NoveLight ™
Penelope felt a surge of irritation she barely managed to suppress.
"Does he even realize what he looks like right now?"
The wizard, with his pallid complexion, matted golden hair resembling two bird nests, and dark circles so deep they might as well be black holes, was the last person who should be criticizing anyone.
"He’s the type to announce his heartbreak to the whole world," she thought, shaking her head. If social media existed in this world, he’d likely broadcast his misery internationally.
Drawing on every ounce of patience, Penelope resolved to be understanding.
“Please, have a seat. I’ve had some tea prepared for you,” she said warmly.
The wizard glanced around the shabby, cluttered office before reluctantly perching on the edge of the sofa as though afraid to touch anything.
"-5 points," Penelope thought to herself. His total now stood at -25. If he hit -100, she was fully prepared to request a replacement through the Mage Tower's after-service guarantee.
Despite her inner frustrations, she smiled brightly and took a seat opposite him.
Just then, a maid entered carrying a tray with steaming tea and freshly baked scones.
Penelope picked up the herbal tea, taking a sip. The warm, fragrant aroma made her sigh softly in contentment.
The wizard, who had been intently watching her, quickly averted his gaze when their eyes met.
Penelope, adopting a gentle tone as if speaking to a sulking child, said, “It’s tea brewed from young green herb leaves. Please try it. It’s good for boosting immunity, preventing toxins from spreading in the body, and even improving skin health. Most importantly, it helps with fatigue recovery.”
“Green herb tea? And it has all those effects?”
The wizard’s face reflected genuine surprise. He had only ever used herbs for making potions; the thought of brewing them as tea had never occurred to him.
For context, the uses of herbs in this world could be broken down as follows:
After recalling her memories from her previous life, Penelope had conducted various experiments to find new ways to sell the now devalued green herbs. Making tea from the dried leaves was one of her attempts, and she had discovered that drinking herbal tea provided many of the same benefits as potions, albeit less immediately.
“Interesting. Perhaps this is a perspective only a non-magic user could have,” the wizard mused, sniffing the tea with curious eyes that resembled those of an intrigued cat.
Still, he hesitated for quite some time before finally taking a cautious sip. His expression subtly changed as he tasted the tea.
“The aroma isn’t bad,” he admitted.
“Try the scones too. They’re made with corn,” Penelope encouraged.
“Corn? In scones?”
The wizard gave her an incredulous look. Instead of insisting further, Penelope took a scone herself and bit into it, the crisp sound filling the room. The flavor was rich yet light, with the sweetness of corn balancing the texture of the whole-grain flour.
After watching her silently for a moment, the wizard reached out for a scone, took a bite, and blinked in surprise.
“Hmm…?”
His eyes widened slightly. Penelope suppressed a chuckle.
“It’s good, right?” she asked.
“Hmph. For something so unorthodox, it’s not terrible,” the wizard replied, crumbs clinging to the corners of his mouth.
For a while, the two ate in silence, steadily finishing off the scones and tea.
Neither had eaten much recently—the wizard since the previous afternoon, and Penelope because she had been engrossed in drafting blueprints.
When their plates and cups were empty, Penelope finally snapped back to reality, wiping her mouth to ensure no crumbs remained.
She fidgeted for a moment, adjusting her hair and smoothing her sleeves, as if stalling.
The wizard’s patience began to wear thin. His brows furrowed.
“What exactly do you want to say? Don’t tell me you’re planning to send me off to slay a demon king.”
“No, nothing like that. I was just about to explain.”
Gathering her resolve, Penelope handed him the blueprint she had been working on.
The wizard stared blankly at the paper before slowly taking it.
Penelope cautiously asked, “Would you mind reviewing this?”
“This? You mean the thing you were scribbling on earlier?”
“Yes, I drew it myself,” Penelope admitted.
The wizard’s lips curled into a faint smirk.
“You expect me to make sense of a design drawn by a layperson? That’s quite the overestimation of your abilities. Don’t expect too much,” he said, frowning as he scanned the blueprint.
“…Huh?”
His eyes narrowed as he leaned in, his attention suddenly glued to the paper.
Penelope felt a twinge of embarrassment. The blueprint, based on her vague memories of a documentary about underfloor heating from her past life, was admittedly crude. Still, the basic structure should be clear enough.
“Who would’ve thought that documentary would come in handy here?”
However, as time passed, Penelope’s cheeks grew warm. The wizard was examining the blueprint with an intensity that bordered on unsettling.
Standing before an expert with amateur work, she couldn’t help but feel small.
Finally, the wizard raised his head, his expression one of disbelief.
“What is this?”
“Well, it’s…”
“It’s what?” he repeated, mimicking her hesitation. If he were a professor, Penelope was certain he’d reduce many students to tears.
“It’s a heating system design,” she said, throwing caution to the wind. “The idea is to install pipes beneath tiled floors and circulate hot water through them to warm the room. This here is the pipe system, and over here is where the water is heated.”
“A heating system?”
The wizard’s eyes widened, his expression now tinged with confusion.
“You plan to boil water with magic stones? And what’s this pipe for? And this chimney?”
“Oh, that pipe is for releasing excess pressure and temperature if they get too high. The chimney is…”
Penelope hesitated, wondering if he genuinely didn’t know what a chimney was.
Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case.
The wizard looked utterly baffled.
“Not to be rude, but… aren’t there already magical tools for temperature regulation?”
“Those are absurdly expensive,” Penelope shot back.
At her pointed remark, the wizard clamped his mouth shut.
He knew she was right. Magical tools for heating were a luxury, available only to the wealthy.
Creating a magical heating device involved inscribing intricate fire-element magic circles into rare fire-attribute stone materials. The process, combined with the cost of the necessary giant magic stones, resulted in exorbitant prices.
Penelope’s idea, by comparison, was practical and far more accessible.
“Hm…”
The wizard leaned back, crossing his arms as he stared at the blueprint on the table. He let out a series of thoughtful hums.
“Did you really draw this?”
“Yes, you saw me working on it earlier,” Penelope replied matter-of-factly.
“Well, it’s sloppy, to say the least. It looks like something a worm crawled across,” he said, bluntly criticizing her work.
Despite his harsh words, his expression remained thoughtful, and his eyes occasionally flickered with understanding as he studied the blueprint.
Inwardly, he was deeply impressed.
“This girl might be the kind of genius the Mage Tower needs to snatch up.”
The idea of using heated air beneath floors for warmth was stunningly innovative.