The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 96

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 96

“The giant you see before you is the Titan. You’ll be seeing a lot of it while working here. As of now, it’s the only Titan in the world.”

Instead of just saying, “Let’s get started,” I took them directly to where the Titan was housed. It’s important to start, but they need to understand what they’re building and why. Of course, none of them knew the full details, so there was bound to be a difference between what they’d heard and what they were seeing firsthand.

“Sir Mikhail, please give a demonstration.”

“Leave it to me.”

Since the temporary power source had been removed, the Titan couldn’t move for an extended period. However, it was enough to showcase the power of this new weapon to the researchers.

Unlike a real demonstration, there were no monsters to fight or swords to cross. Still, these were top-notch wizards in the Empire, and even they couldn’t fully grasp the level of magic involved in the Titan’s construction.

“From now on, you have two main tasks. First, develop a power source that will serve as the Titan’s heart. This takes precedence over everything else. Second, learn all the magic required to create the Titan and, if possible, improve upon it. Do you have any questions?”

Flash-

“What are the achievement standards?”

“It depends on the progress, but assuming a combat situation, it should be able to operate for at least two hours.”

“It seems that multiple types of magic are applied to the Titan. Do we have to learn all of them?”

“No. For security and efficiency, you’ll learn the magic applied to specific parts in teams.”

Several questions followed, and I answered them honestly. After a short preparation, a signal sounded, announcing the start of their work.

“Armin, bring it.”

“Yes, Director!”

The temporary power source was revealed on a small cart led by Armin. It took considerable effort and used high-grade magic stones, but it was still a flawed product that didn’t meet my standards.

“This is the temporary power source used for the demonstration. The information about it is in the documents being distributed now, so please refer to them. Those who want a closer look can come forward.”

After a short pause, I continued, “It will be a difficult road. This research aims to create more magical power than is currently considered possible, so it’s like creating something from nothing. But have any of the paths you’ve walked so far been easy? Let’s all work together and persevere, as always.”

#

“A golem for knights… ?”

“In a nutshell, yes.”

* * *

The Juren Kingdom’s intelligence department had launched numerous operations to obtain information about the secret research, but they had failed due to the tight security and meticulous preparations.

The number of people involved was small, and each individual’s skills were too exceptional to deal with quietly. Also, as the imperial capital where the Emperor resided, the security was far tighter than in other territories, limiting even excellent spies.

Ultimately, after the exoskeleton [powered armor] was completed and rumors spread following the demonstration, the intelligence department finally received information, rendering their past efforts largely meaningless. This caused considerable internal conflict.

“There’s no way that’s possible! Just because people call him a genius, he’s gone too far with his desire to be noticed!”

“But the demonstration was successful! The Emperor is directly supporting it, and there’s even talk that Marquis Pongke acknowledged it!”

“Ha! We can make as many golems as we want. The problem is where do you get the magic power to move them! It takes a high-grade magic stone to move a normal golem, but this emits aura? There’s no way that’s possible!”

The department was divided between those who believed in the Titan’s success and those who predicted its failure, leading to extreme conflict.

Those who argued for success pointed to Renil’s genius and the newly enthroned Emperor’s active support. They reasoned that the Emperor, still consolidating his power, wouldn’t support research likely to fail.

Those who argued for failure cited the inherent limitations of golems and similar past attempts, predicting failure due to power source limitations. Both sides presented valid arguments, making a decision difficult.

‘Difficult,’ the head of the intelligence department thought.

If they sided with those who believed in the Titan’s success, they had to develop countermeasures—either create another weapon to counter it or belatedly try to replicate the Titan.

The problem was that if it failed, the effort and resources invested in the research would be wasted. The relatively large Empire could afford such a failure, but the Juren Kingdom would feel the burden more acutely.

But what if they expected failure and it succeeded? Given the Juren Kingdom’s proximity to the Empire, they could face serious damage, even destruction. At that moment, the adjutant, who had served the head of intelligence for a long time, spoke up.

“The important thing isn’t whether it succeeds or fails.”

“Not important?”

“Those are just processes. We must look at the purpose behind the process: the fact that the enemy is trying to strengthen their military power. That’s what’s important. Even if it fails, they’ll continue to strengthen their military power, so what’s their ultimate goal?”

“… Us.”

“Yes. Regardless of success or failure, we must act accordingly. The Empire will eventually draw its sword against us; it’s just a matter of time.”

When the adjutant finished speaking, those who had been vehemently arguing their points fell silent. It wasn’t the time for internal squabbles. No one could afford to be complacent when the world’s strongest country, the Empire, was preparing to attack them.

“What’s the plan?”

“It would be best to avoid war, but the possibility is extremely low. Judging from the Emperor’s attitude, the military buildup is likely his personal initiative. He’s young, ambitious, and capable, so it won’t be easy to dissuade him.”

“You mean we can’t avoid war.”

“Yes. We must also strengthen our military power in preparation for war. The best way to do that is to acquire the enemy’s new weapon, the Titan, as it is.”

“Is that possible? We haven’t had any significant results despite numerous attempts.”

“But we haven’t failed to gain anything. Furthermore, many wizards have recently joined the research. As the number of people increases, the opportunities to infiltrate will also increase.”

But it was still not enough.

“Will they willingly hand over the information? They must know that there are people targeting it.”

“There is someone who can be on our side.”

The documents the adjutant handed out contained the personal information of one individual. There was no extensive information, but a few details were enough to catch their attention.

“This person is…”

“He’s a wizard from the Aube Kingdom named JoJo. He recently reached the 6th circle [a measure of magical power and skill].”

“That’s unfortunate. Such a talent turned his back on his hometown and went to the Empire. But he can be on our side? The document says he wasn’t recognized in the magic world of the Aube Kingdom and went to the Empire to achieve results. But would he risk helping us?”

“Looking at his past actions, the possibility isn’t low. Although he turned his back on his hometown and joined the Empire, he only sought an escape because his teacher’s achievements weren’t recognized in the Aube Kingdom’s magic community. He doesn’t seem to harbor any grudges against his hometown itself. He must know that the Titan will be used in war, and he won’t want his hometown destroyed. If we appeal to that, we might win him over.”

“If that happens, it would be great, but…”

“If you entrust it to me, I’ll do my best.”

If it succeeded, nothing could be better, but the risk was as great as the potential reward. If it failed, not only would their carefully concealed identity be revealed, but it might even become a justification for war.

“First, I’ll report the current situation to His Majesty. Let’s discuss this further after His Majesty makes a decision.”

They weren’t the decision-makers. Their role was only to collect information and develop the best possible countermeasures. No matter how good the countermeasures were, they were useless if the person with the decision-making power didn’t choose them.

‘I hope His Majesty makes a wise decision.’

#

“That’s already a failed method. Expecting a big change just by tweaking the numbers is wishful thinking!”

“It’s definitely a step forward. But you know, you get what you put in! We have to get more out of limited resources.”

“This is pretty good, but the efficiency drops sharply as the amount of magic power increases. Let’s do a little more research for now.”

With dozens of people enthusiastically tackling one topic, the situation was definitely better than when two or three people were putting their heads together. Regardless of the method, they could experiment at a much faster rate and with a wider range of conditions. Nevertheless, there was no significant progress in the research.

Most of the experiments failed, or succeeded only partially because they didn’t meet the required criteria. But I tried not to be impatient. I had expected a difficult road from the beginning.

While I was clinging to a method that showed no promise of working, an idea suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Why did I forget that?’

It was difficult because I was trying to create something from nothing. Because there was no precedent, I had to build from the ground up. But if there was a model to refer to, a textbook that could provide a solid foundation even if it couldn’t be perfectly replicated, there was no reason not to use it.

Fumbling-

I hurriedly opened the subspace [a personal storage dimension] and checked inside. I saw the textbook sleeping quietly in the same condition as when I first saw it, deep within the subspace.

“It was here.”

Dragon Heart.

A treasure trove of enormous magical power that humans couldn’t dare to possess.

If we could grasp the principle and follow even a part of it, wouldn’t the development of the power source be easier than expected?

End