Chapter 182

The first place Dun and I headed to was none other than Jane’s workshop.

I figured it would be a good chance to check on the progress while also indulging Dun’s childlike curiosity.

Dun was really excited to see the moving doll made of steel, saying it sounded amazing.

From ancient times to the modern day, it seems that robots are just the ultimate fascination for kids, especially boys. How interesting.

‘Guess I’m the same way.’

Ah, but I should mention that Jane’s workshop had changed from how it used to be.

Thanks to my investment, the facilities had improved a lot, and she had a steady supply of materials.

I heard that during the times of poverty, she used to gather scraps from the blacksmith or collect scrap metal.

That alone was enough to show her genius in crafting a Steel Suit.

‘I heard she’s also helping Godin with his research. I wonder what that’s about.’

Moreover, Godin, having noticed her talent, was lending her a hand. In return, Jane was helping him with his research. They had a mutually beneficial relationship going on.

Some say being a graduate student is like walking straight into hell, but hey, she seems to enjoy it.

She even mentioned that she’s been able to help a lot in areas she didn’t know much about. It seems both of them being geniuses makes for a good rapport.

“Hey, Mister.”

“I’m not a mister. I’m an older brother.”

“What do you usually do for fun, big bro?”

The newly relocated Jane’s workshop was quite far away. So, we chatted amiably along the way.

At the age of five, curiosity is the strongest. Everything is fascinating and full of wonder.

As I listened to Dun’s question, I thought for a moment before answering.

“Forest.”

“Forest? You go in the forest and explore?”

“Something like that.”

“Ah! That’s just like me, right?”

Sure, it probably is.

But for me, hunting is my main hobby, whereas for Dun, it seems to be more about collecting.

I wouldn’t mind taking him to the forest, but I’d probably just be watching over him.

“Well then, let’s go together in a bit. I know a secret passage.”

“A secret passage?”

“Yep! I’ll tell you where later. For now, I want to see the steel doll.”

He was talking about a hole that leads to the forest. As mentioned before, Dun knows a hole that connects to the forest.

Despite the prohibition on entering the Chaos Forest, Dun can’t go in either due to his age.

But a child’s outstanding curiosity can’t be contained; he finds that hole and goes back and forth through it regularly.

‘Even if you try to stop that, it’s pointless.’

I wonder where he finds those other holes. It would be hard to block them all.

Put another way, it shows how negligent the Academy is in terms of defense.

Fortunately, there’s nothing that changes just because they don’t block it, but for safety’s sake, it’s better to take precautions.

“Here we are.”

“Is this it?”

“Yep.”

As I chatted with Dun while walking, we finally arrived at Jane’s workshop.

The previous workshop used to be filled with the sound of hammering when you got close, but not anymore.

Now, there’s a sound more like sizzling. I quietly opened the door and peeked inside.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

Flashes of light and the bright sparks flying. A little noise was ringing in my ears.

And there was Jane, wearing a mask to protect her eyes and face, working diligently.

From the description, you might have guessed, but she was currently not hammering but welding.

You might wonder what welding is in this age, but it’s a kind of magic too.

I’d like to explain further, but that could take a while so let’s skip it. It’s just fantasy.

“Phew…”

After a moment, Jane took off her welding mask. Her blue hair, soaked with sweat, was sticking to her face.

Then she began checking her work here and there, and as if she felt our gaze, she looked at us.

“Hmm? Ah! You’re here!”

Finding me, Jane greeted me with a face and tone that showed she was genuinely happy.

I waved my hand in response to her. And Dun’s reaction was…

“Wow. Pretty big sister.”

“··· ···”

The kid is already showing signs of having a crush, huh? It’s true that Jane is quite pretty even without trying.

Besides, kids usually can’t lie. Being honest isn’t so bad.

Most importantly, this reaction is just a sign of fondness, similar to the way he behaves towards me.

“What brings you here today? Is there something you’d like to ask?”

“Just came to check. How’s the progress?”

“It’s going well! Come over here for a sec!”

Could it be that she’s happier now that she can work on her inventions freely? Jane’s voice was very bright.

No, it was beyond bright; it was dripping with happiness. Her expression showed it all.

As I followed behind Jane, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I turned back to see Dun exploring the insides of the workshop.

Being a child, it seems he finds places like this fascinating. It is a workshop, so it’s a bit closed off, and the smell must also be different.

“Dun.”

“Yeah?”

“Come over here.”

When I called him, Dun trotted over to me, and then gently tugged at my pants.

Even though he shows a bit of a mischievous side, he’s still just a kid. It’s natural to be scared in an unfamiliar place.

‘But how come this kid runs around in the forest?’

I quietly led Dun and followed Jane. As we walked, I checked what she was working on.

From its shape, it looked like she was making something for the chest area. It seems it takes a while even to create a prototype.

That’s only natural, as the engineering in this world isn’t very advanced. The gap in civilization between Earth and this world is enormous.

Even though magic fills in some gaps, it’s still lacking. What’s needed now is patience.

“Hmm… urgh!”

Before long, Jane came back with something she was struggling to hold. It looked like boots made of iron.

Unlike what you’d see in movies, they didn’t look slim but rather somewhat clunky. But that made them feel incredibly sturdy.

“These are the boots I made. Thanks to Professor Godin, I could make them a bit faster.”

“Godin?”

“Yeah. He helped to make the magic and the boots’ functions compatible.”

I didn’t fully understand, but it seems Godin’s advice played a significant role. I scrutinized the steel boots.

During all this, Dun had been looking around the workshop, then tugged at my pants again. He seemed to have something to say.

When I turned to look, Dun asked with wide-eyed innocence.

“Where is it? The moving steel doll.”

“Ah.”

Now that I think about it, it wasn’t finished yet. I thought Jane could whip it up in no time.

I looked at Jane with a rushed expression, and she seemed equally flustered, answering carefully.

“Uh… it’s not ready yet, so there aren’t any completed products. If you could give me some time….”

“It’s okay. You can take your time.”

“You mean it?”

How quick-witted he is in situations like this. I found myself at a loss for words at Dun’s sharp question.

However, there’s something even more amazing than the steel doll awaiting. As Dun puffed his cheeks like a blowfish, I rushed to speak.

“This, this is amazing! It can fly!”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yep. Right?”

“It can fly, but… it will consume a lot of magic.”

That was expected. I told her it was fine and asked her to demonstrate quickly.

Perhaps sensing my urgency or thinking she couldn’t destroy a child’s dream, Jane proceeded with the demonstration.

However, I ended up being the one to actually do it. She had used a significant amount of magic welding just moments ago.

“The operation test has already been done, so you don’t have to worry. It’ll just require careful control of the magic.”

“Got it.”

“Me! I want to press the button!”

Dun, who had been quietly watching, jumped in. It looked like he wanted to press the button himself.

Jane looked at me with a face showing concern. A silent question of whether it was okay to hand it to him.

I nodded in agreement, meaning it was fine. I was confident I could handle any accidents that might happen.

‘First, let’s inject magic into the boots…’

I thought it’d be better to test the limits than to inject slowly. Otherwise, the boots could explode.

It’s sort of like breaking them in. I filled the boots with magic until they started humming.