Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Now I Need Four of Them.
“Why is this workshop so freezing?!”
“Welcome back.”
Looks like Tiana’s back from the academy.
…Is it already that time?
“Don’t just ‘welcome back’ me! It’s way too cold in here!”
“Is it? I thought I’d set it to a comfortable temperature…”
“If this is ‘comfortable,’ something’s seriously wrong with your sense of temperature, Brother Finn!”
Watching Tiana hug her own arms against the cold, I had to admit — prototype one probably needed more adjustment.
Though, as a magic tool, it’s functioning perfectly fine. The real issue is the temperature setting. Still, I’m sure there are people out there who’d find this exact temperature comfortable.
…Father and my eldest brother, for instance, are knights, so they’re probably the type who runs hot.
Which means the real issue isn’t the cooling performance itself, but the temperature range.
“Anyway, did you need something?”
“It’s almost dinnertime. If you don’t eat properly, you’ll worry Mother, you know! Also, I got curious about what kind of magic tool you’re building, so I came to check it out.”
“I know. I’m about at a good stopping point anyway, so I’ll head to the dining hall. By the way, the magic tool I’m currently making is a groundbreaking device that lets you live comfortably on hot days without ever having to leave your room.”
“That’s just being a shut-in.”
“You get to skip the whole hassle of traveling to a summer retreat, though?”
“Normal people just go somewhere cooler!”
“This way you don’t have to travel at all, right?”
“That’s not the point!”
The workshop’s too cramped for precise adjustments. A space about the size of the dining hall would be closer to real-world usage conditions.
“Guess I’ll bring the prototype to the dining hall.”
“Eh? That freezing thing?!”
“The dining hall’s a different size than here. If I want to properly check the cooling effect, I should test it in a somewhat larger space. It’ll also let me get everyone’s input on how much adjustment it still needs — perfect timing, actually.”
“…You’re planning to test it during dinner?”
“Better than eating in the heat, right?”
“…”
“…Should I go grab a blanket, just in case…”
I picked up prototype one and headed to the dining hall together with Tiana.
Once we arrived, I set up the magic tool right away.
Though the cooling effect would naturally vary depending on where it’s placed.
Near the entrance, where people constantly come and go, the cold air would escape too easily.
So the far end of the room, where the air could settle and spread evenly, made more sense.
Placing it against the wall at the very back should let the cold air flow more evenly throughout the whole room.
“Is that the thing you’ve been working on this whole time?”
Mother, who’d already arrived at the dining hall, glanced toward the magic tool set up in the corner.
“Yeah, figured since it’s ready, we might as well eat somewhere cool.”
With that, I switched the device on.
As magical energy flowed through, the cooling magic circle began glowing faintly.
Following that, the airflow magic circle responded as well, and a quiet hum began emanating from inside the device.
“…It’s cool. Bringing it to the dining hall was the right call. A larger space really does change how the cold air spreads.”
“Oh my…! It really is cool in here.”
Judging by Mother’s reaction, the temperature setting seemed to be just about right.
“Lately, I’d been feeling like the fan alone just wasn’t quite enough. Even wearing summer dresses, the hot days have really been difficult to bear… If I had one of these in my private chambers, I imagine I could live so much more comfortably.”
True enough — it’s not only people active outdoors who feel the heat.
Mother and Tiana, who spend most of their time within the mansion, probably need this just as much.
“It’s still just a prototype, so it needs a bit more adjustment, but once it’s finished, I’ll set one up in your room too, Mother.”
“Oh my! Thank you so much. I’ll look forward to it.”
Depending on the room size, it might be worth making the main unit a bit more compact too.
If it’s going in Mother’s private chambers, this current size feels a little too clunky.
Uncle Alec could probably help with the decorative touches and exterior design—
…I’ll just leave that part entirely to him.
“””It’s cool in here!!”””
“Welcome home, Bruno, Emile.”
Mother greeted them first.
“Welcome back, Father, Brother.”
I followed up right after.
“Welcome home, Father, Brother Emile.”
Tiana greeted them with a smile as well.
“I’m home, Irene, Finn, Tiana.”
“I’m back home, Mother. It’s been a while, Finn. Glad to see Tiana’s doing well too.”
Father and Brother Emile both belong to the knight order.
Father returns to the mansion once his duties are done for the day, but Brother Emile normally lives in the royal castle’s knight dormitory.
Because of that, he only comes back to the mansion a few times a month.
Seems like he returned together with Father today.
“Still, why is it only this dining hall that’s so pleasantly cool? It’s been scorching all day — hot enough that we even had to cut training short.”
“Finn made a new magic tool and brought it here to the dining hall.”
“Oh? So a magic tool is cooling the dining hall, is it?”
Father’s gaze landed on the device.
“So this is the new magic tool you made.”
“Yeah, still just a prototype, though. Seems fine for use in the dining hall at least. Though when I tested it in the workshop earlier, Tiana said it was way too cold, so it still needs some more adjustment.”
“When Brother Finn said he was bringing it to the dining hall, I genuinely considered bringing a blanket.”
“The cold air was pooling up in the workshop.”
“I’ve already asked Finn to make me one for my private chambers.”
At Mother’s words, Father’s eyes lit up.
“Oh! That’s a great idea! If I had one in my study, my work would probably go so much smoother! Finn, it’d really help if you made one for me too!”
“Wait, in that case, I want one for the knight dormitory too! It’s been so hot lately I can barely sleep!”
…I figured there’d be demand, but still.
Before it’s even finished, I’ve already got three separate orders for it.
“I’d like one too, though maybe one that’s not quite so cold.”
Now I need four of them.