The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat - Volume 5 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 | The Assassin’s Secret Experiment

I had a relaxing and restful morning.

After taking a shower, I retrieved a basket from the kitchen. I was going out this morning, so I prepared lunch for myself in advance.

When I went outside, I found everyone waiting in comfortable clothes.

“I can’t wait for the picnic,” said Tarte.

Dia nodded in agreement. “And we’ll be flying.”

“I’m interested to see the other thing you said you had planned,” Nevan stated.

There were two goals today.

The first was to fulfill the promise I had made when we returned to Tuatha Dé, which was to teach Dia and Nevan how to pilot a hang glider. There was a small hill on the mountain behind the estate that they would be able to glide comfortably from.

My second goal was to perform a certain experiment. This wasn’t a small-scale test like trying out a remodeled spell or testing the endurance of magic tools—it was a test of something that might change the world forever.

“We don’t have much time, so let’s go. There’s a good wind blowing,” I urged.

The direction and strength of the wind today were perfect for flying. I was sure they would be able to glide without issue.

I produced two hang gliders with magic and explained how to pilot them.

“All right, get flying.”

“Huh?! Do you really expect us to use them right after that explanation?!” Dia asked incredulously.

“He wants us to learn by practice rather than study. It sounds simple enough to me,” said Nevan.

“I’ll give you directions from the ground, so don’t worry,” I stated.

It would be rough, but this was the fastest way for the pair to figure it out.

I was only able to use this method because Dia and Nevan were my students. A normal person likely would have crashed and seriously injured themselves or even died. But Dia and Nevan could strengthen themselves with mana if they encountered any difficulty, and even if they did get hurt, I would be able to heal them.

That was why I could get away with being so hard on them.

“Make sure you put on your radio communication devices.”

“S-sure thing. They’re our safety net, I suppose,” responded Dia.

“…I really do wish I could take this technology home and spread it throughout the world,” lamented Nevan with a sigh.

They both put on the earpieces. Wearing those would allow me to advise them from the ground.

“Oh yeah, I remember you said these are only effective within one hundred meters,” recalled Nevan.

“That only applies if you want to maintain portability and two-way communication. I’m making this mountain the site of my experiment for a prototype I’m testing out.”

I produced an object from the ground. It was a large steel magic tool shaped like a rectangle as tall as I was.

“At this size, the device is able to amplify the audio signal. It can reach over two kilometers, twenty times farther than the portable version,” I explained.

Because all it could do was bolster the frequency it transmitted, once Dia and Nevan flew beyond one hundred meters, it would no longer be able to receive transmissions from their devices. We would have two-way communication within one hundred meters, but it would be one-sided beyond that.

Being able to advise them was still handy, though.

“It can reach that far?! This would make anyone unbeatable in war. It would enable instantaneous transmission of information to an entire army at once. This is more valuable than ten thousand soldiers!” Nevan said, amazed.

Even an army of that size would be able to act with perfect unity with this. Such a development would bolster the fighting strength of any force by a dozen times over, perhaps even more.

“As I’ve told you, I didn’t make these for war. If the nobles of this country obtained this technology, it would take them two seconds before they put it to use invading other nations,” I said.

There were many aristocrats of great ambition in the Alvanian Kingdom. It was inevitable that such hot-blooded people would launch campaigns against other territories were they to acquire something so powerful.

Nevan pulled a face. “What is the problem with that? It would lead to greater prosperity for this kingdom.”

“That’s not my style. I would rather bring prosperity to the country by improving what we have than by stealing from others.”

I wasn’t a pacifist, but I didn’t want to cause unnecessary misery and bloodshed. I was personally content with the Tuatha Dé domain alone, and I was not going to get roped into mass killing just to satisfy another’s greed.

“Your lack of ambition may be your one weakness, Sir Lugh,” Nevan commented.

“I don’t see that as a failing. Anyway, forget that. Get flying before the wind stops blowing,” I instructed.

“S-sure. Help me if I need it, okay?” Dia requested.

Looking much more confident, Nevan said, “Here I go.”

The pair took off from the top of the hill. They rode the wind and glided far into the distance. They were both flying safely and with solid fundamentals.

“Dia and Nevan are fast learners. I knew it would be okay not to go with them,” I remarked.

“They really are. They got the hang of it much quicker than I did,” agreed Tarte.

They were even swift to correct whenever a crosswind hit. Their understanding of the structure of the hang gliders was what allowed them to fly so well.

However, they both steadily dropped in altitude because they couldn’t use wind magic. There weren’t many updrafts to regain height.

Eventually, both Dia and Nevan landed. They strengthened their bodies with mana and began to run back this way.

Actually, Dia clearly had something else in mind. I didn’t like the face she was making.

I have a bad feeling about this.

“What’s she doing now…?”

My girlfriend ran full speed and then jumped as high as she could. From that elevation, she was sure to fall right back down.

She started an incantation midair.

Under typical circumstances, intoning magic took all of your mana and resources and made it so that you would be unable to maintain physical strengthening, but the use of Quick Chant, which was derived from Multi-Chant, enabled her to do both at once.

Dia could not use wind magic, so I had no idea what she was plotting.

“Whoa!”

A massive explosion erupted behind Dia. She rode the blast to lift the hang glider’s elevation and accelerate.

She set off the detonation a good distance behind her so that it wouldn’t damage the hang glider. What’s more, she was using Multi-Chant to begin another spell concurrently with the explosive magic.

The second bit of magic activated.

“…She’s absolutely crazy.”

Flames were shooting out of the soles of her feet.

Technically, it wasn’t fire. Dia gathered air, pressurized it, and combusted it to spew hot and pressurized gas for thrust. Her method operated similarly to the workings of a jet engine.

She managed greater speed than even Tarte and I could, and we could manipulate the wind.

I was astonished that Dia had come up with such a spell despite never hearing of a jet engine.

“Lady Dia is amazing. She’s going so fast,” Tarte said in wonder.

“Don’t get any ideas about imitating her. That has a high degree of difficulty and must be very unruly. Losing control even a little bit would cause the flames to burn up the hang glider, and then you’d be in free fall. The mana consumption must be terrible, too. Anyone other than Dia or me would run out of power immediately.”

Because Dia couldn’t use wind magic, she had to employ a non-elemental spell to gather the wind around her and compress it. This was an extremely inefficient method.

There were many flaws, but putting those aside, it was a very good spell. If I replicated it, my ability to alter air with magic would eliminate the need to gather and compress it.

After spending some time enjoying flying, Dia descended and landed next to us.

“Ha-ha-haaaa. What’d you think of that? I can fly fast even without wind magic!”

“You surprised me. I may have to make a special hang glider for you.”

“Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”

“Don’t even think about trying to fly to the capital alone.”

“Th-that would be pretty difficult.”

It was terribly inefficient magic. It wouldn’t last long enough.

Nevan returned shortly afterward, carrying her hang glider.

“Haah…haah… I’m finally back. Flying feels terrific, but the return trip is torture. It’s so heavy,” she said, panting. The ever-elegant Nevan was drenched in sweat. “Dia, I have a request,” she began.

“What is it?” Dia responded.

“Can you create a propulsion spell with light magic?”

“Sorry, I can’t imagine how I would do that.”

Light propulsion was often seen in science fiction, but I had never heard of it being realized. Technically, a specialized agency had announced a completed theory that proved it was possible. I didn’t feel like even I would have a chance of recreating it with magic, though.

“That’s unfortunate…”

Magic was helpful, but it wasn’t almighty. There were things that it wasn’t capable of.

After enjoying our fill of gliding, we sat down to eat lunch. It wasn’t quite time for what I was waiting for.

“I’m thrilled that we are getting to taste your cooking again, Sir Lugh,” said Nevan.

“I wish you would cook every day,” added Dia.

Tarte looked down. “Um, that would make me kind of sad. I would feel inadequate as his retainer.”

I unveiled the sandwiches in the basket. I’d prepared standard egg sandwiches, pork steak burgers with wild boar meat, and a special surprise for today.

“Lugh, you lied again. Yesterday, you said you would make gratin. Urgh, I want to eat gratin so badly…,” Dia moaned, looking at me with obvious ire.

“Well, I don’t think gratin would work on a picnic… It wouldn’t be very good after it got cold,” Tarte asserted.

“What is gratin?” asked Nevan.

Dia proudly took charge of answering.

“It’s delicious. First, you simmer macaroni in the cream stew we ate yesterday, then you add cheese and bake it in the oven. It has a very rich and satisfying taste. It’s my favorite food.”

“That does sound tasty.”

“And yet, a certain someone refuses to make it.”

Dia shot me a look again.

“Have a little faith in me, Dia. I did make some. Try the sandwiches first.”

I hadn’t lied. I was Dia’s boyfriend, and I wanted to make her happy. That said, gratin was still ill-suited to an outdoor meal.

That was why I made gratin that would taste good even after it got cold.

“All I see are sandwiches,” Dia protested.

“Let’s start eating!” exclaimed Tarte.

“Yes, let’s,” agreed Nevan.

I smiled and poured soup out of a flask.

Nevan took a bite. “Wow, this egg sandwich has a rich taste. It’s a little sour. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

All I did was crush soft-boiled eggs and mix them with homemade mayonnaise, but mayonnaise didn’t exist in this world. That made for a novel flavor that would garner positive reception anywhere.

“The seasoning on the pork steak is salty and sweet. It’s fantastic,” observed Tarte.

I’d cooked the steak in the teriyaki style, which meant marinating it in soy sauce and broiling it. Teriyaki was good even when it was cold.

Last but not least, it was finally time for today’s surprise item.

“Hey, it’s gratin! You really made gratin! It’s soooo good.” Dia squealed like a child.

The special surprise was gratin croquette sandwiches. I’d added meat and macaroni to cream stew, then used that as the main ingredient to make deep-fried croquettes. The croquettes were covered with thick tomato sauce that I’d boiled as long as possible and then placed between pieces of bread.

The result was a strong flavor that could be enjoyed even when the sandwich had cooled.

“Gratin is very delicious indeed,” praised Nevan.

Dia puffed up her chest. “It’s not my favorite food for nothing.”

“I like it, too,” Tarte concurred.

Carb-heavy pasta and carb-heavy white sauce coated in carb-heavy batter and deep-fried, and then sandwiched in carb-heavy bread. I felt like you might find a picture of this meal in the dictionary next to carbohydrate.

Despite all that, it was truly delicious. It didn’t make sense. In my previous world, you could even find gratin croquette burgers at a particular massively popular hamburger restaurant.

“Whew, that was delicious. You really are the best boyfriend in the world, Lugh.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

I stroked Dia after she hugged me. Seeing her this happy made the effort I’d put into the meal worthwhile.

“Oh yeah, you said you were conducting another important experiment not related to hang gliding, right?” she questioned.

“Yeah, it’s about time I get to it, too,” I responded after checking my pocket watch to confirm that it was nearing the appointed time.

An experiment that could change this world forever was about to begin. This technology would allow me to be notified the moment a demon was found.

The giant rectangular communication device I had used to talk with Dia and Nevan began to vibrate.

“Can you hear me, dear brother? This is your little sister calling from Milteu with love.”

Maha’s voice arrived in real time from about four hundred kilometers away.

“I can hear you. The experiment was a success.”

“Hee-hee, I’m so glad. Now I’ll be able to hear your voice anytime.”

The experiment was a success.

I had set out to make a telephone. This project actually began two years ago, and I’d finished the prototype back then as well. However, establishing a proper telecommunications network required time, money, and labor. Even making full use of Natural You’s influence and funds, it took this long to complete.

The girls were shocked. Transmitting a signal over a distance of two kilometers was hard enough for them to believe. They could never have imagined four hundred kilometers.

This tool could only send a signal two kilometers earlier in the day, but now we could hear Maha’s voice from four hundred kilometers away. It was time to explain to them how I had pulled this off.