Chapter 114: The Seal of the Falcon
Morning began with me trying to summon a simple spark at the tips of my left fingers. The result was predictable: nothing.
Today was a big day. If I couldn't convince the Collegium of Inquirers—or whatever they called themselves—we were finished.
They were already waiting in the workshop. Noah stood against the wall, as always. Darwin was nervously shuffling some blueprints, and Elyria... was just floating in the air.
"Ready, w—" I cut myself off, catching her stern look. "Ready, Elyria?"
"Always ready, Iron," she said. "But remember: if you pull the trigger too early, I won't have time to create the right background, and your 'magical artifact' won't work."
"I won't let you down," I said, approaching the table.
I called it the "Pneumatic Disintegrator." In reality, it was a massive pipe made of blued steel, connected to high-pressure tanks. Inside was a complex system of valves and pistons. On the outside—a pile of useless copper tubes, lenses, and engraved runes that I’d scratched on just for show. To any mage, it was supposed to look like a highly complex capacitor. In reality, it was just a very powerful air gun firing heavy lead slugs.
Fortunately, I know how to lie, so everything should go smoothly, the thought flashed.
"Noah, your job is to keep this Collegium from getting too close. If you feel him prying, crush him with your aura."
"Okay."
The rattle of carriage wheels on the Dornheim pavement announced the arrival of the "distinguished guests." I stepped out onto the porch of the town hall, leaning on my cane.
Walter was the first to exit the carriage. He looked as usual: impeccable doublet, polite smile. But the man following him was different.
Magister Willem of the Collegium of Inquirers.
He was an old man in a long gray robe. His eyes were a strange, milky white, and when he looked at me, I felt a physical itch under my skin. Like I was being X-rayed.
"Master Iron," Willem’s voice creaked. "Word of your... achievement has reached the capital. The Collegium is extremely interested in the nature of your power. I must admit, I expected to see someone more... monumental."
"Monumentality is overrated, Magister," I replied, trying not to show my shortness of breath. "Shall we head to the firing range?"
Need to get this over with quickly, I thought.
We headed toward the southern wall. Walter walked slightly behind, carefully noting my every word. Willem remained silent, but I could literally feel him trying to "probe" my magical background. His attention hit a dead wall.
"Your companion... is quite specific," Willem remarked, glancing at Noah.
"Don't mind him, he's always like that," I cut him off. "We're here."
A dummy in full knightly plate armor had already been set up on the wall. Heavy steel, tested by time. My "Disintegrator" stood on a tripod thirty paces away.
"This is your weapon?" Willem approached the rig, examining the copper tubes. "I don't feel an active magical core in it. Only... strange vibrations in the air."
"Vector magic doesn't require a core," I started spewing scientific-sounding bullshit. "The system works on the potential entropy difference and the kinetic compression of the continuum. You don't feel a core because the core is the expansion process itself."
Willem frowned. He clearly didn't understand half the words.
"Demonstrate," he barked.
I stepped up to the machine. My hands were shaking, but I forced them to stay still.
"Elyria," I whispered, barely audible.
A soft green glow flared inside the cannon’s housing. I grabbed the trigger lever.
"Fifth harmonic," I announced loudly for effect. "Compression!"
I pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The deafening crack of compressed air made Walter flinch, and the patrolmen on the wall reached for their weapons. In the same second, Elyria threw out a powerful pulse of energy, blinding everyone with a bright emerald flash.
The heavy lead slug, accelerated to an insane speed, struck the dummy's breastplate dead center. The steel snapped. The armor shattered into pieces, and the dummy itself flew back five meters, turning into a shapeless mess of straw and metal.
Willem approached the remains of the armor. His face was pale. He touched the jagged edges of the metal.
He turned to me. This was exactly what I was aiming for.
"The Collegium will want to study the blueprints."
"The blueprints are in my head," I tapped my temple with a finger. "And they will stay there as long as Dornheim remains a 'free city under patronage.' I am ready to provide the Count with finished products, but the technology is my personal property. And I need resources to develop it."
Walter, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.
"His Excellency Count Wayland foresaw your... ambition, Master Iron."
He pulled a sealed envelope from his coat with a heavy wax seal. It bore the image of that same falcon.
"The Count invites you to Castle Wayland. In person. He wishes to discuss a long-term contract and the volume of deliveries for these... devices."
I took the letter. It was cold to the touch.
"And if I refuse?"
Walter smiled thinly.
"Why refuse the friendship of a man who has helped you so fiercely?"
Expected, I said to myself.
"Three days," I said, shoving the letter into my pocket. "I need three days to prepare the prototypes and get myself in order."
"The carriage will arrive in three days at this time," Walter bowed.
When the guests' carriage disappeared behind the gates, I felt my legs give way. Noah caught me by the elbow, keeping me from falling in front of the workers.
"Well played," he said quietly. "But you realize that in the castle, they won't just stand there and watch?"
"I know," I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. "Elyria, how are you?"
The spirit appeared nearby; her glow was dim.
"That was exhausting. Faking a magical field for a piece of iron is like trying to make a stone sing. What are you going to do at the castle, Iron? There are thousands of eyes there."
"I haven't figured it out yet. If anything, improvisation will save us."
I turned to Darwin, who was standing nearby.
"Darwin, prepare lists of the materials we need. Make them as long as possible. Include everything we might need to survive autonomously for a year."