CHAPTER 114: CHAPTER 114: 104TH SUCCESS!

From that day on, his life had followed the same pattern every day—morning was for training, and afternoon until evening was for studying with Owen and Ellory, who had also joined his daily lessons not long after she found out what Axelius had been working on.

Together, they read books, tested theories, broke things, fixed things, and failed so many times that no one could even remember how many versions they had already tried and remade. But through it all, they never gave up, and they never stopped trying.

The project that took most of their time and energy was the small mana-powered car—a toy-sized vehicle that they dreamed would be able to move on its own using only stored magical energy. The world only knew carriages pulled by strong beasts, so even the idea of a moving object without a beast or constant mana caster was already strange and exciting, but Axelius believed it could be done, and Ellory believed in him.

Every version they tried had some kind of problem. Some didn’t move at all. Some used too much mana and burned out. Some wobbled, some caught fire, and some even exploded, though luckily none of the explosions were strong enough to hurt anyone.

Each time it failed, Owen explained what went wrong in a calm and patient voice, Axelius would write notes and draw changes, and Ellory would suggest new shapes or materials.

Their study room became a messy but magical place full of papers, books, wires, crystals, broken parts, and diagrams drawn on the walls and floor. But even though it was hard and tiring, they never stopped building, learning, and hoping.

And now, Five months later, it was a sunny afternoon with a soft wind blowing across the courtyard behind the Grand Duke’s mansion. The trees were tall and green, the sky was clear and blue, and the grass felt warm under their feet.

Axelius and Ellory stood side by side, facing their newest version of the small mana car, which looked completely different now—its body was smooth and polished, painted white with gold lines, and the crystal inside was bright but stable, connected to the newest type of mana wire that they and Owen had created together for better energy flow.

A few meters behind them, Owen stood in his dummy form, arms crossed as he watched silently. From the mansion windows and corners of the garden, several maids and butlers had quietly gathered, pretending not to be interested, but everyone’s eyes were on the two young inventors and the little car sitting in the middle of the yard.

"Are you ready?" Ellory asked, holding her breath with both hands clenched in front of her chest, her eyes locked on the car.

"Yeah," Axelius answered, his voice calm but his hands slightly shaking with nervous energy. "Let’s do this."

He reached out and gently touched the crystal switch on the side of the car.

For a second, nothing happened.Then, softly, the crystal glowed.The mana wire lit up slowly.The wheels twitched.

And then... the car moved.

Not just a shake or a tremble—it rolled forward smoothly, inch by inch, then faster, until it was clearly driving itself in a straight line across the grass. It didn’t stop. It didn’t wobble. It didn’t explode.

Ellory’s mouth fell open as she took a step forward, then laughed with joy.

"It’s moving... it’s really moving!" she shouted, spinning toward Axelius.

Axelius stood frozen for a moment, then his eyes went wide, and he raised both fists into the air, yelling, "We did it! Ellory, we did it! IT’S FINALLY WORKING!"

From the edge of the garden, one maid dropped the basket she was carrying, and a butler who had been pretending to water a plant started clapping. Then another clapped. Then they were all cheering and laughing, watching the little car drive itself in a small circle around the yard.

Owen just stood quietly with a proud look on his face and said, "Version one hundred four—success."

Now, as the toy car rolled across the lawn on its own, the courtyard echoed with cheers.

"That little thing finally moved!" one maid shouted, clapping her hands over her head.

"I don’t know what it is, but they did it!" a butler added with a laugh.

Millie, holding a tray she had brought earlier, ran over from the side, eyes wide with joy. " It’s working! Congratulations Lady Ellory! Young Master Axelius!"

Ellory grabbed Axelius’s arm and tugged him toward everyone. "Let’s bow," she whispered, smiling.

Axelius nodded, and the two stood straight, facing all the staff who had gathered around them, then bowed low at the waist together.

"Thank you all for supporting us!" Ellory shouted.

"Amazing! After Five months, they made it!" Some whisper.

The applause grew louder.

Not far from them, standing behind a tall bush of flowering plants, the Grand Duchess stood quietly, clapping as she watched the scene with gentle eyes. When the car began to move and the courtyard erupted in cheers, she clapped too, slowly and softly, a proud smile on her lips.

She had watched from a distance for a long time, never interrupting, never asking what all the strange parts and books were for, but today, as she saw the joy on her daughter’s face and the fire in Axelius’s eyes, her heart felt warm.

Behind her, the Grand Duke stepped out onto the path, raising an eyebrow as he saw her clapping.

"Why don’t you go congratulate them?" he asked, his voice calm.

The Grand Duchess shook her head gently, still smiling. "I’m fine supporting them from afar. Honestly... I still don’t really know what those two have been doing," she said with a small laugh. "But when that little thing they call a toy car finally moved... I felt happy. Really happy."

The Grand Duke looked at the car, then at his wife, and gave a small nod.

*******

Ellory and Axelius stood in front of his library and Owen rested on Ellory’s shoulder in his slime form, his body soft like jelly and one of his small eyes blinking lazily.

Ellory tilted her head, hugging the little toy car they had worked so hard to bring to life. "What’s next now, brother?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity and excitement.

Ellory stood beside Axelius, hugging the toy car "This time... you’re excluded, Ellory."

Ellory blinked. "Eh?"

She looked at Owen, confused, her smile slowly fading. "I don’t understand..."

Owen gently stretched his slimy arm, placing it over her shoulder like a tiny hug. His voice was soft but steady. "We’ll handle this part, lil’sis. Don’t worry. We’ll keep you updated on everything."

Ellory’s lips parted slightly, her eyes looking back and forth between her brother and Owen. She saw the seriousness in Axelius’s face, the way he stood straight and calm, just like he always did when something important was coming.

She looked down, hugging her toy car a little tighter. "I see..."

There was a short silence. Then Ellory took a breath and looked up, smiling through her sadness. "Thank you, brother. I really enjoyed this one year. It was the most fun I’ve ever had."

Axelius smiled, slowly reaching out to pat her head gently. "I can’t drag you forever into this, Ellory. I’m sorry. I hope you understand."