Reynolds in panel 1 is referencing the harmonic serieswhich is 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/5 +… and so on to infinity. Some similar series can be said to converge to a single value. For instance, if you add the reciprocals of powers of 2, which would be 1 + 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 +…, you end up with sums that get closer and closer to 2 as the number of addends approaches infinity. But the harmonic series never converges. As its number of addends approaches infinity, its sums approach infinity too, just more slowly. Understanding the harmonic series has some real-world applications such as stacking blocks (which is certainly important to gnomish architects).

Not that any of this is important to the plot. Reynolds, inexperienced in the art of deception, is simply filibustering to buy the fleeing townspeople every second that he can, and he can do that more easily when discussing a topic he loves that is likely to confuse his audience.

And then something amazing happens in panel 3: in a heartbeat, Reynolds starts looking kind of awesome. He knows the jig is up. He has no more reason to be polite to Iwatania or its representatives. So his anger is out in the open, but thanks to the support of his people in the prior scene, its expression doesn’t come at the cost of his dignity. He’s about to be arrested, but in another sense, he’s freer than he’s ever been in his life.

FB: Plot twist: THEY WERE ALL HIDING IN HIS HELMET CREST THE WHOLE TIME.