Chapter 123.1
It was only a hypothesis, but it felt disturbingly close to the truth.
‘The problem is, I need evidence. Even if I suddenly said this place seems suspicious, Benjamin would probably believe me. But without proof, we wouldn’t be able to pin anything down. And if we miss our chance, it’s over.’
In the first place, it didn’t make much sense to assume that if Benjamin—the head of House Felton—collapsed, the Magic Tools Association could suddenly act however they pleased.
‘Benjamin is their largest patron. He holds decision-making power over countless matters. Many people already associate the Magic Tools Association directly with House Felton. The only reason this place has been maintained at this scale is because of him. If Benjamin were to disappear, wouldn’t the Association be in danger too?’
If they truly intended to bring down House Felton, then they must have something to rely on.
The artificer, who had been enthusiastically explaining the finishing material, seemed to think he was about done and approached Benjamin politely.
“Th-then, Your Grace… since you’re already here, would you perhaps be willing to review a few items for magic tool approval?”
“Again?”
Benjamin sounded thoroughly unenthusiastic.
“I came today specifically so that wouldn’t be necessary. I clearly remember pre-approving everything so that my wife could tour the building without interruptions.”
“I—I apologize. More documents came in urgently after that. Instead, I swear I will personally escort the Duchess comfortably.”
“…….”
“Your Grace, please go. If things pile up, everyone will just be kept waiting.”
“At times like this, I truly hate work.”
Benjamin let out a long, weary sigh, stared at Grace for a moment, then said he would be back and left. He kept glancing over his shoulder as he went, like a puppy reluctantly leaving its owner.
‘He’s cute…’
Grace thought something that would horrify Abel, Benjamin’s aide, if he ever heard it.
“Then, Duchess, I will guide you through the rest.”
“Please do.”
In truth, Grace’s mind was already elsewhere.
‘Do all the artificers in the Association think the same way…?’
Did this artificer share the same stance? The others here? If—just if—they were colluding with the Temple, would they already know what was planned for her?
The thought made her dizzy.
‘Am I just spiraling into conspiracy theories again?’
Still, ominous intuitions had a way of being right, and that unsettled her.
After that, she watched the processing of mana stones and the crafting of several magic tools. She listened to a few explanations, but honestly, none of it made much sense.
An expert enthusiastically rambling without regard for non-specialists was… difficult to follow.
Then the artificer held out a small ring to Grace.
“And this is a gate component. This forms the core of a gate.”
“It’s small.”
Grace looked down at the piece, much smaller than she had expected.
“Right? Because of that, there was a time when people tried to use gates to create medical tools. Every attempt failed, according to the records, so it was ultimately meaningless.”
“…I see.”
She had no idea how one would even attempt to apply a gate to medical equipment, but she nodded anyway.
‘This world barely has a concept of fingerprints, yet things like this are oddly advanced…’
“House Felton has always been wary of relying solely on divine power for healing, so they explored alternative methods.”
“And that led to trying to create medical tools using magic devices.”
“Yes. Though all of those attempts failed. In the end, only the Alchemists’ Association led by Duke Zarte remains.”
Grace had nothing to refute and stayed silent.
‘Still… calling it meaningless feels a bit harsh.’
“Gates themselves also have unresolved issues, so artificers are still researching them.”
At that, Grace recalled the gate rampage incident that was supposed to occur in the original story.
“And since that incident last year, even more so—ah.”
The artificer abruptly stopped mid-sentence and covered his mouth, as if he had realized something too late.
“That incident?”
“N-no—this is something I was told I must never mention to you…”
“Who told you that?”
She asked casually, but she already had a good idea. How many people were there who could give such orders?
The artificer’s face turned pale.
“If you don’t tell me what that incident was, I’ll just grow more curious… perhaps I should ask His Grace once he returns…”
“A-absolutely not!”
When Grace murmured just loudly enough to be heard, the artificer yelped.
“I-I’ll tell you! Just—please don’t ask His Grace!”
He hurriedly looked around, then leaned in close to Grace and continued in a hushed voice.
“L-last year, there was a massive accident at the Gate Administration Office. The entire building collapsed, and several gates malfunctioned. The number of casualties was beyond counting.”
“…….”
“At the time, His Grace—then still the young duke—was in the duchy, leading a monster subjugation…”
Grace’s heart began to pound uneasily.
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