Chapter Twenty-Nine: The First Clash Between Science and Magic

Despite being deeply curious about how Ruby managed to drink the poisonous dragon’s saliva, Mayona only asked once, receiving a perfunctory answer of “an accident.” The incident involving the mayor’s attack had no impact whatsoever on their lives. Ruby couldn’t make sense of the shard called the “key,” so, as with many things in this world, it was tossed into a corner to gather dust, coveted by others but forgotten by its owner.

Hiss, hiss, hiss.

The lamp above Mayona’s head suddenly emitted a loud, harsh noise, prompting the magical sage to put down her scroll and look up in confusion. It wasn’t just the lamp; other appliances in the house were behaving similarly.

“Ruby, what’s going on?”

Mayona had long since grown accustomed to these ever-glowing objects, which could only be described as miraculous. The magic crystal stones most households used for illumination required daily replenishment of magical energy—none could match the convenience of simply flipping a switch. Until today, Mayona had assumed that these so-called lamps were perpetual.

“We’re running out of electricity.”

“Electricity?”

The magical sage tilted her head, conjuring crackling sparks on her fingertips and handing them to Ruby.

“Go on, keep your distance.”

Ruby waved her away, chasing off the mischievous Mayona. Who knew how mages in this world could hold electricity in their hands? Ruby certainly wasn’t foolish enough to try—he’d be fried into a frizzy mess. Mayona, seeing her antics unwelcome, dispersed her spell and followed Ruby outside.

They walked to the far side of the hill, opposite their home. It was Mayona’s first time here, and her first time seeing the strange contraption: two pillars, each about three or four meters high, embedded in the ground, with three irregularly shaped blades at the top slowly turning.

“Is this thing related to electricity?”

“Yes, it’s a wind turbine. Looks pretty rusty now.”

Ruby inspected his windmill, noticing obvious rust. The blades couldn’t turn, so kinetic energy was diminished, making electricity generation sluggish.

There was nothing for it; the materials Ruby had used were poor quality, though even those had taken ages to gather. If he’d had the means, he would have used Gundamium alloy without hesitation.

“Wind? Wind and electricity are connected? Is it like wind magic counteracting lightning magic?”

“No, the principle of wind power is to use wind to rotate the blades, then a gearbox increases the rotation speed to drive the generator, converting the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy, and then mechanical energy into electrical energy.”

“In short, you just need wind, right? Wind Magic: Vacuum Cyclone Break!”

Mayona’s eyes glazed over at Ruby’s explanation. She didn’t understand a word, except that wind produced electricity. That was simple enough—the seventh-level spell flew from her hand without hesitation.

Ruby didn’t have time to stop her. He could only watch as his windmill was shredded into pieces by the violent gale. There was no need for repairs now; he would have to rebuild it from scratch.

“Mayona!”

“What—what is it?”

Hearing Ruby call her name, Mayona finally snapped out of it, staring at his angry face, bewildered.

“Can’t you use your brain before you act? Did you really think it could withstand such a powerful spell?”

“You’re scolding me! You’re angry over a pile of scrap metal!”

Mayona finally realized Ruby was angry. A wave of grievance surged within her. It had been two months since they started living together, and Ruby had never scolded her. She didn’t understand the value of those things, but if Ruby valued them more than her, that was unacceptable!

“I’m trying to reason with you. Why is it that, no matter what happens, you always think of magic first? Can’t you consider my science for once?”

“Because I’m a mage! Don’t tell me your broken science is better than my magic!”

“Since you say that, let’s compare. I’ll tell you plainly: there are things science can do that magic absolutely cannot.”

Ruby was furious. Not only did Mayona refuse to admit her mistake, she insulted his beloved science. What else could he do when his faith was ridiculed? Only fight to the bitter end.

“Fine! Let’s see who can reach the sky first.”

Mayona almost gritted her teeth as she accepted Ruby’s challenge, instantly setting the harshest condition. Flight had always been humanity’s dream. Creatures incapable of flight never lost their desire for the sky, not even in a world of magic. To fly under one’s own power required at least the rank of Magister, for only Magisters could cast the seventh-level wind spell, Wings of Freedom, to soar high.

Yes, she was clearly bullying him. How could a mere human with no magical power hope to fly?

“Hmph, childish. Humanity conquered the skies early in the twentieth century. Dragon, spit out my hot air balloon kit.”

“Tch, you two are even more boring than I imagined.”

Dragon had been watching from above with cold eyes. Both of them were at the pinnacle of their fields, yet they squabbled like children and even proposed a duel. Dragon, disdaining their company, produced a large cloth and a sizable basket from his internal storage and then fell silent.

“Watch closely, foolish mage.”

Ruby connected the hot air balloon and basket, inflated the envelope with a blower, and, once fully expanded, added the crucial fuel: propane. In this world, making such fuel was incredibly difficult; the little Ruby had managed to save he spent entirely, determined not to disgrace Earth.

“Well? Keep up.”

Only when Ruby was more than ten meters off the ground did he address Mayona, his face cold.

“…I don’t believe you can fly higher than me.”

Seeing Ruby truly ascend, Mayona was incredulous. No matter the circumstance, Ruby shattered her expectations. She refused to admit defeat and immediately unfurled her invisible wings in pursuit.

One thousand meters.
Two thousand meters.
Five thousand meters.

As the hot air balloon climbed, their contest continued. Mayona kept pace with Ruby, maintaining the same altitude. She had never flown so high since mastering flight—it was a reckless day. Seeing Ruby’s annoying face only made her angrier. While she carefully controlled her altitude and balance, Ruby leisurely sipped coffee, occasionally admiring the scenery below. It was utterly unfair.

“Well? Do you admit defeat?”

It was only at around ten thousand meters that Ruby spoke, wrapped in a blanket against the cold. At this altitude, the lack of oxygen was obvious. Mayona was suffering, too; she had no protective gear, and a thin layer of frost had formed on her eyebrows.

“I refuse to give up!”

“Then I surrender.”

Mayona’s stubbornness was expected. Ruby sighed, extending his hand to her.

“Huh?”

Mayona stared dumbly at his hand, momentarily forgetting to maintain altitude and dropping a fair distance. But she quickly caught up, eyeing Ruby suspiciously, unsure of his intentions.

“I just wanted to show you not to underestimate science. As a lesson, it’s enough.”

Ruby pulled Mayona into the basket, draped his blanket over her back, and offered her a steaming drink.

“Aren’t you angry I destroyed your things?”

“Things can be rebuilt. Getting hurt over them isn’t worth it.”

Ruby was right. Though the balloon could still ascend, any higher would be beyond the limits of physical endurance. Who knew how Mayona would fare? But Ruby himself would certainly suffer.

“Honestly, you’re such a fool. Playing with Aqua is more fun than competing with you.”

The joy in her heart forced Mayona to struggle to keep from laughing. She seemed to misunderstand Ruby’s intentions, thinking he backed down for fear of her getting hurt, when in reality, Ruby was in far greater danger.

“Mayona, try this.”

After returning home, Ruby hurriedly made a simple device to test whether Mayona’s magic-generated electricity could be harnessed. The answer, of course, was yes.

“As expected, you’re quite useful. From now on, you’re in charge of electricity!”

From then on, Mayona, already responsible for the water supply, also became the power supplier.

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