Wiz. The Minister of Industry of Millenia and a goblin who evolved into an ancient being believed to have gone extinct tens of thousands of years ago.
Her position among the Five Vassals was special.
But not in a good way.
[Wiz, you’re good with your hands, so I’d like you to handle various developments.]
[Yes! If you teach me like the others, I will work hard for you, Master!]
Like the other vassals, she learned various engineering theories from Teo.
[Ah, but there’s a limit to what I can teach.]
[…Master?]
[Yeah. I only know the theory.]
Teo’s teachings were limited strictly to knowledge.
Naturally, he couldn’t teach the actual skills needed to bring that knowledge to life.
That was the realm of artisans, not geniuses.
[I can teach you the theory, but if you want to actually make things, you’ll need to go through a lot of trial and error. That means you’ll have to put in the effort.]
[Yes! If it’s for you, Master, I’ll do my best!]
[Good. Lucia is gathering the dwarves, so let’s start by learning blacksmithing from them.]
Fortunately, there were experts in craftsmanship on this continent.
Dwarves the artisan race, naturally gifted with extraordinary dexterity.
They could teach Wiz the necessary skills and how to bring Teo’s knowledge into reality.
[Hiiik!! O-O Great One, what do you plan to do with us…?]
[From today onward, you’re my underlings.]
[…Huh?]
[And you’re going to teach me smithing. Starting right now.]
Unlike the other four vassals, she led an exceptionally busy life.
When her master was free, she studied theory.
When he wasn’t, she learned practical skills from the dwarves.
Even Teo himself began to wonder, ’Isn’t this basically forced labor?’ given how hard she worked.
[Lady Wiz, at this point, you’ve mastered all the artisan techniques of us dwarves.]
[Your skill… I would even dare say you are the reincarnation of the legendary dwarf, Wieland. As an artisan, I cannot help but acknowledge you.]
[We shall honor you as the Blacksmith, the leader of all dwarves!!!]
And so, she became a master craftsman acknowledged even by the dwarves.
It had only been five years since Teo chose her.
Yet she had risen to a level where even the most stubborn artisans couldn’t help but sing her praises.
A miracle achieved through a combination of talent and complete dedication to a single craft.
[So, there’s nothing left for you to learn from the dwarves? Good, good. You’ve worked really hard.]
[Kihit♡ Master, then does that mean I…]
[Now that you’ve finished your apprenticeship, it’s time for the real work.]
[…Kihit?]
Unfortunately, this was only the beginning.
The beginning of her relentless toil as Millenia’s greatest engineer.
[Alright, the first thing we need to make is a reactor for the Haber-Bosch process. We need a large vessel that can withstand high temperatures and pressure.]
[That’s as easy as eating meat while lying down!]
[Next, we need a machine to liquefy air and separate nitrogen, a hydrogen production unit, a heat exchanger, a condenser…]
[…Kieeek.]
Orders. Orders. Orders. Teo’s relentless stream of development requests.
As a result, she and the dwarves were buried under endless workloads.
Reproducing modern inventions in the middle of an empty forest was no easy feat.
[Lady Wiz, at this rate, we’re going to die…]
[I told you, you can take breaks. You’re just lowly creatures anyway.]
[How could we possibly rest when our greatest artisan is hammering away at metal every day?!]
[…You guys… Alright, let’s keep pushing through.]
“They’re all I’ve got, seriously.”
Before they knew it, Wiz and the dwarves had become like a family.
Unlike the other four vassals, who secretly looked down on them as inferior beings, Wiz cherished them deeply.
This was the crucial reason their workshop was able to accomplish miracle-like inventions.
[Sylvie, is this… really it?]
[Yeah, it’s ammonia. You did great, Wiz.]
[…Kihihihihik!!! Guys, we’re having a feast tonight!!]
[Bring out the beer! And more beer!!!]
By Teo’s ninth year since reincarnation, they had successfully developed the nitrogen fixation process.
[A manure spreader? Hm. Simple enough.]
[You want me to counterfeit gold coins? With only 20% actual gold content? The weight difference will be huge… Well, if Mel needs it, fine.]
[Metal type printing… I can make it, but there’s a backlog, so it’ll take some time.]
[A high-magnification microscope and a spectrometer? What even is this now?]
[…Kieeeeeek!!! Stop working us to death, you damn tyrants!!!]
By his tenth year, she had started developing inventions for the other four vassals.
Lucia unified the people through Hangul.
Aurelia increased the population by boosting food production.
And Wiz supported it all from behind the scenes, making those feats possible.
Recently, her workshop had been focused on one particular development……
“A steam engine. A machine that boils water to spin a turbine.”
‘Though for now, it’ll be a piston rather than a turbine.’
Wiz finished her thoughts with a smile one filled with pride as the greatest engineer of the Federation.
“A turbine? What’s that?”
“A device that converts the kinetic energy of a fluid into rotational power. A steam engine converts thermal energy into kinetic energy.”
“Can you explain it in a way that makes sense?”
“Boil water, spin a wheel.”
“…And you’re acting all proud over that?”
Aurelia’s reaction was less than impressed.
She simply couldn’t grasp how revolutionary this invention was.
“Are you trying to make a carriage pull itself?”
“For now, yeah. But the scale and speed will be on a whole different level.”
“Why not just use a carriage? The South is overflowing with orcs.”
“….”
‘Oof. That stings.’
From Wiz’s perspective, her pride had taken a serious hit.
After all, what was the steam engine?
The driving force behind the Industrial Revolution.
One of the greatest inventions that reshaped human history.
[Without this, Millenia has no future.]
[Is it really that important, Master?]
[So, some even say that science owes more to the steam engine than the steam engine owes to science.]
Even Teo acknowledged the steam engine.
As a technician, it was infuriating to see such a remarkable invention being belittled.
Naturally, my voice turned curt.
“That’s inefficient. Even the master acknowledged that.”
“…If my lord said so, then it must be true. But boasting about what’s essentially just a water-boiling device is a bit much.”
“Do you think we stayed up all night just to boil water? Use your brain, please.”
“Then what is it? What’s so great about it?”
Aurelia snapped back irritably.
She simply couldn’t understand why Teo would grant a reward for something like this…
Luckily, Wiz didn’t have to explain.
Today was the day her master would be bringing back coal……the first day they would witness just how incredible the steam engine truly was.
“By the way, the one over there is something we invented half a year ago. The efficiency was too low, so the master rejected it…it’s just a prototype.”
“Half a year ago?”
“Yeah. What we’re testing today has been improved a lot since then.”
With a thud, Wiz got up and started walking.
It was just about time for Teo to return with the coal.
“Want to come see? The others are all coming to watch.”
“What is it, exactly?”
“Even if I explain, you won’t believe it until you see it yourself.”
“……?”
“Just follow me. You must have time to spare, considering you’re picking a fight with me.”
“Fine, whatever.”
Aurelia followed her.
It was obvious she just wanted to see for herself if this so-called invention was really that impressive.
Wiz smirked unconsciously.
‘Is she trying to keep me in check, afraid I might get a reward after Lucia?’
‘If this turns out to be nothing special, I’ll make sure she’s humiliated in front of our lord.’
“So, how exactly did you improve it?”
“Focused on efficiency. Now it’s thirty times more efficient than the prototype.”
“Thirty times? How bad was the original piece of junk?”
“The master praised that one.”
“…I misspoke. If our lord praised it, then I’m sure there was a good reason.”
A tense exchange of words, filled with subtle rivalry.
With Teo as an untouchable figure between them, Wiz had the advantage.
Aurelia clicked her tongue.
“But why do we need coal, anyway? Our land, Millennia, is surrounded by forests. Why not just use firewood?”
“Did a dryad really just say that?”
“What does it matter? It’s for our lord’s sake.”
“Sigh… Charcoal needs to be processed separately, and the neighboring country, Arkenia, is overflowing with coal. There’s no need to go through the hassle of chopping down trees.”
“Even if it’s a hassle, we should have done it. Our lord had to go personally just for some coal doesn’t that embarrass you as his vassal?”
“Go complain to your underling orcs. Lucia was supposed to take them to get the coal, but the master thought they were still too risky, so he went himself.”
“……”
“Keep your subordinates in check, yeah? Look at my guys our master trusts them completely. But you…”
She tried to put Aurelia down somehow, but it backfired completely.
Aurelia’s words dwindled into silence.
“Hey, are you sulking? Seriously, already?”
“…Not at all. I’m just really curious to see what kind of invention you’re hyping up so much.”
‘If this turns out to be nothing special, I’ll strip you bare and flog you in front of our lord.’
It wasn’t that she had nothing to say she was just brimming with spite.
Either way.
As they continued walking, murmurs spread around them.
A crowd of dwarves had gathered.
“Wait… Lucia? Even Sylvie and Mel?”
“Aurelia, you came to watch too?”
“Yeah. Didn’t expect even Mel to show up, though.”
“I happened to have something to report to you as well.”
Teo’s first vassals, chatting nearby.
In Arkenia, they would be equivalent to dukes five of them gathered in one place.
—Fwoooosh…! Paaaah!
“Kraang.”
‘This body, descends.’
Teo’s teleportation was complete.
Everyone knelt and bowed low.
Though unseen, his overwhelming magical presence alone made his arrival unmistakable.
“Teo, sir! You’ve returned.”
“Rise. It’s coming soon.”
“Sir? What do you mean?”
“—Wait. What is that?”
A small dot appeared in the distance.
A pillar of smoke.
A faint tremor rising from the ground.
A strange, unfamiliar sound.
All of it grew rapidly closer.
—Chiiiiiiiik!!!
“Ahh, to think we actually created something like that!”
“Every humiliation we suffered under humans was for this moment of glory!”
“Long live the dwarves! Long live Lady Wiz!! Eternal glory to the great Lord Teonar!!!”
An uproar erupted.
Loud enough to drown out even the clatter of iron wheels rolling over tracks.
“I thought those weird rails in Millennia were just for mine carts…”
“But it was for that?”
“Is that entire thing made of iron?”
“No way… How is that even moving?”
Even Teo’s five vassals couldn’t hide their shock.
All except for Wiz, the mastermind behind it all.
With a sharp hiss of steam, the massive machine began to slow down.
“Master, what do you think? Pretty well-made, huh?”
“What’s the fuel efficiency?”
“600 grams of coal per horsepower exactly as you specified.”
“Excellent. You… all of you… are writing a new chapter in Millennia’s history today.”
“Kihihihit!”
As that drew closer,
Wiz’s pride swelled along with it.
No matter how much she had explained it before, only Teo and the dwarves had truly understood…..the steam engine.
Now, the moment had come to reveal its true power.
“Wiz… what is that thing?”
“Ahh, that?”
—Siiik.
A sly grin spread across her face.
“A steam locomotive. A steel workhorse of Millennia, running with the power of a thousand horses.”
In this medieval fantasy world,
the Industrial Revolution had arrived just a little ahead of schedule.