49 – Mass Production

Bimark had summoned me.

“Thank you for saving my daughter’s life. To think you possessed not only a natural gift for magic but also medical knowledge. I knew of your exceptional abilities, of course… but the more I see, the more astounded I become.”

He asked if there was any reward I desired from him in return for healing Rivian.

There was only one thing I wanted from Bimark, but I had heard from Art that he had summoned me here for other reasons besides a reward.

“It would seem prudent to address the most pressing matter first.”

I inquired as to what exactly required my assistance.

“Hm.”

Bimark nodded.

“The number of patients experiencing symptoms similar to Rivian’s is rapidly increasing. It would appear that a plague has broken out in the Kingdom’s east, including the Tristi Autonomous Region.”

As a point of reference, Rivian had recently traveled to the Kingdom’s east with Troill.

Thankfully, no patients with Rivian’s affliction have been discovered in the capital as yet, so it would seem safe for now.

“Between the Polar Convergence anomaly and these events in the Kingdom’s east, something ominous is afoot. According to the Blue Magic Tower Master’s report, those who caused the anomaly are terrorists who call themselves ‘Wonderland’.”

Bimark suspected this plague was deeply connected to them.

“Rooting out the source of evil is important, but saving lives takes precedence, Esther.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Can the medicine that cured Rivian be produced in large quantities?”

『Impossible on my own.』

Eh.

『However, with support, it’s entirely possible.』

You startled me.

Right. “Impossible” couldn’t possibly be in Nob AI’s dictionary.

“It seems we’ll need the aid of the Life Magic mages.”

“I’ll inform the Blue Magic Tower beforehand. Besides that, I’ll spare no expense in providing support, so tell me whenever you need something.”

Besides that, I ordered the things Vimark needed to create the medicine.

He readily accepted my requests.

At this rate, countless people will die from the epidemic.

I couldn’t back out now.

Life is equally precious.

Except for those dog b*stards who don’t even resemble people, of course.

Ha, seriously.

This is the last time.

Truly, really the last time I’ll work this hard.

When it’s all over, I’m going to enjoy a truly, really happy unemployed life.

Even if the King grabs my pants and begs me to stay, I’ll ignore him, ditch him, and run away.

I sighed inwardly and slowly nodded.

*

Noctias was a half-elf, inheriting the blood of the long-lived elf race, now 158 years old.

Beyond the kingdom’s northern border lay the great Empire, built through the united strength of countless demi-humans, so half of her roots could be said to lie in the Empire.

Her reason for choosing the kingdom over the Empire was magic.

Demi-humans fundamentally don’t care for magic.

Perhaps because most possess long lifespans, overwhelmingly, they adopted a conservative stance, disliking technology and change and clinging to tradition.

Also, demi-humans possessed superior physical abilities and unique powers equal to or greater than demons, giving them the strength to fight without using magic, they felt no need for it.

From the outset, in the Empire, magic was seen as a power akin to a curse from the Devil.

Noctias, who had encountered magic by chance in her childhood and fallen deeply in love with it, had no choice but to willingly abandon her life as an Imperial citizen.

Nearly a hundred years had passed since she left her family’s embrace and began working at the Blue Magic Tower.

Noctias, once a merely passable magic student, had somehow ascended to the seat of a Magic Tower Lord.

She wasn’t gifted with the prodigious magical talent of an Erphs or other Tower Lords.

It was simply that, as a half-elf, she was more sensitive to mana, granting her a slight advantage in understanding magic compared to humans, and that she had dedicated herself to studying and practicing magic for an inordinate amount of time.

Compared to an Erphs, perfected as a mage at the age of fifty, her talent was decidedly ordinary.

Noctias had witnessed countless geniuses throughout her hundred years.

Some had rectified the social standing of mages, others had finalized the systematization and optimization of spells, and still others had discovered mithril ore, greatly benefiting both mages and knights.

Geniuses were plentiful in this world.

Therefore, selecting the absolute best was a difficult task, she had always thought.

“The key is the chemical substance secreted by the microorganism.”

Noctias realized, at this very moment, who the greatest genius was.

“This penicillin has a very unstable square structure called beta-lactam. In nature, the hexagonal structure is the most stable, making it difficult to isolate directly.”

Ester Tristi had visited the Azure Tower to create a remedy for the current epidemic.

Everyone said that magic and medicine were entirely distinct disciplines, but

the Azure Tower, which researched the effects of mana on demons or other living beings and repeatedly experimented with enhancing or degrading them through spells, was arguably more closely related than other schools.

The aura currently used by knights was also initially created by a life-school mage.

Life-school mages possessed knowledge about life that surpassed even that of physicians.

Ester, having been entrusted with the position of Epidemic Overseer by the King, was directing the Azure Tower in Noctias’s stead, in order to mass-produce the medicine.

“We will purify the drug from impurities using lyophilization.”

He had created a massive fermenter called a deep tank.

Using corn steep liquor as a raw material, he designed a mass production process for antibiotics, stirring the culture medium at the bottom of the fermenter with a motor and blowing air in.

This process was also used for the mass production of mana inhibitors.

Furthermore, by employing the Life School’s acceleration spells and rapid cooling machinery, the rate of drug production had been increased exponentially, making it possible to overcome the biggest hurdle in this epidemic.

Noctias was awestruck.

It was astonishing enough that he had developed antibiotics and mana inhibitors, but the fact that the method for mass-producing them had also sprung from one person’s mind was simply unbelievable.

If his accomplishments to date had been related to pharmacology and medicine, she could have accepted it to some extent, but hadn’t he achieved things worthy of being called revolutions in completely unrelated fields, such as elucidating the Millennium Prize Problems and developing the Hell Tank?

She couldn’t help but be amazed by Ester’s genius, which transcended disciplines.

‘This person is not the kind of talent a Magic Tower can hold onto.’

He was a complete human being.

Like a sage who had awakened to everything at the young age of fifteen, he pioneered unknown paths with his vast knowledge and unique ideas.

In that process, there was no such thing as failure, truly a crane among chickens, a talent born for this age.

“Archmage.”

Within the grand workshop, alight with the ceaseless flicker of arcane fires, Noctias widened his eyes.

Turning towards the source of the voice, he saw Esther, who had been orchestrating the mages’ efforts, approaching him.

“Yes, did you call for me?”

“Has the distribution issue been resolved?”

Noctias nodded.

“For patients in critical condition, the first batch of produced medications will be sent via transference magic. As for the rest, an agreement has been reached to distribute them across the eastern territories through the Golden Caravan merchant guild. Once the medicine is made, it will be circulated in an instant, so you needn’t worry about that part.”

Esther gave a curt nod.

“Thank you for handling this so swiftly. A considerable weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”

“It’s the least I could do. Heh heh heh.”

Though a customary remark, praise from a prodigy held a certain distinction from the ordinary.

Noctias wore a beaming smile.

“By the way, Lord Esther.”

“Yes?”

“Regarding these antibiotics and mana suppressants… would it be acceptable for our Blue Magic Tower to continue producing them independently in the future?”

Antibiotics and mana suppressants were a miracle, capable of saving those suffering from mana sickness and other diseases.

Countless patients would begin seeking the medicine, and demand would skyrocket.

Currently, the state was providing them freely to resolve the crisis, but in time, they could be sold for profit – an item too lucrative to miss.

Of course, the intellectual property rights belonged to Esther.

Patents were an exceedingly sensitive matter among mages, so it was necessary to make it absolutely clear.

“I offer a royalty of 7% of the ex-factory price per unit, for twenty years. What do you say?”

He nodded without hesitation.

“Agreed.”

“Then let’s draft the contract immediately!”

Noctias hurried to fetch paper and pen, and affixed both his and Esther’s seals.

The act of making medicine and saving lives was, of course, a noble endeavor.

However, he also anticipated that the income from those medications would be substantial.

The Blue Magic Tower’s influence in both the magical and medical circles would greatly increase, and he could finally make Erps, his rival, eat dirt – a win-win situation.

Though, now that he thought about it, the Red Magic Tower had officially begun developing their Hell Tank as well, so he probably couldn’t make him eat that much dirt.

Noctias glanced sidelong at Esther.

Her eyes likely saw Esther as no different than a goblin lugging a sack overflowing with gold.

“Speaking of which, if you aren’t terribly occupied, perhaps a rather profound discussion on matters of magic with me…”

“I must get to work.”

“Hmph.”

Noctias wore a crestfallen look.

Esther was ever one to resist becoming closer than absolutely necessary.

Each time she saw Esther putting up her guard, she felt like a girl hopelessly in love for the first time, but as is so often the case with unrequited affections, winning her favor was a difficult endeavor.

Anyway.

The potions perfected within the Azure Magic Tower began their distribution to the eastern reaches of the kingdom, carried via transference magic and the Golden Carriage trade network.