In truth, Demacia was not unfamiliar with gunpowder.
It was just that no one had ever pursued that line of research.
The fact that Wenward understood Luke's idea so quickly after hearing the basics proved that what he lacked was not awareness of gunpowder itself.
What he lacked was knowledge at a deeper level.
That was because the path Demacia had always followed leaned toward better armor, better weapons, and anything that could directly improve a person's strength.
The Research Institute had been much the same. Even now, its main projects were still focused on how to produce armor with stronger defense and less weight, and weapons with greater power and sharper edges.
That was why Demacia possessed the finest forging techniques in the world. In that area, not even modern Piltover could surpass it.
But by the same token, the advanced technological thinking of Piltover was something Wenward had never been exposed to.
Demacia also had things capable of causing explosions.
Mages, for one. And a special magical beast called the Two-Tailed Lizard.
The slime this creature spat could explode, and Wenward had studied it before, though he never achieved much.
Because what triggered the explosion in the Two-Tailed Lizard's slime was still the most primitive magical energy within its body.
And when it came to magic, the Research Institute treated it with extreme caution.
Wenward understood that the gunpowder Luke was talking about was a substance that could be detonated artificially through purely physical means.
He did not yet know the exact extent of its power, but once he connected it to knowledge explored in Piltover, he immediately took it seriously.
As one of those who lacked personal combat strength, he knew very well what kind of improvement an artificially detonated substance could bring to Demacia.
So at once, he gathered a group of trusted hands and secured a hidden research site, then began work according to Luke's instructions.
Two hours later, everyone had assembled at the secluded testing ground.
As they watched Luke preparing something up ahead, they exchanged uncertain looks, each thinking back to the secret summons they had received, along with the word gunpowder.
What Luke was setting up now was an explosion test.
He believed the most effective explanation was a simple, blunt demonstration.
Inside the furnace before him were already the three core ingredients of gunpowder: sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal.
Luke was certain that once this thing blew up, it would say more than a thousand words ever could.
This time, he had not bothered controlling the amount, because his goal was exactly that: simple and direct.
Once everything was nearly ready, he withdrew to a safe distance and ordered everyone else to stay at least fifty meters away.
The researchers from the Institute all stood clustered together, their eyes fixed on the furnace in the center.
Luke held a recurve bow in his hand. After lighting the tip of an arrow, he drew the string, aimed for a moment, then released.
With a sharp whistle, the arrow shot out, tracing an arc through the air.
Everyone's gaze followed it straight into the furnace.
At that moment, what amazed them most was still how accurate His Highness's archery was.
The next second—
Boom!
The air and earth shook all at once. A column of fire erupted skyward, accompanied by a deafening blast that rang through the entire area. The furnace was blown apart instantly, reduced to fragments. Even from fifty meters away, everyone still felt a wave of heat crash over them.
As they stared at the white smoke rising straight into the sky, every last one of them was dumbstruck by the sheer impact of the scene.
To make the mixture catch faster, Luke had deliberately added a bit of ignition compound. Judging from the result, he was fairly satisfied.
Wenward was not stunned speechless, but as he stared at the white smoke that still had not dispersed and the sharp smell of powder hanging in the air, the shock in his eyes was unmistakable.
He had watched Luke prepare everything from the very beginning, and sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal were all common enough materials in daily life.
Yet no one had ever thought to grind them into powder and mix them together.
"This is the most basic form of black powder," Luke said at that moment. "And this is only the simplest way to use it. From this foundation, many other applications can be developed."
The furnace just now had basically served as a crude bomb, used for one purpose only: a straightforward explosion.
Its power was obvious to the naked eye. Of course, this method had plenty of flaws as well.
But even producing gunpowder at this level was not Luke's real goal.
What he truly had in mind were all the things that could grow from it—firearms, explosives, shells...
Some things could not be explained clearly with words alone. They needed time and research. But for the Research Institute, Luke was their shortcut.
Humanity's exploration of the unknown was always long and difficult.
But when exploring something already known, they would absorb it like a sponge meeting water.
At that moment, the researchers had already fallen into a feverish discussion over the detonated powder.
They started from the very beginning, their eyes shining with hunger for knowledge.
Luke was very pleased to see them in this state.
And while Wenward was still somewhat dazed, Luke said again, "Let's put gunpowder aside for now."
Wenward blinked. Put gunpowder aside? What kind of phrase was that supposed to be?
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Luke said, "When I was going through the archive room earlier, I saw your old research on electricity. Why did you abandon it in the end?"
Wenward gave a bitter smile and let out a sigh. "Because back then, I wasn't sure whether continuing that research was the right path."
Luke looked genuinely regretful. "You should have kept going."
In the archive room, he had found several short records of Demacian research into electricity.
The leading figure behind them had been Wenward.
It had happened about eight years ago.
Inspired by a bolt of lightning striking a tree and setting it ablaze in an instant, Wenward had begun wondering whether humanity could ever control such a force.
For his earliest experiments, he gathered magical beasts capable of generating electricity, as well as electric eels from the water.
Through those, Wenward gained a basic understanding of electricity.
As his step-by-step exploration continued, he grew bolder and bolder.
He had even set his sights on lightning from the sky itself and, for that purpose, created a lightning rod.
One bolt did strike the rod successfully, but it could not be stored for long and dissipated almost immediately.
Even so, the result had filled Wenward with wild excitement, and he began thinking about how to preserve lightning.
But it was in that process that he crossed a line.
Because lightning remained an unknown force to humanity, three members of the Research Institute died during the course of the experiments.
Wenward's research was shut down after that.
People suspected that the only reason he had been able to draw lightning from the sky was because he had used some kind of magic.
After all, when most people thought of anything related to lightning, the first thing that came to mind was always mages.
In Demacia's history, lightning had always been a force that inspired fear and dread. Who would dare claim it could be controlled?
Under that pressure, Wenward had no choice but to terminate his exploration of electricity.
That was what Luke found so regrettable. Personally, he truly admired the talent of the man before him.
Just like Navis.
If those two had been born somewhere like Piltover, they would have been major inventors without question.
Wenward's direction had actually been correct. He had even managed to produce a lightning rod. Given enough time, he might really have brought enormous change to Demacia.
Unfortunately, in Demacia, the word lightning had never been especially welcome.
"I think you should have stuck with it," Luke said, seeing the regret flash through Wenward's eyes. "In Piltover, the use of electricity has already become part of everyday life. For example, electric lamps—technology that can replace candles and remain lit for long periods of time."
Electricity had far too many uses to list in one sitting.
The idea had first occurred to Luke the day he went to the Crownguard estate.
When darkness had just begun to fall, the road ahead had been almost completely black, and that was when the thought had struck him.
Wenward looked at Luke, and a spark rose in his eyes. "That truly is possible. As far as I know, lightning contains an enormous amount of energy. Its power is no less than gunpowder's."
As he spoke, he glanced toward the burnt-out remains of the earlier test.
In some ways, he even felt lightning was more powerful than gunpowder.
Then he continued, "And while releasing that energy, lightning is accompanied by an intense flash. In theory, if we can find a way to preserve that energy, and at the same time refine it down to one-thousandth or even one-ten-thousandth of its current strength, we could use it for illumination."
"Exactly."
After hearing him out, Luke nodded. "Natural lightning is one form of electrical phenomenon. Electric eels and thunderhorn beasts can both generate electricity. And in our daily lives, those are not even the only ways we encounter it."
Wenward nodded as he listened, wearing the same thoughtful expression Navis often did.
In truth, he and the others had already noticed bits of it.
For example, the way touching someone could sometimes produce a sudden shock, or how touching certain objects could make a tingling sensation jump through the hand.
"Electricity shows up in many details of everyday life," Luke said slowly. "One obvious example is when you undress for bed and occasionally hear little crackling sounds. Or when your fingertips suddenly sting like they've been pricked when you touch someone else's hand. Or when your hair starts lifting when you comb it in the morning."
He paused, then said, "That phenomenon is generally called static electricity."
Looking at the serious expressions on the two men's faces, Luke continued.
"Electricity is an extremely important energy source. The energy it carries can act on many kinds of matter, and that is called electromotive force. And once you talk about electricity, you have to talk about magnetism. Around a magnet, there exists a special substance you cannot see or touch, called a magnetic field. Things like magnets, magnetic ore, and compasses all exhibit magnetic field behavior.
And magnetism can produce electricity. That brings us to a key concept: electromagnetic induction.
Electromagnetic induction refers to the phenomenon in which a changing magnetic flux produces an induced electromotive force."
By now, a crowd of researchers had gathered around Luke. One after another, they held paper and pen, recording every word he said with intense seriousness.
Maylee and Korsen, on the other hand, were still far below the level needed for this conversation and looked completely lost.
It felt as if the knowledge was brushing past their minds without leaving a trace.
Electricity was far harder to explain than gunpowder.
Because the scope it touched was simply too broad.
But Luke knew he had to keep going.
Sweeping his gaze across the room, he continued, "Electromagnetism is a concept in physics, and it will become one of our main fields of research. Electromagnetic force is also one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are gravitational interaction, weak interaction, and strong interaction."
At that point, after hearing this, Wenward asked, "Your Highness, could you explain the other three interactions?"
Luke replied, "Let's start with gravitational interaction. To put it simply—if an apple falls from a tree, why doesn't it fall upward instead?"
The moment the question left his mouth, everyone in the room froze.
It was as though an apple had just smacked them on the forehead. It hurt a little, but at the same time it opened something in their minds.
Yes.
Why didn't the apple fly upward?
Wenward thought for a moment and answered, "That would mean there is a kind of force pulling the apple downward? And that same force is why we walk on the ground... and why ships can float on the sea?"
Luke nodded and smiled. "Exactly. We can call that force gravity."
Universal gravitation. Gravitational force...
At that moment, every researcher in the Institute looked at Luke with eyes that were nothing short of feverish. Every one of them was flushed with excitement, desperate for him to keep talking.
"The law of universal gravitation means that any two objects in nature attract one another. The strength of that attraction is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them."
Luke continued speaking.
He had never thought there would come a day when he would review physics all over again.
And he definitely had never thought he would be in a world where personal strength could become so overwhelming that a single individual could destroy a nation... explaining science.
Although this world contained many things physics could not explain, such as magic.
For countless people who would never come into contact with that level of power, however, physics still remained the true foundation.
You could not expect everyone to become as powerful as the Ascended.
And you could not expect everyone to learn magic.
So under those circumstances, technology was a road that had to be walked.
All Luke could do was offer Demacia a few shortcuts while it explored that road.
Once these things were mastered, everyday life in Demacia would naturally become vastly more convenient.
The truth was, Luke was doing this partly for himself as well.
He was still hoping that someday they might even invent something like a cellphone, so he would not have to keep writing letters every time he went out.
And once he had opened this door, there was a lot he needed to teach.
The people before him were basically complete beginners in physics.
But the good news was that each and every one of them was highly talented.
The weakest pair present were Maylee and Korsen, but even they were absorbing this knowledge at an astonishing speed.
And the people gathered here today would one day become the grandmasters of physics in Demacia.
Luke talked almost nonstop for the entire morning.
By the time he was done, the researchers had filled an entire notebook with what he had said, treasuring it like a sacred text and already planning to study it carefully that night.
At last, Luke looked up at the sky overhead and stopped.
Feeling his stomach starting to growl, he said, "That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
After saying that, he did not hesitate in the slightest. He turned and left.
"No!"
"Your Highness! A little more!"
"I still have so many questions!"
"Tomorrow? Your Highness, you're trying to kill us!"
In an instant, the whole group rushed after him, staring at Luke with desperate, starving eyes. Even Wenward had no time left for dignity.
He looked seconds away from trying to hug Luke just to keep him there.
They had only just gotten to the exciting part, and suddenly he stopped. That was downright torture.
The moment they thought they would have to wait until tomorrow to hear the rest, not one of them could accept it.
Even so, not a single one of them managed to keep Luke from leaving. They could only stand there watching as his carriage rolled farther and farther away, sighing in disappointment.
But after only a couple of sighs, they all started poring over their notebooks like men clutching treasures.
Wenward looked after the departing carriage and let out a helpless sigh, then lowered his gaze to the notebook in his hand, packed full of knowledge, and sighed again.
Before Luke appeared, Demacia's Research Institute had barely deserved to be called a research institute at all.
Sound waves, gunpowder, electromagnetism, gravity, strong and weak interaction...
Only now did the Institute finally feel like a place of real research.
And he had a feeling that Demacia's path of scientific advancement still stretched very far ahead.
Luke lay back in the carriage, feeling fairly exhausted. He took a sip of iced tea. After talking all morning, his throat was a little dry.
So this, he thought, was what it felt like to be a teacher.
Though unlike other teachers, his students were unusually easy to manage.
A great many things only needed to be explained once before they understood.
Thinking of how much easier everything would become after they were properly taught, Luke's mood lightened.
It took the carriage a full hour before it finally stopped at his front gate.
He stepped down, walked into the courtyard, and found Lux lounging in a chair, sunbathing.
She looked over and asked curiously, "What were you doing all morning?"
Luke answered casually, "Taking care of something."
Lux looked surprised. "You actually have things to do?"
Luke glanced at her. "What kind of question is that? You think everyone's a deviled egg like you?"
"You're the deviled egg!" Lux shot back with a glare. Then she blinked, suddenly curious. "Are deviled eggs good?"
"They're pretty good."
Seeing the mouthwatering look on her face, Luke chuckled and headed for the kitchen.
By then it was already past noon, and by the time he had finished making lunch, the girls—already hungry—had gathered in the dining room and were waiting.
After quickly polishing off a lavish lunch, everyone drifted into a lazy afternoon.
At that moment, in the living room, quite a few people were stunned to see Miss Crownguard pull out several assignments with the look of someone about to study seriously.
Kahina could not help asking, "Lux... what's gotten into you?"
Lux raised her head strangely. "What do you mean, what's gotten into me?"
Kahina looked at the assignments in front of her and hesitated before saying, "You just... don't seem like the kind of person who would do this at a time like this."
"Hmph."
Hearing that, Lux let out a huff, the corners of her mouth curling into a cold little smirk. Then she declared in all seriousness, "The old me is gone! From now on, I'm going to study hard! I'm going to better myself!"
After hearing that, everyone present widened their eyes as if they had just witnessed something impossible.
What was this?
Had the sun risen in the west today?
Lux finished speaking, picked up her pen, and started scribbling furiously, looking unbelievably serious.
From that one scene, the girls seemed to glimpse her determination and were deeply shaken.
At that moment, Luke sat down at the mahjong table and called out, "Mahjong table's up—need three more, move it."
"Coming!"
The response was immediate and crisp.
Then a blur shot across the room and seized one of the seats at once.
The girls were stunned again.
Staring at Lux, who had apparently teleported from the sofa to the mahjong table, they rubbed their eyes.
Kahina could not help saying, "Didn't you just say you were going to study hard?"
Lux flashed a sweet smile. "This break lasts seven days. Even if I'm going to study hard, I still need a healthy balance between work and rest, right?"
The girls: "..."
We're pretty sure you haven't actually started the work part yet.
Rest first, work later, is that it?
While Kahina was still standing there dumbfounded, all four seats at the mahjong table had already been filled.
She could only watch from the side.
Lux confidently shoved her tiles forward with one small hand. "Just watch. I'm taking all three of you today."
And the facts proved that she really did.
Her luck lately had been absurdly good. Every so often, she would pull off a self-drawn win and collect from all three players at once.
Even Luke was starting to crack under it.
But that was the thing about mahjong.
It was addictive.
No matter how much you lost, the moment you self-drew a big hand and slapped those tiles onto the table, that gambler-god feeling came rushing in.
And then, by the time your wallet had been emptied and that shrill smug laugh from a certain little blonde was ringing in your ears, regret came far too late.
All that remained in your mind was indignation, fury...
And one sentence.
Tomorrow, we run it back.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
September 2. Weather: clear.
As the smell of autumn grew stronger, the temperature also became noticeably cooler.
Another layer had been added to everyone's clothing, but this season made sunbathing feel especially nice. The sunlight was no longer harsh and glaring. Instead, it had become mellow and warm.
The soft, comfortable rays spilled over the body, making it feel wonderfully pleasant.
At the Crownguard estate—
"Sigh...!"
Bright and early in the morning, a low, miserable sigh drifted out from Miss Crownguard's room.
Inside, Lux was sprawled weakly across her desk, her cheek pressed against the cool tabletop, looking thoroughly crushed. Her gaze had settled on the diary lying nearby.
Clearly, the source of her emotional blow was that diary.
Lux sat up and reopened the notebook she had written on a whim.
August 8. Weather: clear.
Provoked by a certain someone, I've decided to start this new diary so I can force myself to study hard from today on.
That jerk's mocking look before he left today is still vivid in my mind. His humiliation will become the fuel that makes me stronger. Starting today, I'll study hard!
...Actually, maybe tomorrow. I'm so tired from helping him clean today.
But I did get a lollipop and pudding, so I'm happy...
Can't really fall asleep. I keep thinking about the heart-to-heart my mother had with me just now. I really can't go on like this anymore!
August 9. Weather: clear.
Study hard. Starting today.
August 10. Weather: clear.
Second day of studying hard. I can feel knowledge flowing through my blood. This feeling is incredible.
August 11. Weather: clear.
Third day of studying hard. I feel like I'm swimming through an ocean of knowledge. Everywhere I turn, I'm surrounded by its sweet fragrance.
Today I memorized my lesson text until midnight.
I have to say, I'm really working hard.
August 12. Weather: clear.
Fourth day of studying hard. I think maybe knowledge choked me. I woke up with a terrible headache today, so I think I should rest for a day.
Yeah, today will be a rest day!
August 13. Weather: clear.
Mother just came in and beat me up again. Why?
She already hit me once.
I don't understand!
Also, on the thirteenth day of August in Demacian Year 679, that jerk Luke got me beaten up once—no, twice!
I'm writing this grudge down!
Even though I was wrong for running to my aunt and tattling first, that jerk still toyed with my feelings.
I really shouldn't have trusted him that easily!
He's the worst!
But he made egg tarts and tiramisu today, and they were unbelievably good, so I'll forgive him for now.
August 14. Weather: cloudy.
It looked like it was going to rain today. I actually like rainy days.
It reminded me of when I was little and used to go stand in the rain on purpose, hoping I'd get sick and wouldn't have to go to school.
But somehow I never got sick on school days. I only got sick on weekends.
Still, I like rain.
I waited all day, and not a single drop fell.
Because of that, I lost a bet with that jerk and had to give him a gold coin.
But it's not a big deal. I'll just win it back out of his pocket next time!
Tomorrow is the Harvest Moon Festival. Just thinking about the seven-day break coming up makes me happy.
August 15. Harvest Moon Festival.
The cloudy weather vanished overnight, and today I made two lanterns and went to see the celebration with everyone.
Sona doesn't like crowded places, so we came back halfway through to keep her company.
Won twenty gold at mahjong. Heh.
At night we ate mini pumpkin pies, and the lantern I made lit up. It looked so pretty.
Everyone also sent up wish lanterns. They say if you put your wish inside, it'll come true.
I have so many wishes, but His Highness said I could only pick one, so I chose the one closest to my heart right now.
I hope it comes true.
Also, I was really, really happy today.
August 16. Weather: clear.
I remembered that I was supposed to study hard, but there are still five days left in the break. Playing a little today won't matter.
Won forty gold off that guy today. Hahaha, I'm so happy!
August 17. Played cards. Won fifty.
August 18. Played cards. Won seventy.
August 19. Played cards. Won forty.
Wait, doesn't the break only have two days left?
Lux, Lux! How could you sink this low? Did you forget the study plan you made before? You cannot keep going like this!
Starting tomorrow, study hard!
August 20. Played cards. Won sixty.
August 21. Played cards. Won one hundred.
Today that guy was practically shattered. Hahaha. I self-drew a Thirteen Orphans.
That felt amazing!
So now the question is... what am I supposed to do about my vacation homework?
I will battle until dawn!
August 22. Clear.
I fell asleep in Mors's class again today, and that jerk even came all the way to the Academy just to laugh at me. He's infuriating!
I suspect he deliberately tempts me into playing cards every day, but I have no proof.
Forget it. Since I keep winning so much money from him every day, I'll forgive him.
Mother beat me up again today too. She didn't even ask for a reason. Honestly, is this kind of tyrannical one-woman rule really acceptable?
August 23. Clear.
At the family meeting today, I formally proposed that Mother's veto power be revoked. This family can't just be whatever she says it is!
But she vetoed it.
Unbelievable. Is this kind of tyrannical one-woman rule really acceptable?
August 24. Cloudy.
It rained today. Cool little raindrops, perfectly reflecting my sorrowful heart.
Third from the bottom on the exam. Damn it. All those days of hard studying were a complete waste!
Isn't life just like this? Up and down and down and down and down...
Only after trying hard did I realize how comfortable it is not to try at all.
I'm so jealous of that guy.
At a time like this, only card games can heal my wounded heart.
Won eighty. Heh.
August 25. Cloudy.
It's been overcast for two days straight, but my mood improved because I got to try a new dessert today—ginger bread pudding. Delicious!
Tomorrow's the weekend. I'm happy.
Won another fifty at cards this afternoon.
August 26. Weather: clear.
After the rain, it suddenly got really cold. That guy went out again this morning.
I haven't seen him around in the mornings lately. I suspect he's been going out to have fun without taking me with him.
Won one hundred and twenty at cards today. That guy lost so badly he was numb.
Sigh. Being invincible really is lonely.
August 27. Played cards. Won thirty.
August 28. Boring school life started again. When is the Royal Academy going to shut down?
August 29. Survived two days. Keep it up, Lux! Only three more to go!
August 30. Two days left!!
August 31. One more day!!!
September 1. I finally made it through! Tomorrow is the weekend! I'm so happy!
"Happy my ass..."
By the time Lux got there, she collapsed weakly onto the desk again.
Flipping back to the first page and looking at the words "I'm starting this new diary so I can force myself to study hard from today on," all she could think was that they looked painfully blinding.
Lux tried to remember what she had actually done over the past month.
If she wasn't lying around in that courtyard with him, then she was playing cards...
What happened to studying hard?!
She slammed the diary shut completely, unable to bear looking at it any longer.
In the end, what had even been the point of writing this thing?
After staring blankly for several seconds, Lux suddenly sat upright. A determination unlike anything before lit up in her eyes as she clenched her fist.
"I've decided! Starting today, the study plan is canceled!"
Without hesitation, she tossed the diary straight into the trash.
All at once, her mood became unbelievably cheerful.
Just like that guy had said, the result of many things didn't really matter.
What mattered was the process.
At the very least, she had tried!
Starting today, she was going to take card games seriously!
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