Inside the Demon Explosive Bomb testing grounds.
Silco raised his hand, carefully showing Louis the palm-sized Demon Explosive Bomb in his palm, encased in a clay pot.
"This is the first finished model." His voice trembled with pride. "Throw it, and it can blast a three-meter-thick block of stone to rubble. You know what? I only used the equivalent of a single magic crystal."
As he spoke, he lit the fuse and tossed it with a whoosh.
The Demon Explosive Bomb traced a graceful arc and landed on a distant boulder set up as a test target.
The next moment-
Boom!!
The blast swept gravel off the ground, smoke and dust billowed, and the boulder shattered with a deafening explosion.
"Just give me a little more time." Silco chuckled softly, an unusual gleam in his eyes. "I'll find the perfect ratio. Then... I might be able to blast an entire hillside apart in one go."
"No problem." Louis could not help smiling with him.
It was the smile of a lord watching a future weapon of war reveal the first hint of its power.
"My lord!"
A call in a distinctly youthful voice interrupted his excitement.
Vale ran up from the far end of the passage, unable to hide his excitement. "The emperor's envoy is here!"
Louis did not turn around at once. He merely let out a soft breath, as though he had expected the news all along.
"Yes, I understand," he replied calmly, without any change in emotion.
In truth, he had known for some time.
Two months earlier, he had received a notification from the daily intelligence system:
``` [The Empire's central administration has drafted a document promoting him from Baron to Viscount and plans to dispatch a special envoy to announce the decree and confer the