah said, stepping inside.
"Ah, got it. Then let's head to the Dining Hall, Big Brother Philip."
"Yeah."
"Lord Philip, I see you are present as well. Good morning."
"Morning, Noah. I've been buried in work since yesterday, and I just finished a little while ago."
"Indeed, my lords. Pray ensure you rest properly."
"I know. I'm planning to sleep after breakfast. I probably won't wake up for lunch."
"I'm planning to sleep after the meal too. Lunch will be... after I wake up."
"Very good, sir. I shall inform the Head Chef. If you will follow me, the others await in the Dining Hall."
Trivia:
- Finn's casual mention of a black company is a real-world Japanese term for an exploitative workplace, hinting his modern-world memories still shape how he judges this fantasy world's work culture.
- Philip's offer to advertise the timer function by using it himself in the Division Commander's office shows he understands that personal demonstration, not sales pitches, drives demand among nobles and military elites.
- Finn's wish for a 3D printer carries a quiet worry that automation could put craftsmen out of work, foreshadowing a possible tension between his modern ideas and the artisan economy he now lives in.
Notes:
• Alex - Owner of Lilien Trading Company. Called Uncle Alex by Finn. Experienced merchant with an eye for sellable goods and a close, familiar relationship with Finn's family. Practical about product development and eager to commercialize new magical tools.
• Philip - Big Brother to Finn and knight. Loves magic and learned Magic Tool crafting from Grandpa. Serves in the Knight Order and often moves between his room and the Captain's office.
• Finn - Third son of a marquis family and a magical tool maker. Graduated from an academy and became a full magical tool maker after apprenticing. Currently staying at the family estate during summer. Working on a prototype magical tool that can cool the air, using a fan blower's magical circuit as a base. Has a tendency to forget meals when absorbed in work, though this has improved. Finds the dining room and hallways uncomfortably hot. Wears his shirt with two buttons undone at home. Knows Noah well since childhood. Third son of a marquis family living in the royal capital. Aspiring magical tool maker who retains memories of a past life. Currently working on creating a cooling magical device to deal with an unusually hot summer. Gets absorbed in work and loses track of time.
• Noah - Finn's personal attendant. Has been by Finn's side since childhood. Knows Finn well.