Alador pointed directly at the schematics.
"Explain everything."
Then a smile appeared on his face.
A genuine smile.
The smile of an inventor who had just discovered something truly interesting.
"And start from the beginning."
...
Alright.
No pressure.
Absolutely no pressure.
I quickly glanced around the room.
Emira was watching the scene as if it were the greatest show she had ever seen.
Edric had somehow managed to acquire popcorn from somewhere.
Amity still looked completely stunned.
And Odalia...
Odalia was still looking at me as though she were calculating my market value.
Very reassuring.
I took a breath.
"Alright."
I pointed to one section of the blueprint.
"The basic idea is simple."
Alador immediately stepped closer.
Too close.
Way too close.
"Continue."
"Witches use their magical bile to cast spells."
"Yes."
"But magic already exists everywhere throughout the Boiling Isles."
At those words, Alador tilted his head slightly.
Odalia did the same.
I continued.
"So instead of producing magic..."
I tapped the schematic.
"Why not learn how to channel it more efficiently?"
Silence.
Alador looked back down at the plans.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
"Ah."
He understood immediately.
And fast.
Very fast.
"The gauntlets act as conductors?" he asked at once.
"Exactly."
I pointed to several different sections.
"Each component is designed to stabilize the magical flow."
"Energy loss reduction..."
"Load distribution..."
"Overload compensation."
Alador's eyes were practically glowing now.
Literally.
I was beginning to think he had completely forgotten we were standing in the middle of a hallway.
"Interesting... very interesting..."
He began muttering to himself.
Then suddenly—
"No."
I blinked.
"No?"
"That part is wrong."
He pointed at one component.
"If the magical pressure rises too quickly, the entire system explodes."
...
I looked down at the blueprint.
Then I thought about it for a few seconds.
And honestly?
He was right.
"Ah."
"'Ah'?"
"You're right."
Alador stared at me.
Then his smile widened even further.
"You admit your mistakes easily."
"Because it was a mistake."
"Excellent."
...
I was starting to understand why this man was considered a genius.
His mind worked at a terrifying speed.
Then suddenly—
"Wait a minute."
Alador abruptly looked up.
"How old are you?"
"Huh?"
"How old are you?"
"Uh... fifteen."
Silence.
Alador looked at me.
Then at the blueprint.
Then back at me.
Then at Odalia.
"Why isn't he already working in my laboratory?"
...
The entire room froze.
Even Emira nearly choked on her laughter.
Amity blinked several times.
"Father?"
"I'm serious."
Odalia crossed her arms.
"Alador."
"What?"
"You met him three minutes ago."
"So?"
He raised the schematics.
"Did you see this?"
"Yes."
"It's potentially interesting."
"IT'S BRILLIANT."
...
Wow.
He was even more passionate than I remembered.
Then suddenly—
"Have you built a prototype yet?"
I shook my head.
"Not yet."
"That's unfortunate."
A brief pause.
Then his eyes lit up again.
"We're going to build one."
...
What?
"Excuse me?"
"A prototype."
He pointed toward the far end of the manor.
"My laboratory is available."
"It is absolutely not available," Odalia corrected.
"It's available to me."
"Alador."
"Odalia."
The two stared at each other for several seconds.
Then Alador turned back to me.
"Do you want to see the laboratory?"
My heart skipped a beat.
Alador Blight's laboratory.
The place where some of the most advanced artifacts in the Boiling Isles were created.
...
The answer was obvious.
"Yes."
"Excellent."
Alador immediately turned around.
"Follow me."
Then he started walking.
Without waiting for anyone.
Without even checking whether I was following him.
Completely absorbed by his new idea.
I stood there for a moment.
Then I noticed something.
Amity was looking at me.
And unlike earlier...
She was smiling.
A small smile.
A discreet one.
But a sincere one.
As if she was genuinely happy to see her father so interested in something.
I returned the smile.
Then I turned and followed Alador.
After all...
My real project was only just beginning.
I quickly followed Alador through the enormous halls of the manor.
And honestly...
I felt like I was entering the lair of a mad scientist.
Strange tools were scattered everywhere.
Mechanical parts lay across several tables.
A creature that looked like a metallic spider scurried past us before disappearing into a nearby vent.
...
I decided not to ask questions.
Some things were better left unknown.
Meanwhile, Alador was moving at an impressive speed while constantly muttering to himself.
"If we modify the stabilization system..."
"No... too much energy loss..."
"Unless..."
He suddenly stopped.
Then immediately changed direction and continued walking.
...
Yeah.
Definitely a genius.
After several minutes, we finally arrived in front of a massive metal door.
Glowing runes covered its surface.
Alador simply placed a hand against it.
CLACK.
The door slowly opened.
And what I saw beyond it...
Almost took my breath away.
The laboratory.
Dozens of workbenches filled the room.
Magical crystals floated through the air.
Half-finished automatons hung from the ceiling.
Several mechanical arms worked independently in one corner.
And at the center...
A gigantic design table covered with blueprints.
...
Good grief.
This place was incredible.
"Well?" Alador asked.
I looked around the room.
"It's... impressive."
A slight smile appeared on his face.
"I know."
...
He said it with so much pride that I couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
Then suddenly—
"PIERC!"
I jumped slightly and turned around.
Amity had just entered the laboratory.
Breathing a little heavily.
As if she had run all the way here.
Behind her were Emira and Edric.
Of course.
Why stay away when you could watch the show?
"You left us behind," Amity said while looking at her father.
"Ah."
Alador seemed to notice their presence only now.
"That's true."
Emira burst out laughing.
"He completely forgot about us."
"Again," Edric added.
Amity let out a tired sigh.
But despite that...
I noticed something.
She looked happy.
More relaxed than before.
As if seeing her father so passionate genuinely pleased her.
Then Alador suddenly clapped his hands together.
"Good."
His gaze landed on me.
"Enough talking."
Oh.
I knew that tone.
The inventor's tone.
The tone that meant:
"We're about to do something potentially dangerous and extremely fun."
"We are going to build a prototype."
Emira's eyes immediately lit up.
"Is it going to explode?"
"Probably, considering it's only a prototype," Alador replied.
"Awesome."
"THAT IS NOT AWESOME!" Amity shouted.
Nobody listened to her.
Absolutely nobody.
Despite myself, a smile appeared on my face.
For the first time since arriving in the Boiling Isles...
I felt like things were finally starting to move forward.
The project.
My progress.
Everything was finally becoming real.
But deep inside...
A small voice kept whispering.
Hurry up.
Because somewhere in the Boiling Isles...
The events of the future were still drawing closer.
And I no longer knew exactly when they would begin.
I took one last look around the laboratory.
Then at Alador.
"So..."
I slowly rolled up my sleeves.
"Where do we start?"
Alador's smile immediately widened.
And strangely enough...
That reaction scared me just a little.
Alador's smile widened even further.
And honestly...
It was probably the most concerning reaction I had seen since arriving in the Boiling Isles.
"Perfect."
He immediately grabbed several blank sheets of paper and spread them across the massive central worktable.
"First step: determine whether your idea is actually feasible."
I nodded.
Logical.
Very logical, actually.
Alador was already scribbling calculations at an absurd speed.
Schematics.
Formulas.
Design notes.
And honestly?
I didn't understand even half of what he was writing.
"Uh..."
I pointed at one section of the design.
"What's that?"
"A temporary solution."
"For what problem?"
"I don't know yet."
...
I remained silent.
Then I turned toward Amity.
"Does he always do this?"
"Yes. Always."
"Is that normal?"
"No, but you get used to it."
"Thanks."
Amity shrugged.
"You're welcome."
Meanwhile, Emira and Edric were looking over the plans behind us.
Well...
Trying to.
"I don't understand any of this."
"Neither do I."
"It looks like random scribbles."
"Very expensive scribbles."
...
For once, they were probably right.
Then suddenly—
"Ah!"
Alador abruptly raised his head.
Everyone jumped.
Even Amity.
"I found the first problem."
I immediately stepped closer.
"Which one?"
He tapped a section of the blueprint.
"The outer frame."
I frowned.
"What's wrong with it?"
"It's going to melt."
...
"Excuse me?"
"What do you mean, melt?"
He repeated it with a disturbingly calm tone.
"If the energy flowing through the system becomes too great, the metal will heat up until it becomes unusable."
Ah.
Right.
That was a problem.
A big problem.
I crossed my arms and thought for a moment.
"Then we need a better material."
"Exactly."
Alador immediately nodded.
Then he walked toward several shelves at the back of the laboratory.
A few moments later, he returned carrying several different metal samples.
Some of them glowed faintly.
Others looked almost alive.
...
Once again, I decided not to ask questions.
Alador placed the materials on the table.
"Choose."
"What?"
"Choose the one you would use."
Oh.
A test.
I looked over the various metals.
Then I started thinking.
Not like someone from this world.
But like someone from Earth.
Energy transfer.
Durability.
Conductivity.
Stability.
Eventually, I pointed toward a silver-gray alloy.
"That one."
Alador raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"It looks more stable."
"Continue."
"And if the system is really going to carry as much energy as we expect, durability will be more important than raw power."
The laboratory fell silent.
Then Alador smiled.
"Good reasoning."
Amity blinked.
Emira did too.
Because apparently...
Compliments from Alador were even rarer than compliments from Odalia.
Then suddenly—
BZZZZZT.
A purple spark shot across the room.
Everyone turned their heads.
And found Edric.
Holding a strange smoking metal device.
"Uh..."
"I can explain."
BOOOOM.
The object immediately exploded in his hands.
A cloud of black smoke filled the laboratory.
...
When the smoke finally cleared...
Edric was still standing.
Completely covered in soot.
His hair was smoking.
Emira burst out laughing.
Amity covered her face.
So did I.
Even Alador looked completely used to it.
"That's the third time this week."
"Only the third?" Emira asked.
"The third today."
...
This family was impossible.
Completely impossible.
But strangely...
Watching Amity quietly laugh with her brother and sister...
Watching Alador return to his calculations with genuine enthusiasm...
I realized something.
The Blight Manor wasn't cold because it lacked life.
It was cold because this family had forgotten how to share it.
For a moment...
I felt like I was seeing what they could have become in a different story.
Then Alador suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Good."
I jumped slightly.
"Prototype Number One will be ready before tonight."
"What?!"
Even Amity looked shocked.
Alador smiled.
A smile that was far too confident.
"If everything goes well."
Then he added:
"And if nothing explodes."
...
I looked at the smoking remains of Edric's invention.
Then at Alador.
Honestly?
I had absolutely no confidence in that last condition.