"Personally, what I'd recommend is solar power. It's what I'm already using at my estate — no fuel costs, low maintenance and operating expenses, and it's clean. Virtually no harmful impact on the environment."

  "Harmful impact on the environment?"

  The monopoly business had gotten off to a strong start and revenues were climbing steadily; the resort hotel, too, was running smoothly. It was around this time that Celeste decided to take the next step — electricity supply, something he had been turning over in his mind — and called together the relevant parties for a meeting.

  "Yes. On Earth, fossil fuels became the engine of industrialisation, and they're still being used for power generation and other purposes today. The cost, however, has been severe — roughly two hundred years of serious environmental destruction. Water and air both contaminated, average temperatures rising — and at this rate, Earth has perhaps thirty years before civilisation begins to collapse. Which is... hm."

  "Sorry — didn't I hear something rather similar from Regis Celeste before...?"

  Nairan, the Royal Court's Chief Court Magician, who had been listening carefully, tilted her head with a puzzled look.

  She was right. Not long ago, Celeste had told the ministers that he had perhaps thirty years left — the limit of his natural lifespan — to bring Earth's technology across. That those two figures should coincide in quite this way was something even Celeste hadn't anticipated.

  "A-anyway. The point is, the cleanest and safest method of power generation available right now is solar. That's what I want to invest in — the research and development of it. I could simply provide solar panels and all the associated equipment wherever they're needed immediately, but that won't lead to the technology taking root here. It needs to become a sustainable industry. That's what matters."

  "I see... Might I ask, then — what other methods of power generation exist?"

  "Thermal — burning fossil fuels. Wind — enormous turbines. Solar thermal — using the sun's heat rather than its light. Nuclear — no, let's not go there. There are various options, but..."

  "But?"

  "The efficiency is absolutely terrible."

  "I beg your pardon?"

  "They look like different methods, but they're all the same system, aren't they? Generate heat from some power source, boil water, drive a turbine with the steam... Honestly, what were they thinking?!"

  "......"

  The large conference room held the Chief Court Magician and the Minister of Commerce, court magicians and technical officers, and even the headmaster of the Academy of Magic — the Chief Court Magician's husband — all of them with the air of students attending a lecture. No one quite followed why Celeste had suddenly become angry, but one thing came through clearly: the efficiency was dreadful.

  "Was there no way to generate power directly from the source?"

  "Well, I'm completely out of my depth here, and any specialist would probably take issue with me saying this, but — given that you're converting between energies of entirely different natures, perhaps that really was the only way. In any case, I don't like it. Solar is clean, it's safe, and the sun shines all year round at no cost. Fuel expenses: zero."

  Free and zero cost.

  The Minister of Commerce stifled a laugh, thinking that the words alone might be enough to send someone crashing through the conference room door.

  "So — I'll provide solar generators for analysis and research. I'd like the magicians and technical officers to take them apart and study them. I've also asked the Academy of Magic to cooperate, which is why I've invited the Headmaster today. I'll cover research costs and provide the necessary materials; what I'd ask of the Headmaster is recommendations for personnel."

  "Personnel! I'd sooner resign my headmastership and assist directly—"

  "And I'd sooner resign as Chief Court Magician and do the same, for that matter."

  The Minister of Commerce watched the Nairan couple bickering and smiled despite herself.

  "Enthusiasm for research is admirable, but the two of you were appointed to positions of considerable responsibility by His Majesty. You can't simply toss that aside so lightly. — Regis Celeste, I'm happy to support the research initiative. Though if this were purely a matter of technical development, you wouldn't have needed me here, would you? There's something beyond Regis's personal business domain..."

  The Minister of Commerce fixed Celeste with a meaningful smile. Celeste returned it in kind.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  "You're perceptive, as always. You're right — this isn't simply a matter of installing generators in individual homes. To supply electricity stably and at scale, it would need to be led and managed at the national level. A nationally managed industry, supplying the population..."

  — BANG.

  "I had a feeling someone was talking about tax revenue!"

  The conference room doors flew open. Someone came hurtling in with a shout. Everyone turned in startled unison — everyone, that is, except the Minister of Commerce, who was laughing, and Celeste, who had pressed a hand to his forehead.

  "Minister of Finance — you're getting ahead of yourself, I'm afraid. Research bearing fruit and rolling out nationwide is still a long way off. And for what it's worth, it won't be a tax. It'll be a rate."

  "'Still a long way off' also means 'eventually,' does it not? The terminology is a secondary matter."

  Sophistry, but Celeste couldn't be bothered to argue the point.

  "Fine, fine. Have it your way. Now — if everyone could find a seat, I'd like to continue. The immediate priority is getting the technology absorbed and developed as something native to this world. For now, I'd like to frame this as a personal hobby of mine and fund the research myself."

  "A personal hobby — when this will eventually become a national industry?"

  "Well, 'eventually' is the operative word, isn't it. If public funds were spent and nothing came of it, that would be inconvenient for everyone — criticism of researchers who couldn't deliver results, insinuations that someone is playing around with the Crown's backing..."

  The Minister of Commerce had to concede the point. If national resources — funding, personnel — were used with nothing to show for it, it would hand opponents a ready-made grievance. But if Celeste were simply acting as a private patron, funding research out of personal means, it could be dismissed as an eccentric hobby of the wealthy. Even with court magicians and technical officers involved, there was a ready exit: we were merely consulted.

  The Finance Minister standing nearby, nodding along with a thoroughly satisfied expression, made it abundantly clear that he'd already worked all of this out.

  "So — today's meeting is, officially, a request to some knowledgeable persons for introductions to research talent willing to indulge a personal whim of mine. Should anything come of it, I'll present it as a modest offering: 'something came of my little experiment — I hope it isn't too presumptuous.' We're all agreed?"

  There was no particular grounds for objection.

  When the Minister of Commerce asked why Celeste was prepared to go so far with his own money, the answer was simply:

  "I've been earning more than I know what to do with, and I can hardly take it back to Earth with me. Where else would I spend it?"

  Afterward, the Finance Minister said this to the Minister of Commerce:

  "You think he seems free of material desire? You've still some way to go, I'm afraid. His Lordship the Royal Father is not without desire. On the contrary — he is an accumulation of desire on a scale that is rather terrifying. Do you not see what manner of ambition it takes for a single person to set out to change the world?"

  "Still, though — if we're going to research power generation, we first need to establish the concept of electricity itself. Let me ask our magicians: is there a school of magic dealing in electricity? Lightning, electric discharge, that sort of thing?"

  The ministers had returned to their duties; Celeste continued in the same large conference room, now with only the magicians and technical officers remaining.

  "I would think we'd first need to understand the properties of this 'electricity' as an energy," offered Bazderi Nairan, the Academy Headmaster.

  Celeste paused. That's true — that should come first.

  "Right, well — 'energy generated by the movement of electrons' doesn't quite get us anywhere if... has atomic theory been established here yet? I suppose the most intuitive example would be lightning."

  "Lightning?"

  "It's a phenomenon caused by an exchange of electrons between sky and earth — I'd have thought that was the most straightforward explanation, but..."

  "Well, why didn't you simply say so from the start?"

  "I'm sorry?"

  "Aroiwot."

  The Chief Court Magician spoke a peculiar word, and in her palm there appeared a crackling, spherical mass — like a ball of lightning.

  "Electric magic?!"

  "The foundation of Fulge-class magic. Astrape."

  Why had it never occurred to him to pay attention to magic until this very day?

  Celeste was overcome with profound regret.

  "How does Fulge magic work? What's the underlying principle?"

  "Let's see... To explain simply: there exist two invisible sources of force that are drawn to one another — Phos and Skota. The practitioner uses Mihi to bind Skota to Phos, and—"

  "...That's electrons and holes!!!!!"

  "I beg your pardon?"

  "Nothing — those are just what the same concepts are called on Earth. The wonder of magic!"

  "...Thank you?"

  Celeste was in disarray at the unexpected discovery; Nairan was at a loss for how to react. But one thing, at least, had become clear.

  He wouldn't need to explain electron theory from scratch.

  "It's starting to feel like I'll need to get at least a passing acquaintance with magical theory if I want to transplant Earth's technology here..."

  "Oh — oh, that would be wonderful to hear. The doors of my Academy are open to anyone, at any time!"

  Headmaster Bazderi Nairan lit up immediately, but Celeste smiled wryly.

  "I don't think attending the Academy would actually get me any further in practising magic... I just need the basic theory. I want to see whether there are parallels with Earth's technology, that's all."

  The Headmaster looked crestfallen. Celeste, for his part, had no particular intention of studying magic seriously.

  'Even if I tried to learn at this age, I doubt it would stick. And even if it did — I've already got whatever mysterious ability I have. Add magic on top of that? What kind of ludicrous cheat setup would that be.'

  "That said, picking at it alone, I'd probably miss things I'd otherwise catch. Headmaster — I'd like to visit the Academy before long. Could you arrange an appointment?"

  "Of course! As I said — any time!"

  "Thank you. I'll check my schedule and be in touch about a date."

  "I shall look forward to hearing from you."

  Watching the Headmaster's delight, Celeste had a feeling this would end up rather like the demonstration he'd given the court magicians — and began mentally sifting through the Earth-sourced research materials he might bring along as a gift.

  'Magicians are a curious lot. They might turn up connections to their own discipline that would save me a great deal of trouble.'

  The business with Phos and Skota had Celeste quietly wondering: perhaps Tusita's magic was, at its core, rather closer to science than anyone had realised.