Chapter 43. The First Hero (37)
"I thought this might work after hearing the tortilla-wrap idea, but..."
Haiman's hand trembled around the mana-circuit extractor.
His hand, which rarely shook.
"I really think this can work."
"Darling. You're too excited."
"If his hand shakes, won't the mana circuit become unstable and fail?"
"Master, His Majesty Haiman was born with talent as a magical engineer. A little shaking won't stop him from drawing a circuit."
"I see."
Kosdal looked closer.
"And judging by how quickly the shaking stopped, you're right."
Everyone watched Haiman.
Kosdal was simply sharp enough to notice tiny movements.
The tremor itself wasn't severe enough to ruin the circuit.
"This isn't excitement."
Haiman steadied himself.
"It's caution."
The memory of mana stones shattering before he'd completed circuits flashed through his mind.
He forced those bad memories down.
Light began flowing from the mana-circuit extractor.
I suffered because there was nowhere left to draw the circuits.
But that was wrong.
Sssss.
The mana-circuit extractor danced across a wide metal plate rather than the Leg Machine itself.
Haiman drew the speed-enhancing circuit that hadn't fit before.
Then he added the circuits needed to support it.
If I'm wrapping the outside around the inside, I also need circuits that connect the overlapping layers.
He entered the final stage.
He carefully drew mana circuits that would allow the wrapped layers to connect without colliding once mana began flowing.
Everything was complete.
Now only activation remained.
If my calculations are right, I'll be able to fly exactly as I want.
His hands trembled again as he wrapped the metal plate around the Leg Machine.
Serina placed her hand over his.
Her warmth steadied him.
"It's okay."
"Serina."
With her help, Haiman carefully wrapped the plate around the Leg Machine.
Then he sealed the open edges using the mana-circuit extractor.
I could melt and weld it with heat.
But that would reduce mana conductivity.
He finished the connection.
"Nir. Doesn't watching them make you uncomfortable?"
"Master, attaching that plate in a situation like this shouldn't be easy. His control really is impressive."
Kosdal and Nir watched the couple.
Serina looked over at them.
"If you're jealous, just say you're jealous."
"He asked us not to disturb him. What are you talking about?"
"Exactly, Master."
"Nir, aren't you getting a little bold just because Oppa is here?"
"I say whatever I want even when Master isn't around."
Serina had no answer for Nir's confidence.
Kosdal spoke.
"Your Majesty Haiman, is the mana working properly?"
"Give me a moment."
Haiman equipped the newly rebuilt Leg Machine and began feeding mana into it.
More complicated than I expected.
This wasn't a normal mana circuit.
Mana did travel from the Leg Machine into the surrounding plate.
But it repeatedly clogged and then released.
Bzzzt!
Mana burst from the soles of the Leg Machine.
Haiman rose into the air for a brief moment, then landed.
He had understood the pattern.
Control the mana around the blocked sections.
At the clogging points, he deliberately compressed mana.
When it reached the open sections, he paused briefly, gathered more mana, then released it.
There were five places where the flow alternated between blocked and open.
I'll need to improve those sections next time.
Even while controlling the mana, Haiman was already redesigning the circuit in his head.
"What happened?"
"Oppa, stay quiet. Mana circuits don't just work because you pour mana into them."
"They usually do."
Kosdal thought of the magical tool he used all the time.
You fed mana into it.
Then it toasted bread.
Ding!
Just as a perfectly browned slice of toast appeared in Kosdal's imagination...
BZZZZT!
Blue mana erupted from Haiman's Leg Machine.
He rose carefully toward the ceiling.
Then stopped.
Looking down, he saw Serina smiling brightly.
"Serina!"
Haiman shouted.
"It worked!"
In that instant, two years of hardship vanished.
He flew sideways.
Then in a circle.
Then up and down.
He moved exactly as he imagined.
"Hahahaha!"
There was no trace of the cold, controlled Haiman.
At that moment, he laughed like a child.
"It works! It really works!"
Then a voice he didn't want to hear ruined the moment.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty Haiman. It is an honor to be present on such a joyful day."
Haiman immediately stopped laughing.
Serina glared at the butler who had opened the door.
"Who gave you permission to enter the laboratory?"
The butler had guided Count Thornjer inside.
He bowed deeply.
And didn't straighten again.
It looked almost like a stubborn refusal to hear anything more.
How deeply has he infiltrated this place?
This wasn't the first time.
Every butler, maid, and attendant who brought Count Thornjer in behaved the same way.
Even when Serina fired them, they were replaced by others just like them.
Eventually she'd stopped bothering.
But she hated the feeling.
It made the Terk Kingdom seem full of Thornjer's people.
I've already received reports, but everyone here is hostile.
Count Thornjer saw hostility gauges above everyone except the butler.
Most were around ninety percent.
One person was especially dangerous.
Ninety-nine percent.
Even without Hostility Eye, Kosdal's killing intent was obvious.
If that gauge rose by even one more percent, Count Thornjer's head might fly.
"This is good."
