Hero From The Toilet

7. I Should Probably Not Make a Black Hole

She stepped closer and stopped in front of the table, her eyes dropping to the book in Rangga's hands.

"...Is this part of some plan of yours, or are you genuinely just curious?"

Rangga immediately raised one hand.

"Hey, don't blame me."

He pointed toward the window.

"I didn't know you guys considered light magic to be illusions and stuff. Your concept of light is different from mine."

Arcelia stared at him for several seconds before letting out a small sigh.

"...That is true."

She stepped closer to the table and Rangga pointed toward the page about earth magic.

"This one. I can't experiment with this here."

Arcelia raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Rangga pointed at the illustration.

"If I experiment with it... I'm worried I might accidentally move a tectonic plate."

Arcelia blinked.

"...A tectonic what?"

But Rangga was already continuing.

"Then the castle really will disappear."

Silence.

Arcelia stared at him for a long moment before finally speaking quietly.

"...You're right."

Rangga looked slightly surprised and Arcelia pointed toward the book.

"Earth magic in this world works by summoning or manipulating existing earth," she explained before looking at Rangga more seriously.

"But you don't think like a mage."

She lightly tapped the table.

"You think like someone trying to understand the structure of the world itself."

Her expression became more serious.

"If this world truly consists of layers like the ones you imagine..."

She paused.

"...I would prefer that you not test that theory here."

Several quiet seconds passed before Arcelia straightened.

"If you want to experiment... there is a more suitable place."

She picked up another map, unfolded it, and pointed toward a marked area.

"A few kilometers from here is an abandoned mining valley."

She gave a small shrug.

"If something explodes there... no one will care."

She placed the map on the table, then looked at Rangga again.

"But before that... there is still one thing I'm curious about."

She pointed toward the book.

"You said wind is moving air, light is photons, and earth is matter."

She paused.

"Then..." Her gaze sharpened slightly. "...what is shadow, according to you?"

The room fell silent again. It was a simple question but with the way Rangga thought, the answer clearly wouldn't be simple.

Rangga immediately shook his head before Arcelia could say anything else.

"Stop."

Arcelia, who had been about to continue speaking, fell silent as Rangga raised one hand, cutting off the conversation.

"In my understanding, darkness means the absence of light."

Arcelia narrowed her eyes, trying to process that. Rangga continued in a serious tone, as though explaining something incredibly fundamental.

"Those photons I mentioned earlier... they're something that moves really fast."

He pointed vaguely into the air.

"Extremely fast."

He paused.

"The fastest thing there is."

Arcelia slowly nodded.

"...Alright."

But Rangga's expression became far more serious.

"But there's a phenomenon..."

His voice lowered.

"...where even photons can't escape." He paused for a moment. "...Because they're being pulled."

He pointed downward.

"And it's dark."

The room fell silent for several seconds and Arcelia tried to process his words.

"...Pulled?"

Rangga nodded.

"And that's dangerous." He looked directly at her. "I'm not talking about just the castle or just the kingdom."

His hand moved toward the map on the table.

"It could be the entire continent." He paused. "...Hell, this whole world could disappear if I screw up the experiment."

The room suddenly felt much quieter. Arcelia stared at him for a long time.

She might not have fully understood the concept, but she was intelligent enough to grasp the scale of what he was describing.

Finally, she spoke quietly.

"...So... You are saying that if you attempt to understand the shadow element..."

She paused.

"...you might create something capable of swallowing light."

Another brief silence then, in an extremely calm voice, she said,

"Very well."

Arcelia closed the magic book on the table.

"We will not touch the subject of shadow."

She pointed firmly at the book.

"Water, fire, wind, earth... Those are enough for now."

She leaned back in her chair and stared sharply at Rangga.

"But I want to make sure of something... Earlier, you said this entire world could disappear."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Were you serious?"

There was no fear in her voice. It sounded more like she was testing him.

Outside the house, the night breeze continued to blow gently.

The sky of Aetheris was filled with stars, and the world seemed perfectly peaceful.

But from the way Rangga had explained it, Arcelia was beginning to realize something.

The way this man thought could change the world.

Rangga suddenly waved his hand dismissively, as though brushing the entire topic aside.

"Alright, alright. Just forget about it."

Arcelia raised an eyebrow.

"You don't understand the concept anyway... and you can't make one," Rangga continued casually.

Arcelia wasn't offended but she didn't deny it either.

"And if I explain it until you do understand..." He looked at her. "...you might actually try making one."

For the first time, the corner of Arcelia's mouth moved slightly.

"...That is a valid possibility."

Rangga stood up and stretched.

"Alright. I'm going to sleep."

He pointed toward the mining map on the table.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to that mine."

A wide grin appeared on his face—Like a child who had just discovered an enormous new playground.

"We'll continue experimenting there."

Arcelia watched him for several seconds.

"...You look remarkably happy."

"Obviously."

Rangga started walking toward the stairs.

"New world." He grinned. "Unlimited laboratory."

He stopped briefly before heading upstairs.

"I can finally experiment without a professor getting pissed at me."

Arcelia replied flatly,

"I'm fairly certain several royal mages will still get angry with you."

Rangga merely chuckled before heading upstairs.

Several minutes later, the house became quiet. The oil lamps in the living room were still burning, casting warm light across the stone walls.

Arcelia remained seated alone. She stared at the map of the abandoned mine on the table then she thought back to everything they had discussed.

Photons. Ionization. Pressure. Matter. The structure of the world itself. She slowly sighed.

"...He's not a mage."

She whispered quietly to herself.

"...He's something else."

Arcelia closed the magic book and stood.

Tomorrow, they would travel to an abandoned mine several kilometers from the castle.

Far enough from the city. Isolated enough for experimentation. Or at least far enough away if something exploded.

Upstairs, Rangga lay on a bed that still felt unfamiliar.

Through the window, he could see the night sky of Aetheris, filled with stars that seemed far brighter than those in his own world.

Tomorrow, he would truly begin testing the laws of this world.

And without his knowledge, several mages inside Valthera Castle were still discussing the beam of light that had pierced the night sky earlier.

Rumors of a Hero who could use magic without spells were slowly beginning to spread.

The world didn't realize it yet but something big might have just begun.

Morning came sooner than Rangga expected.

The sunlight of Aetheris streamed through the window, reflecting softly against the stone walls. Not long afterward, Rangga made his way downstairs.

Outside the house, a royal carriage was already waiting. Simple, but sturdy.

The crest of Valthera was neatly carved into its door.

Two large brown horses stood calmly at the front, occasionally flicking their tails, while an elderly coachman held the reins.

Beside the carriage stood Arcelia in her blue robes.

When she saw Rangga step outside, she simply said,

"So, you're finally awake."

Rangga yawned.

"Yeah."

Without much conversation, they climbed into the carriage.

A few minutes later, the wooden wheels began rattling across the stone road as the carriage left the castle complex.

They passed through the massive gates guarded by knights, then entered the city of Valthera.

From the window, Rangga watched the dirt streets slowly coming to life.

Wooden and stone houses stood packed closely together. Merchants opened their stalls. Townspeople carried sacks of grain. Vegetable carts rolled slowly through the streets. Children ran between carriages and horses.

At one corner, a blacksmith hammered glowing metal while the smell of freshly baked bread drifted through the air.

Rangga watched everything like someone walking through a living museum.

"...This really is medieval."

Arcelia briefly glanced outside.

"This is a border city considered fairly advanced by the standards of this world."

Rangga watched a farmer pushing a cart. No electricity, no machines, only people, animals and physical labor.

"Many villages outside the city are far simpler," Arcelia added calmly.

The carriage continued onward and people stepped aside when they noticed the royal crest.

Rangga kept watching everything with a strange sense of unfamiliarity that was difficult to describe.

Gradually, the houses became fewer. They gave way to vast fields of wheat rolling like green waves beneath the morning breeze.

In the distance, rocky hills began to appear.

Arcelia pointed toward them.

"That is the mining valley."

She looked at Rangga for a moment.

"Far enough from the city..."

She paused.

"...in case your experiments become slightly excessive."

The carriage continued down the dirt road toward the hills. 

The morning air was fresh. The blue sky stretched endlessly overhead. And slowly, the entrance to the abandoned mine came into view in the distance.

A place that might soon become Rangga's first laboratory in this world.