Perhaps my words aroused the Tower Lord's curiosity, so he approached me and pointed towards the mages who were accompanying him.
“Come in. It seems I have some matters to discuss with the young lady.”
“Aww, thank you!”
I gave Ponyta a subtle signal with my eyes, then followed the tower lord into the garden.
Sitting in the green garden lit by the warm sun, even a frozen heart can slowly begin to thaw.
The Tower Master sat across from me at a small table, looking curious. I wasted no time and got straight to the point.
As the saying goes, seize the moment. This type of matter should be brought up as soon as it comes to mind.
“Tower Master, I want to make something called a beam projector.”
“…A beam projector? What is this?”
“It's a device that plays pre-recorded videos.”
“Hee hee hee, but can’t video crystals already do that?”
As expected.
When I heard the expected response, I quickly shook my head.
"Hmm, it's a little different. Current video crystals have very short time periods. As far as I know, they can only hold about a minute or two, right?"
"…This is correct."
The Tower Master nodded without objection, although he looked a little unconvinced.
That was completely understandable. In this world, the idea of saving and replaying moving images for long periods of time was unfamiliar, even strange.
That's why old records were kept in books, and youthful memories were immortalized in photographs.
It is true that magic may mimic advanced technology, but that does not mean that people's mentality can keep up with it. This was a classic case of innovation overtaking perception.
But if the technological infrastructure was already in place… wouldn’t changing perceptions have been the easier part?
“What if we changed our perspective?”
“Changed your point of view, you say?”
“Like recording a three-hour play by a famous band, and watching it whenever you want and as many times as you want.”
“…recording a play, hmm.”
The Tower Master's eyebrows rose high.
I felt that he was drawn to the topic, so I quickly explained the matter in detail.
Let's say there's a play you desperately want to see, but you're so immersed in your research that you miss it. But what if your trainee recorded it for you?
“……”
“What if you could see it and hear it with the same clarity as if you were there in person?”
At that moment, the Tower Master’s face lit up as if he was shouting, “Found it!”
“Come to think of it, I missed an opera by my favorite singer because I was writing that thesis on black magic tracing theory...”
“Exactly. You can watch it at home, lying down comfortably instead of sitting in a stuffy place with a crowd of people.”
He was completely obsessed now.
After I was sure I caught him, I kept going.
“Imagine a circus. A lot of people want to watch it, but because of the travel schedule, their show times are very limited. But what if people could watch those shows live from their rooms?”
At that, the Tower Master looked directly at me.
She caught a glimpse of his aging face and smiled with relief.
“If we just tweak the recording time and output mechanisms of the video crystals, we can create something revolutionary.”
“In that case... you mean to say...”
"Yes. I call it the beam projector. I think the wizards of the tower can build it, right?"
A short silence followed – a very positive silence.
Finally, the Tower Master let out a slight shout and nodded.
“With this, every mage in the tower will be eager to participate.”
"Isn't it? But…"
She stopped talking, which raised his expectations a little.
“…I don’t have any wish tokens left.”
"...Excuse me? What do you mean! You won't need a wish code for this!"
“…Huh?”
I blinked. No wish code? truly?
Everything she did - cajoling, cajoling and persuading - became meaningless in an instant.
When he saw my stunned face, the Tower Master let out a shy cough and explained further.
“I know I'm being sentimental, but… hearing your idea made me want to be part of this Beam Projector project.”
"truly?"
“And the concept of ‘real-time live streaming’… it’s great.”
He seemed completely enchanted, muttering to himself as if under some kind of magic.
“Wow, I never thought of creating a one-way broadcast crystal using the two-way communication model...”
“Oh – no! This was only possible thanks to the amazing work the tower has done so far!”
“Um…”
He nodded thoughtfully, then asked:
“Is there anything else you would like to see made?”
It was as if he was offering to create a complete workshop just for me.
If I had access to a suitable broadcasting station to systematically produce content, I would have had a lot more ideas…
Wait. Hold on.
Should I… build a broadcast station myself?
But to do this...
No, this is crazy. What am I thinking? I can barely keep up with it at all.
I shook my head to stop my wild thoughts and came back to reality.
What a terrifying idea! I will find myself buried under a huge mountain of work.
Do not lose yourself... You are a homely, homely person...
I repeated that phrase to myself, smiled brightly and waved my hand.
“Ahaha, no, I don’t think I have anything else right now.”
“This is unfortunate. But if anything comes to your mind, please feel free to contact me. The tower will cover all expenses.”
…What?
She stared at the Tower Master in disbelief.
No matter how much he liked me... Could it be that the Tower - which could rival an entire kingdom in strength thanks to its legendary stinginess - would provide full funding?
This means he really liked my idea.
“I'll definitely let you know if I come up with anything good. Wait, but… is it possible to communicate?”
I finally realized the strangeness of his wording, so I asked him for clarification.
The Tower Master replied with a wide smile.
"Let's discuss the details next time. There's no time to waste now. I have to go back to the tower and talk about this 'Beam Projector'."
“Huh? Back? But we have prepared a dinner for you and the other wizards at the Grand Duke’s Palace. Your Highness will be attending as well.”
He tilted his head in confusion.
“Hmm? That’s not what I heard. Anyway… the true nature of a magician is the nature of the world! What could be more important than research?”
"…What?"
“Okay, I'm leaving now.”
Fush!
A bright flash of light exploded, and in the blink of an eye, silence returned to the garden.
“…hmmm.”
Of course, the Tower Master's presence here was only for formalities. The magicians who actually run the operations will remain behind.
However, I wanted to show my gratitude for their help by providing a proper meal.
Now, it looks like I'll be having dinner with the Grand Duke… alone.
Normally, I wouldn't have minded.
Everything is supposed to be fine... right?
Even after knowing his past, I had to confront him a lot because of everything that had to be done.
But lately… seeing him didn't feel the same anymore.
Maybe it was because Bonita, Ashley, Liam or one of the assistants was always there before – allowing me to act naturally.
But if the Tower Master leaves, it will just be the two of us.
No, it's okay. No need to worry.
Sure, the Grand Duke was rather handsome.
Well, maybe he had a great body.
And maybe – just maybe – he had an incredibly inspiring story about overcoming his past…
“…It's okay. It's okay at all.”
I turned my back on the empty garden, and headed toward the Grand Duke's palace with a forced determination at every step.