‘Getting materials is the first thing I need to do. Because of the hero's and another person's memories, I need Nihilum, which, according to the books in the library, is a useless material; it is fragile and does not enhance other materials when mixed with it.’ Edmund said as he walked to the royal blacksmith with his right hand on his chin.
When he arrived at the building housing the royal blacksmith, he knocked on the door, and it opened. Inside, he saw some weapons hanging from the walls and a man with gray hair and a beard using a hammer to smash a piece of metal. Just as he was about to strike it a final time, though, the man turned to face Edmund.
‘Boy, what do you want?’ He calmly asked. ‘This is not a place to play.’ and putted down his hammer.
‘My name is Edmund, and I came here to ask if you have Nihilum for me to play with.’ He introduced himself, lowering his torso as he approached the blacksmith. ‘If it were not too much to ask, I could use it to make toys.’
The blacksmith smiled as he entered the next room, picked up a box, and handed it to the boy.
‘It is useless, but I am only going to give it to you because of how well-spoken and polite you were to me. It took me a while to collect this box's worth.’ The man gave Edmund a small hammer that he had taken from the counter next to him.
‘This is a lot; I will need to take some trips to take everything to my new home. Thanks, sir.’ Edmund started to collect some pieces to make the first trip.
‘I know who you are, kid; my name is Ruppert. If I am not busy, you are welcome to come and talk if you are bored.’ Ruppert looked at Edmund with a smile but sadness in his eyes. ‘Go to the dining hall so you can get some food; do not forget.’
After moving the supplies to his new residence for the remainder of the day, Edmund arrived at the dining hall. Getting there, everyone ignored him, while some had sympathy for him. The king had forbidden anyone from helping, talking, or even going into the old warehouse; it was pure isolation. This was the result of the embarrassment he caused the king by being unable to use magic. Many of them then believed that it was his attempt to torture the child for being born like this. However, to commoners, he is simply a child who you see on the streets of the capital, as only nobles are able to use magic.
‘Mrs. It was delicious.’ Edmund smiled at a maid who was receiving the empty plates.
The woman looked completely expressionless as Edmund put the plate on the balcony and then made his way out of the dining room while scratching his cheeks with his index finger and speaking in a low voice that no one could hear.
‘They can’t talk to you; they don’t hate you. Wait until you leave before crying.’ Edmund opened the door out of the dining hall.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
As the door closed behind him, tears started to fall from his cheeks, and memories of Lucia came to his mind; she never once made him feel lonely. Now those feelings were beginning to sink in: nobody would be at home when he got back, nobody would put him to sleep, and it was going to be a lonely road from this point on.
‘Tomorrow is going to be a long day; I have a lot to do before I can show my father what I am made of, and then maybe we can both save the world.’ Lying in bed, he grinned while gazing up at the ceiling. ‘It is going to be fantastic, and Lucia will be there with me, too.’
The only things Edmund could do for the next few weeks were wash his clothes, talk to the blacksmith, eat in the dining hall, and rest at home while thinking of ways to use Nihilum. Until one day, when he grabbed some of it and asked Ruppert to melt Nihilum with some iron and put it in a rectangle shape that he showed with sand, other small pieces of iron, and another with copper. Ruppert believed that would be used for play and that it was not much, so he had no problem providing for the child some materials.
‘I will use this to piece together a toy, and I will show it to you.’ He looked at the small pieces of iron on his hand.
Edmund gave the blacksmith a friendly smile before hurrying home. As soon as he arrived, he snatched up his hammer and cautiously began writing words on the plate of Nihilum mixed with iron using an iron nail he grabbed while walking from Ruppert’s.
The inspiration for this idea came to him years ago when he recalled the hero's ability to enchant his armor made of Nihilum and felt guilty that he didn’t share this skill with anyone since it was only used in the hero’s party. The hero at the time simply did not care to share something as helpful as a method of using magic encantations in written form to enchant the amors and weapons using knowledge he got from the memories of the person from another world; that same way of thinking was the reason he could use magic beyond the realm of what normal people could imagine at the time.
Edmund passed the next three weeks building and writing on the plate, stopping only to eat at the dining hall. It took more time because he was afraid to make a mistake and ruin everything, but as the sun was rising, he finished.
‘With this last piece, it can draw magic from all around me, casting it like a spell, just like a mage. Although it's ugly, it will work.’ He smiled.
He turned the tablet-like object around, and the front was now black with a grean glow on its borders and a white box with “Notes” written on it at the corner. Using a Nihilum-made object resembling a larger nail, he pressed against the symbol, and it opened a black page where he started to write his name on it and draw some other symbols. Using the pen, he taped the numbers that were in the right corner of the page, and new blank pages came. He used his fingers to press the numbers, and it worked fine.
‘With the help of these icons and numbers, I can set up libraries to categorize the notes and drawings I will do.’ Edmund smirked.
He felt so proud of what he had accomplished as he used the pen to write and draw on the tablet, but he also felt a little bit sad because something like this, which a 5-year-old child could do, should have been used to store knowledge, and it took him only 3 weeks to make.
‘Look, Ruppert, this is what I made using the materials you gave me.’ Edmund shouted.
‘By the gods, do not do this again. What if I am not alone here? What would they say? Remember, no one is allowed to speak to you in this district.’ He jumped a little in shock as he witnessed Edmund storm into the blacksmith's shop and turn to face him.
The boy calmed down and extended his hands, handing the tablet and a larger nail to the enraged blacksmith, who looked at the device with curious eyes but had no idea what it was, but he remembered making this larger nail.
‘Write something on it using the pen.' He suggested it while looking at Ruppert’s face, expecting a reaction.
‘I am trying, kid, but I am not sure what you want me to do.’ When Ruppert moved the pen across the tablet, nothing happened.
‘You can use it, Ruppert; just do it this way.’ Edmund approached the blacksmith's side, took hold of his hand, and drew a circle. ‘See? Do it on your own.’
Edmund observed Ruppert pass the pen across the surface of the tablet. A line appeared, shocking the blacksmith. He couldn’t understand how that was possible; it was like writing on that expensive material he had the opportunity to put his hands on only a few times in his life.
‘It is like paper.’ The blacksmith pressed his chin with the point of the Nihilum pen.