Chapter 482 - Chapter Nine: An Automobile?
Damian, the head blacksmith serving the Archduke Arqvist family, was granted the rank of Baron by his lord, Archduke Noein Arqvist, in recognition of his numerous achievements following the end of the Second Betumia War. Now a noble of the Archduchy, he goes by Baron Klebesk.
Damian is provided with research and development funds by the Archducal house to be used at his own discretion. Having achieved several inventions thus far, he uses this budget to test his ideas as he pleases.
One such challenge had finally taken a tentative shape. It was in the spring of the tenth year of the Public Calendar when Noein received the report to that effect.
"Is this the prototype mentioned in the report?"
"Yes! The Magic-Driven Automobile, Prototype No. 2!"
The testing ground for products, annexed to the blacksmith workshop managed directly by the Archducal house. When Noein asked, pointing to the large vehicle body placed there, Damian answered with his usual boundless energy.
"Number two, huh... By the way, what happened to number one?"
"Because the body was too small, it seemed the size of the circuits themselves was insufficient for the complexity of the magic power circuits; since the level of completion was not worthy of being shown, it was scrapped. This second one is an improved model."
The one speaking calmly beside Damian was his wife, Baroness Christy Klebesk.
What Damian had created this time was a carriage that did not require horses, but instead moved forward by rotating the wheels using only magic power. Since there were no horses, it could no longer be called a "carriage," so Damian himself devised the name "Magic-Driven Automobile"—a car that moves by itself via magic.
The vehicle body was as large as a four-horse carriage would be.
"That said, this is still strictly within the realm of a prototype, and its level of completion is far from practical application..."
"Even so, it's very intriguing. If we can move a carriage without horses, it could cause a revolution in the transport of people and goods... Also, simply the sight of a carriage body moving on its own seems interesting, so it tickles my curiosity. I'm looking forward to it."
"Yes, Noein-sama."
"A carriage that moves freely without being pulled by horses... it sounds like a magic item from a fairy tale, so it seems very interesting."
Matilda, attending by Noein's side as a servant, nodded in agreement with her master's words with her usual calm demeanor while focusing her attention on the magic-driven automobile.
And Clara, who was visiting for the inspection with Noein, nodded at her husband's words, her expression also one of intense curiosity toward the magic-driven automobile.
"Then, I'll try moving it right away!"
Saying so, Damian took his place in the driver's seat—the foremost seat which he called the "cockpit"—of the magic-driven automobile. Then, he pushed forward a certain mechanism with a large magic stone attached to the left side and stepped on a plate at his feet.
And in the next instant.
The axle of the magic-driven automobile, engraved with long and complex magic power circuits, glowed with magic, and the wheels began to turn.
The way it vibrated violently with a clatter made the ride look uncomfortable no matter how one viewed it, and the forward speed was terribly slow, but the magic-driven automobile was certainly self-propelling without being pulled by horses.
"This is... amazing."
"Yes, it's shocking."
"It's an even more intense sight than I imagined from hearing about it in words..."
Noein, together with the two beloved women standing on either side of him, watched the magic-driven automobile move while half-stunned.
"Daphne, you did well to create such magic power circuits... as expected."
"I am humbled. Each individual magic power circuit is not that complex, but combining them so they function as a single mechanism required a fair amount of effort."
The magic item crafter Daphne Alessandri, who was present as a joint developer of the magic-driven automobile, answered her lord's words with a faint smile.
Even while Noein and the others were talking, the magic-driven automobile continued to move. When Damian turned a part in front of the driver's seat that looked like a ship's steering wheel, the front wheels moved according to that operation, and the magic-driven automobile slowly turned.
And soon, it stopped. It seemed the magic power of the magic stone had run out.
"Noein-sama, how was it!?"
"It's a wonderful invention, without exaggeration! Damian, Daphne, you've achieved another great feat!"
When Noein praised them unreservedly, Damian in the driver's seat smiled proudly. Meanwhile, Daphne bowed at her lord's praise and spoke again.
"We are confident in the invention itself. However, the problem is the level of completion... as Christy-san said earlier, it is far from practical application. Compared to the performance of this magic-driven automobile, the magic power consumption efficiency is too poor."
"Efficiency... is it that bad?"
"Yes. In the test drive you just saw, we consumed magic stones worth five thousand Rebro."
Hearing Daphne's words, Noein's eyes widened.
"Five thousand Rebro..."
The magic-driven automobile had moved about twenty meters. Moreover, it was at a speed that even the petite Noein could have overtaken on foot. For the magic stones required as fuel to be five thousand Rebro for that was far too inefficient.
Even if Noein, who possessed abundant magic power, continued to flow magic into it by hand, how far could it run? Rather than doing something like that, it would be far more efficient to have a golem pull a cart.
"That certainly seems like it will take a long time until practical application... are there means to improve performance?"
"Theoretically, there are. The biggest factor in the poor magic power efficiency is the performance of the magic paint. Even using jet-black steel for the axle, the efficiency is this low, so it will be necessary to significantly improve the performance of the magic paint."
In terms of performance, even the military-grade magic paint, whose manufacturing method was likely held by the government of the Republic of Betumia, would probably not be enough. As a magic item crafter herself, she occasionally researched magic paint, but she was no match for the royal research institutions of the Kingdom of Lordberg. Furthermore, there was a limit to improving performance by refining the axle or the magic power circuits.
In conclusion, practical application of the magic-driven automobile would be extremely difficult without a leap in the performance of magic paint. There was nothing to do but wait for a technological innovation to occur and for a magic paint that conducts magic power far more efficiently than the current one to be developed. That was how Daphne explained it.
"The reason we showed you this prototype this time was to let you know as a tentative result, and also... because of Damian-san's strong desire to brag to Noein-sama."
"Ahaha, that's very like Damian. But I'm glad I got to see it. It was an invention that expands one's dreams... I'll wait for progress, thinking that it would be a stroke of luck if I could see it become practical while I'm still alive."
Noein spoke thus with a smile and asked the two of them to continue developing the magic-driven automobile as much as possible. Having received permission to continue development from their lord, the two—especially Damian—were greatly delighted.
...
In the future, some time after that. The magic-driven automobile would be put into practical use in the Archduchy of Arqvist.
The manufacturing method for the high-performance magic paint of the Republic of Betumia was deciphered by the magic item crafters employed by the Lordberg Royal Family, and subsequently, a revolutionary discovery was made that improved performance even more dramatically; once that reached the Archduchy of Arqvist, the technical challenges were solved. Compared to the early prototypes, the magic-driven automobile, whose axle and magic power circuits had been significantly improved, finally acquired performance sufficient for practical use by employing the latest magic paint.
In his later years, Noein saw with his own eyes the test drive of the magic-driven automobile completed by the son of Damian and Christy, and the disciple of Daphne.
The practicalized magic-driven automobile gradually spread over the next several decades as a means of transport for the wealthy. Within the Archduchy of Arqvist, the developing nation, magic-driven automobiles could be seen running daily ahead of other countries.
Two announcements regarding the recent activities of the author, Enoki Surume.
- I have begun posting a new work, "William Argyle Doesn't Want to Die! ~The Struggle for Survival of a Side-Character Noble~."
I wrote it wanting to create a story with a similar feel to this "Happiness Tale of a Twisted Lord."
I would be happy if you could read it.
- The second volume of my work "Friedrich's Battlefield" will be released on January 25, 2025.
Once again, Iwamoto Zerogo-sensei has provided the stunning illustrations.
I would be happy if you could pick it up along with the first volume.
