"You were supposed to rest today… You've come a long way, after all," said Lucian, yawning, visibly exhausted.

Azrael Itharion shook his head with a polite smile.

"That's impossible, Your Majesty. Even if we wanted to, we wouldn't be able to."

And it was understandable. Azrael wore a beaming smile, and his disciples behind him kept whispering with excitement. They looked like they could stay up all night just to savor the moment.

Ah, those mages... Lucian thought, before opening the drawer of his desk and pulling out a stack of documents.

The team's eyes immediately locked onto his hands, clearly captivated by the files he held.

It'll take them quite some time to gather all the necessary components anyway… he mused.

"Here are the documents listing the various components you'll need for the experiment. I'll provide you with full details for each step later, from design to execution," he said, pushing the folders toward Azrael with a weary gesture.

Finally… thought Azrael, relieved.

His disciples rushed to his side, unfolding the sheets with childlike enthusiasm to examine the contents.

> [Faraday's Law: Φ = B × A × cos(θ)]

They stared at the formula, wide-eyed, unable to understand a single symbol. There wasn't a word explaining what they were seeing. Their gazes, now visibly irritated, turned to Lucian, who was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes—remnants of his yawn.

He felt the weight of their stares and slowly raised his head.

"Hmm… Is something wrong?" he asked sluggishly.

Julie spoke up, raising an eyebrow:

"Faraday's Law isn't explained. We don't even know what these symbols refer to."

Lucian blinked.

Ah… he thought. I just wrote it down there so I wouldn't forget it myself. You never know.

He shrugged and replied:

"Don't worry about the symbols. The principle's simple: if you move a magnet near a copper wire—or a wire through a magnetic field—you generate a current. The faster you go, the stronger the current."

Silence fell.

Even Chris, usually unshakably calm, had his eyes wide open.

Current? Magnetic field? In this world of magic and swords, those words meant nothing.

"I didn't understand a single thing you just said," Ruben muttered in frustration. After all, their careers depended on the success of this experiment.

Lucian sighed and yawned again.

Even this is too complicated for them? he thought.

"Gather all the items on the list. You'll understand once you see them in action. You're curious interns, after all."

Azrael, though just as confused, decided to go along with it. Yet the more Lucian spoke, the more everything sounded like… the whimsical invention of an overly imaginative child.

"Curiosity is a virtue for interns, isn't it, Your Majesty?" he replied, half-smiling, half-suspicious.

"Indeed... If you have any questions about the elements, feel free to ask me, I'll—"

Lucian tried to slide off his chair, hoping to put an end to this discussion that was shamelessly devouring his precious hours of sleep.

But Azrael immediately raised his hand, eyes burning with curiosity. His disciples weren't far behind.

"Your Majesty, it says here: 'magnetite'... as the first required element. What exactly is that?"

Please. Just let me sleep. Damn it.

"It's living iron. One of the most important elements. Bring as much as you can."

Julie chimed in, visibly enthusiastic:

"And the fine iron wire—what's that?"

Azrael nodded vigorously, as if scholarly approval added weight to the question.

Lucian replied, already annoyed:

"Those are the glowing stones."

Azrael frowned.

"Why use such terms if you could simply name things as they are? And the Faraday formula… why not call it 'Voldreck'? Surely, this knowledge must belong to the imperial family."

He clearly struggled to believe that this knowledge came from Lucian himself. To him, it had to be a top-secret piece of information—maybe even a long-lost relic of the Thirteenth Empire.

Lucian shrugged, deadpan.

"You don't need to know that, do you?"

"No... you're right. Please forgive my impudence."

Ruben, meanwhile, was taking notes with exemplary dedication. And then, like a breached dam, the questions came flooding in. Again. And again. And again.

---

3:00 a.m.

The scholarly mages scattered throughout the palace, frantically searching for the components needed for the project. Naturally, all expenses were their own responsibility. Not to mention the 1,300,000 Velts they would have to pay weekly.

Lucian let out a long, resigned sigh, then fell asleep right on his desk.

"Your Majesty… shall I carry you?" came a calm and composed voice.

Son of a... thought Lucian without even lifting his head. Do I look like a kid to you, Chris?

He lazily raised one hand in a dismissive wave.

"I'm sleeping here. Go check on that lunatic Ria instead. It's been too quiet today… and that worries me."

"But, Your Majesty..."

"No buts. That's an order," Lucian mumbled, his cheeks squished against the wood of the desk.

Zzzzzzzz…

Chris, normally flawless when it came to following orders, hesitated for once. After all, it was Ria. Or rather… TENEBROS. He finally settled for a light bow to the sleeping emperor and left the room.

---

Knock knock knock.

Knock knock knock.

"Huh…? The 2.0 model of my X.phone is finally ready?" Lucian groaned, half-conscious.

Knock knock knock.

"Your Majesty? It's Chris."

Chris? Lucian thought.

"Which Chris?" he muttered.

"Your butler, Your Majesty."

Ah right… Chris. The butler…

Lucian wearily placed a hand on his forehead.

"Chris… my butler."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What time is it?"

"Four a.m."

Lucian frowned.

"How long have I slept, in your opinion?"

"Around an hour."

Only an hour? he thought, exasperated.

"You do know you're going to pay for this, don't you?"

"I will bear the consequences, Your Majesty."

Lucian wanted to yell: You dragonspawn bastard, did you forget this body needs eight hours of sleep to grow properly?!

But all he did was let out a stifled laugh.

"Hahaha… Even I find it funny to think I'm still going to grow."

"Alright… tell me, why the hell did you… wake me up?" Lucian grumbled, still half-submerged in sleep.

"My apologies, Your Majesty. But your guests insisted I inform you… they've gathered all the required components."

Lucian's eyes snapped open as if someone had just announced the apocalypse had been rescheduled to tomorrow morning.

"By guests… you mean?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Archmage Azrael Itharion and his disciples. They're currently in the Imperial Arcane Research Lab."

Lucian let out a sound halfway between a groan and a nervous laugh.

This is a joke… right? he thought. There were twenty materials on that list… and some are rarer than decency in the nobility—like the glowing stone!

"This is absurd…" he muttered, dumbfounded. But a crooked smile slowly tugged at his lips.

He tried to step down from his seat—but "falling" would've been a more accurate term. Damn throne was too high.

He opened the door. Chris stood there, immaculate as always—back straight, eyes clear, not a single wrinkle or dark circle in sight. As if sleepless nights were just a hobby to him.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

Lucian looked at him with a trace of envy.

"Yeah, morning… What about TENEBROS?"

Chris answered with his usual calm, emotionless tone.

"Lady Ten— Ria was asleep in your bed. The maids claim she never left her room."

Hmmm... strange.

Lucian sighed.

"Chris, I'm leaving the paperwork to you. Those lunatics… they're the real deal. I don't know how long I'll be stuck down there. Just bring me food and keep me updated."

The servants in the hallway bowed respectfully as the emperor passed.

"Understood, Your Majesty. But… may I ask what you plan to do in the lab?" Chris asked carefully.

Lucian paused, his eyes drifting into the shadowy corridors.

"Chris… don't you think the Empire is unusually dark at night? Especially for commoners who can't even afford a single candle?"

"Um… I suppose so?" Chris replied, unsure where this was going.

"It's a problem. Fear seeps in when the light fades. And that's a shame… because the night holds beauty, too."

He stopped for a moment, lost in thought.

Thomas Edison… what were you thinking, creating the world's first light bulb?

Then he said, calmly:

"What I'm going to do down there is simple… I'm going to fix that problem."

Chris frowned, only half-understanding. But they had arrived at the grand doors of the Imperial Magical Laboratory—sealed for decades. No mage had dared create anything under the reign of Lucian, the child emperor whose empire many believed was fated to crumble.

"Keep an eye on Ria. I'm heading in."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Lucian pushed the door open just as Chris turned to leave.

---

The grand Imperial Lab, though unused for decades, was spotless. The servants had kept it pristine with the same dedication they gave the rest of the palace—even if no one had stepped foot inside for years.

Four figures stood around a parchment, eyes focused, faces serious.

Azrael. And his three disciples.

Ah… these lunatics…

But what really shook Lucian was what lay around them. Carefully sorted on the floor, all the materials from the list. Every last one. Even the damn glowing stone.

Lucian ran a hand through his hair, stunned. Every gaze turned toward him.

They really did it… those bastards?

I don't even want to know how…

He smirked, raised his thumb dramatically downward, and with a wicked grin declared:

"Prepare to risk your lives!"

A beat.

"We're doing it in one day!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.