Chapter 9: A Royal Summons

Chapter 9: A Royal Summons

Daniel and Wenlianna didn't waste time with the many projects he unintentionally created by mentioning them to her. When one was in the process of running automatically, such as waiting on the diamonds to form, they began alcohol fermentation -both for a cleaning agent and to have Wenlianna try it. Once that was in the waiting stage, they began assembling a water wheel and generator, with plenty of help from those willing on the estate's staff. Because Wenlianna was willing to pay overtime from her own resources, many of them were willing to help. From there, Wenlianna led the construction of a magic crystal conversion device, which can convert elemental magic to pure mana and vice versa. The trickiest part was the final stage; creating a system to take the electrical energy being produced by the generator and use it as the seed element for charging a magic crystal while powering the charging system as well. If this can be done, it could effectively serve to replace the mages in the production of magic crystals. If they can also figure out how to convert to other elements from machine power as well, then production will no longer be limited by the mage's concentration and time being consumed.

It looks like it'll be a bit of a road ahead, but Wenlianna is able to find some research in her books discussing attempts to charge crystals without a mage, and some devices that make it a little easier.

Once the generator is working, and Daniel explains how it works, Wenlianna takes notes and documents what she can.

In the meantime, Daniel does something he had hoped to do for a while upon gaining access to electricity; he builds a variable power supply using homemade components, which allows him to control the voltage better. And with it, he is able to charge his cell phone, which, along with its charger, was in his lap the night he was transported. While he of course won’t be able to make calls or any of the many functions his smart phone is capable of, he will be able to pull up the documents and books he has stored on his phone, which will open up even more technical equipment than he has currently. He has a PDF copy of an engineering black book -a cheat sheet of sorts-, as well as a few other such technical books aiding in electrical distribution, electrical calculations, and hydrodynamics, which he occasionally used to troubleshoot the plethora of machines his company expected him to be able to work on. While he could work with a jack-of-all-trades level of skill on most of his company’s equipment, he was an expert on none of it. Even now, what he’s accomplished is because he knows the bare minimum to accomplish the tasks, and magic makes it that much easier to get started. In his own world, he’d never have the means to have done anything he’s done in this world.

The more he thinks about it, though, the more careful he has to be with what he allows himself to make. Like all of the other things for which he knows the bare minimum in most cases, his time in the military as a nuclear power operator taught him just enough to be dangerous. Assuming he could get his hands on the ingredients, he could probably do terrible things to this world. Things he wouldn’t even want to do in his world, but would be completely unknown in this one until he unleashed the monster hidden within the atom. It wouldn’t be the most effective, but he knows enough to make him a target if it ever got out.

Likewise, it’s probably a good idea for him to not tell anyone how to access his phone, or even show them for that matter. If they figure out how to translate the many books he has stored on it, things such as firearms and dangerous chemicals this world isn’t ready for could come out of Pandora’s box, so to speak.

“Hey! Are you listening?” Daniel flinches with a start when he realizes Wenlianna is talking to him.

“Oh! Sorry, I was just lost in thought. What’s up?”

“Such strange dialogue from you... ‘What’s up?’ How did your people come to say that? Nevermind. Anyways, I was saying you’ve been summoned to the castle.” She hands him the scroll, which was brought by one of the Grand Duchess’s servants.

Daniel cocks his head. “Me? Any particular reason?”

Wenlianna rubs her temples, saying dryly, “Let me peer into the great unknowable pool of magic housing all knowledge of all things... Yes... Mm-hmm... I KNOW that I have no idea.”

“Very funny.”

“Since we’ve been pretty hidden away here for these months since the last time either of us were there, I would guess it could be as simple as your friend, the king, wanting to catch up.”

Daniel scoffs. “His Majesty Rikuto and I may have both come from Earth, but I wouldn’t call us friends. You’re probably not wrong, though. He might be worried about the havoc I could cause if I started building an airplane.”

“You won’t get me this time! I won’t fall for it! ‘Skyhook’. ‘Dry water’.” She crosses her arms, grumbling, “Jerk.”

He chuckles, shrugging.

After a moment, she asks, “Alright, what is it?”

“Whaaaat? I thought you wouldn’t fall for it.”

“Grraah! You know I can’t resist! Tell me!” She grips his shirt’s chest, shaking him. “Tell me now!”

He laughs, replying, “Fine. It’s like a boat, but for the sky.”

“A boat for the sky? Alright, you’re making that up.”

“Technically, I didn’t make up skyhook or dry water...”

“EITHER WAY!”

“It’s true, though. We used vessels that could fly through the air. Even above the clouds.”

“Why not just use boats? A ship in the sky sounds like a great way to die when you fall.”

“True, but people don’t tend to do too well when a ship sinks, do they? Airplanes in our world are carefully designed and maintained constantly. For the volume of cargo and people we moved that way, it was always considered the safest form of travel.”

She stares at him, and he adds, “As for why; flying is much faster than boats. Generally, a plane -if it could make the distance- could fly to any point on the globe in less than a single day. The same distance in a ship would take a month.”

She grumbles in frustration, releasing him so she can scribble the word down in her notebook. “You’re not getting off that easy, Daniel.” She turns serious, saying in a lax, but pointed tone. “Anyway, a Royal Summons isn’t to be trifled with. I recommend a formal reply immediately, and to head for the castle as soon as possible.”

Daniel agrees with her. “Of course. Will you accompany me?”

She smiles. “Of course. It’s my assistant they’re stealing away. And, I have to ensure your etiquette is proper, right?”

He nods in agreement.

Wenlianna speaks to the Grand Duchess, and she has a formal reply drafted. However, she decides it’s an appropriate time for her to return to the castle herself, and she plans a formal caravan for the family to head to the castle. There, her younger three of five daughters can meet with important nobles, garner potentially more support for the Grand Duchess estate, and see formal meetings in action. Additionally, she had already commissioned tailored outfits for Wenlianna and Daniel, which Wenlianna tried to refuse, but the Grand Duchess insisted.

They make their way in the Grand Duchess’s largest and most comfortable carriage, which only takes around a half a day, fortunately, where they are put up in a noble mansion owned by the Grand Duchess.

The following day, they each make their way to the royal court, though Daniel and Wenlianna head to the audience chamber, while the Grand Duchess and her daughters make their way to the noble conference seating in the Royal Hall, where the King will have his audience with them. It’s clear the arrival of the Grand Duchess was unexpected, and special preparations were made to accommodate her arrival, including appropriate fanfare and gifts. There are even nobles of all ranks making small talk with her, barely concealing their ulterior motives to make inroads into the second most powerful family in the kingdom.

Daniel knows from his time in this world now that the Kingdom of Mornistae is a relatively small kingdom in the allied kingdoms aiding the Grand Empire of Zenkon against the demon wildlands. The war has been going for years prior to Rikuto’s and Daniel’s simultaneous arrival, and in the time since, Rikuto has stabilized the economy while Daniel worked in the shadows to make morale-boosting comfort improvements for the populace and nobles alike. Even the castle has been using his crude but effective pump to supply water to the castle’s nobles and servants, and they’ve yet to have any notable issues. They can hear it chugging away in the pump-shed they constructed near where the river passes under the castle’s structure. The castle was designed such that barges could be floated through massive portcullis on the river and allow resupplying the castle, naval launches and defensive maneuvers, as well as to carry castle waste away on the downstream side. Trash and waste tends to back up some on the downstream side, since the portcullis there is used much less. The medium-sized river passing through the castle quickly joins the main river passing through town, which dilutes the waste considerably. But, because of the filth of the downstream side, it’s naturally mostly covered and landscaped over to hide the smell and filth from the gardens around the castle.

“Presenting, the Lady Duchess, Wenlianna kos Stalvaltan, and her assistant, Daniel of the Otherworld.”

Wenlianna and Daniel walk into the room, with Daniel following a short distance behind Wenlianna to her right. Because an apprentice, assistant, or squire means that said student or assistant represents their mentor/master, and as such, when summoned, the noble mentor or master is afforded the right to be present at such a summons. It’s likely that more often than not, this is a means for nobles to take credit for the efforts and successes of their juniors, while deflecting any possible blame for issues. However, in Daniel and Wenlianna’s case, she’s ensuring he doesn’t get manipulated or falsely accused of anything, just in case. To smear his name, especially with her present, would be to smear a Duchess, apparently, and potentially the name of her mother, the Grand Duchess.

Daniel whispers as they walk, “Duchess? I thought so...”

“Quiet...” She smirks over her shoulder at him. When it’s the two of them, she insists on being equals, so she vehemently denied her rank. They walk to the stopping position, kneeling before King Regent Rikuto and the two Princesses, while the former King and Queen watch from a balcony seat. Rikuto has all but completely run the country for the last six months, and everything has held together, thanks to his calm demeanor and collegiate-level wisdom, something Daniel lacks.

Rikuto states, “Please raise your heads. Thank you for coming.”

Wenlianna replies, “It is our sincere pleasure, your Majesty.”

He chuckles. “When I penned the initial letter, I had meant it... a different way. But, I suppose the result can’t be helped. Duchess Wenlianna, it’s been a while since your retirement from the Court. Has your continued research proven fruitful?”

Wenlianna replies with a warm smile, “We have many... irons in the fire, is it?”

Rikuto cocks his head, but he nods to confirm the metaphor.

With a proud nod, Wenlianna continues. “Each promises a revolutionary change to how this kingdom does things, but to declare their existence prematurely would only invite humiliation should we fail. Please understand.”

Daniel nods in agreement, stepping up to the analysis crystal. He places his hand on it as the last remnants of Wenlianna’s magic is fading.

As all of the times before, as with all of the many times Wenlianna had him try, Daniel’s hand on the crystal produces no result. For whatever strange reason, his body simply doesn’t have any trace of magic, or it actively nullifies it. Even having spent time in the world -months at this point- and eaten food and drank drinks that should contain magic and mana, he doesn’t have any.

Wenlianna chuckles. “Still nothing... Amazing... Are you sure you’re alive, Daniel?” She pokes him, seemingly studying him.

“I can fog a mirror. That’s all I can tell you.”

She chuckles. “I’ve heard the demons have mages that can use the forbidden art of necromancy and raise the dead as soldiers. I’d love to know what their hands would show...”

Daniel scoffs. “I couldn’t say, but I’m pretty sure I’m not a zombie.”

“UGH! I thought you didn’t have magic in your world!”

“We don’t. But, we have fiction about it.”

“Right... I think you did tell me that... But... Undead, too? Specifically?”

Daniel chuckles. “Undead, dragons, demons, ghosts... Just because we imagined them doesn’t mean I want to meet them. We also have technology fiction as well. It was what we imagined the future would look like, and what we had not yet attained, such as travelling the stars.”

“Th-... The stars?”

Daniel smiles warmly. “Humans of Earth had landed on our moon, and we were working towards going even further.”

Wenlianna stares off into the distance as she ponders the notion. She tries to envision the difference between what she used to imagine and what Daniel has already brought over. What could a world as advanced as his envision for the future?

“Should we head back to our work, Duchess?”

“I’ll have you know, I won’t inherit my mother’s title. It’ll go to Yaniderre and her husband. You really don’t have to call me Duchess.”

Daniel grins. “The very fact that it harmlessly bothers you is what makes it fun.”

She crosses her arms and frowns at him. “I could have you banished forever. Just keep that in mind.”

“Noted. Shall we?”

She sighs. “Let’s go. But, later, we’re talking about how to visit the moon.” She writes it down in her notebook, gathering her dress to make it easier to ascend the stairs. She wobbles and falls after a few steps, but Daniel catches her, keeping her on her feet. She clears her throat, murmuring, “Thank you. I hate dresses.”

“It looks great on you.”

She blushes, retorting, “I would hope so. I’m sure it cost a small fortune.”

As they go a little further up, she clears her throat. “You, uh... You look... nice... too.”

“Thank you... Duchess.”

“Rrrrmmmm...”

With only a simple hum of defeat, the Magic Artisan continues up the stairs.

************

Princess Erimaya has been alive for a little over 10 years (~12EY), and she has undergone near endless training in etiquette, proper manners and decorum, leadership, and any other social conventions expected of a young maiden. She walks with grace, she speaks with softness and femininity -but always with purpose-, and she is well-read for her age, all to support her sister, the Crown Princess. Erimaya is engaged to the son of a Duke, a means of ensuring alliances within the kingdom so that loyalties were maintained. Of course, Erimaya would be the wife of a Duke, rather than a Princess at that point, unless something were to happen to her elder sister.

With the arrival of Rikuto and Daniel, things got strange. The King and Queen -Heralesse’s and Erimaya’s parents- decided to make Rikuto the acting King until his reign can be formalized. His otherworldly knowledge, like Daniel’s, is unprecedented, and has pioneered many strategies and methods for improving the economy of the kingdom, as well as its defensive and offensive posture. According to reports, the stalemate with the demon lands is holding, but that could very well mean the demons are strategizing as well, which is why it’s so advantageous that Rikuto is preparing everything he can.

Ironically, Erimaya’s betrothed was actually originally meant to be Heralesse’s future husband, but possibly as a way to grant Rikuto a reason to fight for the kingdom, the King and Queen offered Heralesse to Rikuto instead. Apparently, arranged marriages aren’t normal where Rikuto comes from, as he refused at first. Though, the marriage hasn’t been cancelled, and Erimaya knows her sister well enough to know that she looks up to the otherworlder King now, as well as holds some feelings of affection for him.

If she’s being honest, Erimaya rather envies her elder sister for finding such a meaningful connection with the person she’s destined to marry.

As for the present, though, it has been about a week since Daniel -and by extension, Wenlianna- were summoned by Rikuto to explore technological advancements apparently within Daniel’s ability to create. Erimaya isn’t sure if there were any other schemes the day the two were summoned where Daniel would be wasted, but he’s proven himself useful on many occasions. She’s thankful that she spoke up when she did, though even with all of her reading, she has yet to find a reason that would cause him to arrive in their world without magic or a special skill. Everything she can find on the summoning ritual indicates it’s been the same every time. Daniel is the only anomaly. Even dual summons have occurred, though only once before.

Regardless, she’s thankful for the regular warm baths and showers she can take at her leisure, requiring no preparation ahead of time. She can simply turn the water on, control the temperature, and bathe all in the comfort of her own room’s secondary chamber, which is located several levels above the ground.

Erimaya walks along the battlements of the castle’s outermost structure, excluding the defensive walls. It gives her a grand view out over the city, the river, and the gardens, and she can appreciate the sunset. Below her, the river flows through the castle’s portcullis, and down in the garden, Daniel is laying out the handful of components for his centrifugal pump and ‘generator’, which he had some of the parts already commissioned when he was summoned. In spite of the fact that both the Royal Family and the Grand Duchess’s family contain exclusively daughters, the Grand Duchess has been bankrolling Wenlianna’s and Daniel’s projects with the express intent of ensuring the crown remains indebted to her family, even without a marriage tying them together.

She leans on the battlement wall, watching with a smile as Heralesse and Rikuto discuss with Daniel and Wenlianna.

Even Daniel and Wenlianna seem to be close; an enviable camaraderie that Erimaya has never known. She has people she can trust, of course, such as her guards, who are standing watch nearby, and her maid in waiting, who is also standing nearby. Though, it’s not her usual maid, as she is out sick today. The maid serving her is new for Erimaya, but has been working for the castle for a while now, as far as she knows.

Nora, as Erimaya knows her, asks softly, “Did you not wish to participate, Princess?”

Erimaya smiles at the scene below her. “No. For scenes like this; everyone talking and working, sometimes I just like to see it all at once; like a painting.”

“I see.”

As Erimaya starts to take a step towards the opening between ramparts for a better view, which has a removable handrail, Nora cries out, “Princess look out!”

She’s not sure what happened. She was just moving for a better look, and her senses seemed to have blacked out for a moment. She gathers her senses enough to see Nora dangling from the ramparts, a piece of torn dress in her hand, as she gets further and further away.

A-... Am I... falling?

Erimaya can feel her heart pounding, and her life flashing before her eyes. She can’t summon a breath to scream. Between her corset and a strange pain in her ribs, as well as the terror flooding over her and freezing her whole body, she can’t do anything. She can’t even really believe it’s happening. It feels so surreal.

All she can hear is her heartbeat, pounding in her ears.

What’s... Am I... going to die?

***