Chapter 47

Ricardo unloaded the magical scooter from the cart and inspected it with Vigor.

"It seems there's no problem."

"Shall we go for a test run?"

Emilia, who had been watching Ricardo, asked with a worried look.

"Can you really ride it without falling over?"

"Once you get used to it, anyone can ride it."

The scooter that Ricardo and the others had built had a start key in the center of the handlebars, a rear brake lever on the right, a clutch lever on the left, a front brake pedal at the left foot, and an accelerator pedal at the right foot.

This accelerator regulated the speed of the flywheel by adjusting the amount of magical power flowing into the magical circuit of the flywheel.

However, the scooter only had a simple transmission that changed the rotation from the power source with a single gear ratio, and it was not possible to change gears.

This was because it was judged that the development of complex gear mechanisms was impossible with the metalworking technology of this country.

Ricardo turned the start key to connect the magical battery and the magical flywheel, straddled the scooter, gripped the clutch, and pressed the accelerator pedal.

He felt the magical flywheel start to rotate under the seat. Ricardo slowly released the clutch, transmitting the rotational force of the magical flywheel to the rear wheel.

The magical scooter started moving slowly.

"Wow, it's moving!" "It really works!"

Voices rose from the crowd watching.

Emilia and Vigor had excited expressions on their faces.

At first, Ricardo wobbled and had to put his feet down several times to regain balance. But after about ten minutes, his body learned how to balance.

He might have been able to ride it so quickly because he had experience riding motorcycles in Japan.

He tested the brakes, and they seemed to work fine. However, he found the clutch operation during stops and starts to be a bit troublesome.

After a few laps around the training ground, he got the hang of driving. He also noticed a few flaws.

One of them was the tires. The tires of the magical scooter were made of wooden frames with iron rims, and the ride was not comfortable.

"Ouch, my butt hurts... It looks like it will take some time to improve the tires, so I'll add springs to the seat to absorb the shock."

Since he had never seen rubber in this country, it seemed impossible to make rubber tires. Developing shock absorbers like suspensions would also take time.

The next issue he noticed was the speed. The magical scooter could only reach a speed of about 20 kilometers per hour. It seemed that the kinetic energy of the magical flywheel was being lost somewhere. The drive transmission path, built with immature technology, was still crude and problematic.

Ricardo grew up in a household where his father ran a repair shop. Perhaps because of this environment, he was familiar with machinery and thought he could easily develop a simple two-wheeled vehicle.

However, when he realized that he had to make each part from scratch, he regretted not starting with the development of a bicycle.

Still, he felt it was a bit strange for a magician and a magical craftsman like himself to develop a bicycle.

"Well, it's fine. At least it runs."

After Ricardo's test run, Emilia and Vigor also tried riding it.

They struggled with the clutch operation and balance, but after about an hour of practice, they could ride in a straight line. Both seemed to have good balance.

Monta, who had been watching the test run, climbed onto Ricardo's body and pleaded.

"Mokukyu, Kyua Kyu" (Monta wants to ride too)

"The ride isn't very comfortable."

"Kyukyukue" (It's okay)

"I'll let you ride later."

"Kue Kyu" (I'm looking forward to it)

Monta jumped with joy.

When Vigor returned from the test run, a crowd of onlookers surrounded the magical scooter and started chattering.

"How does it run?"

"Why doesn't it fall over?"

"Is this Emilia's invention?"

At this commotion, the representative director, Jezualdo, appeared.

"Oh, the representative director. Everyone, make way."

Jezualdo approached the magical scooter, looked at it intently, and then spoke to Emilia.

"Is this Emilia's invention?"

Emilia shook her head.

"No, it's Ricardo's invention."

Jezualdo looked at Ricardo's face.

"Oh, I recognize your face. Weren't you the new recruit assigned to the General Affairs Bureau?"

Ricardo straightened his posture and introduced himself.

"Yes, I'm Ricardo from the General Affairs Bureau."

"Hmm, to think such a talented young man was buried in the General Affairs Bureau... Was Councilor Isalco aware of his talent?"

Isalco looked momentarily troubled before answering.

"Yes, I was aware of his talent, but I didn't know he had invented such a vehicle until today."

"What a wonderful talent. A young man like this should be engaged in research at the Refinement Bureau."

The words of the representative director were weighty. Although it went against Ricardo's wishes, it seemed he would have to be transferred to the Refinement Bureau.

"Let's transfer Ricardo to the Refinement Bureau when the magician certification exams are over this year."

"Indeed, that's a good idea. I look forward to his contributions at the Refinement Bureau."

Jezualdo nodded in satisfaction.

Ricardo was stunned as the conversation about his transfer proceeded without him.

He realized that it was a mistake to conduct the test run of the magical scooter at the magician's association training ground, but it was too late, and the transfer to the Refinement Bureau was already decided.

Isalco also seemed unable to go against the representative director's words. It was natural, as there was no particular reason for assigning him to the General Affairs Bureau.

Ricardo thought about asking Massimo to prepare a laboratory in a place where he wouldn't have to see Massimo's face every day. He didn't want to work in an environment where he would see Massimo daily.

Since he had found several points for improvement, he ended the test run and returned to the Emilia Workshop.

He decided to improve the seat as soon as possible and let Antonio ride it.

He decided to make two magical scooters. One would be for Antonio to use, and the other would be for himself to use while continuing to make improvements.

"Hey, even if we continue developing the magical scooter, wouldn't it be better to develop the bicycle you mentioned earlier?"

It seemed Emilia had been thinking the same thing. She felt that the magical scooter consumed too much magical power and was too difficult for ordinary people to handle.

A few days later, Antonio rode the magical scooter to the breeding grounds.

After three days of practice, Antonio had learned how to ride the scooter and started using it as his means of commuting.

At the beginning of his practice, Ricardo was worried if Antonio could operate the clutch with his left hand, but his left hand had recovered enough through rehabilitation to pull the lever without any problem.

In the early morning, Antonio straddled the magical scooter, pressed the accelerator slightly, and started moving. The scooter, which started quietly, began to move at a pace similar to a brisk walk on the cobblestone road.

There were few pedestrians due to the early hour, but a few people passed by. The people who saw the magical scooter for the first time stared with wide eyes as the strange vehicle passed by.

Antonio increased his speed and started moving at a pace similar to a young man running at full speed.

It didn't take long to reach the breeding grounds. It seemed to take only about a third of the time it usually took. Since there was only a sundial at the breeding grounds, the exact time was unknown, but it was certain that his commuting time had been significantly reduced.

"Master Antonio, what is that?"

Dario approached and asked. Eriq and Fred, who were behind him, also looked curiously at the magical scooter.

"Is this it? Ricardo made this vehicle, and it's called a magical scooter."

Antonio proudly explained, puffing out his chest.

"Show us how to ride it."

Eriq requested.

Antonio rode the magical scooter around the breeding grounds and returned.

"Nice, I want one too."

Fred muttered, and Dario and Eriq nodded in agreement.

The magical scooter became famous in the capital. When Antonio rode the magical scooter back, a large number of children and idle people lined up on both sides of the road to watch.

As more and more residents of the capital showed interest, wealthy people who wanted the new vehicle began to appear.

One of them was Fago, the second son of the Donadelle Marquis, who consulted with his close merchant, Merzario.

"Can you get me that magical scooter?"

Fago was a student at the Bizer Academy in the capital and also a magician, having passed the magician certification exam two years ago.

Merzario was a merchant who dealt in magical tools in the capital and was rumored to engage in unscrupulous business practices.

"That one... It's difficult."

"Why? Isn't it a type of magical tool?"

"Yes, but it's still in development and not for sale."

"Then, who is the one riding it every day?"

"He seems to be a relative of the developer and is riding it for testing purposes."

"Testing? What does that mean?"

"When developing a magical tool, the final step is to use it repeatedly to ensure it doesn't break. If it fails this test, there's a possibility that the product will break after being sold for a while."

Fago seemed to understand but was not ready to give up on the magical scooter.

"Hmph, so they're making their relatives do the testing... Can't your workshop make the same thing?"

Merzario shook his head with a grim expression.

"It's impossible. It's a new type of magical tool that has never been seen before. Without understanding its mechanism, it can't be made."

"If we understand the mechanism, we can make it, right?"

"Yes, but I don't think the people from the Emilia Workshop will tell us."

"If we have the real thing, can't we study it?"

Merzario thought for a moment, guessing what the young noble was planning, before responding.

"Yes, I think it's possible."

A dark expression appeared on Fago's face.

Merzario realized that the young noble was planning to do something illegal. However, as a merchant dealing in magical tools, he was interested in the magical scooter. He thought that if he could obtain the real thing and make a similar product, it would be a great business opportunity.

Merzario was aware of the unwritten rule among merchants and craftsmen that they should not produce and sell the same invention without the inventor's permission while the inventor was still alive.

However, there was a loophole in this rule. Imported goods from foreign countries were exempt. Merzario had a workshop in the neighboring kingdom of Claire to the east, and he thought that if he made the same product there and imported it, he would not be criticized.

A few days after Antonio started commuting to the breeding grounds on the magical scooter.

As he passed through the Second South Gate and was about to turn towards the coast, four men blocked his path.

Antonio applied the brakes and shouted.

"That's dangerous!"

The men silently surrounded Antonio and dragged him off the magical scooter.

"What are you doing?"

Antonio resisted, but it was futile against four men. He was beaten and kicked, and then dragged to the ground and kicked mercilessly.

Antonio regretted not carrying the magical gun Ricardo had given him. He had received it from Ricardo for self-defense, but after learning that it could kill a person, he had become a bit afraid and left it at home.

He could only watch helplessly as the men triumphantly carried away the magical scooter.

"Sorry, Ricardo."

With that, Antonio lost consciousness.

When Antonio regained consciousness, he was being carried on something like a board.

"Oh, Master Antonio, you're awake."

It was Dario's voice. Antonio learned that Dario and the others had found him lying on the ground and were on their way to the clinic.

Antonio was taken to a clinic run by the priestesses of the Earth Mother Goddess Valur, where he was treated and did not suffer any lasting injuries.

Ricardo, who had been contacted by Dario and the others, rushed to the clinic.

Seeing Antonio lying on a bed, anger welled up inside Ricardo.

When he heard from Antonio that the attackers' target was the magical scooter, he clenched his lips.

"Sorry, big brother. I didn't think it through. I should have predicted that there would be people who would do something like this."

Antonio placed his hand on Ricardo's head.

"It's not your fault. I wasn't careful enough."

Comforted by this, Ricardo felt even more depressed. He thought this incident was entirely his fault.

He had predicted that the magical scooter would attract attention. Yet, he had not made any effort to ensure Antonio's safety, and he had noticed that Antonio was reluctant to carry the magical gun with lethal power but had not prepared an alternative.

Ricardo's anger was not directed at the attackers but at himself.

As a result, he decided to leave the search for the criminals to the capital's guard and to prepare Antonio's equipment and find a way to enhance it.

However, he did not forgive the criminals. He hoped that they would receive appropriate punishment. He also thought they would have a hard time if their goal was to copy and sell the magical scooter.

He had applied protection to the magical circuit of the magical flywheel, as warned by Emilia.

He told Antonio about his resolve when he returned home from the clinic.

"I think you need to become stronger so that this doesn't happen again."

"…Yeah. But I can't become strong overnight."

"Yes, that's why I want to develop equipment for you."

Antonio was worried that the equipment would cause another attack.

"Will we be attacked again because of this equipment?"

"I'll think about that."

He thought it would be fine as long as the equipment was not noticeable to others.

2017/10/16 Revised