Chapter 41: Two Powerful Drugs Part 1

　A delicate air flows in the reception room.

“I’m kind of, you know, sorry. ……”

“It’s fine. I can’t help but feel bad about it.”

　Rick timidly lowered his head, and Lute shook his head as if there was no problem.

　He then gave a single light cough. Then, he quickly switched his expression to a serious one.

“I’d rather get straight to the point. What I’m about to tell you is very important.”

“Oh, yes!”

　An important story. Rick’s spine naturally straightened when Lute, who called himself the grand duke, told him so.

　Until now, there had been some awkwardness on his face due to the disappointment of his family. But now Rick has only tension on his face.

　As the air between them grew slightly heavier, Lute finally spoke up.

“I specifically called you here. It’s about the invention you showed me yesterday.”

“…Did you have a problem with it?”

“No? I will say that it was a brilliant piece of work. It is extremely easy to handle compared to conventional flint. And according to Rick’s description, it works just fine even when wet, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then I can only say it’s great. A flint that is far more efficient than conventional flint. Truly wonderful.”

“Ah, thank you very much! It was worth the trouble of making it!”

“──That’s it. That’s what I’m really interested in.”

“Eh……?”

　It was almost by chance that Rick noticed it. Rick was able to notice it because he had heard that it was an important discussion directly from the grand duke and had sharpened his awareness to make sure nothing was amiss.

──The tone of his voice has been toned down slightly. And a slightly sharper look in his eyes.

“Hey, Rick. What made you decide to invent it? As Natra said in your sibling rivalry yesterday, why did you even bother to make a high-performance flintlock?”

“Well, I thought it would be convenient to have a flint that can be used even when wet…”

“That’s what Natra said, too. You should have a spare. That’s a good argument. That’s what a normal person would think. At least I wouldn’t think of inventing a new flint.”

　Of course, Lute understands what it is like to be an inventor.

　Even if ordinary people might dismiss them as impossible or meaningless, they go ahead and do what they do. That is what makes a successful inventor.

　But even so, Rick’s is more than a little strange.

“There is one more thing that bothers me. According to Natra, who actually made it, it took a lot of troublesome procedures even with the use of magic. She complained that the price of the product went up thanks to the magic.”

“Uh…”

“That is the fundamental question. In your family’s workshop, Natra, who was the first heir, said that the processing was troublesome. So far, so good. What I don’t understand is that your sister, who was such a talented person, followed your instructions and did the processing. How could you, a young brother, know how to do something that your sister, the heiress, didn’t know how to do?”

　Before I learned of their backgrounds, I would have been convinced that it was still a division of roles between conception and production.

　However, it is a different story if Natra has the background to be considered a workshop master at a workshop where metalworking is her profession. To be a workshop master, one must not only be skilled in magic, but also have the knowledge necessary for the position.

“It seems to me, Rick, that your invention, or rather your idea, might have some kind of sample. You didn’t invent it from scratch, but by processing it, you were convinced that the process would produce a high performance flint.”

“…”

　Rick does not answer. He doesn’t answer anything, he just keeps his eyes down to escape Lute’s gaze.

“Wait a minute!!”

　Instead, it was Natra, who had been placed outside the conversation, who intervened.

“In that way, doesn’t it sound like Rick copied someone else’s invention!?”

“Natra. I’m talking to Rick.”

“I’ve worked with him and I can assure you! Rick did not plagiarize! That flint is Rick’s invention!”

“──Natra. It’s great that you feel for your brother. But I told you to shut up and stay out of it.”

“…!?”

　Pressured by his force, Natra involuntarily held her breath.

　It was only natural. There is no one who is not intimidated by those blue eyes.

“……Eh, ha……”

“Heh…”

　──Suddenly, Lute’s appearance changed. His hair is pale and shiny blue. His eyes were azure like jewels. And he was clad in an overwhelming air of supremacy that would make anyone fall to their knees.

“Let me clear up any misunderstandings first. I’m not arguing about whether Rick plagiarized or not. I don’t really care about that.”

“eh……”

“Think about it. Do you think a grand duke would go out of his way to get involved in the issue of plagiarism of a commoner’s invention? That’s the job of the officials there.”

　Lute is a grand duke. The highest rank of imperial nobility. A man in such a position would not think it important to have a personal problem with a sundry item such as a flintlock.

　There are exceptions, of course. If the ideas that Rick stole were about important Imperial secrets, that would be a reason to move. But even in that case, one call to the military and that’s it.

　In any case, if the issue is plagiarism, he would not go to the trouble of inviting the person in question to his mansion.

　Lute’s intentions are different.

“I was able to see the reaction, but I’ll be frank at this point. All this pursuit has been a bit of a charade.”

“……was it a test?”

“Yeah, to see if Rick was a simple genius inventor. And I got confirmation.”

　If Rick were just a genius, a man with knowledge and ideas that surpassed his sister’s knowledge of metalworking, he would have been more responsive to Lute’s pursuit earlier.

　But Rick’s was different. His voice became weaker and weaker, without any rebuttal of any kind. His mouth was closed to prevent any unnecessary exposure. A look of slight guilt on his face.

“Rick. Your reaction showed me that you’re not just a genius inventor. There’s more to your inventions, your ideas.”

“…!”

“Then I’ll ask you. How were you able to make that thing?”

“That’s…”

　Rick still doesn’t answer. He doesn’t say decisive words, the underlying thing that Lute affirmed.

　Seeing that, Lute sighed regretfully.

“…… I thought for sure you’d seen the same thing I have. ……”

“eh……?”

“That’s why I asked you if you knew of a sample. I’ve seen something like it before. I thought you were like me and had studied under that mysterious person.”

“… Huh! That’s what you meant!? You’re looking for someone! I was so surprised because I thought that you were being very suspicious of me.”

　Saying that, Rick made a gesture of patting his chest in relief.

　Perhaps because it suited him so well, Lute couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Oh no. I’m sorry about that. I get so passionate when it comes to my mentor. I’m still desperately searching for him because he took care of me in so many ways. He never even told me his name, and he always hid his face with a black robe. I’m really troubled by his sudden disappearance…..”

“… Ah, yes. That person certainly is. I don’t know anything about him, so unfortunately I can’t help you.”

“…Speaking of which, is it the same with you, Rick?”

“… Well, yes. To put it simply, he was a suspicious person, so I kept it a secret as much as possible.”

　Rick scratches his cheek in embarrassment. I guess it’s because his sister is staring right next to him as if she had never heard of it before.

“Does that mean that Rick is the same as me?”

“Well, what do you think? He was a knowledgeable person, and the content I was taught was not necessarily the same as that of the Grand Duke.”

“I see. By the way, sorry for the impromptu precaution, but everything I just said is a lie.”

“……eh?”

“I said it was a lie, you idiot. Don’t just jump in without thinking because you were in a hurry. That’s too careless.”

　While spitting it out, Lute rests his chin and glares at the stunned Rick.

“Rick, why did you jump on such an obvious lie? Why did you seek out such a convenient figure as soon as it became clear that you were not a simple genius inventor? Did you really want it so badly that people would assume you invented that high-performance flintlock you call a metal match or a firestarter by yourself?”

“Huh!? Why is that name, grand duke ……!!?”

“That’s my line. Who the hell are you and what the hell is your purpose for making that thing? Answer me, you little shit…!!”

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