I might be able to return to my original world. When I relayed this news to Arima, his reaction was surprisingly lukewarm.
“Uh-uh♠ So we can go back ho?”
“Yes, but I’ll need a little help from the Dragon Heart and you, Arima.”
“Alright, alright-◆ So, what kind of help do you need?”
“First off, the types of magic you possess and their potency. And….”
I started explaining roughly about the magic that Arima could use. Among them was a restoration spell that made ponder if he might actually return to his hotown. So, according to him, ti-reverse magic also appeared to exist.
An extrely unscientific magic that rewinds the ti of an object to its original state. Considering that even the technology I knew on Earth had failed to achieve ti travel, this was just plain ridiculous.
An individual, no matter how localized, managed to pull off ti slip? If the scientists on Earth got wind of this, they’d be red-faced, drooling and charging in like rabid dogs.
“Trying to reverse ti by using the Dragon Heart or your own body to go back to Ardenia is….”
“Impossible. It can’t possibly work, right? If we’re being honest, this magic just reverses the state of ti in the space-ti continuum and can’t be used for too long. Only a few seconds at best.”
“Hmm. One easy path is blocked.”
That’s a disappointnt. If it was just a matter of energy shortage, couldn’t we borrow so energy from the sun up in the sky? There’s an abundance of wasted energy in this universe.
But if it’s not just a lack of energy, but a technical issue, then we’re in the realm of science, not magic. What humanity developed out of necessity is the very foundation of science.
“It seems feasible, but I can’t give you a guarantee. This is the first ti I’m mixing magic with science.”
“Ahaha. I’m really looking forward to it! Especially since you say there’s a thod that I couldn’t find despite searching high and low.”
There was a prick in his statent. Even I, thick as a brick, could sense that much. But it didn’t matter. A suspicious look is actually better. I could easily resolve that.
What’s truly troubleso are those who, without a shred of doubt, co expecting strange things after seeing sothing odd.
I reached out my hand, hoping to see that glint in Arima’s eyes change.
“Let’s work together.”
“Likewise♠.”
As we exchanged a light handshake, Arima suddenly rembered sothing and opened his mouth.
“By the way, how are we going to handle the research expenses? Things like this don’t co cheap, do they?”
“Not an issue! I’ve got plenty of money. The research funds I snagged not too long ago still have about 100 million left.”
“……how much?”
“100 million dollars.”
“Wow- You’ve got a lot of money! I can’t even spend that much on a single experint…”
While Arima was taken aback by the research funds I had pilfered from Schola, it seed he suddenly recalled sothing.
“Isn’t that kind of money tied to the boss’s share too? Shouldn’t we not ntion this to the boss?”
“Ah… um, well, it is my money for now.”
I thought for a mont. If I told the boss about this research, what would she say? I didn’t think I’d hear anything pleasant.
Otherworlder. This is a super rare collectible, with only two people in this world. Hearing that I’m conducting research to return them to their original world would have Regalia throwing a massive fit…
Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine, so I decided to keep this research under wraps. Let’s face it; it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
“Let’s just try it first and think about the details later!”
“Now that’s the spirit☆!”
And with that, the experint kicked off.
If soone residing at the top of the sa building got wind of what we were doing, they’d definitely be flabbergasted.
*
Arima fretted that this experint wouldn’t help at all, but the reality was quite the opposite. This experint was a huge boost to my scientific capabilities. In fact, it’s likely to be more beneficial than anything I’ve developed up to this point.
Unlike the previous products, which were created solely based on scientific knowledge, this ti, I intended to shalessly incorporate magic and superpowers into the mix.
This is a world where satellite beam weapons and hypersonic fighter jets exist, along with monsters resulting from genetic modification — things that should be impossible with 21st-century science. I know it all cos from the uncensored blending of superpowers with science.
“Ultimately, developing this technology is because of Sten.”
To be precise, this technique could only be used when utilizing Sten’s abilities to their fullest extent. I called for Sten and introduced him to Arima.
“This here is Sten. He’s famous, right? He’s currently the head of Z City, and I had to bring him in personally.”
“Hey there, Arima.”
“Arima… I know. I once went to see a show with my wife.”
“Oh- really? Thanks!”
Sten seed quite surprised to learn that Arima, the world’s most renowned magician, was an executive of an evil organization. But the shock didn’t last long; as combatants of said organization, Sten instantly complied with Arima’s orders.
“What can I do?”
“Your task, Sten, is the sa as last ti. I just need you to use your ability, ah- not right now. I’ll specify how you use it, so there’s nothing to worry about…”
And with a whoosh, the experint began.
The basic structure was like this: track the corpse of the dragon, presumably the original owner of the Dragon Heart, to find Ardenia’s coordinates.
“How are you planning to find it?”
“I hope for a revolutionary thod to suddenly pop up and succeed, but… if that doesn’t happen, we’ll have to stick to very traditional and scientific thods.”
“Scientific thods?”
“Trial and error.”
Experint 1.
Slice a piece off the Dragon Heart and use magic to return to its rightful owner. Track it down to obtain the coordinates.
Failed.
“Not even a flicker of activation.”
“What kind of case is this?”
“Maybe it’s too far away, or the owner doesn’t exist?”
“In that case, it must be the forr. Surely, if it’s a dragon’s heart, we should be looking for the dragon’s corpse to confirm…”
Experint 13.
I realized that it wasn’t just the distance that was an issue. Just as I couldn’t find any trace of Earth in this world, it beca clear that this place was indeed a separate world altogether.
Experint 27.
I opted to try using the Haven-Kreutz theory to make a hole in the world and from there, search for Ardenia. Selecting just one Ardenia from countless bubble worlds would be as tricky as finding a needle in a desert, but fortunately, Arima had a magic spell to handle this problem.
A spell to find lost items, which Arima casually said could solve this issue with a rather low-level magic. The odds of finding a needle in a bucket of sand had been ramped up to the level of finding a needle in a pile of sand. Honestly, it was a simple grind from here.
Experint 333.
It seed the boss was starting to catch on that we were slacking off. Judging by how she hounded us daily asking what we were up to…
Experint 2531.
I successfully pinpointed Ardenia. While I couldn’t yet influence that world, the re fact that I could observe it was proof that we could interact with each other.
Now all that was left was simple grunt work. Just trial and error remains.
Experint 12515.
I succeeded in sending an object the size of a finger to the other side.
A pig’s head, while strolling, was spotted startled by a sausage falling from the sky.
“─Sten! Hold it a little longer!”
“Ungh-!”
As Sten utilized his ability to stabilize the space, Arima cast magic inside that locked space. The newly created material inside the khokd space had to push the space outward by that volu.
Yet it was impossible to pierce through a stable space. Eventually, the space started to tear in the preordained direction. Zzzzzzz — an inaudible spiritual noise echoed through.
The torn space was gripped tightly by a pre-made fissure holder, and the resulting open space brightly illuminated what was supposedly Ardenia, Arima’s holand.
“Ahh…… my Ardenia-.”
Arima gazed beyond with an expression of incredulity. Perhaps the people who lost their families in North and South Korea did not feel such an intensity when reunited with their loved ones.
They lost family, but this outsider had lost their entire world. Family, friends, loved ones, the life and history they built were all contained in that world.
‘Finally succeeded… and just as the research funds were running low.’
At the feat number 17,321.
At the end of countless experints.
I had, at long last, opened the door to return to another world.
Magic, superpowers, and science had triumphed.
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