Chapter 132

As everyone knows, even objectively speaking, Jane can definitely be called a ‘weirdo.’

The invention of artificial magic stones, which seemed impossible. Engineering technology that surpasses current technology by leaps and bounds.

To be precise, she is a genius who transcends the times, which is why she feels like a weirdo.

To put it metaphorically, it’s like inventing a lighter when fire was crucial in the primitive era.

The problem is that she invented the lighter just to grill meat, so she doesn’t even realize how impressive that is.

She seems genius-like but has her silly moments. It’s like how geniuses sometimes get treated as morons due to their bizarre ideas.

“I was told that I was chosen by Lord Chaos, but can you really get chosen over something like this?”

“Of course. Sister Jane invented an item that can replace magic stones, didn’t she?”

After a series of events, Rize’s fondness for Jane shot sky-high.

Just a few minutes ago, Rize was ready to chop her head off with an axe, but now it’s different.

As she slowly started to understand the person Jane is, she got surprisingly close to her.

“That being said… I don’t quite understand if this is really impressive.”

Jane adjusted her glasses and looked at the object resting on her hand.

Unlike the round and mineral-like magic stones, the artificial magic stones she invented were square plates.

On those plates, something like gold leaf was densely stuck, resembling semiconductors seen back on Earth.

“I know magic stones are very rare minerals. But even making this cost way too much. I had to pour most of the investment money Sivar gave me into it. It took a long time too.”

“Either way, you invented it artificially, right?”

“Well, yes, but wouldn’t it be better to just buy it in the market? It would be less trouble and probably cheaper.”

Look at that. She has that clueless expression about what she just invented.

If you think about it in Earth terms, it’s like inventing an alternative to oil, but she has no idea at all.

It’s a case of being too smart for her own good. Jane’s thought process probably went something like this:

[Need magic stones for production.]

[Magic stones are too expensive, so let’s make a substitute.]

[Tada! I invented artificial magic stones!]

[Now, let’s produce again!]

It’s not an exaggeration; it probably flowed just like that.

When others ask how it’s done? She would probably not understand either.

Why can’t they do this simple thing? Can’t they just whip it up?

She likely thinks she didn’t make it because the price was too high.

But it’s not that she didn’t make it; it’s that she couldn’t make it. If she could’ve, she would have used it long ago.

“······I understand why Lord Chaos chose Sister Jane. I’m glad to meet her now.”

“What does that mean?”

“Sister Jane may find it hard to understand, but this is an incredible invention. There have been efforts to replace magic stones, but they’ve all been in vain.”

“Isn’t that because of money? If it were profitable, I would have patented it ages ago.”

Thank goodness she hasn’t. I genuinely thought so.

Jane adjusts all human standards to fit herself. On top of that, she’s incredibly poor.

People who have eaten well can eat even better; she’s been so impoverished that she knows nothing of the world.

Even the academy professors didn’t catch on to her genius; she must have been like a frog in a well.

And yet, in that well, there wasn’t just a frog, but a dragon. A dragon, who didn’t even realize it was one.

‘Well, if you think about it, Newton also lost big bucks in stocks…’

No matter how transcendentally genius someone is, if they don’t learn, they’ll know nothing.

What’s the use of having the most advanced computer? It would be a shame if all it runs are low-spec games.

“Then, are you planning to patent it?”

“Not at all. In fact, I barely made this by saving and saving. If I had the right equipment, the efficiency would be alright, but… honestly, right now, it’s just not worth patenting.”

“In other words, if you had enough equipment and materials, you could produce superior artificial magic stones than this, right?”

“Yes. But that requires a lot of money…”

Jane said that while subtly glancing at me. It was as if she was silently asking if I could invest again.

Money is no issue for me; I’ve made plenty off stocks. As I mentioned before, Jane’s development requires funds.

Even Iron Man wouldn’t have invented his suit without his fortune.

Thanks to his brilliant mind, he managed to whip up a prototype in a cave, but beyond that, money is essential.

“I’ll give you more money.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah. But slowly. Don’t patent it either. It’s dangerous.”

Patents should be applied for slowly or not at all—at least for now.

Moreover, given the age we live in, the patent system has way too many loopholes. It’s a situation where you might get backstabbed.

On top of that, if you mix in Jane’s disastrous grasp of the situation… it would be an easy upgrade for a demon.

“Of course. I would never think of submitting something as trash. Ah! By the way, I need to renew the contract…”

“A contract? You’re not referring to that slave contract, are you?”

“Huh? I never entered into a slave contract…”

As Jane showed a confused reaction, Rize took out a paper from her pocket.

It was the contract meant to smack down the scammer. A document that was pretty much a declaration that she wanted to be a slave herself.

Jane accepted the contract Rize handed her and read it slowly. After that, she pushed her glasses up and replied.

“This is indeed the contract I wrote. Is there a problem?”

“··· ···”

There are just too many problems. Rize looked dumbfounded since she struggled to form words.

She’s usually unfazed, so Jane really amazed me.

Eventually, after given a detailed explanation about the contract, she finally realized.

“O, oh? Th- This really was a slave contract?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for Sivar, you would have been completely used as a slave.”

“Thank goodness. My first investor was Mr. Sivar…”

What would have happened if someone else had recognized Jane’s true worth? She would’ve been truly enslaved.

While she wasn’t worked as a slave in the Soul World, I see she got backstabbed there.

After that, she properly fell and joined the demon side, and the demons came out with all kinds of equipment.

“So, do we need to write a new contract?”

“If Mr. Sivar is willing to invest, I’ll help you. But I only know about pacts, not contracts, and that should be enough.”

“A pact? What’s that?”

“You can think of it as a contract mediated directly by a god.”

She’s trying to completely twist my nose here, huh? Though it’s called a pact, it’s essentially a slave contract.

As Rize explained, a pact is a contract directly mediated by a god. For this, a bishop-level individual is absolutely necessary.

If the pact is broken, then that person can’t serve the god for life. The label of being a pact-breaker is also an additional burden.

Of course, if certain conditions are met, the pact can be reversed. But it’s incredibly strict, making it hard.

‘So pacts are usually used when one gets promoted to bishop…’

Pacts between people are hardly made. Thus, pacts are regarded as contracts made with gods.

Since Rize is a saint, making a pact should be no trouble for her. I was curious about what kind of pact she would form.

Since it’s Chaos, the pact might be a bit lenient. He’s broad-minded enough to justify even murder if necessary.

However, as I’ve mentioned numerous times, he doesn’t bless those who engage in pleasure murders. His nature can be considered ‘good.’

“For now, let’s save the pact document for later. Didn’t you say you had something to show Mr. Sivar?”

“Oh, yes! Please come this way for a moment!”

Jane said as if she’d just remembered and led us.

Rize and I followed her to the place she guided us. It wasn’t too far away.

When we arrived, we saw various odds and ends and a mechanical arm made of iron on the table.

Yes. It was the mechanical arm I had been desperately wanting.

“This is the mechanical arm Mr. Sivar mentioned. If it has no magical power, it’s just a chunk of iron, but once magic is infused, it should exhibit incredible strength.”

“Does it also use artificial magic stones?”

“Yes. It’s essential for injecting magic into the entire mechanical arm.”

The mechanical arm’s overall appearance was quite different from what I had imagined. It was unrefined and somewhat clunky.

Though it can’t be helped due to the era’s limitations. Moreover, since it’s equipment, the welding would not have been done properly.

However, on the other hand, that means such intricate work was done with simple hammering.

With proper equipment, something far more impressive would have come out of it.

I stared at the mechanical arm for a moment before slowly reaching out. It was time to equip it.

“I’ll help you.”

“Hm? You’ve even implemented finger joints. How did you manage that?”

While I was attaching the mechanical arm, Rize noticed something unique.

Implementing finger joints is tough even with welding. It’s hard to believe that it was made with simple hammering.

“Oh. You mean this? I thought it would require more delicate work, so I made another one.”

Jane showed me a pen that was strewn across the table while attaching the mechanical arm.

It looked like a pen, but the tip was quite sharp; it seemed like a tool necessary for soldering.

“If you infuse magic, that tip will produce strong heat. This allowed for more precise work.”

“So you converted the magic into thermal energy?”

“Yes.”

“··· ···”

I don’t know if that’s impressive or not, but judging by Rize’s absence of words, it must be remarkable.

Seeing that she crafted something like that without proper schematics shows she is indeed a genius.

Clank-

Finally, my mechanical arm was fully equipped. Being made from solid iron, it felt a bit heavy.

“It’s probably quite heavy. I borrowed the iron from the blacksmith at a cheap price.”

“It’s fine.”

“Now I will inject magic.”

Vwoom-

Jane said that, placing her hand on the mechanical arm. It seemed she was about to inject the magic herself.

Then, strange noises began to emerge from the mechanical arm. I moved my fingers in that state.

Grind-

The finger joints moved incredibly smoothly. It made noise, but this degree was inconsequential.

I looked around, and Ragnarok caught my eye. The axe felt considerably heavier.

I wondered if the mechanical arm’s strength enhancement would really help. As that thought crossed my mind, I lifted it carefully.

“Oh?”

As soon as I lifted the axe, I couldn’t help but gasp. Aside from the weight of the mechanical arm, it was not heavy at all.

This meant it definitely had strength-boosting capabilities. Even just this is an enormous achievement.

“What do you think?”

“It’s super light.”

“Haha!”

Jane cheerfully laughed at my astonishment. She seemed pleased as well.

Then, still with a bright face, she made a request to me.

“Now let’s finish up. Do you see the groove on the palm?”

Following her instructions to look at my palm, I saw a round hole in the center.

It seems she made it just as I requested. Is this where the beam shoots out?

“Brace yourself. When I tested it before, it flew far away.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll press the operation button. Please aim at that wall.”

Click!

I aimed at the wall as she instructed. It was just an empty wall.

After that, Jane nodded, then pressed the button that was connected to the mechanical arm.

Vwoom!

Soon, strange noises came from the mechanical arm, and.

Bang!

A beam of blue magical energy shot out from my palm.

Since I was bracing myself as per Jane’s advice, I didn’t get thrown back.

But I couldn’t prevent my body from slightly shifting backward. The recoil was tremendous.

“Whew! Isn’t that amazing?”

“I want this.”

This is the ideal dream that every man has now attached to my arm. How can I hold back?

In response to my request, Jane delightedly answered.

“This belongs to you as per our contract with Mr. Sivar. You can take it whenever you want.”

“Thanks.”

“No, thank you. I’m the one who is grateful.”

It’s truly Jane. When you give her money, she brings back results beyond what you expect.

As I contemplated that I should continue investing from now on, Rize, who had been watching from a distance, chimed in with her thoughts.

“A mechanical arm that consumes magic… It sounds highly attractive when you just hear it. But it seems the magic consumption might be severe.”

That’s a good point. Jane actually infused quite a lot of magic. I could tell because I was personally equipping the mechanical arm.

What Jane wants is for ordinary people to be able to equip it. But this is challenging unless you’re a knight.

In truth, it’s almost a reversal of roles. Perhaps Jane was aware of this, as she nodded her head.

“That’s right. Quite a lot of magic is needed. But you needn’t worry about that. I had anticipated this and thought ahead.”

“What is that?”

“Uh… well, I got scolded by the professor over this, so I’m uncertain whether it will work out, but…”

Jane scratched her head while eyeing us cautiously. She seemed to lack confidence in this part at least.

But even an Iron Man suit is just an expensive can without energy.

No matter what kind of machine it is, energy is essential. And Jane intends to invent this.

‘How she will invent it, I don’t know, but she’ll manage it somehow.’

I slowly removed the mechanical arm. I should bring this back to the dormitory.

In the meantime, Jane looked around and came back with paper and a pen. It seems she wants to explain something to us.

“I’ll explain it simply since you two don’t know much about the field. Do you know about the relationship between mass and energy?”

“No. Not at all.”

“······?”

What’s this? Why do I feel anxious already?

Not from a wilderness instinct, but I instinctively became uneasy upon hearing that.

“First, let’s go back to the basics. Magic is like energy to us. In other words…”

Jane wrote all sorts of symbols and slowly explained to us. However, there was no way we could understand.

As I said earlier, Jane has set the bar way too high for people. This is because her self-esteem has plummeted.

She firmly believes there are many people more outstanding than her, and grows while working hard.

Given that the professors bullied her, it’s not surprising that she harbors such thoughts.

“If this follows the formula, we could reach the conclusion that mass can turn into energy. So it means a mass-having object can become magical energy.”

“··· ···”

“If there is adequate equipment and technology, it means we can create huge energy with a small mass! This implies that the mechanical arm, along with the steel exoskeleton of my dreams, can operate easily!”

What the hell.

“What do you think? Does it make sense to you?”

“······No? I don’t understand at all.”

“Hm. Did I make the explanation too difficult? Let me explain that again…”

Why is Oppenheimer here?

[Your faith is rising!]

Do you wish to see the world come to an end?

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