Sharath's second victim for his ambitious "improve-the-estate" scheme was Magister Aldren, the estate's on-site magical expert—a learned man in a long robe, longer beard, and longest possible patience for breaking down intricate arcane theory to individuals who did not belong knowing it. His expertise lay in applied enchantments for agriculture and architecture, so he was typically called upon to bless the granaries, protect wine cellars, and from time to time repair self-playing harps that would not quit at decent hours.
He had never been approached to use his skills on toilets.
[🐧 MANEUVERING TOWARDS SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT. SUGGEST EMPHASIZING "INNOVATIVE REINTERPRETATION OF EXISTING PRINCIPLES" TO BETTER SECURE BUY-IN.]
"Magister Aldren!" Sharath hollered in the voice of a person who was about to announce something that would cause imminent catastrophe or a revolution that would make history books slightly squirm. "I require your assistance regarding purification runes and decomposition magic!"
The magister glanced up from his parchment with the instinctive caution of a man who had once been asked to magic up a chicken coop "just in case" and lived to regret it. "Purification and decomposition magic?" His eyebrows rose in habitual caution. "That's a very. advanced subject for you, young master. What's this about?"
"I want to create a self-cleaning privy that converts waste into something useful!" Sharath exclaimed, jumping on his toes as if this was the most natural and fascinating thing in the world. "Magic that decomposes the yucky stuff and produces fertilizer for vegetables! Is this a possibility?"
[🐧 TECHNICAL TRANSLATION: DESIGNING A CLOSED LOOP CONVERSION OF WASTE WITH MOLECULAR DECOMPOSITION ARRAYS AND ENERGY-OPtimized MATERIAL TRANSFORMATION.]
Aldren blinked twice, as though Sharath had just described the lost crown jewels in the same tone one might use to order pastries. "Well… yes. Purification runes can certainly break down organic matter, and transformation magic could indeed turn it into nutrient-rich soil. It's a sound theory, but…" He leaned back, rubbing his chin. "I've never seen it applied to sanitation. Usually, people want their waste gone, not repurposed."
Gone and reused," Sharath replied cheerfully. "Think: no stenches, cleaner roads, improved harvests. Everybody benefits!"
The magister's lips curled into a tiny smile. "You possess an unconventional mind, young master."
[🐧 PROBABILITY OF PERSUADING SUCCESS: 83%. INSERT MORE "FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY" FRAMEWORK TO BE OVER 90%.
"And Master Jorik's already helping me make a special underground chamber," Sharath continued, his voice dropping into the conspiratorial seriousness that made adults instinctively lean in. "I just need the magic part to make it all work."
The magister's eyes widened a fraction. "You're telling me the groundskeeper is involved in this?"
Yes," Sharath replied with the contentment of a man who had just put together the world's most peculiar but powerful project team. "He's constructing the chamber. You're going to make it enchanting. Between us, we're going to revolutionize the world."
[🐧 NOTE: CREATOR IS NOW OFFICIALLY OVERSEEING AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING–MAGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.]
Aldren smiled—a sound a little less than skepticism and more like admiration. "Very well, young master. Let's produce something interesting.
The Design Phase: Five-Year-Old Engineering Meets Medieval MagicThe workshop was a war zone of chalk dust, mystical diagrams, and uncomfortably professional-looking architectural drawings for the next few days.
Sharath, diminutive as he was, was at the center of it like a miniature commander, pointing to slate boards where Jorik's meticulous drawings and Aldren's radiant runic overlays intersected in unlikely concert.
"Here goes the main chamber," Sharath told him, making a chalk circle. "The slope is this way—just so gravity can do its job. That way, the wall runes can clean everything out before it reaches the compost basin."
[🐧 NOTE: CREATOR'S BLUEPRINTS REVEAL ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF FLUID DYNAMICS, LOAD distribution, AND FLOW OF MAGICAL ENERGY. AGE APPROPRIATENESS: QUESTIONABLE.]
Jorik peered at slope measurements. "Where did you… learn to take drainage angles?"
Sharath shrugged innocently. "I just consider how water likes to flow."
The groundskeeper grunted in what amounted to "deeply suspicious acceptance."
While this was going on, Aldren was finding that his young colleague had thoughts regarding magical efficiency.
The runes shouldn't just stay there," Sharath repeated, waving the tip of a small stick like a pointer. "They must be looped, so that the energy continues circulating. That way, the purification doesn't lose strength over time, and the decomposition spell receives constant support."
Aldren stooped over the drawing, drawing the looped sequence with a fingertip. ".This is more sophisticated than the layouts in the Imperial Handbook."
Sharath smiled. "Then it'll be even better!
[🐧 ENERGY LOOP DESIGN ACCEPTED. PROJECTED SYSTEM EFFICIENCY INCREASE: 27%.]
The Farce of Adult DiscomfitureIt was roughly around this time that the project started to… discomfit its adult participants.
"This boy," Jorik grumbled one day, "is more familiar with structural load limits than the master mason I worked for as an apprentice."
Aldren, pushing his spectacles up his nose, retorted wryly, "And he's sketching out magical circuitry I saw in senior academy projects."
They shared a look heavy with the unstated what exactly are we working on here?
But neither of them could quite manage to protest. Sharath's designs functioned—and functioned magnificently.
[🐧 STATUS: ADULT EXPERTS SUFFERING FROM COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. COMPLIANCE IS HIGH BECAUSE OF PROJECT VIABILITY AND CREATORS "CUTE PRODIGY" COVER.]
The day they completed the main design, Sharath debuted a new breakthrough: a magical fragrance filter.
"It comes right before the compost basin," he said, sketching a tiny box with runes inside. "It'll get rid of all the stinky smells and put something pleasant in their place, such as flowers or bread."
Jorik arched an eyebrow. "Bread?"
"Bread hungry makes people happy, and happy people are not smelly people," Sharath said gravely.
Aldren coughed to suppress a grin. "It's… unorthodox, but I recognize the value."
[USER SATISFACTION FORECASTING: POSITIVE SMELL STIMULI CAN ENHANCE SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE OF SANITATION SYSTEM.]