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The Staggering Price of Bridging Worlds – Part 06

Carrying Isaac’s belongings, Hikaru headed towards his residence, discussing sorcery along the way. Baron Taylor’s mansion, situated at a considerable distance from the city’s center, was a single-detached dwelling, an indication of their nobility.

It was, however, smaller in size, with more than half of its windows closed from the outside. The dust on the walls made it seem dilapidated.

“Sorry, Silver. My place isn’t exactly in the best shape.”

“N-No… It’s fine. I had an inkling from your attire.”

To avoid arousing suspicion with his notorious moniker Silver Face, Hikaru opted for the name Silver. Silver Face’s reputation had already spread far and wide at this point.

Upon entering, only an elderly woman appeared from inside.

“Welcome back, La—Lord Isaac,” she said after seeing Hikaru.

Apart from this hunched figure, no other servants were in sight.

Isaac led Hikaru into a room filled with magic items, stones, and magic formulas.

“S-Sorry for the mess, Silver. Can you put it right over there?”

There was stuff all over the place that Hikaru couldn’t tell where exactly he was supposed to place the crate.

“I apologize for this rather intrusive question, but where is the head of the household?”

“Oh, you don’t know,” Isaac replied. “My father passed away two years ago. I, Isaac F. Taylor, am the current head. As you can see, we’re not exactly thriving.”

“…”

“But it’s not all doom and gloom. I haven’t told you about my latest research yet.”

Isaac took out four elemental magic stones—water, fire, earth, wind attributes—from the wooden crate Hikaru was holding. They glowed faintly in the dimness.

“By combining these four attributes, we can generate pure magical energy. If successful, it could revolutionize magic items worldwide.”

It was an invention that could power large magic items without requiring massive elemental magic stones. His research was a blessing for Hikaru, capable of reducing the expenses required for activating the world-crossing spell.

“But hasn’t it been proven to be nothing but an armchair theory?”

Hikaru was well aware. The Four Elementals Fusion Theory had been proposed in the past, attracting numerous researchers. Yet, no one had succeeded, and the theory’s originator was dismissed as a fraud, fading from the academic scene.

Combining the four attributes might seem straightforward, but the world’s magical laws were unforgiving.

He should know that, Hikaru thought.

“That’s correct,” Isaac admitted readily.

“In that case…”

“But I succeeded once.”

“What did you say?”

“While I was doing research, a massive surge of energy occurred by chance. It blew up one of the labs. Wanna see?”

Isaac led Hikaru to a staircase leading underground behind the dining room. The stairs stopped halfway, buried in rubble.

“The energy—a mix of red, blue, yellow, and green—was tremendous. I instantly recognized it as the energy from the Four Elementals Fusion Theory. Right after I bolted out of the underground lab, a massive explosion occurred, as you can see.”

“…”

Hikaru swallowed hard. Isaac had firsthand experience with the theory, and that’s why he believed in it.

“D-Do you remember the ratio?” Hikaru asked.

“I can’t tell you. It’s the core of my research—or so I’d like to say, but honestly, I don’t know the exact ratio. It was an accident, and I can’t recall how much stock we had that day or how much collided on the testing table. The research notes are buried under the rubble.”

“…”

“Silver, here’s my take. The person who first proposed the Four Elementals Fusion Theory likely experienced a similar accident to mine. I can still vividly recall the beautiful four-colored light to this day. Because of that, I can’t give up on this research.”

Isaac, captivated, appeared like a starry-eyed scientist, or perhaps a fool enchanted by a fake piece of art.

There was an actual explosion in the basement, but we can’t be sure it was because of the Four Elementals Fusion Theory.

Any trace of the accident had vanished to the point of being unverifiable even with Hikaru’s Mana Detection. He could only pick up faint mana signatures from the basement, likely emitted by catalysts that were buried at the time.

I can’t make a conclusion.

“Come out, you fake-ass noble!”

Someone was pounding on the mansion’s door.

Isaac’s face turned pale. Hikaru sensed trouble. His Mana Detection picked up five people at the door.

“I’ll go. You stay here.”

“N-No, this is my family’s problem.”

“They might calm down if they see a guest.”

Placing the wooden crate in the corridor, Hikaru headed to the entrance. The old woman, trembling behind the door, gave a start when her eyes met Hikaru’s. There was no need for her to follow.

“I know you’re in there, you phony! If you don’t come out—”

“If you don’t come out, what?”

Hikaru opened the door to find a man raising his leg, ready to kick the door.

“Huh?!”

“Bro!”

Caught off guard, the man stumbled and almost fell backward. His companion quickly caught him.

Looks like your typical thugs.

They were young, with huge frames. They wore flashy clothes to appear larger than life, but their cheap accessories clearly said they were broke.

“Who are you bozos?”

“What did you say?! We lent money to the Taylor family! Who the hell are you?!”

Oh, debt collectors… That does make sense with the state of this mansion. Strange, though.

Isaac was immersed in magical research, yet he didn’t seem to indulge in luxury. Even his research used cheap stones that cost only one gilan each. And as a noble, he should be able to borrow money from a decent moneylender, who wouldn’t send these kinds of thugs.

I’ll ask him later. First things first.

“I’m Silver, a backer of House Taylor.”

Hikaru needed to protect Isaac so he could continue his research. The outcome of the research remained uncertain, but he had already decided to support Isaac.

A part of him decided that with the current shortage of elemental magic stones in the market, he should use all avenues possible, while another part felt a sense of envy towards Isaac’s starry-eyed gaze. Isaac, absorbed in his research, bore similarities to Roland, the original owner of Hikaru’s body.

“Oh? So you’re saying you’ll pay his debt?”

“First, we’ll examine the details of the loan. Bring the contract. We’ll summon a royal magistrate to check if it’s fair.”

“We’re not doing all that! We’ve run out of patience. Hey, let’s beat this guy up and take anything valuable inside!”

The man in front—the one who almost tumbled—attempted to grab Hikaru’s collar, but his hand cut through empty air. Hikaru vanished from his sight.

“What?! Where’d he go?!”

Hikaru activated Stealth as he leaped to the side, then circled behind the man and deactivated it.

“I don’t really like bullying the weak,” he said, thrusting his elbow into the man’s back. He had to make his presence known, lest he risked triggering Assassination.

The man, eyes wide in intense pain, toppled forward. The others, confused by Hikaru’s sudden reappearance, began attacking one after another. One brandished a knife, and the other wielded a club.

Too slow.

Compared to his previous opponents—Kutsuwa, a spy from the Quinbrand Empire, the chimera, the monsters in the great pit—city thugs like these were no match for him.

Choosing not to use Stealth, Hikaru gracefully sidestepped their attacks, tripped them, and delivered swift kicks to their heads. Another kick to the man’s wrist sent his knife spiraling in the air, glinting in the sunlight as it embedded into the ground.

Though he hadn’t heavily invested in the combat aspect of his Soul Board, his battle experience had improved his abilities.

“Wh-Wh-What?”

Hikaru subdued the thugs in under a minute, leaving only their leader.

“Hey.” Hikaru shot the thug a glare from behind his mask, and the man shuddered. “I want all of you out of here. Got it?”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Hurling the men onto the street, Hikaru closed the mansion’s door.

The old woman, shaking while watching from behind the door, quickly retreated inside. Hikaru wondered if he had frightened her, and a careful consideration said yes. How could she not be scared of the sight of a man in a festival mask, who came here accompanying the master of the house, roughing up some thugs?

“Now then…”

Let’s ask him the reason for the debt.