Chapter Fifty-Three: Enthralled by Science, Unable to Extricate Oneself

It was common knowledge that the imperial capital, Aerlake, was divided into districts according to social class. The walls built over the years were now gates reserved for the nobility; the closer one was to the palace, the more prestigious the location. Conversely, the outer areas were inhabited by commoners.

At this moment, inside a lavish mansion in the most opulent Dawn District, a pink-haired girl was alone in the basement, manipulating something in her hands. They were two identical, transparent magic crystals. She was trying to affix them at an appropriate distance to the front and back ends of a hollow wooden tube.

“Sweetheart, Daddy’s home.”

A chubby man walked into the basement. Seeing his adorable daughter so focused on her work made his steps light and airy. Bard Edel Starry Night could proudly declare himself not only the richest man in the world, but also the world's most devoted father.

“What’s wrong? Is there something you want?”

His daughter’s silence chilled Bard’s heart. To him, there were many things more painful than death; one of them was his daughter ignoring him. But, based on years of experience, he guessed she was probably upset about not getting something she wanted.

There was nothing to be done about it. Though Bard was wealthy, he knew money couldn’t buy everything. Like three years ago, when he and his daughter went to the Blackstone Empire’s auction house to purchase an ultra-rare dark elemental sprite. Despite paying, they were informed the sprite had been requisitioned by the royal family. After that, Eve didn’t speak to him for three days, and the anxious father lost several pounds.

“I want a man.”

“Oh, a man, is it? Daddy will take you to buy one right... Wait, what did you say!?”

The fat man nodded gleefully. A man? Surely there were plenty to buy. But when his brain reminded him what exactly a man was, his magical energy surged uncontrollably.

Boom!

Bard’s body erupted like a human bomb. The blast’s aftershocks were warded off by the defensive magic of the necklace etched with a spell. Bard was not merely a merchant; his innate gift at birth made him a powerful mage as well. “Heart of Explosion” was a peculiar talent, transforming his attribute-less magic into explosive energy, causing involuntary bursts whenever his emotions fluctuated. Because of this, high society nicknamed him Lord Detonation.

“Sweetheart, you’re only seventeen. Isn’t it too early to want a man? How about Daddy buys you something else...”

With a ridiculous explosion-shaped hairstyle, Bard’s face was full of misery. He knew the day would come eventually, and as a loving father, he was mentally prepared to hand her to some monkey... son-in-law, but absolutely not yet!

“No, I want that man.”

“Is this about what Sylan reported? I’ve sent people to look for him, but he’s nowhere to be found.”

Bard remembered his great-grandmother mentioning it—what a calamity! His daughter was interested in a man, and for such a peculiar reason. He’d indulged her whim and sent people to search, but naturally, they returned empty-handed.

“Mmm...”

Eve let out a distressed moan. She’d finally found someone she was interested in, but couldn’t meet him again, which saddened her greatly. It wasn’t just Ruby’s actions that attracted her; her sixth sense told her Ruby possessed something she needed.

“Don’t dwell on it. Listen, Daddy has something interesting to share. At the morning meeting today, I saw a remarkable young man who managed to make old Ayad faint from anger. Quite amusing, really.”

Talking about men, Bard had his own object of interest. Not only did the youth utter such dangerous words to His Majesty, he even angered the royal healer into unconsciousness. And, with Bard’s sensitivity to money, if the youth’s proposed cure was real, it would mean a mountain of gold coins.

“You mean that annoying old physician?”

“Yes, yes, it was quite satisfying to see.”

“Not funny.”

Bard’s attempt to amuse his daughter failed, and Eve returned to her work.

“Sweetheart, are you making those odd things again?”

Seeing his daughter tinkering yet again, Bard grew anxious. Since birth, Eve had shown little interest in magic, preferring to craft things with her own hands, and none of these creations were related to magic.

“Don’t call them odd! Look, if you combine them, you can see distant things clearly.”

Eve placed her half-finished telescope before Bard. The mechanism was simple, but finding suitable magic crystals had taken her a long time.

“Amazing! But auxiliary magic ‘Far Sight’ is much clearer than this. It won’t fetch a good price.”

Bard was astonished by his daughter’s little invention. But “Far Sight” was a basic auxiliary spell most adults could use; no one would pay for such a thing.

“Daddy, you’re hopeless! Why must everything be tied to magic? Your thinking is so rigid!”

“You ask me why... Isn’t that just how the world works?”

“There are many mysteries in the world, not as simple as you say. For example, the land beneath our feet—what shape do you think it is?”

“Flat, I suppose?”

“Then why are the sun and moon round? If where we live looks like a strip from the sun’s perspective, that would be odd, wouldn’t it? If it’s round, why don’t we fall off?”

“Remember when you took me to see the sea? Ships approaching from afar don’t show their bows first, do they? That matches the effect simulated by this model. And why is the ocean blue, but clear when held?”

To bolster her argument, Eve picked up a spherical model and a tiny ship she’d made. In truth, there were people in this other world who studied things beyond magic, but their numbers were minuscule. Research required vast funds, and the results rarely matched the convenience of magic. Someone like Eve, carefree and with such unusual interests, was a first.

“Er...”

The chubby man was drenched in sweat from his daughter’s barrage of questions. With anyone else, he’d have smacked them and shouted, “I don’t know!”

“For example, the golden apple tree in the yard—why do golden apples fall when ripe?”

“Isn’t it to remind people they can eat them?”

“Then why not to the left, right, or above? Why only downward? There must be something guiding it unrelated to magic.”

“Sweetheart, Daddy’s a merchant, I don’t understand these things. Anyway, you’ll soon be attending Rhine Academy, so ask the teachers then.”

Bard was on the verge of tears, his only hope was that his daughter would spare him and trouble her future teachers instead.

“Don’t be silly. What teacher would know why?”

“Does anyone capable of answering me even exist?”

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PS: Please add to your favorites and recommend!
PS: Does this female student have a certain... youthful vibe?
PS: Posting more chapters, hohoho (7/7)
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