Finishing work early doesn't mean you get to rest. When one task is done, the professor, as if by some sixth sense, throws another one at you. A painful lesson from my graduate student life.
Therefore, a true slacker must find their rest while in the middle of working. So I slacked off a bit. All day long, even after I had already figured out the solution to the bell tower problem.
Lazing around at the top of the bell tower.
‘Giuseppe must be working hard right now, I bet?’
My conscience pricked me a little, but I had my own reasons to justify the lazing around. Think about it. The reason the bell's sound is uneven is due to the tower's structural characteristics.
This means there's an underlying cause stemming from sound reflection. But if the cause of this whole affair was truly a structural problem with the tower... Why on earth did the issue suddenly appear now?
If the structure was really the problem, complaints should have flooded in as soon as the tower was built. So, I decided to drag things out a bit, using ‘investigation’ as my excuse. The next day.
I told Elara.
"I think it will take about a week."
"A week...?"
It meant that handling this task would take a week.
"I tried to shorten the time as much as possible, but any less is impossib..."
"A week?!"
Her eyes widened to an almost uncomfortable degree.
"This is insane! Really, Isaac?!"
"... Yes."
She was too close. I took a step back from Elara. With a nervous heart, I asked back.
"Is it... too long, perhaps? The problem is more complex than I thought, so maybe around 5 days..."
"No, no, not at all!"
Elara shook her head furiously. Unable to hide her excitement, she grabbed both of my hands.
"I thought it would take over a month, and you're saying just a week."
"Isaac, you're a god."
It seemed.
I had made some kind of huge misunderstanding.
‘A month...?’
‘I could have slacked off for a month, not just a week...?’
This crazy Magic Tower was planning to spend a whole month on a single tower repair? In Korea, they would've given a week at most.
Good heavens.
And just like that, I lost a month's vacation and became a workaholic set on solving the problem in three days.
"You look like something's bothering you, Isaac?"
"It's nothing."
Elara assigned someone to help me ‘solve the problem’.
"And it's the bell tower keeper..."
His name was Barnabas. An old man who was said to have been the keeper since this bell tower was built. The old man was sweeping at the entrance of the bell tower, and upon spotting me, his face scrunched into a deep frown.
"Another mage, are you? What are you here to break this time?"
A cantankerous tone. His voice was full of thorns. It was understandable.
A truckload of mages had already made a mess of things at the bell tower.
‘Things will get ugly if I reveal I'm a mage.’
I bowed my head deeply before the old man.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Giuseppe Guarneri, aide to the administrative officer in charge. I'm here to conduct an investigation."
"... So you're not a mage. My apologies. I'm Barnabas, and I watch over this bell tower."
The old man's guard lowered slightly. He seemed relieved that another commoner had come.
Just then. Grooowl...
The sound of an empty stomach pushing out air was heard. Naturally, the source was my stomach. It was because I had skipped my meal after bickering with Elara all morning.
Barnabas stared at me for a moment, then let out a deep sigh and put down his broom.
"Tsk. A young man working without even eating?"
"That's not it..."
"Follow me. Even if you're investigating, you have to do it on a full stomach."
And so, we first headed to the market area near the bell tower. Barnabas said with a silly grin.
"This is where they sell the best chicken skewers in the Empire... huh...?"
"Looks like they're still setting up."
Barnabas spoke to the owner of the chicken skewer stall.
"Hey, young man! Not open for business today? It's well past lunchtime!"
The owner looked up at Barnabas and replied with an annoyed tone.
"Who're you... Ah. The bell tower geezer? Did you ring the bell already? Dammit. I can barely hear that thing these days. Do something about it."
"... I understand."
At the words that the bell couldn't be heard, Barnabas's expression visibly darkened. For the people of this era, a profession is a calling. The job itself is the frame that defines a person.
As a modern person, I might not understand that standard... He looked a little pitiful. I put my arm around Barnabas's shoulder and said.
"Looks like you're also a bit sad about not getting any chicken skewers, Barnabas."
"If you mess with me one more time, you little punk..."
"Then how about that place next door?"
I immediately bought two sandwiches. I handed one of them to old man Barnabas.
"Here."
"... Why this?"
"Even if you're investigating, you have to do it on a full stomach."
Chomp, chomp.
Both Barnabas and I chewed on our sandwiches for a while.
"This feels less like a sandwich and more like a banh mi or a kebab."
"What are those?"
"They're... just things that exist."
Like that, we filled our stomachs and continued the investigation. After a moment, Barnabas spoke.
"Thank you. I was in a bit of a foul mood, but I feel better now thanks to you."
"Don't mention it. We all help each other out. That chicken skewer stall from before was the spot where the sound is faintest, right?"
"That's right."
"Then where is the spot it gets loudest?"
"... That, I know very well."
Our next destination was the noble district near the bell tower. The windows of one particular mansion were covered with thick, soundproof curtains.
“That house seems to particularly hate noise.”
“It's more than just hate.”
Barnabas said, grinding his teeth.
"That's the house that files a complaint almost every single day, saying the bell is too loud."
"... Don't tell me you're the one who deals with those complaints?"
"I do."
Holy... shit.
After that, we continued to circle the bell tower, investigating which areas had louder or softer sound. It was usually me asking the questions and Barnabas answering.
‘It's more or less what I expected...’
There was a slight discrepancy.
‘I have a feeling this discrepancy is connected to what triggered the problem with the bell's sound...’
By the time the investigation was over, we had returned to the front of the bell tower.
‘Looking at it now, this wall is a bit peculiar.’
One wall of the bell tower was densely engraved with names. Corporal Giovanni, Sergeant Schwarz, Private First Class Karl... and so on. Countless ranks and names were listed.
Barnabas's expression was stiff as he looked at it. He said, "Let's call it a day."
"Should I come back at the same time tomorrow, then?"
"... The bell that tells the time isn't ringing. Can you even make it on time?"
"Fortunately, the clock in my room is a high-precision clock that uses a cycloid pendulum. So I won't be late."
"... What?"
"It's a thing that exists, old man."
I didn't say it expecting Barnabas to understand. It's closer to a habit. Having nothing more to say, I stared blankly at the engraved names.
Barnabas said, "Curious what this is? These are the ones who served in the last war..."
"... It's a memorial for the fallen soldiers."
"Right. You said you were a commoner, but you seem to know how to read."
"I was lucky."
The list of fallen soldiers' names was long enough to fill one side of the bell tower wall. Reading the accompanying explanation, it seemed the tower itself was built to commemorate a victory in war. Barnabas said, "I don't know how to read.
So, could you read the names on this tile here for me?"
"Corporal Ian, Sergeant First Class Joaquin, Sergeant Nicholas, and..."
I tried to read the name next to Nicholas. But that part was particularly worn down, making the name illegible.
"This part is too worn to see clearly."
‘... That one, I know. Barnes. Rank of Staff Sergeant. It's my son's name.’
His son had passed away. I was surprised by him suddenly bringing up such a serious topic, but I quickly understood. Seeing that only the part with his son's name was worn, I could guess that he must have touched this name every single day.
For him, this was his daily routine. Barnabas said, "Thank you. After 30 years, I've finally learned the names of my son's comrades-in-arms."
"It's nothing. If you had been lucky, you would have been able to read too, Barnabas. Shall I teach you?"
"Giuseppe, you sure... talk a lot at the strangest times. In this situation, you're just supposed to shut up and say, 'It's all right.'"
‘How am I supposed to say "It's all right" with my mouth shut?’
It's like being told to get out after closing the door. How can you leave after the door is closed? Barnabas said, "This bell tower has been with me for 30 years.
It's been here ever since my boy disappeared. This thing is my son now."
"... I see."
Barnabas's eyes blazed.
"I hear the higher-ups are talking about tearing down the tower. No matter how loud they think it is in their homes... this is the same as my son. They absolutely cannot take it."
My conscience, which had only been thinking of putting off work and slacking off, was pricked sharply. It seemed I could no longer drag this out. Let's get this problem solved.
I got to the point with him.
"Old man Barnabas. When exactly did the problem with the bell's sound start?"
"About half a year ago. The sound suddenly became a complete mess."
"Hmm..."
I recalled the shopping district I saw during our walk. The brick walls there had several large cracks. Judging by the surrounding graffiti, the cracks seemed to have appeared about half a year ago.
"Around that time, did you ever feel the tower itself shake violently, or the ground tremble?"
At my question, Barnabas's eyes widened.
"How did you know? Something like that did happen! Even now, I sometimes feel the ground shake slightly. That started about... eight months ago."
"Eight months."
Bingo.
According to the documents I received, a major underground waterway construction project began exactly eight months ago. The construction likely weakened the ground, and six months ago, its effects crossed a critical point, minutely twisting the tower's axis. As a result, the angles of sound reflection were thrown into complete chaos.
With this, all the puzzle pieces fit together. I can just include this part in my report.
‘I wanted to slack off more, but...’
I couldn't drag my feet any longer on a job where I had already identified the cause. It wasn't that I was suddenly rushing because of Barnabas's story about his son... it was just my whim. I said to Barnabas, "Old man, could you bring me 32 wooden planks from the storeroom?"
"Why all of a sudden?"
"I have an urgent use for them. Please."
"... Alright, I'll get them."
Bewildered, he brought the materials I had asked for. Now, it begins. The tower's blueprints are already in my head, so I'll start by calculating the reverberation time.
RT = 0.161V / A. It's over 4 seconds.
Horrible.
The target is under 2.5 seconds. Considering the material and shape of the 32 oak planks, I calculated the angles of incidence and reflection. Oi = Or v=V(E/p) Done.
The final coordinates and angles for the 32 planks have been calculated. All that's left is execution.
"Barnabas, I'm about to use a bit of magic now, so don't be surprised."
"Magic? What do you mean... Whoa!"
F=ma The 32 wooden planks flew up to their respective positions. No nails, no glue needed. U(r) = 4ε[(o/r)12 - (o/r)] Because the wood and stone, now close enough, have become one.
Barnabas was staring blankly up at the bell tower. I told him, "It's done."
"Giuseppe, you... you were a mage. You lied to me."
Barnabas stood with his jaw agape, as if he'd seen a ghost.
"... Actually, I told one more lie. I suppose a formal introduction is in order now."
"I am Isaac Upperhills, a mage from the Magic Tower. A pleasure to meet you, Barnabas."
"A mage... If you're a mage..."
In this world, a mage is practically a noble. Naturally, a bell tower keeper is a commoner. He bowed his head before me.
"I didn't recognize a noble... sir. I apologize for my rudeness."
I waved my hand.
"No, it's fine. Just speak to me informally. It's really uncomfortable hearing formal speech from someone older than me."
"Th- ... Yes. No, right. I understand."
I pointed to the giant bell and said.
"It seems it's about that time."
"What time?"
It was almost time to announce the evening hour.
"Time to ring the bell."
Barnabas hesitated for a moment.
"I'd like to, but... I decided not to ring the evening bell until the sound returns to normal."
"That should have just been fixed. The sound will be right now."
"... Really?"
"Really."
Soon, as if he had made up his mind, he nodded his head firmly.
"I underst… No. I understand!"
Just as he had for decades, he gripped the thick rope to ring the bell.