Chapter 7
After leaving the dining hall—and discreetly enjoying the small panic attack he had caused in his brother—Rose walked through the corridors with a quiet sense of satisfaction. He hadn't seen the reaction firsthand, of course, but he could still perfectly feel the fear he had planted. Another sign, one more, that his strength was slowly returning to his body.
He didn't allow himself to revel in it for long. Instead, he headed straight to his room to draw a new set of schematics. Perhaps he had not yet recovered all his power, but he had regained his empathic sensitivity, and thanks to it, he knew that the old engineer he now considered a friend was a man worthy of absolute trust. He would be willing to work at his side on every project Rose envisioned to transform Kufstein into the center of the world.
With that purpose in mind, he spent a couple of hours drafting additional designs, though he only managed to finish the plan for the beehive oven. At this point in history, it would be the best available method for converting coal into coke… and coke, of course, was the vital component needed to power blast furnaces.
Finally, after completing the schematics, he left the castle and walked directly toward the town, taking in the beautiful views of the settlement visible from the privileged vantage point of House von Kufstein.
He saw the land for what it was… and what it could become.
A future not so distant in which these lands would enjoy peace, prosperity, and a power and influence that neither his father nor his grandfather had ever been able to grant them.
He was aware, of course, that the high nobility had plans to seize his territory, but the thought didn't trouble him much. If he recovered his true strength, there would be no one capable of defeating him, and he was convinced that he could protect what was his even without Desmos in his hands.
And although he no longer had his loyal companion, he possessed something none of those nobles did: the real knowledge of the military tactics of the man who conquered all kingdoms, along with an understanding of all eras—including several of their weapons. Even without Desmos, he could defend his territory from any threat. Expansion, however, would be far more difficult. To be honest, he intended to do what Moses had done: spend several years increasing the population to have a better number of men for any hypothetical future campaigns.
But that would come later. Until he held full authority over the Barony of Kufstein, he simply wouldn't have the power necessary to begin his truly ambitious plans.
At last, he arrived at the door of Ludwig's small workshop—just in time to hear the old man shouting at someone. It wasn't the first time he'd heard the engineer's outbursts, and if he wasn't mistaken, the imbecile being scolded was Ingbert. A man he honestly preferred not to deal with: Ingbert reminded him too much of one of his own younger siblings—the dumbest one—and the one he least enjoyed interacting with.
But he knew that, since his social position was higher than Ingbert's, he was the only one who could truly put him in his place… because Ingbert could behave like a perfect idiot toward Ludwig without fear of consequences.
He was finally forced to intervene when the argument grew heated enough to give him every reason he needed to burst into the workshop. For that exact reason, he pushed the doors open with force, announcing his presence to the two engineers inside—neither of whom had time to greet him before his gaze locked directly onto Ingbert.
"Leave."
He didn't need to shout. His voice—clear and cold as ice—was more than enough to send fear crawling into the bones of both men in a way they had never experienced before.
However, the moment Ingbert recovered, a devilish smile spread across his face. Clearly, he was incapable of understanding that a death glare directed at someone meant that he was the target.
"You heard the young lord, leave us!" Ingbert declared.
Rose glared at him again. Normally, he avoided losing his temper; he already had a bad reputation among the nobility, and he didn't need to worsen it with an outburst. So he took a deep breath to avoid insulting the noble idiot standing before him.
"I was talking to you," he said, using the calmest tone he could muster.
The petty, sour expression on Ingbert's face shifted slowly—almost theatrically—into complete confusion as he pointed at himself, as if he genuinely couldn't comprehend that the young lord preferred an old engineer over a noble-born one.
"Me, my lord?" Ingbert asked.
Rose didn't answer. He simply looked at him in silence, as if considering the many—truly many—ways he could gut him right there on the spot. Finally, after several minutes during which the noble-raised engineer opened and closed his mouth like a complete idiot, the young man finally understood he wasn't wanted. He bowed respectfully, though fury burned in his eyes: never before had he been treated that way. And filled with rage and indignation, the noble fool left the two men entirely alone.
"It wasn't necessary to do that," Ludwig said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, unsure whether that had been a good idea.
"I can't stand idiots," Rose replied as he approached the old man, giving him a light pat on the back. "I saw his training. He's an idiot; he would only get in our way. And right now we need to discuss a new design I drew this morning."
At that, the old engineer's eyes lit up with excitement—almost like a child in a candy store. He even tried to snatch the schematics from the young heir's hands, forcing Rose to pull them out of his reach.
"Hey, calm down. I have one condition first."
Ludwig frowned slightly, thinking for a moment that his new friend intended to trick him.
"I need you to take credit for this one," Rose said.
Ludwig's disbelief was immediate; his jaw dropped wide open. He never would have imagined that the baron's son would ask him to take credit for a machine that, as far as he knew, would likely be a critical piece of the project to industrialize Kufstein.
Finally, after a long moment of deliberation, Ludwig agreed. In the end, he didn't need to know that Rose entrusted him with that invention only because he didn't require full recognition for himself—and because fifty-seven years of life had taught Ludwig that it was best not to meddle in noble affairs.
"All right, my lord," Ludwig said.
Rose offered him a small smile—partly because the man had agreed to his request, but mostly because he hadn't asked for the reasoning behind it. Honestly, Ludwig was far more intelligent than Rose had originally thought.
Even so, he finally handed the schematics to the old engineer, who was no longer able to contain his excitement and took them with a broad grin.
Inside the design were a series of notes on converting coal into coke, explanations of what coke actually was, and the fact that it was one of the most efficient fuels available—far superior to charcoal. And fortunately for the young lord's plans, most of Kufstein's territory wasn't only rich in iron, but also in natural coal.
"You are without a doubt a genius, my lord," Ludwig declared.
Rose merely smiled at the praise. While he knew he was brilliant—more due to his privileged education as the son of the First King than any innate talent—he was far from considering himself a true genius. But he supposed that in this world, where many so-called prodigies would be considered functional idiots in a modern era, he would probably be seen as exceptionally gifted.
"So then, my friend, how soon can you have all three designs underway?" Rose asked, genuinely eager to see everything completed as quickly as possible.
Ludwig scratched his chin. He wanted to begin immediately, of course, and turn the schematics into finished products, but rushing the process would only guarantee disaster. With that in mind, he finally offered an estimate.
"Give me a month, and I promise I'll have at least one of these designs built within the city."
It was a considerable amount of time, but Rose was more than satisfied. It was far less than he had expected, and judging by the old engineer's expression, he was certain the man would work himself to the point of fainting if it meant building these inventions. Still, knowing how obsessive types were, he didn't attempt to change his mind.
"Take care of yourself. I'll stop by from time to time to see how things are progressing. If you need additional funding, ask my father; I'm sure he'll secure whatever is necessary to make our goals a reality. At the end of the day, these plans will be crucial for the financial future of our territory," Rose said calmly.
Ludwig gave his young friend a warm smile, overjoyed to have a partner who understood his passion for engineering—since not even his own son had shown such enthusiasm for the project. Of course, he had no idea that Rose cared little for engineering itself and saw these inventions only as key pieces in his greater plan to bring peace to this era.
"You can count on me, my friend!" the old engineer declared.
And with that, Rose simply excused himself and left Ludwig's workshop. Now that the first steps of the steel industry were in motion, it was time to move on to his next objective: agricultural reform. He wasn't entirely sure how he would convince the peasants to adopt his method, but well… he was a persuasive man. He would figure it out.
End of Chapter.