Chapter 19 Decision in the Basement
When I opened the heavy door, I found myself staring down a staircase that really did lead underground.
"This is serious. It looks like there's a lock on it too."
Yuruyana peered closely at the door, grabbing the handle and trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge no matter how much he pushed, pulled, or slid it.
"Maybe something's just stuck in it."
He quickly gave up and stepped aside, letting me take a turn examining the door.
"Since it's Grandfather's, there's gotta be some kind of trick to it..."
When I touched the cold metal plate, I felt faint bumps near the handle that were only noticeable with my fingertips.
I recognized this texture.
"It's an Arcane circuit."
"Huh? Where?"
"Right here."
As soon as I let a bit of magic flow, a red line traced its way from my fingertips.
This had to be one of my grandfather's creations.
I could probably figure out the activation conditions and what it's for if I looked closer, but there was something else that caught my attention first.
"I've seen this circuit somewhere..."
I felt like I'd seen something very similar recently.
But other than the family's magic storage and Yuruyana's herb grinder, I hadn't paid much attention to my grandfather's circuits since leaving the military.
As I dug through my memories, I absentmindedly thrust my hand into my jacket pocket.
"Ah"
With a clink, I remembered.
I quickly pulled out the house key from my pocket.
There was the shop key, the residence key, and a thinly elongated plate with patterns engraved on it.
"This wasn't just a keyholder, it's a key too."
I thought it was just a neat keyholder, but when I passed magic through it, it lit up red just as I thought it would.
As soon as I lightly touched the circuit next to the handle, both the key and the door's circuits glowed green and made a clicking sound.
"It's open. ...What kind of mechanism is this, where it opens just by touching it? He's still as over-the-top as ever... Is it specifying a mechanical key-turning mechanism with Arcane Art? What kind of commands are embedded in the key?"
Just as I was muttering to myself and leaning in to examine the unknown technology more closely,
"We can examine it all later! Let's just go inside already!"
Yuruyana's voice brought me back to myself.
When I opened the sliding door, the room was pitch dark, with no sunlight coming in.
"[Torch!]"
Yuruyana stepped in cautiously, shining a small light on the walls near the entrance, clearly surprised to find something like this so close by.
"Seeing you use magic so casually makes me think you really are an Arcanist."
"Well, kind of."
Just because I had Arcanist qualifications didn't mean I used it in daily life.
It feels like showing off if I use it in front of people, plus I just really like using Arcane Art tools and machines.
While we were talking, I found a switch, and as soon as I touched it, the whole room lit up.
"Whoa, what's this?"
"Whoa..."
The space, about as large as a thrift shop, was neatly filled with tools, measuring devices, and various machines related to the manufacturing of Arcane Art tools and Arcane Machinery──some of which I couldn't even identify at a glance.
"Incredible. The lathe and the grinder, the level of adjustment is on par with a major Arcane Art workshop."
I stepped forward as if drawn in, wandering around to check things out one by one.
High-end handheld tools were neatly lined up against the wall, and the measuring devices looked just as good as those in the Arcane Art academy's labs.
Yuruyana tilted his head at a huge machine that stood out with a strong presence.
"What's this used for?"
"It's for engraving circuits onto substrates. Set the design, and it engraves automatically."
"Wow...?"
Yuruyana didn't grasp how impressive that was.
The easiest way to show value is to convert it to money.
"If you sold this one machine, you could rebuild this whole house from scratch."
"That's scary!"
Yuruyana, who had casually been stroking the corner of the machine, jumped back in a panic.
Back in my student days, I had looked up the prices out of personal desire and found that even the lowest grade was completely out of my reach; now the highest grade of that admired equipment was sitting right in front of me.
"With all this equipment, you could develop Arcane Art tools, repair high-end machines, and create new circuits──all right here."
How did Grandfather make the original circuit boards for the battery and the medicine grinder?
Did he hire someone in the industrial district to do the processing?
I was thinking about that, but it turns out he made everything himself.
I'm starting to wonder who Grandfather really was, but anyway, if he's giving me this equipment, I can't let it go to waste.
"Where did I put those blueprints from my student days...? Guess I'll have to go back home again..."
Ignoring me as I start planning what to make, Yuruyana carefully avoids touching any of the equipment or tripping over anything as he slowly moves away from the entrance, and then he scans the room again before speaking up softly.
"...Didn't it say 'A present for the new owner' on it? If you're not the owner, you can't use this place, right?"
Looking over at Yuruyana, I notice he's covering his mouth with his hand, giggling mischievously on purpose.
"Too bad, Tsukumo hasn't decided if he wants to take over the shop yet, has he?"
"..."
"I guess even if you don't take over the shop and just use it for fun, nobody would get mad, but you'll probably be a bit hesitant, right, Tsukumo?"
Stop, why does he know my habits so well when he's only been living here a short while?
Grandfather's gone, and nobody else knows about this basement, so even if I want to use it openly, I'd still feel too guilty.
But then again, I'm not going to get another chance to use equipment like this for free.
It's too much of a waste to have it right in front of me and not use it.
I crouch down right there, holding my head, weighing everything in my mind, and after growling to myself for a while,
"...Okay. I'll take over Grandfather's shop. Might as well give it a shot."
"Yay!"
In the end, I gave in to my desire to use this absurdly high-spec underground workshop without a second thought.
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