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Chapter Text

The Holy Milishial Empire.

When someone hears that name, they will instantly be reminded of one thing: that they are the number one. The first country to emerge from the ashes of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire; the strongest superpower in the world; and many other things that they are the best. Though many of these are self-proclaimed, no one in this world can defy their claims and, in the end, it was acknowledged as the reality, that the Holy Milishial Empire is the number one in everything.

By the grace of the gods, it is the country that boasts the highest levels of modernity, industry, urbanization, and technological progress in the world ever since it was founded many millennia ago. Blessed with the abundance of ruins from the long-gone Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s civilization, by uncovering their secrets the Holy Milishial Empire turned the strength of humanity’s greatest oppressor into their own. With their immense military strength gathered over centuries, they earned their place in the sun as the Central World and indeed, the world’s strongest superpower. Under the wise and benevolent leadership of their Emperors, the Holy Empire stands ready as the world’s guardian for the fated return of the tyrannical Ravernal Empire.

However, standing at the top of the world for so long without rivals that can compete with them has slowed their progress as the Holy Empire entered a state of complacency. They believed they were safe with the rate they were progressing right now and content without any attempts to deeply understand the power that the Holy Empire derived its power from, its people turned to become prideful, and their leadership conceited.

It took another act of the heavens for the Holy Empire to realize that they have done a grave mistake by this thinking. Two new stars rose from both corners of the world without warning and rocked the very foundations of the stage where the Holy Empire stood. Each of them represented contrasting ideologies that plunged their world into a war where the Holy Milishial Empire suffered setbacks one after another and found itself eclipsed by the two stars’ influence, eventually forcing them to settle in the shade cast by them.

But that was not the end of the story. As the return of mankind’s ancient enemy draws near, an evil that was deceiving them for so long revealed itself and dragged the world into more conflict. The Holy Empire’s already feeble light got dimmer and dimmer until, when all ended, all they had was an excruciating sense of humiliation and self-loathing for having fallen so hard from grace.

However, this is not the story of the Holy Empire’s decline, far from it. By the grace of the gods once more, a path was laid anew for them, starting with the rebirth of a lone soul on a blessed hour, on a blessed day, on a blessed month.

This is the tale of the life of a man who bears the name of heaven’s blessings and the name of those who once defied the fate that was imposed upon them…

March 18, 1613 Central Calendar, 09:00

A certain house in Leiden Town, Holy Milishial Empire

Inside a house in a seaside town in the southwestern part of the Holy Empire, a silver-haired young teenager has currently immersed himself in reading a thick book, with his deep blue eyes darting from side to side as he read the text silently. Multiple papers scattered around him, containing notes, elaborate hand-drawn pictures, and sometimes mathematical formulas in a pile of an organized mess.

Knock, knock, knock

The boy shifted his gaze to the door of his room after the sound of knocking.

“It’s not locked,” he called out to the door, which opened to reveal an adult woman with physical features similar to the boy and carrying a cup of tea on a tray.

She gave the boy a warm smile and approached his desk, carefully avoiding stepping on the strewn papers on the floor. After she arrived beside him, she picked up the teacup and saucer and placed them on the desk.

“I see you are still busy studying. Here, I just made a tea for you.”

The boy was taken aback as he didn’t recall asking the woman to brew him the tea, “Uh? Did you make this for me? Then… I’m very sorry to bother you, mom.”

The now-identified mother of the boy giggled. “What are you apologizing about? Don’t worry about it,” she said and picked up a drawing before continuing, picking up a paper on the floor, “Ever since you were little, you are always so serious. If you are not helping your parents around, you either go back to your room to study or draw these amazing contraptions… besides, this is a weekend, why don’t you relax once in a while? That’s why I made you this.”

Although the woman didn’t quite understand what is the drawing supposed to be, she knew that it was not something that a fourteen-year-old teenager normally makes, and can only gazed at it in admiration of the boy who made it.

“Relax, huh…? I understand. Come to think of it, I think I will take a walk outside. Thank you for the tea, mom,” the boy smiled.

“You’re welcome! Oh, and Meteos, before you go outside, clean your room first!” the woman called out before she went out of the room and closed the door.

The boy, Meteos, exhaled and after some stretching, brought the teacup to his mouth.

“Mm, white dragon bush, it’s so delicious it’s heartbreaking. As expected from my mom, she always knows how to make good stuff…” he muttered somewhat sadly as he savored the refreshing scent and taste of the beverage. He then gazed outside the window of his room overlooking Leiden, contemplating his life so far.

“The gods really work in mysterious ways…”

Meteos Roguerider, the name of the silver-haired boy, is known to others as the only child of a good family living in Leiden. However, unbeknownst to no one but himself, this quiet young boy carries an intact memory of his previous life, where he was one of the elite grand mages that the Holy Milishial Empire ever produced and was given the honor of captaining his country’s ancient superweapon, the Pal Chimera. But within that life, he also witnessed the painful history of the decline of his homeland and the death of his friends in the wars that transpired throughout his previous life.

He was supposed to die of old age in the early 1700s, but the next moment after he breathed his last breath and let his consciousness fade into the darkness forever, much to his shock, he was suddenly jolted awake, and the first thing he saw was the sight of his parents. Somehow, he has been transported back in time to the year 1605 Central Calendar, the day of his fifth birthday.

Japan and the Gra Valkas Empire… the names of two nations that suddenly appeared in his previous life, and if the events of this new world are the same as what he remembered, then they will appear some twenty-odd years from now. The Holy Milishial Empire’s inability to compete with them was the source of their greatest humiliation and what would cause their light to become eclipsed by these newcomers. However, they were also a treasure trove of knowledge for him. Studying the secret of their technology was the only thing worthwhile for this weary soul as the end of his life was nearing.

And now, words cannot describe how grateful he was to be able to do so. With his memory from his previous life intact, all of them as vivid as daylight, Meteos vowed to utilize his knowledge of the future to change this country’s destiny. At first, he was afraid that his past life’s memory might fade with time, so he hurriedly poured his memories into notes and plans one after another. And yet, eight years have passed since his reincarnation and those memories never disappear, and before he knew it, papers began to pile up in his room and the basement of his house. To think that he caused his parents to worry by spending hours cooped up in his room even during weekends in his free time because of this. However, they were as kind and understanding as Meteos remembered, and it was easy to reassure them that he was alright.

Knowledge of technology is not the only one that Meteos brought with him. As a grand mage, his knowledge of numerous magic spells is also intact, but this young body’s still low reserves of magic power prevented him from accessing some of the more high-powered abilities. He found this to be irritating, but with proper training, it will be manageable.

The reason why the ‘amazing contraptions’ from his previous life were unable to materialize yet in this new timeline was that Meteos lacked the resources and funds to enact his plan. However, the time was near for him to take action.

Sighing again, he marked the page on the thick book he was just reading, stood up from his chair and began picking up the scattered papers, organized them, and placed them neatly on top of his desk. After that, he changed into a simple dress shirt and trousers. But before leaving his room, he stood in front of a full-body mirror.

Instead of reflecting the tired old man he used to be, Meteos’ mirror reflected a prepubescent young boy whose baby fat had not yet gone away. He chuckled to himself. His old childhood self always dressed neatly down to the haircut, but now, he allowed his short silver hair to settle in a messier hairstyle. Apparently, this has the unintended effect that made him, as he quoted his mother, ‘looked much more charming,’ but why should he care about such frivolous things when he was determined to change the world’s future.

Speaking of which…

“Hey, younger me. Do you think I’m a selfish man…? After all, what is time travel, but nothing more than a pathetic attempt to force the world to move around oneself?” he asked the reflection in the mirror.

He was well aware that it was exactly what he was doing. He had lived a lifetime and knew what would happen to the world if things continued as they were. But Meteos loathed and refused to acknowledge this ending, so the moment he found himself reincarnated, he attempted to change the future so that what always shined brightly in the sky would continue to shine victoriously forever.

“Hmph, maybe, in the end, I’m really a pitiful and selfish bastard who refused to see the reality moving against my ideal vision…” Meteos muttered in self-mockery, his reflection followed his gesture. “But hey, I never asked to be reincarnated. This second life… it just came to me. I’ll be damned if I didn’t use it to accomplish my dreams,” he finished with a smirk. It’s as if with this reincarnation, a long-extinguished fire in his heart was burning brightly once again.

With that, Meteos Roguerider let out another sigh and finally walked out of his room to head toward the nearby harbor.

Chapter Text

March 18, 1613 Central Calendar, 10:25

Leiden Harbor

Currently, Meteos is sitting on a bench facing the sea while enjoying a food originating from Magicaraich Community called hamburger that he just bought from a nearby vendor, while the sea breeze blows gently. He pulled a notebook from his jacket's pocket and pondered.

'For my summer project, I want to create one of these lists, but since I'm now just a junior high school student with limited resources, the only one I can afford to create now is...'

On the notebook is a list of things that Meteos learned from his previous life, ranging from something mundane to weapons like the torpedo, guided missiles (guided magic bullets), or even something extremely ambitious like a twin-engine supermaneuverable fourth generation jet fighter. His eyes darted to a page.

'...conductive magnetic radar... yes, this is it!'

The conductive magnetic radar is a step up from the mana detector in that not only it can detect magical signatures, it can also detect non-magical objects by converting mana into electrical energy and emitting radio waves to detect them. Basically, it is a magic-powered mechanical radar. In this era, the conductive magnetic radar is only known to the Milishian people as one of Ravernal's ancient technologies and only mounted on Pal Chimeras. A rudimentary version of it is something that Meteos could afford now.

"Oh? Meteos, what a coincidence to meet you here!" A voice called out.

It broke Meteos from his musings and turned to look in the direction. There stood a slender boy with brown hair and eyes waving at him from a distance.

"Walman..."

Walman Falkenhausen, Meteos' close friend since he was in elementary school. In his previous life, both of them were the captains of the ancient superweapon Pal Chimera during the Battle of Baltica against Gra Valkas Empire's fleet. The hotheaded Walman, with his overconfidence in the Pal Chimera, his desire to save the magic fuel by ending the battle as soon as possible, and wanting to restore the Empire's damaged pride, attempted to engage the enemy flagship, that blasted Grade Atlastar, only for his ship to be hit by an armor-piercing shell from its main gun and killed in action.

Meteos can't even avenge his friend's death because several months later, the Grade Atlastar was defeated by the Japanese.

'Not this time. I won't let you die.'

"...os! Meteos!"

"Huh!?"

He was snapped from his thoughts by Walman who was already standing right in front of him and called out to him while snapping his fingers.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just had some thoughts, that's all."

"Then why are you crying?"

Tilting his head in confusion, Meteos brought a hand to his cheek, only to find out that it was wet.

"I-I'm not crying! T-there's dust in my eyes!" He sputtered in denial.

"Right..." Walman drawled.

"I am NOT crying! Stop imagining things!" Meteos replied a bit more forcefully, his cheeks reddening. 'Dammit, this is embarrassing! Why do I have to think about that day now...' He thought as he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.

"Alright, alright, whatever you say, man."

Walman shrugged and took a seat beside Meteos. After Meteos finished his hamburger, he turned at his friend.

"Since you're here, Walman, I want to ask you something."

"About what?"

"Do you have any plans for summer vacation?"

"No, why?"

Meteos' expression brightened. "Then if I ask for your help in my summer vacation project, it will be okay, right?"

"Hmm..."

"Come on, something good may happen!"

Walman wasn't sure what Meteos meant by that, but he eventually agreed.

"Eh, fine. I have nothing to do in summer, anyway."

"Nice! Now I have to go home, see you tomorrow, Walman!"

Meteos stood up from the bench and ran home.

July 25, 1613 Central Calendar, 14:00

Falkenhausen Residence

There's a hundred and four days of summer vacation, then school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for young generation is finding a good way to spend it.

Like maybe... building a rocket, or fighting a mummy, or climbing up the Eiffel Tower.

Currently, Meteos is sitting on a couch in the living room, while across from him is Walman’s father, William Falkenhausen. He is a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander, a former small ship and test ship captain before becoming the owner of a factory in Leiden. His son was somewhere in the town.

"So, you're asking my permission to let you use the tools in my factory for your summer vacation project?" William asked.

"Yes, didn't Walman tell you about that?"

"He did, but I never expected you to come to me."

"Ah, about that, I didn't specify what project I will do." Meteos scratched his head as he spoke.

Stroking his chin, William leaned forward.

"...Say, assuming I give you permission to use my factory's tools, what are you planning to make?"

Meteos nodded and reached for his bag, then took the blueprints he had prepared and arranged them across the table. A look of astonishment appeared on William's face as he looked closer to examine the blueprint.

"This is... are you planning to make a mana detector?"

Meteos nodded. Of course, the machine he is going to create is capable of doing more than that, but let's save the surprise for later.

"You draw these by yourself?" William asked again, glancing up to the boy. He had to admit, the drawing itself is very detailed for something made by a junior high school student.

"Of course! I spent hours perfecting the details, you know." Meteos bragged.

"Heh, alright, you have piqued my interest. You may use the machine tools in my factory, but under my supervision, got it?"

"Thank you very much, Mr. Falkenhausen."

July 25, 1613 Central Calendar, 15:30

Meteos' House

"I'm home."

When Meteos arrived at his home, he was greeted by the sight of his parents standing near the doorway.

"Ah, welcome home."

"Welcome home."

"You're going somewhere, Dad?" Meteos asked his father, Roderick Roguerider.

"Yes. Our air conditioner broke down. I'm going to call a repairman."

"Is that so... can I see it?"

After being given permission, Meteos picked up a toolbox and began to strip down the AC, while both his father and mother, Meteora, looked curiously.

30 minutes later

"Done," Meteos called out to his parents after finishing attaching the AC's outer case back on. "Nothing major, the magic circuit that adjusts the temperature is a bit damaged, but I already repaired it. Try to turn it on."

Roderick turned the AC on and set it to produce cold air. Much to his astonishment, it worked normally.

"Well, I'll be... great work, son!" Roderick praised.

"Hehe, years of training not wasted! Now that I repaired it, there's no need to spend any more money."

"Not that we're short on money or something..."

In fact, the Roguerider family is quite rich, with Roderick working as a civil engineering consultant while Meteora is an elementary school teacher.

"Does this mean that you're going to increase my allowance, Dad?" Meteos grinned cheekily.

Roderick rolled his eyes in amusement. While Meteora giggled at her son's attempt.

"I think he's more than deserved it, don't you think, Dear?"

"Yeah, yeah, but I never see you spend the money we give you, what are you going to do with those?"

"Ooh, I'm saving it for my special project that I will make this summer. Alright, then..."

Meteos got up and headed to his room.

August 22, 1613 Central Calendar, 11:00

William Falkenhausen's factory, Leiden

After using his savings to purchase materials needed to make the radar, Meteos and Walman started on their project, although it was mostly Meteos teaching things to Walman, who absorbed the explanations like a sponge. And now, one month later, the conductive magnetic radar was completed. Meteos and Walman presented the machine in front of William and other factory workers for testing.

"Walman, activate the generator."

"On it."

A few moments later, the radar display lit up, receiving information from the transmitter producing electromagnetic waves, antenna, and receiver.

The radar display in this radar uses the A-scope, the simplest and oldest form of the radar display. An A-scope can display only the target distance (represented by the horizontal axis) and the relative size of the echo signals received from the direction in which the antenna is currently pointing (represented by the vertical axis). The bearing or even the elevation angle must be presented as a dial or digital readouts that correspond to the actual physical position of the antenna. Still, the fact that a pair of junior high school students can make it is impressive.

And now, for the next surprise...

"Alright, everyone! The conductive magnetic radar is complete!" Meteos announced.

"Conductive magnetic radar?"

The workers glanced at each other in confusion at the unfamiliar term, while William, a former military, recognized it.

"Wait... conductive magnetic radar, as in the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's conductive magnetic radar!?"

"Yes. Not only can this thing detect mana, it can also detect objects that do not emit magic. Well, this is a very crude version of it, but this is really a conductive magnetic radar."

The workers exclaimed in surprise and began chattering with each other. Meanwhile, William looked thoughtful.

"So, what now?" Walman asked.

"Next, we are going to announce our little project to the world!" Meteos shouted, pumping his fist.

"How?"

"I think I can help with that."

It was William who spoke. The boys turned at them.

"During my time in the Navy, I know people who will be interested in this thing. If you don't mind, I can contact them and have them come here."

"Really!?"

"Of course. You are interesting, so I think your effort deserves to be rewarded." He explained.

Meteos was grinning. 'All according to plan.'

In fact, the reason why he specifically approached Walman's father is because of his connections with the country's upper echelons, and he was once involved in reverse-engineering Ravernal Empire's ancient technologies as an engineer. In this country, anyone that can contribute to the development of the Ravernal Empire's relics is greatly valued. Meteos is counting on that in order to make his plan successful.

"Please do, Mr. Falkenhausen, and thank you very much." Meteos bowed.

"No problem. You'll make a great engineer kid."

"If you're done with that, let's have lunch."

"That's right. Come, join us, it's almost lunchtime."

When the workers started to leave the place one by one, Walman pulled Meteos' arm and whispered to him.

"So, you're going to be famous?"

"No, we are going to be famous. You helped me with the project, after all."

"But you did most of the work."

"Don't downplay yourself. You greatly helped me. Without your help, I will take longer to make it."

"W-well..."

"I told you something good might happen. Now, Walman, let's eat. I'm hungry."

Meteos put his hands behind his head and walked to the cafeteria, followed by Walman.

Currently Publicly Available Information

FIRST CIVILIZATION AREA

One of the three civilized areas in the known world, located between the Second Civilization Area and the Third Civilization Area, on the Millicent Continent, also known as the "Central World".

Home of two superpower nations of Emor Kingdom and Holy Milishial Empire, the First Civilization Area is considered to be the home of the most powerful and technologically advanced countries in the world, with magic being the core of the development for their civilizations.

With the abundance of ruins left by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire in its territory, the Holy Milishial Empire's analysis and reverse-engineering of their ancient technologies allowed them to become the world's strongest nation.

Chapter Text

August 25, 1613 Central Calendar, 10:00

Soldiers of the Holy Milishial Imperial Army's 39th Motorized Infantry Brigade were holding their position on a plain in the south-central part of the country. Across them, a flat expanse mainly consisted of dry grass spread out, ended in a small hill where what appears to be a cave can be seen.

This morning, a group of miners has reported the discovery of a ruin most likely left behind by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire filled with dormant monsters in strange liquid-filled tubes. As a response, the military has ordered the local garrison to evacuate the nearby towns and prepare an operation to exterminate the monsters. The soldiers are finishing setting up ice magic stone-cooled machine guns, barbed wire fences, and sandbags. In a command tent in the rear, a soldier reported to his superior.

"Sir, all units are finished preparations and are waiting for your orders."

"Good. Are the people from Ancient Ministry here yet?"

"They should be here in a few minutes."

The brigade commander, an elf, nodded and glanced at his watch.

"I hope they are not too late, otherwise we may have to start the operation without them."

A few minutes later, the tent's curtain opened, and an army officer came in, followed by a woman in her late 20s. She has medium-length dark brown hair tied up in an unkempt ponytail with bangs parted down the middle and was wearing square glasses. She also wears civilian clothing, indicating that she did not belong to the military.

"Nice to meet you. I am Robin Calvello, sent here by the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures." The woman greeted, holding her hand.

"I am Artur Yugra, commander of the 39th Motorized Infantry Brigade." The commander replied as he shook Robin's hand.

"I hope we're not too late?"

"No, actually there are no signs of movement from the ruins yet, although our mana detector has detected at least 5.000 of them this morning, and it is possible that there are still more inside the ruins."

Robin nodded, "I see. But now that the interior of the ruins has been exposed to outside elements, it's only a matter of time before the dormant monsters awakened. Commander Yugra, if possible, please avoid causing damage to the ruins."

"We'll try," was Yugra's curt reply.

---

One hour later, the sun was beginning to reach its peak. The soldiers in the trenches were struggling to endure the sweltering heat in the plains where there are no vegetation in sight. Finally, from the entrance of the ruins, numerous creatures began to appear. The scouts reported to Yugra.

"Enemy movement detected, the scouts have reported mostly goblins and Goblin Lords."

"Finally. Tell the artillery to open fire as soon as they reached the plains. Use fire magic."

The artillery unit consisting of 152 mm magic cannons began preparations to fire as per Yugra's orders. The individual cannons were connected to several truck-mounted magic engines by cables, transmitting the magic energy required to charge the cannon.

"Magic cannon automatic spell chanting completed, attribute ratio 20 explosion, 80 flame, charging progress 70% ...80% ...90% ...100%! Ready to fire!"

The muzzle glowed faint red light, and small particles were being sucked into the cannon. Meanwhile, the monsters started to approach the defensive position, lumbering instead of running.

"They are so slow."

Hearing Yugra's comment, Robin chimed in, "The fact that they are rather mindlessly walking towards the largest concentration of humans makes it possible that there is no superior unit to control them."

"So, are you saying that we won't encounter a Nosgorath unit?"

"Very likely, Commander."

Yugra nodded.

"If anything, it will make our work easier."

---

"FIRE!"

With a thunderous roar, the sound of gunfire echoed across the plains. The shells trailed red lights and exploded upon impacting the enemy, incinerating the monsters with the unleashed fire magic. Not only that, the shells also burned the dry grass, creating a scene of wildfire straight from hell, causing the poor soldiers in the trenches on the front to suffer even more unbearable heat. Any monster who somehow managed to reach the position near the trenches was then picked one by one by the riflemen and the machine gunners.

August 30, 1613 Central Calendar

Leiden

The news of a successful Army extermination of monsters emerging from a discovered Ancient Sorcerous Empire ruin is being broadcasted on the local news network on the magical monitor. Meteos watched it disinterestedly, his mind was on somewhere else.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The telephone rang. With high expectations, he got up from the couch and walked towards the phone.

"Roguerider residence speaking."

"Meteos! It's me, William."

The sound of Walman's father sounded from the other side.

"Do you remember the other day when I told you there are people who are interested in your work? Well, one of them just came to my house."

"Really!? Alright, Mr. Falkenhausen, I will come immediately!"

Ten minutes later, when he reached Falkenhausen Residence, he was suddenly tackled by a crazy bespectacled woman who bombarded him with various questions.

"Are you the one who created that magic conductive radar!? Where did you learn that!? Why are you so short!? Is your silver hair real!?"

And many more.

"For the gods' sake, Robin! Calm down! You're scaring him!" A voice called out from behind.

The woman paused and take a better look at Meteos, the poor boy was staring at her with wide, trembling eyes.

"Oops! I'm sorry for my rudeness. My name is Robin Calvello, a researcher from the Runepolis Magic Academy. I came here after my former boss told me that he found something interesting. Imagine my surprise that he showed me an actual, working magic conductive radar, built using ordinary factory tools, by a pair of young teenagers, no less!" She exclaimed enthusiastically while shaking Meteos' hand.

"Me-Meteos Roguerider."

William, who just standing there with his son, called out.

"How about we talk inside?"

"Yes, of course."

The conversation continued.

"So, once again, Meteos and Walman, I've been told about your work by Mr. William, my former boss, so I came here from Runepolis as soon as I can to see it myself and then report it to my superiors if it's true," Robin spoke.

Meteos nodded, "Yes, I and my friend built that machine."

"I am very impressed with your homemade radar. And my question is, what motivated you to build such a machine, it can't be just an ordinary summer project, isn't it?" The woman asked, her glasses gleaming.

"Yeah, Meteos, you just suddenly asked me to help you and then you said you want to announce it to the world?" Walman turned to his friend.

Meteos closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Actually, I wanted to impress someone in the government or the military for them to support me and make an even more powerful radar, and..."

"And?"

"...and I would like to enter Runepolis Magic Academy."

Robin hummed. The Runepolis Magic Academy, located in the capital, is the most advanced and prestigious educational institution in the entire Holy Milishial Empire, or even the world. For Meteos, the RMA, which has the advanced facilities to develop even more advanced technologies, is a perfect environment for him to start his technological reforms. He also knew that his friend always wanted to enter said school.

"I see, I will talk to the higher-ups to approve your request, although I am pretty sure that they will accept it. After all, it wouldn't be smart to let someone with potential go waste."

Meteos grinned widely, "Thank you very much, Miss Calvello!"

"Ah, don't be so formal, call me Robin."

"Alright, Miss Robin! See, Walman? I told you something good will happen!" He nudged his friend as he spoke.

"Y-yeah... heh." Walman laughed lightly while shaking his head.

Meteos walked home with high spirits. And three days later, both Meteos and Walman received invitation letters from the Runepolis Magic Academy. They will start the new semester this fall in the capital.

Currently Publicly Available Information

M1591 RIFLE

A five-shot, bolt-action, internal magazine-fed military rifle, the standard issue for the Holy Milisihial Empire's armed forces. Introduced in the year 1591, it incorporated lessons learned from observing the Mu Civil War. It is one of the most mass-produced military bolt action rifles in the world.

Specifications

• Mass: 4 kg
• Length: 1.232 mm
• Barrel Length: 730 mm
• Cartridge: 7.62×54mm Imperial Ammunition
• Action: Bolt action
• Muzzle Velocity: 865 m/s
• Effective Range: 500 m
• Feed System: 5-round non-detachable magazine, loaded individually or with 5-round stripper clips

Omake

In order to raise more money for his next project, Meteos decided to write a book chronicling his previous life. It was published as a novel called "Summoning Japan", a fantasy novel telling the story of a fictional island nation called Japan which suddenly appeared northeast of Rodenius Continent in the year 1639 Central Calendar. The country, which was suddenly blown from their home world, diplomatically works hard to survive and maintain peace, as well as influencing the world's politics with their presence.

The novel was met with mixed reception. Surprisingly, for a novel written by a Milishian, Japan, the fictional country in the novel, is depicted as a very advanced mechanical civilization. This drew harsh criticisms from Holy Milishial Empire's conservative politicians who claimed that there is no way in this world that a mechanical civilization can match the magical civilization, even more so with Japan's portrayal which is depicted as having the technology equal to, or even more advanced than the legendary Ancient Sorcerous Empire. They also criticized the portrayal of the Holy Milishial Empire which in the novel, found itself outmatched by the main nation and the Gra Valkas Empire, another summoned nation which also surprisingly, a mechanical civilization depicted as being more advanced several decades behind Mu, but seventy years behind Japan.

Meanwhile in Mu, the novel became a bestseller, with people debating the possibility of advanced technologies depicted in the novel. As for the Third Civilization, the Parpaldia Empire banned the book due to the portrayal of the empire as 'being utterly defeated by a bunch of barbarians.'

In addition, the novel also sparked conspiracy theories about what the Annonrial Empire in the southern lands was hiding and the real identity of the Emissaries of the Sun God, which in the novel, is being depicted as the ancestors of the Japanese people. Critics also praised the novel for coming up with a detailed lore of Japan's former home world. A number of fans who are not satisfied with the novel began to make their own versions of it, often replacing Japan with their own fictional countries. These fanmade stories spread around the communities and became known as 'fanfictions.' Not limited to Summoning Japan, people also start to write their own fanfictions of other famous novels.

What childish fantasy

Chapter Text

September 2, 1613 Central Calendar, 22:30

Runepolis, Holy Milishial Empire

After receiving the invitation letters from the Runepolis Magic Academy (RMA) at Robin's recommendation, both Meteos Roguerider and Walman Falkenhausen were transferred from their junior high school in their hometown of Leiden to the capital city, enrolling in their new school as Student Mages. Aside from taking classes, they sometimes will be called upon as assistants by Robin, who worked in the RMA as a Mage, technician, and a professor sent by the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures (MOASEC or Ancient Ministry). In other words, Meteos and Walman are unofficially Robin's apprentices.

As for housing, they rented an apartment close to RMA's building complex, next to Robin's, and the three quickly become friends. She is energetic and can be pretty quirky and strange at times, but she is a genuinely good person.

Meteos decided to leave the conductive magnetic radar they built and the knowledge of building it to the RMA's staff to learn until they can produce a perfect copy of it for now, and is busy tinkering with a so-called state-of-the-art calculator recently developed by the Holy Milishial Empire in his apartment room. It's that thing that's as big as a PC and weighed nearly 14 kilograms, yet can only perform simple functions of a pocket calculator. It was expensive, too.

This is a product of Holy Milishial Empire's take of one of the Ravernal Empire's excavated technologies. What should be able to come out as a slim, handheld device, ended up becoming extremely bulky due to too many additional components in an attempt to achieve the original calculator's performance. Sure, with magic and Ravernal technology, the HME can produce fancy and futuristic-looking technology, but they are underpowered and when you take away all that, all that remain is a level of understanding barely better than Mu's, or even worse.

"*sigh* ...this is the worst." Meteos complained while holding his head. "If I can't simplify and improve this thing's performance, I can't proceed with more advanced stuff."

Probably it took a great effort for the Japanese not to laugh when Fearm gave this thing to them during their diplomatic meeting.

Robin, who was hanging out in their apartment, came over and take a look at the notes and blueprints scattered across the table.

"I think this one is acceptable enough for now. Let's take this to the lab tomorrow for building and testing."

"It's still too bulky..."

"One thing at a time, kid. Besides, it looks like it can already be held in your palm."

Walman from the far side of the room choose to comment, "Yeah, and you can throw it at someone like a brick."

Meteos stared at his friend, unamused. Walman just shrugged.

"Fine. Let's bring it to the lab tomorrow."

"Why are you in such a hurry to finish it, by the way?"

"Miss Robin, Milishial is supposed to be the defender of all races, right? We don't know when the Ancient Sorcerous Empire will finally return, and we barely understood their relic. Imagine when a light-winged man takes a look at us and he was like..."

Meteos then made an exaggerated frown before continuing.

"...you dare use my own spells against me?"

The other two looked at each other for a moment before burst in laughter.

"Bahahahahahaha! I can't believe I'm laughing at the Ancient Sorcerous Empire of all things!" Robin cackled.

"I'm serious!"

"Sorry... but seriously, kid, you don't have to bear everything alone." Robin's face turned serious. "You have us, for starters," she then gestured to herself and to Walman, who made a thumbs up, "I don't know about Walman..."

"Hey!"

"...but I will more than happy to help with your projects. Just tell me what are you going to make, and I will do my best to help. Heck, I can even find people if you need! Trust me, you don't want to be overworked. I'm telling you this before you overexert yourself."

At Robin's words, Meteos paused and pondered.

'...She's right, maybe I have the knowledge from the future, but I can't do everything alone... I guess I'm still too prideful for my own good as I was in my past life...' he grimaced while running a hand over his hair.

"All right, Miss Robin, thanks for the advice."

The brunette grinned at his words, "Good boy! I think we should call it a night, it's getting late." She continued while glancing at the wall clock.

And thus, the three went to rest and prepare for tomorrow.

September 3, 1613 Central Calendar, 19:00

Runepolis

The next day, the three of them brought Meteos' new calculator design to RMA's manufacturing department for building and testing. The process took longer than they expected, so Robin offered to go buy them some food in downtown Runepolis. As she walked down the sidewalk carrying shopping bags, she heard the sound of footsteps when she passed an alleyway on her left. The sound became closer and closer to her until something suddenly bumped into her.

"Oof!"

She managed not to fall and turned to look at the thing that just suddenly came out of nowhere... no, it's a person.

"P-Professor Calvello!?"

The person's voice called out. A girl with a back-length blonde hair tied in a low ponytail, with a fringe that ends in the middle of her eyebrows and shoulder-length bangs that frame her face. Her large blue eyes and facial features made Robin think of a porcelain doll. She was wearing a white dress with a blue jacket over it. This girl's breathing is ragged, as she was the one who had just run from the alleyway. The fact that this girl just called Robin professor means that she must be from the Runepolis Magic Academy.

"Oho? An RMA student? Why are you running—oh."

Robin trailed off and her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the alleyway. From the darkness, she can hear multiple footsteps approaching, revealing themselves to be three menacing-looking men.

There are criminals in every city, and Runepolis, the Sleepless Magical City, was no exception.

"Well, well, well, what a lucky day! That brat led us to another one!" The lead thug smirked.

"Stay behind me, and hold these." Robin whispered to the girl who nodded and took her bags, then put a fake smile. "Oh, hello there. I didn't notice you coming, can I help you with something?"

"I'll make this quick, hand over your money. All of them."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, we're both hungry and we would like to come home quickly so—"

"I don't give a damn! Stop playing around and give me your money, now!" The lead robber growled dangerously as he pulled out a gun from his pocket and pointed it at the two girls.

Robin's fake smile fell and replaced by a flat look mixed with annoyance. Meanwhile, the girl behind her half whispered, half yelled, "Professor, what are you doing!?"

"Don't worry, I got this." She reassured, pulling out something from her longcoat's left pocket, before revealing it to be a coin.

"Tch... You want my money, then let's see if you can handle THIS!"

For a moment, it seemed that Robin's left hand was glowing, before flicking the coin with such a great force that it broke the finger of the thug holding the gun.

Crack!

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! Y-YOU BITCH! GET HER!"

The other two robbers are now a bit hesitant knowing they're trying to rob a mage, but nevertheless did as the leader told and tried to charge at her with weapons drawn.

"Alright, now is a perfect time to test this, here goes nothing... Lightning Creation Magic: Snake Lightning!!!"

From Robin's outstretched hand, a discharge of yellow electricity took the form of three snakes and shot towards the charging thugs, wrapping themselves around them, then electrocuted the thugs making them pass out.

While that scene was unfolded in front of her, the blonde girl couldn't help but stare in awe.

'She just cast a magic without chanting the spell!'

Even among magic-inclined races, casting magic spell is a slow and lengthy process, and humans can never be able to perform magic without chanting. And yet, the woman in front of her not only defy that rule, but did so easily. Satisfied with her work, Robin turned to the girl.

"Next you're going to say, 'Professor, how did you perform magic without chanting the spell?'"

"Professor, how did you perform magic without—HUH!?"

Robin laughed a little and patted the girl's head. "I'll answer that. But for now, let's hand these creeps to the police first."

After handing over the thugs to the police, with the blonde girl giving a testimony that Robin performed a magic spell in self-defense, the two boarded a tram on their way back to RMA.

"So, kid, I know you're an RMA student, but I didn't know your name. Who are you?"

"My name is Nadia Smirnova, second-grade at Junior High School Department." The blonde girl, Nadia, answered.

"Hm... so you're like Meteos and Walman."

"Meteos and Walman, Professor?"

"They're my assistants, second grader just like you. And by the way, we're not at school right now, so feel free to call me Robin."

"Alright... Prof—I mean, Miss Robin."

Robin then reached under her longcoat and pulled a book from a holster hanging from the belt on her waist. It is yellow in color with ornate geometric design as covers. She showed it to Nadia.

"This is a prototype of the tool that I'm currently working on. A Personnel-Type Chant Accelerator, or for simplicity's sake, I'm calling it a 'grimoire.'"

"Ooh..."

"This grimoire contains a fixed number of spells that when mana channeled into it, it can be used to instantly perform a magic spell without me needing to chant. But I still have to pinpoint the mana into the spell I'm going to use, that's why I called out the name of my attack." Robin explained as she showed the contents of the grimoire to Nadia. It is full of runes.

The explanation continued.

"But this prototype is limited to only five spells. Adding one more will make it as heavy as a brick!" She snorted.

"That looks like something out of Agartha Kingdom, Miss Robin."

"Hm? Yeah, you're right. But by the time I'm done with this, even the Agarthan Grand Mages will be envious! If you're interested, I'll show it to you."

Nadia giggled at Robin's enthusiasm and answered, "I'd love that. Thank you for your offer, Miss."

The tram reached the stop in front of the RMA's building complex and the two disembarked, parted ways heading to their own destinations, Nadia to her dormitory, while Robin went to the manufacturing department's lab to check on Meteos and Walman.

20:00

"Boys! I'm back! How's it going?"

Meteos looked up from his notebook at Robin's voice, while Walman waved at her while playing around with a square-shaped device in his palm.

"Miss Robin! Look, it's already completed!"

"Really!? Lemme see!"

Robin examined the calculator shown by Walman. Aside from number and arithmetic calculation buttons, the calculator also has additional buttons such as a 'log' button that Robin assumed to be a logarithm function and trigonometric functions such as 'sin', 'cos', and 'tan' buttons. After pressing random buttons, she learned how to use the calculator in no time at all.

"How do you like it, Miss Robin?" Meteos asked while rummaging through the shopping bag that Robin just brought.

"This is great! This is a big leap forward than that brick in performance! Not only I can do basic math, it can perform complex calculations too. Such a device will greatly help everyone complicated solve problems quickly, and you can carry it around, too."

"It's cheap, too." Walman added.

And thus, the first handheld calculator was born in the Holy Milishial Empire. With the three's research in portable calculators (especially Meteos), the RMA was granted master patents on portable calculators. It was soon available for commercial use in the year 1614, and development of a more advanced computing devices carried on.

By the way, development of computing devices and Robin's grimoire project overlap at some point, resulting in grimoire's transformation from a book-like item to a calculator-like magic technology with pre-installed spells and the ability to compute the mana channeled into it, allowing the mage to cast a wider variety of spells without the need of chanting, and it can be stored in a pocket.

This drew interest from the Army, who led to the revival of frontline mage units. Since the invention of firearms, the Holy Milishial Empire limit mages as technicians and engineers behind the front line as support, since the inherent weakness of magic casting process made them impractical in modern warfare. They also studied new doctrine for mage units, such as using them as a rapid response force as well as the formation of HME's equivalent to paratroopers, the 1st Aerial Mage Brigade. The Navy and Air Force followed later with the creation of their own special forces units centered around mages.

On the other hand, the term 'grimoire' will be used by Milishians to refer to what the Earthlings know as 'smartphone' in the future.

Currently Publicly Available Information

DIFFERENT WAYS OF DEVELOPING MAGIC

While the countries in the First Civilization Area are all magical civilizations, how they advance their country is different with each other.

The Holy Milishial Empire studies the ruins of the Ravernal Empire to advance their magic-based technologies, while Central Kingdom focuses on the research and use of ancient magic spells. Both are looking to the past to further the development of their civilization.

The Emor Kingdom is inhabited by the dragonfolk, an inherently magically powerful race, and uses their ability to ally themselves with the Wind Dragons.

The Agartha Kingdom, on the other hand, focuses on individual-based magic without relying much on magic technologies.

Chapter Text

January 13, 1614 Central Calendar

It's been five months since Meteos and Walman moved to the Runepolis Magic Academy. Meteos is impressed with the RMA's engineers, who managed to reproduce the conductive magnetic radar with even more advanced radar displays to the level of PPI display used in the normal mana detector, thanks to the know-how provided to them.

The PPI, or plan position indicator, is a type of radar display that represents the radar antenna in the center of the display, with the distance from it and height above ground drawn as concentric circles. While the radar antenna is rotating 360 degrees, it sends pulses around the radar site at a fixed elevation angle, and a radial trace on the PPI sweeps in unison with it about the center point. Return echoes from targets are then received by the antenna and processed by the receiver. This is the most common type of radar display.

True to her word, Robin started gathering people to help in Meteos' project, and their first tasks are to further develop the radar to produce smaller, better-performing radars with reduced costs, then put it to practical use. While the Empire has a stunted technological development, Milishial is a modern nation with an excellent education system where both commoners and nobles receive the same quality in education, and Meteos is determined to fix the wasted potential of the Milishian people. It's not much at present, but his workload is greatly lessened.

The next thing on his agenda is the naval weapons. The RMA where he studied at specializes in engineering, particularly in naval weapons, and they have a shipbuilding department and a dockyard large enough to build a battleship and a catamaran aircraft carrier such as the Rodeus-class. The Navy is also the easiest to upgrade, as their analysis and reverse-engineering of Ravernal weapons are in much better shape than their Army and Air Force counterparts.

However, neither battleships nor aircraft carriers are part of Meteos' technological reforms this time. It's something else.

❖⟐❖⟐❖

19:00

When Robin entered Meteos and Walman's apartment room, she found both of them were doing their usual activities. She wanted to ask them to have dinner together, but only Walman greeted her while the other boy is apparently too busy to hear her entering the room.

"Hey, Meteos. I heard there's a nice restaurant just opened in the downtown, do you want to go?" She called out.

No response.

"Yoo-hoo!" She called again with a louder voice.

"He's been like that since we returned from school, Miss Robin," Walman said.

The only thing heard from Meteos are noises of pencil scratching on paper and his weird mutterings. Curious, Robin came over behind him to see what he was doing without disturbing the boy. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

What was drawn on paper was some sort of long cigar-shaped object with a blunt forward edge and narrower rear edge. From her place behind Meteos, Robin can see a part that looks like a propulsion system, and the front part of the object is labeled as 'warhead'. It's a weapon.

This is the first time Robin has ever seen Meteos drawing the blueprints of a weapon. As a member of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, Robin is involved with the analysis of ancient weapons left by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, but she never encountered a weapon like this before. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she decided to ask.

"Is this some sort of bomb?"

"...yes, it's designed to be launched from a platform and then attack enemy ships—"

Meteos turned to the source of the sound and found Robin's grinning face mere inches from his. He screamed and fell off the chair he was sitting. When he glanced upwards, he scowled and sighed deeply before answering.

"...It's an underwater ranged weapon. When fired, it will self-propel towards an enemy ship and strike them below the waterline."

"Ooh, sounds like a very nasty weapon."

"It is."

Meteos stood up and smoothed his clothing before turning to Walman. When Robin turned in his direction, she can see another drawing, this time a spherical object with protrusions near the top of the object.

"And what is this?" she asked.

"If Meteos' is a moving bomb, this is supposed to be placed in water and you wait until a ship came over and trigger this thing to explode."

Robin nodded. Another unfamiliar weapon.

"Interesting... very interesting. So, what are these weapons called?"

"This is called a torpedo."

"Tor—what?"

"Torpedo."

"Tor... pe... do?"

"Torpedo." Meteos insisted.

"......"

Robin went silent for a moment before asking again.

"Why are you naming your weapon after a fish?"

"......Because it sounds neat."

"......"

"Look, I just think it fits, especially because, you know, it's supposed to swim."

Decided not to pursue the topic any longer, Robin turned to Walman, who began to talk.

"At least his weapon's name makes sense, Meteos called this one a 'naval mine', although I don't see how it is related to mining."

Robin raised an eyebrow to Meteos, who just replied, "Refer to my previous statement."

"To be honest, I was expecting you to call it 'sea urchins' or something..." She muttered. "Whatever... Ah, that's right! Dinner! I was about to ask you if you want to come with me to this new restaurant in downtown. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me, right, Meteos?"

"I could use some good food."

After changing clothes, both of them were ready to go outside.

"Sucks that Nadia couldn't come, though," Robin said.

Nadia Smirnova. A second-grader from a different class whom Robin had once saved from being mugged. After that incident, they remained in touch and Robin introduced her to Meteos and Walman. Apparently, she has a talent in chemistry and she said that she wanted to enter the Alchemy Department once graduating from high school. Meteos assumed that Robin probably wanted that girl to be one of her apprentices once she advanced in rank from a Mage to Advanced Mage, just like him and Walman. Not that Meteos mind, he always welcomed talented people. There's one thing that worried him, though.

"Miss Robin. Does Nadia have any health problems?"

"No, why do you ask that?"

"It's just... her face is always red whenever she's around. Are you sure she isn't sick?"

Hearing that, Robin just smirked mischievously as she walked behind the boys. Meanwhile, Walman just snorted at Meteos' words.

"Who knows? Quite a mystery, isn't it? Why don't you ask her yourself next time?" She said.

"Okay...?"

For some reason, Meteos didn't like her tone when she said that.

May 2, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:30

Runepolis Magic Academy Shipbuilding Department, Dockyard

A car followed by a jeep drove through the entrance of the dockyard before stopping in the parking lot. Several figures descended from the cars, all of them wearing Holy Milishial Imperial Navy uniforms.

The other day, the RMA Shipbuilding Department had informed the Navy that a team led by a pair of promising inventors have completed new weapons that they have never seen before. So, the navy leaders, feeling both high expectations and anxiety at the same time, decided to send several officers to RMA's dockyard, which is located on the bank of the great river that ran through Runepolis.

Lieutenant Commander Lettal Kauran, the leader of the delegation, was greeted by a grinning woman with messy brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing square glasses, an olive drab long coat and a red scarf loosely draped around her shoulders. While underneath her cloak she wears a beige dress shirt, brown pants, and a pair of boots.

"Well met, gentlemen from the Navy! Welcome to RMA's Shipbuilding Department, I am Robin Calvello, professor and a member of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures."

"Hm, I am Lettal Kauran, leader of this delegation."

"I am Leon Tagus." A slightly younger man greeted.

"Gormes, technical officer."

The members of the delegation took turns introducing themselves. When they are done, Robin began to talk while walking towards the dockyard.

"Thank you for your time coming all the way here, I'm sure that the Navy has received the notice?"

Lettal nodded, "Yes, we were informed that RMA has completed designing new weapons and the Navy sent us for inspection and approval. Miss Robin, does the Ancient Ministry has finished analyzing an ancient ruin?"

To his surprise, Robin shook her head. Since a member of the MOASEC is here, he thought that the new weapons would be reverse-engineered pieces of ancient weapons left by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. If that is not the case, then what? The other officers also shared his confusion. Seeing this, Robin explained.

"Oh, no, no, I am here only as a supervisor. These weapons are brand new weapons no one has ever seen before, created by a team led by a pair of students here. While they are young, they are very promising inventors."

Lettal was intrigued by how Robin spoke highly of them, and the mention of weapons that not even the MOASEC know filled him with anticipation. After a short walk, they arrived at the dockyard. In the facility before their eyes, there was an old Iron Bamboo-class small ship sitting in the drydock. But upon closer look, something is different with the ship. The middle anti-aircraft gun is missing, replaced by a pair of hollow tubes.

"What is the purpose of that tube?" An officer wondered.

As they looked around with their own thoughts, they noticed the Shipbuilding Department's personnel walking around the drydock and onboard the ship, but what caught their eyes is that they seem to be listening to the instructions from a young silver-haired teenager standing near the weird tubes, holding a notepad.

"A kid?" Lettal wondered. "Why would he be in this place?"

"Actually, sir, he is one of the two young inventors that I mentioned. Hey, Meteos! Come here!" Robin yelled.

The boy turned to look in their direction and proceeded to descend from the ramp. As Lettal made eye contact with the silver-haired boy, his eyes widened for a moment before returning to a neutral expression.

'Have we met before?' He thought.

"Greetings. I am Meteos Roguerider, Student Mage of Runepolis Magic Academy's Junior High School Department. I was doing inspections on the small ship's torpedo launcher, so I am unaware of your arrival. I apologize for not noticing." He bowed.

"No, no, please. No need to apologize. We have just arrived." Lettal held out his hands to stop him.

Seeing that everyone has calmed down, Robin decided to mediate.

"As I said before, he is one of the two inventors who will show you the new weapons they created. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask."

Tagus raised his hand, "I have a question for you, Young Meteos."

"Of course, sir."

"Earlier you mentioned an unfamiliar word, 'torpedo', is that one of the new weapons?"

"That's right. The tubes you see on that Iron Bamboo-class ship are actually the launcher for this new weapon. But it's better to explain it in the workshop. Please follow me."

The entourage followed Meteos and Robin to a workshop, where they encountered more teenagers; a brown-haired boy talking with a blonde girl around his age who introduced themselves as Walman Falkenhausen, and Nadia Smirnova, the former is the maker of another weapon. As Meteos came to them and began talking animatedly, Lettal and his subordinates tuned them out and glanced around the workshop, where tools littered around, and then stopped at one corner of the building. There sat several long objects with sizes from five to nine meters in length, one of them was in a disassembled state. They also saw a strange sea urchin-shaped black object.

"So these are the new weapons..." Gormes muttered.

They are all looked strange and unfamiliar.

"Gentlemen of the navy, I'd like to introduce you to the first new weapon. This is a torpedo. Think of it as a bomb that can swim underwater and attack enemy ships below the draft line." Meteos explained, he then pointed to a disassembled torpedo.

"The warhead part contains several hundreds of kilograms of explosives, this is an air tank to keep the torpedo floating, and at the end is the propulsion system. When the magic circuit here is filled with mana, it will activate the Tears of Wind God that will propel the torpedo forward using compressed air from here to push the water behind the torpedo, so it's a water jet. Since this is only a prototype, it has quite a low performance, but the final version will be fast, has a long range, and high power, enough to sink large ships."

Initially, Meteos contemplated just attaching the Tears of the Wind God in the torpedo's tail, but that configuration didn't achieve the desired speed, so he designed a compressor with the adjustable speed at the torpedo's tail.

The officers were impressed as his explanation continued. A weapon like a torpedo will dramatically change the way a naval battle was fought. The mainstream opinion in the Navy is that only battleships can sink other battleships in a surface engagement. But with the advent of torpedoes, small and fast ships can move into position to strike the enemy with a powerful blow under the water, allowing them to sink even a battleship. And since the shorter torpedo is called a 'prototype aerial torpedo' by Meteos, it means that the boy had also considered the possibility of planes as a platform for launching torpedoes.

'...And what if... what if we can make a ship that can somehow move underwater and launch torpedoes at the enemy undetected?'

The engineer Gormes' mind began to whirl as more possibilities came to mind.

When Meteos finished his explanation, he turned to his friend, Walman, to take his place. Walking in front of the officers nervously, the brunette boy began his explanation.

"Y-yes, this spherical object here is the weapon designed by me called a naval mine. Naval mines are explosives that can be placed in water until an approaching ship triggered them to explode by coming in contact or moving near them."

'I see... if the torpedo is an offensive weapon, then this naval mine is a defensive one. You can place them to defend a harbor... or maybe it can be used offensively as well, placing them to lock enemy vessels into a harbor...' Lettal thought.

Their explanation continued and after a series of questions and answers, the session was over.

May 7, 1614 Central Calendar, 15:00

Runepolis Bay

The demonstration of the newly developed torpedo was also attended by more naval leaders and the commander of Holy Milishial Imperial Navy's Western Naval Command, Admiral Ernest Kling. The modified Iron Bamboo small ship sailed into position to launch its torpedoes at one of two old magic cruisers that were scheduled to be decommissioned.

"Commence testing."

From his place, Meteos spoke to the manacom.

"Magic circuit ignition complete, target port side bearing 90 degrees! Ready... FIRE!"

Upon touching the water, the torpedo shot towards the target at high speed. A short while later, a huge column of water rose on the port side of the target cruiser, the torpedo penetrated the unprotected armor and detonated inside the rear turret magazine, sinking the cruiser in a single blow.

For the second test, a Beta-1 bomber equipped with the prototype aerial torpedo flew low above the sea surface.

"Magic circuit ignition complete... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, drop!"

This time, the torpedo penetrated the target's belt armor before exploding, creating a large hole that causes the ship to list heavily to port before being dragged to the bottom of the bay. A team of Naval Aerial Mages nearby approached the sinking ship, taking pictures with their magic cameras furiously as they hovered above.

"Woooooooooooah!!"

The gathered naval officers exclaimed in surprise before erupting in loud applause. Meteos nodded and wrote in his notepad.

"Both prototypes worked perfectly, and the observers reported no visible wakes. Good, very good... although... we had it easy this time..." He muttered.

His muttering was heard by Lettal Kauran sitting beside him.

"What is it, Young Meteos?"

"To be honest, Lieutenant Commander, I think we had it easy this time."

"Why is that?"

The boy abruptly stood up from his seat and began to scribble on his notepad furiously before showing the result to him. Further beside Lettal, Admiral Kling and Robin also turned to look.

"Please take a look at this, sir. This is an approximate diagram of what a torpedo would look like if a mechanical civilization were to develop it. In order to achieve the performance of that torpedo, they will need an engine that burns fuel and uses pure compressed oxygen as an oxidizer. That will take years of research and development, but we achieved it in less than a year."

Lettal was taken aback, surprised at how the boy even comes up with a version of the weapon without using magic, while Kling nodded, convinced of the superiority of magic technology. Robin, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.

"I see, that's very convenient. Our Empire's magic technology is indeed powerful. It is the source of our pride." Kling said.

"That may be true, sir. But do you know what comes after pride?"

Now it was Kling who was taken aback, not expecting such a question. Meteos continued.

"Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Our country's research of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire has placed Milishial on the top of the civilizations as the strongest superpower. However, when someone reaches the top, either he stays in place, or..."

"...decline." Robin finished. "And staying doesn't mean staying on the top, either. Instead, it implies stagnation. Isn't that right, kid?"

"Yes. We had it easy all this time because we have magic and ancient relics. But relying on it too much will cause a problem in the long run. If a country is likened to a vehicle, then these things are the accelerator for the engine that is the country's technological development, not the engine itself. Besides, I don't believe that Milishial has reached the top yet. In fact, our golden age has just barely started. There's still much to do, plenty of room for us to grow, and it can be achieved beyond looking to the past. I present to you, a weapon that no one ever seen before, because I wanted to show you that there is a new direction for growth besides scavenging for things left over by some winged creature."

When Meteos finished his little speech, he glanced around. Apparently, the other attendees also listened to his words. Some of them dismissed it as ramblings of a kid, while some others are deep in thought. Meanwhile, his friends seem to be in agreement with him. To be honest, Meteos found it ironic that he of all people tried to warn others about the danger of pride.

"Hahahaha, what an interesting kid! You sure different from other kids your age." Kling chuckled. "Robin, you better take good care of him. His friends, too."

"Why, of course, Admiral."

Kling then stood up from his seat and shook Meteos' hand.

"Thank you for showing us all this. I am looking forward to seeing more of your surprises. I heard that you are gathering people for your projects, right? Let's see if I can convince the upper management to give you some support. Maybe it's not much, but this will do."

"T-thank you very much, sir! I don't know what to say!"

"Oho..." Robin hummed from her seat.

The demonstration ended with resounding success, and Meteos gained new connections and funding for his future projects.

❖⟐❖⟐❖

17:00

Inside the car heading back to the Naval General Headquarters, Kling and Lettal are discussing the demonstration this afternoon.

"So, Lettal. What do you think?" Kling asked.

"Yes, Admiral, both the torpedo and naval mine are very brilliant innovations. It will surely change naval warfare greatly. I think we should review our equipment's design and tactics now that these weapons exist."

"Absolutely. And what do you think about the boy?"

"Young Roguerider, sir? ...I think he is brilliant, able to come up with those new inventions. I also heard that he and his friend created a conductive magnetic radar from scratch, where other researchers are stumped at analyzing it. I didn't expect him to be quite a philosopher as well. In fact, that was quite bold of him to say something like that, in our country where both magic and Ancient Sorcerous Empire's ruins are the things that we prided the most." He chuckled.

"If there are more people like him, what do you think will happen?"

"...Maybe not only this country, but the world will change..."

Both admirals are looking forward to the future.

The demonstration left a deep impact on the Navy's leaders, which led to a major review of the current state of the Navy. It was decided that the next generation of ships will incorporate the knowledge gained from the introduction of torpedoes and naval mines, including the research of more advanced and powerful torpedoes, as well as countermeasures and defense against torpedoes. The prototype torpedoes were improved and introduced as the 610 mm Surface Magic Torpedo (Lancelot Mk. I), 450 mm Aerial Magic Torpedo (Gareth Mk. I), and later 533 mm Submarine Magic Torpedo (Gawain Mk. I).

The development of the conductive magnetic radar has progressed nicely, and it was starting to be mass-produced. The next generation of weapons will have the advantage of not only being able to detect magical objects but also objects that did not emit magic, increasing their effectiveness. In addition, the development of more advanced computers led to the replacement of the current Automatic Spell Chanting System, which while able to speed up the process of spell invocation, still take time to charge the magic circuits, with the new Grimoire System, which is able to instantly charge the weapons with magical energy thanks to its wide library of pre-installed spells.

Gormes' study of the possibility of a submersible vehicle led to the creation of the Holy Milishial Empire's first submarine. And the Navy invested a large budget and personnel for the development of more advanced submarines and their countermeasures, including depth charge and anti-submarine mortars. Most of the time, they turned to RMA's Shipbuilding Department for ideas, specifically a certain young silver-haired inventor.

On the other hand, Mu, the second most powerful nation in the world, caught wind of this development from their intelligence agents and started the development of their own version of the torpedo, known as the Whitehead.

❖⟐❖⟐❖

23:00

Runepolis, Apartment

Lying on top of her bed with her hands crossed underneath her head, Robin pondered the series of events that happened since the start of the year until now. In particular, Meteos Roguerider's knowledge. When she first time saw he designing a weapon she never heard of before, she came across a strange sentence in his notes.

"...the usage of Tears of the Wind God-based propulsion system in order to achieve the same effect and performance as an oxygen torpedo."

In addition, there are more unfamiliar words such as 'methanol-burning wet-heater engine'. And on top of all that, a drawing of a mechanical version of the magic torpedo. Not a rough sketch like what he showed to the Navy leaders this afternoon and he claimed to be an approximate guess, but a complex and detailed blueprint of this 'oxygen torpedo'. The way he worded the sentences in his notes also implied that Meteos based his invention on that thing as if the oxygen torpedo already exists in this world.

"Fufufu... Meteos Roguerider... let's see if you can satisfy my curiosity with your surprises..."

Robin smirked and went to sleep. She will play along for now, maybe sticking close to the boy may led her to some great discovery, and perhaps an answer to a certain possibility.

Currently Publicly Available Information

IRON BAMBOO-CLASS SMALL SHIP

A small ship in service with the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy, mainly used to patrol the territorial waters against pirates. Like its name suggests, the armor for the ship is derived from a substance extracted from a species of bamboo grown in areas with high magic density known as iron bamboo. Its four cannons is more than enough to destroy sail ships. By 1614, the class is already obsolete and a new class of small ship is scheduled to take their place. One of the ships was modified to mount a twin torpedo launcher for testing.

Specifications

• Displacement: 1.900 tons
• Length: 115 m
• Beam: 10,5 m
• Draught: 3,2 m
• Propulsion: 2 × Magic Engine
• Speed: 34 knots (63 km/h)
• Armament:
  • As built;
    • 4 × single 101,6 mm spirit magic cannons
    • 1 × single 40 mm anti-air magic light gun
  • 1614 Torpedo Testing
    • 4 × single 101,6 mm spirit magic cannons
    • 1 ×  twin for 450 mm Surface Magic Torpedo tubes

Chapter Text

June 14, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:14

Aikon Corporation Headquarters, Runepolis

"With this, our agreement is concluded, I am looking forward for your future endeavors."

"Of course."

Inside an office in the building, Robin shook hands with the CEO of this company, the Aikon Corporation, a major manufacturer of computing devices and magic communication equipment. Earlier this month, Aikon Corporation took interest in the development of portable calculators and approached RMA. As a response, RMA sent Robin as their representative to sign a contract with the Aikon Corporation that they would receive the sales rights in exchange for a percentage of the profit to the RMA. In addition, the RMA will jointly develop a new communication device with the Aikon Corporation, which has a superior production equipment in that field. Several employees of the company have already been loaned to RMA for training, and production lines will be up and running within several weeks.

"Well then, I shall take my leave. Good day, Mr. President." Robin said, and left the office.

After exiting the building, Robin was greeted by Meteos, who was tagging along, and a tall man with a gentlemanly appearance.

"How was it, Miss Robin?"

"It went well." Robin answered, and turned to the man, "Grisha, take us to the harbor next."

"What are you doing in the harbor?" The man, Grisha, asked.

"We're going to check a new shipment of magic stones from Parpaldia today. Alright, let's get going!"

The three walked into a car driven by Grisha and departed for the harbor.

"Magic stones from Parpaldia, huh? That's unusual." From the driver's seat, Grisha commented.

The relationship between the Holy Milishial Empire and the Parpaldia Empire, the Third Civilization superpower, while not as amicable with Mu, they are not hostile to each other. However, Milishial limits trade with Parpaldia to the common trade goods, as they don't want to be associated too much with an aggressive nation like Parpaldia. This includes trading magic stones.

He can already picture the Parpaldians bragging about how 'the strongest superpower finally noticed the superiority of Parpaldian magic stone'. How troublesome.

This time, in order to further develop the magic torpedo, the RMA Shipbuilding Department has ordered several crates of Tears of the Wind God from Parpaldia Empire for testing. Since Parpaldian Tears of the Wind God boasts the highest quality in the known world, the RMA engineers wanted to see if using them can result in better fuel efficiency, which results in reduction of the area required for fuel and the increase of explosives for a stronger magic torpedo.

"Well, it's for research purposes." Meteos shrugged.

As he glanced at the boy sitting behind him from the rearview mirror, Grisha thought.

Meteos Roguerider made a name for himself in the Runepolis Magic Academy and became a talk among the staff for his recent breakthrough in the development of computer technology, and he was transferred to the school via invitation after he and his friend showed Robin a conductive magnetic radar. He is a bit bummed by the fact that his friend Robin already taken him as a future apprentice, but he doubted that Meteos would accept his offer if Grisha were to offer him apprenticeship as part of the requirements of advancing in rank to the Advanced Mage. He is a doctor and a professor of the Medicine Department, while Meteos wanted to become an engineer. Their fields are too different. Well, he had to admit, Meteos is better off with Robin. What's more, Robin also taken two other Student Mages under her wing, where other Mages would mostly take one. Are they very talented? He's envious.

However, this is also the same kid that invented magic torpedo, and from what he heard from his colleagues at Shipbuilding and Engineering Departments, it is a very deadly weapon. What motivated a kid like him to create something that dangerous? At the same time, Grisha was kind of scared of Meteos.

The silver-haired boy seemed to notice him staring through the mirror and asked, "What's the matter, Professor?"

"Ah, n-no, nothing. How's your school, Meteos?"

"Actually, it's easy. It's so boring, though." He answered absentmindedly as he glanced outside.

Grisha turned at Robin seated beside him with a questioning look.

"You should see his grades. He aced every subject and even teaching other students. That's why I often brought him as assistant. He's even smarter than my students, I swear, and I teach college students."

"I see..."

'Well... at least he takes his studies seriously. And teaching other students? That's very kind of him.'

"I heard from Robin that you're planning to take the equivalency exam to skip high school, is that true?"

"Yeah, I wanted to be an engineer as soon as possible, but I'm not comfortable leaving Walman and Nadia behind, so I hope they're good enough."

'He also cares for his friends...'

Grisha nodded, and the three of them continued their journey in silence after that.

The same day, 10:00

Runepolis Bay

Runepolis, the capital city of the Holy Milishial Empire, the strongest country in the world, is a city befitting its status as the very center of the world. Lined with skyscrapers built with magical technology, the city even shines at nighttime thanks to the usage of light magic, and the cars fueled by liquid magic stones roamed its streets. Also, the air is very clean for a metropolis, not unlike rural areas or the mountains since the magical technology used to develop the city, and the rest of the country, did not expel any waste. This is the city where the wealth of the world is gathered.

Entering the bay of the city was a sail ship flying a red flag with two black dragons spewing fire in the middle. Passing through other ships docked in the harbor, the ship proceeded to the designated place for Third Civilization ships located further up the great river.

On board the ship, a young teenager with blonde hair tied in a short ponytail was looking at the city with starry eyes. After two weeks of voyage, they finally arrived at Runepolis. He's been a good boy, helping his father by working in the store diligently, and as his birthday present, he wanted to accompany his father to Milishial on the next voyage.

"Amazing! This is so different from Esthirant! Ooh, what are those? Horseless carriages!? And look at that building! It's so tall! And that ship! I'm so going to brag to Elto about this!" The boy exclaimed.

As the ship finished mooring on the dock and the crew began to unload its cargo, the boy's father called out to him.

"Kaios! Let's go."

"Yes, father!"

The father and son walked down the ramp towards the dock. Their clothing, which the Earthlings would notice the similarities to those worn by people in what they call "Napoleonic era", will drawn some curious looks were this happen in their planet, "Earth". But in Runepolis, where everyone from both civilized and outside civilization area gathers, this is a normal sight.

"Remember, stay with me. Don't want you to get lost, will ya?"

"Of course, father." Kaios nodded obediently.

As they headed towards the port authority building, Kaios didn't stop gushing at the wonderful sight in front of him.

Upon reaching the building, his father told Kaios to wait in the waiting room while he went to talk with a business contact. Shrugging, he sat on a bench near the corner of the room. It was nice inside, the room was cool and brightly lit by light magic. There is a potted plant across him, and people are walking from one place to the other, minding their own business.

To his right, there is a bored-looking silver-haired teenager his age. He wears a white pinstriped dress shirt underneath a sleeveless maroon vest, black trousers, and shoes. He also wears a bolo tie with a teal gem around his neck. Kaios couldn't tell whether this boy is a son of an aristocrat or not, everyone dresses the same way in Runepolis.

However, what caught his attention is a piece of thick metal bracelet worn on the boy's left wrist. Sometimes, he will pull his sleeve and glance at it, then let out a sigh or muttered some incomprehensible words while looking even more bored than before. It looks elegant and very fitting on him.

Eventually, the boy turned to Kaios and raised an eyebrow at him. Uh-oh, he caught Kaios checking on him.

"Um...... I......" Kaios struggled to formulate words. "...Hi."

"I do not talk to strangers." The boy said flatly.

Kaios flinched. Now he's stuck in an awkward situation. But the boy then smiled and offered his hand.

"I am Meteos. Meteos Roguerider."

"Uh... I'm Kaios." He replied as he shook Meteos' hand.

"Oh. You're from Parpaldia, aren't you?"

"Y-yes."

"Relax. Earlier I noticed you keep glancing at my hand. Is there something wrong?"

"No... it's just... what is that bracelet?"

"Hm? No, this is not a bracelet. It's a wristwatch. See?"

Meteos showed the wristwatch at Kaios. Upon closer look, there is indeed a clock strapped around his wrist. In his homeland, Parpaldia, people use large clocks mounted on walls to tell the time, and it's practically impossible to carry around. Having a way to tell the time like wristwatch is certainly very useful, but for young Kaios, he was interested in it because it looks cool.

"Where can I get a clock like that?" Kaios asked.

"I don't know about Parpaldia, this is a new model, so this is the only one around. I don't think these will be sold to your country any time soon, sorry." Meteos said apologetically.

"Ooh..."

Now Kaios was dejected. He really wanted to have one. Besides, something like that must be very expensive when it's sold in Parpaldia. After half an hour of talking with Meteos, he learned that to make a machine as precise like that, all small parts that make up a wristwatch must be, well, precise, and uniform.

The wristwatch worn by Meteos is actually a mechanical machine built by himself for practice. Initially he wanted to create a magitech version of a digital electronic watch, but the existing magic circuits now aren't advanced and small enough to be mounted on a wristwatch, so this will do for the moment. Besides, it's already better in performance than Mu's newest pocket watch.

A moment later, Kaios' father came, followed by his business contact who is apparently Robin.

"Sorry to make you wait, we'll now find an inn to stay." His father said. "It's a pleasure to have a business with you, Miss Robin."

"Likewise, Mr. Meyer."

After Kaios and his father left. Robin spoke to Meteos as they walked down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"Did I make you wait that long?"

"Pretty much so. I was so bored I could die."

"Aww, don't be like that. Besides, you look like you have a new friend."

"Yeah, his name is Kaios. He's quite nice for a Parpaldian."

"Not all Parpaldian are bad guys, if only they tone down their aggression..."

"Is that so..." Meteos drawled.

Kaios, who will become the head of government for the defeated Parpaldia Empire in the future, has visited Runepolis and came into contact with Meteos.

June 22, 1614 Central Calendar

Esthirant, Parpaldia Empire

When Kaios returned to Parpaldia, the first thing he do was to check with a family friend who worked as a gunsmith, and he found out that products of each craftsman, each factory, differs from each other, with no common standard. Therefore, whenever a product broke down, they have to discard the entire thing and buy a new one. It's a great inconvenience and a waste of money. It also means that current Parpaldian technology cannot produce even a pocket watch.

In his desire to have a wristwatch, Kaios, after comparing various similar products, came up with an idea of common standard and showed it to the family friend gunsmith. Thanks to his idea, the production and maintenance cost have been greatly reduced, and the 'Esthirant Pattern Musket' soon became the standard firearm for Parpaldian army.

Other artisans also came to realize the usefulness of the common standard and they began to visit Kaios. Some government officials even came and in the next Imperial Conference, the government issued a decree to standardize all kinds of products made in Parpaldia.

In the end, Kaios still can't have a wristwatch, but at least he doesn't need to replace his wall clock whenever it broke down.

Currently Publicly Available Information

PARPALDIA EMPIRE

A country in the southern Philades Continent and the fourth strongest country in the known world, being the largest and most powerful of the Third Civilization. An absolute monarchy and dictatorship, its foreign policy is characterized by continuous invasion of its neighboring countries and imposing unequal treaties on weaker nations. In 1614, their expansion northward is being  suspended  due to the fierce resistance of the northern territories, and the Parpaldia Empire is forced to engage in a series counter-insurgency campaigns.

Chapter Text

July 3, 1614 Central Calendar

Second Civilization, Sky over northern Mu

Mu-Leifor Border

It's a clear sky at the beginning of summer, and it's blue as far as the eye can see. Below, the white sandy beach marked a clear line between land and ocean. High in the sky, a group of five objects is flying in formation. Their white body with blue stripes, rigid blue wings that did not flap on top and bottom of the body, and a rotating stick in front of their bodies did not fit the description of living beings. These are the Challengers, the latest flying machines created by the Second Civilization superpower, Mu.

The machine known as the airplane's origins can be traced to the end of the Mu Civil War. During the war, the Northern Army, having fewer wyverns than the Southern Army, often struggled in battles were not for the support of Gaetan Industries, which provided them with advanced anti-air machine guns capable of shooting down wyverns. And after the war, which the Northern Army barely won, the shortcomings of wyverns, which needs to be raised and trained in a time period that requires at least five years, became more apparent. Meanwhile, the weakened Mu needs to defend itself immediately from possible foreign incursions.

They came up with the idea of attaching an engine to a wooden glider and made their first flight in the year 1600. The first airplane was slow, only able to reach 50 kilometers per hour, and can fly for 500 meters. However, it has a lot of potential and a lot of room for development, which culminates in the Royal Aircraft Factory S.V Challenger biplane that they are piloting right now. Powered by a 150 hp water-cooled V8 engine, it boasts a maximum speed of 250 km/h and a maximum ceiling of 5.200 meters, superior to the wyverns while having similar maneuverability. And most importantly, they did not need to be fed and can be mass-produced, unlike wyverns. The airplane began to gain fame as the mark of a mechanical civilization.

The flight leader, Mark, glanced around the cockpit of his plane. To his left is the hilly terrain of northern Mu, and to his right is the endless blue ocean. His flight was on a patrol mission in northern Mu, and he hoped that this will be an uneventful one so he can enjoy the scenery...

"This is Galliard Base Command, we have detected a group of intruders approaching from Leifor territory, altitude 3.000. Flight 19, you are the closest. Head to bearing 220 and intercept them."

"Dammit... why it must be us..." Mark muttered. "This is Flight 19, affirmative."

Signaling his wingmen to follow him, the Challengers banked to the southwest to meet the intruders.

Last month, there are three attempted military incursions by Leifor's vassal states into the territory claimed and controlled by Mu. It has been two decades since the end of the devastating Mu Civil War, but being the only mechanical civilization in a world where magic is the primary method of advancement resulted in a slow economic development that hampered Mu's long road to recovery. So, Mu did not want to get dragged into another war and adopted a policy of neutrality.

These intruders must belong to one of the overconfident Leifor vassals that claim territory upon Mu. By using the protection of Leifor, the fifth strongest superpower, as a shield, they think they can do as they please and get away with it. Eventually, Flight 19 spotted the intruders.

"Ten wyverns," Mark muttered. They were outnumbered by 2:1, so they must not let their guard down even if the Challengers are superior to the wyverns.

"Hm?"

As both formations closed the distance, he noticed the glow coming from the mouths of the wyverns. Mark's eyes widened as he shouted through the manacom.

"Fireballs! All units, evade!"

He pulled his control stick as hard as he could, directing his plane upwards and pushed the throttle to the maximum. Meanwhile, his wingmen spread out in various directions as a number of fireballs flew at the location where they had just been. The more experienced members of Flight 19 took advantage of the knowledge that wyverns can't use their fireballs when their necks are bent. But still, the fireballs formed inside their mouth need to be fired somewhere, otherwise it would explode inside their necks. The Muish pilots took this as an attack and reported it to the base.

"Base Command, this is Flight 19, we are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!"

"Roger that, Flight 19. You are cleared to engage."

"Roger. Flight 19, engaging!"

Mark's Challenger was being pursued by one wyvern as he climbed. However, when they reached 4.000 meters, the wyvern stalled while Mark continued to climb. Mark then reversed and aligned his gunsight at the enemy. Bullets from the single forward-firing 7,7 mm machine guns flew toward the enemy, killing both the wyvern and the rider.

Taking advantage of the increased speed as he descended down, Mark shot down another wyvern pursuing one of his wingmen in a hit-and-run tactic. Other pilots followed the same tactic and managed to reduce the enemy wyverns to four. However...

"I can't shake them, somebody help!"

"Huh!?"

A cry from the manacom made Mark turn his head frantically. Eventually, he noticed that one Challenger was isolated and being hounded by three wyverns at close range.

"Number 5, evade!"

The fifth pilot of the squadron tried to maneuver his plane, but the wyverns attacking from different angles gave him tremendous difficulty. After shooting down his third kill, Mark immediately yanked his control stick and turned to assist.

However, the wyverns fired. The first two fireballs were evaded and passed by harmlessly, but the third fireball hit the plane directly in the cockpit area. The wooden frame of the Challenger burns easily, and the plane spiraled down violently after its right wing was broken and crashed into the hills.

"NO!"

"Dammit! He's our youngest pilot!"

The three wyverns tried to break away from the engagement with Mark and the remaining Challengers in pursuit. Following one diving wyvern, Mark pressed the trigger, scoring his fourth kill. The other two wyverns were killed by his wingmen shortly after that. Letting out a heavy sigh, Mark pressed the manacom's button and spoke.

"This is Flight 19, all enemy wyverns shot down."

"Affirmative. Return to base immediately."

Mark hung his head in shame as the formation returned to Galliard Base. Because of his carelessness, he let someone's son die under his watch.

Muish pilots emerged victorious after the clash, but they did not walk away unscathed as one pilot was killed in action. When Muish government expressed their displeasure through Leifor, they denied their involvement with the incursion and stated that it was something that the vassal state did on their own. Leifor also gained valuable information about Muish flying machines. The research on creating a stronger breed of wyverns to overcome Muish Challenger, dubbed "Project Wyvern Lord," was conducted.

This incident gave Mu the realization that just being on par with wyvern is not enough. They need a stronger airplane to protect their skies. The development of a stronger engine and an all-metal design was conducted at a rapid pace.

Currently Publicly Available Information

S.V CHALLENGER

A Muish biplane fighter aircraft developed by the Royal Aircraft Factory, introduced in 1610. It is propeller-driven, powered by an internal combustion engine which is quite advanced in 1614.

In terms of speed, rate of climb, and maximum ceiling, it is superior to the wyvern, while their maneuverability is somewhat similar. It is also relatively stable and easy to fly, enabling pilots to fire their nose-mounted machine guns accurately. The Challenger has considerable structural strength, capable of withstanding high-G maneuvers and is relatively resistant to battle damage. However, since it has a wooden frame construction, the Challenger is vulnerable to the fireballs, which is the primary method of attack of their potential enemy.

General Characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 6,38 m
• Upper wingspan: 8,10 m
• Upper chord: 1,52 m
• Lower wingspan: 8,10 m
• Lower chord: 1,52 m
• Height: 2,90 m
• Wing area: 22,7 square meters
• Empty weight: 640 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 902 kg
• Engine: 1 × 150 hp water cooled V8 engine
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch wooden propeller, 2,36 m diameter

Performance

• Maximum speed: 222 km/h
• Range: 480 km
• Maximum ceiling: 5.200 m

Armament

• 1 × 7,7 mm forward-firing machine gun

July 20, 1614 Central Calendar

Parpaldia Empire, Capital Esthirant

Looking at the port of Esthirant from his home, Kaios took a break from a book he was reading. When his father departed for Runepolis again earlier this month, Kaios requested his father to buy him some books related to engineering from Milishial. When asked about this newfound interest, Kaios answered that he just found a new hobby.

Besides, Kaios' quest for a wristwatch is still underway.

Thanks to his idea of establishing a common standard for all products, Kaios was acquainted with a government official named Ruperther, the one who decided to make the standardization an Imperial Decree after seeing the sight of products sold in Esthirant's market lined up so perfectly, indistinguishable from each other. Why would he have the power to do that? Well, Ruperther is the Emperor's advisor.

Ruperther also supported Kaios' new hobby since by being able to produce their own precision machine and having their own advanced industry, they can stop excess imports, which means less gold and silver going overseas. Expert craftsmen have been invited to Esthirant to become teachers, leading to the establishment of a vocational school.

However, the voyage from Esthirant to Runepolis took more than a week, and for the impatient and eager Kaios, it is unbearably long.

"Maybe if we put some Tears of the Wind God below the waterline, we can increase the ship's speed even more instead of attaching it behind the sails." He muttered.

The Milishial books that Kaios' father bought him gave him some ideas of how to reduce the voyage time so that he wouldn't wait that long. However, he lacked the knowledge of shipbuilding, so the next day, Kaios visited a shipbuilder and hired him to create a blueprint and scale model for a ship based on his specifications.

July 22, 1614 Central Calendar

Runepolis, Apartment

The Aikon Corporation finally announced its latest product, the Aikon 117 Grimoire, claimed to be "a latest breakthrough in telecommunication technology". Samples of it have been sent to RMA for testing, and Meteos, Walman, and Robin are among them. As Meteos and Walman opened their fancily wrapped packages, they picked up the new grimoires and inspected them. They arrived just in time before they go back to their hometown to spend summer vacation.

"Woah..."

It's slim and already looks like a smartphone, but according to the manual sent alongside the package, its other function besides voice communication is a basic calculator and text messaging, powered by a chargeable magic battery. It doesn't even have a clock function yet, not at all comparable to a modern smartphone, but that's to be expected. Besides, its price is only slightly higher than the Aikon Corporation's manacom bracelet which only has a range of a residential complex, and if the support infrastructure such as magic wave transmission tower's installation is completed, people can communicate between cities using this handheld device. In addition to major cities such as Runepolis and Cartalpas, the Aikon Corporation also planned to install the first towers in their hometown Leiden, Canbraid, Robin's hometown, and Zaftra, a major city in the eastern provinces.

"Hey, Miss Robin is downstairs, right? I'm going to text her." Meteos said after turning on his grimoire.

"Text?"

"Ah, I mean sending a text message to her. It should be in range."

Meteos grinned and typed, "Hello :-)". A moment later, the grimoire emitted a beeping sound and a reply from Robin was shown on the screen.

"Hello, Meteos! Hey, what's that?" It read. Maybe she refers to the strange symbols at the end of his message.

"Flip your grimoire sideways."

"Ooh, it looks like a smiling face!"

":P"

"Let me try.

XD"

Meteos and Walman laughed. This looks like fun. They continue exchanging funny expressions made with the characters for a while.

"LOL"

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?" Robin's message read.

"Yeah, Meteos? What's that supposed to mean?" His friend asked.

He didn't answer and typed.

"It means 'laughing out loud', Miss Robin."

"I see. Heh."

Walman rolled his eyes and scoffed, "What's with you and your weird terminologies?"

"Because it's amusing. Admit it, you like it, too."

"Hmph."

Looking at his friend with amusement, Meteos asked him a question.

"Have you checked your grimoire?"

"Yeah, it worked just fine," Walman answered as he tried the calculator.

"Why can't they include a clock, though?"

Walman shrugged. Meteos made a note to send feedback to Aikon Corporation after this.

Currently Publicly Available Information

AIKON CORPORATION

A telecommunications company headquartered in Runepolis, Holy Milishial Empire. It is the largest manufacturer of magical communication devices in the country, including magic transmission monitor, bracelet-mounted manacom, and their latest product, the Aikon 117 Grimoire, the first mobile phone in the known world through partnership with the RMA.

Chapter Text

"Haah..."

Meteos sighed dreamily as he gazed out the window from his seat inside a cabin of the train running on a railroad track overlooking the ocean. The sparkling blue sea from the sunray reflected by the waves, the sight of seagulls flying over the ocean, and the white sandy beach. Meteos will never be able to get enough of this sight. There's one thing missing, though.

On the first day of August, after finishing their business in the capital, Meteos and Walman returned to their hometown by train to spend the summer vacation. As the colorful buildings of Leiden came into view, Meteos' smile grows wider and he turned to his side to wake up the napping Walman.

"Hey, wake up. We're home."

"Nggh...? Are we there yet?" Walman said groggily as he rubbed his eyes.

"Not yet, but look."

Meteos pointed with his chin as he spoke. The sight of their hometown gradually becoming closer made his friend smile as well.

"Only one year away from home, yet feels like an eternity..."

"Ha? There you go, speaking like an old man again."

Meteos blinked, really?

Then he remembered that as a reincarnated person, he is mentally 136 years old. Deciding to divert the conversation, he began to glance around before speaking to Walman.

"Uh... Never mind. By the way, Walman... do you think about this magic train?"

"It's okay, I guess?"

"What about its speed?"

Both of them began their talk about trains to kill time.

"No way, do you really think a train can run for 300 kilometers per hour? That's as fast as a Heavenly Vessel!"

"If the technology is advanced enough, it's possible, don't you think?"

"Well... that's cool... but won't that thing will shake like an earthquake when running that fast? And what about turning?"

The discussion continued between the two prospective engineers.

One hour later, they arrived at the Leiden Station. As the train stopped beside the platform, Meteos and Walman stepped out of the wagon with a big smile on their faces among the disembarking passengers. Not only that, their parents are also present to greet them. After exchanging hugs and heartwarming moments, they began to depart for their respective homes.

"See you later, Walman, Mr. and Mrs. Falkenhausen." Meteos bowed politely to his friend's family.

"And William, Marie, if you have any free time, come to our house." Roderick, Meteos' father, said.

Hearing that remark, the corner of William's mouth quirked slightly as he replied.

"Of course, my friend. See you later."

August 17, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:00

Another uneventful day for Meteos as the summer approaches its peak. He already finished the outline of his project for the next year and for Meteos, who found enjoyment in drafting blueprints or tinkering in machinery, having nothing else to do gets boring pretty quick. So he decided to take a walk to his favorite spot at Leiden Harbor, the bench facing the ocean that Meteos visited every once in a while.

He also brought a notebook that he received as a gift on his sixth birthday in this second life. Its red cover had already begun to show signs of wear and tear, and its pages were full of memos, numbers, and occasionally crude drawings from the things he learned in his previous life. Since it was his first notebook, Meteos had grown attached to it, and he kept it with him to read even though he already memorized all of its contents. As Meteos was about to turn the last page of his notebook, a pair of hands suddenly slipped over his eyes.

"Ehehehehe... guess who?"

A snicker was heard, followed by a deep feminine voice that spoke in a playful tone. It was something that Meteos had grown to be familiar with during his time in Runepolis.

"Gah!"

He abruptly stood up from the bench and turned to face the person who had just spoken with a gasp. Standing there was the brown-haired researcher, Robin, wearing a short-sleeved yellow plaid shirt over a white T-shirt and blue knee-high shorts. She withdrew her hands from Meteos while smiling widely at the silver-haired boy.

"Surprise!"

"Huh!? Miss Robin!? Why are you here?"

"Why not? Leiden is a popular tourist destination, you know? Besides, I already missed you, my adorable apprentices." Robin replied nonchalantly.

Meteos' expression changed from surprised to a frown, "Okay, sorry for sounding rude. But aren't you supposed to visit your mother? You said that you haven't visited her in a long time."

"Oh, I did visit my mother. Actually, both of us decided to spend the summer here. Isn't that right, mom?"

Robin turned and called out to a person standing not too far away from Meteos and Robin. And for the second time on this day, he is very surprised.

Walking towards them is a beautiful woman in her twenties with smooth, shoulder-length black hair, dressed in a simple white dress and skirt, as well as wearing a sunhat on top of her head. She is carrying a paper bag and smiled gently at him. Meteos knows who is this woman.

"Hah!? ...No way... is that...!? Miss Robin, your mother... your mother is—"

However, the woman quickly put a finger on Meteos' lips and whispered to his ear.

"Oh my, it seems that I am pretty well known here. Nice to meet you, young man, but we are trying to enjoy a nice and quiet summer vacation here, so don't say my name out loud, please?"

Meteos blinked for a moment and checked his surroundings before replying in a much lower tone of voice.

"Ah, understandable. Forgive me. But pretty well known? What an understatement."

"Mom, this is Meteos Roguerider, one of my apprentices who lives in this town." Robin introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Calvello."

"What a polite young man, isn't that right, mom?"

"Mm-hmm."

The mother and daughter whispered to each other.

"Ahem! Since you are here, would you mind if I show you around the town?"

"I'd love to. Please lead the way, Meteos." Robin's mother said with a smile.

As they began to walk, Meteos hissed at Robin.

"Miss Robin, you never tell me that your mother is Candee!"

That's right, Robin's mother is Candee, a Mage and cosmetologist who is very famous in the known world for her youthful appearance and her youth-preserving product in Meteos' previous life, so she is practically a celebrity. However, don't let her appearance deceive you. Despite her looking young enough to be Robin's sister, as of 1614, Candee is already 53 years old. There are rumors that she is involved in some research for immortality, and since she looked the same even when Meteos died in 1722, maybe there is some truth to it. However, Meteos never heard of Candee being married, let alone having a daughter.

"Well, you never asked." Robin shrugged.

"Seriously!?" Meteos threw his hands in exasperation, but she got a point.

The three of them spent the day visiting various places in Leiden. But since Robin and Candee don't want people to find out they are here to avoid being pestered by the media, Meteos brought them to the quieter part of the town, such as a small hill near the old town wall where they can enjoy the full view of Leiden undisturbed.

"Actually, Mrs. Candee, Miss Robin, my and Walman's parents are having a dinner party three days from now. Since you're staying until the end of the month, I was wondering if you can join us? I'm sure they will be delighted."

At Meteos' offer, Robin and Candee looked at each other before nodding.

"Of course. Thank you for your invitation."

"Alright, it's decided then... By the way, Miss Robin, does Mr. Falkenhausen know about your mother?"

"Hm? Actually no, I never tell him and he never asked either."

"I see. Heh."

Meteos smirked. He can already imagine the surprised faces of everyone when someone as famous as Robin's mother showed up at their little dinner party.

After touring Leiden, Robin and Candee thanked Meteos before returning to the hotel where they're staying.

August 20, 1614 Central Calendar, 19:30

Roguerider Residence

Upon arriving at his house, Meteos told his parents about his earlier encounter at the harbor, omitting the identity of Robin's mother. He also asked if they can attend their dinner party. Seeing no problem in it, Roderick and Meteora agreed. If anything, they are eager to meet Meteos' teacher in person.

The Falkenhausen family was the ones who arrived first. Not long after, the doorbell rang for the second time that night.

"Coming!" Meteos shouted as he ran to the front door and opened it, revealing Robin.

"Hi, Meteos!"

"Good evening, Miss Robin. Where's your mother?"

"She's over there," Robin said as she pointed to her back with her thumb.

Meteos nodded, "I see. Please come in."

"Excuse me."

Meteos led the two of them to the backyard, where Robin is the first to be greeted by the gathering families.

"It's been a while, Robin."

"Indeed, it's been a while, Captain Falkenhausen," Robin said with a smile as she shook William's hand.

"Everyone, this is our teacher, Miss Robin Calvello."

"Please bear with me, everyone."

"...And for another guest this evening, Mrs. Calvello, please," Meteos called behind him.

A woman dressed in a modest dress stepped out to the backyard. As Meteos expected, everyone's jaws dropped at the sight of her.

"Huh!?"

"No way..."

"Isn't that..."

"Candee!?"

Everyone exclaimed.

"My reaction exactly..." Meteos chuckled.

"Nice to meet you, everyone," Candee said as she bowed lightly.

"Ah... ahahahahaha! W-welcome to our humble abode, Mrs. Calvello." Roderick said as he broke out of his stupor.

"W-well, a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one," William commented while shaking his head.

As the adults began their introductions, Walman grabbed Meteos' shoulder and dragged him.

"You already know about this!" He accused.

"Surprise, I guess..."

"Bah!"

Walman threw his hands in exasperation as Meteos laughed.

"By the way, where did you meet them?"

"At my usual place."

"Oh, I see."

The three families went through the dinner with an air of enjoyment, where the parents take turns talking about their children, causing Meteos and Walman to blush in embarrassment while the other laughed. Not even Robin was spared as Candee also recounted the times when she was a little girl.

After dinner, the mothers went inside the house while talking excitedly, while Roderick and William were drinking at the backyard. Robin let out a soft sigh as she walked out to the front terrace where she found Meteos and Walman sitting there, talking to themselves. Both of them turned and smiled at her.

"Enjoyed the dinner, Miss Robin?"

"Yeah, your mother is a great cook, Meteos." She replied with a smile of her own and then took a seat beside the boys on the terrace.

"I see, glad you liked it."

The three of them sat in comfortable silence, admiring the stars under the soft bluish glow of the two moons. Then, as if remembering something, Robin glanced up and removed her glasses.

"Meteos, Walman, I want to thank you."

"Hm, about the invitation? Don't mention it, you are a friend." Walman said.

"No... it's not about that..."

Seeing that she had the boys' attention, Robin continued, her voice almost a whisper.

"...Actually, this summer is the first time I visited my mother after a very long time..."

"...Why?"

---

"...My husband used to be an Ancient Ministry researcher, just like Robin. But... during a failed expedition, he was killed by a Nosgorath..."

Meteora and Marie gasped at Candee's words.

"She greatly admired her father, and when Robin said that she wanted to become just like him, I was horrified. I couldn't bear the thought of losing any more of my beloved ones, so I tried to talk her out of it. But I was too harsh on her. I thought what I was doing is the best for her, when all I did was cause her pain..."

---

Meteos and Walman listened in silence as Robin reflected on her life up until now.

"But back then, I was ignorant and stupid. She just lost her beloved husband and tried to protect me, but all I see was my mother trying to dictate my life... I am such a terrible daughter."

Robin hugged her knees; tears welled up in her eyes.

---

Candee muttered a soft 'thank you' as she received a handkerchief from Meteora and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She began to speak again with a sad smile.

"But Robin really takes after her father... not only his face, but also his stubbornness... No matter how much I told her not to, she would never back down... Until that one time, I snapped at her. She was so heartbroken, but when I realized what I was doing..."

---

"...I ran away. I was so fed up and angry at my mother that I wasn't thinking clearly at that time. Well... long story short, I ended up in the capital and become the Robin I am now. Over time, the shame finally caught up with me and I tried to return home and apologize to my mother, but my job prevented me from doing so... it's so ridiculous." Robin chuckled bitterly.

Meteos frowned. Even an Ancient Ministry member is allowed to visit their families once in a while, especially with their stagnating progress at analyzing Ravernal relics, the ministry didn't really do anything. If his suspicions are correct, then Robin is actually an ancient weapon operator just like him and Walman from his previous life, and a very young one at that.

---

"...I searched for her, but I couldn't find her anywhere. It's as if my precious Robin was swallowed by the world itself. She is also the reason I became the Candee I am now. I'm afraid that I will leave this world before I find her, so I began to find a way to stay young forever so that when I finally find her, or when she finally returned, I'll still be there for her... ridiculous, don't you think?"

"N-no... I don't know what to think... Candee."

Meteora and Marie were at a loss for words. Candee's true motivation of finding the key of eternal youth was not something they expected at all.

---

"It was until Captain Falkenhausen called me about you two, and my superiors sent me, I was finally able to return home. If it weren't for you two, I will still be trapped, unable to go anywhere. I might have killed mysel—"

"NO!"

Meteos' sudden outburst startled her and Walman beside him. His voice was filled with anger and... anguish?

"Don't you dare finish that sentence! What the hell are you thinking, Robin!?" He screamed as he jumped and grabbed his teacher's collar. They were too surprised to notice that Meteos forgot to use honorifics.

His teacher's words gave Meteos a realization. If Robin is really an ancient weapon operator, then the reason they never met before in his previous life despite being on the same organization is that the previous timeline's Robin was already dead by the time he and Walman joined. And Candee, that poor woman, she never knew what happened to Robin and may have spent her life waiting for a daughter that will never return. Meteos is frustrated and angry, at Robin, at the ancient weapon operators, at the Ravernal Empire for still ruining people's lives with their legacy, and most of all, he is ashamed of himself. After all, one lifetime ago, he used to think it was a source of great pride.

"W-wait! It's alright now! Okay!? That's why, I wanted to—" Robin panicked, flailing her hands.

"Whoa, whoa, Meteos, stop!" Walman jumped and tried to separate the two.

".........Alright... that was very rude of me, I'm sorry, Miss Robin."

"N-no... I am the one at fault here. I shouldn't have said that..."

"What happened here!?"

When they turned at the source of the voice, they saw William and Roderick rushed to the terrace in alarm. Meanwhile, behind them, the mothers also heard them screaming and walked outside with concerned looks.

"......There's a cockroach." Meteos blurted.

"And a large one, at that," Robin added.

William and Roderick looked at each other before exhaling in relief.

"I see. Well, if you make a loud noise like that, I bet you scared it." William grunted.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Candee asked.

"Yes, everything is fine, mom."

"Well, seeing that it's getting late, Candee, Robin, please stay at our house for the night," Roderick said.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Roguerider..."

Seeing that everyone is calmed down, the parents walked inside. Meteos turned to Robin.

"Miss Robin, we sometimes make mistakes. That's why we need to learn from them so that we will never make the same mistakes again. Now that you've made peace with your mother, I hope your past will not weigh your heart anymore," he said with a smile.

"Speaking from experience?" Robin muttered.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Nothing... Once again, I wanted to thank you, if it weren't for our encounter, I don't know what will happen to my and my mother's lives."

"Isn't that a bit of stretch, Miss Robin?" Walman asked.

"Maybe, but still..."

Feeling a weight has been lifted from her shoulders at Meteos' words, Robin leaned forward and gave the boys a soft peck on their cheeks. When she was done, she gave them a smug smile and walked inside the house, leaving the flustered Meteos and Walman.

"Dang..." The brunette muttered as he touched his cheek.

"Good grief."

Currently Publicly Available Information

LEIDEN

A city located on the western coast of Holy Milishial Empire with a population of around 200.000. The city is located inside a natural amphitheater-shaped valley and surrounded by hills. It has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with even temperatures all year round. Because of its high cultural and historical value, Leiden is one of the Empire's main tourist attractions.

Chapter Text

August 21, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:00

Leiden, Holy Milishial Empire

Robin and her mother, Candee, stayed at Roguerider Family's residence after the dinner party at Roderick's request. The mother and daughter planned to go back to the hotel in the morning, but they insisted to have breakfast together. Meteos noticed that Robin's usually unkempt ponytail is now much tidier and cleaner than before. His teacher is so busy she never had the time to groom her hair, so maybe it was her mother who helped Robin with that. From Meteos' point of view, a cleaner Robin is much better-looking.

After finishing the breakfast, Meteos showed Robin his house's library. It is located on the second floor, with a large glass window that provided a nice view of the backyard.

"Ooh, you have a full collection of the World Book Encyclopedia?" Robin remarked as she laid her eyes on a row of books arranged near the corner of the library.

"Yes, it's the latest edition."

"Impressive." She hummed.

The 'World Book' is a series of encyclopedias published in the Holy Milishial Empire that covers summaries of knowledge from all areas in the known world. Those are very expensive and people from other nations, despite wanting them, will balk upon seeing the insane price tag and be discouraged from buying it. Still, some people are willing to spend their money to buy books in pursuit of knowledge, such as a certain son of a certain eastern superpower's trading company. Other books in the house's collection are the 'Fighting Ships Yearbook' published by Jeanne's Information Group and the latest edition of a very rare book containing all known information about the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, written by Andreas Birkburn. By the way, the latter is both Meteos and Robin's favorite book. Her eyes lit up at the sight of its light blue cover.

"You even have this!? I am impressed. The only copies I know are in the RMA and Ancient Ministry's library."

"Well... yeah... I got it as a birthday gift from my father..." Meteos recalled.

"Really? Mr. Roderick indeed looks like a reliable father. Good for you, Meteos." Robin remarked with a longing gaze.

He knew that what he asked his father at the time was very absurd. But Roderick, being the doting father he is, somehow managed to acquire a copy and then gave it to Meteos. His respect for Roderick doubled at that time.

'Crap. Miss Robin's father died when she was very young.' He cursed himself for being so insensitive.

"Um... right. Miss Robin... are you okay?"

"Hm? Ah, don't worry about me." Robin waved off Meteos' concern as she picked the book from the shelf and sat down on the chair. However, Meteos was unconvinced.

"Look, I'm sorry if it bothered you, but please just talk to me."

Robin went silent for a moment before letting out a small sigh and begins to talk.

"Meteos, do you think my father will be happy with my decision to follow his steps?"

"To be honest, I don't know anything about your father... but I think every father will be proud seeing their children pursuing their dreams and succeeding in it."

Robin's eyes widened for a fraction before she broke into a wide smile.

"Aww, I'm touched, kid. Thanks a lot," she said with a playful tone while putting one hand on her chest.

Seeing the sight of his teacher being her usual cheerful self relieved Meteos.

"You want to know my favorite entry in this book, Meteos?" Robin offered.

"Sure," he answered and joined her by taking a seat beside Robin.

His teacher began to open the pages of the book until she stopped on a page. It depicted a tall, muscular, black-skinned creature with large curved horns and a long tail ended in a pointed tip. In addition, the creature sported armor plates covering its neck, shoulders, and eyes.

"Isn't that—"

"That's right, Nosgorath. I hate this creature with all my heart, after all, one of them murdered my father and who knows how many other people suffered from them. I've actually seen my colleagues being killed by them right in front of my eyes, too. I wanted nothing more than to crush them by my own hands."

Robin made a motion of crushing something with her fist before continuing.

"But then one day I had the chance to encounter a unique one. This Nosgorath is a bit larger than the previous ones that we encountered, and what's more surprising, it can talk. Well, it can't talk much besides cursing people, but that's when I realized that the things we see might not be the things that are actually there. I still hated them, but they piqued my curiosity. I wanted to try looking at them from a different point of view other than an object to be killed. Besides, I think, if we know more about the enemy, we can better protect humanity, right? I convinced myself of that sometimes."

"No, you have a point. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. I think the importance of knowledge is as important as strength." Meteos nodded with a smile.

"Oh my, oh my! What wisdom from the great master Meteos Roguerider!" Robin gasped dramatically.

"Hey, cut it out!" Meteos tried to scowl, but the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Both of them eventually laughed inside the library. After the laughter died down, they continued reading the book.

"Now look at this. Here it says around a hundred years after the Ancient Sorcerous Empire transferred themselves to the future, a Nosgorath managed to gather a vast army of demons, then invaded the world from the north before being driven back by a group of mysterious warriors known as the 'Emissaries of the Sun God'. It is said that the Demon Lord's army was massive, so what do you think? Is this one more intelligent than the others?" Robin pointed at a paragraph.

Meteos can confirm that this particular Nosgorath's intelligence far surpasses the usual specimen encountered so far. It can speak in clear sentences and has a very high level of magic power. What's more important is that 25 years from now, this Nosgorath will be revived from its prison, attempting to invade the world once more, and then being killed for good by the descendants of the Emissaries of the Sun God, Japan.

"If what the legend says is true, then it must have a rather high level of intelligence."

"Fufufu... I'd love to dissect every single fiber of its existence if I ever encounter one..."

Meteos chuckled in amusement. 'Let's make that happen.'

"Speaking of which, Miss Robin. I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Do you know anything about the Emissaries of the Sun God?"

"Ah, yes... the Emissaries of the Sun God. To be honest, I don't know much about them, since the information about them is limited to the legends, and out of the four, they are the least well known."

The four legends that Robin was referring to are the four most famous legends in the known world. The Ancient Sorcerous Empire, the Dragon Country of Infidragoon, Mu's Great Continental Transference event, and the Emissaries of the Sun God. The first two's narrative is intertwined with each other, and they both have very concrete proof of existence. The very technology that the Holy Milishial Empire is using is based on the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's ruins, while Infidragoon is the ancestor of the third strongest nation, the Emor Kingdom.

The Great Continental Transference is the creation myth of the second strongest superpower, Mu. It is said that they did not belong to this world, but moved to this world around 12.000 years ago. The event is documented by Mu's monarchy at the time, and it's still taught in their history books. But the majority of the people in the known world treat them as legends. According to Robin, if someone were to move something as big as a continent like that, the amount of magic power needed would be astronomical, enough to tear a chunk of the planet to form a small moon. Truly, only gods that are capable of accomplishing such feat.

And then there is the legend of the Emissaries of the Sun God. According to the legend, during the Demon King's invasion of humanity, they appear from the northeast of Rodenius Continent after the Elven God prayed to the God of the Sun, who answered by sending down the Emissaries of the Sun God. Riding divine flying ships and wielding fearsome sorcery, they successfully drove off the Demon King's army back to the land of Grameus. Then, after neutralizing the threat, the Emissaries of the Sun God vanished without a trace.

"...The reason why they are so obscure is that there is no physical evidence of their existence... wait, the Door of the World is said to have been built by them... but I can't confirm it since I have never been to the Topa Kingdom... My best bet to finding a piece of evidence is to look in the Rodenius Continent where they first appeared. Maybe the stories about them are passed through the generations by the elves, or maybe Emissaries left something behind... hmm." Robin mused.

Meteos tried to hide his smile as he listened to Robin's hypothesis.

Of course, he already knows exactly who they are, but where's the fun in giving off spoilers? Besides, his teacher's guesses are correct. The stories about the Emissaries of the Sun God are indeed passed through the generations by the Rodenian elves, and there is indeed something that they left behind.

"How about you? What do you think?"

At Robin's words, Meteos began to answer calmly, "Well, acts of God aside, when listening to the legend, I can't help but think about their description."

"Mm."

"It is said that they are riding divine flying ships, right? The closest thing I can imagine is they are similar to our country's Heavenly Vessel and Mu's flying machines... and since they are said to come from the sea, then they must possess ships as well."

Robin's eyebrows shot up, while Meteos continues to explain his theory.

"I see... what an interesting take of the legend. Well, the only way to confirm it is to go to the place where the event actually happens. And the place where they came from is still a mystery as well..."

"Is it possible that they are suddenly teleported into existence at sea, Miss Robin?"

"Eeh... I doubt it. It will make more sense if the Emissaries of the Sun God came from a land far to the east that we don't know about. But then there is magic... if they are really summoned from wherever they are, the amount of magic power needed is quite reachable for a group of powerful elves at that time..."

"I see... Well, since they are called the 'Emissaries of the Sun God', then the place where they came from wouldn't be all that strange if it's called the 'Origin of the Sun,' right?" Meteos held up his finger and spoke with a laugh.

"Origin of the Sun, huh? ...Heh, I like it. It has quite a nice ring to it."

The teacher and student continued their discussion for a while before Candee entered the library and told Robin that they are going back to the hotel.

August 31, 1614 Central Calendar, 11:10

Sea off the coast of northeastern Mu

On this day, the Muish military conducted the testing of its first aerial torpedo. A modified Challenger took off from a nearby base and flew low above the sea surface in order to attack a target barge set up near a small uninhabited island.

The test pilot, Acier, sweated profusely as he struggled to control his plane. The increased weight from the torpedo attached under the fuselage of the plane forced Acier to exert much more energy just to keep the plane stable. In addition, since he already flew at a low altitude, one slight mistake could result in a fatal crash. Not wanting to die, he focused on the task at hand.

"Hnggggg...! Just a bit more...!" He grunted.

After several minutes of flying, the stationary barge came into view. Acier pulled the lever connected to the torpedo, activating the screw, then released the torpedo. The weapon drew white contrails as it swam towards the target.

Feeling his plane becoming much lighter, Acier sighed in relief as he climbed and circled around the barge to see the torpedo hit the barge below the waterline. The explosion created a huge column of water, dragging the barge down to the sea.

After landing on the runway and getting off his plane, Acier feels a sudden urge to kiss the ground. He, who joined the Royal Flying Corps out of his love for flying, never feels so happy at being on the ground before. However, before he did so, two military officers walked up to him.

"Welcome back, Lieutenant Leclerc." The first officer greeted.

Acier merely nodded in response, too exhausted to talk.

After this testing, the Muish military began actively experimenting to further develop this new weapon. The RFC pilot, Acier Leclerc, is credited as the first Muish pilot to conduct a successful aerial torpedo drop, followed by another test two days later. The success of these experiments led to the construction of the first purpose-built torpedo bomber.

Even though their torpedoes are not as fast, as destructive, or as stealthy as Holy Milishial Empire's magic torpedo, Mu continued to work hard to catch up to them.

September 5, 1614 Central Calendar, 10:00

Esthirant Bay, Parpaldia Empire

A white ship is sailing through the bay at full sails, its abnormal speed easily surpassed other ships sailing in the same direction. The ship didn't take too long to get out of the bay and to the open sea.

After Kaios commissioned a shipbuilding friend to create a scale model and blueprint, he showed it to his father and talked to him to allow Kaios to modify one of the sail ships in his father's merchant fleet, the Meyer Trading Company. Since there was a ship that was under maintenance at that time, it was chosen for modification. Kaios also invited the Imperial Advisor Ruperther, who was doing his monthly inspection of the capital city's harbor, to come along. The result is the ship they are currently boarding.

"Amazing..."

Kaios, his father, Meyer, and Ruperther looked in amazement at the ship's speed.

Based on the very expensive Milishial books that Meyer bought in Runepolis during his voyages for his son, and in addition to Kaios' own inspiration, he managed to devise a more effective usage of the Tears of the Wind God. Instead of attaching the magic stone behind the sails, a pair of tubes located below the waterline connected to a special compartment inside the ship containing the Tears of the Wind God is used to direct the generated wind pressure backward to propel the ship, similar to an engine room. By the way, it is a cruder and simpler version of the arrangement used by Meteos when designing his magic torpedo.

As a result, the modified ship reached a recorded speed of 21 knots at maximum before the magic circuit in the Tears of the Wind God was exhausted, reverting the ship's speed to normal. However, when the ship returned to port, another problem was discovered: there are cracks on the ship's hull formed when the ship suddenly accelerated.

"I need to be more careful next time, one wrong move and all of us could die..." Kaios muttered while brushing his chest in relief as he inspected the ship's hull.

While the new method of propulsion still cannot be introduced for practical use, Kaios' promising innovation kickstarted the evolution of sailing ships in Parpaldia. They need to address the weakness in the wooden hull to accommodate the 'Underwater Pressure Propulsion system' first, so the development of iron-hulled sailing ships began at a rapid pace. The construction of iron-hulled ships required a huge amount of iron, so when Ruperther went to propose this at the meeting with the Imperial Government, Kaios suggested his father to quickly make a move, securing the profits.

Kaios himself was later summoned by Ruperther to his office to discuss the patent for his invention. Since the teenager's knowledge and creativity played a role in Ruperther's rise to fame within the Imperial Court, the Imperial Advisor feels that he owed him greatly.

Still no wristwatch, though.

Currently Publicly Available Information

AERIAL TORPEDO

A torpedo launched from a flying machine from the air which subsequently drops into the water, after which the weapon propels itself to the target. It is generally smaller and lighter than the ship-launched torpedoes. So far, the only user of this weapon is the Holy Milishial Empire and Mu.

Chapter Text

September 8, 1614 Central Calendar, 14:30

Runepolis Magic Academy

The class was over on the first day of school, and the blonde-haired student, Nadia Smirnova, headed to another classroom with a smile on her face. She was practically skipping along the way, followed by her two friends who were struggling to keep up with her pace. When she arrived at Class 3-A, Nadia looked around, trying to find the very noticeable silver hair of a certain boy.

"Haah... haah... Nadia, what was that for?" One of her friends, a redhead named Sofia, asked.

"I think... I know why she's in such a chipper mood..." whispered Nadia's other friend, a bespectacled girl named Annette, while trying to regain her breath.

While the crowd of students leaving the classroom thinned, Meteos was still nowhere to be seen. Eventually, she spotted Walman, who is the last one to leave the room. Her smile fell as they made eye contact. Seeing this, Walman sighed and walked up to the girls, already knowing why Nadia was here.

"He's not here, Miss Robin and Meteos went to Runes Valletta this morning and won't come back until night," Walman said.

"Oh... I see..." Nadia said dejectedly.

The brunette scratched his head and remembered something.

"Hey, if you want to say something to him, just tell me. I will use this to tell him."

Walman pulled a black rectangular object from his bag, an Aikon 117A grimoire, the improved version of the one sent to him before, this time included clock function and with the installation of transmission tower around the city, he can communicate with Meteos who was many kilometers away.

"Well... um... actually I just wanted to say hi, after all, it's been a while..."

"Alright," Walman shrugged as he typed to his grimoire.

"Wait, is that the new device I keep hearing about? Isn't that supposed to be released next month? So why are you having it now?" Annette interjected.

Walman looked up from his grimoire and answered noncommittally.

"Eeh, perks of being a developer, I guess."

"Oh, right..."

Nadia sighed, "I guess I'll just return to the dorms right now, see you later, Walman," she said before walking away with a noticeable sourer mood than before, followed by her two friends who keep glancing at her worriedly.

"Hm."

The brunette's usual attitude does not help improve her mood at all.

14:32

Oi

Nadia's looking for you

She said hi

14:36

Really? Sorry, I'm busy rn

Tell her Meteos said hi

14:36

Too late

She's already left

Why don't you buy her a grimoire or something

14:37

I'll think of it

Thx

"Thx."

Meteos typed into his grimoire inside a taxi on the way to the Runes Valletta Academy of Magic located in the suburbs of Runepolis before tucked the magical smartphone into his jacket's pocket while letting out a small sigh. Next to him, Robin gave him a sideways glance.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Walman. He said that Nadia is looking for me."

"Aah... how unfortunate..."

If Meteos heard Robin's mutterings, he decided not to comment on it and just stared at the passing trees outside.

One hour later

Runes Valletta Academy of Magic

The Runes Valletta Academy of Magic, also known by its abbreviation, RVM, is an educational institution just like the RMA, specializing in aerospace technology and is the developer for the Alpha and Beta series of Heavenly Vessels, or magically-powered jet aircraft reverse-engineered from the Ravernal Empire's magic fighter jet. The RVM has its own airfield and advanced technology for manufacturing airplanes, similar to how RMA is the best at making naval ships.

Once again, Robin has demonstrated the privileges of being a member of the MOASEC. Meteos had been discussing with Robin about the next project ever since they returned to the capital, and when he visited Robin's office about the possible hurdle in getting the RVM to cooperate with a rival institution, she just smiled, pulled a document, signed it, and sent it to RVM. The next day, they received a reply that the Runes Valletta Academy of Magic is ready to welcome an inspection by the Ancient Ministry. And here they are, Robin and Meteos, one of her apprentices, walking around three planes parked inside one of RVM's hangar, with one of the RVM's staff as a guide.

Meteos scribbled at his notebook as the guide continued his explanation.

"...and that concludes the explanation. Do you have any questions?" The guide asked.

"Well, Meteos?" Robin prodded.

The silver-haired teenager stared at the three Heavenly Vessels in front of him with a forlorn smile.

The plane to the far right is the Alpha-1, the current air superiority fighter for the Holy Milishial Imperial Air Force, and next to it is the Beta-1, a multirole fighter. Both of them are powered by two Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Engines, which is basically a magically-powered pulsejet engine. This type of engine operates under a two-stage spell casting; during takeoff, the Tears of the Wind God will be used to draw in air, while purified liquid magic stones are used to produce combustion and thrust. The Tears of the Wind God's magic circuit will eventually deplete mid-flight, leaving the engine to passively suck in air for the rest of the flight.

The last aircraft has a sophisticated arrowhead shape with tailed delta wings and canards, but missing its engine and nose cone. This is the Ravernal fighter jet used as a basis for HME's Heavenly Vessel, dubbed "Alpha Zero." This engineless plane is the one with the best condition and is sent to RVM for analysis and reverse-engineering under the supervision of the MOASEC. As for why it has no engine, actually, the Milishian engineers unearthed in a separate place what can be described as a magic turbofan engine in good condition and managed to analyze it to a certain degree, and went on to test the engine.

It exploded.

Other turbofan engines unearthed later were either missing too many parts or too damaged to be used, so the progress came to a halt as they gave up on it. The current engine is the best they can reverse-engineer, based on an older, less sophisticated Ravernal jet engine.

Since the Heavenly Vessels the Empire produced are incapable of reaching supersonic speeds, with its two engines only capable of bringing the plane to less than 500 kilometers per hour, they then resorted to using straight wings for the plane. In addition, since creating a perfect replica of the materials used in the Alpha Zero is too costly, HME resorted to using a significantly lower grade magic alloy, resulting in a severe reduction of the fuselage's strength. This makes the Heavenly Vessels incapable of pulling sharp maneuvers lest the plane will disintegrate midair.

This result of the trial-and-error method and severe lack of understanding of aerodynamics is painful to look at, to be honest.

This will also haunt the Holy Milishial Empire in the future as their best jet fighters are outmatched before the Antares fighters of the Gra Valkas Empire.

"Have you considered finding a stronger material for the plane?" Meteos finally asked.

"Yes. We estimated that using Ferrum-3+ will result in a stronger structure for the plane, but it is not cost-effective, so we are sticking with the current alloy, Ferrum-2+."

Ferrum-2+ means that the chemical element of iron (Fe) has been enhanced with magic on the molecular level, denoted by the 'plus'. The higher the number, the stronger the magic power used, but the more difficult the process and requires more highly purified magic stones as fuel, resulting in an exponential increase of the cost. Currently, the Mithril-3+ is the strongest magic alloy the Empire can produce, but the production cost is so astronomical that no one can find any practical use of the material. Ferrum-2+ is still also far from Alpha Zero's alloy, Mithril-1+, which will be used in the future as an armor material for the Mithril-class battleship.

At the end of the inspection, Meteos received a headache. He didn't know where to start.

"So, Meteos, do you have any suggestion of how to improve the performance of the plane?"

At Robin's question, Meteos rubbed his temple before answering.

"Yes... I have concluded that before we can even touch the fuselage or the cockpit, we need to upgrade the engine—no, we need to create a new engine altogether...... The engine... the engine is shit! What the hell is this!? They used two and are still slow as hell!? This is unacceptable, Miss Robin! This is an affront to technology, an insult! A waste of money and life for something so worthless!" he ranted, ignoring the violent twitching of the guide's eyebrows.

His teacher sweatdropped at Meteos' outburst. 'Wow, it must be pretty bad if he suddenly exploded like that,' she thought.

A minute later, Meteos finished his rant and calmed down.

"......I have plans for improving the engine, but I need to check on something, and we will need cooperation from the RVM."

The accompanying guide, whose institution Meteos had indirectly insulted, tried to retort angrily, but a terrifying glare from Robin silenced him.

"O-o-of course...! We at Runes Valletta will do our best to help with your project... Miss Cal—"

"No, technically it's not my project, neither the Ancient Ministry, it's his. I'm merely here to supervise and make sure that everything goes smoothly. The Ancient Ministry merely provides support and we don't want to get credit for someone else's work." Robin interrupted.

"Urk......! Y-yes, of course."

Robin gave a satisfied nod at the whimpering RVM official. Other than her personal reasons, she has been assigned by her superiors to make sure that Meteos Roguerider, whose reforms have been steadily proved to benefit the Empire, can conduct his projects without trouble. If required, she will not hesitate to clobber the official to submission with her fists, but doing so will only upset her student. Still, she is not above using threats or subterfuge to accomplish her task.

The official from RVM also knows better not to risk the ire of someone representing the Ancient Ministry, the most influential government agency in the Empire, and the one who entrusted the Alpha Zero to them. With the disappointing result of analysis and reverse-engineering of the Alpha Zero, it is good enough that the Ancient Ministry still bothered to ask for their expertise. Although they have to work together with a rival institution, this is a chance for them to acquire funding and prestige by accomplishing the project, especially since the latest development by the RMA.

"Alright, then. If there's nothing else, we shall take our leave. Thank you very much," she said with a smile.

"T-the honor is mine, ma'am!"

"Alright. Let's go, kid. Where to next?"

After thanking the guide, Meteos and Robin walked out of the RVM complex, the sun was already hanging low in the sky, giving an eerie orange glow. Both of them returned to the Runepolis Magic Academy by taxi, but not before stopping by Aikon Corporation's headquarters because Meteos wanted to ask the CEO something.

19:00

Runepolis Magic Academy

Walking to the Alchemy Department's laboratory, Meteos and Robin discussed their visit to RVM earlier this day.

"...You don't have to worry about blueprints, it is pretty much done. The problem here is the materials that will be used for the engine parts. If we use the current method of using a pure material enhanced with magic power, to make it stronger will require greater magic energy, which requires more highly purified magic ores, and it will be expensive. So I propose that we find an alternative to that, for example, combining several materials to create a new alloy that does not rely too much on magical reinforcement or even remove it entirely so that the energy can be used somewhere else, but strong enough to withstand heat and friction."

Hearing Meteos' explanation, Robin nodded.

"I see. About using magically enhanced materials, what is the main problem with them?" She asked.

"That is Ravernal's method, Miss Robin. Light-winged people have a magic power incomparable to other races in this world, of course they can use the brute force of their magic as they please. We humans and other sentient beings will never be able to do that, and yet those engineers wasted their time trying to replicate it. I mean, it's okay, it's just that they don't bother to find another way."

"Mm... rather uncreative, aren't they? I wonder why..."

Shrugging, Meteos continued to talk.

"By the way, Miss Robin, remember the first time we met? Back then, I considered creating a miniature turbojet engine instead of a conductive magnetic radar, but it was way too expensive beyond my savings, and I don't find the materials to be satisfactory."

"Is that so? Well, I'm looking forward to seeing this 'turbojet engine' that you will be creating!"

After entering the laboratory, they were greeted by a male elf wearing a white lab coat.

"Professor Calvello, and Mr. Roguerider, welcome to the Alchemy Department laboratory."

"Yes. Sorry for our sudden visit, but we have a favor to ask you, Shara."

"I'm all ears."

At his words, Meteos spoke up.

"We need to check if your lab has a sample of Non-Magic Conductible Ore #22."

Shara raised an eyebrow at the boy's strange request, but nodded and answered.

"I understand, then please fill the forms first."

Several minutes later, two metal cubes with the size of 4 × 4 × 4 centimeters were brought before them. Meteos picked one and examined it closely. They were both silver in color, very hard, but quite light.

"Where is this one came from?" He asked.

"That is a sample from the Meerky Kingdom, and that one from Altaras. Since these are non-magic conductible ores and they don't seem to have any use of it, we were able to acquire it for free."

"But if you can shape them into this, that means RMA's forge can process #22, right?"

"Yes, our forge can process and magically infuse metals up to Mithril-2+, but this one is quite hard to process than iron and cannot be infused with magic power in its pure form. We once tried to mix it with iron, but as a result, the impurity caused the process to enhance the resulting metal takes more time and magic power than usual, although it is stronger than the magically enhanced iron alloys. That's why the naval engineers don't use them as armor material since it only means a slower speed of using magical armor reinforcement."

Which did not fit the Empire's naval armor doctrine. HME Navy relied on the quick deployment of mana from powering the ship, the weapons, and reinforcing the entire ship's hull, which is made of pure magical alloys. That is also a Ravernal method, which means HME's attempt to do the same thing will always result in a far weaker output than the light-winged people, but since it always worked against other weapons in this known world, they never bothered to find an alternative way. Meteos didn't know whether it is a part of the virulent magical supremacism mindset or the engineers simply being lazy. Besides, all that problem will not become a problem once Meteos succeeded in creating the turbine engine, which is capable of producing larger output than the current ones fielded by the Empire.

In addition, the Ravernal material strengthening method cannot be applied to HME's aircraft, which has a much smaller engine. Thus, it is imperative that the development of a new alloy that does not rely on it be conducted as soon as possible.

After confirming that there is more of the material, also known as NMC-22, being stored in the RMA's Alchemy Department and further discussion, Meteos and Robin finished their business for the day and decided to return to their apartment. When they arrived at around 1 o'clock midnight, Walman was already asleep. They will have to continue the brainstorming of finding the perfect material for the turbojet engine tomorrow.

September 9, 1614 Central Calendar, 14:30

A yawning Meteos walked out of the classroom along with Walman. He can still remember the lessons today from his previous life, so he is quite bored. He can't wait for the semester to just end already, ever since he invented that conductive magnetic radar, he already secured his and Walman's dream to become an engineer. The RMA will more than happy to pass them both without a test.

A nudge from Walman broke him from his musings, and when he turned at him, Walman pointed with his chin toward a direction, and when he followed it with his eyes, he saw Nadia and her two friends. Remembering something from yesterday, Meteos smiled and walked at them.

"Um... hi, Meteos."

"Nadia, I heard that you looked for me yesterday. Sorry, I have an important business with Miss Robin," Meteos said apologetically.

"It's alright, I just wanted to say hi. After all, it's been a while."

"Oh, that's right. Nadia, I have something for you."

Meteos rummaged his bag and pulled a pair of small boxes, then showed it to Nadia. Annette and Sofia looked at each other in astonishment while Walman gawked at the sight of the boxes and then muttered under his breath, "He really did it..."

"Huh!? Aren't these...?"

"That's right! These are grimoires! If you want to call me or send me messages, don't hesitate to do so! There are manuals inside it. If I'm not busy, I'll try to answer. I also bought another one for your grandmother so you can call her anytime. Here, this is for you!" Meteos said with a wide grin.

This turn of events is totally unexpected for Nadia, whose face quickly began to turn red.

"W-wha... I... please wait a moment!"

She pulled her two friends away and began to talk in hushed tones to each other.

"What should I do!? He's been very kind to me but this is too much! I don't want to take advantage of his kindness!"

"No, I don't think he is bothered at all. Just look at him..." Annette pointed out.

"Just accept it, Nadia," Sofia added.

"But—"

"If you don't take them, Meteos might be disappointed. You want to see him look dejected?"

At Annette's words, Nadia glanced at the silver-haired boy. He was waiting patiently with Walman. She bit her lips before finally slumping her shoulders in resignation and walked to him.

"Alright... Meteos, thank you very much... I don't know what to think..."

"Don't worry about it. You should send the other one to your grandmother immediately," Meteos waved her off nonchalantly.

Nadia smiled shyly as she put the grimoire boxes into her bag.

"Hey, hey, Meteos, what about me?" Annette pointed to herself with a sly tone.

"Haah!? Your father is a duke, why don't you ask him to order it for you!?"

"Jeez... I'm just joking. Besides how is my father being a duke have anything to do with this?" She pouted.

To be honest, that remark stung. Here is her possible relative and he already hated her because some nobles decided to be arrogant assholes. Nadia and Sofia decided to call him out.

"Meteos, that was uncalled for!"

"I don't know if you hate nobles or something, but Anna's father is always a real gentleman, you know! He's not the typical stuck-up nobles!"

Meteos realized what he was just saying and flinched, "...Sorry. That was very rude of me. I don't mean any of that."

"...Alright. Then as an apology, you must buy us ice cream!"

"Seriously!? Didn't I say sorry already!? Argh, fine!"

"Heh, serves you right, Meteos. Next time you better think before you speak," Walman snickered.

Meteos threw his hand in exasperation while four of them laughed as they walked along the school's corridor to the entrance.

"You three, I heard that you are planning to take the equivalency exam, right?" Meteos turned to the girls and asked after they reached the school building's entrance.

"Well... that's right, is there any problem?" Nadia asked.

"Here's the thing. I wanted to ask for your help with my project. I have talked to Professor Robin about this, and if the project is finished, she agrees to vouch for anyone helping in my project to skip the exam altogether and got accepted in whatever department you want to join immediately."

He said that as if he was talking about the weather, but for the girls, this is a big deal.

"H-hold on! Can we discuss this first!?" Annette held up her hands.

"Sure. But it's preferable that you tell me your decision immediately."

Meteos pulled a paper and a pen, then wrote a set of numbers in it before handing it over to Nadia.

"That is my grimoire's number. You will need it to call other people's grimoires. If you have decided, call me immediately. Okay?"

The next day, the three of them agreed to help Meteos in his project.

That's right, when given a chance, don't miss it.

Especially when the power of the insider is strong in this one.

Currently Publicly Available Information

ALPHA ZERO

A Heavenly Vessel developed by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, it was given the designation of "Object 16" by the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures. There are several intact planes that managed to be discovered, one of them was given to the Runes Valletta Academy of Magic for analysis and reverse-engineering. That particular individual plane was missing an engine and a nose cone believed to house a mana detector or a conductive magnetic radar.

Chapter Text

October 5, 1614 Central Calendar, 14:00

Esthirant, Parpaldia Empire

On his monthly routine, the Imperial Advisor Ruperther will go to the city to see what happened in Esthirant himself. The general idea is to familiarize himself with the activities of the general public in the capital city, including economic transactions in the market. Some said that he did this to improve his image, and on the other hand, not a few said that his routine is reasonable and appropriate for a government official to be in touch with the people.

Recently, Ruperther has gained an idea for reform in his tenure after doing an inquiry to the merchant district of Esthirant and becoming an acquaintance with Kaios, a son of a trader who is fascinated with the Holy Milishial Empire after visiting Runepolis and acquainted with someone there. Through the establishment of a common standard, commerce activities became even more active as merchants and artisans can better manage their products.

As he walked along the street, nodding slightly in acknowledgment to the people who greeted him respectfully along the way, Ruperther headed for a certain direction. He walked for a while before spotting a medium-sized storefront at the end of the backstreet, with a plaque that reads 'Handelsonderneming Meyer', the Meyer Trading Company.

There, among the working employees in and around the store, a blonde teenager wearing simple clothes is cleaning one of its windows. After wiping the window with a wet cloth, he squeezed the water, dipped the cloth into the bucket beside him, and wiped the window again. While he's at it, the teenager occasionally chatted with the employees that passed by him in a friendly manner.

"Excuse me."

The teenager, Kaios, perked up at the calm voice and turned to see Ruperther.

"Ah! Good afternoon, Lord Ruperther," he greeted with a smile while using a dry cloth from his back pocket to wipe his hands.

"Yes. Good afternoon to you as well. I see you are as diligent as usual."

The blonde smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. When he ushered the older man to come in, Ruperther politely declined, preferring to talk outside. The other employees of the store greeted Ruperther at the sight of him.

"Well... it's nothing, really... Do you come to meet my father?"

"I'm just doing my usual routine. Speaking of which, do you have something interesting to show me today?"

Despite being the son of the company's owner, Kaios did chores in his free time. One thing that Ruperther learned after meeting Kaios is other than being diligent, he also does not cut corners in achieving what he wanted. This includes the wristwatch he keeps talking about for the last few months. Since building a machine like that requires advanced knowledge, the teenager began gathering sources of knowledge from where he first saw the wristwatch, the Holy Milishial Empire, so that he will be able to have one someday.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ruperther. My father's next voyage is two months later. So, I'm just here helping around."

"I see. That's fine. By the way, I heard that your father's company is building a new ship, how is it going?"

"Father says they are still planning, but they say they don't have experience building a new ship like this, so they are stuck."

Ruperther pondered.

The new ship for the Meyer Trading Company is going to implement the underwater pressure propulsion system that was tried on one of its ships a month ago, which is decided to be an iron-hulled ship. Having such a fast ship will surely attract more customers for the trading company, and in the future, it is possible to build a larger ship while maintaining the speed advantage. The widespread usage of this new technology will also greatly increase maritime trade, as more trade goods have been produced than before. That's not even mentioning the military use of iron-hulled ships.

Research and development have also been conducted. The problem is, despite the promising potential, no one is quite sure how to proceed with the construction as the shipbuilders here don't have any experience handling it. Although Ruperther had mentioned this in the previous meeting with the ministers and did his best to promote the invention, they are not convinced to give additional funding until an actual ship is made.

All of this came from Kaios, who even went as far as coming up with an idea to make a ship sail faster so he does not have to wait for a long time to acquire the previously mentioned sources of knowledge, which impressed Ruperther with his dedication, albeit a bit reckless. It's amusing how a desire can drive someone to that extent, however farfetched it sounds.

"Ah, to be young and reckless again," he muttered with a slight chuckle.

"Yes?"

"No, it's nothing. So, if you were to seek the help of Esthirant's best shipbuilders, will it solve the problem?"

"To be honest, I don't know."

This is clearly not a problem that can be solved within a day, Ruperther thought. As Ruperther was about to say goodbye and return to his office to think about it, the sound of someone, or rather, a couple of people, walking in their direction caught his attention.

"This is their main store."

"I see, thank you very much."

A girl's voice spoke to a man.

When Kaios and Ruperther looked in the direction, they saw a blonde-haired teenager at Kaios' age leading a glasses-wearing man through the street. Seeing Ruperther, the girl whispered to the man.

"Psst, hey, the Imperial Advisor is here, mind your manners."

"Y-yes..."

The man gulped and tried to put on his best smile before walking up to them and opening his mouth to speak.

"E-excuse me, is this the Meyer Trading Company's store?"

Turning to Ruperther, the man bowed, "Imperial Advisor, nice to meet you."

"Hm. Continue your business, son."

"Yes. This is our company's main store. What is your purpose of visiting us?" Kaios asked.

"My name is Julian, an engineer and representative from Duro Shipbuilding Company. I came all the way here after hearing rumors about a white ship that sails faster than other sailing ships, and after asking the people around here, they pointed at this company."

"As far as I'm concerned, only Meyer Trading Company have white-painted ships in this city, so yes. That ship you've heard of belongs to us."

As Kaios said, the Meyer Trading Company is known for using white-hulled ships in their merchant fleet. Relatively new in business, being established just a few years before Kaios was born, the company used this as a way to distinguish itself from other existing trading companies. The ship mentioned by Julian, Geloof, is the second of the company's four merchant sail ships currently employed.

The Duro Shipbuilding Company, or Durosche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (DSM), is one of the biggest shipbuilders in the Parpaldia Empire, headquartered in the country's industrial center of Duro. It is a long-established company and is known as the best when it comes to shipbuilding, and one of their representatives has come to visit them after hearing the latest rumors about Meyer's ship, just in time as they encountered a problem with shipbuilding.

Seeing this as a chance to help solve the current problem, Ruperther spoke to Kaios.

"Well, I suppose changes have to be made on my schedule. Kaios, I think you should call your father and listen to what he's going to say."

While Kaios nodded and told an employee to notify his father about Julian's visit, the DSM representative noticed how the teenager and the Imperial Advisor interacted so casually with each other with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

'I never expected a medium-sized company like this has a connection with a nobleman, let alone someone so high in the government!'

Originally coming to Esthirant to confirm the rumors of a fast-sailing ship and possibly negotiate with whoever is building that ship, Julian did not expect to encounter this. However, deciding that this is an opportunity to further his company's interest, Julian walked into the reception room with a newfound determination. After he entered the store, those who remained outside began to talk to each other.

"Listen, Kaios, that man comes from one of the shipbuilding experts in the entire Parpaldia, they might be able to help you with your problem. Also, this is a chance for you to build connections that will be useful in the future," Ruperther said.

"I... I see... well, that is good, right?"

Knowing that Ruperther is more experienced in this matter, Kaios just nodded as he listened to the Imperial Advisor.

"By the way, Lord Ruperther, will you join the meeting?"

"Since I've been here, might as well attend the meeting. I also wanted to find a way to convince the ministers. Since he's probably talking about your ship, you must be present as well. After all, it's your idea that made him come all the way here."

After talking to Kaios, Ruperther walked inside the store, led by another employee. The blonde boy then turned to the only other person outside, the girl that walked with Julian to the store.

"...Hi, Elto."

The girl, Elto, crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as she talked to Kaios.

"What are you up to this time?"

"I don't know what are you talking about."

"Aren't you still into that wristwatch thing you keep rambling about?"

"Well... yes..."

"Then how come you suddenly dealing with a ship?"

Ever since Kaios went to Runepolis last year, he constantly annoyed her with his bragging nonstop about things he saw in Milishial's capital at first, showed off the books that his father bought there, then turned into him gushing about this thing called wristwatch, which is apparently a small clock that can be worn like a bracelet. When Kaios said that he really wanted to have a wristwatch on his own, Elto called him delusional, saying that there is no way he will be able to have something that is still new in a superpower like Milishial, at least in his lifetime.

Elto blamed whoever Milishian guy whom Kaios met for giving him such an idea which will surely turn into a hopeless endeavor in her point of view.

"...I'm not sure about it myself."

Kaios isn't even sure how it turned out like this. People had come asking him about his common standard idea before, and as a result, his father's store become even more renowned across the city. Kaios doesn't know how this will further his dream of obtaining a wristwatch, but since his father's company become even more profitable than before, he concluded that he is doing a good thing.

Elto eyed Kaios dubiously before sighing.

"...Fine, whatever, I'm going to go home, then."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

After seeing Elto off, Kaios entered the store and into the meeting room where his father, Ruperther, and Julian are gathered for the preliminary meeting between the representatives.

A few minutes later...

"Hmm, interesting..."

Julian muttered as he observed a model of a sailing ship equipped with the underwater pressure propulsion system. It looked just like a normal clipper, with the exception of two metal tubes protruding from the stern section underneath the waterline.

During the meeting, the head of the Meyer Trading Company explained that it was an idea devised by his son as a more efficient way of using Tears of the Wind God. However, it is still crude and has a weakness of damaging the ship's wooden hull, hence the company wanted to build a new ship with an iron hull to safely use the system, but shipbuilders in Esthirant lacked the experience to do so, and they are currently seeking an experienced shipbuilder.

As Julian pondered, this will be a challenge for even the DSM. However, this is also an opportunity for them to gain connection from someone in the Imperial Court, so he must try to appeal to his upper management about this.

"I understand, I will tell the upper management about this matter."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Julian, we are looking forward to your company's answer."

Meyer, Ruperther, and Kaios took turns shaking Julian's hand at the end of the meeting. Once Julian returned to his hotel, he immediately contacted the DSM's main office in Duro to confirm his findings and to inform the company, and one week later, an answer came from DSM to discuss the contract of building a new ship for the Meyer Trading Company.

Meanwhile, after Ruperther returned to his office, his secretary gave him an exasperated scolding for being absent longer than usual.

Currently Publicly Available Information

MEYER TRADING COMPANY MERCHANT FLEET

The Meyer Trading Company currently operates four clipper-type sailships in its merchant fleet, all sporting white paint on their hulls. The fleet consisted of:

• Hoope (Hope)
• Geloof (Faith)
• Trouw (Loyalty)
• Blijde Boodschap (Good Tiding)

There are plans to procure one more ship. Negotiations have been underway with the Duro Shipbuilding Company.

Chapter Text

October 9, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:10

Runepolis Magic Academy Training Ground, Holy Milishial Empire

In the Runepolis Magic Academy, there is a location called the "Training Ground," a place where students and staff of the RMA could practice using their magic powers. In the Holy Milishial Empire, where the usage of magic in public places is restricted by law except for self-defense or emergency cases, the Imperial government provided locations like this throughout the country, where citizens can legally practice their magic casting ability under the supervision of the institutions to which the training grounds belong to.

The Training Ground becomes one of Meteos' favorite places after arriving at the RMA. It is one of the places where he can relieve the stress of endlessly drafting plans and blueprints by using his wind magic to train and channeling his inner child by performing various tricks for his amusement. Today, however, the purpose of his visit was different.

At a secluded corner in the Training Ground located near a pond surrounded by trees that separated it from the rest of the area, Meteos and his friends, accompanied by Robin and another engineer were setting up a small cylindrical object on top of a stand. While Meteos was attaching a hose connected to a bottle filled with red liquid to the object, Annette, one of his friends from another class, spoke to him with a dubious expression as she inspected the object closely.

"Hey, Meteos... are you sure this will work?"

The silver-haired boy only sighed slightly and answered her calmly.

"You guys have worked hard for this past month, so have some confidence, because I'm sure that your efforts will be rewarded without fail."

"I really wanted to doubt you, but... they say you never fail at making things, so..." Annette trailed off.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," Meteos retorted flatly, to which she let out a light snort.

Since last month, when they agreed to help Meteos with his project with the promise of instantly passing the coveted equivalency exam if they succeed, Nadia Smirnova and her two friends, Sofia Trussardi and Annette Pendragon, were involved in the construction of the object being set up right now, which Meteos called a 'miniature magic turbojet engine'. According to him, it is supposed to be more advanced and sophisticated than the engines currently used by the Heavenly Vessels of the Empire. Initially, Annette doubted that such an ambitious and farfetched project will succeed, but after learning about his track record and seeing Professor Calvello agreeing, excited, even, at the proposed project, she reluctantly agrees and did her best to help.

They spent the first two weeks determining the composition of the new material that will be used for the engine, and another two weeks actually building and assembling the engine. The result is that the engine's components, which consists roughly of a compressor, combustion chamber, a turbine, and nozzle, are made entirely of this new alloy, exhausting the entire supply of NMC-22 in RMA, even though the engine is very small in size.

On the other hand, although he is seeking their help, Meteos basically carried the entire project, as the design and blueprint for the engine was already 90% complete when he spoke to them, while the rest of them did nearly nothing but observe and take notes of how the characteristics of magically enhanced iron combined with the NMC-22 and other materials at a certain composition, with only Robin providing inputs here and there for the engine's construction. Although Nadia and Sofia were okay with how things proceeded, Annette wasn't satisfied with this, as she expected to have a more active role in the project. After all, Meteos asked for their help, not asking them to watch.

'But... worked hard my ass...' Annette huffed.

She asked questions here and there, but apparently, the inner mechanics of this new engine is much more complicated than she initially thought and far beyond her comprehension. It's not something an ordinary junior high school student's school project. It's no wonder Professor Calvello is so enthusiastic.

However, this is the same as being handed something for free while doing nothing at all. Annette's pride as a noblewoman won't allow it. She decided that she must pay Meteos back later somehow.

Several minutes later, they finished setting up the engine.

"Okay, we're done setting up the engine. Miss Robin, please."

At Meteos' prompt, Robin nodded and stomped on the ground, channeling mana into the soil to materialize hardened earth that securely clamped the stand in place. She didn't need to chant the spell nor call out the spell's name, as she always carried the newest "Manadriver" (terminology coined by the Army to distinguish military-grade grimoire system from the civilian ones) for self-defense, courtesy of being the Manadriver's inventor and a MOASEC member.

"Wait a second, Meteos," Robin called out. "For an additional safety measure, let me conjure a magic barrier first."

"...Of course, but please don't push yourself too hard, Miss Robin."

"Heh... thanks for your concern."

As she was playfully chiding Meteos, Robin focused the magic power again, this time into her stretched-out left hand, creating a translucent bluish barrier between them and the engine stand. And while keeping her left hand in stretched-out position, she called out again.

"Alright, you may start."

"...We will now commence the first testing run of the engine," Meteos declared in front of a magic video recorder set up a distance away from the stand where the engine was set up. He then walked to a lever connected to the engine by wire and pushed it.

WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.........

WROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!

As the engine is turned on and red-colored liquid magic fuel begin to be sucked into the engine, it began to emit a loud whine for several minutes in the preheat stage, and as the engine transitioned into the idle stage, the sound turned into a loud roar as the air sucked into the intake was compressed, heated by the burning fuel in the combustion chamber before expanding through the turbine, resulting in thrust coming out of the nozzle behind the engine.

"Eep!" Sofia yelped and covered her ears, startled by the unprecedentedly loud noise.

"Man, that thing is greedy," Walman commented on the fuel consumption of the engine, which is far higher than the Light Magic Engine he knows.

"Yes. No visible abnormalities so far, the material is holding out."

"I can't believe it. It really works..." muttered the RMA engineer accompanying them from behind the video recorder he was operating.

"Yeah..."

Meteos wrote into the notepad. However, he was frustrated that they still don't have the means to monitor the detailed condition and performance of the engine, so he had to make do with only visual observations. He bit his lip and pushed the lever further to bring the engine to maximum thrust.

The reason they are doing the testing outdoor is because of the concern that arose from the possibility of the engine exploding during the testing run, which can damage the laboratory. That's why they chose a secluded place at the Training Ground. But thankfully, the engine looks fine so far. The bluish particles generated from the engine's nozzle continue to spew furiously, and the sheer heat distorted the air behind the engine. The team continued to look on in amazement.

From where she is standing, Robin, while continuing to concentrate to maintain the magic barrier, couldn't help but whistle at her students' piece of work. The roaring sound of the miniature turbojet engine is completely different from the buzzing sound that the Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Engine produces. She then noticed that the engine stand began to move slightly under the engine's full thrust, despite the clamps securing the stand.

With a grunt, she made a clenching gesture with her free hand, channeling the magic power to hold the stand through the hardened earth clamps. Robin began to feel a slight sense of discomfort of having to exert more magic power and concentrate on two spells at once, sweat began to form on her forehead.

"Oh no... hang in there, Miss Robin," Nadia said worriedly.

"Nah... it's nothing, continue on, kid!"

Meteos nodded and let the engine run at full thrust for a few more minutes before the fuel bottle run out of red magic liquid, causing the engine's movement to gradually stop and began sputtering gray smoke from the nozzle. Seeing the jet engine stop moving, Robin dispelled the magic barrier and let out a deep sigh.

"Alright! It's done. I think it's safe to say that the first testing run of the new engine is a success!"

Meteos declared happily to the rest of the team, who cheered in response to his words. However, one of the girls, Annette, just crossed her arms and did not try to hide her dissatisfaction at how things proceeded, although she smirked a bit when Meteos made eye contact with her. Meteos continued as he looked at his notepad.

"In addition, we have confirmed that the new alloy, which is created from Combination 6 of the magically strengthened iron combined with the NMC-22, is capable of withstanding heat and pressure generated from the operation of the engine. It is also lighter but stronger than even the strongest of pure magic iron alloys. Overall, the result is very satisfactory."

He then turned to the three girls.

"Congratulations, you three. Now, Nadia, Sofia, and Annette, the rest is for you to make a report about this and you're skipping the exam. Sorry, I can't help with the report, since I'll be very busy. But don't worry, if you have any questions, Walman can help you. Right?"

"Mm-hmm."

Nadia and Sofia nodded in understanding, while Annette let out an annoyed sigh and spoke up.

"Go on with your business, then. We can do it on our own from here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes. I'm sure."

Meteos glanced at Nadia and Sofia, who both nodded in confirmation of Annette's words.

"We don't want to bother you, if you have something more important," Nadia said.

"...Alright, then. I'll check the engine."

As they watched Meteos turn on his heel and walked towards the stand, where Robin and the RMA engineer were talking to each other, his friends began to talk among themselves.

"That Meteos, why he always tries to do things on his own?" Muttered Annette.

"We're talking to him about it. It's much better than when we first arrived in Runepolis, Miss Robin often berated him not to overwork himself, that stubborn guy."

Hearing Walman's answer, the bespectacled girl raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so? Then tell him to start trusting his friends more in a group work like this."

"That's right, it's not good for his health," Nadia added.

"......Are you sure you're not upset that he's practically coddling you the entire project, Pendragon?" Walman asked a bit snidely.

"What!? What are you talking about!?" she sputtered.

Walman gave her a knowing smile. When Meteos came to them and asked for their help, he did not expect them to actually help him build the engine, so he gave them roles that he thinks easy to do for the three girls. Of course, this must have unintentionally hurt the pride of Annette Pendragon, a noblewoman of high standing who is also a genius herself. That must be the reason why out of the three, she is the one who asked questions the most, trying to show her own ability. However, as it turned out, it is too difficult to understand for someone inexperienced as her. Even Walman who lived with Meteos still has difficulty understanding the silver-haired boy's workings.

"...Alright, alright. I admit this turbojet engine thing is beyond my expertise. But! I will show you this is not the end! Meteos said this is only the beginning of the project, right? Then I will show him that I can do much more than just sit and watching! Just you wait!"

Annette declared as she pointed her finger at Walman. Her blue eyes glared fiercely at him behind her glasses.

"Haah!? Why the hell are you pointing at me!? Tell that to Meteos, not me!" The brunette yelled incredulously.

Watching the two begin bickering at each other, Sofia and Nadia laughed lightly.

Meanwhile

The engine was cooled down enough to be held by hands. Robin, helped by the RMA engineer, began to remove the cables and fuel hose before picking the engine unit and holding it in her hands.

"Man, this kid never ceases to amaze me..." She muttered, then turned to the engineer. "Hey, Carlos. What do you think?"

Seeing that he was being addressed, the RMA's engineer named Carlos, responded to her question.

"It's a very ingenious invention, Professor. By using this mechanism called a turbine, the engine's air intake and thrust are increased dramatically, and as a result, the overall performance is far higher than the Light Discharge Engine. But what interests me more is the material used in this engine. I can't believe that Roguerider kid found a way to develop heat-resistant materials using literal junk ore..."

"Mm-hmm. Imagine if the full-scale version of this engine is put to practical use. The Heavenly Vessels may be able to reach beyond the speed of sound."

As she stroked the now cold surfaces of the miniature engine, Robin's mind traced the possibilities that came from the practical usage of the turbine technology, which will change the entire path of development that the Empire is currently taking. If the Empire understands the principles behind it, they can apply them in many fields other than aviation, and by promoting the usage of the material used in the engine, the Empire can find a much cheaper, but stronger alternative to the purely magical ore that the Empire is still incapable to process, significantly cutting the cost of technology development. Honestly, a significant portion of funds in reverse-engineering of excavated Ravernal technologies was used on materials.

Having understood how a turbine works from her time assisting Meteos, Robin already has some suggestions for improvements in mind. However, another thought came upon her at the sight of the engine's inner mechanism.

'Hmm... Some part of this engine looks eerily similar to a destroyed Ravernal engine I've seen in the Ancient Weapons Operation Headquarters. That is top-secret information, and I can guarantee that Meteos had never seen it before, so I'm sure this is a coincidence, but to think his invention greatly resembled something made by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire... Fufufu, interesting... very interesting, Meteos Roguerider...'

Robin felt the corner of her mouth rise the more she thought about it. However, the sound of people yelling broke her out of her musings.

"Hmm? What are those kids doing over there?"

She looked at the group from her place to see Walman and Annette bickering with each other before noticing Meteos walking towards her.

"I'm glad the engine looks intact," Meteos said, looking at the mini turbojet engine in Robin's hands.

"Yep, by the way, Meteos, let's discuss the details after this in my office."

"Yes."

As they began storing the equipment used in the testing, the sun began to rise high in the sky and soft autumn breeze blew on the Training Ground, caressing their faces. Meteos looked at his wristwatch and spoke up.

"There is still plenty of time before lunch, what are you going to do next, Miss Robin?"

"Hmm... I guess I'll go back to my office and take a nap."

"Oh, damn, I guess maintaining two spells at once is quite taxing for the physique, huh?"

Robin nodded, "Pretty much so. A side effect of using Manadriver is that you will need to exert more magic power at the cost of instant spellcasting... I'm practicing for months, but man... it's still tiring to use multiple spells at once."

"But look at the bright side, can the Agarthan mages do the same thing?"

"Hah! They can't! Score two for Robin, then!"

The teacher and student laughed, making fun of the mages from their neighboring country of Agartha Kingdom, which despite being a country that excelled in developing magic power of individual person instead of magic technology like the Holy Milishial Empire, began to see their efforts overtaken within months ever since the invention of the grimoire system. It's only a matter of time before HME began mass-producing the newest Manadrivers as part of their military equipment.

"I have an idea. It will be great if you can make a portable magic barrier that can be deployed without being constantly maintained by mages, don't you think?"

"Hmm... I'll keep that in mind." Robin yawned.

Seeing his teacher already looking tired, Meteos stopped talking and after finishing storing the engine, they began walking out of the Training Ground.

---

10:00

Robin's office, Runepolis Magic Academy

Upon entering her office room, Robin immediately threw herself on the couch and after removing her glasses and taking a more comfortable position, she let her increasingly heavy eyelids close, the sign of her asleep being the slight rising and falling of her chest. Meteos and Walman already get used to her informal behavior in her office, but Nadia, Sofia, and Annette, who decided to follow them, were taken aback at this.

"Is this... happened often...?" Annette asked unsurely.

Walman snorted, "Yeah, formality is practically nonexistent inside Professor Robin Calvello's office. Now, you three can take a rest here before lunch, just make sure not to disturb her, okay?"

"Uh... yes..."

"Alright, I'm going to check the engine in the lab."

Meteos walked out of the office, leaving the girls and Walman inside. The brunette, feeling the awkwardness of being the only male in the room, decided to strike a conversation.

"So... you wanna ice cream? There's a fridge over there."

"......It's cold inside and outside, Falkenhausen," the spokesperson of the trio, Annette, answered flatly.

"Uh... right..."

Walman hung his head and walked to Robin's desk to sit down on the chair. Nadia and Sofia took a seat on the sofa opposite the one used by Robin for napping and began to talk with each other, while Annette looked over the bookshelf, trying to find interesting reading material.

Two hours later, Robin woke up from her nap in coincidence with Meteos' return. And after having lunch, Nadia, Sofia, and Annette went home, leaving Robin and the boys returning to the office to discuss the result of the test today.

"Miss Robin, since we already used up all the materials needed to make the engine, we cannot create another one," Meteos started from his position on the couch across from Robin, sitting beside his friend.

"Yes. It was a good decision to record the test run, after all. That way, while you are continuing to further test the engine, I can submit my report to the Ancient Ministry immediately without delay."

Robin sipped the tea she had made after answering.

"Um... how fast can you report this to the Ancient Ministry?" Walman asked.

"Tomorrow, at the earliest."

"Really!?"

Meteos rubbed his chin, "I see. What about the development of the full-scale engine?"

"Well, it depends on my superiors at the Ancient Ministry. One successful testing run with a miniature engine may not be enough to convince them, and if they did, the materials you propose are rare in the Empire. You really causing headaches for many bureaucrats, you know."

The Holy Milishial Empire's land, which is rich in magical ore resources, including the largest magic stone mine in the known world, is poor in non-magical ore resources such as the NMC-22, which is the main material used in Meteos' miniature magic turbojet engine. This is very unfortunate, as it means they need to secure the resources first before even proceeding to build a full-scale engine. Robin perked up, remembering something.

"Oh yeah, I heard rumors that a certain mine in Meerky Kingdom continues to produce useless ores, I'll include that in my report..."

"Then, Miss Robin, please include the Altaras Kingdom as well, half of the material we used originated from there."

"Hmm... alright."

Since there is nothing they can do for now, Robin continued to the next topic.

"Then, while we are waiting for confirmation from my superiors, I hope you don't forget, Meteos."

"Hm, yes, we can check how the development of conductive magnetic radars and computer technology progressing..."

"I want a grimoire and a camera in one device," Walman commented.

"Yes, we can... but to do that, we need a more advanced computer technology."

"I'm joking, you know..."

"And I'm not."

"Seriously?" Walman sounded hopeful.

"Yes."

Robin gaped at Meteos, "I was about to talk about patent, kid. Don't forget to submit the patent for your magic turbojet engine. You don't want money!?"

"Oh, yeah. That too, more money for funding future projects. Yay."

After that, the three continued their talk until evening, when they returned to their apartment.

19:30

Arden District

In a corner of the Arden District, located east of the Empire's government district where the Imperial Palace is located, there is a glamorous mansion owned by a noble family, the Pendragon family. Sitting on the top of a hill overlooking the capital, one can see the brightly lit palace and the city's skyscrapers in the distance from the balcony of this mansion.

A black car passed through the open gates of the mansion and stopped in front of it. From the vehicle, a middle-aged gentleman stepped out and walked into the building. This is Duke Lucius Pendragon, the owner of the mansion and the head of the Pendragon family, who is also serving as the mayor of Runepolis. He was home after a whole day of working in the City Hall, and he can't wait for a good night's rest.

"I'm home," Lucius said as he entered the mansion.

"Welcome home, father."

"Ah, Anna."

From the top of the stairs leading to the second floor, there stood Lucius' only daughter, Annette, without her glasses. She then descended the stairs and ran up to her father who gave her an embrace and a kiss on top of her head, a gesture of affection that Lucius always does every time he comes home from work.

"You're back already, father?"

"Yes, I finished my work today. Did I make you wait?"

His daughter shook her head, smiling, "Not at all."

Several minutes later, Lucius and Annette were in the dining room, facing each other and enjoying a quiet dinner. Lucius opened his mouth to speak.

"Anna."

"Yes, father?"

"How is your school today?"

Annette's hands paused for a moment before answering.

"It's alright as usual... actually, father, do you remember about Meteos?"

"Meteos? Ah, one of your friends... with silver hair? What about him?"

"Yes, that one. He made an engine more powerful and louder than a Heavenly Vessel's engine for our project. Can you believe it, father?"

"Engine?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow. He had heard from his daughter that she and her friends were asked by a silver-haired teenager named Meteos Roguerider to help him in what he assumed to be an ordinary school project in exchange for an instant pass for RMA's difficult equivalency exam that his daughter was seeking. However, he did not expect it to be some advanced technological breakthrough like this. If he is not interested in him before, he is now.

"Yes, an engine. Actually, we spent this whole month working on this project, and today is the successful testing of that engine. I just need to write a report and I am skipping high school."

"I see, that's good to hear... But you seem too relaxed this whole month when your school project sounded like a difficult one to make."

Annette pouted, "Yeah... actually it's because we did nearly nothing."

"How so?"

"Well, it's Meteos, he gave us very easy jobs while he did almost everything alone. What's the point of asking for help, then? Sometimes I think he just wanted to show off, but it seems that he's just insensitive."

"Hmm, what a very strange kid."

"Yes. I had to admit, though, it was really difficult. I can't understand this engine thing at all."

Lucius, who had finished his meal and now wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, smiled teasingly at his daughter.

"Oh? So my daughter has finally met someone who rivaled her intelligence?"

"F-father!?"

"Hahaha, just kidding..."

The father and daughter sat down for a little while at the dining table.

"Um, father?"

"Yes, Anna?"

"Does our family really have no relatives left?"

Lucius' gaze softened as he glanced at his daughter, then he shook his head quietly.

"I'm afraid no, Anna. I am the only child of my parents and... we might be the last of our people."

"But..."

"Hmm, Anna, how about this. Let's invite him, his friends, and your teacher to our house during your graduation party. I'd like to meet them in person, especially Roguerider."

"That's a good idea. Well then, I'm heading to my room. Good night, father."

"Good night to you as well, my dear."

Annette bowed to her father and left the dining table to head to her room. Watching at her retreating back, Lucius let out a quiet sigh and he headed for the balcony to smoke. He glanced quietly at the shining Imperial Palace in the distance and pondered as the cold winds of the autumn night blew.

The noble house of Pendragon is not a big family. Instead, it only consists of Lucius, the current head of the family, and his only daughter and heiress, Annette, with no other relatives. Their beloved wife and mother had already passed away five years ago in an accident. The big mansion felt even more empty ever since then, and because he had to fulfill his duties as a noble and mayor of the capital, he always left Annette alone at the house. He tried to be there for Annette as much as possible, but the loneliness she had to endure must have been very unbearable.

As being nobility is naturally detached from the common people, he was afraid that Annette will have some difficulty in socializing with people. But Lucius is very relieved to find out that Annette is able to find genuine friends that can provide her with some semblance of happiness. However, it seems that she began to think that one of them might be their family's long-lost relative or something.

'I can't wait for us to meet...'

Lucius took a long puff of his cigarette and looked up to the sky. His silver hair and blue eyes glistened under the moonlight.

Currently Publicly Available Information

NMC-22

A lustrous metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in seawater, aqua regia, and chlorine. In its pure form, it cannot be channeled with magic power, so it is mostly ignored by the nations in the First Civilization Area due to its nonexistent magical value.

Recently it has been used as the main material for a new type of alloy used in the construction of a prototype small engine by a group of student mages from the Runepolis Magic Academy under supervision and guidance of a MOASEC member.

Chapter Text

October 10, 1614 Central Calendar, 22:00

San Redentore District, Runepolis, Holy Milishial Empire

Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures

After the successful testing of Meteos’ miniature turbojet engine, Robin set out to write a report for the Ancient Ministry that very night. And with the help of her two apprentices, Walman and Meteos, as well as energy drink, she managed to finish the report by the night of the next day and the report was delivered to her boss in the MOASEC building, located at a secluded corner in the San Redentore District, north of Runepolis.

As Robin was standing facing her boss in his office, waiting until he finished reading the summary of her report, her mind began to wander somewhere. Although her stance was rigid and her face looked impassive, Robin is actually trying her best to fight the urge to sleep, having not slept at all since yesterday. Her boss, a raven-haired man by the name of Arsene Lippin, is still looking at the report's contents without uttering a single word.

'Can we just finish this already and let me go home? And who in the right mind setting up AC in October!?' she yelled inwardly.

Indeed, the air conditioner in the top corner of the room is giving a soft greenish glow, indicating that it is active and giving the room a cool temperature on its lowest setting. However, the thing is active in the middle of October night, where the air in Runepolis is getting colder as the season began to transition into winter. It is clearly not helping Robin in shaking off her drowsiness.

Her boss occasionally sipped into a cup of warm tea on his desk while flipping another page of the report submitted by her and glanced at the magic pictures spread on the table. Robin felt the cold air went past her thick longcoat, causing her to try to bury her face underneath her scarf. Meanwhile, her eyelids were starting to droop.

'Crap...! Come on, Robin, think of something... something funny!'

Her mind raced. Then she suddenly recalled one incident involving Meteos and Walman when they decided to help Annette in the Training Ground with her magnetism magic.

"Pffftt...!"

Remembering the sheer ridiculousness of that incident made Robin shake uncontrollably, trying to hold back laughter as she pinched her left thigh with her hand. Her face was contorted into a weird expression, her lips twitched uncontrollably while her cheeks are puffing. However, she began to lose in the struggle as muffled noises began to flow from Robin's quivering mouth.

The noises Robin made drew Lippin's attention as he glanced up from the report.

"Hm, is there something wrong?"

"BHA—I mean... n-no, sir!"

He squinted at Robin for a while. Seeing that her boss' attention is now on her, Robin felt a blush creep into her face and lowered her head in embarrassment. She coughed into her hand awkwardly before trying to stand at attention once more. Well, at least her sleepiness is somewhat gone now, but by the heavens, that image...

Lippin slumped in his chair and finally asked Robin a question.

"...So, Robin, what do you think of this?"

She shook her head to purge that specific mental image from her mind, schooled her expression, and answered her boss.

"Ahem...... Sir. Within one month, a group of students has managed to solve a problem that our best engineers at the Ancient Ministry cannot do for years. Like the three instances before this, the idea brought by the person of interest must not be ignored and I believe that this will benefit not only our organization but also the Empire as a whole."

Robin paused and pulled a package from her bag and placed it on Lippin's desk. When Lippin opened the seal to the package, he found three film rolls and lifted one to examine it, motioning his subordinate to continue.

"These film rolls contain a brief explanation of the engine and the recording of its testing. Currently, the person of interest is focused on aviation technology, but there is a possibility of this invention being applied in other fields. In fact, I already have some rough ideas in mind regarding its further development."

"...I see. I will take a look at it later. To think that all of these comes from the ideas of one person... I still find it quite hard to believe..."

So far, Lippin was impressed by the contents of Robin's report. He then leaned forward and continued to speak.

"However, some of the contents in your report are quite... unusual, I must say."

Robin already knew what was being talked about and provided her opinion, her sleepiness was already gone at this point.

"Yes, sir. You will be surprised at how some junk ore is actually capable of better performance than even the strongest magical iron alloy. I have included a comparison between standard magic iron alloys up to Ferrum-3+ and the new alloy used in the experiment at the end of the report. And as you can see, it is overall superior in terms of strength, lightness, and resistance to the heat and pressure produced by the engine. As for the manufacturing process, the available forge in RMA has the ability to purify the ore and create several variations of the new alloy with a slight modification to the standard processing methods. Its further development and promotion for practical use are also highly recommended."

"Why not use a more powerful pure magic alloy instead?" Lippin asked, his hand flipping the pages to the end of the report.

"We have taken into account the cost needed, sir. Please refer to the next page for the estimated cost needed to procure a full-sized engine."

Lippin flipped to the next page to check and found it surprisingly quite affordable.

Even if the Empire succeeded in putting the technology into practical use, the next problem they will encounter eventually is the strength of materials. Since the more powerful pure magic alloys are currently too expensive to produce, Meteos wanted to tackle these problems in one go by developing a cheap, but high-quality new alloy at the same time as the development of the turbojet by enlisting the help of his female friends from the other class. The testing on the other day is the demonstration of both inventions.

"While we could proceed to the development of a full-scale engine, we should make an appeal to conduct a geological survey both in the country and on the places mentioned in the report to procure more resources."

"Hmm... NMC-22, was it? You are right since it is not a commonly mined ore and our country does not even consider it a valuable resource, but persuading those politicians will be a difficult task..."

Robin somewhat expected this answer and appealed to her boss.

"Director Lippin, I beg you to consider. As the organization with full jurisdiction over matters regarding the protection of our Empire, nay, the entire world from the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's return, our priority should have been placed above the rest, am I right?"

"Of course, I know that... but..."

She suppressed the urge to groan. It's always been like this. He and the rest of the MOASEC have enjoyed Meteos' ingenuity for granted so far, and when they are required to make some effort, even though it's for their own benefit, they are reluctant to do so?

How lazy.

"If I may be so bold, sir, please consider the circumstances of your appointment. Your current situation is improving by leaps and bounds thanks to your decision of providing support to the person of interest's endeavors. We can help each other and make it even better; all you have to do is to ensure the person of interest's project goes smoothly. You have the power to do so, after all, the Ancient Ministry's voice can even steer the Empire to whatever direction it wanted, no?" Robin cooed. As she leaned her head forward a bit, her glasses briefly reflected the magic lamp's light.

"...!!"

Lippin shuddered as Robin's words reminded him of the day one year and a half ago when he took office as the director of the MOASEC after his predecessor was sacked for incompetence. He knew well that it can also happen to him someday should he fail at providing satisfying results from the ministry he is leading, and he maybe will not last long in this position. But he has a family to support and children to feed and love, and he does not want that.

As an ordinary paper-pusher, Lippin once felt an unparalleled excitement when he was given such a prestigious position, but he never expected this level of pressure. Lippin felt nauseous at the thought of having to shoulder the large expectations from the Empire as the leader of the organization dedicated to being at the forefront of the world's protection. He began to doubt if the position was even worth it.

In addition, despite their role made the Ancient Ministry have a very high influence within the government, their lack of progress and the fact that they ate the most national budget began to earn the scorn of other ministries and the diminishing confidence from His Majesty the Emperor.

He was thankful that the cold air of the room prevented him from sweating in front of his subordinate due to his nervousness.

However, one opportunity was laid open in front of him to save himself from his precarious situation. The director shook his head and leaned back in his chair as he recounted the recent turn of events, starting from the summer of the last year.

It happened out of nowhere. Robin's acquaintance, retired Navy Lieutenant Commander William Falkenhausen, who formerly commanded a test ship, contacted her saying that he had found something interesting regarding Ancient Sorcerous Empire and at her proposal, Lippin gave her the assignment to verify. However, what she found was not a Ravernal artifact, but rather a machine resembling an Ancient Sorcerous Empire artifact built by someone; a young teenager by the name of Meteos Roguerider.

A person with such knowledge will certainly be hailed as a genius by other people. However, on the other hand, this young man never had any prior contact with any ancient artifact to allow him such in-depth knowledge regarding a conductive magnetic radar's mechanism. So on that day, at Robin's suggestion, Lippin assigned her to the Runepolis Magic Academy for conducting surveillance in case there is any possibility of information leakage, which will further endanger Lippin's position. Since then, Meteos Roguerider was being watched by the Ancient Ministry, labeled as a 'person of interest' and unofficially affiliated to the Ancient Ministry as Robin's apprentice.

But it seems that they have stumbled upon a gold mine. Meteos Roguerider's willingness to teach his knowledge also helped the Ancient Ministry to make a progress in their own job: jurisdiction over Ancient Sorcerous Empire relics. But instead of lifting the pressure off his shoulders, the Empire expected more out of the Ancient Ministry. Once again, as per Robin's suggestion, Lippin agreed to use their resources to support him and make a bid to recruit Meteos Roguerider in the future as an official member of the Ancient Ministry.

The raven-haired man finished his tea and let out a deep, resigned sigh before speaking to Robin again.

".........I understand. I will make sure that this proposal goes through. If necessary, I might have to make some lobbying regarding this matter."

Hearing the words made Robin smile a bit, "Thank you very much, sir."

"...About the person of interest... continue observing him and provide assistance to him as much as you can. Alright, that's all for today, you're dismissed. Just wait at the entrance, I'll call someone to take you home. Good evening, Robin."

"Good evening, Director Lippin," Robin bowed and walked out of the room.

When he was the only one left in the office, Lippin reached for an internal manacom on his desk and contacted someone.

"It's me. Prepare a car to take Miss Robin home."

"At once, sir," a male sound replied from the other side.

With a grunt, Lippin cut off the call and leaned once again in his chair, his gaze stopped at the profile page of Meteos Roguerider. As he picked the paper up, the pair of blue orbs stared back unblinkingly at him.

"Why did I accept this position again...?" He grumbled and threw the page back to the desk, turning to glance at the windows behind him.

With a victorious smirk on her face, Robin sauntered along the empty hallway towards the entrance where a car will come and take her to her apartment. She had succeeded in convincing her boss to at least try to bring up the matter of her proposal to the meeting between the Empire's ministers. She wanted to do more, but she is only a subordinate, there is only so much someone from her station could do at the moment.

As she stepped out of the MOASEC building, Robin inhaled the fresh air and released a deep, satisfied sigh. She then did a bit of stretching before leaning on the wall at the building's entrance, waiting for the car that will take her to her apartment.

"I wonder if the boys are already asleep..." She muttered, checking her grimoire. The clock on her magic phone already showed 22:58.

She is tempted to tell Meteos about this, but decided against it, not wanting to disturb her student's rest. After tucking the grimoire back to her pocket, Robin crossed her arms.

Thinking about today's meeting, she was glad that Director Lippin listened to her suggestion.

Like usual.

Compared to the previous head of the Ancient Ministry, some worthless guy whose name Robin doesn't care enough to know about, Arsene Lippin is a decent man, but he has no ambition, while the Ancient Ministry is an organization that has the potential to shape the Empire in their image.

Lippin, previously a Public Relations Department official with no skill or experience, is too worried about his position to even think about the MOASEC's future policies. The ministry's recent moves are all born from Robin's suggestions, who comes from the elite Operational Division of the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department. In addition, MOASEC's rapid progress within one year can be attributed to Robin's sheer luck in finding Meteos Roguerider and her subsequent lobbying to Lippin, so Robin can say she has somewhat contributed the most to the MOASEC's advancement. And as a result, she managed to gain Lippin's full trust.

But must Robin need to convince him every single time to make him do something? Not that she is holding something against Lippin or something, but it will be much better if the Ancient Ministry is led by someone with skill, vision, and determination, something that she certainly has.

"Me? Leading the Ancient Ministry? Huh......" She mused, her mouth forming an amused smile.

Robin herself has a big vision for the ministry. But before she could entertain these thoughts any further, the wave of tiredness washed upon her, her eyes becoming heavier within each second.

Eventually, the headlights of a car shining from the corner of her eyes broke her from her musings, and a dark blue car came into view, its magic engine emitted a low whine before sliding to a stop in front of the entrance. The car sported an emblem in the form of a pair of wings at the front, the sign that this car is produced by the Empire's renowned automobile manufacturer, Wellston-Martini.

The driver of the car, a brown-haired man in his early 20s and wearing a golf cap, stepped out from inside and walked up to Robin.

"Good evening, Miss Robin," he greeted.

"Hoaaam... Hirkane, huh. Good evening to you as well," she yawned in response.

Robin knew this man, a researcher named Hirkane Valpe who is only several years younger than her. They didn't interact much, but he seems to be a polite young man. Hirkane opened the rear door of the car and ushered Robin to get in. When they are both inside the car, Robin spoke to him.

"I'm going to take a nap, wake me up later when we get there, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Satisfied with the answer, Robin removed her glasses and let her eyelids close as she felt the car start to move.

00:14

Tranquila District

"Ma'am, wake up, we've arrived."

Robin felt someone shaking her and woke up to see Hirkane reaching out to her from the driver's seat. Rubbing her bleary eyes, Robin let out a groan while Hirkane immediately got out of the car and opened the passenger window from outside.

"Aaah. Thank you very much," Robin said, picking up her glasses and bags, then got out of the car and prepared to walk inside the apartment. However, she halted in her steps and turned out to Hirkane, as if remembering something.

The young man tilted his head at his senior's behavior in confusion. Robin then pulled her wallet and handed him a pink note from it.

"Here. Keep the change."

"Wha—"

Hirkane gawked at what Robin just handed to him: a 50 zollark bill.

"But ma'am, I'm not a—"

He glanced up and tried to protest, but Robin was already at the apartment's doorway.

"See you around, Hirkane," she said flippantly before entering the apartment building, leaving Hirkane standing alone in disbelief.

When she reached the third floor, where her room is located, Robin had a hunch that a certain occupant of the said room is still awake. She walked to the door and knocked it several times. After a while, the door opened, revealing Meteos with a tired look on his face.

"Miss Robin, you're back," he greeted.

"Figures..." she muttered tiredly, then spoke to the boy, "You're still awake."

"......"

The silver-haired boy was silent, and his eyes glanced away from her.

"Why are you still up at this hour?"

"The usual stuff," Meteos shrugged.

By 'the usual stuff,' Meteos meant that he was drafting blueprints, performing calculations, and other brain-intensive activities up to late in the night. Robin groaned, holding her forehead with her hand. She had told him to not do this many times, and yet this stubborn brat won't listen. When she glanced past Meteos, Robin saw Walman already sleeping soundly on the large bed that he and his friend shared.

"Then stop it now. You looked tired. Go to sleep," she ordered.

"What about you, Miss Robin? You didn't sleep at all since yesterday. Please go back to your room and take a rest," Meteos countered.

"And how do I know that you will not pretend to be asleep and then continue your work after I go back to my room?"

"......"

"Hm?"

Robin crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the floor, waiting for an answer. Meteos finally decided to humor her.

"Argh, fine. I will go to sleep. Happy now?"

"No, wait I have a better idea. Wait here."

Robin took out the key for her room and after making Meteos wait for a while, she emerged from her room with her pajamas, her brown hair now flowing freely and without her glasses. In addition, she also carries a folded blanket and a pillow tucked under her armpit. Seeing her locking the door of her room, Meteos asked her.

"What... are you doing?"

"I am making sure that you will go to sleep. So, I will sleep in your room. Now, go to your bed."

She grabbed Meteos' shoulder and pushed his shorter frame inside the room. Annoyed, Meteos let out a grunt and walked to his desk to tidy it up before going to bed. While he was at it, Meteos spoke up again.

"By the way, how's the meeting?"

Robin perked up at the question and answered happily, "Oh, yeah! It went well—wait, no! We can talk about this tomorrow. Nice try, kid."

It seems that Robin is dead set to make Meteos go to sleep. He just rolled his eyes at her attitude, which reminded him of his mother. Meteos then finished organizing the documents and drawings at the desk and walked up to the bed.

"Wait a minute."

"What now?"

"Where do you want to sleep?"

"I can take the couch."

Meteos frowned. The sofa is not the most comfortable place to sleep, especially when one is very tired after a long day of work. He glanced back and forth between the couch, where Robin is sitting, and the bed.

"Miss Robin, here, the bed is big enough for the three of us," Meteos said, patting the side of the bed from his position in the center.

While all this happened, Walman is sleeping soundly, oblivious to their interaction.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You deserve a good night's sleep. Naturally, you should take the bed."

"......Alright."

The three of them are finally on the bed. Robin is lying on the edge of the bed, facing Meteos.

"Stop staring at me," the boy said flatly.

"I'll sleep when you are sleeping. What, do you need me to give you a kiss?"

"Blegh, fine. Good night, Miss Robin."

Meteos turned so that his back is facing her.

"Aww... good night, Meteos."

As Robin turned to face the ceiling, she let the comfortable bed and the warmth led her to dreamland.

Currently Publicly Available Information

MINISTRY OF ANCIENT SORCEROUS EMPIRE COUNTERMEASURES

The  Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures , also known by its acronym  MOASEC  or the  Ancient Ministry , is the ministry of the Imperial Government of the Holy Milishial Empire in charge of managing policies regarding the protection of humanity from the coming revival of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, including acquisition and analysis of every excavated Ancient Sorcerous Empire weapon and technology for the use of the Holy Milishial Empire, working closely with the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As of the year 1614 Central Calendar, the MOASEC is headed by Director Arsene Lippin.

The MOASEC's emblem depicts the 'August Star', which is also the emblem of the Holy Milishial Empire, falling on the Ravernal Empire's mainland. The writing on the emblem, which is written in Milishian script, reads "ANCIENT SORCEROUS EMPIRE – COUNTERMEASURES".

Chapter Text

October 11, 1614 Central Calendar, 07:00

As usual, Walman woke up feeling refreshed in the morning after a good night's sleep. He felt the morning sun shining through the blinds and as he sat upon the bed with bleary eyes, he stretched his body for a moment. With a satisfied groan, Walman then rubbed his eyes and remained in place for a while.

He heard a shuffling sound from the side and when he turned his head to look, he found his childhood friend and roommate, Meteos, is still sleeping, facing him with crossed arms and a frown on his face, squeezed between him and a woman sleeping on the edge of the bed.

Wait.

A woman.

"Ay, yo, what the fuck!?" He exclaimed in shock.

The woman has shoulder-length brown hair and looked familiar to him. Upon closer look, he realized she is their teacher living next door, Robin, who also likes to hang out in their apartment room.

She was snuggling comfortably against Meteos' back, drawn in by the warmth emanating from his friend with one of her hands draped around him. Sometimes, Meteos' face will contort in a somewhat painful expression, but Robin's soft breath that tickled his nape and her chest rubbing against his back put Meteos' sleeping form at ease.

"Wait... it's Miss Robin... okay... that kind of explains things. But why is she sleeping here!?"

Concluding that he won't get answers by freaking out alone, he decided to wake Meteos up by delivering a precision slap at his cheek.

"Meteos, wake up!"

WHACK!

"ARGH!! THAT WRETCHED GRAD—HUH!?"

Meteos abruptly shot up from the bed, his arms flailing in panic and eyes wide in shock as he suddenly feels a stinging pain in his cheek. The first thing he saw was the sight of Walman looming over him with his hand raised. Whatever thing that Meteos had in his mind immediately left him as his eyes immediately zoned in on Walman's hand. He did not waste any time thinking and concluded that Walman is the one who did it.

"YOU! What is wrong with you!?" Meteos yelled as he rubbed his sore face.

"That's my line! What—"

"Nngggh... so noisy..."

Walman was cut off when they heard Robin grumbling on the other side. The two of them turned to stare at her, who was in the midst of waking up. She then let out a yawn and cracked her joints, letting out a satisfied groan by the time she finished.

"Man, that feels good...... Good morning, everyone!" She turned to Meteos and Walman and greeted them cheerfully.

"Morning," Meteos answered curtly as he rubbed his face, shaking off the remaining traces of sleepiness in him before yelling once more, "Okay, now get off me!"

The boys immediately scrambled out of the bed, leaving Robin sitting there, staring at them amusedly. As the grumbling Meteos stomped into the bathroom to wash his face, Walman leaned on the bathroom door and waited for his turn. His gaze occasionally wanders to Robin, who has gotten out of bed and is doing some stretching.

He really needs answers now, before his mind wandered to some weird conclusions.

Later, when the three of them are having breakfast together, Meteos explained to Walman what happened last night to calm him down. He said that he couldn't let a very tired Robin sleep on the couch, which may cause her huge discomfort in the morning, so he told her to take the bed. He also admitted that he is the one at fault for not heeding Robin's words to not overwork himself, causing the entire thing to happen in the first place.

"........."

As Walman munched on his breakfast in silence, he received the explanation with a feeling of resignation, not wanting to hurt his head this early in the morning. At least someone managed to talk Meteos out of his habit of overworking, but he did not expect it to be done in this manner.

During weekends like this, the three of them will usually go out to do some physical exercises, and since Meteos and Walman are both Student Mages, they will also go to the nearest place where they can freely use their magical power, RMA's Training Ground, under the supervision of Robin, who is a Mage herself.

And during the training, Meteos decided to repay Walman for slapping him awake... by hurling his wind spells at him.

Not wanting to be outdone, his friend retaliated by his own fire magic, and somewhere in the middle, their teacher joined in and on that day a corner of the Training Ground that morning was filled with traces of wind, fire, and lightning spells being thrown everywhere in a three-way battle.

By the way, Robin emerged as the victor thanks to her usage of Manadriver-powered chantless spells, something that Meteos and Walman don't have, allowing her to spam magic spells and overwhelm them before she ran out of stamina, much to their chagrin.

One hour later, the three of them are finishing their exercises in the morning and stopped by Robin's office in the RMA's administrative building to rest. The building is quiet that day, with the only people there being the janitors and the engineers holed in their department, whose work has become increasingly busy since Meteos' arrival to RMA with his ideas and inventions.

As they were resting on the comfortable couch in the office, Walman turned to Meteos with an annoyed expression on his face.

"......Must you cast spells at me that hard?"

Meteos only gave him a side-eye as he drank a bottle of water and replied with a nonchalant expression, "I merely gave you a retaliation for the way you wake me up. If you don't want that, then don't do that to me."

"I was panicking, okay!?"

Meteos stared at him for a moment and heaved a sigh.

"Enough. I admit it was very foolish of me to have such a juvenile thought... Walman, I'm sorry," he conceded.

While he was saying that, Meteos' expression turned downcast, seemingly genuine in his apology. His eyes were also distant, as if he was reminiscing about something. For some reason, Walman felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort seeing his friend look so sad like this.

He remembered that ever since they were little, Meteos has always been very kind to him, so kind that it feels ridiculous. Although he will show outbursts from time to time, he will immediately regret it and is the first to apologize, even if they are justified.

"Uh... okay... I'm sorry too, for hitting you earlier."

These words brought back the light in those blue eyes, and Meteos beamed at him. As if it was natural, Walman found himself smiling too, and the two shared a laugh.

Sitting across them, watching the two friends' interaction, Robin nodded in approval and clapped her hands loudly to gain their attention.

"Isn't it wonderful when you can find it within yourself to forgive each other's mistakes? I am so proud of you," she said with a smile, causing Walman to blush.

"Anyway. Miss Robin," Meteos called out.

"Yes?"

"Continuing our conversation from last night... I'm curious how your meeting with your boss went."

Robin leaned on the sofa and crossed her legs before answering. "Ah, yes. My superior, Director Lippin, agreed to bring this matter as the proposal from the Ancient Ministry during the Imperial Conference, which will take place in a few days. So, as I said before, everything went well."

Meteos nodded and muttered, "I see. Well... if His Majesty wanted the best for his Empire, he should listen."

"Wait, the Ancient Ministry's leader is called Lippin?" Walman interjected.

"Yes, his name is Arsene Lippin... oh right, he is new, having taken office only a year ago. His predecessor, the one you read in your textbooks, was fired."

"Ahh..."

Robin turned to Meteos again, "In case the Ancient Minister's proposal gets rejected, what will you do?"

He puts a hand to his chin and pondered for a bit before answering.

"I really hoped that the proposal would pass, but I do have several ideas in mind..."

Meteos then proceeded to outline his alternative plans, which includes research and development of various means of detection, including underwater detection and navigation techniques now that the development of a submarine is now entering the production phase; development of improved armament such as new naval guns with more efficient magic energy usage, new anti-aircraft gun equipped with proximity fuses, and next-generation torpedoes; development of advanced fire control system; development of stronger armor based on their previous research of material engineering, including a new armor scheme to reduce over-reliance on magical reinforcement and new anti-torpedo defense; improvement of the magic ship's propulsion system by developing an engine using turbine technology; revision of the design of the Navy's ship designs; and development and construction of the new type of ships with improved capabilities.

If the Ancient Ministry's proposal of the development of advanced jet aircraft is accepted, then these plans will be Meteos' outline for future reforms. He believes that he if can complete all of them, it will be the best.

As Robin and Walman listened, the two of them noted that the plans mainly focused on naval reforms, taking advantage of RMA's expertise in that field and the fact that compared to the Army and Air Force, the Navy's more successful effort in reverse-engineering and mass-producing Ancient Sorcerous Empire technologies (albeit with defects here and there) made them an easier branch to improve.

However, one question remains: how will Meteos accomplish all that? By himself?

Upon noticing that Robin is frowning and wanted to retort, Meteos raised his hand to stop her from interrupting and continued.

"Yes, I understand, thank you for your concern. I am aware that in no way I can do all of that by myself. For now, I am merely a high school student with very little power, which is why I can't wait to graduate and find someone to teach and leave some of my work to them. At least, that's the plan, what do you think?" he finished with a reassuring tone, calming his teacher down.

Meteos is aware of the nature of his country, whose knowledge is acquired by imitating what the Ancient Sorcerous Empire had thought, can only develop based on what they can find and their lack of ability to innovate and develop technology on their own. However, that doesn't mean that the Milishian people are stupid, as once they understand the principles of technology, they are able to invent something original on their own. For example, the RMA engineers working on the radar, Robin inventing grimoire and Manadrivers, and Gormes, who devised the idea of a submarine without Meteos' intervention.

If the Empire has more innovators who look towards the future like them and continues to advance regardless of whether the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's artifact exists or not, they will surely be able to live up to their name as the protector of mankind, free from the shackles of ignorance indirectly imposed upon themselves by the enemy of all races, the Ravernals.

After thinking about it for some time, Meteos decided that he should pass on his ideas and knowledge to other people who, in turn, will do the same to others and create a new generation of innovators. If he wanted his plans to change the Empire's fate to succeed, then he will need help from other people.

Speaking of changing fate...

The woman sitting across from him is the one whose fate changed the most as a result of his reincarnation and his subsequent actions. And as history begins to diverge from his previous life, Meteos wondered how the world would react.

And then there is the matter of the Annonrial Empire, silently preparing for the arrival of their masters while hiding their true power, deceiving the world with a display of weakness...

"Dammit..." Meteos murmured with a frown. The mere thought of what those winged people are scheming is enough to ruin his mood. After all, there are many ways of how they will react to the changes in the world. He unconsciously clenched his fist as he thought of the endless possibilities that can happen.

Unaware of Meteos' predicament, Robin mistook his sudden bout of frustration to be something else and thought to herself.

'Hmm... Meteos and Walman are already at the highest grade of junior high school, and their performance also exceeded our expectations... Although graduation is still several months away, there's no reason of to hold them back anymore. In fact, I think they should have skipped the high school altogether—that's right, I need to talk to the higher-ups about this.'

With that decision, Robin clapped once again.

"Alright! I know!" she exclaimed as she stood up from her seat.

"What? What?"

Her students are looking at her with question marks above their heads. Robin, with an excited expression, continued.

"You two, just graduate already!"

"Hah? I mean, aren't we going to graduate in a few months...?" Walman said, even more confused.

"No, I mean like right now!"

Robin then explained what she has in mind to the two of them and how she intends to carry it out. When she finished, Meteos and Walman looked at her with a mixture of surprise and amazement.

"Wow... I feel overwhelmed..." the brunette boy said.

"As expected from a MOASEC member—no, as expected from Miss Robin..." Meteos muttered, "But what about the others?"

He was referring to the students who helped Meteos several times before, such as Nadia and her friends.

"If the RMA's higher-ups decide that they are good enough, then they will consider it. As for you two, though, it's a different story. You know, many of the RMA's officials also have the same opinion as me. So, it shouldn't be that hard convincing them."

"Ah, I see..."

"Also, from last night's meeting, the Ancient Ministry has expressed their interest in recruiting you, so you will not need to worry about getting a job after you graduate."

The good news is coming one after another. Meteos couldn't resist laughing, and laughed he did. At this rate, he will not need to wait for too long until he reached a position where he can implement the reforms easier without encountering hurdles like his current situation. His plan is going smoother than he expected, thanks to Robin who, in this new life, is not dead.

"Hah... Wonderful!! Your power of connections never ceases to amaze me, Miss Robin... Alright! We are looking forward to working with you in the future, as fellow members of the Ancient Ministry. Right!?"

Meteos nudged Walman, who could only answer with a light grunt.

"Ahh... yes..."

"Hahaha! That's the spirit! I can't wait, too! Now leave everything to me, I will do my best to make sure that our plan succeeds!" Robin exclaimed with a bright expression, pulling Meteos and Walman closer and smothering them with her chest.

After the three of them returned to their apartment, in the evening, Robin received a call from her boss, Director Arsene Lippin, who wanted her help in preparing the materials for the upcoming Imperial Conference. Wishing her good luck, Meteos and Walman also proceeded with their own work with a renewed determination to pursue their dreams.

And four days later, the Imperial Conference begins.

Currently Publicly Available Information

CITY OF RUNEPOLIS

The capital city of the Holy Milishial Empire, located in the northwest part of the country, it is the center of the Greater Runepolis Metropolitan Area, the largest, most developed, and most densely populated major city in the known world, the place where all the world's elite converge. Due to the widespread use of magic lighting, Runepolis is also known by the nickname "Sleepless Magical City". It is bordered by the hills to the east, north, and south, and by the Minerva Ocean to the west. The Great River runs through the city, dividing Runepolis into northern and southern banks. The city is divided into thirteen districts.

The head of the House of Pendragon, one of the most prominent noble families of the empire, serves as the Lord Mayor of Runepolis.

Chapter Text

October 15, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:00

Albion Palace, Audience Hall

On the 15th of every three months, the Holy Milishial Empire will hold an Imperial Conference to decide the future policy of the nation. As the highest-level meeting in the Empire during peacetime, the Imperial Conference will be attended by the most important officials in the Empire and the Emperor himself. Given the Empire's position as the world's strongest nation, any decisions made at this meeting could have far-reaching consequences for the entire known world.

The venue of the meeting, the Albion Palace, which also serves as the residence for the Emperor and his family, is a majestic building located in the heart of the Empire's government district, built from pure white marble and colorful stained glass in a style of architecture reminiscent to what the people from Earth called the 'Gothic architecture.' The magical lights made the palace shine so brightly at night that it is even visible in the distance to anyone coming to the capital from the eastern hills or from the western port.

The Albion Palace was built during the reign of the Second Milishial Emperor, and it was expanded by his successors until it becomes a large complex occupying 33 hectares of land, surrounded by white fortified walls and towers that separated it from the rest of the city. Furthermore, the palace complex and the surrounding government district are also guarded by a battalion of the Holy Milishial Imperial Guard equipped with the best equipment that the Empire has to offer, making it an impenetrable fortress. Even as the high-rise buildings began to appear in Runepolis, the Albion Palace retained its splendor as the symbol of might, wealth, and prosperity of the strongest superpower in the known world, bar none.

It is said that the name of the palace, 'Albion', was given in honor of the architect who built the palace, but since it happened so long ago, the truth has been lost to the people.

As the time was nearing the scheduled meeting time, the participants began to arrive and occupy the seats within the Audience Hall. Located on the western wing of the Albion Palace, it is a circular room lavishly decorated with blue marble floor and white walls, as well as a dark blue-painted, dome-shaped ceiling adorned with golden geometric patterns.

A currently empty golden throne sits at the north end of the room, and behind it, a sky-blue banner with the Holy Milishial Empire's August Star emblem hangs proudly. Its design, which is inspired by the act of Gods that banished the enemy of mankind, the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, implies the Empire's position as the center of the world and serves as a reminder to everyone present of the Empire's role as the protector of the world from their return.

Behind the Audience Hall's seats, stood the eight towering marble statues of the country's emperors arranged in a clockwise pattern, with the statues of the First and Eighth Emperors flanking the throne.

However, there are two strange things in this room.

The first is the statue of the First Milishial Emperor. Unlike the other statues, which were polished to utmost perfection, this one is heavily ruined, with the only thing left being the lower part of the torso and its legs.

Second, there is an empty seat located very close to the throne. As far as everyone remembered, that particular seat is always empty whenever an Imperial Conference is held, but judging from its position which is so close to the place where the Emperor is seated, it must have been reserved for someone of a very important position.

Arsene Lippin, the Director of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, sat in his chair, drumming his finger on the table to drown out his anxiety. As he glanced around the Audience Hall, where officials wearing colorful attires in different styles already filled the room and began talking to each other, Lippin took a deep breath and exhaled.

Like everyone else, he tried to look presentable for the meeting and came to the Albion Palace wearing the best outfit he has in his wardrobe, but his nervous expression ruined his otherwise attractive appearance, with his immaculate white suit, cleanly shaved face, and raven hair slicked back with several locks falling freely and framing his face. At that moment, a voice called out from behind him.

"Director?"

Lippin turned around and saw the owner of the voice. It was Robin, who accompanied him to the meeting as his assistant. She's dressed in a dark green dress shirt with a maroon coat and pants, giving her an androgynous look that, if it weren't for her bust, would pass for a very attractive man. She also has her familiar red scarf draped loosely around her shoulders, as she always does.

With a concerned look, Robin handed the Director a bottle of water, which Lippin gladly took.

"Thank you," Lippin said. "I've been present in this hall many times before... but I'll never get used to this," he chuckled bitterly.

The brunette didn't say anything and took a seat on Lippin's left side, and not long after that, they were approached by an auburn-haired man wearing a navy blue-colored attire. He greeted Lippin and Robin with a polite tone, to which Lippin responded with a brief nod.

"Mr. Birkburn," Robin greeted.

"Robin, it's been a while," the man nodded.

"The Imperial Conference should begin any moment soon, take your seat."

"Yes, sir."

This man is Andreas Birkburn, Robin's superior in the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department, and one of the heads of departments within the MOASEC under Lippin's leadership. However, as information regarding this organization is top-secret, the department never existed officially and they are referred to as General Affairs Department Technical Officers who accompanied Lippin.

From the corner of their eyes, they saw a high-ranking government official walk to the center of the Audience Hall. Wearing a Milishian blue and gold uniform, this elven official, which belonged to the Imperial Household Office, stood straight and announced to the participants.

"His Majesty will be joining us soon. Ladies and gentlemen, I inquire you to please stand up and wait for a moment."

Then, an ornate door between the statues of the Second and Third Emperors opened with a dull thud, and from it, an elderly elven man dressed in a regal robe emerged. As they all bowed down reverently to the man, he walked towards the throne with an impassive expression and took the seat on the throne.

"You may raise your heads," the earlier official raised his voice and then served as moderator.

The elderly elf sitting on the throne is none other than the monarch of the most powerful empire in the world, Lucius Eldart Hollowrain de Milishial, also known as Emperor Milishial VIII. He has long white hair with parts of it are arranged in a braid that frames his face, and a long beard that reached his torso. Wearing a regal light green attire with white, gold, and blue accents, and complemented by a golden headdress with a single blue gem atop his head, he radiated an air of authority and dignity. His light blue eyes cast a stern look at the audience members in the hall.

At the age of 4.000 years old, an unusually long lifespan for his race, the town elf, Emperor Milishial VIII is currently the longest-reigning monarch of the Holy Milishial Empire. Under his rule, the Empire underwent a significant change, abandoning its expansionist policy to focus on the internal development and prosperity of the country, and switching to an international policy of friendship and peace. It was under his rule that the Empire truly prospered as the greatest nation in the world, and the people from all over the country prayed for his continued health.

The moderator then raised his voice again to address the participants of the meeting.

"The fourth Imperial Conference of the year 1614 of the Central Calendar is now in session, please take your seats."

The sound of shuffling chairs echoed throughout the hall.

The Imperial Conference proceeded as many times before. Members of the Empire's executive departments, the Ministers of Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Military Affairs, Education, Economy, Agriculture, Treasury, Justice, and Health, each presented their reports and proposals in turn. The participants and the Emperor will occasionally make some remarks during the explanation, and the ministries seemed to be able to answer their inquiries without difficulty.

And finally, it's Lippin's turn. The Director of the Ancient Ministry rose from his seat, walked to the stand located at the center, bowing deeply to the Emperor, and started his report. All other participants also looked at the documents distributed beforehand while listening to what Lippin had to say.

"......The Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures is currently in the process of continuing the research and development of improved versions of our current military equipment, especially the conductive magnetic radar. We have succeeded in reverse-engineering the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's conductive magnetic radar and a more advanced computation unit, and putting them to practical use. They are scheduled to enter mass production next month, along with the disclosure of the technical details. As for the matters such as the refurbishment of military equipment and the production of new weapons implementing the new technology, we will leave it to the Ministry of Military Affairs."

"""Ooooh......"""

After he said that much, the hall erupted in hushes. It's easy to see why Lippin's report elicited such a reaction. After all, combining the functions of the ministry of technology seen in Mu and the ministry of magic in other countries, in addition to being the government organization directly responsible for dealing directly with the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's technology and advancing the Holy Milishial Empire's magic technology, the MOASEC continued to produce defective copies and failures, but under the leadership of Arsene Lippin, a young nobody who had only been in office for a very short time, they are able to accomplish something that the previous leaders had been unable to do one after another.

From her seat, Robin could see that a majority of the politicians are whispering to each other, some looked skeptical, and finally, a politician occupying the seat of the Interior Affairs Minister shot a curious eyebrow at Lippin. The person in question tried his best to remain stone-faced the entire time, feeling the stares directed at his back and the Emperor's gaze directly in front of him.

"Looks like it went well," she muttered.

"Hm," Birkburn grunted in affirmation, "Let's hope that it will continue as it is."

"Yeah..."

Seeing that no one wanted to ask Lippin a question, he continued.

"In addition, the development of a new type of engine for the Heavenly Vessel is also beginning to be conducted... However, before we can proceed with the building of a prototype, we need to address the procurement of the resources, as the new type of engine will use a new type of alloy that requires this specific material in a significant quantity..." Lippin stated with an anxious expression on his face. "For that matter, Miss Robin Calvello is more familiar than I am, therefore I will allow her to explain this matter."

At the cue, Robin stood up from the seat, walked to Lippin's side, and began her explanation in a clear voice. She explained in great detail about the newly invented magic turbojet engine and about the new NMC-22-based alloy used in the construction, their advantages, and how they can close the technology gap between themselves and the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. When Robin finished explaining, Emperor Milishial VIII looked thoughtful.

"Hm... I see, you have a point," he started, his deep voice echoing clearly across the Audience Hall. "Finding the usefulness of something that no one ever thought before to bridge the gap between us and the Ancient Sorcerous Empire... your ingenuity is greatly appreciated. Very well, you may proceed with your proposal."

Hearing the praise from their Emperor made Lippin and Robin straighten their backs in pride. It's extremely relieving for Lippin, who felt his nervousness melt away, replaced by growing confidence. As for Robin, she was glad that the Emperor had listened to her reasoning.

As for the other ministries, the approval of the MOASEC's proposal by the Emperor meant that they will have to act according to their requirements eventually, no matter how strange it will be. Such is the extent of the Ancient Ministry's influence within the government.

"May I ask a question?" A masculine voice then sounded from their right side, amplified through the loudspeakers installed in the Audience Hall. It belonged to a golden-haired man wearing a black and golden uniform sitting in the seat of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Count Benedict Legendorga.

"Minister Legendorga, please," the moderator gave the permission.

"Thank you," the Internal Minister adjusted the microphone in front of him before speaking again, "I would like to know if you have planned the procurement of those materials."

Legendorga's question is answered immediately by a woman with light brown-colored hair tied in a bun named Edith Sommerville, the Director of the Ministry of Economy. She raised her hand and spoke to the microphone.

"According to the information from the Economy Ministry, the Non-Magic Conductible ore number 22 deposits are found in mines that have been closed decades ago and in the small mines used for research purposes within our lands. In accordance with the Ancient Ministry's proposal, we can reopen and redevelop these closed mines in order to mine them, and a new survey might be needed."

When the Empire was surveying its land in the past, they encountered deposits of ores from which the NMC-22 can be extracted, such as what they call the 'golden red stone' and 'sharp gimlet stone'. However, since it has no magical value and was deemed useless by the Empire, only a handful of small mines are being kept for research purposes, while others were closed. In addition to acting as requested by the MOASEC, the Ministry of Economy also saw this as a perfect chance to reduce the unemployment rate, which was beginning to show a growing trend.

Legendorga nodded, satisfied with the answer, but inwardly he muttered, 'Hmm... that was quick and precise, did the commoners cover each other's back here?'

Director Sommerville continued, "I wanted to add that the ores can also be found in large numbers within mines located in our neighboring countries to the north and to the Altaras Island south of the Third Civilization Area, and since they also cannot find any use for it, they are literally treated like dirt with no value. While the redevelopment of the domestic mines is still in progress, we can acquire the resources at an unbelievably cheap cost through trade with these countries. Of course, extraterritoriality and tax exemption rights of the Empire's citizens are to be acknowledged."

Another politician raised his hand, this time it is Marquess Ignis Schmill Pao, the elven Minister of Military Affairs.

"If the Empire shows interest in what is seen as worthless for the other countries, they may attempt to raise the price. What if they do that? Furthermore, what should we do if Mu notices this? Sooner or later they will notice their value and maybe try to make a move themselves."

The Military Minister also voiced concern about the superpower across the ocean, Mu. Being the second strongest country in the known world, Mu currently has a cordial relationship with the Holy Milishial Empire, but there have been times in the past when their spheres of influence overlapped and nearly caused them to butt heads, such as the naval standoff in 1592 over the disputed islands in the middle of the Minerva Ocean, a crisis in which Mu conceded because they were still recovering from the Mu Civil War and too weak to face HME in open war. That has caused many in the Holy Milishial Empire to underestimate them.

However, Mu is still a superpower. As the nation with the technology level closest to the Empire in this world, a modern nation capable of keeping up with the HME to some degree with nothing but their own power, the upper echelons of the Empire's government is wary of them and wanted to keep Mu away from their sphere of influence.

Minister Schmill Pao thought that the other nations that are ignorant of their newly discovered value will gladly sell the 'junk ores' in their territory to the Empire. In fact, he considered buying from them is already generous since the Empire can just take them for free. But due to the nature of the NMC-22 as a non-magical element, Mu, which is a mechanical civilization, will sooner or later realize what the Empire is up to and may come to the nations with a better offer, snatching them into their sphere of influence.

Little did they know that Mu will once again prove that they are a nation worthy of being called a superpower in the near future.

"If that is the case, then Maddock," Milishial VIII interjected, calling out to the Foreign Minister, Baron Lewis Maddock.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"In exchange for mining rights and keeping the price as set by the Holy Milishial Empire, you may offer them some of the Empire's magic technology and infrastructure during the negotiations with those nations."

"A-are you sure, Your Majesty!?"

Maddock was taken aback by the old Emperor's words.

"I am. Taking away something unilaterally from other nations without giving something in return is very unbecoming to my country. As the strongest nation in the world, we must show our dignity. Offer them reasonable support to allow them to develop their capability to mine resources and to keep them at our side. However, the development of mines within the Empire still takes top priority. Is that clear?"

Emperor Milishial VIII brought a point of upholding the Empire's dignity by being generous. If not, the world will see the so-called protector of all races as no different than Parpaldia Empire, an emerging 'superpower' to the east which was ruthlessly subjugating and enslaving its neighboring nations one after another. The brief thought of being compared to the Parpaldians, a nation considered by the Milishian people as no different than the 'barbarians' that they are conquering leaves a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

Now that the Emperor has spoken, Maddock had no choice but to follow.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we will do as you will."

Milishial VIII nodded slightly and turned to the MOASEC Director and his assistant standing in front of him.

"Lippin, continue providing us with good results. I am looking forward to the Ancient Ministry's efforts."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Milishial VIII waved his hand to dismiss them.

With this, the bureaucratic hurdle for building the magic turbojet engine has been cleared. With a feeling of immense relief, Robin can't stop herself from grinning as they go back to their seats.

After the Imperial Conference was over in the afternoon, Director Arsene Lippin and his entourage waited a bit until most of the participants go home first. As they were walking along the ornate halls of the Albion Palace's corridor, Birkburn spoke to the other two MOASEC members.

"I am so relieved. I was worried that His Majesty will not be so easy to convince."

Lippin nodded and answered with an expression free of nervousness unlike before, "I was thinking of the same thing. Well... either way, everything is going well for us. Robin, you did good back then. Thank you for your hard work."

Smiling, Robin made a dramatic bow with her hand on her chest, "I'll take your praise in stride, sir. But it's also thanks to Director Sommerville, if it wasn't for her, we might have a more difficult time convincing everyone."

That's right. Prior to the Imperial Conference, Lippin managed to lobby the head of the Ministry of Economy, Director Edith Sommerville, and the two of them made a plan that support each other's interests. Minister Legendorga's hunch was right, the two executive officials of the common background are covering each other's backs.

"True. I'm glad she still trusted us after so many nasty rumors around the Ancient Ministry," Lippin lamented. His predecessor had left him with a terrible legacy, but thanks to his reliable subordinates, they are able to disprove those rumors one after another.

The Director stopped and turned to the two.

"There are still so many to discuss, we will head to the MOASEC at once."

While Birkburn nodded, Robin raised her hand.

"I need to call someone, do you mind?"

"Hm? Oh, of course," Lippin said, "We will wait in the car."

Robin bowed in gratitude as they continued their walk. When they were some distance away, Robin reached into her coat's pocket and pulled out her grimoire, searching for a certain someone's number. Her call was answered almost immediately by the other side.

"Yes," the voice spoke over a slight noise in the background. Robin raised an eyebrow at this.

"Meteos! Where are you?"

"I'm buying some books. I suppose the meeting is over?"

"That's right. We're just finishing. By the way, I want to tell you that I will be staying out late, so have dinner without me."

"I understand, I'll tell Walman."

"Wait, Meteos!" she exclaimed.

"Yes?"

"Make sure you sleep on time. No overworking."

"...Alright."

Robin rolled her eyes at the slight delay in the answer.

"I don't believe you."

"What? I thought trust is important in a healthy relationship?" Meteos' voice drawled.

"Feh... cheeky brat. Listen, I'm just worried about your health, okay? I'll call you again tonight just to make sure."

Meteos sighed, "Yes, of course. Thank you very much for your concern, Miss Robin. I will sleep on time."

"You better. Okay then, have a great day!"

With that, Robin cut off the call.

"That kid, even His Majesty listened to me, why couldn't he do the same?" she grumbled and entered another set of numbers on her grimoire.

After waiting for a moment, someone answered her call.

"Hello?" a lovely young girl's voice sounded from the other side.

"Hello, Nadia, how are you?"

"Um... I am in a bookstore right now, Miss Robin."

'How curious,' Robin thought, and continued to speak to the grimoire.

"I see. By the way, Nadia, can I ask you for a favor?"

"I don't mind, what is that?"

"It's quite simple," Robin stifled a chuckle before continuing, "At ten o'clock tonight, can you call Meteos and tell him to go to sleep?"

"......Eh!?"

"What's wrong? Can you do it or not?"

"Err... I really don't mind, but why me?"

"You see... you know Meteos has a habit of staying up late to work, right? It worsens lately. You noticed how tired he looked in school, right?"

"Yes..."

"I am so worried that he might get sick, but no matter how many times I tell him he never listens," Robin sighed, "If he got sick and got hospitalized, what should I tell his parents?"

As Robin continued to speak of her woes in taking care of her students, Nadia listened silently from the other side.

"........."

"So I think that if it's you who speak to him, he might listen. He seems to be very nice to you, after all. Can you do that?"

"...I understand, I'll do it."

"Atta girl, now I gotta go, it was nice speaking with you! Goodbye!"

"Have a nice day, Miss Robin."

With a satisfied nod, Robin tucked the grimoire back into her pocket and went to join her superiors in the parking lot. It's going to be an all-nighter again, but with a lightened heart, Robin walked the palace corridor in a bright mood.

Currently Publicly Available Information

NOBILITY AND COMMONERS IN THE GOVERNMENT

In the Holy Milishial Empire's government, officials from the nobility and commoner backgrounds are referred by different titles. For example, the heads of the executive departments in the Empire will be called a "Minister" if they are a noble, and a "Director" if they are a commoner. This is only a formal nomenclature and there is no difference in the treatment and status of the officials.

Chapter Text

October 15, 1614 Central Calendar, 15:11

Tranquila District

Autumn.

As one of the four seasons in one year, it marks the transition from summer to winter for the Holy Milishial Empire, whose territory lies entirely in the world's temperate zone. As the tree leaves withered and began to fall from their trees, they paint the predominantly white townscape of the Tranquila District, with various shades of orange.

During this time, the citizens of Runepolis, especially the younger ones, would frequently visit Tranquila to view the fall foliage and take photos of it with their magic cameras. The Tranquila District, the lively and diverse "Student Town" of the Imperial Capital Runepolis where students from all over the Empire gathered to study in the best of the Empire's schools located within the district, became even more crowded with people, bringing fortune to business owners throughout the town.

"Hmmmmm............"

Inside a bookstore located in the Tranquila District, a pair of blue eyes are staring at rows of books displayed on a shelf among the store's aisles. With one hand on the chin, the owner of those eyes, a well-dressed little gentleman, stood facing the shelf and pondering in this section of the bookstore without moving an inch.

"Hmmmmmmmm............"

And for the umpteenth time, a humming sound was heard from the person. Other customers of the store kept their distance from him and continued browsing the books, ignoring him.

"Err...... Young Master, you've been doing that for nearly half an hour now. Haven't you decided what book you will choose?"

A voice interrupted the youth's musings, and he turned to look at the source. There is the shopkeeper, a kind uncle calling out to him from his desk near the store's front door. The distance between them is close, only two meters apart, so he can hear the shopkeeper's words clearly.

"Hmm... I'm not sure, all of these books looked interesting, but I don't know where to start..." The boy sighed, running a hand through his short, slightly spiky silver hair. He then noticed something in the shopkeeper's tone and turned to fully face the older man with a raised eyebrow, "Uncle, what did you call me just now?"

The shopkeeper wasn't sure why the boy asked him that, or why he addressed him 'uncle' so casually, or where he was wrong in what he said earlier, so the shopkeeper answered with a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"...Young Master......?"

He was met with a groan from the young man, who ruffled his silver hair a bit roughly. He then let out a slight chuckle and opened his mouth to speak.

"Uncle... no need to call me that. I'm a commoner just like you."

"Huh!? But I thought..." the shopkeeper trailed off, his eyes wide in astonishment and confusion.

"Is it because of my hair color? I knew it, should've worn a hat or something... Look, if you don't believe me, I can show you a proof, here is my identity card—"

But before the young man could show the documents to prove his identity, a loud beeping sound rang from inside the pocket of the young man's jacket. Quickly reaching the object that emitted the noise, it was revealed to be a grimoire with its screen flashing a set of numbers.

"This number... from Robin, huh? ......Uncle, if you'll excuse me, I got a call to answer."

"Uh... yes..."

With an apologetic tone of voice, the young man bowed slightly to the shopkeeper before putting the grimoire close to his right ear and began speaking to the caller from the other side of the grimoire.

"Yes......... I'm buying some books. I suppose the meeting is over?"

As the dumbfounded shopkeeper looked on, the young man continued talking through his magic phone and walked deeper into the store's aisle, ignoring the sound of the store's bell ringing and another visitor walking into the bookstore.

Nadia Smirnova, a student of the Runepolis Magic Academy, was walking through the sidewalk of the Tranquila District with a paper bag in hand. After finishing today's school, she decided to go to a bookstore to look for materials in preparation for the upcoming school year. At first, she invited her close friends, Sofia Trussardi and Annette Pendragon, to come along, but during the grimoire conversations, an apologetic Annette told her that she was busy with the family business at the moment, while Sofia cried over the magic phone that she, too, was unable to accompany her.

Thus, Nadia had no choice but to go to the bookstore alone, much to the concern of her friends who still remembered the incident where she almost got robbed if not for Robin's intervention. Nadia was able to persuade them not to worry, although Annette sternly warned her to be careful and to call them if anything went wrong.

As Nadia was nearing her destination, she found herself pushing against the tide of pedestrians milling along the sidewalk. She can see the shopkeepers merrily selling their goods to the curious visitors, mostly young couples with bright expressions who are eager to collect souvenirs from their trip to the Student Town. Some are walking leisurely, admiring the vibrant orange shade of the fall foliage across the other side of the street. Whenever a car passed by on the leaf-littered street, it pushed the leaves and air aside, prompting Nadia to pull her dark blue jacket closer to stave off the cold but fresh air of the capital.

Someone nearly bumped into her, a man walking hurriedly while holding a flat, mirror-like square device close to his ear and talking to it. He briefly stopped what he was doing to utter a short apology to Nadia and resumed his way. Shrugging, Nadia continued walking.

The sight of people talking or pressing something on the same kind of device has become quite commonplace ever since the Empire's leading manufacturer of communication devices, the Aikon Corporation, announced its latest product several months ago.

Grimoire.

Originally a term used to refer to a mage's spellbook in ancient times and in countries outside the Empire, it is now used to refer to the small manacom fit in a person's palm, yet capable of communicating between long distances just like its bulky desk-mounted counterpart did. Since Nadia is a good friend of the inventors of the device, she knows how a grimoire works to some degree.

A grimoire is comprised of a small crystalline screen, a casing containing shrunken magic circuits, and a small computer already filled with components of the spell used for communication magic. That way, whenever someone wanted to contact another grimoire, they no longer need to chant the spell to fill the magic circuit. They only need to input the specific pattern of magic wave unique to the grimoire they want to contact, represented by a set of numbers, while the mana is provided by the inbuilt magic battery, and the computer will arrange the spell in an instant. Once the other grimoire received the transmitted magic wave, they can start talking. Voice communication is not the only thing the grimoire can do, as the latest Aikon 117A can also send letters in the form of text communication. It still even has room for the company to squeeze in a simple functional calculator and a magic-powered clock function.

Without a support infrastructure such as a magic wave transmission tower to extend the range, a grimoire's emitted magic wave alone can reach up to 200 meters in all directions. In addition, if the magic battery is running out of mana, there is an option to use the person's own magic power. However, this is highly risky and the users are not advised to do that unless in an emergency situation.

The manacom, already the crystallization of magic technology that allowed people to connect with each other regardless of obstacles or range through wireless communication, now can be held in one's hand and be used everywhere and anywhere. Immediately after the Aikon Corporation announced the release of the grimoire, many interested nobles and businessmen that find it to be a handy tool have lined up to order it, causing Aikon Corporation's sales to skyrocket.

Its nature as a cutting-edge technology caused the grimoire at present to be an expensive product affordable only to rich citizens. However, Nadia, a simple young girl from the east coast who has to save money to make her ends meet in Runepolis, also has one. Why is that?

It happened suddenly and out of nowhere. One month ago, Nadia's friend, Meteos Roguerider, who is also one of the inventors of the grimoire, suddenly came to her and gave the device for free with that charming smile of his. Not only one, but two grimoires, one for her and one for her grandmother living on the east coast. Although it doesn't feel right for her to receive something without giving something in return, he looked sincere enough that Nadia couldn't bring herself to reject that and hurt that smile, so she received them with a slight feeling of resignation.

Just like what Meteos had told her, Nadia immediately packaged the other grimoire to send it to the east coast. She smiled when she remembered the joyful voice of her grandmother from the device when they were connected for the first time, and they began to communicate routinely since then. Her thoughts wandered back to the one who allowed all that to happen.

"Meteos..." Nadia murmured wistfully.

The silver-haired boy and his friend Walman disappeared immediately after school hour ended, so they rarely met, and since they are known to be very busy, Nadia never called them except when she really needed it, not wanting to disturb them.

Without realizing it, she had arrived at her destination, a bookstore with dull white walls just like the other storefronts on the block. Shaking her head and after taking a deep breath, Nadia opened the door. Upon entering, she was greeted by the sound of the doorbell ringing and the warm breeze that caressed her skin. Ignoring a slightly confused-looking shopkeeper, Nadia proceeded to one of the aisles, looking for the textbooks.

As she was exploring the aisles, Nadia's grimoire rang from inside the paper bag, its continuous beeping sound indicated that someone had contacted her for voice communication. She immediately picked it up and stared at the numbers displayed on the screen.

"These numbers are from...... uuh, I forgot whose number is this..."

Deciding that she will not get an answer unless she answered the call, Nadia pressed the screen to accept the call and put the grimoire closer to her ears.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hello, Nadia, how are you?"

Nadia was relieved upon hearing the familiar voice of Professor Robin Calvello from the other side, making a mental note to better memorize the numbers of her contacts.

"Um... I am in a bookstore right now, Miss Robin."

"I see. By the way, Nadia, can I ask you for a favor?"

"I don't mind, what is that?"

"It's quite simple," Nadia heard a muffled chuckle before Robin's voice continued, "At ten o'clock tonight, can you call Meteos and tell him to go to sleep?"

"......Eh!?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden request; a slight blush suddenly crept into her cheeks at the mention of that name.

"What's wrong? Can you do it or not?"

"Err... I really don't mind, but why me?"

"You see... you know Meteos has a habit of staying up late to work, right? It worsens lately. You noticed how tired he looked in school, right?"

"Yes..."

"I am so worried that he might get sick, but no matter how many times I tell him he never listens... If he got sick and got hospitalized, what should I tell his parents?"

Nadia listened silently as Robin continued to speak. She was aware that Meteos often stayed up late at night doing whatever work he did, but she had heard from a nurse back in her hometown that staying up late is detrimental to someone's health, especially for a growing boy like Meteos, so Robin has the right to worry about his habit. After all, as the master, Robin is responsible for her apprentices' well-being, as entrusted by Meteos and Walman's parents.

"........."

"So I think that if it's you who speak to him, he might listen. He seems to be very nice to you, after all. Can you do that?"

She bit her lips before answering, "...I understand, I'll do it."

"Atta girl, now I gotta go, it was nice speaking with you! Goodbye!"

"Have a nice day, Miss Robin."

Immediately after that, the call was cut off and Nadia put her grimoire back into the paper bag. With a light sigh, she continued what she was supposed to do in this place: searching for books.

Nadia, who wanted a head start in studying, had saved enough money to buy a high school-grade alchemy book at a price range of 10 to 30 zollarks. If possible, Nadia wanted the book to be as comprehensive and contain as much information as possible, but that would make the book expensive.

"The good ones are more than 30 zollarks... I can't buy those..." Nadia mumbled in disappointment.

As she continued to ponder and stared at the selection of the textbooks in front of her, looking for a good book with a reasonable price, Nadia was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice a presence coming from the other end of the aisle. She only felt it when what seemed to be a person's hand appeared in the corner of her vision, and Nadia turned to look.

"Boo."

".........!"

Nadia yelped at the sudden voice. It was then that she got a better look at the one who startled her, blood once again rushed to her cheeks, causing them to turn into an adorable shade of red. She quickly pulled a random book from the shelf to cover her face, hoping that no one saw her embarrassing state.

It was him.

Even though he wore a neutral expression, his blue eyes were filled with mirth, looking pleased with his little prank. Nadia looked up shyly to see that her friend, the elusive Meteos Roguerider, was still standing there. He was leaning slightly against the bookshelf using his left hand, while his other hand is holding a book. Meteos waited patiently until Nadia composed herself and managed to look him in the eyes.

"Nadia," he greeted.

"M-Meteos."

Giving a slight chuckle, Meteos got off from his leaning position and continued to speak, "Sorry for startling you. I didn't expect you to be here."

"No... it's okay. What are you doing here?" Nadia asked, but then inwardly smacked her forehead for asking that question.

'Wait, no! This is a bookstore, duh! Of course he's here looking for books!'

Meteos hummed, "I just looking around, trying to find books that catch my interest, but it seems that I have found one," he said, showing Nadia the book he is holding. She guessed that it is some kind of novel, judging from the size and thickness of the book, with a dull green cover and a golden debossed title in Milishian script.

"Thunderbolt...?" Nadia read the book's title with slight hesitation. 'Quite a strange title for a novel. What is this book about?' She wondered.

"Maybe an error in localization. This is actually a foreign book, and the author is from Mu. Here, look."

Meteos opened the cover to reveal the first page, where underneath the blocky Milishian script, there are words written in much more curvy and exotic letters. Even though Nadia cannot understand the words, she is educated enough to know that this script belonged to the country across the Minerva Ocean, the Kingdom of Mu.

"I see..." Nadia murmured.

"Un coup de foudre," Meteos spoke suddenly.

"Huh?"

"It's what those Muish letters read."

"What does that mean?"

"Literally? It means, 'a bolt of lightning'. It's also a Muish idiom for an astonishing occurrence that delivers a kind of electrifying feeling... ah, yes, the 'love at first sight.'"

The meaning of the foreign words sent shivers through Nadia's body. Un coup de foudre... to fall in love at first sight. It perfectly described her feelings the first time she laid her eyes on the young man in front of her. The silver bolt of lightning had struck Nadia's heart on that day.

Unaware of Nadia's thoughts, Meteos continued to speak.

"The last time I was here, I didn't pay much attention to it. But now that I'm here again, I want to give it a read. I don't know what this title means for the book, but I guess I'll find out once I got back home. Speaking of which, Nadia, what about you?"

With her trying to ignore the warm sensation that once again adorned her face, Nadia explained to Meteos the reason she visited this bookstore, to find a good textbook but still affordable for her. When she finished explaining, Meteos closed his eyes for a moment, a hand on his chin.

"Hmmm... a good alchemy textbook, huh... Follow me."

Meteos beckoned Nadia to come after him. The two of them moved to the next aisle and stopped on one shelf. After Meteos bent down to pick up one of the books, he showed it to Nadia.

"If you want the best textbook for high school and college level, this is the best that I will recommend to you."

Nadia's stomach dropped at the price tag shown. If Nadia's entire savings can barely buy a book that is slightly higher than 30 zollarks, what made Meteos think that she can afford a book as expensive as 185 zollarks? What part of 'affordable' he doesn't understand?

"Uh... Meteos, I can't buy that. It's too expensive."

As Nadia spoke to Meteos, the boy just stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face, causing her to squirm in discomfort. A moment later, his blue eyes seemed to gain a strange glint for a moment and he said these words to her in a determined tone of voice.

"I'm paying."

"Wha—"

"I said I'm paying. If that's all, let's go to the cashier, then."

"W-wait! This is not right! Meteos!"

Nadia called out to him, but he just motioned her to follow him and walked to the shopkeeper at the front of the store. With hasty steps Nadia followed Meteos to the front, her hand managed to cling to his arm. On the other hand, Meteos didn't seem to be bothered with it and continued walking toward his destination.

"What are you doing!?" Nadia exclaimed.

"I am not going to let some nonsense like lack of money prevent someone as talented as you from learning. Therefore, I decided to pay for this book for you. It's simple as that," Meteos stated matter-of-factly.

"Are you serious!?"

"I am, now let me pay these."

When both of them reached the shopkeeper's desk, Meteos called out to the older man while Nadia watched the transaction from behind with a mixed feeling of confusion and disbelief at her friend's sudden action. When he was told that the total price for his novel and Nadia's alchemy textbook is 250 zollarks, Meteos without complaint pulled the required amount of money from his wallet and paid them in cash.

"Put them in separate bags, please."

"I understand. Is this everything today, Young Master?"

"Yes. Uncle, I told you earlier about this," Meteos reached for his student ID issued by the RMA and handed it to the shopkeeper.

"........."

"See? I'm just an ordinary citizen. I'm neither a nobleman nor I want to pretend to be one."

Meteos' student ID clearly displayed the surname 'Roguerider,' instead of the only family with silver hair that the shopkeeper knows of, the enigmatic noble House of Pendragon. With the death of Lady Pendragon five years ago, said house currently has only two members with no known relatives, so the shopkeeper thought that the young man in front of him is one of their previously unknown relatives. However, his assumption was denied. To be honest, from Nadia's perspective, she would have thought the same if he never told anyone.

"Well, to be fair, this is our first time meeting, so I can understand. But here's more proof if you still don't believe me," Meteos shrugged. He then reached for his hair and plucked a strand of silver hair, then showed it to the stunned shopkeeper. From the root to the tip, it was colored silver in its entirety.

Nadia cringed at the act, which she had heard that Meteos had done so many times whenever someone asked about his heritage. At this rate, if he keeps doing that, he will go—no, Nadia was too horrified to even think about it. From behind Meteos' back, she shook her head rapidly to banish those thoughts. However, she then found a contradiction in what her friend said just now and what he had said much earlier.

'Didn't he say he was here before...?' Nadia thought with a slight frown, 'Or maybe he meant he was here before and it's his first time with this shopkeeper?'

".........But I've never seen any people with naturally silver hair other than the Pendragons before..." the shopkeeper asked.

"Come to think of it, you're right. But it doesn't change the fact that I am the son of Roguerider family, born and raised," the boy said somewhat proudly.

"R-right."

With a satisfied nod, Meteos received the two paper bags from the shopkeeper and turned to face the blonde behind him.

"You're coming?" he asked, offering one of the bags to Nadia.

"...Um!" she gingerly picked up the paper bag and together they walked out of the bookstore after thanking the shopkeeper.

As they exited the store, they found that the bright late afternoon that day was replaced by a darkening sky. Strong wind blowing from the Minerva Ocean brought the dense rainclouds above Runepolis, while on the ground, the littered leaves were picked up by the gust and flew away. The citizens outside began to quicken their pace to avoid the impending bad weather as the sound of distant thunder began to echo from afar.

"Looks like a storm is coming," Meteos said as he stared at the sky, "I guess we must go home quickly, lest we will be caught up in the rain."

"Yes..."

Using their arms to shield their faces from the flying leaves, Meteos and Nadia ran to a tram stopping nearby to head to their homes among the light drizzle that began to fall from the sky. It was after they boarded the tram and sat on the chairs that it turned into a downpour, creating loud noises as they pounded the windows, roof, road, and other surfaces. Occasionally the sky was lit by a lightning flash and the rumble of the thunder followed moments after that. The storm made the already cold air even colder, so much that even though they were wearing jackets, Meteos and Nadia can feel it in their bones.

"Well, this is most unfortunate. But at least we don't get wet from the rain," Meteos said from his seat next to Nadia, while glancing outside the window to see people frantically running around for cover or opening their umbrellas amidst the rain.

The tram had already begun to move to its next destination. As he glanced around the interior, he saw that the tram surprisingly has few passengers in it. Meteos was about to let his body relax for the trip when he noticed that Nadia is staring at the floor with a frown, her hands gripping the bag that he had given her tightly.

"Is there something wrong?"

"........."

"Nadia?" he asked again with a growing feeling of concern.

Various thoughts and feelings were swirling inside Nadia's heart. It's not that she is not grateful, but she remembered what her grandmother had said to her before she departed for Runepolis.

"No one gives of themselves for nothing, for everyone has an ulterior motive."

For Nadia, Meteos, who after their first meeting, continued to shower her with this kind of treatment at every chance, confused her. She can't read his intentions at all. And with what just happened at the bookstore, she finally mustered enough courage to confront Meteos about this.

"I don't understand..."

"Hm?"

Still staring at the floor, Nadia continued, "Why are you doing this?"

"Oh. Do you mean the book? Don't worry about that. I've got plenty of money from my work, so—"

"That's not what I'm asking!"

"........."

Meteos went silent when Nadia raised her voice and turned to face him, her blue irises, which have a gleam not unlike a clear sky, now staring against Meteos' deep ocean blue ones intensely.

"You know you aren't gaining anything from doing all of this, so why bother?"

'Why, you ask? Twenty-five years from now, the history as we know it will witness a great change, a change where our homeland will suffer and fall from grace. I don't know why I was reborn in this world, but in this second life, I will not let this country be humiliated by anyone ever again. But I cannot do everything alone. You, Nadia, are one of the brightest minds that I ever met. That's why I don't mind doing all of this, after all, this is the least I can do for now to support and nurture those who are able to change our future... but how am I supposed to tell her about this without sounding like a mentally ill patient? Besides... somehow it doesn't feel right for me to be so frank with her...'

"I..."

Meteos' gaze faltered as he averted his eyes from their stare-off. Unsure of what to say, he swallowed and began thinking about an answer. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a deep sigh before opening his mouth, choosing his words carefully.

"Nadia, do you remember that you once told me that you came from the east coast, right?"

"...?"

"You lived with your grandmother, a humble vendor with a meager income, yet she wanted only the best for you and saved enough to send you here in Runepolis, and you, who doesn't want to burden your grandmother, wanted to finish your education as soon as possible. That is the reason why you are aiming for skipping high school, isn't it?"

Nadia was taken aback by those words.

"Then what does it have anything to do with this..."

"You are really a good person, Nadia. Your desire is something that I can relate. After all, I also don't want to burden my two parents. That's why I'm working hard right now, or at least I believe I am. I know I'll never be able to repay them for allowing me to be born in this world, but still..."

'Is that why? Because Meteos saw himself in me?' Nadia thought, stunned.

At that moment, Meteos finally turned to look Nadia in the eyes once again.

"...Besides, do I really need a reason to help a friend?" he said with a pained smile, hoping that Nadia will buy his sorry excuse of reassuring words.

"!!!"

It was enough to make blood rush to Nadia's face once again, as she became flustered and abruptly turned away from him.

'Oh come on! She doesn't believe me!?' Meteos screamed inwardly, cursing himself for his lack of skills in speaking.

However, amidst the sounds of the rain, he heard Nadia's faint muttering.

"Meteos... you idiot..."

"........."

As her friend's last words replayed again and again in Nadia's mind, she heard Meteos sitting on her side chuckling. It then turned into full-blown laughter, causing her mind to be filled with confusion as she stared at the laughing Meteos.

"Haah... come to think of it, this is the first time in my life that someone called me an idiot," he muttered with a smirk.

Nadia's eyes widened at the words; her confusion transformed into panic as she realized that Meteos had heard her muttering. Seeing the look on her face, Meteos waved his hand, "Don't worry, I'm not mad. To be honest, I find it rather refreshing. It reminds me that there still so many things that I still don't know."

"A-are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm."

A smile broke on Nadia's face.

"No, I was wrong, you're not an idiot. You're weird!"

"Hah! Is that so!?"

The two friends laughed together. Even though the storm outside showed no signs of letting up, the air between Meteos and Nadia is just like a sunny day. To kill the time, both of them talked about each other's likes, dislikes, and many more for the rest of the trip, getting to know themselves better. Since they shared the same hobby of reading, the topic of their conversation switched from one book title to another.

At some point, when they ran out of topics to talk about, Meteos decided to open the novel he had just bought and read it together, revealing it to be a Muish romance novel. It was a new experience for both of them, as it is the first time Meteos ever read a book of that genre, listening to Nadia's enthusiastic remarks as they read through the pages. On the other hand, Nadia found out that Meteos is fluent in Muish language and managed to learn one sentence or two from him.

As they talked, Nadia was able to get more comfortable in Meteos' presence without getting flustered all the time, while Meteos found Nadia's personality and her dedication for the sake of her grandmother to be something admirable. However, there is something about her that Meteos can't describe with words, something that was bugging him.

Eventually, the tram stopped in front of the Runepolis Magic Academy's building complex, Nadia's destination. It was time for them to part ways for today.

"Is everything alright?" Meteos asked.

"Mm. I will call someone from the dormitory to bring me an umbrella. So don't worry," Nadia reassured.

"I see. Be careful on your way, then."

As she disembarked from the tram, Nadia ran as quickly as possible to reach the tram stop's shade. She then turned around and waved to Meteos, who still need to board the tram to reach his apartment, with a big smile on her face.

"See you again!"

"Yeah!"

The sight of Meteos returning her smile while giving a small wave is the last thing she saw before the tram's door closed and it started to move again. Leaving Nadia waiting for her friend from inside the dormitory. Just then it occurred to her that she forgot to thank Meteos for the book.

"...! Maybe I'll just do that tonight..."

The sound of the rain is the only thing that accompanied her as the tram began to become smaller and smaller, heading to its next destination.

The storm had ceased as the nightfall came, reduced to an occasional drizzle and an overcast that covered the capital city of Runepolis. However, that does not stop the Sleepless Magical City from shining brightly into the night.

After Meteos disembarked from the tram at the last stop near his apartment, he called for Walman to pick him up with an umbrella and headed home. His friend had just come home from buying groceries when the storm happened, and he went out with a slight annoyance. After that, Meteos told him about what he had heard from Robin earlier and they proceeded to have dinner with only the two of them. Meteos and Walman eagerly dug into their dinner, a stew made of seafood and peas that they cooked together.

"So... all-nighter again tonight?" Walman asked. He then picked up a sliced loaf of bread and soaked it into the soup and brought it to his mouth without hesitation.

He raised an eyebrow when Meteos, who had finished his dinner earlier, surprisingly shook his head.

"No, I'll attempt to sleep early this time," he said before sipping a glass of water.

"Oh... what happened? Is it because of Miss Robin pestering you even when she is away?"

Meteos clicked his tongue in annoyance, earning a victorious smirk from his friend as he knew he was right.

"By the way, the weather is good for sleeping."

"Hm? Yeah, you're right. Alright, I'm going back to work," Meteos said, getting up from the dining chair and going to his desk to continue his work with his plans.

Two hours later at 10 o'clock, Robin called just as they were finishing their activities for the night. Meteos had gone to the apartment's rooftop to speak and was just done talking with his teacher. Just as he was about to walk inside, his grimoire rang again.

"Huh?" Meteos muttered as he checked the grimoire, "From Nadia?"

'Right now, the grimoire can only display the numbers, it cannot yet save contacts with names. Noted for future development,' he thought as he accepted the call.

"Yes."

"Um... hello?" her voice, clear with the grimoire close to his eyes, sounded hesitant.

"Nadia. Good evening."

"...!! Good evening, Meteos."

A soft chuckle escaped Meteos' lips, "Can I help you with something?"

"Err... actually, I'm calling you because Miss Robin told me to..."

"Oho? What did she tell you?"

"She told me to call you at ten o'clock tonight to... to..."

"To what?" Meteos probed.

"...to tell you to go to sleep! Yes, that's it!"

"Aah! Hahahahahahaha!" he couldn't help but put one hand to his forehead as he laughed, "As expected from Miss Robin! So I take it you're supposed to make sure that I'll go to bed on time in case I didn't listen to her?"

"Yes... more or less so..."

"Then no need to worry. I'm planning to finish my work for tonight and go to bed. Is that all?"

"Wait! There's one more thing... You have given me this for free this afternoon, among other things that you did for my sake ever since we've met, I've never had the chance to express my gratitude to you."

Although they are blocks apart, Nadia's voice continued to flow from the speaker of the grimoire, as if the girl herself was present and whispered directly to his ear. Amidst the silence of the night, Meteos can hear her voice clearly, with no other noise interfering between them. He finally realized something about her that was nagging on his feelings ever since this late afternoon.

"...Thank you, for everything."

It was her voice. Soft and pleasant to the ears, like a melodious lullaby that makes him feel like he is floating in the air whenever it was sung. It was soothing.

It was...

"...beautiful," he breathed. He finally found the word to describe it.

A loud sound from the other side jolted Meteos back to his senses, panic and worry engulfed him as he yelled to the grimoire.

"Hey, what's happening there!? Is everything alright!?"

"...Y-yes, everything is alright, I just accidentally dropped my grimoire to the desk. Don't worry, it looks okay."

"I... I see... be careful next time, then..." he sighed in relief and continued, "And Nadia, just concentrate on your studies and make your grandmother proud, that's all I want to ask."

"Mm! I will do my best!"

Although he can't see it, Meteos can feel from the other side, Nadia was smiling. At that moment, perhaps because of the cold air, he felt his eyes droop and sleepiness began to overcome his senses. After letting out a quiet yawn, Meteos decided that this is the time to end the call before going to sleep.

"Alright, then, it's time to go to bed. Nadia, thank you very much for reminding me."

"Yes, no problem."

"Good night."

"Have a good rest, Meteos."

With that, he hung up the call, but did not immediately walk inside the building. Meteos just stared at the screen of his grimoire and once again tried that new word.

"Beautiful..."

As he hit the bed and closed his eyes, he did not see in his dream the ocean of fire that haunted his many nights before, nor the monstrous mass of steel and flames that brings death whenever it sailed. It was a peaceful and serene dream, with a melodious tune dancing in his ears.

'Your voice...'

Currently Publicly Available Information

GRIMOIRE

A manacom, which is a magical tool to transmit signals and information through the use of magical power, shrunken in size to fit into the palm of a human's hand, allowing the user to make and receive calls on the move. It features the latest magic circuit and computer technology that allowed such a significant reduction in size to be possible and is regarded as the next generation in magical communications technology.

Although a grimoire uses a differently patterned magic wave for transmission compared to the desk-mounted commercial manacom, it can be accepted by the already existing magic wave transmission tower, allowing them to communicate with their desk-mounted counterpart in addition to communicating between grimoires.

With the recent policy by the Holy Milishial Empire, the Aikon Corporation, the producer of grimoire, is looking forward to expanding their market to not only inside the Empire, but also beyond.

Chapter Text

October 18, 1614 Central Calendar

Three days have passed since the Imperial Conference where the policies of the Empire were approved and the senior officials of the country were busy carrying out their duties. Among them is the approval for the development of a new type of engine for the Heavenly Vessels, the magic turbojet. For that matter, other ministries than the MOASEC also began their work. Among them, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had contacted the ambassadors to the neighboring countries to hold talks with their governments for preliminary negotiations, while inside the country, preparations for reopening and redevelopment of mines with NMC-22 deposits are underway. All of these were done to support the MOASEC's new development.

Meetings between the Holy Milishial Empire's ministers have been held several times since then to iron out the details, such as to what extent the Empire will relax the technology restriction to nations that are willing to allow the Empire mining rights on their soil or if they will provide technology at all, given the Emperor only ordered them to 'offer the nations reasonable support' during the Imperial Conference. Hence it was up to the relevant bureaucrats to figure out a plan to the best of their ability.

In particular, five of the Empire's heads of executive departments are going back and forth between their offices and the Albion Palace to hold audiences with the Emperor: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lewis Maddock; Minister of Military Affairs, Ignis Schmill Pao; Minister of Treasury, Herodia Courtenay; Director of Economy Ministry, Edith Sommerville; and the one who faced it with tremendous anxiety, Director of MOASEC, Arsene Lippin.

This is not the first time that Emperor Milishial VIII only gave the outline of a policy and left it up to subjects to decide how to follow his order. In fact, he had done it so many times ever since his coronation despite having enough experience, intelligence, and wisdom to run a nation on his own. This is because Milishial VIII believes that if the leaders of a nation listened to their emperor too much, they will eventually lose the capacity to think for themselves and will hinder the operations of the Empire in the future.

However, this approach is a gamble in itself because sometimes the bureaucrats are prone to making blunders in decision-making. Sometimes they made such an error that they were fired or resigned as a result, and then replaced by another bureaucrat that seemed competent enough to be promoted to fill their place. However, a bureaucrat's skill in one job does not translate to another, and these bureaucrats suddenly found themselves in a position where they are no longer competent. As a result, the entire hierarchy tends to be filled by those who are incompetent at their job.

The latest notable victim of this is the MOASEC's previous leader. The replacement, Arsene Lippin, is a capable bureaucrat in his previous job, but will he show competence in his new station as a Director as well?

Other bureaucrats considered him to be a very lucky man, but they also began to wonder how long this youngest executive officer can last as the Director of the Ancient Ministry with his lack of experience. Some of the snider ones even placed bets.

It is up to Lippin to prove them wrong.

13:00

San Redentore District

The San Redentore District, located in northeastern Runepolis, is the location of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures. Situated in the secluded outskirts of the capital city, the MOASEC is the only ministry whose headquarters is located here, far away from the cluster of government offices in and around the Albion District.

On an empty winding road leading to the MOASEC building, a black car is moving at a leisure pace, its magic engine giving a soft whine that broke the quietness of the scenery. A forest of maples, pines, cedars, spruce, and larch trees grows on both sides of the road, with falling leaves raining from above. Meanwhile, the car continued to push through the carpet of orange leaves that littered the black asphalt of the road.

Inside the car, three young men and a woman admired the scenery from their seats, glancing at the trees passing by as the car continued to move through the road. The rays from sun, which is starting to slant to the west, are filtered through the forest canopy, casting a comfortable shade upon them.

"Are we there yet?"

From the backseat, Walman Falkenhausen asked the driver and the person sitting in the front passenger seat about their arrival with an irritated tone.

Robin, sitting in the front passenger seat, chuckled at his whining. Her students, especially the brunette, seemed to have grown bored at the trip. Since entering the San Redentore District, their surroundings changed from manmade buildings to trees, trees, and more trees as far as the eye can see. It has been half an hour but their destination is still nowhere to be seen. Occasionally one or two cars will pass by from the opposite direction but that's about it. They were alone in this road.

"Well, there should be a large intersection, and after that, it will be several minutes until we arrive," Hirkane, from the driver's seat, attempted to calm Walman down while keeping focused on the road ahead.

Why did Meteos and Walman go to the MOASEC headquarters in the first place?

One day after the Imperial Conference, on October 16, after a discussion the night before with the upper echelons of the Ancient Ministry, Robin went to the Runepolis Magic Academy and stated the Ancient Ministry's intention to have Meteos and Walman, who were already at third grade at Junior High School Department, to graduate earlier and recruited by the Ancient Ministry, skipping both high school and university as they are deemed skilled and knowledgeable enough that they don't need to go through them anymore.

However, the RMA, a school with a behavior of a military-industrial corporation, is unwilling to let such brilliant individuals go so easily, and they negotiated fiercely with the Ancient Ministry. To their surprise, in response, Meteos, as one of the parties concerned, offered a compromise to both the RMA and Ancient Ministry side.

He proposed that in exchange for RMA letting them be recruited by the Ancient Ministry as employees, the Ancient Ministry will deepen their partnership with the school, basically favoring them in biddings for contracts especially whenever the Ancient Ministry finished the analysis of a new excavated Ravernal relic and is ready to release them publicly to put them to practical use. In addition, the Ancient Ministry will also send more personnel to RMA as 'technical advisors' to supervise and assist in the production of the new technology development, including the two new graduates.

After much deliberation, his proposal was accepted by both the RMA and the Ancient Ministry with some modifications, and the negotiation was concluded on October 17, and on this day, after spending the morning in the RMA where a small graduation ceremony was conducted and they officially advanced in rank from Student Mage to Apprentice Mage, Robin brought Meteos and Walman to the Ancient Ministry headquarters in San Redentore district along with the younger Hirkane Valpe, Meteos' boss in his previous life whom he met for the first time in this new timeline.

However, what Meteos didn't say was that he will not limit himself to developing naval technology, which is something that the RMA specializes in. In that case, unless they suddenly have the capability to do so, the RMA will have no choice but to let the defense contract be awarded to someone else if they find the Ancient Ministry's technology release to be outside their field of expertise. But still, the RMA is a very important ally to have if Meteos wanted his future changing scheme to go successfully.

If everything goes well, Meteos, as a member of the Ancient Ministry, will be able to harness the capabilities of not only the Ancient Ministry and RMA but also various other manufacturers and research institutions in the Empire to support him. In the first place, enrolling in RMA and gaining enough fame to get noticed by the Ancient Ministry is part of his future-changing plans. He is also convinced that his teacher Robin is really an Ancient Weapons Operator, which explained her influence within the Ancient Ministry despite being so young. She is greatly interested in anything that Meteos made and is greatly helpful to him. Although he was looking at the outside view with a slightly bored expression on his face, the boy was smirking in his heart. So far, everything has gone according to plan.

'Robin, I couldn't thank you enough. Please continue to help me for the sake of our future, okay?' he thought as his eyes glanced slowly at the woman in front of him.

"Look, even Meteos is bored."

Hearing his name being mentioned made him to turn to his friend beside him.

"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Say something, Meteos."

".........Remember, patience is a virtue, Walman."

Walman groaned.

"Calm down, you heard what Mr. Hirkane said, just wait a bit longer until we arrive at our destination. Now do the usual."

"......Fine."

At Meteos' words, Walman reluctantly leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and took multiple deep breaths, and at the end, he gave a loud sigh that can be heard all over the car. It was a routine that Meteos kept telling Walman to do whenever he began to get impatient over something.

"Feeling better now?" Meteos asked.

"Yeah..."

"Excellent. You're very good."

"........." Walman didn't say anything as he felt his friend patting his shoulder while uttering those words with a friendly smile.

Robin watched the interaction between the two friends from her seat through the rearview mirror before turning her head to speak to them.

"Speaking of which, Meteos. You look much fresher today compared to the previous days."

"Hm? Really?"

"Mm-hmm," Robin grinned, "Now that your sleep schedule is back to normal, you no longer look like a dead man walking. Do you know how happy I am to see you finally listening to my words? You stubborn kid."

"Eeh...... I'm pretty sure you're exaggerating, but whatever."

In fact, after learning that Nadia managed to convince Meteos to sleep on time by simply contacting him on the grimoire, a pleased Robin ordered Nadia to do it again, and since that day, Meteos and Nadia have been exchanging grimoire calls each night before they go to sleep. Although he berated his teacher for possibly bothering Nadia with her strange request, on the third night, she said she didn't have any problems doing that.

Meteos doesn't mind being called by her, either for serious discussion or small talks like asking how he is doing at the moment. In fact, listening to her voice amidst the silence of the night is something that he found himself looking forward to. And for some reason, her voice made him easier to sleep...

A fond smile broke on his face as his thought brought him back to imagining her in his mind, hidden from others as he turned his head away to glance at the outside.

Just as Hirkane said, the car finally came to a fork on the road and after turning to the left, the trees that adorned the roadsides began to thin out. The car they were riding in started to climb a small hill, and when they reached the top of the hill, a glitter coming from the distance grabbed their attention.

"Ah, look at that!" Robin exclaimed, pointing at something among the hills far in front of them.

"Oooh...!"

Walman leaned forward on his seat as his eyes widened in awe. Partially hidden among the tall trees is a sprawling complex filled with white-colored buildings, while further behind them are the hills that formed the edge of Runepolis.

"It's huge!" Walman exclaimed.

"It can pass for a small town," Meteos nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, his eyes turned nostalgic at the sight of his old workplace.

"Amazing, isn't it? We're almost at the Ancient Ministry's headquarters," Hirkane said.

Several minutes later, the car finally arrived at the MOASEC headquarters. After passing the security checkpoint, they stopped at the underground parking lot and began to disembark, picking up their luggage from the car trunk. As they followed Robin and Hirkane to the main administrative building, they couldn't help but look around. Walman did so excitedly, while his silver-haired friend had a far more subdued expression on his face.

The buildings at the MOASEC headquarters feature a modern architectural design in both interior and exterior, somewhat even more futuristic than the typical building in Runepolis. Their destination, the main administrative building where the Director's office is located, is a four-story building with blue-tinted glass panels overlooking the complex, which is spread over a wide area.

"Alright, you two, welcome to our headquarters' main building. We will now go to the top floor where the Director is waiting," Robin said as she turned to face Meteos and Walman.

Walman raised his hand to ask a question.

"Is it normal for the leader of Ancient Ministry to welcome new recruits personally, Miss Robin?"

"No. But you two are special cases. It will be explained later, but for now, just follow me."

Shrugging to each other, the three of them followed Robin's lead and boarded the elevator to meet with Arsene Lippin, the head of the MOASEC where the Empire's most advanced technology is being developed and introduced to the world, a place where the humanity tried its best to prepare for the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's arrival.

---

After exiting the elevator, the group walked down the wide corridor and then stopped in front of a polished dark oak door with a golden plaque on it, engraved with the words "Reception Room". Robin knocked on it three times and called out to the door.

"Director, I've brought the new recruits from the Runepolis Magic Academy."

A muffled, "Let them in," answered her call, granting them the permission to enter the room. Robin grabbed and turned the doorknob, pushed the door and finally stepped in.

"Excuse me."

The boys observed that the interior is a rather simplistic room with black-and-white colored walls in a wavy pattern, the only other thing that caught their attention was the large window behind the opposing side of the couch, to which they can clearly see the rest of the MOASEC compound. On the said couch sat a raven-haired man in a neat black suit, the Director himself.

"I see you have come, thank you for coming all the way here. I am Arsene Lippin, the Director of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures," the Director introduced himself as he stood up to greet the new arrivals.

Walman was caught off guard by the Director's appearance and his tone of voice. He did not expect the director to be a handsome gentleman likely in his late twenties or early thirties, while his warm smile and quiet tone of voice strongly gave off a kind older brother vibe.

'So this man is Director Arsene Lippin...' Meteos thought as he studied the man closely, going through his memory trying to remember where he had met this man in his previous life.

The leaders of the Ancient Ministry are a strange bunch of people. Despite being the most important position in the most important department in the Imperial government, the faces of those who hold that title are surprisingly forgettable. Maybe because they change too often, with the heads that lasted longer than average is because of the technological breakthrough that the Ancient Ministry achieved during their tenure. Since Andreas Birkburn is the Director of the Ancient Ministry before and during the wars that engulfed the entire known world in the previous timeline, Lippin must be the predecessor one or two generations before him, with his name being only spoken once or twice among the employees.

'Either he resigned or he was fired after occupying the position for a very short time. If it's the latter... poor man.'

Despite his thoughts, Meteos gave the man a polite smile and a bow before proceeding to introduce himself, "If anything, we are the ones who are grateful for your invitation. My name is Meteos Roguerider, a graduate of Runepolis Magic Academy."

"My name is Walman Falkenhausen. Likewise, I am a graduate of Runepolis Magic Academy."

"Please take a seat."

They sat on the couch on the opposite side across the glass table at Lippin's prompting. Meanwhile, Robin and Hirkane took a seat on Lippin's either side. Seeing they had all taken their seats, Lippin spoke again.

"Well then, Meteos and Walman, since I'm sure you two are quite tired from traveling here, and since Robin had already told you the reason for your invitation here, we can skip that part."

The friends glanced at each other. The Director continued.

"But before that, I want to clarify something. After we were contacted by Captain Falkenhausen—the father of Walman here, regarding the amazing invention you had made back then, we decided to send Robin, who happened to be assigned to the Runepolis Magic Academy, to check it out, and I recalled from Robin that you once said that you 'wanted to impress someone in the upper echelons' to support you in making an even more advanced invention."

Meteos nodded, "Yes, I did say that."

"I see... well, you managed to make the Ancient Ministry greatly impressed and invested with your works. Your names have become the talk of the intellectual community for a while now, which brings out the reason why we are seeking to recruit you as members. Robin is actually under orders to observe you and provide support whenever you need it in hopes that you will be interested in our invitation. I apologize if it causes you inconvenience."

They glanced at Robin who is sitting on Lippin's right side. She gave them a sheepish smile.

"No, not at all. If anything, we are greatly helped by Miss Robin and the Ancient Ministry as a whole. Becoming an engineer is actually our dream since we were little. After graduating from junior high school in our hometown, we planned to go to the capital to enroll in the Runepolis Magic Academy, and if we are lucky enough, apply for a job in this department after graduating from university... to think we can step into this place before we reach seventeen... I still think we are dreaming..." Meteos said, lightly scratching his not-itchy head.

Lippin saw that Walman also nodding at his words.

"Then... joining us is your goal the entire time?" he inquired.

"Yes, that's right."

"I see..." Lippin looked relieved.

"Two sides that are perfect for each other... it's like a match made in heaven," Hirkane, who had been silent, commented from the side.

"Ain't it?"

The atmosphere between the five people becomes much friendlier and more relaxed, especially after Hirkane and Robin's casual remarks, which are very unusual to be spoken in the presence of a high-ranking official such as Lippin. The man in question did not say anything to chastise his subordinates, only chuckling slightly at them.

"Well then, I'll prepare your employee ID cards and a place to live for you around this area so that you will no longer need to take a lengthy trip from your current home."

"Thank you very much, Director."

"Mm. You will be assigned to your duties as staff members the next Monday at the earliest. Robin, please take care of your apprentices," Lippin said and stood up from his seat, followed by the other occupants of the room.

"Of course, sir."

The Director, his stature easily towering over the others, extended his hand toward Meteos and Walman.

"Meteos Roguerider and Walman Falkenhausen, welcome to the Ancient Ministry. Please do not stop learning and I wish you success."

They took turns in grasping his hand and shook it.

"Thank you for your kind words, Director. We are looking forward to working with you."

"Likewise, it's an honor to be here."

"Oh, yes. As a token of our appreciation for accepting our invitation, I have arranged to take you on a tour of the headquarters. I'm sorry because I can't accompany you myself, but I hope you will enjoy it."

''''Huh...''''

Robin, Hirkane, Meteos, and Walman, are either inwardly shaking their heads or were taken aback at the Director's politeness, but nevertheless accepted the offer. Accompanied by Robin, the new recruits headed for the clerk to receive their employee ID cards at the Director's orders, officially becoming the staff at the MOASEC and now visiting various locations at the headquarters with their teacher as a guide.

As they stared at the closed door, Lippin, who remained in the reception room along with Hirkane, sat back on the couch. The older man leaned on the couch with his hands spread on top of the backrest, totally not minding the presence of his subordinate who also worked as his personal driver standing nearby. He closed his eyes for a moment and heaved a sigh, relieving the tension in his shoulders.

"Those kids... they're about the same age as Ishmael..." Lippin muttered.

"Your eldest son, sir?"

"Yeah. Do you think they will get along with each other if they meet...?" He smiled a little.

Then Lippin's grimoire rang, prompting him to pick it up.

"Yes, it's me... Secretary of Imperial Household...!? Yes... yes... I understand, I will head there immediately."

As he hung up the call, he turned to Hirkane, "Prepare a car, we are heading to the Imperial Palace right now."

"I-I understand!"

---

Meanwhile, Robin, Meteos, and Walman, after receiving their ID cards and touring the administrative building, are now heading for their next destination, located some distance from the main building complex. As they walked side by side, Meteos spoke up.

"The meeting with the Director was not what I expected..."

"Yeah, I was expecting him to be more serious..." Walman added.

Robin's expression turned into one of amusement as she heard her apprentices' confused words.

"Well... Director Lippin has an image to uphold, that's for sure. But once you get to know him better, he is a very nice and humble man who is very easy to get along with," Robin mused, "The fact that he is good-looking also helps."

Back when he was a Public Relations Department employee, Director Lippin's good looks already attracted the attention of his co-workers, but they are hesitant to befriend him due to his seemingly stoic and stern air that he gave off to the others when in reality he is just too shy to talk and trying to hide his anxiety by focusing on his work. He then became so skilled at it that when the previous leader of the Ancient Ministry was fired by the government, he is the one chosen as the replacement among other employees due to his competence in his work. As he was unfamiliar with his new job, requiring him to seek help from his subordinates and speak out more, it was then that his true personality begins to emerge and he slowly began to earn the adoration of his subordinates.

"He's married," Meteos quickly pointed out, earning a wide-eyed look from his friend.

"How did you know that?"

"I saw he's wearing a wedding ring on his left hand during the meeting."

"Oh, damn... I didn't notice it..."

"So, Miss Robin, does the Director have children?"

Robin raised an eyebrow at his question, but answered nonetheless, "Yes, he has a fourteen years old son and a five years old daughter... Ah, his eldest child is your age, actually..."

"I see, I suppose that's why he is so friendly with us?"

"Perhaps..."

"Huh..."

Their idle chat soon came to an end as they arrived at their destination, a large building with a large metal sign in front of it that reads "San Redentore Museum of Magic Technology Research and History". It was one of the facilities in the MOASEC that is open to public visitation, exhibiting the history of the development of magic technology in the Holy Milishial Empire for educational purposes. In fact, at the end of the semester, the third-graders from various schools in the capital city, including the RMA and RVM, will arrange a field trip here, so Meteos and Walman basically experienced an exclusive field trip just for the two of them earlier than the others.

As they entered the building, the first thing that greeted them in the hall is a marble statue of a fierce-looking armored elf wearing a crown and pointing a spear forward with its right hand. Even though it is an inanimate object, its eyes, glaring into some invisible threat in the distance, conveyed a very strong emotion that is both intimidating and reassuring at the same time.

"Second Milishial Emperor..." Meteos muttered at the statue.

Yes, it was the statue of Emperor Milishial II, a long-deceased monarch of the Empire who ruled more than ninety-five centuries ago.

"Alright!" Robin suddenly exclaimed, catching the boys' attention, "You're up for some history quiz?"

Meteos had an idea of what will be the question and just smiled, "Shoot."

"Explain why there is a statue of the Second Milishial Emperor at the entrance of this museum."

"I'll let Walman answer first."

"Eh? Me?" Walman said, pointing to himself, "Well... according to the recorded history, the Second Milishial Emperor is known for being the pioneer of studying the leftover technology of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. He also gathered people that will eventually form the predecessor of the Ancient Ministry, so it is only natural that there is his statue here."

"Ding, ding! You're correct, Walman," Robin praised, making the boy grin sheepishly. "Another question, what other deeds that the Second Milishial Emperor is known of?"

This time, Meteos is the one who answered her question.

"Building cities, rapidly civilizing his people while also repelling the invading tribes and remnants of the Light-Winged People, leading military expeditions himself, and succeeding in conquering roughly half of the territory of the modern Holy Milishial Empire, among other things. He is also the second longest-reigning monarch after His Majesty the Emperor, and among the monarchs, he is often said to be the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful emperor."

"What else?"

He took a glance at the statue for a moment before answering.

"...Redeeming the 'sin' of the previous emperor, whatever that means. In fact, this very district is named after that exact deed. San Redentore, or the Saint Redeemer. What did the Second Milishial Emperor do at that time I don't know, but it must be very important that it is regarded more than his other accomplishments..."

"Yes. You're correct. Now, let's go inside."

With those words, the three went further inside the museum.

Currently Publicly Available Information

SAN REDENTORE DISTRICT

One of the thirteen districts that make up the city of Runepolis, it is located on the northeastern edge of the capital city. Rather sparsely populated compared to the other districts, the majority of San Redentore's hilly terrain is still covered by thick forest. This makes it a perfect place to become the headquarters of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, whose research activities necessitated a large area.

Chapter Text

October 18, 1614 Central Calendar, 13:40

San Redentore Museum of Magic Technology Research and History

The two young inventors, Meteos Roguerider and Walman Falkenhausen, now the official staff of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures (MOASEC), are taken by their teacher Robin to this museum as their next destination after exploring the administrative building complex. As a museum managed directly by the Ancient Ministry, it is the largest of all museums in Runepolis, filled to the brim with various exhibits that lined every corner of the building. Although it is located far away from the city center, visitors, mainly technology and military enthusiasts, still flocked to the place.

Immediately after passing the entrance, the three of them came into a section that displayed artifacts from ten thousand years ago. Meteos and Walman looked at them with interest as they listened to Robin, who is giving them an explanation in an excited tone as if she was a professional tour guide herself.

To put it simply, the post-Ravernal ancient Milishial civilization in what will become Runepolis went straight to Iron Age while at the same time, other civilizations in other lands are still in the Stone Age. Led by a tribal chief who will be posthumously referred to as the First Milishial Emperor, most of the artifacts from this period are mainly in the form of weapons made of iron. Their post-Ravernal prehistoric period lasted only a few decades since writing was introduced by the son of their original leader, who will be known in the future as the Second Milishial Emperor, shortly after his father died.

"This is the Object 1, or what we call the Light-Wing Saber. As the name implies, it is the very first Ancient Sorcerous Empire technology that the MOASEC cataloged and released to the public. The swords that you see around it are the attempts to copy it, but because the Light-Wing Saber, which is made of an advanced magic alloy capable of conducting mana, is too complicated for them, the best that the ancient Milishians can make is these swords made of iron," Robin said as she pointed to an oddly fine-looking sword among the crude swords that lined one of the racks.

The exhibit also displayed the evolution of the metallurgy at the time, as the swords displayed are arranged in a way that showed their gradual improvement until they managed to look and function exactly like the Light-Wing Saber.

"Oooh..." Meteos and Walman hummed in appreciation.

Having finished looking around, the three of them proceeded to another section. In addition to history, the museum also exhibited all kinds of magical technologies, as well as materials describing them, such as the various prototypes of the manacom; cameras; scale models of ships used by the Empire from simple sailboats to ships equipped with the first magic engines, to the sleek and futuristic-looking magic ships they know today; automobiles; firearms and artillery; and the evolution of aviation technology within the Empire, which culminated with the Heavenly Vessel, whose preserved model of it was hanging from the ceiling of the museum. Since the advancement of technology in Milishial depends on what Ravernal artifact that they found at the time, their technology became very distorted, with one field can become so advanced it is borderline futuristic while the other remained backward until related ancient relics were found.

Even though they are greatly varied, all of them shared the same characteristics in that their development was a series of hardships, setbacks, trials and errors, and compromises, where even the lives of those involved can be at stake. Despite all of that, their beliefs and dreams, fueled by the knowledge and fear of the enemy of all races' return in the future, marched on. However, it's still not enough, because in the end, because of an unprecedented event in the future that no one can foresee, their labor, dreams, and aspirations are mocked, ridiculed, and trampled to the ground before they can even fulfill their purpose. It's sad and infuriating, to be honest, from the perspective of a Milishial citizen. No one wanted their ancestors to be insulted like that.

'An even more incentive to change our future... The history already begins to diverge from the one in my previous life, but I still need to push on...!' Meteos murmured in his mind with a renewed determination, glaring at a Heavenly Vessel suspended on the ceiling.

Coincidentally, they joined the Ancient Ministry at the same time as the proposal to develop a new type for the Heavenly Vessel was approved. As Meteos and Walman are the minds behind the magic turbojet, the very reason that the proposal was approved in the first place, the MOASEC's upper echelons had considered this and planned to assign them to the Heavenly Vessel Development Division so that they can put their skills to use immediately after recruitment.

"Can't wait to get your hands on new toys to tinker with, huh?"

Robin's voice suddenly whispered next to his ear. With a slight jolt, he backed away some distance from the source of her voice and indeed, there was his teacher standing there, leaning forward to match his height. He must've spaced out for some time, Meteos thought.

"You've been staring at that Heavenly Vessel and ignoring me calling you several times," Robin whined, giving a brief glance at the plane before turning to Meteos with a pout.

He brushed off his teacher's words with a light snort, "My bad. But we have explored the entire museum now, where to go next?"

"Mm, yes. We still have plenty of time. Walman, come!" Robin beckoned her other student who was staring at the display some distance away and promptly left the museum together, heading to their last location for today's sightseeing.

---

The three were now heading for the MOASEC's primary research and development facility, located several kilometers behind the administrative and museum buildings. Since it was located so far away from their current location, they used a car to get there.

It was a huge complex consisting of four clusters of large multi-story buildings separated from each other with large roads from the middle of the buildings that converged in an even larger road heading to the hills in the distance. Surrounding them was the orange autumn forest that also filled the majority of the San Redentore District.

These buildings are the main research facility for the MOASEC, where the recovered Ancient Sorcerous Empire artifacts will be brought here first before they are mass-produced by the production lines of partnering companies and institutions after the analysis is complete. These kinds of buildings are usually constructed near an ancient ruin for easier transportation, but unlike the others, which are built underground, the research facility in the MOASEC headquarters stands proudly with its glittering white paint in this district, a jarring sight among the landscape that is almost devoid of man-made buildings.

As the car approached the complex, Robin continued her explanation. The complex is divided into four clusters that handle different fields: the Aerial System Development Facility, the Ground System Development Facility, the Naval System Development Facility, and the Magic Technology System Development Facility. Among them, the Naval Facility is the most active while the Ground Facility is the most lethargic in its research activities.

Actually, there is one more research facility in this district. However, it belonged to the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department, hidden among the hills in the distance. Built by tunneling a hill on top of an ancient Ravernal Empire ruin, it is named Area 01 among the Ancient Ministry's top brass. Meteos can know this thanks to the memories of his previous life.

Robin then said in a joking tone that ever since the conductive magnetic radar and the grimoire came, the Magic Technology Facility personnel went into overdrive; working day and night drinking the knowledge gained from analyzing the unexpected inventions and then applying it in their research, accelerating it at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile, the torpedo and naval mine shocked the engineers at the Naval Facility, who can't believe that they have been one-upped by a pair of outsiders and teenagers no less. What are they feeling now is anyone's guess, but at present, they are ordered by the top brass to study and improve said weapons, regardless of their pride.

"...We will be okay, right?" Walman asked nervously, now knowing that there are some in their workplace that don't take kindly to competition.

"Don't worry. Since you two are my apprentices, that means you are under my protection as part of my responsibilities. If there is anyone who has some funny ideas, I'll kick their ass faster than they can say 'mommy'!" Robin declared.

"Yeah..."

While Walman was still nervous, he was glad at his teacher's attempt to cheer him up. Seeing this, Meteos silently patted his back to calm him down. A small gesture from his friend like this is something that young Walman greatly appreciate, having been done since they were little.

'When you were little, you were so timid... I wonder, where did it go...?' Meteos thought, reflecting on his past life where his best friend had turned into an extremely arrogant and hotheaded man before his death.

Anyway, they arrived at the entrance of the Aerial System Development Facility, which happens to be the closest group out of the four. They saw that the entrance is blocked by a transparent blue magic barrier that prevented them from going inside.

"Alright, now I want you to take out your ID cards, I will teach you how to use them," Robin urged, instructing them to prepare their employee ID cards that have been provided by the Ancient Ministry before they came here. Seeing them with their ID cards in their hands, Robin continued, "Your cards, other than being used to show your identity, can also be used to access restricted areas like this. Take a look at your cards, there are two black lines on them, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"That means that your card can provide you with a Clearance Level 2, enough to enter this facility. The card is colored orange to signify that you belong here as engineers."

Robin explained to Meteos and Walman about their ID cards.

The MOASEC's security system makes use of its employee's ID cards, which are divided into several clearance levels in order to protect classified information. The Clearance Level 1 cards have a single thick line, Clearance Level 2 has two thinner lines, and so on until Clearance Level 5. In addition, the ID cards are also categorized by color, each for their roles in the ministry: green for administrative staff, orange for engineers, and blue for security. In addition, there is also a white card given to visitors, aptly named the "Visitor's Pass". As of 1614, only Albion Palace and the MOASEC have this security system, installed on a trial basis.

Again, thanks to his previous life's memories, Meteos is able to know what Robin omitted from her explanation. The members of the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department possess red cards with a zigzagged pattern inscribed on them instead of lines, while the Minister/Director of the MOASEC's ID card has a black and gold color with a unique pattern on it. These ID cards are able to access the top-secret areas throughout the Empire.

"Now, to pass through this entrance, you need to put your cards to this device over here," Robin said, gesturing to a square panel next to the entrance. "First, I'll show you what will happen if you use a card with a clearance level below the required to open this door."

As Meteos and Walman watched closely, Robin pulled out another card, a Visitor's Pass, and held it close to the panel. A magic circle emerged from it, emitting particles that touched the card. Mere seconds later, the particles quickly retreated back into the panel, turning the entire system and magic barrier into a bright red color.

"Woooh..."

"See? This means that this Visitor's Pass is not allowed to enter this area. If you insisted on passing the door in this state, this red barrier will electrocute you. Not enough to kill, but enough to knock you out."

"........."

"I'm not joking."

Walman gulped, then asked with a trembling voice, "Miss Robin, what if someone tried to enter without scanning?"

"Nothing happens. You just simply can't pass. You see, this magic barrier, although it looks thin, it is powered by a huge magic engine that provided a power supply to this entire building complex, making it capable of bulletproof performance against sustained fire from 20-millimeter magic light gun bullets. You trying to barge in will feel like being slammed on a wall."

"I see."

"Any other questions?"

This time, Meteos raised his hand, "What happens if we tried to enter using someone else's card?"

Robin smiled at that, "Good question. Remember, when you were given your ID cards, you were required to channel some of your mana, right? Your magic signatures are being recorded in your cards, and whenever you try to access the gate like this, the system will draw a minuscule amount of mana from your body, small enough to not be felt by you, and if it doesn't match with the ID cards, the barrier will also turn red. If you lose your cards, immediately contact me or another Ancient Ministry staff."

"...Will the same thing happen if someone without mana tried to use the ID cards to enter?"

Although it sounded like a strange question, since magic power exists within living beings in this world, common people often forget that there is a certain group with magic power so low it can be said they have no magic power at all. Robin's eyes widened a bit at the implication of his question.

"About that, we never tried that before. Either the gate will turn red, or nothing will happen. Now that you've said it, I'll keep that in mind to tell the top brass to conduct a test later."

Meteos just nodded.

"...Anyway, let's enter the gate. One more thing, the system can scan more than one card at the same time. Stand beside me and held out your cards."

At Robin's instructions, Meteos and Walman took either side of Robin and held their cards at the same time near the panel. Like before, magic particles emerged and touched their cards. However, this time the particles turned green and the magic barrier dissipated. After they passed the entrance and walked several steps into the building, the entrance's magic barrier activated again.

"So the system is activated with proximity," Meteos stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Correct. Good observation, kid," Robin answered, to which the silver-haired boy chuckled.

As they went deeper into the building, Meteos and Walman's presence here has raised some eyebrows from the staff working there. After one of them dared to ask about their identity, the bewilderment turned into awe as they finally realized who these kids were.

---

The area where the research on the Heavenly Vessel was conducted was a massive hangar divided into sections by a series of bulkheads and connected to the main building by a bridge that brings the teacher and her students to a walkway located a floor above the ground. On each section below them, multiple Heavenly Vessels in both intact and disassembled states were parked, while personnel and equipment passed by between them.

For Walman and Robin, the sight of the Alpha-1 air superiority fighter and Beta-1 fighter-bomber no longer excited them that much, since they found Meteos' surprisingly realistic concept art of future Heavenly Vessels that he drew in his spare time to be much more sophisticated-looking than the ones the Empire has at present. His artistic interpretations were so good that it made them wonder where did he get those ideas.

However, one thing quickly caught Walman's attention.

"Hey, Meteos, look at that," he said, pointing to an object when they arrived at a certain section in the hangar.

"Ooh... that's one of the ruined engines based on an ancient technology, want to take a closer look?" Robin offered.

"Yes, of course," Meteos said.

They descended the stairs and approached the engine, which was sitting there gathering dust in the empty section. As the three of them inspected the engine, they can make what type of engine it was.

It is a copied Ravernal Empire-made magic turbofan engine made by the MOASEC researchers, not an original one, meant to be installed on an Alpha series Heavenly Vessel. Because it cannot be mass-produced by the Empire, the engine was kept here where only Clearance Level 2 personnel are able to enter. If the research activity is stopped like this, this would mean that the MOASEC has yet to unearth a similar engine with good quality from the ruins, so the resources devoted to its research were being redirected to somewhere else that showed steady progress. As Meteos inspected it closely, he can make out the extent of the engine's damage.

It was melted mainly in the place where the high-pressure compressor, the combustion chamber, and the turbine were supposed to be. Based on mental simulation in his mind, Meteos concluded that the engine must have been broken when the heat produced by the rapid chanting of explosive magic in the combustion chamber became too hot for the engine, which was made with materials using inferior magical strengthening compared to the Ravernal engine, and exploded.

When he turned his attention to the intact parts, he encountered some flaws. The compressor blades, for example. Although not very noticeable, their shapes are not uniform. This engine was made around a decade ago, so it must be the product of technical limitations at the time, but at present, Milishial's technology had progressed rapidly to be able to produce standardized parts. So, if a heat-resistant material is available, they should be able to produce a functioning gas turbine engine, which is what the entire ordeal involving MOASEC is aiming for.

However, his eyes twitched at the next part: the fan blades. The fan, which uses the energy produced by the turbine to force the incoming air rearwards, is actually a fan for a high bypass engine that is supposed to be used by the Guernica (transport-type Heavenly Vessel) cut to fit this low bypass engine. Of course, it would result in a messed-up bypass ratio.

This is not the end of it, though, as Meteos went to the rear of the engine, the nozzle. It is a very strange nozzle where there is an exhaust cone and a variable-exhaust nozzle at the same time. Since both of them generally fulfill the same purpose, it would be fine if just one of them was installed, but for some reason, the engineers of that time chose to install both. As a result, the tail section would have been unnecessarily heavy.

"Eeehhh..."

Meteos sighed. He then pulled out a notebook and a pencil, and began taking notes.

'Haah, what the hell... well, it's no use ranting about it now. If I want to get rid of this thing, we need to make a better one, but before that...' he thought, slightly uncomfortable as he recalled the time when Robin scolded him for his episode when visiting the RVM last time.

"Hey, Meteos," Walman called from across him.

"Hm?"

"Come to think of it... after examining this thing, it's kind of similar to your magic turbojet, you know?"

"I suppose so," Meteos answered, not looking up from his notebook.

Minus the large fan in front of the engine, Walman thought from the drawings that he'd seen so far that this engine and Meteos' so-called 'magic turbojet' are similar. However, this is a Clearance Level 2 object that they just saw for the first time today, so it's unlikely that Meteos somehow copied its design, unlike the conductive magnetic radar that is available for public disclosure to some degree, and the magic torpedo which is a completely original weapon.

"That's weird, how could something you made and an ancient technology never seen before could be so similar?"

Meteos just snorted at his words, "Who knows? What do you think, Miss Robin?"

The said woman flinched at his words. An inventor is proud of his creation, and Meteos Roguerider is no exception. He must have felt upset when what he thought was his brilliant innovation was already been invented long before him, and no one told him about it until he found out about it himself. Robin bit her lower lip and tried to explain in the softest, most motherly tone she can.

"Uhh... Meteos, even if I wanted to tell you about this, the security protocol will not allow me to do it, please understand..."

Meteos stopped what he was doing and turned to her, with both hands on his hips and a cocked eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"Eh? I thought you—"

"I'm not whatever you thought me to be. Besides, you just did your job properly, there's no reason for me to be upset or anything," he dismissed her concern with an air of nonchalance, waving his hand dismissively to show that he is not in the least bit bothered with her withholding information.

Robin was surprised and relieved at her apprentice's display of maturity. Sighing in relief, she unconsciously reached Meteos on top of his head and gently caressed it, feeling his soft silver hairs through her fingers.

"I'm thankful for your understanding."

"Hmph... cut it out..." Meteos smirked and turned his face away, but made no attempt to move away from her hand, "Personally, though, I think the similarities are more of a 'great minds think alike' moment."

Walman commented from the side, "You know, considering who originally made this, calling them 'great' is kind of wrong..."

An awkward silence ensued. Robin retreated her hand and adjusted her glasses in slight discomfort.

".........Yeah. But you got to admit they made very advanced stuff."

"........."

"...Next section?"

"Next section it is."

The three of them finished examining the ruined engine and headed out to the next section.

---

20:53

The sun had long since set when the group came out of the building, having finished exploring the Aerial System Development Facility. As the overcast clouds blocked the soft bluish light from the two moons, with only the magic lamps lighting the way, they proceeded to the building's parking lot. The beautiful autumn forest scenery was replaced by the dark of the night, where the ambient sound of nocturnal animals echoed one after another in the distance.

"Oh? It's already dark outside, there's three more to visit... but I guess we have to call it a day for now," Robin stated the obvious, trying to strike a conversation as they waited for their car that will bring them home.

"Mm-hmm. Time passes so quickly when you're having fun," Meteos nodded sagely.

"You call all that thing having fun...?" his friend Walman shook his head with a slight feeling of disbelief.

"Well, yes. Anyway, I'm glad that our first day in the Ancient Ministry turned out to be very productive. My new notebook is already half full."

Even though they were tired, none of them are complaining. Especially Meteos, who patted his jacket where he stored his notebook with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Good, good. After we're going home, you better go to sleep immediately. Tomorrow we'll start packing and move to our new apartment."

Robin explained the schedule for tomorrow. Since Meteos and Walman have graduated from the RMA, Robin, who was assigned by the Ancient Ministry to observe them, was recalled by the ministry's upper echelons, where another technician will fill her place in the RMA. The three of them have decided that on October 19, which is Sunday, they will start packing their belongings in their current apartment in preparation for moving to their new residence in the San Redentore District.

"Yes, yes, I get it," Meteos whined as he sat on the curb, stretching his arms and legs. The resulting relief sensation on his tense muscles made him sigh in pleasure.

Since Hirkane was still busy, it was a different driver that answered Robin's call. The three of them left the forest of San Redentore back to the brightly lit downtown Runepolis. As the car passed through the empty road, with only its headlights lighting the way, it never ceases to amaze them how can something so beautiful becomes so gloomy the moment the light left them.

Upon arriving at their apartment and after taking a bath, Walman and Robin immediately hit the bed and slept like a log while Meteos took his time to read through several pages of his Un Coup de Foudre novel before Nadia called again shortly after that.

"Heh..." he chuckled lightly and put his grimoire on his desk before heading to sleep.

October 19, 1614 Central Calendar, 00:23

Imperial Palace, Albion District

Walking through the opulent hallway of the Emperor's residence is Arsene Lippin, the esteemed Director of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures. However, he looked like a dead man walking, with his face pale and hollow eyes, as he walked unsteadily in an attempt to escape the palace, desperately looking for fresh air.

His mind was still reeling from the audience with Emperor Milishial VIII and a meeting with other heads of executive departments shortly after that. With every single step he took, the previous events of the day replayed again and again in his chaotic mind.

After he knelt reverently in the throne room and followed the court customs by introducing himself to the Emperor, who was sitting on his majestic throne, he commanded Lippin to raise his head. He was surprised when the old emperor started by expressing his gratitude for Lippin and his ministry's work, which put Lippin's heart at ease. What happened next made his heart beating even faster.

The Emperor decided to donate a large amount of money to support the MOASEC's latest project.

No, actually it was nothing unusual. His Majesty is always keen to advance the Empire's technology and often used his massive wealth to support engineers and innovators. However, the amount of donations this time was unprecedentedly large, easily dwarfing the previous ones. Nearly choked of his own spit, Lippin bowed his head deeply and stammered.

"I... h-humbly accept your kindness!"

The Emperor's next words struck him like thunder.

"I would like to know how long it will take you to finish your new project."

"Ungh.........!"

"Well?"

Lippin panicked. The discussion about it hasn't even started yet, so he didn't know how long it will take to make a new engine and most likely, a new Heavenly Vessel suited for the new engine. There are several speculations, but none of them are definitive. However, the young director cannot simply say 'I don't know' in front of the Emperor.

Therefore, he decided to make up his own prediction on the spot. Looking at the feats accomplished ever since he took office, all of them are completed in a rather short time span. Young Roguerider and Young Falkenhausen completed a conductive magnetic radar within one month with simple materials and basic factory tools, the engineers of RMA and attached MOASEC technicians managed to improve their work to a state-of-the-art radar within five months. As for the magic turbojet, those young boys created a very small version of it within one month, using the more advanced technology and better resources in the Runepolis Magic Academy. Considering the MOASEC's massive resources, both material and human resources, his mind came to a conclusion that seemed reasonable to him. Thus, he explained his reasoning.

"...therefore, Your Majesty, according to the calculations, we will be able to finish the new project within two years..."

"Hmm... interesting, that would mean it will be completed around the time of the next World Conference. Very well, work closely with the other ministries to accomplish your project. That is all, the audience is concluded. Thank you for coming."

As the Emperor left the throne room, Lippin bowed deeply, nearly failing in maintaining a façade of solemn submission, and almost stumbled as he left the throne room. It just dawned upon him that he had one-sidedly promised the Emperor that a new Heavenly Vessel will be completed within two years, and now his distraught mind was thinking on how he can finish the project within the deadline he had just imposed upon himself and his subordinates.

Later, during the meeting among heads of executive departments in a different room, he was absolutely destroyed by the others.

"TWO YEARS!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!! You can't possibly develop something as complicated as a Heavenly Vessel in two years! Have you forgotten how long it took to produce one!?"

The face of Military Minister Schmill Pao appeared in his mind; his face shocked beyond belief.

A step.

"You utter fool! What have you done!? You just doomed us with your stupid mouth!" Foreign Minister Maddock's yelling echoed.

Another step.

Director Edith, who was putting her trust in him, did not say anything, but she looked heartbroken. It was only natural for those three to become upset with Lippin's massive screw-up. After all, they are the ones whose ministry played major roles in supporting the Ancient Ministry this time.

Another. He almost stumbled on his own steps.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, talk about reckless."

"You brought this upon yourself."

"Imbecile."

"Looks like your luck has run out, brat. Hah!"

And finally, Minister Herodia mocked him with her sickening laugh, reminding him of his predecessor's failure.

"Boy, I really didn't envy you now. Now I wonder if you'll end up like Bandero..."

Another step.

"I wish I can do something. Good luck."

That was the only thing that Minister Legendorga said to him.

'Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!! Me and my big mouth!! It would've been better if I had just said 'I don't know!!'' he cursed himself, roughly ruffling his hair.

Before he knew it, he found himself standing in front of his car, with the driver, Hirkane, calling to him several times. It seems that he had spaced out in his turmoil and didn't realize that he had walked out of the palace.

"Sir?"

"Take me home."

Lippin's voice lost all of its energy, even more so than usual. However, Hirkane was hesitant to ask him, so he just complied with his order and stepped on the car's pedal, driving his boss to his residence.

---

00:45

Lambert District

Upon arriving in front of his house, Lippin opened the car door and got out of the car by himself before carelessly handing his driver a couple of money.

"D-director!?"

"Keep the change," Lippin murmured.

As Hirkane watched his boss stagger away from the car, he scratched his head with five 100 zollark bills in his right hand.

"Again...!?"

---

Lippin fumbled with the keys as he stood in front of the door to his house. He can see that the lights from the windows of his wife's and children's bedrooms have been turned off.

Click

He inserted the key and turned it as slowly as possible, and yet it still made such a noise. As his hand grabbed the door handle, Lippin took a deep breath and exhaled. Beyond this door is his home, his sanctuary, a place where he can finally rest and forget what happened on this day, even if only for a moment.

"I'm home..." he murmured as he opened the door.

He did not expect anyone to greet him. After all, his family was already asleep at this hour. Lippin walked from the dark corridor of the entrance to the still-lit dining room. As he sat on a chair at the dining table, he poured drinking water for himself, savoring the refreshing sensation of the slightly chilly water.

"Haah..." he sighed loudly before slumping his shoulders, "What should I tell Cassandra...?"

However, a sound coming from the bathroom connected to the dining room caught his attention. As he watched the doorway with trepidation, two figures emerged from it.

"!!!"

Lippin was taken aback.

"Papa, it's you!!"

At the sight of him, the smaller of the two figures exclaimed with a voice of a young girl and ran toward Lippin, nearly crashing into him if not him who quickly grabbed the child and lifted her so that her eyes met his. It was Lippin's youngest child, the five-year-old Noelle, who snuggled to his chest as he stared in astonishment.

"Noelle...? Why are you still up at this hour...?" he wondered.

"She needs to go to the bathroom," the much taller figure behind her answered with a mature feminine voice.

She stepped into the dining room, revealing herself to be a fair-skinned woman with long wavy black hair and wearing loose pajamas. A smile graced Lippin's face at the sight of her. Even though her hair and face is a bit disheveled from just waking up from sleep, it did not reduce her allure in Lippin's eyes. It was his beautiful wife, Cassandra.

"Cassandra, I'm home," Lippin greeted.

"Welcome home, dear."

The husband and wife embraced each other as their daughter giggled at the scene.

"Alright, sweetie, let's go back to bed," Cassandra reminded her daughter.

"But I want to be with papa..." Noelle whined, "I miss papa so much..."

Lippin faltered. It is true that since he took office as the Ancient Ministry Director, he became extremely busy with his work, with almost no free time to spend with his family. This must have saddened his children so much. He can even see the seeds of resentment begin to form in his son Ishmael's eyes. He glanced at his wife, who can only return his unspoken dilemma uneasily. He then remembered something.

"Noelle, tomorrow—no, today is Sunday, if you go to sleep, papa will play with you and your brother, okay?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Promise?" Noelle said with hopeful eyes, making Lippin's heart melt from such adorableness.

"......Yes, I promise."

"Yaay! I love papa so much!"

---

After ushering Noelle to her room and making sure she was asleep, Lippin and Cassandra returned to the dining room and sat at the dining table. His black suit and necktie were placed haphazardly on the chair's backrest, leaving Lippin with his long-sleeved white shirt. Sensing her husband looked even more tired than usual, Cassandra spoke up with a concerned look on her face.

"Is there something that is bothering you, dear?"

"It's a long story..." Lippin said, sipping a cup of water. To be honest, he wanted to grab some booze and get drunk, but his wife sternly forbade him from doing it.

"Then talk to me."

"......Cassandra, I've screwed up."

Cassandra frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Actually......"

And so, Lippin told her about the events that had transpired this day. He poured out all his feelings while Cassandra just listened in silence from her seat beside him.

"...and that's about it. I am one hundred percent sure that I will lose my job because of this, and..."

Before he finished speaking, she just grabbed his hand, her soft and dainty digits intertwined with Lippin's own.

"Arsene... if it's just about money, you never have to worry. My own job is more than enough to support us," Cassandra said with a small smile.

"But that's...!"

The real problem is that Lippin's position held too many secrets. Once he was removed from it, he and his family will be forever living under strict surveillance from the Empire. That is what troubled him more than anything. He did not want what happened to his predecessors to befall his wife and children too. How it pained him to not be able to be honest with his wife in front of him.

Ever since Lippin confessed his feelings to her long before they got married, Cassandra is always on his side through thick and thin of life. How he is a very lucky man to have such a woman as a life partner, and now that he had let her down, Lippin felt himself to be a complete loser.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...!"

He heard his own voice breaking, as his eyes were no longer unable to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow. Watching him, his wife gently grabbed his shoulders and brought him closer. Then, Lippin sobbed silently into Cassandra's shoulder, uttering apologies and self-deprecating words incessantly while his wife softly rubbed his back, consoling him through the quietness of the room.

After that, they moved to their bedroom, where things started to get heated, and the couple spend the rest of the night in a bout of passion and sorrow.

Currently Publicly Available Information

ALPHA-1 AND BETA-1

The mainstay of the Holy Milishial Imperial Air Force and Holy Milishial Imperial Navy's naval aviation, developed and produced mainly by the Runes Valletta Magic Academy's Aviation Department with several other production lines as assigned by the Imperial government.

Both Alpha-1 and Beta-1 are monoplane jets with tapered wings, enclosed cockpit with bubble canopy, tricycle retractable landing gear, and powered by a pair of Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Discharge Engine.

Armed with four 12,7-millimeter magic light guns, the Alpha-1 air superiority-type Heavenly Vessel is the second most powerful airpower in the known world after the Emorian Wind Dragons, easily outmatching the wyverns and Muish Challenger flying machines. Despite having poor acceleration and turning performance, it excels in speed and the Holy Milishial Imperial Air Force's pilots are trained in hit-and-run tactics where they will use their speed advantage to defeat the enemy.

The Beta-1 multirole-type Heavenly Vessel has a stronger fuselage than the Alpha-1, but is slower and even less maneuverable. It is armed with four 7,7-millimeter magic light guns and is capable of carrying up to 520 kilograms of magic bombs. The introduction of the magic torpedo allowed Beta-1 to possess deadly anti-ship capability by arming it with the Gareth Mk. I Aerial Magic Torpedo.

---

ALPHA-1

General Characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 11,84 m
• Wingspan: 13,8 m
• Height: 3,76 m
• Wing area: 35,9 square meters
• Empty weight: 3.700 kg
• Max. takeoff weight: 6.200 kg
• Engine: 2 × Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Discharge Engines

Performance

• Maximum speed: 450 km/h
• Range: 550 km
• Ferry range: 1.300 km
• Maximum ceiling: 10.000 m

Armament

• 4 × 12,7 mm magic light guns

---

BETA-1

General Characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 12 m
• Wingspan: 14 m
• Height: 3,8 m
• Wing area: 38 square meters
• Empty weight: 4.000 kg
• Max. takeoff weight: 7.200 kg
• Engine: 2 × Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Discharge Engines

Performance

• Maximum speed: 380 km/h
• Range: 550 km
• Ferry range: 1.200 km
• Maximum ceiling: 8.000 m

Armament

• 4 × 7,7 mm magic light guns
• 1 × 520 kg bomb, or
• 2 × 250 kg bombs, or
• 1 × 500 kg Gareth Mk. I Aerial Magic Torpedo

Chapter Text

Arsene Lippin, who had promised Emperor Milishial VIII that a new Heavenly Vessel will be completed in two years one-sidedly without consultation and coordination with others, had forced the panicked and frightened organizations related to its development to quicken the pace of their activities, not out of respect to MOASEC, but out of a sense of self-preservation. They were displeased with Lippin, but they were also afraid of losing their jobs even more and they certainly didn't want to incur the wrath of the Emperor.

Military Affairs Minister Ignis Schmill Pao, Foreign Minister Lewis Maddock, and Director of Economy Ministry Edith Sommerville were so stressed that they can be seen frequenting a local bar in Runepolis together and drunk heavily. Lippin himself does not drink, but even if he were to join, they will just be going to shun him. If they knew that Lippin relieved his stress by spending what remained of his free time with his children and wife, they will become even more infuriated by now.

On one outing, Minister Schmill Pao talked drunkenly about the magic torpedo, a new weapon capable of sinking even powerful battleships, and compared it to their situation. He later lamented that Lippin's blunder had just 'torpedoed' his and their own careers, and ever since then, that phrase began to spread among the populace.

October 20, 1614 Central Calendar, 06:00

Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures

Robin was holding her head ever since she got out of the Director's office. Early in the morning, when everyone was still asleep, she had been summoned by her boss to meet with him in his office. It was then that Lippin informed her about the two-year deadline of the Heavenly Vessel development without any sugarcoating. After that tense atmosphere, her boss got up from his chair and bowed directly in front of her, apologizing profusely for the entire thing. Robin wasn't fully awake yet and was too stunned at her boss's actions, and it was after she got out of the air-conditioned office that it dawned upon her the ridiculousness of the situation.

'Two freaking years...!? Even with all the Ancient Ministry's capabilities, there is no way something like a Heavenly Vessel can be built in two years...! How could the Director thought that way... no way, could it be...?' Robin thought exasperatedly as she massaged her left temple.

It must be it. Meteos' inventions, which will normally take time to develop were completed within an extremely short time one after another. That must have given the Director an illusion that with enough resources and support, this new project can also be completed in a short time, and this must have made him think that two years is a reasonable enough time to develop the next generation Heavenly Vessel.

'But there is no way Meteos can be blamed for this—hell no, the Director is the one at fault for acting on his own...!'

As she continued to walk, Robin's stomach rumbled. She had been summoned so early in the morning that she barely had a chance to tidy up and get ready, let alone have breakfast. Contorting her face in discomfort, she dragged her feet for the Administrative Building's cafeteria.

---

In the cafeteria, a place where the employees come to eat during breaks, the many tables and chairs lined inside are still empty, but the stalls are already opened with personnel and the foods are already being cooked inside. As Robin walked into the large room, she can see beyond the large glass windows to her left that the morning sun is still hidden behind the eastern hills, yet its rays still cast a golden hue across the sky.

However, before Robin could admire the beautiful scenery across the window, her stomach continued to rumble in protest, reminding her that she needs to eat. She held her hungry stomach and quickened her steps to order a full breakfast from one of the stalls.

A dozen minutes later, Robin had finished her breakfast with a feeling of satisfaction and was about to reach for a glass of drink on her table when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. When she craned her head slightly to look, familiar tufts of silver and brown hairs emerged from the corner of her eyes.

"Good morning, Miss Robin," the silver-haired Meteos, who walked in front carrying a tray of breakfast, greeted her.

"Morning," his brown-haired friend, also carrying the same tray, followed with a much more casual greeting.

"Oh, it's you two, good morning... You've come a bit early, you know."

"Hm, it's just that there's nothing to do in the apartment since we forgot to buy supplies yesterday, so we decided to come here."

"Ah, yeah, that's on me, sorry about that," she apologized, "Don't worry, you can buy things in the store later."

"Mm."

On the day before, the three of them were busy packing their belongings in their old apartment and then hanging out with Nadia and her two friends in a small celebration for Meteos and Walman's early graduation until the evening that they forgot to stock up on food. However, Robin also pointed out that there is a convenience store located near their new apartment.

Their new residence is a building complex located several hundred meters east of the MOASEC Headquarters' easternmost administrative building, inhabited by the Ancient Ministry employees of various races and backgrounds from across the Empire's massive territory. Since the nearest settlement is located so far away from the MOASEC Headquarters, the apartment block is equipped with the amenities of a small town, including a convenience store, a refueling station, a clinic, and an entertainment zone.

Robin took a sip of the warm water from the glass and threw one of her hands behind the backrest as her eyes followed Meteos and his friend Walman, who began to set their breakfast on the table. As she gathered her thoughts about what Lippin had just told her earlier, she watched her apprentices eat their breakfast.

Meteos handled the utensils with dexterous, practiced hands, a straight posture, and a neutral expression. A perfect table etiquette with a dignified air, even more so as the sun slowly peeked out of the hills and its golden rays started to shine on the building, bathing them in the sunlight. The only sign that Meteos enjoyed his meal is the glint in his eyes as he also basked in the glow of the morning sun. Meanwhile, Walman on his side ate more sloppily, but he clearly enjoyed the food.

If Robin didn't know any better, she can say that the silver-haired boy in front of her is a nobleman from the House Pendragon, a strange ducal noble family whose heiress happened to be one of their friends. She remembered that Sofia once joked that Meteos and Annette could pass as siblings because of their similar hair and eyes. While Meteos brushed it off, Robin didn't miss the longing in Annette's eyes when she heard that. What a strange bunch.

Robin shook her head, preparing herself to tell her apprentices the more important matters now that they are here. She let out a deep sigh.

"...You two, I need to tell you about something."

Walman perked up and Meteos swallowed the food in his mouth before responding.

"What is it?"

"It's about your first assignment. As you know, as Apprentice Mages under my charge, you will be following me as I will be assigned in the development of the new Heavenly Vessel, but there is one thing..."

She continued to talk about what Director Lippin had told her. Initially, the project didn't have a fixed schedule yet, but during the audience with Emperor Milishial VIII, Lippin blurted to the Emperor that the project can be finished within two years, or around the time of the next Eleven Countries Leadership Conference. Even though the Ancient Ministry was granted a large sum of money and resources, it was still a very reckless thing to do on Lippin's part. And now, because of his carelessness, his subordinates will be the ones who are forced to bear the burden to make his promise a reality.

"........."

Both of them looked stunned, then Meteos spoke again.

"I see... if that's the case, then so be it."

"Huh!?"

"I mean, it's no use crying over spilled milk. Even if I cry about it, Director Lippin already promised His Majesty. So, let's just get on with the work."

"Do you think that the project can be completed in two years?"

At Robin's question, Meteos set aside his empty tray and leaned back.

"I don't know, but I have no intention of losing my job after just getting here. Besides, everyone here values their jobs, right? Instead of lamenting things that already happened, let's think of how to turn this predicament into something that will motivate everyone."

Although it was unexpected, Meteos didn't feel angry at being given an absurd deadline such as two years. Instead, he thought that this might be a good incentive to motivate the engineers to work harder. The stakes of being an Ancient Ministry member are high. If they fail to provide what was promised directly to the Emperor, they will not be executed, but still, the punishment will be severe. If everyone here cares for their lives and family, they should have done something to avoid that from happening.

Family is indeed a powerful motivating tool.

"W-well, it's still better than one year..." Walman commented from the side, trying to be optimistic. Meteos nodded sagely at what his friend was saying.

"Oh, what the hell. I don't like it, but you have a point. Then, after breakfast, let's meet the lead engineer and start discussing. Sounds good?"

"Of course, of course. I can't wait to start working."

At Meteos' words, Robin eyed him suspiciously. Looks like she will need to make sure that her apprentices will not overwork themselves.

They remained seated in their seats for a while until several employees who came in for breakfast began filling the cafeteria with chattering. One of them turned on the magical transmission monitor attached to a wall. Its flat crystalline screen lit up just in time for them to watch the weekly World News program. On the colored monitor, the beautiful elven newscaster greeted the viewers with a smile.

"Good morning, the World News has some extraordinary news for you today..."

Those in the hall listened to the broadcast as they indulge in their meal. As its name implies, the World News gathered information from around the world once a week and broadcasted it to the citizens via the magic transmission monitor. Only in the Holy Milishial Empire can people watch the news as colored moving images, while in other countries, they still use the sound-only manacoms.

"Next news, the government of Parpaldia Empire has announced this morning that the heir to the Parpaldian throne has been born at 3 o'clock early morning today. Furthermore, the Parpaldian government has also announced that the heir's name is..."

"...Ludius, huh..."

As he watched the news, Meteos murmured the name at almost the same time as the anchor, unheard by his friend and teacher. So today is the day for the infamous future emperor of a defeated Parpaldia to be born.

"The governments of Holy Milishial Empire and Mu, as well as countries in the First, Second, and Third Civilization Areas have sent their congratulatory statements, while as of this hour, the government of Leifor has yet to issue a formal statement..."

After finishing their breakfast, Meteos, Walman, and Robin headed to the Aerial System Development Facility to convey the news to the lead engineer. The man went through five stages of grief in mere seconds upon hearing the two-year deadline, but started gathering his subordinates to start making plans.

And thus, the challenging task has begun for the Ancient Ministry's members.

Same day, 08:00 Local Time

On the sea south of the Third Civilization, a region where the Parpaldia Empire is located, there is an island nation called Altaras. Being located outside of the Philades Continent, the Third Civilization Area, Altaras is one of the 'outside civilization countries,' a term for the least developed countries in the known world in terms of civilization. However, due to its geographic location, which is only a stone's throw away from the expansionist superpower of Parpaldia, which necessitated a strong military and national power, in addition to the fact that Altaras is a country rich in natural resources and a key transit point between the Central World and the eastern realm, made Altaras flourished to a level comparable to a civilized nation within the Philades Continent.

The gentle rays of the morning sun illuminated the bustling capital city of Le Brias, the home of around 500.000 people. In the middle of the city, a white palace glowed under the sun, its circular architecture with beautiful domes, which is shared by other buildings in the capital, represented the warm and gentle nature of the Altaran people, as well as the icon of prosperity for the nation.

It was the Atenor Palace, the center of Altaras Kingdom's government, and inside an ornate office within the palace, a middle-aged man with slicked-back graying hair and a pointed beard is working on his desk, sorting through various paperwork sent to him by the various departments in the country. The warm rays that shone through the open window washed upon him, somehow alleviating the stress he had to face this morning.

This is Taara El Masnoor, also known as Taara XIV, the King of Altaras.

As he was just about to put the quill he was using back into the ink bottle in order to take a breather from his work, someone knocked on the door to his office before it opened, revealing an official with a slightly pale face and irregular breathing.

"Your Majesty, I terribly apologize for disturbing you, but I came here with an urgent report! The Embassy of Holy Milishial Empire has requested a meeting with you to convey a number of requirements from their government!"

Taara's eyes widened in astonishment. Although they have an embassy in their country, the Holy Milishial Empire rarely had business with them.

"The fact that they even bothered to request a meeting with us must mean a very important request. Quick, prepare for the meeting immediately!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After the official left the room, Taara quickly got up from his chair and gathered his officials before the meeting with the Holy Milishial Empire's ambassador.

---

One hour later, a two-horse carriage can be seen moving through the main street of Le Brias toward the Atenor Palace. The people engaging in daily activities gawked at the vehicle as they parted to give way for the carriage to pass, staring in awe at its elegant blue and gold color, driven by a coachman with a similarly-colored uniform. Unbothered by their reaction, the carriage continued on its way, walking past the palace gate and stopping in front of the entrance. And after disembarking from it, the passengers were ushered into one of the reception rooms, escorted by the Altaran Royal Guards.

The leader of the group is a tall man with long braided jet-black hair, wearing a dark blue coat over a lighter-colored formal uniform. His amethyst eyes glanced around disinterestedly as they walked along the palace's hall, his face expressionless. Slightly behind him, a shorter man carrying a bag and a man in military uniform walked side by side.

They entered the reception room filled with expensive furnishings placed there to appease state guests, although like before, the tall man did not show any interest in them, instead he went straight to one of the couches to wait for the Altaran representative, leaning on the soft backrest with crossed hands and started to tap his fingers. The shorter man and the military man stood behind him, flanking his sides.

Not long after, the door on the other side of the room opened, revealing the Altaran representatives. The tall man stood up from the chair and greeted them with a smirk.

"Well, well, well, good day! Thank you for accepting our sudden request for a meeting... Your Majesties," he spoke with a flair and slightly playful tone of voice, nodding slightly at the Altaran representatives.

Across him is none other than King Taara XIV himself, clad in colorful regal clothing, while beside him is a woman with long black hair and brown eyes, wearing an equally colorful long dress with long headwear. It is Taara's wife, Queen Elif of Altaras. She smiled back at the tall man's greeting and bowed slightly.

The tall man did not show any nervousness whatsoever in the face of the Altaran Royal Family who addressed the delegation themselves. Instead, his entire being radiated nothing other than sheer confidence. From Taara and Elif's perspective, between Mu's courtesy and Parpaldia's arrogance, this tall man is located somewhere in between, slightly leaning to the former in terms of attitude.

"You're welcome, Lord Mephilas, it's our pleasure," King Taara replied to the tall man's greeting, mentioning his name.

The identity of the man in front of them is Leonardo Mephilas, the ambassador of the Holy Milishial Empire for Altaras Kingdom and a nobleman with the rank of count. He is seen as strange by the Altaran government officials since he is one of the only two Milishian nobles who worked as a diplomat in this part of the world, and even stranger that he is posted here in what can be considered a backwater country for Milishian people when both the ambassador to the superpower Parpaldia Empire and his boss in the Foreign Ministry are both barons. Behind him is his aide and an escort from the Holy Milishial Imperial Army.

As they got seated, facing each other across the table, Taara was the first to speak.

"Well then... what can our country do for you?"

Mephilas gestured to his aide, who took out a stack of papers from the bag he was carrying and handed them to the Altaran side.

"This document summarized the purpose of our visit this time."

As Taara and the other Altaran representatives received the documents and started to read them, frowns of confusion began to form on their faces. They couldn't quite believe the contents of the document presented by the Milishian side.

"The Empire is seeking the rights for surveying and mining of the ores mentioned in the document within your country, including the new mine located north of Carifa on the southern coast of your country. Other than that, we will not touch the already existing mines," explained Mephilas.

The ores mentioned in the document included the golden red stone and sharp gimlet stone, the two main sources for NMC-22 that the Ancient Ministry will need in their development of a new engine and Heavenly Vessel using that engine. Other than procuring it from their own territory, the Empire had decided to hoard as many of them as possible from the surrounding countries while also increasing their influence.

"...And in return...?"

It was already written in the documents, but Taara asked again for confirmation.

"In exchange for granting us the rights, the Empire is prepared to provide assistance as written in the document. Development of your country's economic and industrial capabilities, development of your port and airport facilities, and relaxation in technology restrictions. Of course, the extraterritoriality and tax exemption rights of our citizens will be recognized like usual."

These proposals seemed to be very beneficial for the Altaras Kingdom. However, the 'resources' mentioned in the document, even if they can be called that, is nothing more than junk ores with no magical value whatsoever.

The Carifa Mine that was opened recently is a bust for the Altarans, since the only thing found there are the golden red stones. If they are to be sold, one kilogram of golden red stone is only worth a quarter Milishian zollark. Taara remembered that several years ago, Milishian researchers once acquired a sample of these ores for free because of how worthless it is for them. It is very suspicious that the Holy Milishial Empire, the world's strongest magical civilization, is suddenly interested in them and wanted them in large numbers. In his mind, Taara concluded that they must be up to something. There is a high possibility that his country is being swindled by Milishial.

"What if we decline your demand...?" Taara asked with narrowed eyes.

Mephilas' smirk widened a fraction as he leaned forward, sending chills to the Altaran delegation's spines.

"Are you sure about that?"

"........."

"I have heard that your neighbor up north has been demanding your country to provide more magic gems beyond what you can provide now. They are preoccupied with their expansion northward at the moment, but who knows when they will turn their blades south...?" Mephilas trailed off, reminding them of their aggressive neighbor Parpaldia located just across the strait. His tone of voice never changed from before, but there is no warmth in his words.

"!!!"

Altaras is one of the major exporters of magic stones thanks to the existence of Siltras Mine, which is the fifth-largest in the world, but they cannot expand their markets to the First and Second Civilizations due to the magic stone trade in these regions being completely dominated by the Holy Milishial Empire, which owns both the largest magic stone mine and the most advanced processing technology.

Therefore, it left Altaras with the Third Civilization Area and its surroundings, where the largest importer of Altaran magic stone is, ironically, the Parpaldia Empire. This is the reason why Altaras can get away from being demanded to provide slaves and gifting lands in return for providing the magic stones in the quota as set by Parpaldia, unlike their neighboring countries that are subjected to Parpaldia's threatening 'diplomacy'. In addition, Altaras also received more magic technology from Parpaldia that they deemed obsolete, allowing them to build up their national power to their current level.

However, as the Parpaldia Empire's expansion northward intensified, they began demanding more magic stones from Altaras beyond their capability. If they continue to lag in their efforts, Taara can see Parpaldia will start using their military to pressure his country. Will he allow his country to be potentially deceived by Milishial or continue living in fear of Parpaldia's aggression?

Ignoring the Altarans' turmoil, Mephilas continued to speak.

"The Empire is not interested in your magic stones, but as part of the assistance offered by the Empire, we will also send mining experts and technology to help increase the output of your mines. That way, you can keep up with Parpaldia's demands and earn more profit for yourself. What do you say? Oh, and there's one more thing..."

The Milishian ambassador paused for dramatic effect. It successfully made Taara and the rest of the Altaran side waited for his next words with bated breath.

"...Depending on the degree of your cooperation, the Empire is willing to raise your diplomatic rank and in the next World Conference, we will propose that your country be acknowledged as a proper Third Civilization Area country. Of course, since it's the Empire that will do it, we already know what the result will be."

"!!!"

The Altaran delegation's eyes widened in shock. They did not expect that the Holy Milishial Empire will be going as far as offering them an international recognition that Altaras always yearned for, all in exchange for the rights to mine literal dirt. But it also somewhat makes sense for Taara.

'I see, Milishial wants those junk ores for whatever their goal is, but it seems that they also want to make Altaras a buffer state against Parpaldian expansion, and since their proposal does not include military agreements, it will not alarm Parpaldia too much. It's like hitting two birds with a stone for Milishial... If we played this right, we can even perhaps conclude a non-aggression pact with Parpaldia and remain neutral while also benefiting from Milishial's technological assistance. Not to mention the international recognition by the world's strongest country itself...'

Taara glanced to Elif uneasily, and when he turned back to Mephilas, he saw that the younger man was raising an amused eyebrow at him, waiting for his reply. The king bit his lip, looked at the documents again and again to make sure that he did not misread the contents. As much as he wanted to find out more about Milishial's sudden change in policy, he was worried that such an act will put the Milishian delegation off. Taara gulped before giving his response.

"...Your proposal is indeed most generous to us, but I would like to discuss it internally before giving an answer."

Mephilas' smirk softened as he leaned back with a satisfied expression.

"Why, yes. It is understandable. But the sooner you give us an answer, the better. I hope you choose wisely."

"Yes, let this be the sign of our continued friendship."

The two delegations stood up from their seats and shook each other's hands, concluding the meeting today. As the Altaran delegation immediately hold a meeting to discuss the details, Mephilas, his aide, and his escort exited the room leisurely.

---

The Milishian delegation is back on their carriage, returning to their embassy building located on a hill overlooking the Le Brias Harbor. The sound of horse hooves striking the stone-paved road and the wooden wheels spinning on their axles were mixed with the clamoring of the people along the capital's main street. As Ambassador Mephilas glanced outside from his seat, his aide, who was seated facing him inside the carriage, murmured in a small voice.

"My Lord, the negotiations went well as expected, but I don't understand, why the government even bothered to offer an outside civilization country such a huge benefit if we can just give demands and be done with it?"

The ambassador let out an exasperated sigh and turned to face his aide, a young man in his mid-twenties.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel..." Mephilas chided, shaking his head from side to side, "I see you are not thinking far ahead. Having good relations with other countries is important for the sake of maintaining world order, so that there will be no unnecessary wars that will only exhaust us. Keep in mind that the reason the Empire exists is to prepare against the revival of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. That upstart Parpaldia Empire is getting increasingly troublesome these days, I suppose the government wants to keep them in check by increasing their presence on this island. After all, there's no way Parpaldia will be able to challenge the Empire, unless they are stupid."

Mephilas explained his theory.

"That's..."

"It is true that national interest comes first, but the Empire, as the strongest country in the world, is seen by countries around us as the beacon of hope and the protector of humanity. If the Empire, which carries such an important role, treats other nations with disrespect, what will the world make of us? Our dignity will be completely crumbled to the ground. 'Oh, the Holy Milishial Empire is behaving like barbarians.' You don't want to hear that from the rest of the world, aren't you?"

"N-no, My Lord, I don't want to..."

"Good. Remember this, Gabriel. Those who own power and privilege have a duty they must fulfill. Even if you sometimes have to get your hands dirty in order to do that. That's what noblesse oblige means."

"Noblesse... oblige..." the aide, Gabriel, repeated what Mephilas had said.

"Yes. Though, I am curious about one thing..."

Mephilas pondered about the order he suddenly received from the mainland just yesterday, which is the offer to make Altaras a Third Civilization country when the previous offers are already more than enough to make the Altaras Kingdom accept their proposal.

"I wonder, what happened back home?"

Neither Gabriel nor his escort has an answer to his question.

"Oh, never mind, now that the mainland had decided to help Altaras develop, I can't wait to be able to use cars in this country. This carriage started to hurt my back, ahahahaha..."

Mephilas suddenly joked, causing Gabriel and the escorting soldier to laugh awkwardly along with him.

One day later, the government of Altaras Kingdom informed the Holy Milishial Empire's embassy that they accepted the proposal, including the transfer of rights for Carifa Mine to the Empire. One week later, ships loaded with equipment and personnel began to depart from Milishial's ports and arrive at Altaras Island one after another, and the work of surveying the island for resources and developing the kingdom's infrastructure has begun.

A similar sight can also be seen in countries adjacent to the First Civilization Area. Nations that are marked by the Empire were being offered the same thing as what they have proposed to Altaras and accepted them without a second thought. In particular, the Meerky Kingdom, a mining country with significant golden red stone deposits, did not question the Empire's intentions and readily granted them rights to survey and mine those useless ores after their government heard the words 'technology transfer' and 'infrastructure development'.

Regardless of their intentions, the decision that these countries made will be the one that turns their destiny even further than its original course.

Currently Publicly Available Information

ALTARAS KINGDOM

An island country located in the arm of the ocean that separates southern Philades from northern Rodenius Continent, its capital is Le Brias. According to the method of geopolitical and technological categorization employed by the international community of the known world, the Altaras Kingdom is classified as a country outside the civilization area, which means that it is located in that peripheral region of the planet that contains all the nations with the most primitive level of technology and weakest military.

However, the Altaras Kingdom's national power is comparable to that of a Third Civilization due to possessing large reserves of magic gemstones, which plays a core role in Altaras' economy. In addition, Altaras also possesses great seafood potential and high value.

The country is currently ruled by King Taara XIV.

Chapter Text

To the west of the Central World, across the vast body of water known as the Minerva Ocean, there is the land of Mu, one of the two great powers that occupied the region known as the Second Civilization Area. Second only to the Holy Milishial Empire in terms of national might, its civilization exuded wonders that set it apart from the rest of the world. For example, the major cities that lined its coasts are thriving metropolises with large ports, multi-story buildings, and tall towers that marked their landscape, not unlike its counterpart across the ocean.

However, unlike the fantastic and futuristic ambiance of Milishian cities, Mu's largest settlements have a more austere, rather down-to-earth feeling to them. Square-shaped brick buildings lined the paved avenues with a distinct architecture not seen in other parts of the world; factories with cylindrical chimneys churning black smoke into the sky; steel ships that filled their ports; carriages, both horse-driven and the new self-propelled horseless types, milled on their streets; and artificial lighting that illuminated the streets at night. It is a scene that will be somewhat familiar for someone from our world, Earth, reminding them of a picture from their history books. Yes, Mu is a country similar to the major nations of Earth in the early twentieth century.

The Kingdom of Mu is, in many ways, strange, but not necessarily in a bad way.

For one, they are said to be descended from a race of humans with no magic power. Even after generations of mixed marriages with the magic-wielding people from neighboring lands, a Muish's magical potential remains at zero with a mana capacity so minuscule that they can barely be detected by the Holy Empire's prided mana detector. But it didn't stop them from prospering in this magic-dominated world as they focused their efforts on the development of machines involving as little magic as possible, using scientific principles they learned to produce what is known as mechanical technology.

Furthermore, in this world, where relations between nations are marked by the strong preying on the weak, Mu championed the values of pacifism, neutrality, and fair and equal relationships, an alien concept in this world where hegemony and imperialism run rampant. As a result, respect comes naturally from other nations that have relationships with them, pure and genuine, and Mu is known as the kindest out of the five great powers of the known world.

Despite their peculiarities, Mu is still a nation of an advanced civilization with a unique and rich culture, an exciting destination for visitors eager to collect tales of their travels.

---

November 1, 1614 Central Calendar, 22:45

Capital Otaheit

The dim lights from buildings and street lamps illuminated the nightscape of the capital city of the Kingdom of Mu. The streets are still wet and waterlogged in places after it rained a while ago, further discouraging the Otaheit residents from venturing out into the already cold air of late autumn. And as the clock approached midnight, the streets of the city that was thriving with pedestrians and vehicles in the daytime became increasingly empty. Otaheit is asleep, but not quite so.

In one corner of the city, there is a facility where the headquarters for Mu's Directorate of Intelligence and Information Analysis, known in their native tongue as "Direction du renseignement et de l'analyse de l'information", or DRAI, is located; a center for the country's information gathering and analysis.

Despite their role as the handler and analyzer of information, an aspect that is vital to the development of their own technology, they are derided by the ordinary military personnel as a meaningless organization and a nuisance. Maybe it's because of the nature of this world, where there are huge gaps between nations labeled as non-civilized, the civilized, and superpowers, where their power is only below the strongest superpower of the world. Or maybe it's because of the slow, almost stagnating pace of development of nations so that the ordinary military personnel do not feel the need to seriously gather information about their hypothetical enemies.

However, things have changed a few months ago, when agents returning from across the Minerva Ocean brought reports of interesting development from the Holy Milishial Empire. Thanks to these agents, who provided the information about the Holy Empire's newest weapon, the magic torpedo, Mu is able to create their own version of it. At last, DRAI's members earned the recognition they deserved for their efforts. However, at the same time, more work awaits them as more detailed information continued flowed in.

A man wearing a light brown uniform can be seen hurrying along the corridor of the DRAI's building before stopping in front of one of the doors. With a light knock, he entered the room after the occupant inside gave him permission to enter. It was a tidy office room adorned by brown furniture and green decor, lit by a gas lamp chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Sitting at the desk at the back of the office is a man named Maurice Lamarre, the Director of Intelligence, looking pensive as he gestured the man closer. As he presented a report he was carrying to the director, he opened his mouth to speak.

"We have received a further report from the Central World Intelligence Department regarding Milishial's new weapon that was first seen four months ago."

The content of the man's report was about the additional information about the magic torpedo, the Holy Milishial Empire's new naval weapon that was first seen around June this year. When the agents dispatched to the Central World delivered the first reports about this weapon, a self-propelled projectile capable of striking a ship from underwater, the Muish military decided to develop their own version of this weapon and managed to produce a mechanical torpedo known as the Whitehead.

Weighing around 150 kilograms with 3,5 meters in length and a diameter of 35,5 centimeters, the Whitehead torpedo carries an 18-kilogram warhead. It was divided into four parts: the head, the air tank containing compressed air, the engine, and moved by a propeller in the tail. In order to use it, they created a tube to launch the torpedo using gunpowder discharge, and tests have been made to launch it from both above and below the waterline. The Royal Flying Corps even dared to enlist a pilot to conduct tests for the aerial launch of this weapon after the intelligence reports about HME's Naval Air Force managed to successfully one-shot a cruiser with an air-launched torpedo.

However, despite their efforts, the Whitehead torpedo is hard to improve and remained a slow and cumbersome weapon. It also produced white wakes when it travels underwater. Meanwhile, the intelligence agents continued to report that Milishial's magic torpedo is completely undetectable in the water, highly destructive, and fast, based on what they can find from their investigation.

"This is..." Maurice muttered as he picked up a colored photograph, undoubtedly taken by a Milishian-made camera, then 'sent' outside the Central World before ended up in the DRAI's office.

"This is a magic photograph of the Zeroth Magic Fleet's small ships anchored in the Cartalpas Naval Base. As you can see, all of them are mounting a pair of tubes believed to be the equipment for launching their magic torpedoes. In addition, based on the information we acquired from overhearing the Imperial Navy sailors on shore leave at Cartalpas, we finally have a name for this weapon. They called it the 'Lancelot Surface Magic Torpedo.'"

"I see... Lancelot, huh..."

Maurice repeated the name that his subordinate had just said. He picked up other magic photographs and compared them with the one he is holding, all of them showing the Milishian warships moored at their base from various angles. One of them was taken from the hills overlooking the harbor depicting a new Steel-class magic light cruiser in drydock being outfitted with the same torpedo tubes seen on the small ships.

"Does this mean that Milishial has put this new weapon to practical use already? But not even one year has passed since we first heard about it...?" the Director said with a grimace.

"Yes, sir, we believe so. Not only from Cartalpas, but the reports also confirmed that in Port Verses, the headquarters of the Milishian First Magic Fleet, a warship carrying Lancelot launchers has been seen."

Maurice put the pictures back on the desk and let out a groan. Although Mu's government had invested in it, their torpedo was still in the testing phase, not ready for practical use yet. The engineers are still trying to develop a more efficient device compared to what they currently have, but it seems that the empire across the ocean is one step ahead of them as usual.

"What about specifications? Do you have any detailed specifications about the Lancelot?"

"We are still investigating, sir. But from our analysis, we have estimated that it is around eight to ten meters in length and around 600 millimeters in diameter. As for the performance, all we know at the moment is that the Lancelot's capabilities are far higher than ours, sir."

"That's... around twice as large as our own Whitehead... I see... but I didn't expect it to be that big," Maurice murmured as he covered his mouth with his balled fist.

He shuddered when imagining a 600-millimeter artillery shell or a bomb that can travel underwater and struck the unarmored part of a warship, bringing it down in the blink of an eye.

Although it did not reveal much, at least some details regarding Milishial's newest weapon finally came to light. There are many rumors circulating around the existence of the magic torpedo, which is known as the Lancelot, but all of them always pointed out that it is fast, stealthy, and powerful, although he is still having a hard time believing the one that said that it is capable of sinking a battleship in a single hit. This is why further information gathering is needed to clear things up.

"This is troubling, but we need to make it clear which ones are rumors and which ones are actual facts. Alright, for now, compile this report and I will submit it to the higher-ups. I want to know more about the Lancelot, so inform the agents to continue gathering information! Dismissed."

"Yes, sir!"

With that, the officer saluted and left the room. The Director decided to read the report again, this time alone in his office, accompanied only by the steady rhythm of the standing clock ticking at the corner of the room. Each turning of the pages of the report only served to increase his feeling of disbelief and by the time he finished reading it, Maurice felt a slight migraine in his head.

By this time, out of the two types of magic torpedoes that the Holy Milishial Empire was developing, the Lancelot surface-mounted magic torpedo is already been put to practical use and is widely known to the Muish agents in Central World. For Mu, who considered the Holy Milishial Empire as their hypothetical enemy, this is a serious threat. Sooner or later, they will have to think of a countermeasure against it.

Next day

November 2, 1614 Central Calendar, Afternoon

Daylight has returned to the land of Mu, and after the first light appeared from beyond the horizon, the lamplighters wandering the street began turning off the gas lamps that once illuminated the darkness one by one. The once quiet city of Otaheit comes back to life with the noises of people going about their day.

The city of Otaheit, not only it is the capital city for the Kingdom of Mu and the seat of the Royal Government, it is also the oldest city in the country full of historical sites, a very peaceful city that had never experienced being sieged in its entire history. However, it also houses the center of Muish Royal Armed Forces' general headquarters and is the site of the largest naval base in the entire Second Civilization Area. The base, known as the Otaheit Arsenal, is the place that built Mu's first ironclads and at present, the place where the state-of-the-art warships of the Muish Royal Navy are built.

In one of the rooms of the Central Command building of the Navy General Headquarters, a meeting was held regarding the report submitted by the DRAI earlier in the morning. Sitting on the chairs were the naval officers, clad in black dress uniforms with shoulder patches that proudly showed their high rank in the military hierarchy. However, their faces were grim at the moment as they listened to the explanation from Maurice Lamarre, the Director of Intelligence. Their stares darted back and forth between the blackboard filled with photos of the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy's magic warships and the handouts distributed beforehand with a feeling of resignation.

It was at this moment, that a wave of hopelessness descended upon them. They knew well that, despite Mu being the closest country that the Holy Milishial Empire could call a rival, the gap in their technology and national power is just too great to bridge. If they were to fight, they will be defeated without difficulty. This report just hammered that knowledge once again into their minds as the empire across the ocean had beaten them in yet another arms race.

However, among those gloomy faces, there is a pair of eyes that looked at the blackboard like an eagle watching its prey. The man with such eyes, an elderly naval executive with graying hair, listened intently to the explanation about the threat of Milishial's Lancelot magic torpedo and what the Muish intelligence know about it. In his eyes, he saw an opportunity.

He remained silent as Director Maurice continued his report and after the explanation finished, the moderator moved the meeting to the next agenda to discuss how to counter the Lancelot and underwater attacks in general.

Several proposals were submitted. One officer suggested that they create nets made of iron that will be hung around the warship to catch a torpedo and make it explode away from the ship. Another suggested that they extend the warship's armor belt to underneath the waterline. Meanwhile, another officer suggested that they create a dedicated compartment specifically made to absorb the detonation of torpedoes. Each and every suggestion was listened to and discussed by the other participants of the meeting.

The elderly officer, who was silent until now, finally shuffled in his seat and raised his hand.

"Chief d'Artagnan?"

"Yes. You all raised good points. However, the best way to protect a warship from underwater attacks is of course by not getting hit."

The elderly officer, who is none other than the Commander-in-Chief of the Muish Royal Navy, Admiral Jean Pierre d'Artagnan, began his opinion by stating the obvious. Some of the executives who were present were put off by his nonchalant attitude and contorted their expressions in dismay.

"From Maurice's explanation, the Empire's Lancelot magic torpedo has a size around two times larger than our own. Therefore, it is safe to assume that it is at least twice more powerful, faster, and has a longer range compared to our own torpedo."

As he continued to talk, d'Artagnan held up three fingers to emphasize the points. Unlike the other dejected officers, the head of Mu's navy calmly analyzed the information at hand and presented his thoughts clearly.

"In my opinion based on the information from the Intelligence, the Empire's decision of mounting them on small ships and cruisers is reasonable. The Empire's small ships and cruisers are capable of speeds up to 30 knots. Normally, their small caliber guns made them manageable in a fleet battle. But now, in a hypothetical naval battle between Mu and the Empire, these small ships and cruisers can charge into our fleet, launch their Lancelots from their effective range, and use their speed advantage to escape the bombardment of our slower ships. First and foremost, keeping the range open as much as possible would be the best course of action."

One of the participants, Admiral Edouard La Rochelle, the commander of the Central District Fleet, frowned as he listened to d'Artagnan's explanation.

"But then only the main guns that will be usable in such a situation, and I doubt they are enough to discourage the attacks from ships carrying Lancelots."

Muish Royal Navy's battleships carried an armament consisting of a pair of twin large guns complemented by numerous smaller guns of varying calibers which are intended to destroy sailing warships, which is the mainstay maritime force of the world's nations other than Milishial, without needing to waste expensive main gun shells on weaker enemies. Although these guns have a faster rate of fire, the existence of long-range magic torpedoes of Milishial will discourage battleships from closing into ranges where these guns can fully operate at their utmost potential, and in turn, the Lancelots will probably outrange these smaller-caliber guns, making them useless in preventing a torpedo attack from HME's small ships.

"So what will you do then? Making as many battleships as possible?" one officer asked, his face incredulous.

"No, not quite. What I'm thinking is to make individual battleships carry as many heavy guns as it could," d'Artagnan replied.

La Rochelle immediately understood where this discussion is heading. Meanwhile, d'Artagnan reached for inside his bag and pulled a stack of papers before ordering his aide standing beside him to distribute it to the officials.

"When the Intelligence gave their report to me in advance, I thought it was a good time to introduce this, so I quickly ordered the staff to make copies and bring them to this meeting."

The document distributed by the old admiral is exactly what La Rochelle is predicting. The handout that d'Artagnan presented is a concept for a battleship. However, it is different than the battleship they know in that the ship has a main battery of a dozen large guns in eight turrets, the smaller secondaries are nowhere to be seen.

'Ah... so this is what you're aiming for, Admiral,' La Rochelle thought.

Admiral d'Artagnan, who assumed the office of the Commander-in-Chief of Muish Royal Navy not too long ago, advocated for a new design of a battleship armed with uniform main guns and high speed. However, when he first proposed this, he is opposed by a group of Muish Royal Navy officers who deemed it an unnecessary act that will provoke an arms race with the Holy Milishial Empire that they cannot win and that their current inventory is already enough to maintain their neutrality. These officers were called Les Neutralistes ("The Neutralists") although their attitude made them more fitting to be called Les Défaitistes ("The Defeatists"). Meanwhile, d'Artagnan is supported by a group of young naval officers who called themselves Les Innovateurs ("The Innovators") and were derided by the Neutralist faction as Les Marmots ("The Brats").

Despite the opposition, d'Artagnan ordered the design studies anyway and bid his time. La Rochelle knew this because he is often involved in discussions with the admiral.

"Several adjustments might need to be made, but by removing the smaller secondary guns and installing a uniform main battery, an individual battleship will have a superior reach and firepower compared to older battleships, enough to discourage small ships to charge in and launch their attack."

Now, let's see how the Neutralists will counter this argument without losing their credibility.

"Besides, one battleship carrying a uniform main battery is able to replace two to three of our old ironclads and battleships, which meant less manpower, consumption, and maintenance needed. In the long-term, we could have fewer, but more effective battleships."

"So, the trading quantity for quality..."

"If you're afraid that this will provoke the Empire, in the first place, our ten battleships will never be able to compete against the Empire's twenty-four anyway. This is merely a measure to maintain our neutrality in the face of evolving threats. You don't need to fear anything."

D'Artagnan nailed his argument by reassuring the Neutralist officers who cannot say anything in return. Looking satisfied, he continued.

"Next, let's discuss the countermeasures against air-launched magic torpedoes, shall we?"

The meeting between the naval executives continued. In the end, the Neutralist faction begrudgingly accepted d'Artagnan's proposed countermeasure against HME's Lancelot, which is openly supported by the Innovator faction.

Shortly after the decision was made, d'Artagnan gathered a group of people from both factions in the Muish Royal Navy to assist him in the detailed design process. The road for the development of Mu's first all-big-gun battleship, which was also intended to demonstrate various new technologies added later in the design process, has begun.

Currently Publicly Available Information

KINGDOM OF MU

A country located in the northeastern part of the Second Civilization Area, also known as the strongest country of the region and the known world's second most powerful nation, being one of the five superpowers. Mu is different from other nations in the known world in that it uses primarily mechanical technology that uses little to no magic, while its neighboring countries are known as magic-users.

Mu is a constitutional monarchy, with the King and the royal family playing a symbolic role, while the Parliament played a legislative and executive role. However, in emergencies, power can be concentrated on the King with the approval of Parliament.

Mu's foreign policy is marked by its stance of perpetual neutrality and friendly relationship with other countries, although it has occasional border skirmishes against Leifor's neighboring vassal states.

Chapter Text

November 3, 1614 Central Calendar, 10:12

MOASEC, Aerial System Development Facility

It is another morning for the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures personnel, the first day after the weekend, where they will go for their job in what can be considered the most elite and influential of all government offices in the Holy Milishial Empire. Naturally, they were all filled with pride, but they did not forget that they carried the expectations of their families and relatives, and thus strive to give their all in their job.

However, due to certain mismanagement by their leader, the Ancient Ministry's employees were now forced to literally give their all, mind, body, and soul, to finish their new project, and they are blaming him for it.

Yes, Director Arsene Lippin will never live it down.

Among them were some personnel for whom the word 'vacation' was no longer exists in their dictionary. One such person, Emilia Giovanna, is a half-elven head of the section in charge of the development of the new Heavenly Vessel's engine within the facility. As a woman in her early 40s, she was still considered a young adult by her race's standards. Her hair was arranged in a bun with slightly curly bangs framing both sides of her face and partially concealing her pointed ears, a mark of her elven heritage. However, there is a strand of fiery red hair on Emilia's left bang that stood out among her lustrous golden locks. Whether it was natural or dyed, no one really knows, but it sure made her look remarkable.

She started her work for the day by going to the office to check her subordinates, and what she found was that they were running frantically like headless chickens. And as she walked through the corridor to go back to her office room to sort her thoughts...

"Ah, there she is! Emmy~!"

A female voice called out from afar. There is only one person who called Emilia by that name, so she chuckled while shaking her head slightly before turning in the direction where the voice came from. And there she is, her colleague Robin, waving at Emilia with a big smile on her face, and behind her, there is a shorter boy with silver hair... carrying something long and cylindrical on his back. Emilia waved at them as they approached her.

"Morning, Emmy," Robin chirped. It seems that she is in a good mood this morning.

Beside her, the silver-haired boy, one of Robin's Apprentice Mages named Meteos Roguerider bowed lightly at her.

"Good morning, Miss Gio—I mean, Miss Emilia."

Emilia was one of Robin's close friends that were introduced to Meteos and Walman on their first days in the MOASEC. Since Robin allowed them to call her by her first name, so did Emilia.

"Good morning to you too, Robin, and Young Meteos. So, what's up? You look happy today."

"Yeah, we have some good news for you," Robin answered before gesturing to Meteos.

"Here is the blueprint for the new engine, please take a look at it."

"What, really? You have finished already?"

When Emilia inquired them in a slightly surprised tone, Meteos nodded and unslung the large plastic tube, handing it to her. As she received the tube and slung it on her right shoulder, the blonde can feel the weight of the tube, which was fully extended to the point it was nearly as tall as Meteos himself.

"Yes. With the help of Miss Robin and the others' experience, it's possible to—"

"Kid took one look at our old engine research documents and instantly understood what to do! It's incredible! We are also lucky that the engines are so similar—although it's still weird for me, but it saves us a lot of time!"

Meteos answered her question with a neutral expression, but Robin suddenly butted in with a bright expression that clearly showed her enthusiasm, ignoring the boy who rolled his eyes before covering his face with his right palm.

"I... I see. That's good. But Robin, you meanie. Why did you let him carry this when all you bring is that backpack?" Emilia chided, pointing to a brown backpack slung on Robin's shoulder.

"Uh... about that... hehe."

"What do you mean, 'hehe'!?" she yelled at Robin's nervous laugh.

"Ahem!"

Suddenly Meteos gave a loud fake cough, turning the two women's attention to him.

"Forgive me, but we are on a tight schedule, aren't we? Please don't joke around and let's get going with our work."

In a polite tone, Meteos reminded them, especially Robin, about the work they have to do right now. He himself didn't mind jokes, but as he said, they were on a tight schedule to finish the project. In fact, calling it that might be an understatement. He felt that it wasn't appropriate to waste precious time by fooling around like this.

Emilia gave her friend a stink eye for a moment before turning to one of the Ancient Ministry's newest and youngest staff members, who had just tried to remind them about their priority as the MOASEC employees.

"My bad. You're right, Young Meteos. Now, let's head to my office," Emilia said as she patted the Meteos' soft silver hair and began walking down the corridor, ushering them to follow her.

"M'kay."

"Hm."

After they arrived at Emilia's office, Emilia unraveled a huge roll of paper she retrieved from the tube and attached it to the wall of her office. As she looked into the large drawing and compared it with the detailed drawings of each part in the stack of papers that Robin pulled out from her bag, Emilia's feeling of astonishment grew, but she also felt relieved with the completion of the blueprint.

Her thoughts wandered back to the unrealistic two-year deadline that their own boss, Arsene Lippin, had imposed upon the Ancient Ministry. Saying directly to His Majesty the Emperor that a new Heavenly Vessel could be completed in two years, coinciding with the next Eleven Countries Leadership Conference, what he did was the utter recklessness of the highest order. The analysis and development teams were suddenly faced with tremendous stress as they are expected to finish what normally would take years into less than half of Alpha-1's development time. This means that they will be forced to work day and night without rest or even eating in order to try to finish it.

However, it was not all bad news since through Emperor Milishial VIII's generosity, the Ancient Ministry had received a large sum of money to support the development of the new Heavenly Vessel. The Ancient Ministry, which had allotted 120.000 zollarks (roughly $3.469.308 in 2022's US dollars) for the development, suddenly received a four-time increase in budget to 480.000 zollarks (around $13.877.232) as a donation taken directly from the Emperor's treasury.

After that, Lippin convened a meeting with the Ancient Ministry's executives and after taking the brunt of the blame for his blunder from his subordinates, which is something he did deserve, they proceeded to plan measures to reduce the development time as much as possible. One of them was to revisit the research notes of a duplicate Ravernal magic jet engine that was abandoned some time ago.

They also increased the number of personnel by drawing them from other facilities and partnering organizations using the Ancient Ministry's authority. Emilia's engine development section, for example, three days after the meeting on October 20, was swarmed by engineers from various locations in the Empire. But the majority of them came from the Runepolis Magic Academy, the place where the magic turbojet engine was first built. They wasted little time in making plans using their combined expertise. With the ranks of personnel at the MOASEC headquarters swelled thanks to the increase in budget, a sense of normalcy was somewhat restored to the participants of the project as more personnel means fewer working hours for individual staff members.

On a less important note, they also decided on the name for the development project: Alpha Edge.

Without a completed engine, the heart of a Heavenly Vessel, the section in charge of the airframe cannot start their progress. Therefore, the pressure on the engine development section is high, and it came as a shock to the engineers outside the MOASEC who were dreaming of prestige by taking part in the biggest project of the year, conducted by the most influential ministry in the Holy Milishial Empire.

But it did not stop there.

The time limit of two years means that they only have enough time to build exactly one engine, and it must succeed. This is why despite they being pressed to develop an engine in as short a time as possible, the work is also being done with extreme prudence. At the earliest, the blueprint is expected to be completed within one month. The situation still wasn't looking good for the engine development section at all.

But lo and behold, only two weeks after the work has begun, Emilia was already staring at the completed blueprint of a magic turbojet engine. The designing team, of which Meteos and Walman were among them, have done a stellar job, every single detail was drawn with meticulous care, and in such a short period of time. With the plan in full display, Emilia marveled at the drawing, but one part caught her attention.

"This is... impressive, but why is this part is like this?" Emilia murmured, gesturing at the part where the engine's combustion chamber was located as she continued to examine the hanging blueprint.

"About that, we have decided that this arrangement will be the most efficient for the engine's operation," Robin answered her question.

"Huh!? Why? If five rings of enchanter still can't produce stable thrust for the magic engine, what makes you think only two will, let alone be efficient?" Emilia turned to Robin with an expression that clearly showed her displeasure at her colleague's answer.

What Emilia was referring to is the enchanter, the component of a magic engine that ignited the fuel inside the combustion chamber. It is a ring-shaped array of magic circuits installed with the spell for explosive magic that will activate when the purified liquid magic stone containing mana necessary to activate the spell comes into contact with the enchanter, heating the incoming air that is mixed with the magic fuel, producing controlled explosions that will burn the mix and then directed it to the engine's exhaust nozzle to generate thrust. This is the principle of a Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Discharge Engine.

After the reverse engineering of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's magic turbofan failed because the only good engine they had excavated exploded during testing, the MOASEC researchers attempted to copy the design of the enchanter and put it into the Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Discharge Engine. They correctly deduced that this component uses magic to generate thrust by automatically chanting the spell utilizing mana contained by the magic fuel, hence the name "enchanter".

However, they cannot determine what exactly the magic spell was used by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. They only knew that it has a short but powerful spell and could not be used by any race that makes up Milishial's demographics. And when the researchers had no choice but to use their much weaker magic spell, the result was very disappointing: the explosive magic spell installed into the enchanter's magic circuits wasn't complete as it was too long and couldn't fit into the limited space of the enchanter. And thus, when they forced it to activate, it only resulted in a very short and uneven burst of magic fuel combustion, and as a result, generated a very weak thrust.

As a measure to compensate for this, the researchers resorted to using a magic fuel with a much lower level of purification, derived from liquified red magic gems which contain fire element attributes used to 'complete' the spell casting by using its elemental attribute as a substitute for the missing part of the spell. Since a lower level of purification means fewer mana can be infused into one liter of magic fuel, it resulted in a magic engine with very low fuel efficiency. This is where they found out that using one enchanter made the engine extremely wasteful.

In the end, to increase the fuel efficiency, the researchers attached five enchanters to the engine and increased the purification level from 10% to 35%. It was still much less efficient than the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's engine, but not too wasteful either. And thus, the 35% purity liquid red magic stone became known as the 'magic jet fuel' used by the Holy Milishial Empire. The combustion of magic fuel, which happened in short bursts, produced the signature buzzing sound of the Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Engine. Five is the limit of how much they can attach without making the engine too heavy.

Seeing Emilia's upset face, Robin decided to explain her case.

"Okay, okay, hear me out first," she said, walking closer to the blueprint and tapping on the turbine part with her finger. "The problem with the unstable thrust of a Magic Light Engine is that the flow of mana moved in a straight line from the fuel injector to the nozzle through the combustion chamber. It does not activate the entire magic circuit in the enchanter, hence requiring five of them so that the mana that doesn't activate one enchanter will be caught by the next and so on. But it still sucked. Right?"

Emilia nodded slowly.

"We once attempted to make the mana flow in a circle but cannot figure out how. Well, this is where the turbine part of this engine comes in. When the engine is operating, the rotation of the turbine which is connected to the enchanter will cause it to spin at high speed, making the contact with the flow of mana spread evenly and producing a stable thrust and thus, increased engine output," the bespectacled brunette explained.

"Ah, I see! Instead of making the mana move in circles, you make the enchanter spin instead to produce the effect as you say," Emilia said with a realization after hearing Robin's words. "So is that really the reason why the ancient engine's enchanter seemed to be connected to the rotating part? And is that really the reason why the ancient engine is built that way?"

"Yup. The movement of the turbine also drives the compressor here that will squeeze the incoming air and increase its pressure..."

"...Thus, eliminating the need to use a Tears of the Wind God-based magic circuit to add pressure to the incoming air with the existence of the compressor."

"Exactly."

Both Emilia and Robin were part of the team that once analyzed the destroyed Ravernal turbofan, which research data was instrumental in helping the development of the new engine. As one of the measures taken to fulfill the two-year deadline, Lippin had ordered the Ancient Ministry to declassify its research and now ordinary engineers other than the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department can talk about it freely, including in front of a new recruit like Meteos. This is a policy that was never done before in the Ancient Ministry's history.

Emilia's eyes widened as more realizations came to her mind.

"My goodness! Young Meteos, it's really the same principle as your magic turbojet engine!"

"...Yes. I hope it helps with the research," the boy answered with a slight nod.

"Why, of course! We have a functioning engine to base our research on and now we just need to make a full-sized version of it! But one more thing... Yes, it can solve the thrust stability issue, but that still doesn't explain why you are reducing the enchanters into two. Won't that make the engine inefficient instead? Why are you doing that?"

"It's all thanks to the new magic circuits."

Meteos rummaged through his jacket's pocket and revealed a small device pinched between his index and middle fingers, then he showed it to Emilia for her to see.

"This little thing can contain much more spell components than the standard ones used in the current magic engine's enchanter. Thanks to this, we can reduce the number of enchanters used and combined with the turbine, we can finally make a good engine—no offense, Miss Emilia."

Emilia did not expect the kid to bring an empty magic circuit around, so when Meteos offered it to her, she received it with an awkward laugh. She held the magic circuit in her palm, a flat and rectangular device 10 millimeters in length and 5 millimeters in width, and on the surface, the words "AIKON" was engraved on it, signifying the manufacturer of this device.

"Haha, none taken. But wow... I never realized just how advanced this thing is until now, the Aikon Corporation has outdone themselves this time," the half-elf pondered.

"Well, they originally manufactured magic circuits for their grimoire, right? If using this can turn a manacom the size of a typewriter into something so slim like a grimoire, then the same thing can be done to an engine enchanter," Robin chirped.

"Hmm, you have a point."

The Holy Milishial Empire, as the world's strongest magical civilization, stands above other magical civilizations in the known world by mastering the usage of the magic circuit, a method of shortening the long spellcasting process by engraving the components of a spell into it and let machines fast-forwarding it for them. Through the advancement of computing technology, the spellcasting process can be reduced to the point that it only took several seconds to chant a lengthy spell. Even more so after the introduction of the newest computers and manadrivers.

However, the problem that remained is how many spell components can be contained within a single magic circuit. The Aikon Corporation, who took an interest in Robin's grimoire project approached them and managed to produce a much more advanced magic circuit, allowing the grimoire as everyone knows it to be born.

However, one might have wondered, why would they use a magic circuit used in what is basically a cell phone as a component of a jet engine?

This is possible because of the nature of the magic circuit itself: being merely the container of spells. The only thing that distinguishes magic circuits used in magical communication devices, magic lighting, magic engines, and so on, is the spell contained within the circuits. If the shape and size are correct, these magic circuits in different applications can technically be interchangeable with each other as long as the material used can withstand the effect produced by the spell. That's how versatile magic circuit technology is. It is aptly called a centerpiece of Milishial's technological might, a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural once its full potential was unleashed.

While Emilia continued to scrutinize the magic circuit, Meteos explained, "When we built the miniature turbojet engine, I designed it with only one enchanter to see how far the new magic circuit can raise the engine's fuel efficiency and as a result, we discovered that the engine is capable of achieving the desired performance when burning 25% purity magic fuel. The details are in the reports."

"Hmm... then, with the larger dimension of a full-scale engine, more magic circuits can be mounted on a single enchanter..." Emilia trailed off.

"Yes, it is possible to maintain the 35% purity magic fuel usage with two enchanters and maybe we can even raise it slightly."

"Which means more mana per liter and more fuel efficiency!" Robin finished in a cheerful mood.

"......That's good news!"

"I know, right? They were not joking when they said that mastery of magic circuits is the key to bringing mankind closer to the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's level."

"Do you really think so, Robin?"

"Well, we won't know unless we try. Though it would be better if the engine can use 50% purification level magic fuel."

"Hah... that's optimistic, but oh well. It's time to move to the next phase! We'll bring this to the others and we can start building!"

Emilia clapped her hands loudly, satisfied with the current situation. The other two visitors inside her office nodded broadly and were about to follow Emilia when Robin suddenly spoke up.

"Wait a minute!"

"Hm?" Emilia raised an eyebrow.

"It's already twelve o'clock. Meteos, it's the end of your shift for the day. You can go home now."

Robin pointed to her wristwatch as she turned to Meteos.

"Huh...? Oh well, I guess that's it for today. Maybe Walman is already on his way here at the moment. Alright, see you later, Miss Robin, Miss Emilia."

With a loud sigh as he checked his own wristwatch, Meteos bowed to his teacher and her friend in farewell before getting out of the office, intending to head back to his apartment. Just before he fully closed the office door, Emilia called out to him.

"Thank you for your hard work! Tell Young Walman to go straight here!"

"Of course."

After the door was fully closed with a soft thud, Robin and Emilia gave a brief glance at the place where Meteos had just been with soft smiles before they began to arrange the documents stacked on the latter's desk, waiting for Walman's arrival before leaving. Amidst the soft rustling of papers, Emilia broke the silence between the two.

"I can see in his eyes, that he wants to stay."

"Hmph, that might be true, but as part of the terms of Meteos and Walman's employment in the Ancient Ministry, I have convinced Director Lippin to put an emphasis on strict adherence to the work schedule for those two. Which means, no overtime bullshit," Robin snorted at Meteos' stubbornness. "They are still kids, for gods' sake."

"Language, Robin," Emilia chided, but her smile faltered a bit after hearing Robin's last remarks. "By the way, Meteos and Walman are still fourteen years old, right?"

"Yes."

"That's... younger than when you first come here, Robin," the blonde half-elf murmured with a concerned look.

She knows that the Ancient Ministry has a history of scouting individuals with bright minds and offering them recruitment regardless of their age. Youths aged 12 to 14 are offered to receive education in the Ancient Ministry for a limited number of hours per week as part of a training program. However, in the hands of unsavory decision-makers, this has the potential to be abused into exploiting them as child labor.

Emilia had never seen any of this happen and she hoped that she will never see it, but since the Ancient Ministry is a place with secrets buried under secrets, it filled her with uneasiness knowing such a thing can and very nearly happened before her eyes.

"Hm?"

"Nothing... it's just one more thing that Arsene had done right," Emilia finished by casually mentioning the Director's first name, but Robin had long used to that and did not question it.

Robin hummed and after remembering something, she asked Emilia, "Anyway, back to the work, when will the shipment of materials arrive? The sooner we can start building the engine, the better."

"If I recall, the first shipment will be coming in the next week..."

"Sheesh, that won't do, Emmy."

"I know, but do you have any solution for that?"

Robin put a hand on her chin and pondered for a moment before answering, "I know some research organizations and steel companies in Runepolis that stores NMC-22 ores, we can request them to hand over whatever amount the ores in their possession to the Ancient Ministry."

"Noted. I'll tell Arsene about this," Emilia sighed.

At that moment, they heard a series of light knocking on the door, and when it opened, it revealed Robin's other apprentice who had taken his shift for the day.

"Excuse me..."

"Ah, Walman, just in time," Robin nodded.

"Um, I was told by Meteos to come here?"

"Yes, we will now go to the planning room," Emilia said as she picked up the drawing tube with the blueprint that she had rolled back into the container and several documents, preparing to head out of the office. "So, Young Walman. How good are you in mathematics?"

"........."

Walman Falkenhausen stared at his teacher's colleague with a grim smile.

Currently Publicly Available Information

CHANT POWERED LIGHT MAGIC-COMPRESSED AIR ENGINE

A magic-based propulsion developed by the Holy Milishial Empire for Heavenly Vessel, based on reverse-engineering the magic engines of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. It uses the principle of sucking in air mixed with purified liquid red magic stone fuel, igniting it with the chanting of explosion spell fueled by the mana contained by the fuel, and discharging it to the rear to generate propulsion.

During takeoff process, the Tears of the Wind God magic circuit will engage, actively drawing in air to assist with the engine's operation. Several minutes after the Heavenly Vessel is in flight, the limited power of the circuit will eventually deplete, leaving the engine to passively suck in air for the rest of the flight.

In order to ignite the magic fuel, a component called enchanter is used. In the case of this magic engine, the enchanter is filled with explosion magic spell components.

Chapter Text

December 6, 1614 Central Calendar

“Mmmnngh…”

A soft groan echoed in a quiet cabin that was dimly lit by a faint glow rising from beyond the horizon, entering through a single circular window that was bolted shut on the wall. The source of that voice, a young boy, was sleeping on one of the bunks within the room, his body twisting and turning under the thick blanket until his sleeping form finally faced the window.

“Uhh…?”

The sleeping boy jolted awake, bringing his right hand to his face in order to shield the morning glow that suddenly assaulted his closed eyelids.

“Ah… it’s already morning,” he murmured, glancing around the cabin to find that the bunk next to him was already empty.

There was no clock inside the cabin, no way for the boy to tell accurately tell the time, but judging from the light outside, he guessed it must be around 6 to 7 o’clock in the morning. The boy can clearly feel the gentle motion of up and down of the cabin now that he was fully awake. He was on board a ship, and from the circular window—a porthole, he can see the dim, but slowly brightening light blue of the slightly cloudy sky that meets the dark blue color of the ocean. It’s a beautiful sight of differing shades of the same color, separated by a line in the distance known as the horizon.

The boy stifled a yawn and rubbed his sleepy eyes with the long sleeve of his dull white shirt. After sitting for a while, he then got out of the bunk in order to get dressed. And when all is done, he took a deep breath and pulled out a locket from his jacket’s pocket. It opened to reveal a portrait of a woman.

After placing the locket gently on a table, the boy crossed his arms and muttered in his heart.

‘Mother, today is the second day since I went on another voyage with father to the east… I wonder, how are you today? Are you being always treated well in there? I hope good fortune to always be with you, just like I hope good fortune to be always with us… Anyway, I have to go. Mother, once again, please continue to watch us from above…”

He finished the rite that he had always done in the morning after a while and put the locket back in his pocket. With a satisfied hum, he stood up and finally headed outside.

As soon as he opened the door that connected the cabin to the outside deck, a surge of bone-chilling wind suddenly rushed past him, a stark contrast to the cabin’s warm interior which was heated by a magical device containing red magic stones. Fortunately for him, he was prepared and already braced himself for this kind of weather. After all, it is already early in December, the winter season in this part of the world. And so, the boy, a merchant’s son named Kaios, stepped to the deck to start a new day on board the ship.

“Brrr…!”

Even with the thick coat that he is wearing, Kaios still shivered at the sudden drop in the temperature the moment he stepped outside. It was so cold that he can see his own breath, prompting Kaios to bring his gloved hands to cover the cheeks of his face, the only part of his body that was exposed to the sea breeze. He walked towards the railing to gaze at the sky and water that spread out as far as he could see in front of him.

The ship that Kaios was boarding is one of the clippers in his father’s merchant fleet, currently heading south from her homeport of Esthirant in the Parpaldia Empire towards the first destination of their voyage, carrying merchant goods to foreign countries.

Just like several months ago, he had requested his father’s permission to accompany him on another voyage to spend the Winter Vacation for schools in Parpaldia. He argued to his father that it is a good opportunity for him to learn more about navigation and matters related to their business if he were to succeed the Meyer Trading Company’s leadership in the future. Besides, it won’t hurt for Kaios to spend some time with his only immediate family that he knows of in a way that both of them can enjoy rather than toiling away in boredom at his house alone. His father, Meyer, had his feelings struck by his last argument and finally relented to bringing him in, although he was concerned due to the nature of this time’s voyage route.

After departing from Esthirant on the morning of December 5, this morning marked the beginning of the second day of the voyage, more than halfway to their first destination. They were expected to arrive in several hours, with all the sails fully opened and blown as they rode on the northerly wind that provided the ship with a comfortable speed even without the assistance of magic. Meanwhile, on the above and below the deck, the thirty-five crew of the ship other than Kaios and his father worked diligently to ensure the successful operation of the ship.

“Oh, you’re finally awake, sleepyhead?”

“Huh?”

Turning from the rails to face the speaker, he found an irregular passenger that doesn’t normally belong to this ship. Dressed in a small brown-colored winter coat with a fur-lined hood, the speaker addressed Kaios with an amused eye, trotting towards him across the deck from the starboard side.

“Oh, hey,” Kaios said in greeting. “When did you wake up?”

This irregular passenger is none other than Kaios’ friend, a young girl called Elto by everyone. She nodded at his greeting as she joined him at the railing. However, just as she was about to open her mouth to answer his question, another voice called out to the two young children, specifically Kaios.

“Ah, there you are! So you’ve finally awake. Good morning, Kaios.”

Meyer, the boy’s father, came to him from the stern where the ship’s steering wheel was located. He was wearing a hooded long coat of various shades of dark blue, while underneath it one can see that Meyer was also wearing a white undershirt, leather boots, a red sash and matching scarf tied around his neck, and brown belts with various pouches around his waist and over his shoulder. With the same hairstyle as his son, Meyer looked like an adult Kaios. In this outfit, Meyer looked more like an explorer than a common merchant, even more so with a saber and a pair of flintlocks hanging from the holsters on both sides of his waist. Nevertheless, Kaios’ face lit up at the sight of him.

“Good morning, father!”

The happy face of his only son brought a slight tug to Meyer’s mouth, even though it was hidden by his thick mustache. He gazed at the children standing before him with a warm gaze despite the frigid atmosphere they found themselves in.

“Good to see you still wake up in the morning even though you’re on a vacation, Kaios. You too, young lady, eager to see the sea, huh?” he praised as he patted both of their heads, making them blush. “However, we will not be seeing any land until afternoon, so why don’t you get inside where it’s warm? Besides, Kaios, have you had breakfast?”

The boy shook his head, “Not yet, father…”

“Then what are you waiting for? Just go to the lounge, I’ll tell the cook to make you a soup. Now go.”

Yes, a warm soup seems perfect for the weather. As he thought about it in anticipation, Kaios felt his stomach finally rumble. As he began to feel the rising hunger that caused him discomfort, Kaios obliged at his father’s suggestion and quickly headed back inside with Elto in tow, leaving Meyer behind who then proceeded to give instructions to his crew.

Not long after sitting at one of the desks in the lounge, a place reserved for the ship’s officers, a crewman from the galley came to Kaios and Elto, bringing a bowl of soup, a freshly baked meat, and a bottle of milk. Noticing something off, Kaios asked.

“Elto, you aren’t eating?”

“I woke up early, so I already ate.”

“Ah…” Kaios scratched his head, “Then… I’m digging in.”

Elto just hummed in affirmation as Kaios picked up the spoon and began eating.

Foods served on ships in this part of the known world usually consisted of hard tack and bland stew with only salt to give it a flavor. However, by virtue of being the son of the trading company’s owner, Kaios gets to enjoy a breakfast of a quality similar to the dishes he sees in Esthirant. The same thing also applies to Elto, the daughter of one of Meyer’s business partners and a family friend. Said girl only watched in silence as the blonde boy before her chewed on the meat and vegetables in his richly-seasoned soup. After swallowing, Kaios turned his gaze on her and spoke up.

“So… uh, Elto. Why are you here again?”

“…I decided to spend the Winter Vacation by going on a trip, remember? Plus, I am curious about what it’s like to go on a boat trip. That’s why I’ve asked to join you and your father this time.”

Kaios scratched his head. Wanting to go on a trip during vacation is nothing unusual, everyone can do that if they wanted to. A boat trip for vacation is also not at all that strange for him, as when visiting Holy Milishial Empire several months ago, he had seen a type of vessel called a cruise liner for nobles and rich people to visit various places with.

However, the ship they are boarding now is a merchant ship bound for the eastern world that belonged to Meyer’s company, where they will be stopping by a series of outside civilization countries to trade merchant goods before returning to Esthirant through Duro. Although it is also Kaios’ first time visiting an outside civilization, he was under impression that those countries are much more backward compared to his homeland of the Parpaldia Empire and as such, there will be nothing interesting to look at.

Besides, Kaios didn’t join his father simply for the sake of spending vacation. He felt that he has the responsibility to learn and observe his father’s work as the heir of Meyer Trading Company. Why would Elto, the daughter of a wealthy diplomat, spend her vacation here of all places?

“I still don’t get it. I mean, you can go on a trip somewhere else,” Kaios said as he finished his soup and was now reaching for his bottle of milk.

“You sounded as if you don’t want me here.”

Elto’s witty rebuttal surprised him so much that he almost dropped his bottle. Fumbling with the bottle of milk in his hands, he turned to her with an indignant expression.

“What!? No! That’s not what I meant…! Why must you twist my words like that?”

He downed the milk within the bottle in one gulp before continuing. In response to his sudden yelling, Elto just silently tucked a strand of her blonde hair to the back of her left ear.

“What I mean is, why would you come with us to see countries outside civilization? Why not go to places like, I don’t know… visiting your relatives in the interior?”

“Boring…”

“Isn’t traveling by boat more boring, though?”

“Then what about you?”

Kaios was taken aback by Elto who suddenly answered his question with a question of her own.

“Well… I don’t come all the way here simply for fun, you know?”

“I know, I know. Well… as for me, maybe it’s just a whim. I rather liked seeing the sea. Besides, I get to see new places. Even if I wanted to go to the interior, there’s no one there. My relatives are all busy with the war further north.”

“Oh…”

Kaios hummed. His friend Elto’s relatives mostly served in the military, and the majority of them belonged to the Parpaldian Imperial Army that is currently invading the countries to the north. As he recalled, she once said to him that the cousin closest to her age was enlisting in the army, that was before Kaios visited Milishial. Maybe there will be no more relatives of her age to play with in the interior, that’s why.

Kaios was still unsure what to make of Elto’s decision of wanting to spend the vacation with them. But a companion of his age in this voyage feels nice.

“But, do you feel any discomfort? People who boarded a ship for the first time are usually prone to seasickness.”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Oh well… I hope you don’t mind being here. To be honest, there’s nothing much to be done on this ship.”

“As I said before, I don’t mind.”

Kaios and Elto continued conversing, not noticing the presence of Meyer who stood with crossed arms near the doorway to the lounge and listening to them. After standing there for a while, he gave a soft sigh and uncrossed his arms before heading outside with light steps, still unnoticed by the two friends.

13:42

After several hours of exploring the ship and conversing with the crewmate, Elto retreated to her cabin, deciding to read a Milishial book borrowed from Kaios, who happened to bring it to the ship. Meyer had said that they should be seeing the land of their first destination soon, so Elto decided to kill some time by reading.

“Huh… these things are really interesting, no wonder Kaios is so enthusiastic,” she murmured.

The content of the book that Meyer had bought for his son when they visited Runepolis together showed her things that do not exist in Parpaldia and a brief explanation of them. Kaios was so fascinated by it that he had talked about it nonstop whenever she come to his house to hang out. She doesn’t really mind listening to him talk, but listening to the same thing over and over again gets annoying really quickly until Elto told him to tone it down.

The reason why he didn’t run his mouth about them as usual on this ship was that he was interested in something else. They were busy speculating what the outside civilization country looks like after Meyer, with a mysterious expression on his face, said that there might be surprises they will find in the most unlikely of places. He had refused to elaborate about that, but it certainly piqued their interest.

Suddenly, there was a series of knocks on her cabin door.

“Elto!” Kaios’ muffled sound echoed from the other side.

“What is it?”

“We’re already there! Come on!”

“Okay.”

She closed the book she was reading and walked outside the cabin together with Kaios.

On this day, Meyer Trading Company’s merchant ship Blijde Boodschap had safely arrived at their first destination, the port of Le Brias in Altaras Kingdom, located outside the Third Civilization Area.

---

As the Blijde Boodschap approached the port, the view of the island of Altaras became increasingly clearer for everyone to see. When Kaios and Elto emerged from the cabin to the port side deck, they found Meyer gazing in the direction of the island with a spyglass in his hand. He sensed a movement behind him and turned to see his son and his friend.

“Ooh, it’s you two. Look! We’ve arrived,” he said, pointing to a city in the distance.

“Where?” Elto squinted her eyes.

“There, look,” Meyer pointed toward the horizon, where amidst the brown landscape of wilted foliage, they can see what appeared to be a group of buildings where people live.

The view became even clearer when they took turns using the spyglass they borrowed from Meyer. The buildings in Le Brias, the name of the city, looked like they were also made from brick, just like in Parpaldia, but with a different style of architecture, with many of them having domes that rested above their roofs. They were scattered following the contour of the gently sloped hill, and the higher the elevation was, the more extravagant the buildings were. And on top of the hill, a large white building stood among the brown, blue, and green colors of the city, surrounded by tall towers on each corner of the building.

“That white building is called the Atenor Palace, the residence for the king of this country. So, what do you think?” Meyer asked, pointing to the palace.

“It’s… okay, I guess? Certainly better-looking than what I had expected,” Elto mused.

“Hahahaha. I see, it’s not like what the people tell you, huh? Don’t listen to those people too much, I bet they never even set foot outside Parpaldia. Well, Altaras is quite wealthy compared to the other countries outside the civilization areas, so rich you can compare it to Parpaldia’s neighbors on the continent.”

“………”

Meyer scoffed at his fellow countrymen’s tendency to look down on people who are not Parpaldian. The common stereotype of people outside civilization that is popular in Parpaldia is that these outside civilization countries are full of primitive barbarians who live in bleak and dirty towns infested with pests of various kinds, conveniently forgetting that decades ago, Parpaldia’s predecessor state, the Republic of Parneus, was no different from these barbarians. The older generation, who had grown too proud of Parpaldia’s repeated victories, came up with this stereotype and taught it to their children, who subsequently parroted what their parents said.

Meyer was not your average Parpaldian, and neither he wants his son to become one.

---

When a large, white-hulled sailing ship approached the bustling harbor of Le Brias, the onlookers stared at it with amazement, but quickly turned into doubt and apprehension upon noticing the two dragons on a red flag that flew menacingly on top of the ship’s tallest mast. The sky had turned overcast and the wind was picking up, making the flag of the infamous Parpaldia Empire fly even harder. Oblivious to those feelings, the ship continued to sail past the local and foreign ships that had stopped by the port, with a man on the deck pointing to them while speaking to a pair of children standing by his side.

“Look, that is called a karveel (caravel),” Meyer said, pointing to a much smaller ship than their own, “It came from the Sios Kingdom, an island east of here.”

“Ooh…”

“Mister Meyer, what about that one?” Elto asked.

She was pointing to what appeared to be a small sailing boat with one mast and a triangular sail. She had noticed that that kind of ship was the most numerous in the harbor.

“Ah, that is an Altaran boat. In their native tongue, it’s called a daawa, but the Parpaldians called them dhouw.”

“So they belonged to this country.”

“Eeh, they’re so small and look cute.”

Meyer chuckled at his son’s gushing.

“Yes, that’s right. They are usually used by the local sailors for fishing in nearby waters, but that large dhouw over there is used by the Altarans to sail in the open sea. That kind of ship is called a sambuk.”

“Wow, Mister Meyer, you’re so knowledgeable.”

“Thank you very much. I have visited many places because of my job. Of course I get to know these things.”

“By the way, Mister Meyer, why we don’t see them in Esthirant’s harbor?”

“It’s because the government banned the ships from outside civilization to dock at Esthirant. The only port cities in the homeland that are open to them are Duro and Laessig. Otherwise, only ships from civilized countries that are allowed in Esthirant.”

“Is that so…”

He continued to show Kaios and Elto ships of various types that crowded the port of Le Brias, but so far none of them were as large as the Blijde Boodschap, which boasted an overall length of around 90 meters. Compared to her sister ships in Meyer Trading Company’s merchant fleet, the Blijde Boodschap, which served trade routes to the eastern world outside the civilization areas, is slightly larger in order to accommodate more Tears of the Wind God and ammunition storage for the ship’s defensive armament of four draaibas—small cannon attached to swivel mountings located on each side of the ship’s forward and aft sides. She, along with her sisters, was considered Parpaldia’s fastest and most advanced merchant ships, having been built using nearly all of Meyer’s entire fortune at the time and has generated tremendous profits ever since. However…

“Hey, look at that!”

A yelling from the other side of the ship caught the three’s attention, while at the same time, some of the crewmen began to flock to the starboard deck to look at something in the distance.

“Did something happen?” Elto wondered.

“Hmm… let’s take a look.”

She and Kaios followed Meyer to the other side of the ship, where the crew, upon noticing their master, immediately moved aside to give way to the three of them. Their eyes widened in astonishment for different reasons.

Sitting on the far western end of the Le Brias harbor, there was a huge light gray-colored ship that looked very out of place among the ships present. Unlike the sailships around them, it doesn’t seem to use any sail to move around, nor does there are smokestacks which is the signature feature of ships belonging to the Second Civilization Area. While it was moored, the metal cranes on board the ship continued to lift strange metal boxes to the section of the harbor beside it, which was equally looked out of place. And on top of the mast of that ship, flew a sky-blue flag with a blue comet emitting rays in nine directions. The said blue comet, the August Star, was a very prominent symbol in the known world, being tied directly with the banishment of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire by the gods.

And there is only one country in this world that dare to use that heavenly symbol as its national insignia.

“To think that I will see a ship from the Holy Milishial Empire here of all places…” Meyer murmured, stroking his chin. “In addition, it looked larger than the ones usually visiting Esthirant, give or take 140 meters.”

“Really, father?”

“Hm. This is a very unusual occurrence. I wonder what happened?”

The sight of the ship from the world’s strongest country suddenly made the Parpaldian clipper pale in comparison to it. However, Meyer decided not to dwell on it any longer and ordered his crew to lower the sails in preparation for docking, letting Kaios and Elto gaze at the Milishian ship together. He has a business to do.

Currently Publicly Available Information

BLIJDE BOODSCHAP

A Parpaldian clipper ship built at Esthirant in early 1602 Central Calendar for the Meyer Trading Company, launched on December 1602 and in service two months later in February 1603. She was the fourth ship of her class, designed for speed to gain an advantage over other vessels carrying high-value, seasonal products. Like her sister ships, the Blijde Boodschap was ordered by the previous head of the Meyer Trading Company, but was not constructed yet when the previous owner died in early 1602. When the current owner of the company took office, he requested that the ship was to be enlarged, which resulted in the current ship.

Specifications:

• Class and type: Clipper
• Tonnage: 970 Gross Register Tonnage; 925 Net Register Tonnage
• Displacement: 2.200 tons
• Length: 68,3 m hull; 90 m length overall
• Beam: 11,5 m
• Depth of hold: 6,74 m
• Speed: 15 knots (27,78 km/h) standard; 19 knots (35,18 km/h) Tears of the Wind God engaged
• Complement: 35
• Armament: 4 × swivel guns

Chapter Text

December 6, 1614 Central Calendar, 14:00

Port of Le Brias, Altaras Kingdom

The Parpaldian merchant clipper Blijde Boodschap had safely docked at the first destination of her voyage after one day of sailing from Esthirant. The ship's large hull, which is a jarring sight among the ships from outside civilization countries that lined the harbor around her, nearly filled the entire docking space between at the wharf, with the ship's bow pointing into the cityscape of Le Brias. As the ramps were set up and the crewmen unloaded the crates of the ship's cargo into the harbor, Meyer was busy giving directions to his subordinates.

"Handle those ones with care."

The sailors obeyed their boss' words and proceeded with their work. Among the crates containing fragile pottery and other traded goods exported by the Parpaldia Empire to the Altaras Kingdom, were five 'special' crates with unique marks on them, carried by the Blijde Boodschap to Altaras as part of the deal that both nations signed in their (unequal) treaty after establishing diplomatic relations. These special crates contain items that demonstrated Parpaldia's lenience (and generosity, or that's what they think) toward Altaras, which is relatively wealthy and has something Parpaldia needed.

"You two, stay on the ship until I return, it shouldn't take long," Meyer said as he turned to the two young teenagers accompanying him on the trip.

"Eh!? What? Why, father?"

His son, Kaios, exclaimed in an incredulous tone. At this, Meyer let out a quiet sigh.

"Son... bringing you to this country is one thing, but stepping foot on it is another. Look, we will stay for one week in this country. Let me finish my work first. After I checked the city, we will go sightseeing together tomorrow, okay?"

And with that, Kaios' excitement deflated at his father's words as they were being denied stepping off the ship. Elto, however, saw reason in Meyer's words and whispered from the side.

"Your father has a point. I heard that cities outside civilization are not as safe as back home. What if your father is too busy to look after us, then you got overexcited and wandered somewhere... then a thug appears and snatched you and then—"

Her tone grew sinister as she continued, and without Kaios knowing, her hands hovered near his shoulders. Meanwhile, Kaios blanched at Elto's whispering and then he felt something suddenly grab his shoulders tightly.

And then he screamed.

'Wow... he actually jumped,' Elto thought with amusement.

As she described it, her friend was so terrified that he jumped to get away from whatever gripping him and ran behind his father for cover, all while screaming his head off, drawing the attention of Meyer's sailors nearby. When he peeked from Meyer's back, he saw Elto with a poker face and her hands lowered, staring back at him. Even though she wore an emotionless expression on her face, by listening to the faint sound of her irregular breathing, Meyer can tell that she is holding back laughter.

He sighed, "Sheesh... good grief... young lady, do not give my son weird ideas. And you, Kaios, calm down. I will never let that happen to you, but first, stay on the ship while I am away. Besides, it's only for one day, understand?"

Kaios nodded meekly as he still clung to his father's longcoat.

"Good boy, if you need something, just talk to the crew," he said, gently patting his head, "Well then... I'm off."

After that, he began descending the ramp and walked through the sailors and merchants crowding the harbor with his crew carrying the crates in tow. Although he kept moving forward without looking back at the two teenagers who were waving at him, Meyer raised his hand and lightly waved back. Not long after his father and the crew following him were out of sight, Kaios turned to Elto with a scowl on his face.

"What was that for?"

"...What?" Elto nonchalantly replied, playing with her hair.

"That...! Why are you scaring me like that?"

"Ah... that was a test."

"A test? What are you talking about?"

Kaios tilted his head in confusion. He can't read Elto's intentions.

"My father said that a gentleman must be brave and calm. That's why I did that, I just want to test you," Elto lied smoothly through her teeth.

Hearing Elto's words, Kaios' eyes widened for a second before the blood rushed to his face, turning his face bright red. Earlier, when Elto unexpectedly startled him with her action, he screamed like a little kid before cowering behind his father. Now he was so embarrassed more than ever after showing exactly the opposite of what she had said. The blonde then tried to find an excuse to defend himself.

"I... I'm not scared...! I was just surprised, that's all..."

"Uh huh..."

"Egh—I'm... I bet you're lying! There's no way you will do that 'test' so suddenly like that...!"

When he saw Elto did not seem to be convinced by his attempt of saving face, he switched tactics to accusing her.

"Do you think so? Nice argument, but where's your proof?" Elto retorted with a slight tugging on her mouth.

"Ugh... err... hmph!"

Kaios found himself on his wit's end and he can only turn away from Elto with crossed arms and walked to a bench near the ship's railing to sit down on it. The sight of the boy gave Elto some kind of amusement as she watched him sulking petulantly. At least she found something to get rid of the boredom of not being allowed to step off the ship to walk around the city.

'Hihi, you're so funny to tease,' the girl inwardly giggled, approaching Kaios to sit beside him.

"Hey."

He only grunted in response to her calling him. A moment of silence later, however, Kaios, unable to stand the awkward situation, let out a heavy sigh and began to speak.

"This sucks... what's the point of visiting another country if we can't even step on them?" he complained.

"Heavens above, Kaios, be patient. Did your father just say we can go out tomorrow? Just listen to him wait here until your father returns, please."

"Mm..."

Elto can understand why Kaios, who is always enthusiastic and eager to see something new, acted like this, but at the same time, she also knows that he is an obedient child who will never go against his father's words. Still, when the temptation is laid bare just before them, Elto hoped that her friend's curiosity will not get the better of him and he will not do any shenanigans that will cause them trouble.

'Hmm... about things that Kaios likes, huh...'

As she was thinking something to distract his attention, Elto remembered something and looked beyond the railing into the distance. There, far into the west, was the large container ship that belonged to the Holy Milishial Empire sitting calmly near a wharf that was made of a different material than the one their ship is at. As she was getting up from the bench, Elto asked Kaios sitting beside her a question.

"That giant gray ship over there... why do you think it's here?"

"Huh...? Oh."

Kaios also got up from the bench and walked over to the railing, gazing at the ship. Then he continued, "I saw that kind of ship when I went to Runepolis, that is called a container freighter, a merchant ship that can carry many things to distant places by putting those things into the metal boxes called containers. That's different from the usual cargo ship that always come to the capital."

"I see. What kind of things, by the way?"

"I don't know, it can be anything."

"So, it's a merchant ship, then?"

"That's right... Wait a minute, if a merchant ship carrying goods from Milishial comes here, it means that they are selling things to this country, right?"

His expression suddenly brightened from the gloomy look he had earlier after this realization. Elto tilted her head at his change in demeanor, wondering what was Kaios implying.

"Maybe?"

"Then if I want to buy something from Milishial, then I don't need to go all the way to Cartalpas or Runepolis since they sell them here, right?"

Kaios was thinking that if the Holy Milishial Empire exported their products to the Altaras Kingdom, it will greatly save the time needed to import goods from the HME's mainland since their merchant ships will bring those goods here at a speed faster than any Parpaldian merchant ship going back and forth from Philades to the Central World. Maybe if his father's company can negotiate with local merchants to let them buy those imported Milishial products...

However, Elto quickly shot down Kaios' optimism, "Um... let's don't get too carried away. I don't think they will sell their interesting goods to an outside civilization country like this, Kaios."

Elto had learned from her father who worked as a diplomat that the Parpaldia Empire, the newest country that entered the rank of superpowers, had repeatedly negotiated with the Holy Milishial Empire to import Milishial's products and advanced technology, but was rejected each time, the Holy Empire preferred to limit the trade with Parpaldia to common trade goods such as spices, wine, food, furs, and others. However, they did not limit anyone who come to the Holy Empire and wanted to buy Milishian items inside their mainland, which for the people outside the Holy Empire, is ridiculously expensive and an instant turn-off for foreigners except for the privileged classes such as nobility and royalty. For comparison, the single book that Meyer bought for Kaios in Runepolis, a junior high school book, costs 44 zollarks, or 869 Parpaldian paso. Imagine buying jewelry.

From Elto's point of view, if a superpower like Parpaldia cannot offer anything that interests the Holy Empire to sell their products in return, then it would be impossible for an outside civilization country whose civilization level is far below Parpaldia to do the same.

"Come on... then what is that container ship doing there if not trading?" Kaios countered, pointing at the Milishian ship.

Elto just shrugged at his question, "Who knows? For all I know it may be dumping their garbage on this island and then get paid by this country or something. Milishial is a super power, after all, they can do whatever they wanted and no one will protest."

"Sheesh... that's kind of harsh."

"What's wrong with trying to be realistic?" she wondered, tilting her head.

"Seriously—haah, just... whatever, I'm going to wait inside."

With a disappointed sigh, Kaios grumbled and stomped to the cabin to get some rest and wait for his father to return. Elto stared at his back as he walked away.

"Sulking again...?"

Elto remained standing near the railing for a little while, and it was at that moment it happened. From the light gray sky that was becoming darkened as the sun beyond slowly tilted to the west, white flurry substances started to fall from it like a procession of fairies descending from the heavens. One such substance was caught by the girl's hand as she looked up at the sky. The cold air, the overcast clouds, and the plants losing their colors. It all led to this moment.

Snowfall.

The snowflakes, fluttering gently in the air before softly landing on the ground, drew the attention of not only Elto but also everyone present in the harbor. For the young girl, the cityscape of Le Brias is foreign, too different from what she used to see back home, but there's something very calming to her when watching the snow fall on this city.

Whether it was intentional or not, the capital cities of Altaras and Parpaldia are opposites of each other in many things. Whereas Esthirant is dominated by the warm colors of red, Le Brias is painted mainly in cool shades of blue and green. When Esthirant stopped growing outward and began to grow vertically, Le Brias still have plenty of room to expand. Even their architectural styles, demography, and general attitude of its residents are opposites.

The city of Le Brias is one half of the two trade centers that connected the Central and Eastern Worlds, with the other being Esthirant across the strait. As a result, it has amassed enough wealth from the merchant ships that came to this city that allow it to rival its counterpart. However, the international community that acknowledged the Parpaldia Empire as a superpower while classifying this island nation as an outside civilization country had cast a massive gap that is even wider than the strait that separated the two cities.

"But still, no matter the place, snow is always beautiful..." Elto murmured with a faint smile on her face.

Several minutes later, Elto decided to enter the ship where it was warm and continued looking at the scenery of the Altaras Kingdom's capital from the porthole of her cabin after finding out that Kaios was already asleep in his own.

Around the same time

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, Le Brias

Away from the harbor, in one of the rooms of the main office for the department in charge of the kingdom's diplomacy, a group of a dozen officials was gathered, sitting at the chairs arranged to look like a classroom of some sort. They were concentrating on a piece of paper arranged in front of them, with their fingers sometimes poking at it at an irregular rhythm. Meanwhile, a young man that belonged to a different ethnicity than the officials was walking around with a bored expression on his face, occasionally stopping by an official's chair to check on them while holding an open book.

Tak, tak, tak... taktaktaktak...

On a desk separated from the rest, facing the rest of the group, another official was operating some kind of machine with a serious look on his face. Other than the young man's clacking shoes, the soft clicking sounds in an irregular tempo from the machine as it was operated echoed within the room.

This young man, Gabriel Flyheight, is overseeing the training of these officials belonging to the Altaran Ministry of Foreign Affairs in using the typewriter, a device recently imported from the Holy Empire and introduced by the Royal Government on a trial basis. The Altaran government arranged for these officials to become the first to undergo training while Gabriel, who normally works as the aide for the Milishian ambassador for the Altaras Kingdom, Leonardo Mephilas, was dispatched by the embassy to provide instructions on how to use this device.

After the two countries signed an agreement that was proposed by the Holy Milishial Empire back in October, the Altaras Kingdom granted the mining rights of the NMC-22 ores and eliminated tariffs on imports from Milishial in exchange for the Holy Empire providing some of its technology, improving the country's infrastructure and its ability to develop resources, as well as giving the country international recognition on the upcoming Eleven Countries Leadership Conference.

As this agreement marked the beginning of the Holy Empire's expansion of its economic activities into the Eastern World, which was long neglected, the companies headquartered in Milishial, who anticipated this move, began to enter the country one after another. In addition, the Holy Empire's government considered that the Altaras Kingdom, despite its relatively small size, with its tremendous amount of wealth and more importantly, stability, is a more preferable trading partner compared to the Parpaldia Empire where one cannot wander too far away from their main cities without encountering rebels, bandits, or both at the same time.

The typewriter is one of those technologies that was exported after the lifting of some of the restricted technology. A typewriter is a device used for typing, an act of writing text by the means of pressing the array of 'keys' on the typewriter, causing the characters to be produced on a paper by striking an inked ribbon selectively against the paper with a type element. It is a very convenient way of writing and is widely used by government offices and the business community in the Holy Milishial Empire, especially since it is much less time-consuming than handwriting and the documents typed by these machines look neat with their uniform letters, paragraphs, and spacing.

However, the typewriter technology is not exclusive to the Holy Milishial Empire, as the second superpower Mu also produces typewriters and put them to practical use. However, when Mu's typewriters only saw domestic usage, Milishial's typewriters were exported abroad to countries within the Central World (also known as the First Civilization Area). With the signing of the agreement, Altaras became the third country after the Magicaraich Community and Nigrat Union to receive typewriter export from Milishial outside the First Civilization Area.

The Milishian and Muish typewriters are vastly different in many things. The most prominent one is the layout of their keyboards. The Muish typewriter uses a layout named 'QWERTY' after the order of the first six keys on the keyboard's top letter row, while the Milishian typewriter uses their own layout, the Imperial Standardized Keyboard.

Another difference is that the Muish typewriter is what an Earthling would call the 'mechanical typewriter' using a basket of single-character typebars from the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Meanwhile, Milishial's typewriters use a system driven by a magical battery to move and rotate a spherical type element in order to type. Compared to Mu's, this so-called 'magical typewriter' never jams and the ability to change the type element allows multiple fonts to be used in a single document. As a result, although it's slightly more expensive, the more technologically advanced Milishian typewriter is more commercially popular than the Muish mechanical one.

Even now, the gap between Mu and the Holy Milishial Empire's machine was widened further when the Aikon Corporation's Typewriter Division recently introduced the 'backspace' mechanism which allows the user to correct typographical errors.

As Gabriel was about to move to another desk, checking the trainees practicing the typing on a paper arranged to look like a keyboard, the official typing with the actual machine called out to him.

"Master Gabriel, it's done."

At his words, the young Milishian man pulled his sleeve and checked on his watch.

'Five minutes, huh? This one finished it quite faster than the average,' he mused.

This day marked the third week after the training officially began with him in charge. Gabriel was tasked to teach the basics of operating a typewriter to a group of Altaran government officials after he was unilaterally appointed by Ambassador Mephilas. However, there is a problem.

Although the Holy Milishial Empire and Altaras Kingdom have no problems with spoken language, as they both spoke common, they used a vastly different script for written language. The Altaran alphabet has 28 letters and only uses consonants, meanwhile, on the other hand, the Central Continent's written language, which was derived from modernized Ravernal letters, is consisted of 26 letters with both vowels and consonants. Therefore, in order to use the typewriter, which is only available in Central Continent and Muish script, one must learn their written language first. This is why the officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were selected as they deal with international relations and are more familiar with the Central Continent script as the known world's most commonly used writing system.

On this day, Gabriel had decided to give these Altaran officials a test typing a passage from popular folklore in his hometown, while taking note of their typing speed and precision. Since there is only one older model typewriter at the moment, they have to take turns.

"Here, let me see."

The official unlatched his finished assignment and gingerly gave it to Gabriel. However, as soon as he read it, Gabriel scowled. On the paper, it reads...

"Fiveways that onnect you. Fou winds bless you. Three heds you kiss. Two fatful heels that will make you bowl feel under thew. On the Hill of Doran standing, stone of destyny.

I om tthe stone heart of Enysfalil. The dearh where secrets known are hidden. Th heart that recognizess all desres. The singer that sings only under the heels of a true King..."

He didn't bother reading the rest as the first two paragraphs alone already gave him a headache beyond compare.

"........."

"Master Gabriel?"

"You butchered it," Gabriel deadpanned, before scolding the official, perhaps a bit harshly. "There are so many typos and misspellings. It's useless to be able to type quickly when all you produce is incomprehensible blabbering like this."

"Ah... I'm truly sorry! Please let me try again!" the official cried.

"No. Continue practicing in your paper," he turned to the rest of the group, pointing to an official sitting near the corner. "You, it's your turn."

"Yes, Master."

The official stood up from his seat and walked to the machine, while the one who was just scolded by Gabriel walked to his seat with slumped shoulders.

"Alright, you're the last one. After this we will end the session for today. Take your time be on the lookout for mistakes. And... start."

With a sigh, Gabriel walked around the room again. Not long after that, the session ended for today and he returned to the embassy at around sunset. Riding the carriage as the snow began to blanket the land of Altaras.

---

Evening

Holy Milishial Empire Embassy

The embassy of the Holy Milishial Empire in Le Brias is a magnificent three-story building located at the western suburbs of the capital city, built on a hill that gave it an unobstructed view of the entire Le Brias Harbor. Just like every other Milishian embassies, no matter the country where the embassy was built, it was very well protected. It was separated from the rest of the city by a tall wall surrounding the entire compound which included a separate building for the embassy staff's residence and was guarded at all times by armed personnel.

The road to the embassy building was being upgraded, causing it to be crowded by workers and construction equipment belonging to a Milishian construction company. However, the snowfall had put the works on halt at the moment, making the area around the embassy as quiet as the usual days other than the sound of the wind.

Inside the main office where the ambassador performed his duties, the Milishian ambassador to Altaras, Count Leonardo Mephilas, was preparing to finish his work for the day after an entire afternoon of signing documents, gazing at the scenery outside the window.

"The snow is picking up..." he mused, noticing the growing intensity of the snowfall. It was already dark outside, and from the window, the dim lights of Le Brias' night cityscape could no longer be seen from the worsening weather.

At that moment, the door to his office was knocked several times and opened without waiting his reply. Emerging from the door was the aide to the ambassador, Gabriel, who had returned to the embassy several hours ago. Mephilas, hearing the sound of the door being opened, turned to look at his young subordinate.

"Ah, Gabriel, do you have any news for me?" he asked.

"Actually, My Lord, yes. I have just heard that the construction of a new bridge south of Le Brias has been completed. I have come to inform you as you instructed."

"Good. Anything else?"

"And the person in charge of the construction said that they were about to proceed with building the road and the next bridge near Carifa, but was delayed because of the weather. As soon as the snowfall stopped, they will resume work immediately."

Mephilas raised an eyebrow at the construction personnel who seemed to not taking a break in their job, which was to connect Le Brias with Carifa and other mining towns in the Altaras Island.

"Well... they did say they are running on a tight schedule, but I did not expect them to be this quick."

"Yes. In fact, more personnel and equipment are scheduled to arrive with the next shipment, so the construction project may be completed sooner than scheduled."

"That's very interesting. Anyway, since we're trapped here until the weather improves, let's continue the talk on the lounge upstairs."

As he spoke, the ambassador finished tidying up his desk and walked outside the office with Gabriel in tow.

One week later, a Milishian freighter carrying more construction equipment and a special crew arrived in the port of Le Brias at midnight of December 14th.

Currently Publicly Available Information

IMPERIAL STANDARDIZED KEYBOARD

A keyboard layout for typewriter used by the Holy Milishial Empire. It was created by studying letter frequencies and physiology of hand and as a result, the current pattern is born. The above layout includes the new function of 'Backspace' introduced by the Aikon Corporation in September 1614 Central Calendar. This layout is intended for the Central Continent language using the Central Continent Script.

Order of keys:

Top Row:  Exclamation mark [!], Hashtag [#]/1, Opening bracket [(]/2, Closing bracket [)]/3, Quotation mark ["]/4, Percent sign [%]/5, Underscore [_]/6, Plus sign [+]/7, Equals sign [=]/8, 9, 0

Row 2:  Backspace, Colon [:]/Question mark [?], Comma [,], Dot [.], P, Y, F, G, C, R, L, Ampersand [&]/Slash [/], Tabulator

Row 3:  Shift Lock, A, O, E, U, I, D, H, T, N, S, Hyphen [-], Margin release

Row 4:  Left Shift, Semicolon [;]/Apostrophe ['], Q, J, K, X, B, M, W, V, Z, Right Shift

Bottom Row:  Space

Chapter Text

January 4, 1615 Central Calendar, 16:25

A town in northern Doric Province, Eastern Parpaldia Empire

Several days had passed after New Year’s Day. Each nation has its own way of welcoming 1615, from brilliant festivities that light up towns and cities to solemn prayers, the people around the known world all hoped that they are always blessed with fortune as they started the new year. However, for a town located just a few kilometers north of Duro in the eastern Parpaldia Empire, a ‘great power’ in the Eastern World, the atmosphere was filled with gloom as the snow continued to fall lightly from the heavens above.

Walking through the empty dirt road of the said town was a figure of a young male, possibly in his early twenties, wearing thick but dirty winter clothing all over his body to ward off the cold. After walking some distance, he turned and arrived at a wooden house on the outskirts of the town, knocking on its front door.

The young man waited for a moment before the door opened to reveal a slightly younger girl who greeted him.

“Ah, Ehren, welcome home.”

“Yeah… I’m home.”

The man called Ehren was ushered by the girl to enter the house. However, the interior of the house was not much warmer than the outside for the young man, who grimaced bitterly as he walked inside. Inside, Ehren was met by the sight of a group of people sitting at a round table, an older woman, a young boy, and a little girl. These people were his family, who despite their glum demeanor, was able to give Ehren a small smile upon his arrival with the girl walking behind him.

“Brother! You’re back!”

“Everyone, I’m back,” Ehren nodded, “I brought you something to eat, it’s not much, but at least it can fill your stomach for the night.”

From inside the coat he was wearing, he took out a bundle and placed it on the table. When his younger brother reached for the bundle and opened it, revealing it to be two loaves of cold hard bread. The family soon divided the meager food equally and began eating, thanking the gods that they still have something to eat in this day and age.

Ehren’s family is a farming family of six living in the rural areas of eastern Parpaldia, with him as the eldest child, followed by his sister, Irene, who was two years younger, and the second son, Ruud, who was ten years old, and the youngest child, Teresa, who was six. During the normal days, Ehren will help his father tend to the farm, sell the harvested crops to the town, and stock up for the winter.

Usually, Irene will also go to the forest to gather firewood, and sometimes she will go hunting and bring back some skinned rabbit or if she is lucky, a deer. She is a very skilled hunter with a bow and arrow, but when she tried to use his father’s matchlock magic musket, she threw off her aim and after that, she never touched it again.

It’s not much, but it’s honest work. They continue to live their humble pastoral life without any particular grievances.

However, seven months ago, Ehren’s father was conscripted into the army and was sent to the invasion of the north. Although Ehren was nineteen years old, he avoided conscription by faking an injury as told by his father, thus leaving him to take care of the family. His father promised to send letters every month, but after the first two months, the letters never came. This was at the same time as the Parpaldian Army’s advance was bogged down by the surprisingly fierce resistance of the northern territories.

Thus, Ehren resigned to the fact that his father may be already dead on some barbarian mud somewhere in the north, but he never said it out loud to his mother and siblings.

However, disasters struck one after another. Unexpected storms occurring near the harvest season had caused a widespread crop failure for farmers living in the eastern Parpaldia, the country’s largest wheat-producing region, dooming not a small number of people, including Ehren’s family.

With the huge loss of income, Ehren tried to find a job in the town, hoping to earn some shillings for himself and his family in order to survive the winter, but none of the factories or mines are interested in hiring him, preferring to use ‘free labor,’ or, in other words, slaves, as their workforce. These slaves are brought from the subjugated countries or smaller nations that were forced to provide a certain number of them as demanded by the Parpaldia Empire as yearly tribute. For some, human cargo makes for lucrative trade. However, the common Parpaldian people like Ehren despised the slaves for stealing their job opportunities.

After three months of fruitless efforts, the family’s savings began to run out, and the rising food prices meant that their money could only buy even less food than before. He did not dare to say to his mother that the money she had given him was only able to buy one loaf of bread, and he had to steal for another.

After finishing dinner, the exhausted Ehren and Irene sat facing each other in the living room.

“None of the places I visited want to hire me, sorry,” Ehren began, “What about you? Did you go to the forest today?”

“Well… I did go out today… but I can’t find anything, not even a rabbit,” Irene answered.

“I see, it’s alright,” Ehren mused, “There are never that many animals in that forest to begin with, maybe others who began hunting them made it even harder to find a catch.”

“But don’t worry, Ehren! Perhaps if I go deeper, I can still find something and we can have some good meat!”

Irene tried to keep optimistic in this dire situation, but Ehren shook his head.

“That’s too dangerous—”

“Then what should we do? Do we even have any option left?” Irene retorted, causing her brother to shut his mouth.

For a moment, Ehren thought of borrowing some money from a wealthy merchant in town, but that will be a gateway to becoming a slave. If he can’t pay the debt which Ehren was damn sure will be charged with an exorbitant amount of interest, he will fall even deeper into debt and ultimately the only thing left is to become a slave. That is the last thing he wanted to happen to himself and his family.

Alternatively, he can steal. It may be against what his mother always tells him and it will surely hurt her feelings, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, he had already stolen one piece of bread before. There’s no time for being idealistic if he wants to live.

“…I’ll think of something. Tomorrow I will go to the town once again, let’s hope that there will be some good news by then.”

“I really hope so, Ehren, I really am.”

After that, the two siblings called it a night and retreated to their rooms, which they shared with one of their siblings.

January 5, 1615 Central Calendar, 07:00

The next day, Ehren visited a tavern in the town by the time the sun had risen. He wasn’t there to drink, but to gather information before going on another job hunt. Since this tavern has a magical transmission device where they can listen to the news once every weekend, it was crowded with people. Even in times when the region’s economy was crippled, this tavern is never empty of visitors. After entering the tavern, he stood at one corner of the building.

“Hey, is there any news—”

“Shhh!”

Someone newly arrived at the tavern yelled out, but the rest hushed him. Ignoring the person, Ehren turned his attention to the device.

“…Next news came from the Doric Province in Parpaldia Empire, the Third Civilization Area…” the voice of a female newscaster was heard from the magical transmission device, “The crisis following the harvest failure caused by unexpected poor weather several months prior is reported to be still persisting, and the food prices are reported to continue to rise. Furthermore, a number of food processing industries are reportedly closing down, resulting in a spike in the unemployment rate in Doric Province and its surrounding regions. This high rate of unemployment in eastern Parpaldia is exacerbated by the fact that business owners who responded to this unforeseen economic downturn began to terminate their paid labors in favor of increasing the number of free laborers. The Parpaldian government had promised to overcome this crisis but so far, no concrete actions are observed.”

The patrons and employees of the bar listened to the news with bitter expressions. The shortage of food coupled with high demand has caused food prices to skyrocket and their livestock began to die one by one of starvation as winter came. The farmers were not the only ones affected by the crop failure, as the deteriorating economic situation in the region had forced other industries to fire their paid laborers and replace them with expendable slaves. And just like the Parpaldia Empire’s halted invasion of its neighbors, the government’s response is ineffective. Truly a terrible way to start a new year in eastern Parpaldia.

“On to the next news. The government of the Holy Milishial Empire had announced the recruitment of personnel for the infrastructure and resource development projects in the Altaras Kingdom. The Holy Milishial Empire’s companies, which previously only opened recruitment for workers on the island, had announced through the Holy Milishial Empire’s government that they extended the offer for the rest of the Third Civilization Area as the development projects began to expand into more areas.”

Hearing the newscaster’s words, they looked at each other. The Holy Empire is recruiting workers for their development projects?

“According to the announcement, the requirements are that they must be of legal age according to the Holy Milishial Empire’s law, which is 18 years old; in good physical condition; and willing to be placed in the designated area. Furthermore, the announcement also stated that food, accommodation, and transport to the worksite will be guaranteed by the employers.”

The tavern clamored. They cannot believe their ears at the unbelievably generous conditions offered by the Holy Empire. At the same time, they leaned forward as the newscaster continued to read the news.

“W-what about wages!?” someone from the back of the crowd shouted.

As if answering their questions, the newscaster continued, “The Employees will be paid a monthly salary of 50 Milishian zollarks with the work duration of eight hours a day and six days per week. The salary will be paid weekly for the first month of employment, before shifting to monthly payments in the following months. If you are interested, please visit the employment bureau established at the Holy Milishial Empire’s embassies in each country. This concludes today’s World News. On behalf of all of us at Millicent Broadcasting Service, see you next time.”

The listeners fell silent, trying to digest the information they just got. After several moments of silence, one of the visitors raised his voice.

“Err… just how much is fifty zollarks?”

“One Milishian zollark is nearly 20 paso… 50 zollark per month is like… almost 1.000 paso!” one helpful employer answered in an increasingly louder voice.

Hearing this, the noise became even louder as the whole tavern practically screamed.

“Are you serious!?”

“No way, I don’t believe it! It’s too much money!”

“But it’s an official statement, right!? Why would they be joking with that!?”

“Our monthly wages on the other hand are a joke compared to that!”

In Parpaldia, an average (paid) male factory worker might earn 25 shillings (or 1,25 paso) per week, with a six-day, 72-hour workweek. This means the Parpaldian laborers will have to work 12 hours a day in horrendous or even deadly working conditions with a 5-paso monthly wage. In contrast, the current average wage in the Holy Milishial Empire for the same profession is 25 zollarks (493,75 paso) per week, with a work duration of eight hours a day and six days a week, of course, with a much better working environment. This shows how different the standards of living are between the two countries, even though both are classified as great powers.

Furthermore, after the Holy Empire revised the Minimum Wage and Labor Protection Act in 1612, the monthly salary offered for the Third Civilization Area this time is actually the most minimum wage in the Holy Milishial Empire. Some Milishian conglomerates, such as the Aikon Corporation, the world-largest telecommunications company, or Wellston-Martini, the renowned automobile manufacturer, instituted a shorter working duration with at least double the standard monthly wage.

As the others clamored upon the statement conveyed by the news, Ehren, who was standing alone by the corner of the tavern, swallowed hard at the amount of money. If he can somehow earn that much money, maybe his family can live a decent life. Heck, they can become rich. However, one hurdle presented itself.

“Everyone seems to be getting worked up by the news, but what about you? Are you willing to take the gamble and go to some barbaric island outside civilization for all those money? Are you desperate enough to do so?”

A voice suddenly broke Ehren’s musing, and as he turned in the direction of the voice, he found a man who looked like he is slightly older than him leaning against the wall with crossed arms.

“………”

“Well?”

“Who are you?” instead of answering the man’s question, Ehren asked back with narrowed eyes.

“Ah, pardon me. My name is Herman Willem de Vries, I come from the town of Vries, if my name isn’t obvious enough. I just arrived at this town yesterday morning, by the way,” the man, Herman, said, bowing slightly.

“I see, I’m Ehren Giovanni van den Bosch……” Ehren introduced himself in response to the man’s words, before he realized something, “Vries? So you’re from a neighboring town then, what brings you here?”

Herman raised an eyebrow, but answered nonetheless, “Desperation brought me here. I used to be a paid miner but ever since the food crisis struck, my employers sacked me along with several others, and I had come this far seeking a new job.”

“Ah… right,” Ehren scratched his head, so this man was also like him, in a way. “Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you will not find one in this town either.”

“Hmph, figured as much. But it appears my visit to this town isn’t so fruitless after all. Now back to my earlier question, about the last World News, are you interested in taking the gamble?”

“Who doesn’t?” Ehren retorted, “It’s just… let’s say I’m interested, that would mean I’ll be leaving my mother and siblings alone. Besides, I don’t even have enough money to find something to eat, let alone travel to Esthirant.”

When the food crisis struck, Ehren immediately sold his father’s matchlock and managed to earn some money, but even that had already run out by now and their family has barely any money left. It was said by the announcement that the travel expenses to the worksite, which is the Altaras Island, will be covered by the Holy Empire’s side, but for him, who lived on the other side of Parpaldia, he must first travel from his current location to the capital city.

“Why don’t you go home and talk to your family first? Maybe it’ll clear your head,” Herman suggested, patting Ehren’s shoulders briefly before walking off.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I found an abandoned shack on the outskirts of this town. That’s where I’m staying right now. If you made up your mind, come here again tomorrow. Well then, see you again.”

With that, the rather mysterious man disappeared from the tavern, leaving Ehren to solve his predicament alone.

Ehren returned to his home rather early at ten o’clock in the morning, where his arrival was greeted by his brother Ruud. Irene still hasn’t returned from hunting in the forest yet, so he decided to tell his family everything when all of them are gathered in the house.

Currently Publicly Available Information

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE

Holy Milishial Empire’s currency is called zollark. 1 zollark equals to 4 Muish mandars and 19,75 Parpaldian paso.

Chapter Text

January 5, 1615 Central Calendar, 09:06

Forest north Bosch Town, Doric Province, Parpaldia Empire

Irene Giovanni van den Bosch, the eldest daughter of a farming family in an Eastern Parpaldian town, was walking quietly among the snow-covered woods. Earlier in the morning, after seeing off her brother who went to the town in yet another attempt to search for a job, Irene picked up her bow and quiver and departed for the forest in order to try her luck and hunt some animals. However, against her brother’s words, who forbade her to go further into the forest, Irene, after some deliberation that was mixed with a tinge of desperation, opted to venture deeper where she believed that the odds of encountering a game would be higher.

She’d been skulking around for three hours, leaving footprints on the calf-deep snow that covered the forest region. Her brown hair, which was typically done up in a high ponytail, was hidden beneath the fur hood of her winter coat, and she wore a face mask to keep the bone-chilling air at bay. But eventually, enduring the cold after being outside for that long paid off when she came upon what appeared to be trails made by a small animal. Following the tracks, Irene soon came across a clearing.

‘This place… I don’t think I’ve been here before,’ Irene thought at the unfamiliar place, but as she remained vigilant and her eyes scanned the white-covered wilderness, she soon spotted a movement among the snow.

“!!!”

A small, white furry creature was seen hopping in the clearing. There’s no mistake, it must be a Dorian wild hare. Readying her bow, Irene picked an arrow from the quiver hanging from her right waist and nocked it onto the string of her bow, her sharp brown eyes tracking the hare as it jumped around.

‘Must be nice to be a hare… to be able to move around freely without a care in the world. However… for the sake of my family, I must strike you down!’

Irene’s skill with archery showed itself, as after a quick aim, she pulled the string before releasing the arrow that split the air as it flew towards the hare, striking it square on the neck.

“Alright! Beginning of a lucky day!” Irene cheered with a bright smile under her mask as she approached her first hunt for the day.

The now dead animal, the Dorian wild hare, is a leporine species native to the Eastern Parpaldia, but can also be found as far north as the Kooze Kingdom’s southern borders. It was a commonly hunted animal in rural areas across the Doric Province, where hunters accompanied by hunting dogs will come into the forest to hunt these critters. The meat of the Dorian wild hare, sometimes called the “poor man’s chicken” among Parpaldian locals, has a stronger flavor than farmed chicken but can be served similarly.

Usually, Irene can find these roaming in the forest close to her home, but after the harvest failure resulting in food shortage and the price of daily necessities skyrocketing, more and more people come in and hunted all the game she once hunted so easily. In addition, sometimes they turn hostile at the presence of other hunters and harassed them to get out of their way. Even though Irene was aggravated by this, she knew that a young girl like her will be outmatched by these burly, scary-looking hunters and backed down grudgingly to pick what’s left of these aggressive strangers’ hunts. And now that she’d found one for herself, Irene was overjoyed after finally caught a game for the first time in a long time. At least, her family will be able to have some roasted wild hare meat for today’s dinner.

As she approached the dead hare, Irene took out her hunting knife, making a quick incision on the base of the animal’s neck before skinning it with her gloved hands and pulling the skin with all her might. After removing the head, she effortlessly snapped the legs and completed the process by gutting the belly to remove the internal organs. Having done this so many times despite her young age, field dressing this small herbivore came as a second nature for Irene.

Nodding at the hunted hare with satisfaction, Irene then stood up and glanced around.

“Hmm, this part of the forest seems still untouched by human hands. I wonder if I can find more of these…?” she wondered, weighing her options. However, she soon remembered about her brother, Ehren, and groaned loudly.

“Ah, right, Ehren. He must be angry at me if he finds out about this… but if I can bring more for supper, he will not be as upset, right? Perhaps a slice of good hare meat will calm him down.”

Irene convinced herself not to be concerned about her brother’s scolding, and she proceeded farther into the forest, marking her way with branches she picked up from trees. As she walked on, the previously scant vegetation got increasingly thicker, and the sunshine of the clear winter day ceased shining completely on the forest floor. However, Irene’s resolve exceeded her anxiety, as her body never stopped moving in response to her instinct to hunt for more prey, while her eyes darted around the increasingly dim forest, looking for a slightest movement. She clutched her bow with an arrow poised on its string the whole time.

‘There!’

Out of the corner of her eyes, Irene noticed something small moved far to her left and turned to aim, finding it to be another hare. After adjusting her aim in a snap, she unleashed the arrow, instantly killing the creature mid-jump.

With this second prey, the young huntress’s grin grew. She repeated the process she did with the first hare and quickly returned to the marked post in search for yet another creature. She also prayed to the Goddess of the Hunt so that she can catch at least three more. Too hopeful, perhaps, but Irene was optimistic. This unfamiliar place turned out to provide more than she expected.

However, just as she caught her third hare one hour later, Irene saw a different-shaped animal trail, one with what appeared to be a paw with four sharp-pointed toes. Her eyes widened as she recognized what animal that made this trail.

“!!! Wolves!? Grr, damn it, I guess that’s it for the day, better get out of here before I ended up becoming the hunted one…”

Irene, greatly distraught by this turn of events, hurriedly finished field dressing the hare before backtracking along the marked path. As she ran away from the forest, feelings of fear of being watched by a predator mixed with humiliation and anger as memories of her getting harassed by the strangers in her territory surfaced one after another. But still, knowing when back down has allowed her to survive so far and Irene returned to her home on Bosch’s outskirts before encountering any nearby danger.

---

12:00

The sight of the comfort of her home, however poor it is, made Irene sigh in relief, but she didn’t expect her brother to be there already. Usually, Ehren will go around the town until late in the afternoon searching for a job or food to bring home. However, this time it seems that it was not the case. As she approached, Ehren emerged from the back door and nodded in acknowledgment once his sister stood right in front of him.

“Irene. I see you’re already back, looks like you caught some wild hares today, good for you,” Ehren stated, pointing out the skinned hares that his sister brought home.

“Huh? Shouldn’t I be the one saying that? Why are you going home so quickly?” Irene laughed, but she can’t help but feel bad for disobeying her brother’s words.

Her brother let out a short snort, but his face suddenly turned serious.

“Actually, there’s something I have to say, let’s go inside.”

Irene nodded and followed Ehren inside. As the siblings gathered by the hearth, where Irene proceeded to prepare the meat for lunch, they waited for their mother who has yet to join them. They didn’t have to wait long, though, because their mother came out of her room and walked toward them with a noticeable limp on her leg.

The condition of their mother, a kind woman named Hellen, was always like that as far as Irene remembered. However, it wasn’t always the case. She used to be an adventurous soul who likes to play in the forest and came home after catching bugs or picking flowers and berries. When she became a teenager, she picked up the bow and became a huntress. In fact, it was during one of the hunts that Hellen first met Giovanni, a quiet village boy who would later become her husband.

However, not long after giving birth to Ehren, Hellen was struck by an infection that although it was cured by the town healer, did not completely heal her as Hellen’s left leg went limp, damaged by the infection. Nonetheless, her eyes never lost their light. Irene greatly looked up to her, who always staying strong even when hardships struck their family one after another like this. It was her deeds that inspired Irene to go out and hunt like she once did even though she had no reason to do so.

The fact that the incessant storms from September last year had rendered their crops incapable of providing them with the usual amount of food, and Irene’s hunting had played a significant part in sustaining the family over the recent winter months, gave Irene a somewhat twisted sense of accomplishment. However, she quickly banished those repulsive thoughts in disgust the moment it crossed her mind.

As everyone was sitting in the room, Ehren spoke, “Good. Everyone’s here.”

“What is it that you wish to tell us, Ehren?” Hellen wondered.

“Yes. Actually, this morning, before I go around the town, I visited the tavern first. It was then I heard it…”

Ehren went on to explain what he heard from the magical transmission device in the tavern he visited earlier. Especially the announcement from the Holy Empire’s government, a metaphorical ray of light among the dark clouds that hung over their land. When he finished explaining, the more mature members of the family were stunned as they realized the implication of Ehren’s statement.

“A-are you serious!?” Irene exclaimed, breaking the silence.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s really what I heard,” Ehren replied, his expression still serious, “I’m not sure what to make of it, though.”

Hellen remained silent, mulling about the information that her son just conveyed, and before she could give an answer, Irene blurted loudly.

“Isn’t it wonderful!? Ehren, you’ve been looking for jobs for so long. I think you should take it!”

To her words, Ehren took on a very pained look on his face. However, he countered Irene’s overexcited remarks while raising three fingers to make his point.

“What…? Did you just forget that first, the work site is on an island so far away from here; second, in order to even get there, I must go to the capital first; and third, if I leave you all here, who will take care of the family? I just can’t. We don’t have enough money to even get there. That’s why I’m not sure. I even think that this whole announcement is useless,” he said bitterly.

“Uh… s-sorry.”

Irene, whose jubilation was shot down by her brother’s words, was depressed. Ehren’s news appeared to be too good to be true, so she became overly thrilled and ignored everything else. Ruud and Teresa, who are still too young, watched the exchange with their innocent curiosity. Meanwhile, Hellen, having calmed down, closed her eyes for a moment and pondered.

“I understand. But first, since it’s already noon, let us have lunch. I will think about this matter while we are eating. Irene, have you finished preparing the meat?” Hellen asked as she got up with her damaged leg.

“Ah, y-yes, of course!”

“Now let me do the rest.”

“Wait, mother, let me help you as well,” Ehren offered, to which Hellen nodded with a small smile.

As Irene ushered Ruud and Teresa to wait in another room, the eldest son and the mother set out to cook the hunted meat.

---

Thanks to the hare caught by Irene earlier this morning, the lunch turned out to be a much more fulfilling meal than the one they have on the previous days. If Ehren wanted to ask where in the world Irene caught them, he did not question it. He himself was thankful that at least his family was still able to have something to fill their stomach, at least better than the scraps he brought home by spending what’s left of their money after wandering aimlessly for an entire day.

As for Ehren, just like the previous days, he managed to buy one loaf of bread before going home. When Hellen asked why he only brought one, he said that the price of bread had been raised. Technically he was right, the price for a loaf of bread was rising, but that had already occurred yesterday when he stole another loaf and brought them home.

Now, with the young Ruud and Teresa being told to rest in their bedroom, Ehren, Irene, and Hellen gathered by the hearth once again to continue their earlier talk.

“About the earlier, mother, I am torn. What should I do?”

The elder son started in a quiet tone as he stared at the lit-up hearth in front of him. His eyes, reflecting the flickering flames with the embers dancing around, did not attempt to hide his inner turmoil. Seeing her brother wearing such a downtrodden look upsets Irene, who unconsciously pulled the blanket that wrapped around her body tighter.

“I am done thinking about it, and I wanted to ask you this question. What is it that you truly desire?”

He didn’t quite understand the meaning of his mother’s words, so he asked back.

“Huh? What do you mean, mother?”

“I am asking what Ehren truly desires.”

Ehren went silent and asked himself in his heart the same question. However, shortly after that, he began to answer that question slowly.

“I… I want us to have food that doesn’t make us sick. I want us to have walls that hold back the wind. I want us to live a decent life—no, don’t tell me, mother, are you suggesting that I should go?”

Hellen nodded with a warm smile at her son’s question.

“Yes, I am. Are you not interested in that job offer?”

“W-well I am, but…”

Hellen did not miss the hopeful glint in Ehren’s eyes as he came home and conveyed the news, and correctly guessed her son’s desire. Who wouldn’t? The pay for the job offered by the Holy Empire is unprecedentedly high, and this family will be guaranteed a decent life if he can take it and sent those home. Besides, if they were to borrow some money just enough to pay Ehren’s travel expenses to Esthirant, they can easily cover the debt with that amount of money. However, at the same time, as a substitute for their father who went to war in a faraway land, he has a duty to protect and take care of the family, and it was his biggest concern that something would happen to them in his absence.

In his heart, Ehren really wanted to go but he couldn’t with those thoughts weighing on his mind, so Hellen was trying to clear her son’s doubts.

He glanced at Irene. “Mm! Don’t worry about us. We may be poor, but we are not so weak that a bit of snow can make us give up living. We’ll manage,” she said confidently. “Besides, do you forget that I am a huntress? Just today I just caught us a game, all I need to do is wal—I mean, luck! Yes, with enough luck, I can catch more and larger hunts, you see!”

As she caught her slip of tongue, Irene internally slapped herself. She realized that the whole point of this talk seems to persuade Ehren not to worry about them so that he can go for the job offer with a clear heart. If she told him that she did what Ehren told her not to do, wouldn’t that bring the progress back to square one?

With those words, the mother and daughter saw that Ehren just stared at the fireplace, then he began to tremble slightly and brought his hand to rub his eyes which were on the verge of tears.

“Are you okay?” Hellen reached out to Ehren’s shaking shoulders and asked in a concerned tone.

“I’m okay… it’s just… I-I understand. Mother, Irene, thank you very much… B-but are you really sure about this?”

“Mm-hmm. Rest assured that we will be alright, as for telling Ruud and Teresa about this, leave it to me. If this is what you think you must do, then I will support you, my son. I believe in you.”

“Besides, Ehren. It’s not like there’s anything you can do in this town, right? With all the days you came home empty handed, might as well looking for job somewhere else,” Irene pointed out rather bluntly.

“Hush, don’t speak to your brother in that tone, Irene.”

However, instead of getting offended, the teary-eyed Ehren let out a faint chuckle as he heard her words.

“Nah, she’s got a point. But now the question is… the travel expenses.”

“Ah yes, the textile merchant that lives near the town hall might be willing to lend us some money. He used to owe a favor toward Gio, so I think he will be more negotiable than the others,” Hellen mused, mentioning the affectionate nickname she gave to her husband.

Ehren sighed sadly at the words. Borrowing money… it is an act that their family has done their best to avoid even though they were poor. Not out of pride or anything, but because the risk that comes with it, which is to surrender oneself to the cruel chains of bondage should they fail to repay their debts, is simply too scary to even think about. Everything about this is a gamble, and he hated it.

“So we have to ask for money from others, after all…”

“It can’t be helped. We may have survived without relying on anyone for so long, but if this keeps up, we will eventually have no choice but borrow some money and hope that in the next harvest, it will be plentiful, enough for us to repay the debts.”

Listening Hellen talking about it reminded Ehren where Irene’s optimism came from. “It doesn’t mean I have to like it, though,” he grunted, stifling a small smile.

“Speaking of which, Ehren, when do you leave?” Irene asked.

“Hm? It’s best that I depart for the place as soon as possible. Also, I’d prefer to board a ship since it’s the fastest and safest route from here to the capital. I might have to wait in the harbor, though, so it can be a bit longer.”

Compared to the land route between the Doric Province and the capital city of Esthirant, the sea voyage by chartering a merchant ship is a much faster and safer option. Even more so after the food crisis struck, where reports of highwaymen attacking merchant caravans traveling on the road between the empire’s regions began to increase, not to mention the poor condition of roads and other hazards that might befall the travelers on their journey.

“Hmm, yeah, the sooner the better,” Irene remarked.

“Then, you should visit the merchant early tomorrow.”

Ehren did not seem to disagree with their words, so he just nodded silently.

After that, the family decided to spend their time together before their eldest son started making preparations for departing to the capital. Thankfully he has little belongings in the first place, making it simple for him to pack up things.

Next, telling Ruud and Teresa would be the most difficult part. But thanks to Hellen’s help, he somehow managed to convince his younger siblings that ‘he will be doing some errands and will be away for a while so that they can buy a nice meal.’ The way they responded to his words are so innocent and bright, as if the bleak situation of their town never happened. It actually caused a pang of discomfort in his heart at the thought of leaving them. But at the very least, Ehren isn’t going to head to some battlefield.

He is going to work hard and repay their faith in him to give them a chance to live a comfortable life.

Currently Publicly Available Information

DORIAN WILD HARE

The Dorian wild hare, also known by its binomial name, Lepus doriaeus, given by the Holy Milishial Empire’s ‘Astra ed Luminem Institute of Biological Research’, is a species of hare native to the southeastern part of Philades Continent. It is an herbivorous mammal feeding mainly on grasses and herbs, supplementing these with twigs, buds, bark and field crops during winter. The Dorian wild hares are an active species, where they can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around in fields. The Dorian wild hare’s fur color is yellow-brown, but during winter, they will turn into a complete white.

Chapter Text

January 6, 1615 Central Calendar

Eastern Parpaldia Empire

Bosch, a town in the northern Doric Province, is a rather quiet town. Built by pioneers who settled in the region after the previous entity that governed the region, the Doric City-State, got absorbed by the emerging dragon that is the Republic of Parneus during its time expanding eastward decades ago, the region was transformed into the breadbasket of the country, which was then renamed Parpaldia Empire, after it was discovered that the soil of the region was fertile.

Surrounding Bosch’s townscape is the golden wheat fields that waved and swayed with the gentle breeze filled by the farmers who tended the fields. Beyond the fields are the tranquil plains, where livestock can be seen grazing idly while their shepherds languidly watched over them. The daily lives of the Bosch’s townspeople were simple, but it was a fulfilling life. And with the harvest, came profits. Plenty of food for themselves to survive the coming winter months and enough for trade.

Such is a blessed life. But none of it happened now.

The town was reduced to a shadow of its former self amidst the food crisis. Some of the inhabitants started to move to other places to avoid the crisis, while those who doesn’t have relatives tried their hardest to survive. With a large percentage of the town’s healthy adult males being conscripted to fight in the invasion of northern small Philadean kingdoms several months before the failed harvest, the only ones left in Bosch are women, children, the elderly, and some males who were injured or feigning injury at the time of the conscription, such as Ehren.

Speaking of which, this northern invasion is one of the reasons for the food shortage occurred in the first place. While the invasion stalled, food stockpiles continued to be sent to the frontlines to feed the armies, and the bad harvest only make matters worse for the average citizen. Despite the ensuing crisis, the field commanders stubbornly argued for continuing the invasion, demanding more supplies to be sent to the frontlines in hopes that the northern Philadean kingdoms’ resistance will be crushed soon and the Parpaldia Empire will win a major victory. And with that victory, usually came plunder, bringing wealth, food, and slaves to the mainland, as well as new colonies to mercilessly exploit. However, none of that happened either as the Philadean kingdoms to the north resisted even more fiercely than they thought.

The combination of bad weather and poor management from the government had resulted in a disaster for this region. However, Bosch is lucky to have managed to make it thus far. In some of the more severely affected regions, families suffering from hunger began to abandon their children and the elderly to die in the mountains or forests to reduce the mouths to feed. While in other towns, the riots sprang in the wake of this crisis were brutally crushed by the governing armies, resulting in the deaths of numerous people both Parpaldian and inlander alike.

---

Amidst the whirlpool of misery that enveloped the town, the two eldest children of a farmer, Ehren and Irene, set out for the town center to visit a textile merchant mentioned by their mother in a discussion the day before. However, before going to the place where the merchant resides, they took a detour to the tavern where Ehren met a certain person yesterday. And they found that man, Herman Willem de Vries, leaning near the tavern’s entrance.

Upon noticing the young man who he had acquainted yesterday appeared in the field of vision, Herman turned to face him and uttered brief words, glancing at Irene for a moment before returning to Ehren.

“I see that you decided to take the gamble.”

“……Yes. I talked to my family and made up my mind. I’m going.”

“Well then, are you leaving for Duro now?”

“No. I still have something to do, maybe tomorrow at the earliest,” Ehren answered honestly.

The rather shady man nodded slightly without changing his expression and spoke again.

“I see,” Herman shrugged, “One word of advice. Whatever business you are going to do, do it quickly. The job offer will not last forever. If you are late, they may close the recruitment before you know it.”

“Noted, thank you for your advice.”

“Good. But it’s a shame you’re not leaving today. I guess this is where we parted ways.”

As he spoke, Herman picked up a small bag lying on his feet and slung it around his shoulder. ‘How could I not notice that?’ Ehren thought absentmindedly.

“Wait, you’re leaving now?”

“Yeah. I was hoping for a traveling companion, but like what they said, reality often doesn’t work the way we desired.”

“Indeed…”

“Well then, Ehren. Goodbye, I hope we will meet again under better circumstances,” Herman said, offering his hand.

“Ah… thank you for yesterday’s advice, it helped me clear my doubts.”

After they shook hands, the man walked to a nearby carriage station where he will board a horse-drawn carriage bound for the city of Duro, the capital of Doric Province. As they watched Herman disappear after rounding the corner of a building, Irene, who just watched them talking in silence, turned to him and asked.

“Who’s that guy?”

“Someone from a neighboring town. I just met him yesterday.”

“I don’t know, Ehren. He looks like a shady man.”

Ehren blinked, “You thought so too?”

“Yeah… wait, why are you hanging out with a person like that?”

“What are you talking about!? He just showed up yesterday and we had small talk. Though, he is actually the one who told me to talk to you first. So he deserved gratitude, don’t you think?”

“Huh…”

“Anyway, let’s go to that textile merchant’s place.”

With Ehren’s business finished with Herman Willem de Vries, the siblings continued on their way.

---

The house where the textile merchant lived is quite well-maintained, but not too lavish either, blending nicely with the atmosphere of the town. Still, the siblings who are more used to the sight of farms and wooden huts couldn’t help but stare in awe as the residence came into view.

“So this is the house of that textile merchant…” Irene muttered.

Ehren gulped, “Yeah, I’ll do the talking. This is it… let’s go in…”

The two of them walked to the front door with trepidation, but also hope.

---

Inside one of the rooms in the textile merchant’s house, an elderly man was sitting at a desk in what appeared to be an office with a gloomy expression on his face. He is the one sought by Ehren and Irene, and the reason for his unpleasant look was that like others, his business was also negatively affected by the crisis. With the rising price of goods, his household also has to take measures to save money, like resorting to using firewood and withholding the usage of red magic stones to power his house’s heating system. As a result, he felt cold inside this office even after wearing layered clothing.

A knock on the office’s door broke the silence, and as the merchant glanced up from the paperwork, a manservant entered the room and bowed before conveying his requirements.

“Meneer, a pair of farmers appeared on the front door and requested a meeting with you.”

“Then what are you telling me for? Just drive them away like usual,” the merchant grunted dismissively.

“But they say they are the children of someone named Giovanni—”

The merchant paused from his work and looked up at his servant.

“Giovanni? Son of Huygens of Bosch? That one?”

“Y-yes, meneer. Should I tell them to leave now?”

“That is a name I haven’t heard in a long time…” the merchant muttered. “No need. Let them in.”

Despite being taken aback by the sudden change of order, the servant replied dutifully with a short, “Yes, meneer.”

As the merchant got up from his seat and left the office, he found a young man and woman being ushered to the parlor by the same servant that had reported to him earlier. The two siblings followed the manservant into the room nervously, looking at the ceiling of the room. Their feeling only intensified as their gazes lay upon the waiting merchant, who spoke first.

“Are you the children of Giovanni Huygens van den Bosch?”

“Y-yes, I am Ehren and this is my sister Irene.”

“I see. Sit down.”

Although he didn’t mean it, the merchant’s gruff tone made the spoken words sound like an order, further intimidating the siblings who took the seats facing him across a wooden table. However, both sides did not immediately stir any conversation as the siblings were too nervous to do so. Meanwhile, the merchant took the silence to study this young man and woman.

They have similar facial features and eye color, a sign of their shared blood. The older one has short and messy dark brown hair, wearing a dirty brown winter cloak with gloves and a red scarf around his neck. Meanwhile, the girl walking slightly behind him wore a similarly-colored hooded cloak. Her fairly long brown hair was tied in a high ponytail, while neck-length bangs framed both sides of her face. Their youthful appearance did remind the merchant of a man to whom he had owed a favor a long time ago, a debt that remained unpaid until now.

Satisfied, the merchant finally broke the delicate atmosphere that prevailed between them, “I have an idea of the reason why you two came here, but just for confirmation, I’ll ask you. What is your purpose for visiting this place?”

Ehren took a deep breath and began to answer the merchant’s question slowly, but clearly.

“Meneer, we apologize for suddenly coming to your home, but I need to talk to you about something…”

“Go on.”

“I need to travel to the capital city in order to visit the embassy of the Holy Milishial Empire to apply for a job… but before that, I need to borrow some money from you to pay for my travel expenses, as we lacked enough money to do so. That’s why, meneer, we need your help.”

The merchant raised an eyebrow at the young man’s request. So, his guess had been right, that the reason they came to his residence and the shocking announcement the other day are related. Shortly after Ehren conveyed his requirements, the merchant just gazed silently at his eyes with an unreadable expression. Even though he wanted to avert his gaze and look somewhere else, the young man found that he couldn’t. Both sides continued their stare down for a while.

“I see,” the merchant leaned back with an almost unnoticeable snort before gesturing to the servant who was standing at the corner of the room, “You, come here.”

The merchant whispered something to the servant who immediately bowed and went out of the parlor. Moments later, the servant returned with a small rucksack in his hand and placed it on the table. Ehren and Irene’s eyes widened at the sight of the object, which was faintly emitting a rattling sound as it was carried by the servant.

“M-meneer, is this…” Ehren stammered.

“I believe this should be enough for your trip and for your family to eat for some time to come. Take it. Consider it as me paying the debt of gratitude that I once owed to your father.”

However, just as Ehren’s hand reached out to the sack of money, the old merchant’s hand suddenly grabbed it in a surprisingly firm grip.

“!!!”

“I may owe your father a debt of gratitude, but I am no charity worker. Remember, you just borrowed money from me and as such, you are obligated to repay it, especially now that this whole town is suffering from crisis. Many in this town came to my house and requested the same thing as you two only to be driven away, so consider yourselves lucky. Do you understand?”

The siblings nodded, frightened. The merchant continued.

“Two months should be enough for you to repay the borrowed money. If you fail to deliver to me in that time, then for each month after the deadline, I will increase the amount you have to repay by one and a half times.”

‘Tch. So apparently for this old man, repaying his debt to father is not lending his money to us, but allowing the chance of us to speak with him?’ Ehren scowled inwardly, rubbing his hand after the merchant released his grip. He motioned for Irene to pick up the bag of money instead.

“Of course. If all goes well, I will receive enough pay from my future employers to repay the amount you’ve given us, meneer,” the young man replied with a barely concealed irritation.

“Ho… so noted and so you should. It’s a shame you came to me just now, when times are difficult. I would’ve given you more otherwise. Is that all?”

Just before the siblings stood up and went home, Irene gathered her courage to ask something to the merchant.

“Excuse me, meneer, may I ask you a question?”

“What is it?”

“What exactly is the debt that you owed to our father?”

“……He saved my life once during an incident,” the merchant said with a hint of melancholy on his face, making the siblings’ eyes widen, but that flash of emotion was gone as fast as it came and the merchant’s eyes returned to his serious expression. “That’s all I have to say. If there’s nothing more, you may go home.”

“R-right. Thank you very much for everything, meneer.”

“Mm.”

Ehren and Irene bowed toward the merchant and exited the residence with the bag of money in hand. In order to avoid any unwanted attention, they hid that bag inside Irene’s thick winter coat as they walked home. Both of them were unaware that the old merchant went to the balcony of his residence to look at them as they left, and several moments later, he returned to his office to finish his paperwork.

January 8, 1615 Central Calendar

In the end, Ehren decided to stay for one more day to help his mother and sister planning to use the money that the textile merchant had lent them. The merchant had lent them 10 paso coins and 200 shilling coins (10 paso) for a total of 20 paso, or about 4 months' worth of a factory labor wage. Considering the circumstances, this amount of money can be considered generous, and it brought a sense of relief to Giovanni's family. Ehren's earlier feelings against the old man dissipated at once as he came to understand this.

And now, the family came to Bosch’s carriage station to see their eldest son off, who was about to head to a foreign land for the sake of earning a living for his family. The few remaining horse-drawn carriages parked in the station were waiting for any passengers to board them, their drivers eager to get the hell out of this town at once. Sun was already high in the sky, its rays shining through the gaps in the overcast clouds that covered the heavens.

Ehren was not the only one who was about to depart Bosch for Duro, as the lucky ones who can afford the travel were also gathering here, some alone, some being seen off by their families.

“This is it,” Ehren muttered as they gathered in front of the station. Not only Irene who accompanied him, but even Hellen and the young Ruud and Teresa were also there. They wanted to see the face of their beloved son and brother for the last time before he departed the town and will not be here for a while.

“Everyone, I’ll be off shortly… You two, don’t cause too much trouble for mother and sister, okay?” he said, crouching to meet Ruud and Teresa’s eyes and patting them on the head.

“Mm!”

“Brother, take care…” Ruud said with teary eyes, making his brother smile sadly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll send letters,” Ehren reassured. But as soon as he remembered those words as the same that his father Giovanni uttered before going to war in the north, he hurriedly added, “…besides, your brother will be in a safe place. If the situation permits, I will return.”

Seeing the eldest son comforting his youngest siblings made Hellen and Irene smile as they glanced at each other. Then, Ehren stood up and turned to them.

“Mother, Irene, are you sure… that you will be fine while I’m away?”

“Don’t waste your energy worrying about us, my son. Thanks to the money the merchant lent us, we will be able to eat at least two times a day for some time.”

“Yeah, Ehren, I’ll hunt as many as I can!”

“Psh, honestly, Irene. But stay safe, don’t do anything rash.”

Irene rubbed her nose and grinned cheekily. “I know, I know, you worrywart. I’m not that stupid.”

“Also, Ehren, I want you to have this.”

Hellen reached for around her neck and removed a necklace, handing it to Ehren whose eyes widened at the sight of it. It was a wooden amulet shaped like one half of a deer’s antlers.

“Mother, is this…?”

“Yes, one half of the good luck charm that Gio gave me on the day of our marriage. I want you to have it. Ehren, when you finally got to work, please just concentrate on it and don’t think about anything else. Life a good life.”

The young man could feel tears threatening to flow from his eyes. But it was not one of sadness, but one of joy. He reached for Hellen with both hands and hugged her tightly.

“All that is good in me, began with you, mother. Thank you.”

Even though they were standing amidst the cold air, they can only feel the warmth. Soon, they were joined by Irene, Ruud, and Teresa in a group hug. They savored the moment with Ehren together for a while before they separated and see him off as he boarded a shared carriage. As it departed, the family who remained in Bosch waved at him until it disappeared from their sight.

January 13, 1615 Central Calendar

Port of Le Brias, Altaras Kingdom

The journey from Duro to Esthirant was a rather pleasant and quick one, with the white ship he boarded breezed through the sea like the wind. Heck, even the captain and the owner of the company who somehow joined the voyage boasted about the ship as the fastest in the Eastern World. If Ehren did not believe the words they said back then, he was sure to believe it now. The route, which normally took a sailing ship more than three days at their maximum speed, was successfully traversed in just two days with the ship using a Tears of the Wind God-assisted propulsion in the second half of the voyage. The name of the ship was Blijde Boodschap, and like its namesake, Ehren hoped that this voyage brought him good tidings all the way.

Immediately after arriving at Esthirant, he was shown the Holy Milishial Empire’s embassy where an employment recruitment bureau was established for the people living in this country. The place was flooded with people applying for the job, but in the end, Ehren’s application was accepted by the bureau staff, and the next day, he was shipped to the Altaras Kingdom, the work site.

As Ehren descended the ramp of the Milishian metal ship on the Le Brias Harbor, he glanced around to see the town and he couldn’t hide his amazement. The capital of Altaras was just as he expected, but this side of the city has been turned into a modern facility by the Holy Empire that was so out of place from the rest of the city’s medieval atmosphere.

Through the talks with the Meyer Trading Company’s crew, who had been on Le Brias before, he learned that the Holy Milishial Empire had expanded a section of the harbor in the capital of the Altaras Kingdom to allow their large ships to dock. One month later, however, it seemed that a whole new harbor was constructed west of Le Brias’ original harbor, causing him to wonder just how in the world these people finished a project of such scale that quick.

‘Did these people possessed by demons or something?’ he thought. Ehren found the thought rather amusing for people with “Holy” in their name.

Little did Ehren know that the Holy Milishial Empire managed to finish the construction faster than normal thanks to the help of the ‘special construction crew’ dispatched from the mainland.

On the other hand, he never thought that this place, which was said to be a barbarian country outside of civilization, will be a place where he and the others can find hope. Ehren clutched the necklace given to him by his mother and set out with a look of determination.

From the employment recruitment bureau established at the embassies in various Third Civilization Area countries, the Holy Milishial Empire acquired a large number of cheap workers and proceeded with further infrastructure development projects across Altaras Island. During the following months, they expanded harbors and built railroads, bridges, and other support infrastructure needed to extract the mined golden red stones and sharp gimlet stones, important sources of NMC-22, to their mainland. Needless to say, the Milishian companies that entered the island were pleased with this situation.

These workers who hailed from various countries were placed in housing complexes constructed near the worksite and mingled with each other, with the largest coming from the Altaras Kingdom and the Parpaldia Empire. As expected, there were initial cultural shock and altercations between workers of different nationalities or rather, the Parpaldians against the workers from other small countries. Especially the sons of wealthy families who are second or third in the line of inheritance. Lured by money, they jumped at the job recruitment, but their bloated ego seemed to cause them to be unable to resist the urge of bullying inlanders and people from nations Parpaldia considered barbaric. However, these were quickly quelled the moment the Milishian security units intervened and they were soon brought in line.

Meanwhile, the Altaras Kingdom, with the assistance of the Holy Milishial Empire, managed to increase the output of their magic stone mines which resulted in increased exports. Furthermore, by becoming capable of fulfilling the quota of magic stones as demanded by the Parpaldia Empire, Altaras managed to lessen their pressure to a degree, combined with the fact that the world’s strongest empire increased their presence on the island.

Matters related to mining and construction are not the only fields where the Holy Empire invested, as Altaras Kingdom’s environment, where the soil is high in magic density, is considered perfect to grow high-quality iron bamboos, so the Holy Milishial Empire came forward with another proposal to the Altaran government to establish iron bamboo plantations in places such as the Rubail Plain on the northernmost tip of the island. The substance extracted from the plant, when alloyed with iron, produces a durable magic conductive metal and is in fact the component of the armor used by the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy’s now-obsolete Iron Bamboo-class magic small ships. Considering that the Holy Milishial Empire has access to better materials, it seemed that they intended to export the iron bamboos to other countries rather than use them domestically.

All of these activities greatly contributed to the Altaras Kingdom’s economy. With the increased wealth, Altaras began to push for development in many fields. They continue to show cooperation with the Holy Milishial Empire’s proposals, but some observers say that they were pandering to the August Star of Heaven’s whims.

The Holy Milishial Empire once promised that they will be recognized internationally as a higher civilization country, but that depends on how far Altaras will cooperate. This will mean that someday, if the Holy Milishial Empire saw fit to do so, they will be able to sit on the Eleven Countries Leadership Conference and the Parpaldia Empire will have no choice but to let their diplomats stand on the Second Foreign Affairs Bureau. But could that really happen, and if it were to happen, how far they must dance to Milishial’s tune? Could they really rely on a distant benefactor to stand up to the virtual enemy right next to their door?

Currently Publicly Available Information

DORIC PROVINCE

A province located on the eastern coast of the Parpaldia Empire, its capital city is Duro. While Duro and the coastal areas are urban areas and a major industrial center of the Empire, the majority of the inland areas consisted of rural communities sitting on top of a flat alluvial plain with fertile soil ideal for the growth of crops. Despite its rather small size, the high percentage of arable land made the province one of the major producers of agricultural products within the Parpaldia Empire.

Chapter Text

January 16, 1615 Central Calendar, 19:00

Holy Milishial Empire

A room in the MOASEC Apartment Complex, San Redentore District, Runepolis

The sound of pencil scraping against paper echoed in a quiet office room. The wielder of the instrument, a lanky brown-haired teenager known as one of the youngest members of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, Walman Falkenhausen, continued to align his pencil with a triangular ruler held in his left hand with focused eyes and then, drew several other lines on the paper with a satisfying noise. After he was done with it, he let go of the drawing tools, took a step back, and looked at the paper with a small smile.

“Mastering the construction and configuration of its mechanism… so this is how this thing gets built, huh?”

As Walman sighed in satisfaction with the finished work, he heard the sound of the door being opened from behind him, and when he turned around, his childhood friend, Meteos Roguerider, entered the room carrying a tray with two plates, cups filled with water, and eating utensils.

“Hey, I just finished cooking. Let’s take a break for now,” the silverette called out to his friend’s back just after he put the tray with the dinner on a table, waiting for the brunette to join him.

“Hm? Ahh… just in time. Actually, it’s already finished. Take a look,” Walman gestured.

“Oh?” Meteos hummed, “This marks the fifth day since we started the work. With the number of sketches for the general design drawing, the cross-section drawing, and the details of each part… I think that’s impressive for a pair of kids, don’t you think?”

“Hmph… yeah. It seems hard at the first glance, but fortunately there are a lot of reference materials for us to work with. I’ve reread all of them ever since yesterday morning. Thanks, Meteos, it’s been a great help.”

“Don’t mention it, I just selected them for you. It’s the Ancient Ministry that you must be grateful for keeping those books,” he answered plainly. “Now that the side quest is already finished, shall we?”

Meteos gestured to a plate of what looked like a warm and thick omelet emitting a delicious smell that wafted inside the room, inviting the tired boy to come and take a bite of it. Walman chuckled, patting a pile of books beside the drawing table as he spoke before leaving the drawing table and sitting across from his friend to indulge in the supper that Meteos had prepared.

A few minutes later, the two friends finished dinner with smiles on their faces. After sitting and letting his stomach digest the meal for a moment, Walman excused himself and headed out of the office room to stretch his body and get some rest in the living room, leaving Meteos who decided to remain in the office for a bit longer. After setting the empty plates aside, he got up from the chair and walked toward the drawing table. He picked up a stack of drawings kept in the corner of the room along the way and shuffled through it.

“To think Walman was still a junior high schooler until last October… he’s really bright when he put his mind to it,” he muttered as he traced his fingers over the paper, doing a check to try to find flaws in his friend’s drawings and comparing its dimensions to the papers he spread out over the table. However, no matter where he looked, he found none, and thus his inspection ended as soon as he started it.

This so-called ‘side quest’ was started five days ago immediately after Meteos finished his shift working on the Alpha Edge Project, when he and the core members of the designing team have some breathing room. Although the team received a large increase in personnel, they still have to monitor the work of the personnel loaned from outside the Ancient Ministry so that there will be no mistakes that will be fatal to the Heavenly Vessel, in addition to their own duties. But now that several months have passed since the development was started, all involved personnel in the Alpha Edge Project are more or less capable of keeping up with the core members. In a way, it’s like Meteos and Walman’s own relationship in designing their inventions.

The reason why they called this design an Alpha Edge Project’s side quest is that although they started the project as an independent one, it was intended to improve the Alpha Edge design’s performance. Although the Alpha Edge team has not yet raised concern about this, Meteos and Walman are already about to deliver a solution.

As for working on their side quest, Meteos and Walman have devised a schedule considering their differing working hours and the time to do household chores. Whenever one of them went to work, the one who remained in the apartment will continue the process and during the night, when the two boys were home, they will work together, exchanging ideas as they poured their imagination into the papers. This schedule relied heavily on trust and coordination between Meteos and Walman, however. Completing the design within five days while learning the principles behind it along the way is unprecedented, especially when the ones creating the drawings are a pair of 14-year-old teenagers.

Even more so than the design itself, Walman’s contribution is not something to be scoffed at. He read all the reference materials needed for this project that Meteos chose for him to learn from the Ancient Ministry’s library in such a short time and is able to keep up with Meteos in working on the design even though he is just an ordinary boy without complete memories of a past life.

Several months ago, when Walman put his intellect to the test to build something capable of matching Meteos’ magic oxygen torpedo, he did so with difficulty, requiring his friend to help him and correct his mistakes with his design to produce a simple naval mine. And then fast-forward to the present day, when there is an abundance of information and time to exercise, he only asked around for little details he can’t fully understand. And once he learned everything provided to him, Walman proceeded with the work in a breeze, making increasingly fewer errors until he can finish the work even without Meteos present beside him, just like now.

Although he did not say it out loud, Meteos’ admiration and pride for his childhood friend grew immensely with this feat.

Now the design is declared complete, all that’s left is to show this to Robin, who in turn will relay this new design to the higher-ups, who will decide whether or not to adopt the design.

In case of rejection, however, Meteos had prepared. The Holy Milishial Empire’s comparable designs currently in use at present are either unreliable or had lower performance than expected. Therefore, with the combination of high performance, high level of technology, durability, and reliability, but with relative simplicity that it can be made with the country’s current industrial power, it will still turn a few heads even if the design’s intended target decided not to put it into service, just like his seemingly outlandish ideas spoken during lunch breaks within the Ancient Ministry, and yet it managed to make an engineer or two listen to him with interest.

He was confident. Just like the magic oxygen torpedo he created half a year ago, this design is a revolutionary one.

‘The key to immediate approval for one’s invention in this country is to make it as mind-blowing and revolutionary as possible. Whether or not it will work can be dealt with later. The Holy Milishial Empire has long witnessed the wonders that the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s technologies can do. But when someone came up with something that they have never seen in the Light-Winged People’s relics before, they will be so shocked and then they will desire to have it in their possession even more.’

In Meteos’ previous life, that is what happens with the Holy Milishial Empire. When Japan and the Gra Valkas Empire appeared with technology beyond their wildest dreams, their rational thinking see them as potential examples to emulate. It’s just that in their hasty decision, they labeled them as insignificant ‘outside civilization areas’ as soon as they heard them, imprinting that mindset from the start and causing their hearts to revolt at the thought of looking at them for inspiration.

As he stood there, the grimoire placed on the table rang. When he checked it, he cracked a grin to find that Robin, his teacher, had texted him. It read…

“Omw home. Can I have dinner plz? …(jk)”

“Pfft… honestly…”

‘On my way,’ ‘please,’ and ‘just kidding,’ respectively. Ah, yes… internet slangs.

One of his successful ‘inventions,’ if one can say that way. Initially coined just for fooling around and having fun with the grimoires, this world’s first modern cell phone capable of instantaneous text messaging, Robin instantly gets hooked with it, and now, every time she texted someone who is not Director Arsene Lippin or Andreas Birkburn, it always contains at least one abbreviated word like this. Well, she indeed kind of looks like the type of someone who will post jokes over what the Japanese in his previous life called the ‘internet.’

Without wasting time, Meteos immediately typed ‘OK’ and lightly tossed the grimoire back on a paper-covered table and making a soft thud, not minding her joking request for dinner and proceeded to make preparations to greet his teacher who is about to stop by their apartment.

As he walked out of the office, he found Walman lounging on the living room couch, watching an evening entertainment program typical to the Holy Empire’s broadcasting companies of this era on the lit magic transmission monitor in front of him. But just as he was about to start cooking, another thought occurred to him because of Robin’s message earlier.

With the widespread computer studies, the concept of interconnected networks, or the internet, will inevitably appear. The question is, when it will emerge in this world? Of course, the usefulness of the internet is undeniable, but can its emergence be made earlier by understanding the computers left behind by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire or some other way? At least this country must know the concept of sharing information between a network of computers by the time Japan and the Gra Valkas Empire appears in this world.

The Holy Empire is already researching Manadrivers, automatic spell-chanters for use by the mages which is actually miniaturized computer to manage spell components. Developing more advanced Manadrivers capable of handling wider and more powerful spells will also advance computer development. In addition, Manadrivers use advanced magic circuits, which means in the Holy Milishial Empire, whose all of its magical technology derived from the usage of magic circuits, advancement in magic circuits means two things: everyone with their imagination can run wild with an even greater possibility held by that small device, and technological advancement in everything.

The Holy Milishial Empire has shown the ability to use magic to make a great leap in technological advancement both in the previous and current timeline. The most important thing is to keep the inspiration flowing so that the momentum can last for a long time.

“Hm, another thing to consider… but I need to wait at least next Monday for my plan to truly begin in earnest,” Meteos sighed and then glanced to his right hand.

There he found himself holding a cup filled with a whisked egg and standing in front of a heated skillet. Right, he is about to prepare dinner for Robin. Shrugging, he poured the ingredients into the skillet and started cooking for the second time of the night.

Meanwhile

MOASEC, Aerial System Development Facility

“Oh, shit. I didn’t expect him to say yes.”

Robin stared at her grimoire display and was taken aback by what was shown on it. At first, she just wanted to notify Meteos that she is coming back from work, but she couldn’t resist a certain urge and as a result, on a two-way text messaging, she jokingly asked to have dinner for tonight. After that, Meteos replied with only two words, ‘O’ and ‘K.’

“Thank you for your hard work, Robin. Enjoy your weekend!”

A sound called out to her caused Robin to glance away from the magic phone and to the speaker, a blonde half-elf who was walking over to her.

“Ah… Emmy, but you still have to stay here…”

Robin smiled apologetically toward her friend Emilia Giovanna as she was about to head home, having completed her schedule for the day and looking forward to a weekend where she can rest her tired mind and body. However, she felt bad for Emilia, who held the position of Alpha Edge’s engine section chief. Because of her responsibility, she will remain in the office for some time.

Around them, the personnel who have also finished their schedule began to pack their belongings and left one after another, to be replaced by a new set of personnel who will come half an hour later for the night shift.

Despite her tired gaze, Emilia gave an encouraging smile at Robin, “Eh, I already got used to it. Besides, if I want the next week’s work to be somewhat loose, we need to finish the work this weekend. My section is making good progress. Maybe next week I can have a vacation for once and we can hang out together?”

Robin giggled, lightly rubbing her nape, “Ahahaha, I like your optimism, Emmy. Well then… see you around.”

“Yes. Send my regards to Young Meteos and Young Walman.”

After bowing and saying the parting words to Emilia, Robin walked out of the building. The blonde half-elf gazed at Robin’s back as she disappeared beyond the doorway at the end of the corridor. Emilia then returned to where she came from before seeing her human friend off. In her hand, she held a document titled, “Alpha Edge General Design Drawing.” Although she had seen through it several times, Emilia opened the pages and scanned the drawings.

It was a copy of a very generalized blueprint of the Alpha Edge Project’s new Heavenly Vessel design. As Emilia’s engine section is progressing with the development of a new, high-performance magic turbojet that Meteos Roguerider played a major role in designing, he, and his friend Walman Falkenhausen, moved along to proceed with helping the airframe section. It was around that time that the first snow fell on the Holy Milishial Empire.

To match the engine section’s efforts, the airframe designing team came up with a design closer in appearance to the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s Alpha Zero fighter than the Alpha-1, and the result can be seen in the document that Emilia carries with her. It was a small fighter design powered by a single fuselage-mounted magic turbojet engine fed by a pair of intakes on the sides of the plane instead of nacelle-mounted engines as in the Alpha-1, sporting a pointed nose where the plane’s guns would be located. Although it still uses straight wings, the airframe is also designed to be easy to upgrade as new technologies are expected to emerge while the Alpha Edge Project is in progress. But without an engine, the airframe section will only produce the world’s most advanced glider, so it is up to the engine section to complete the development as soon as possible.

Emilia soon arrived at the walkway overlooking the hangar where her engine section was working. On the floor, she can see the technicians not only from the Ancient Ministry, but also from various companies related to the aviation industry who were ordered by the Imperial government to assist in the development, most of them were from the largest of all aviation industries, the Runes Valletta Academy of Magic’s Aviation Department. However, there were also technicians from the neighboring Magic Technology System Development Facility and those from Aikon Corporation, handling the magic circuits.

And in the middle of them all, sat a metallic cylindrical object nearly four meters in length and 90 centimeters in diameter being tampered with and monitored by those technicians. Seeing the fruits of their labor after months of working almost nonstop in front of her, Emilia’s smile widened.

“Soon…”

The culmination of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s ancient technology, the brilliance of the people living in the present day, and unbeknownst to them all, the knowledge from the future. A full-scale magic turbojet engine was nearing completion. If possible, Emilia wished to build another engine as a spare in case the first one fails, as well as using the first as basis to improve the second.

Suddenly Emilia felt that Arsene’s estimates to be not too farfetched with the engine’s completion. Maybe they can finish Alpha Edge before that two-year deadline after all.

After walking out from the Aerial System Development Facility’s vast complex, Robin rode a scooter given to her by her boss, Andreas Birkburn, to go home.

Snow fell again from the pitch-black sky above that night. Accompanied by the whine of her scooter’s lightning-type motor engine and the occasional passing of minibuses that transported the returning workers from behind, Robin rode through the snowflakes unperturbed by the barrage of the cold winds coming from the front, relying on her winter clothing and a simple heat-producing spell cast through her Manadriver to keep the air inside her clothing at a comfortable room temperature. Keeping a spell on with nothing but one’s mana for dozens of minutes requires focus and stamina. If the situation is convenient, Robin usually does this to do some exercise.

Way to go, Robin, doing something productive even when doing something mundane as sitting on a scooter.

However, there is no denying that Robin is hungry and tired from work and wanted to rest somewhere cozy and warm, so she further twisted the throttle to increase the speed, intending to arrive at the apartment as soon as possible. With heading home in mind, Robin ignored a large truck that passed by her as she exited the MOASEC Headquarters’ complex and into the empty main street of the San Redentore District.

19:20

MOASEC Apartment Complex

The sound of someone knocking on the front door alerted Walman who was watching the magic transmission monitor, causing him to turn in the direction. Lazily getting up from the couch and walking toward the door, the brunette opened it to find Robin standing there.

“Guess who’s back!?”

Her voice echoed from the doorway leading to a spacious apartment room that Meteos and Walman shared.

“No need to yell… but anyway, welcome back,” Walman said.

Robin chuckled and leaned forward, giving her student a cheek-to-cheek kiss on both sides, as a standard greeting between close friends in the Holy Milishial Empire. After a long day of work, she finally stepped inside the apartment.

It was one of those rare weekend days when Robin, who is heavily involved in the Alpha Edge Project, would go back to her own apartment and sleep on a proper bed instead of staying awake all night working on the Heavenly Vessel design or napping on one of the office’s benches. Meteos and Walman, although they are also the main members of the designing team, they worked under special rules considering their age which gave them a lot of free time, basically living normally as young teenagers even though they worked in the most demanding working environment in the entire Holy Milishial Empire. Whenever Robin is available, they always invited her for mealtime.

Not long after entering the students’ apartment, Meteos, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen carrying several plates and lined them up on the dining table.

“Good timing, dear teacher. Welcome home,” he smiled. As he finished setting the meals on the table, Robin walked to him and repeated the gesture she gave Walman.

“It’s good to be back,” she replied, exhausted but content, “Err… that looks delicious,” Robin continued, gesturing to the dinner that Meteos had prepared for her.

“Then what are you waiting for? Dig in.”

“Ah… thank you very much, kid,” she said, pulling the dining chair and sitting on it, feeling the scent of the meal stimulating her tastebuds.

“Hmph, no worries. It’s my turn to do chores anyway.”

Knowing that Robin isn’t fond of heavy dinner, Meteos decided to cook her a simple omelet made from a bird wyvern egg, with the addition of meats, cheeses, and herbs, all leftover ingredients from the lunch, accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes. It was a simple and quick, but fulfilling dinner that Robin greatly enjoyed. As she began to eat, Robin couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Meteos asked.

“Mm-hmm! I said it once and I’ll say it again, this is exquisite. You make me jealous with your culinary skills, Meteos. With all those times you used to draw blueprints, when did you ever learn to cook?”

“Long ago, I learned by seeing others do it,” he answered simply, briefly reminiscing one part of his past life.

“………”

He never married in that timeline, having lived and died alone, so he learned to take care of himself, including cooking. Robin is not the only one who felt that way, even his own mother Meteora and aunt Marie Falkenhausen, Walman’s mother, also felt bewildered and sometimes insecure whenever he feels like helping around with cooking.

Meanwhile, Walman silently listened the two’s exchange with an amused snort, but soon his attention was fully focused on the magic TV. The show’s getting to the good part.

---

After finishing dinner, Robin briefly returned to her room to take a bath and change her clothes before coming back to her students’ room. Now, she was dressed in a simple yellow long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, sitting on the living room couch with Meteos and Walman. For the past week, she was staying in the office working on the Alpha Edge Project for days, and only this Friday she finally has the chance to go home. However, before having a well-earned rest, Robin decided to have a talk with her students first.

“Is that so!? Then your ‘side quest’ is already done?” she asked with renewed enthusiasm the moment Walman told her about their finished work.

“That’s right,” Walman smirked, “We promised you that it will be done next week, but apparently we’re getting too carried away…”

“No, no, that’s very nice! Can I see it now?”

Meteos, sitting at the end of the sofa, laughed.

“You seem to be in a good mood today, Miss Robin. We really wanted to show it to you, but before that, I wanted to talk about one more thing,” he said, holding up a finger.

“Is it about that thing?”

“Yes. The first package of my reserve drawings that I left at home in Leiden is coming next Monday.”

“I see, so it’s finally here,” Robin said with a smile.

She had heard that before Meteos suddenly asked Walman to build a conductive magnetic radar together for his special summer project that started everything, Meteos kept a stash of plans for various things stored in his house’s bedroom and basement that he had drawn since he was five years old. But unfortunately, those plans are either too far ahead of their time or looked dangerous enough that it will be either very expensive to develop with his funds or too much of a hassle to obtain permission back then.

Meteos chose not to have those plans sent to Runepolis until they joined the Ancient Ministry because he knew they wouldn’t stay long at the Runepolis Magic Academy anyway. And now that all of his current objectives have been met, Meteos can do things that he had put off for a while. He told Robin about it shortly after they moved into their new apartment and asked his parents to have the plans packaged and sent to his new address in the San Redentore District. However, after nine years’ worth of motivation-filled work of drawing his future memories, those plans grew to be too numerous to be sent in a single shipment.

But on the bright side, just this one package contains items that the Ancient Ministry’s higher-ups might find interesting. He was sure of it, because the majority of Meteos’ plans made back then were made in consideration of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire relics discovered between 1614 and 1700 in his previous life and as such, made in such a way that it might conveniently help the Milishian engineers handling the excavated artifacts by filling the blanks that they encountered during research.

“And one more thing, after those plans arrived, if I want to show it to the Ancient Ministry personnel, who can I contact to help me if you or Miss Emilia is busy?”

“Right. Bring me paper and a pen, I’ll write you some contacts.”

After Walman fetched her a notebook and a pen, Robin began to write a list consisting of grimoire numbers and names next to them. The boys looked on curiously and after she was finished, Walman began to read out several of the names circled by Robin, separating them from the rest of the contacts.

“Arsene Lippin… Andreas Birkburn… Marco Rossi… Harley Hendrickson… Eugen Segarceanu… Clara Steinbelt…?”

He already knew Director Arsene and Marco Rossi, the head of the Aerial System Development Facility, but the rest are unknown to him.

“Is Andreas Birkburn the writer of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s encyclopedia?” Meteos commented, feigning confusion.

“Yes, he is my immediate superior, but you can talk directly to him as my apprentices,” Robin explained, pointing to the names as she spoke, “As for the rest, Professor Harley is the head of the Ground System Development Facility, Mister Eugen Segarceanu belongs to the Naval Facility, and Baroness Clara Steinbelt is the leader of the Magic Technology Facility.”

“…Those are big names, Miss Robin. Are you sure apprentices like us can contact them directly?” Walman said uneasily.

“Don’t worry. Just tell them that Robin is the one who shared their contacts. Or if you are still hesitant, you can just Director Arsene. If anything, he is the easiest to persuade among them.”

Meteos noted her explanation in his mind. ‘Well, compared to the rest who are engineers, Director Lippin is a Public Affairs bureaucrat before being appointed director. But how surprising, even for an Ancient Weapons Operator, she has so much clout within the Ministry. She must have worked closely with them sometime in the past, but she’s only twenty-six and joined the Ministry when she was fifteen… What are the possible cases in the past that she was involved with besides Nosgorath-related ones? …Could it be, Uqbar? That would mean Robin was seventeen at that time.’

“Huh… interesting.”

Of all the cases involving the MOASEC that require participation with the aforementioned departments, Meteos narrowed the possible case that Robin, whom Meteos is already one hundred percent sure is an Ancient Weapons Operator, participated in, into a certain case that occurred deep into the Holy Empire’s territory in the past, but that is another story.

Anyway, it pleased him to know that the higher-ups of the Ancient Ministry are within reach.

“I see. Thank you very much for sharing their contacts, Miss Robin. This will be a great help in our future plans.”

“Don’t mention it! Now, can I see your side quest?”

The two of them laughed as they see Robin was getting impatient.

“Alright, alright, this way.”

The two Apprentice Mages and their teacher walked into the office room where they worked on their drawings. As soon as they entered the room, Robin rushed to the drawing table where their ‘side quest’ is still pinned on it. Meteos and Walman looked at each other as their teacher examined the design, making excited noises while she was on it.

A few moments later, when Robin calmed down, they came to her side and began to speak.

“Alright, Miss Robin. Let me explain the design. It has a length of 1,83 meters, an estimated weight of around 80 kilograms, firing 20 mm Imperial ammunition with an estimated rate of fire of 1.500 rounds per minute. That high rate of fire is possible thanks to this five-chamber revolver that we designed and to prevent the single barrel from overheating, we plan to use miniaturized magic circuits containing a cooling spell that is powered by a fraction of the propellant mana redirected from the main firing chamber. Only a small amount of them is enough to power the entire system, so there will be no reduction in performance…”

And thus, the three spent the night reviewing the design of the Alpha Edge’s side quest, a magic light revolver cannon.

20:00

MOASEC, Ground System Development Facility

In another place, a truck was entering the grounds of one of the four clusters of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s main research facility. Driving through the nearly empty building, the truck pulled up into a brightly lit hangar before stopping in front of a group of people gathered inside. The driver disembarked from the truck and approached the group, bowing to the three men and one woman who appears to be the leaders.

“Director, Chief Birkburn, Professor Hendrickson, and Lady Steinbelt, we have completed the delivery of the package you requested.”

Birkburn, one of the people addressed by the driver, turned to the side and nodded to Lippin.

“Good work. You may unload the package now,” Arsene ordered.

“At once, sir.”

They were the higher-ups of the Ancient Ministry. Other than Arsene Lippin, the number one man in the ministry himself, also present Andreas Birkburn, who is officially a member of the General Affairs Department, but in reality, he is the Chief of the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department, the one in charge of handling the ancient technologies directly. He stood at the same height as the director, and his ruggedly handsome look with chiseled features and a small goatee gave the impression of being the older of the pair when it is actually the other way around, with him being seven years younger than Lippin.

Harley Hendrickson, the head of this facility, is a muscular dwarf with graying hair and a beard. He waited impatiently for the package to be unloaded, his gloved hands rubbing against each other while he grinned in anticipation.

And lastly, Clara Steinbelt, came from the neighboring Magic Technology System Development Facility. She is a dignified-looking woman who came from a low nobility background, as well as a well-known Mage. Unlike the excited Hendrickson, she simply stood there silently.

The gathered subordinate, consisting of engineers, approached the back of the truck and unloaded something covered in a blue tarpaulin, carefully placing it on the hangar’s floor. In addition, they also unloaded a couple of wooden boxes stamped with bright red letters and placed them next to the object.

“By the way, Chief Birkburn.”

“Yes, Director?”

“What makes you think that this object will help with the Alpha Edge Project’s development?”

“Well, the object itself is a prototype technology completely unrelated to the Heavenly Vessel, it’s just that it is installed with an advanced arithmetic unit, a Clearance Level 4 technology directly taken from an Ancient Sorcerous Empire Armored Golem and installed into it.”

“Arithmetic unit, huh? I see, I’m guessing that researching it is essential to produce a miniaturized conductive magnetic radar that you can mount on a Heavenly Vessel?”

“That’s absolutely correct, Director.”

“Gahahaha! Director Lippin, it’s only a year and a half, but you’re making great strides with your job, I must say,” Hendrickson laughed loudly, praising the tall raven-haired man.

“Ah… I tried my best not to be a letdown to everyone,” Lippin replied sheepishly.

“Excuse me, Director. I appreciate your humbleness, but as a person befitting your position, you should speak with more dignity and keep your posture straight,” Steinbelt, the group’s resident noble, commented from the side.

“Ah—I mean, thank you for your advice, Lady Steinbelt.”

The young director straightened his back and schooled his features, then bowed lightly to Steinbelt with a slightly deeper and sterner tone than before. Hearing Lippin’s baritone voice sent a slight shiver down Steinbelt’s spine, but she did not show it outwardly. Unbeknownst to Steinbelt, several other female staff members behind her who secretly harbored a crush to the director also felt the same way.

“Better,” Steinbelt said, satisfied, “Just keep in mind that you are the face of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures. Show the people out there that we are elites that will not let themselves be looked down on by anyone.”

“……I understand.”

‘Honestly, as one would expect from a nobility,’ Birkburn sighed inwardly.

While the leaders were talking to each other, the engineers finished setting up the package and unveiled it, removing the tarpaulin covering the object to reveal the object underneath. Seeing the vehicle’s appearance caused the group to gasp in awe.

“Hahaha! Man, this is nostalgic,” Hendrickson laughed again.

“Indeed, especially it is state-of-the-art for the time,” Steinbelt added.

The two leaders were once involved in the development of this prototype and couldn’t help but reminisce the old days, something that Birkburn, who already read the archives, can understand. However, Lippin, who was new to classified materials, raised an eyebrow.

“I never thought that you people were crazy enough to put an Armored Golem’s arithmetic unit to an autobike…”

An autobike is what the Holy Milishial Empire call a motorcycle, a two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. However, unlike the autobikes commonly seen in the streets, this prototype resembles what those from Earth call a modern dirt bike, with a jet-black paint scheme, two handguards jutting out from the dashboard, an exposed engine block, and a pair of metallic-colored exhaust pipes from both sides of the autobike.

“I have never seen an autobike like this before, Professor Hendrickson.”

“Well, yes. Director, this autobike is called the M1605 Trychaser, a one-off prototype jointly developed by the Ground and Magic Technology Facilities ten years ago. Unlike the cars and autobikes you see on the street, this Trychaser is powered by a fire-type motor engine, which is why it has exhaust pipes. This engine is less fuel efficient compared to the lightning-type motor, which is why it is less competitive in the market. But personally, I liked the roaring sound a fire-type motor produces compared to a lightning-type motor’s whine.”

Lippin hummed, “But wasn’t lightning-type motor already invented twenty years ago? Why are you decided to build this… Trychaser, was it? Why are you building this autobike with a fire-type motor?”

To his question, Steinbelt answered. “First of all, for experimental purposes. We aim to build a faster and more powerful autobike than the conventional ones in the market. Also, the fire-type motor gave the Trychaser the ability of afterboosting, increasing its maximum speed from 100 to 150 kilometers per hour. For comparison, common autobikes can reach speeds of 70 kilometers per hour maximum.”

“My goodness…!”

Afterboosting refers to the injection of nitrous oxide into the fire-type motor engine’s combustion chamber and mixing it with the liquid magic stone fuel, increasing its output in order to increase the Trychaser’s speed. However, it resulted in even worse fuel efficiency. In addition, the fire-type motor’s loud sound resulted in it being less popular than the lightning-type motor, which is the mainstream engine for the Holy Milishial Empire’s cars and autobikes. But some hobbyists are known to modify their vehicles with fire-type motor and Ticadou, an autobike manufacturer, have manufactured fire-type motor-equipped autobikes in limited numbers. Harley Hendrickson is one of them.

“However, I’m still confused as to why you are putting a Clearance Level 4 technology to an autobike.”

“About that, Director,” Birkburn started, “It’s related to this autobike’s operational history. I can’t tell you here, but its document is available in the Archive Department. If you want to take a look, here are the keywords…”

He leaned to whisper in Lippin’s ears. After finishing conveying the keywords, Birkburn nodded to his superior and went to examine the displayed Trychaser.

‘1605, Gas, Mutation, Arcle, Sheba, and Uqbar… Also, Flamberge? Isn’t that Robin Calvello’s codename? It seems there’s more to that girl than meets the eye, huh…’

With this revelation, the young director decided to visit the Archive Department sometime in the future to satisfy his curiosity and maybe visit Robin herself to have a talk.

The MOASEC personnel stripped the M1605 Trychaser of sensitive components, including the afterboosting mechanism, an unspecified spell projector mechanism installed on the headlights, the onboard manacom, and the dashboard-mounted advanced arithmetic unit which was handed over to the Alpha Edge Project for research. After that, they updated the currently publicly available information to include the Trychaser in it. It is safe to say that the autobike’s sophisticated design quickly attracted people’s attention.

Later, when the MOASEC announced that they will develop an autobike based on the technology implemented in the Trychaser, several companies reportedly approached the ministry to offer joint development. Among them are the Ticadou Motors and Wellston-Martini Automobiles. To no one’s surprise, Aikon Corporation, a communications equipment and magic circuit manufacturer that has begun to expand its field of activities aggressively as of late, also said to contact the Ancient Ministry for similar reasons.

On the other hand, the Imperial Police Headquarters, the Imperial Guards, as well as the Armed Forces are also said to express interest on the new autobike. If all goes well, a mass-produced model of the Trychaser might appear in the future.

Currently Publicly Available Information

M1605 TRYCHASER

A prototype autobike developed by the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire, designed for experimental purposes. A new model of autobike, it was designed to be faster and more powerful than the mainstream autobikes sold in the market. Its dashboard consists of a combination of buttons and levers to operate an inbuilt manacom. The Trychaser is powered by a 250-cc fire-type motor engine capable of reaching a speed of 100 km/h thanks to its relatively light weight of only 103 kilograms.

Although some of its equipment which are unavailable for public disclosure have been removed, the Trychaser still functions perfectly as an autobike. Tests using an updated model revealed the Trychaser to be an excellent off-road bike.

Chapter Text

January 16, 1615 Central Calendar, 20:00

Aikon Corporation Headquarters, William Ameir District, Runepolis

On the northwestern part of the Imperial Capital Runepolis, located on the northern estuary of the Great Sumter River that divides the metropolitan area in two, lies William Ameir District where many of the Holy Empire’s largest companies’ headquarters and facilities are located. One of them is the Aikon Corporation, a major magical computing and communications manufacturing company.

On the topmost floor of a high-rise building standing among the heaven-reaching silvery white skyscrapers of Runepolis, the CEO of Aikon Corporation stood looking down at the district from his office. The large window panes behind his desk, which gave him a clear view of the outside cityscape, also faintly reflected his thinly smiling face as he stood in silence, admiring the never-ending glimmer of the Sleepless Magical City, an icon of prosperity and the architectural magnum opus of not only in the Holy Empire but also in the known world. Amidst the concrete jungle made of the finest reinforced concrete that the Holy Empire produces, the gliding snowflakes’ reflected light added an even more ethereal glow to an already fantastic urban scenery.

The CEO is a happy man. When he founded Aikon Corporation eight years ago, he did not expect it to become a global player so quickly. Originally known for being the producer of manacom capable of manufacturing their own magic circuits, the core of all magic technology, the company’s latest product, the grimoire, quickly become a massive hit and is selling like hotcakes in the market where they are never short of customers, particularly wealthy middle to upper-class individuals including nobility, thus bringing the company massive wealth. Not to mention that requests for the installation and upgrading of magic wave transmission towers as well as other support infrastructure kept flowing in not only from the Holy Empire itself but also from the neighboring countries in the Central World, taking advantage of the recent government policy of relaxing technology restrictions on those countries in exchange of dirt-cheap chunks of a previously thought useless substance.

The manacom already utterly dominated the known world’s telecommunications market due to their ability to perform voice communications directly over long distances, denying even a remote chance for their closest ‘rival,’ the Kingdom of Mu’s recently developed wireless telegraph, to enter international trade. Manacoms were used by the nation itself for communication as well, and if it weren’t for their desire to be totally free of any tools related to magic, they would have long since accepted them.

The CEO sees nothing wrong with that form his perspective. People, buildings, civilization, everything in this world that is advanced is born because they are wanted by someone, a result of desiring something, to act out of one’s greed. However, just as the Muish have their own desires, the CEO also has his own, and he is a really greedy man.

The manacom from Aikon Corporation, which uses their own magic circuit technology, is regarded as the best magical communications device among its rivals thankts to its impressive voice output and shock resistance. Additionally, it is currently available as a grimoire that combines the advantages of desk-mounted and bracelet-style manacoms. As the demand for grimoires rises, so do the company’s stock prices. As the Aikon Corporation continued to expand, the thought of his company’s rising fortunes brought a smile to his face, allowing the CEO to go about his daily routines with a peace of mind.

It seemed that all of his endeavors and hardships he had to endure had paid off, but he still desires more. However, the CEO acknowledges that all this success cannot be achieved without the help of the company’s certain benefactors, and being high-born from a prominent Milishian nobility, the CEO felt obligated to repay this great debt himself.

Ding!

The sound of a chime notified him of a visitor beyond his office door. With a snap of his fingers and a brief flash of mana, the magic circuits that operated the sliding door recognized the unspoken spell’s mana pattern and kicked the operation, moving the door aside to reveal a young light brown-haired beastwoman with rounded animal ears protruding from the top of her head. Wearing warm clothing, she walked in silence into the CEO’s office, a spacious room decorated in a minimalist style, yet still exuded an air of elegance thanks to its futuristic design.

“Forgive me for calling you so suddenly when you are about to finish your job and go home, my dear Fiolina.”

Still looking at the outside view, the CEO’s smooth voice echoed inside the quiet room, addressing the now-named woman, Fiolina.

“Do you need something, Mister President?” Fiolina inquired, following the work etiquette that has been established in this company, including addressing the CEO with a proper term despite his nobility status.

“Hmm. Actually…” the CEO trailed off, finally turning around to face her. “I will go straight to the topic. I want you to deliver something.”

“Deliver something…?”

The CEO hummed in affirmation and reached for a drawer of his desk, pulling out a maroon-colored case and opening it on top of the desk for Fiolina to see. Fiolina, who had an idea of what was stored inside that case, widened her eyes in surprise.

“You see, I’ve ordered this to be prepared since last year and planned it to be delivered when our grimoire sales reach our targeted number. However, I am happy to say that we’ve reached one hundred thousand sales of grimoire quite earlier than expected, and just as the research and development division has finished these new devices, I wanted to give this as a token of appreciation to our generous benefactors to test as well as to celebrate this occasion!” the CEO explained, sitting on his chair.

He was beaming from ear to ear as he spoke to Fiolina in front of him. His youthful countenance, a trait common to the Holy Empire’s upper-class society who often looked much younger than their actual age regardless of race, was radiating an air of excitement like a child who was about to show off a toy that his parents just bought him to his friends.

“Ah…” Fiolina mumbled, a bit dumbfounded. “But Mister President… are you sure about this decision?”

“Huh? Of course I am. Besides it’s not like this is the first time we’ve given them the samples of our products,” the CEO replied with a raised eyebrow, pointing out the prototype grimoires his company once gave the Runepolis Magic Academy.

“That’s different, sir. Grimoires are magic tools installed with communication spell as its only function, they cannot do anything that the new prototypes are capable of,” the beastwoman deadpanned.

Her boss was probably doing this out of a sense of honor and a desire to repay his debt by personally giving rewards to his company’s benefactors, as much as a busy CEO holding the helm of a telecommunications industry giant could, being a nobleman and all. However, she couldn’t help but think that he is a bit too careless with this one.

“Can’t you just assign our company’s employees to test them first?” Fiolina asked.

“They, who had a hand in giving birth to this device, belonged to the Ancient Ministry who is in partnership with us. As one point the partnership agreement mentioned, the testing of a jointly developed technology shall be done jointly. Although we developed these prototypes separately, the resources for its core technology were provided by the ministry.”

“Well… I heard that they are very busy with their work with a very strict schedule. Can’t you just do it with other Ancient Ministry employees? I’m sure they will be delighted.”

“Oh I know, and I can do that, but that would be disrespectful to our benefactors, wouldn’t it? They deserved to be notified first of the development, you know. Director Arsene Lippin said to me that all three of them are free for the next two days, but you best come in the morning and deliver these to them while they are doing exercises in their Training Ground. Whether it’s tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, it’s your choice.”

Fiolina slumped her shoulders and sighed. The CEO won’t budge in his decision, so she thought it was no use to argue further. Besides, this is not the weirdest of her boss’ requests.

“I understand, Mister President, I will do as you say.”

The CEO clapped his hands and exclaimed, “Splendid! Now, Secretary Fiolina Bucciarati, you are hereby assigned to deliver the new prototypes and oversee the joint testing together with the Ancient Ministry personnel!”

“Leave it to me,” Fiolina answered, straightening her back. “Is that all, sir?”

“No, wait.”

Reaching again to his desk drawer, the CEO quickly pulled a rather thick-looking brown envelope and handed it to Fiolina so casually that she recoiled and gasped in surprise, especially when she saw her name written on it. When she inspected and opened it, Fiolina’s enhanced sense of smell caught the distinct scent emanating from neatly arranged pink zollark banknotes freshly printed by the Imperial Printing Agency peeking out from the envelope.

“Eeeh…!?”

“For your troubles, that’s fifteen percent of your paycheck as a bonus. Now, deliver this and I’ll give you another fifteen percent. That’s good enough for you?”

“I………… uh……”

Fiolina struggled to formulate words at how abrupt the situation was.

“I would have baked a cake for you to celebrate but I guess this will do. Is that good enough for you or not? Are you not satisfied with the amount?” the CEO asked curiously.

“T-thank you very much, Mister President! This is just fine!!”

“Oh? Okay, then. You can go home now.”

With a wave of the CEO’s hand, Fiolina quickly made her courtesies and left the office. With the departure of the secretary, the room was enveloped in silence once more. The CEO’s smiling expression that he had maintained throughout the meeting with Fiolina morphed into a lopsided one as he brought his hand to his chin, contemplating something. Inside the still open drawer where he just pulled Fiolina’s bonus, several other envelopes with her name written on them can be seen, along with other names. All of the envelopes were also accompanied with “15 percent” written on them.

“Hmm… just fine, you say?”

January 17, 1615 Central Calendar, 05:50

Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, San Redentore District

The sun has yet to rise, but three people can be seen running along the side of an empty road. Behind Robin, who was running ahead, Meteos and Walman followed her silently, trying to keep up with their teacher’s pace on their daily routine of a morning run to a Training Ground five kilometers from their apartment. However, today they were going to stay a bit longer at their destination.

“What’s wrong? Getting tired already?” Robin cheekily taunted as she looked behind her.

“………”

“!!”

Although Meteos did not show any reaction, sparing only a flat glance at her before refocusing his attention back to the road that was still illuminated by the streetlights, it spurred Walman who was running at the rear end to rush forward in order to catch after her, the vapor that came out of his mouth and nose became more intense as soon as he heard her words and soon came running side by side with his silver-haired friend. Seeing his friend about to turn into a literal hothead would have been quite amusing if not for the fact that the very attitude is what would lead his childhood friend into an unceremonious death. Now that those unpleasant memories came rushing in again, his lips contorted into a frown as he tried to shake away those thoughts.

That is one of the downsides of being able to clearly remember everything. Memories like the death of a closed one often came just as fast as inspiration to create new inventions no matter how Meteos wished to bury them deep within his mind.

“Tsk,” he clicked his tongue and decided to finally speak for the sake of his own peace of mind.

“Teacher! Was that really necessary?” he called out, causing Robin to look at him in slight surprise. Even though they were still running, their pace slowed to a crawl as a result of Meteos’ interruption.

“Don’t worry! I can take it!” came a reply from beside him.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah!” Walman nodded vigorously, giving Meteos a toothy grin.

After a moment, Meteos smirked and replied, “Fine, suit yourself, then,” before turning toward his teacher again, “Sorry for interrupting, Miss Robin. Let’s continue.”

“Right, remember we’re only getting started! I was working almost twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, so let’s destroy some dummies to let off steam!”

“Alright!”

“Do you ever get tired from all of the work!?” Walman yelled.

After giving them an apologetic nod and continuing their running, Robin chuckled under her breath as she observed the silverette’s behavior around Walman. They are a pair of childhood buddies who like to help each other, but she also noticed that Meteos is somewhat protective and quick to defend the other boy. Whenever Walman is about to get emotional, he is also quick to calm him down. Even though he still has his own moments, with that neutral expression he usually wears, Meteos is easily the more mature one of the pair, at least according to Robin’s observation.

They spent several more minutes running to their destination. Upon arriving, their wristwatches already showed three minutes past six o’clock, and the golden glow of the rising sun already started to decorate the snow-covered hilltops of the eastern skyline. Even though it was in the middle of winter, the weather that morning was pleasant despite there was the prediction that the snow hail that swept the district last night might turn into another blizzard.

But it’s still in the middle of January after all, and they were running in the early morning. Breathing cold air usually stung Meteos’ nose and sent a burning sensation to his lungs, causing him intense discomfort and souring his mood. This is one of the reasons why he prefers summer out of all seasons in the known world. Combined with the fact that this day is actually Saturday, people would usually prefer to stay in the warmth of their homes and he would be lying if he wasn’t tempted to do the same. However, Meteos and Walman have their own reasons to go out and exert themselves in this routine.

It started around September two years ago, when they first got acquainted with Robin and moved to enroll at the Runepolis Magic Academy. At that time, she asked Meteos and Walman, who were Student Mages, if they wished to continue to advance their status as magic practitioners and become Mages. If they wished to do so, she will help with their education and training until they become full-fledged Mages. Their answer was obvious. No children in the Holy Empire who did not dream of becoming a Mage.

But why would Robin bother to offer them help?

That is because of the ranking system for the mages in the Holy Milishial Empire. Unlike its neighbors and other civilized and non-civilized nations that ranked their magical practitioners according to the amount of mana or the rank of magic they could use, the Holy Milishial Imperial Constitution only classified the ‘mages,’ which in the Constitution referred to as ‘bearer of mana and practitioner of magical arts,’ into five ranks: Student Mage, Apprentice Mage, Mage, Advanced Mage, and Grand Mage. This classification is less about their ability to use magic, but rather closely tied to their level of education and achievements. This rather strange system which is only used in the Holy Milishial Empire is referred to as the ‘Milishian Model’ by the other countries’ mage communities.

In the past, there was a proposal to create an honorable rank, the Mage Emperor, which will be held by the Holy Empire’s monarch who is the de facto strongest Grand Mage in the entire known world. However, Emperor Milishial VIII sternly rejected it and ordered it to be never brought up again due to how it sounded dangerously close to the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s traditions. It was unthinkable that an ardent worshipper of the gods would bear such a blasphemous title.

The lowest rank, Student Mage, is automatically given to any citizens of the Holy Empire upon enrolling in the elementary school which already teaches magology, or the study of magic, in their curriculum. They only get to actually cast magic spells during the practical exam at the end of elementary school. Because education in the Holy Milishial Empire is compulsory at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, all Milishian citizens possess this rank at the minimum. However, the fact that it is equivalent to the lowest rank of the other countries’ own hierarchies caused any self-respecting Milishian citizen to pursue higher education to advance to the next rank, the Apprentice Mage.

This rank is normally granted to Student Mages after graduating from high school. However, a Student Mage can advance in rank much earlier if a Mage or higher-ranked practitioner proposes to the government and takes them as their official apprentice, such as the case with Meteos Roguerider and Walman Falkenhausen who already become Apprentice Mages after graduating junior high school. This is the rank held by the majority of the Holy Empire’s citizens and is a point of pride for the Milishian people over other nations, as the Holy Empire’s “Apprentice Mage” is generally more educated and capable compared to the other nations’ “Mage” rank.

Next is the rank of Mage. In normal circumstances, this rank is awarded to an Apprentice Mage who completed all the requirements it entails as well as passing the exam held annually by the Imperial Board of Magical Arts Supervision. Although Meteos and Walman’s work in inventing magical technologies already guaranteed the completion of the requirements to become one, they are held back by the exam’s minimum participating age which is fifteen years old. However, that did not stop them from training in preparation for that.

If being an Apprentice Mage is a source of pride for the Milishian people over other nations, then being a certified Mage is what distinguishes a Milishian among his or her fellow citizens. Some professions, such as medicine, pharmacy, firefighting department, funeral service, the Ancient Ministry’s engineering departments, diplomatic escorts, combat engineering, and Imperial Guards, require the minimum rank of Mage as a prerequisite for employment. In addition, following a centuries-old tradition, members of the clergy are usually powerful Mages.

Now, the reason why Robin offered supervising and training of Meteos and Walman as her apprentice is because of the requirement in rising in rank from Mage to an Advanced Mage. Unlike the previous ranks, the difficulty level to become an Advanced Mage jumped considerably. Not only a Mage is required to display acceptable proficiency in performing magical arts, which requires rigorous training, they are also required to contribute to the Holy Milishial Empire’s development in technology by creating at least one breakthrough invention and to take at least two Apprentice Mages and do everything in their power to supervise them until they become full-fledged Mages. Only then a Mage will be granted the rank of Advanced Mage.

However, the responsibility of this rank is high, as an Advanced Mage’s status is tied to the behavior of the Mages they mentored. If a Mage they once mentored is involved in a crime utilizing the magic they’ve learned, their mentor Advanced Mage will be subjected to a thorough investigation by the Imperial Board of Magical Arts Supervision and, with enough evidence, they can be held accountable for negligence in supervising them and punished by revocation of the Advanced Mage’s rank. Even worse, if a crime is done during the apprenticeship period, the supervising Mage’s rank will be immediately revoked and they will be forever blacklisted from re-entering the exam.

Robin already has the training and invention parts covered, all that’s left is to take apprentices. Her original plan was to take them under her wing until they graduated from university, but Meteos and Walman are unexpected jackpots. If Meteos and Walman, who desired to become Mages, can complete the next exam which will be held in August, Robin will be granted the coveted Advanced Mage title only around 23 months after their first encounter, or if following the official date of the start of their apprenticeship, ten months.

Based on her own experience, Robin devised a training program to ensure their success as aspirant Mages. As of now, her apprentices’ physical strength, endurance, stamina, flexibility, and mana reserves have improved considerably compared to when she first met them. Especially for Meteos, whose small stature in his early teenage years is a bit of a sore spot for him. What is the most important thing for Meteos is that he is now only a few centimeters shorter than Walman, even though he is still the shortest of the three. Other things such as the fact that the changes in his appearance where the remaining traces of childish innocence is already giving way to something else are of a secondary concern for him.

Because the three of them are busy with their jobs, they cycled through exercises that Robin laid out and this Saturday’s portion can be said to be their favorite, because it involves magic spells. There is nothing more exhilarating than being able to freely launch magic spells one after another. Simply unleashing the birthright of a sentient being of this world is already enough a stress relief, just like what Robin had said.

However, as much as it is fun to do that, discipline is required when it comes to practicing magical arts. This is why the Second Amendment in the Holy Milishial Imperial Constitution introduced punishment for the misuse of magic outside of self-defense, emergencies, or outside the designated areas for the sake of national security. They are not barbarians, after all.

Just as they were about to proceed to the next part of today’s training, Robin spoke to her apprentices.

“So… Meteos and Walman,” she started, “Since it’s already in the middle of January, you have less than eight months left before the exam. You know, it’s almost two years since we started doing this and you have grown so much since then. And by the way, Meteos, congratulations on not being a runt anymore, hehehe,” she grinned teasingly as Walman tried not to burst into laughter.

Eyes twitching, Meteos retorted, “Just you wait, I’ll eventually grow taller than you.”

Even without this much physical training, Meteos as an adult in his past life is around Arsene’s height, which is taller than Robin.

“Uh-huh, I don’t doubt that, just make sure that you stay in good shape. Now do you understand why I always tell you to get enough rest each night? It’s because you grow and adapt when you recover, and the best recovery time is sleep. Don’t you think you can get away with only four hours of sleep each night, Kid, only villains do that.”

“What—” Meteos blinked, a bit confused with the last part of Robin’s sentence.

“What?”

“What?” Walman also blurted.

“………”

“………”

“………”

The three stared comically at each other before Robin rapidly shook her head and continued with her lecture.

“Anyway! Maybe you have an entire universe inside your head that you wanted to unleash on this world, Meteos, I don’t know, but make sure you are getting enough sleep, eight hours every single night. I don’t care how you do it, but you must do it. The same goes for you, Walman. Is that understood?”

Meteos sighed in resignation at this one matter that his teacher liked to repeat like a broken tape at nearly every opportunity and each time she brought up that topic, her explanation differed from the last. However, he understood that she means well with those points. Some people who are envious of her might think that Robin is nothing more than a greedy opportunist who took advantage of his and Walman’s achievements to propel her own, but he knew better. She truly cared for her apprentices’ well-being and he respected Robin for it.

“Yes.”

Robin nodded, pleased with the response.

“Alright, now let’s go to the warehouse and put some protective gear on before getting started.”

She was about to leave for a nearby storage room when a slight noise caught Meteos’ ear, causing him to turn at the Training Ground’s entrance with a confused noise.

“Hm?”

“What is it?” Robin asked at her student’s sudden action.

“Hey, look,” Meteos replied, pointing at the entrance.

When they turned to look, from afar, they can make out someone riding an autobike approaching the Training Ground. The closer the autobike got, the louder its signature whining noise became. Robin raised an eyebrow as the rider brought their autobike to stop in front of the three of them, then widened her eyes in recognition as they removed the goggles and the helmet that covered their head. The person shook their head several times, causing the long hair underneath that helmet to flow freely.

Riding the black cruiser-type autobike is one of Robin’s acquaintances, a demi-human woman in her early 20s. With two rounded animal ears protruding from her long brown hair and a bushy tail from her lower back, she must have belonged to the Daby Tribe, one of the beastfolk subgroups that live in the Holy Milishial Empire. Yawning slightly, she pulled a briefcase attached to the autobike’s rear trunk and dismounted from the bike.

“Professor, long time no see,” the woman greeted.

“Hahaha! If it isn’t Secretary Fiolina Bucciarati from the Aikon Corporation!” Robin replied with a happy smile.

Rubbing his chin in contemplation, Meteos hummed as he witnessed the two ladies exchanging pleasantries.

‘The King of the Condor Tower has sent his right-hand woman to a secluded place in the most secluded part of Runepolis for whatever reason. Intriguing.’

“Well, Fiolina, what brings you to this place?”

“It’s both an official business visit to the Ancient Ministry and a personal assignment from Mister President to come to this Training Ground,” the beastwoman, Fiolina, answered with a practiced businesslike attitude.

“Huh. Instead of the Ministry’s administration, you came here of all places? What kind of assignment is that?”

Robin was curious.

“To celebrate the one hundred thousandth sale of the grimoire, the President of the Aikon Corporation, Lord Victor Legendorga, has requested me to deliver this to you three as a gift—”

“I’m sorry, but we cannot take those,” Robin interjected with an edge in her voice. “Please tell Lord Legendorga that if he wants to send the Ministry gifts, he should have visited the administration, not us. This is not how things work.”

No matter how sincere the CEO of Aikon Corporation in his intentions, she cannot accept this gratification. When faced with something of unclear status like this, Robin preferred to avoid it altogether.

Huffing at the interruption, Fiolina continued, “…If you let me finish my explanation, you’ll know that Mister President contacted your boss personally, and Director Lippin has given his permission. These so-called gifts are delivered to you under the guise of joint testing of newly developed technology that both the Aikon Corporation and the Ancient Ministry developed together and has been approved by both sides. Furthermore, I was assigned the task of testing it together with you as a company representative. Now, can you please accept it quietly?”

“Then, why don’t anyone inform us beforehand!?” Robin asked in exasperation.

“I guess Mister President wanted it to be a surprise for you,” Fiolina shrugged.

“………”

Robin brought a hand to her face and groaned. ‘This better worth our time,’ she thought, upset that her quality time with her students have been interrupted.

“Fine. What is these ‘gifts’ anyway?”

Fiolina twirled the briefcase and opened it to show Robin. The astonished expression that adorned the bespectacled woman’s face is the same as when Fiolina’s boss showed its contents to her last night.

“Woah! This is…!” Robin exclaimed.

Looking at each other, Meteos and Walman approached their teacher from behind to take a better look.

“What is it, Miss Robin?”

Inside the case is three unfamiliar devices with what looked like three enlarged Aikon magic circuits in three different colors.

“Is this what I think it is…?” Meteos tilted his head.

“It looks different from Miss Robin’s, though.”

Gesturing to the larger devices one by one, Fiolina explained to the amazed trio.

“One set of prototype Unit 00, ‘A.M. Revolution,’ two sets of prototype Unit 01, ‘BIRTH-DAY,’ and one Core Circuits for each. These are the gifts that Lord Legendorga presented to you… the second-generation Manadrivers. Now, since we are at a Training Ground, let’s carry our birthright and set it free.”

Robin felt a smile crept across her face. Maybe it will be worth their time after all.

Currently Publicly Available Information

MAGE RANKINGS

The civilizations in the known world recognize a system of titles for their ‘mages.’ The Holy Milishial Empire’s ranking system, which is codified in their Imperial Constitution, only divides their magic practitioners into five ranks, unlike the other countries who can group them into as many as six or seven ranks. Other countries have their own terms for these ranks, and the terms displayed on this entry are rough equivalent in Milishian terms.

Chapter Text

January 17, 1615 Central Calendar, 06:20

Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, San Redentore District

“…let’s carry our birthright and set it free.”

With a slowly widening smile, Robin reached for one of the devices—Second-Generation Manadrivers, that Fiolina Bucciarati, a secretary from the Aikon Corporation, had shown them. Picking up the one in the middle with one hand, her other hand reached for a yellow-colored large magic circuit.

“What great timing! We’re just about to practice our magic when you come.”

The new Manadriver is twice as large and is slightly heavier than the one in her possession. Its gleaming exterior—metallic, Robin noted, is colored a fierce combination of dark red and gold, while the other two in the briefcase are painted in regal gold and white. The lower part has a single large crystal lamp in the middle and two smaller lamps on its side, colored red and green. Meanwhile, on the top part, it sports wing-like protrusions with a black-colored handle equipped with a trigger at the end. It is asymmetrical, as on one side there is an opening to a slot that is precisely the size of the magic circuit she is holding.

Flipping the back and forth to examine it, Robin’s eyes were gleaming like a child’s as she felt herself extremely giddy at the prospect of testing it. Following her, Robin’s apprentices stepped forward and picked up the other two Manadrivers and circuits.

“Hee… this baby looks badass, so this is the Second-Generation Manadriver, huh?” Robin whistled.

“But… to ‘carry our birthright and set it free,’ you say? That’s quite a bold claim. What makes these different from the one invented by Miss Robin?”

The Daby beastwoman Fiolina turned her gaze toward the direction where that voice came from, a young man with hair as white as the snow that covered this entire Training Ground. At his question, Fiolina closed the briefcase and proceeded to explain the devices with a hint of smugness in her eyes.

“The one that Professor Calvello is holding right now is the prototype Unit 00, the A.M. Revolution, and the other two are the Unit 01, or BIRTH-DAY, as Mister President named it. The Second-Generation Manadriver of our company is a system made up of two parts, the Runite Redoublizer and the Runite Charger. Take a look at the Manadriver, press the trigger on that handle and you can separate them into two.”

“Huh? Is that so?” Robin asked and did as Fiolina say.

When she pressed the trigger on the handle and pulled it, the Manadriver beeped once and the magical mechanism that magnetically held the two parts together disengaged, ejecting the Charger from the Redoublizer.

“Uwoooah! It splits!!” she exclaimed.

Following her, Meteos and Walman did the same thing with the BIRTH-DAYs. They repeated the process several times, splitting and combining the devices. They also held it in one hand and shook it wildly to see if the combined parts will fall off, but the magnetic magic that held the device together securely clamped the Redoublizer and the Charger in place. As she looked on, Fiolina cringed at how rough they handled the devices, but since they belonged to the elite Ancient Ministry, they should know what they are doing.

Right?

“Amazing, it looks like it’s very high-tech!” Walman said in wonder.

“Intriguing. Then? What can these two parts do?”

Fiolina nodded shakily and continued her explanation.

“Let me start with the Runite Redoublizer. It fulfills the same function as Professor Calvello’s Manadriver. It is equipped with a component that we call a ‘Hard-Drive’ to store three medium-length spells—”

“What? Only three? Miss Robin’s Manadriver can store fi—YOW!” Walman whined before he yelped as Robin elbowed him.

“Sorry, let’s continue,” the bespectacled brunette apologized, shooting Walman a scolding look after that.

Fiolina’s left eye twitched, but she carried on, “…The reason why the storage capacity is less than five is to give room to a Processor, an advanced calculator, to pick these spells, break them down into components, and rearrange them to produce a new sequence of spells to match what the user desires to project into reality. Of course, we are currently working to improve the Manadriver so that the future models will be capable of even better performance!”

Mulling over the explanation, Meteos hummed and walked away, “Hmm… I get the gist of it.”

As they watched him walked to a nearby tree and picked up a branch, Fiolina muttered in confusion, “What is he doing?”

His teacher, Robin, only gave her a knowing smile. When Meteos returned, he used the tree branch he just picked up as a makeshift stick and began to draw on the snow. They listened to him as he spoke up, pointing at his drawing.

“So, it’s adding the capability to do permutation and combination. Miss Robin’s Manadriver can be installed with five spells with sequences made up for example, ‘ABC,’ ‘DEF,’ ‘GHI,’ ‘JKL,’ and ‘MNO,’ but since they are fixed, those five are the only spells that the user can cast instantly. But with the Second-Generation Manadriver, if the spells installed are made up of sequences for example, ‘ABC,’ ‘DEF,’ and ‘GHI,’ the Processor can process the spells, taking their components to create a new sequence to match what the user desires, such as ‘ABD,’ ‘ABE,’ ‘ADC,’ ‘AHG,’ before instantly casting it. That is, if none of the three spells have the same components. Without a Manadriver, a Mage must be specific and detailed in their desire, doing the calculations and then chanting the spell. With Miss Robin’s Manadriver, the user can use magic by simply desiring to use the name of a spell installed in it. Meanwhile, with this new Manadriver, the user can be more flexible in preparing the spell, as they could just desire something simple where the Manadriver will interpret that desire with the spells installed inside the Hard-Drive, process it, and instantly cast it.”

“………Wow, that’s a pretty good explanation,” Fiolina muttered in response to Meteos’ explanation.

She did not expect this boy to pull out a lengthy explanation about the Second-Generation Manadriver’s mechanism mere moments after encountering it, neither she expected him to do so in a manner that is fairly easy to understand. Of course, he greatly simplified its capabilities with his explanation.

“But there is no spell made up with only three components,” Fiolina pointed out, “The shortest spell known to man is made up of five.”

Meteos nodded, “That’s right. But imagine, if nine non-repeatable components can create 60.480 possible combinations of a nonexistent three-sequence spell, what a Mage can do with three spells, each spell is made up of at least ten components, and there will be certainly repetitions. How many millions of combinations the Manadriver can create…?”

“………”

From this point onward, the only one that can limit it is the Mage’s own imagination. Now what if there are four or more installed spells, or if the Manadriver can process a very long spell. It’s both very amazing and terrifying to think about.

“That’s crazy…” Walman stared at the Unit 01 BIRTH-DAY like some sort of holy artifact, realizing the potential held by this device.

Fiolina huffed, pleased that the elites at the Ancient Ministry are more than impressed with her company’s product.

On the other hand…

“Millions……!? HOOOOLY SHIEEEET!!” Robin shrieked, causing Walman and Fiolina to jump at how sudden and loud she was.

“Language—” Meteos deadpanned, but his teacher ignored him and babbled away.

“COL CAVOLO! *1 I can’t believe it! Is this even my invention!? I can’t believe I’m about to see this much improvement in less than five years!”

Meteos and Walman who knew her find that Robin is a fairly easy person to impress with something new. But to make her so thrilled that she momentarily reverted to her native southern language? Not even the Heavenly Vessel can do that as far as they remembered. To be fair, Manadrivers are her invention, to see it improve so much in a very short time is like a mother seeing her own child grow up to be a successful person in life. Robin even looked like she was going to have a seizure from pure joy.

“Erm, Professor—” Fiolina began.

“HNGGGG! MY PRECIOUS! MY PRECIOUS MANADRIVER! UWOOOAAH!”

The beastwoman was feeling weirded out by Robin that she backed away with her apprentices.

“E-excuse me, should we snap her out of it?” Fiolina whispered to the two boys, fearing that any more absurdity could break the professional air that she had already struggled to maintain ever since arriving at this Training Ground.

“Let’s wait for one or two minutes. I’ve never seen her like this before, it’s so funny,” Meteos laughed.

“Eeh? Are you kidding me?”

Fiolina looked aghast. When she set out to do the assignment given by her boss, she tried her best to maintain a perfect mannerism and knowledge about the Manadriver so that she won’t be an embarrassment to the Aikon Corporation in the face of the Ancient Ministry, the people whose occupation is to find ways to protect humanity. However, what did she encounter?

An immature kid, a creepy, overly mature kid, and a weirdo. Worse, these three are supposed to be the benefactors that helped the Aikon Corporation in the research that culminated in the birth of the Second-Generation Manadriver.

‘Why are they so carefree…?’ she thought, feeling conflicted. It’s hard to take them seriously after seeing their behavior so far.

Two minutes later, as Meteos had promised, they brought Robin back to reality and continued with the briefing.

---

Fiolina stared at the assembled representatives of the Ancient Ministry holding the Manadrivers in their hands and took a deep breath after finishing her explanation about the Runite Redoublizer.

“Okay, are there any questions at this point?”

Meteos raised his hand, “Right. Using my earlier explanation, I would like to raise two points of concern. First, if the user desires to cast an ‘ABJ,’ what will happen since the ‘J’ component does not exist in the Hard-Drive? And the second, can the Manadriver’s Processor really process that many components at once? I am not doubting the Aikon Corporation, but I just wanted an assurance.”

Meteos’ tone caused Fiolina to swallow involuntarily. Composing herself, she answered his question according to what she knows about the device. The first question is not that hard to answer since as an Apprentice Mage, Fiolina had learned it in the magology classes.

“For the first question… well, without something to fill the missing components like a magic stone, an incomplete spell cannot be used to perform magic no matter how the user desired it, right? So I think the answer is quite obvious.”

Just after she answered the question, Walman quickly raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“Then, what would happen if we use the Manadriver like what Meteos just described? Instead of desiring… err… ah, like this, ‘I want to destroy that rock with a Thunderbolt,’ or ‘I want to destroy that rock with a bullet of air compressed and spun by mana, et cetera, et cetera,’ I only desire ‘I want to destroy that rock.’ If we used the Manadriver in that way, what would happen?”

“There is a possibility… that the Manadriver will try to interpret that rather vague desire with the closest thing it had in its Hard-Drive and produce random magic to fulfill that goal. Either way, the desire will still be projected into reality, it’s just it might not fit with what the user envisions. That’s what I think.”

“Huh,” Walman looked thoughtful.

‘Did I nail it?’ Fiolina muttered in her mind.

To use an analogy, using magic is like painting. The ‘painter,’ or the wielder of magic, who desires something, projected that desire into the ‘canvas’ that is the reality using the ‘paint’ (mana) through a series of ‘brush strokes’ (spellcasting). However, the user’s desire must change something into reality, like conjuring fire or creating a gust of wind. Simply unleashing mana aimlessly will result in an ‘abstract painting’ that cannot exist in the real world. It will do nothing other than making yourself more noticeable to a detector because of the flash of mana.

The more complex the desire, the more effort the user has to exert in order to produce it, the more paint the user has to use and the more strokes of the brush they must do to paint the reality and realize their desire. Of course, the knowledge of what their desire will become is also required in order to produce a ‘good painting.’

The Manadriver, a very new technology in the Holy Milishial Empire, is touted to tear down the common sense of using magic.

Robin’s Manadriver works like a stamp. There are already fixed patterns that just waited to be drenched in mana to ‘stamp’ the reality using the Manadriver, instantly casting certain magic spells that are installed within the Manadriver.

Now, using painting as an analogy, what does the Second-Generation Manadriver do?

It’s like telling someone else to do your painting. You can either tell them as detailed as possible or just the general idea and left the person to paint your desire to their interpretation. Of course, the person doesn’t always know things that you know and maybe they will take several liberties in the painting process. On the other hand, too vague instructions can cause the person to turn back at you and say, “I don’t know.” In other words, there is also a possibility that the Second-Generation Manadriver with its still limited storage will suffer an error when it is inputted with a desire that is too broad for interpretation.

“As for your second question… to answer that question is our purpose today, we will test the capabilities of the Second-Generation Manadriver to its limit…”

Looking at Robin, who shrugged, Meteos smiled at Fiolina.

“Fair enough.”

Fiolina resisted the urge to smile back. However, Walman raised his hand again.

“What is the purpose of the slot in this part?” he questioned, pointing to the opening on the Redoublizer.

“That is called the Core Circuit Loader. I will explain that later, now, let’s move to the second part of the device.”

“Ah, yes, Runite Charger,” Walman nodded.

“Now, take a look at the Charger. What do you think it looks like?” Fiolina began.

As the three held the Charger’s grip and looked at it closely, they realized that it looked like a thick knuckle duster.

“So, can we punch people with this?” Robin chortled.

“Well, yes, but actually no,” the beastwoman retorted flatly. “It is not advisable to directly strike other people or objects with it, because it has several sensitive components inside.”

“Well, that’s disappointing,” the older woman said with a faux-downcast look.

Fiolina facepalmed. ‘What is wrong with you, crazy woman!?’

“Well… you can just punch the air in the general direction of someone while casting magic… Anyway! Because the system is now able to realize desire, in order to prevent accidental spell casting, our company designed the Runite Charger as the control unit for the Second-Generation Manadriver. Right now, the Manadriver is in a deactivated state called the ‘Save Mode.’ In that mode, no matter how much mana you channel into the device to activate magic, it will not cast anything. In order to activate the system and enter the ‘Operation Mode,’ channel mana in your body part and press the Charger against it.”

The three brought their palms close to the knuckle-like device and pressed it, but since they themselves did not channel mana to their palms, there is no change on the device.

“Like this?”

“Yes, that’s right. Another feature of the Charger is that it is equipped with its own processing unit to double the output of any magic’s power. It is designed to reduce a user’s exhaustion when using magic. Any spells unleashed from the Charger are supposed to be more controlled and cost less mana to use.”

“I see, there are so many features in this one device. The Aikon Corporation likes to outdo themselves these days, don’t they?” Meteos commented.

“Alright. Now, since the Manadrivers are still not installed with any spells, you can use the Core Circuits as a substitute. Those are installed with three magic spells, insert it to the Core Circuit Loader in order for the Manadriver to read.”

“Then, what would happen if a Core Circuit is inserted into a fully installed Manadriver?” Robin asked.

“That is a function still under development,” Fiolina responded curtly.

“I see.”

Robin glanced at the Core Circuit in her hand. It is a transparent yellow-colored rectangular device one and a half times larger than the magic circuits used in the magic turbojet engine’s enchanter. The ones held by Meteos and Walman are colored green and red, respectively.

“What spells are contained within this?”

Fiolina nodded, “The yellow one is installed with lightning elemental spells, Snake Lightning, Full Charge, and Thunderbolt. The green one is a wind elemental Core Circuit: Gale, Great Breakthrough, and Wind Protective Wall. The red one is a fire elemental: Fireball, Exploding Flame Shot, and Running Fire.”

“Oh, so it’s color-coded for convenience, nice.”

Basic techniques, Meteos noted. Although from doing a brief mental calculation based on the components that make up those spells, there are so many things he can do. In addition, there’s one spell from his past life that he would like to try with this.

“Are there any questions?”

Robin looked at her two apprentices, and after receiving a nod in return, she turned to Fiolina.

“I think that’s all. Now can we proceed to the testing part? I can’t wait to see how this can keep up with us!”

“Yes. Then that concludes my explanation, everyone, thank you for your attention. While you are making your preparations, I will retrieve the recording equipment.”

As Fiolina walked away to her autobike, the eager Robin practically pushed Meteos and Walman to the warehouse and got ready for the testing, which was originally their magic training session before things have taken an interesting turn.

“This will be an interesting sideshow both for us and for the King of the Condor Tower,” Meteos mused as he shrugged off Robin’s hand who pushed his shoulder, mentioning the moniker of the Aikon Corporation’s CEO, Victor, who hailed from the House of Legendorga, a noble family whose insignia is a phoenix, the king of birds. However, the residents of Runepolis often call him the ‘King of the Condor Tower’ because of the animal’s association with wealth and power in the northwestern Milishial culture.

Robin laughed, “Haha. You bet.”

AIKON CORPORATION Research Data

The Personal-Type Chant Accelerator or Manadriver (Generation 2) (afterward referred to as the Second-Generation Manadriver) is intended to be a significant improvement over the Manadriver invented by Professor Robin Calvello of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures. Utilizing the next-generation computer, the Second-Generation Manadriver is able to read the installed spells, break them down into spell components, and rearrange them to produce new effects of magic. This allows the user a wider range of effects they can produce as the Manadriver can now process the spell components to match the user’s desire and project said desire into reality. However, since it still requires spells to be installed into the Manadriver, the range of effects it can produce is still within the limitations of those installed spells.

VARIANTS

Just a note regarding language:

*1: NO WAY! (lit. “with the cabbage!”, southern mainland HME native language (Carthinian))

Chapter Text

January 17, 1615 Central Calendar, 07:00

Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, San Redentore District

Fiolina walked over to the parked autobike just outside the Training Ground to pick up the recording equipment lent to her for the purpose of documenting the testing. When she opened the attached luggage rack, it revealed to be a magic video recorder that occupy a large portion of the space, three film rolls, a retractable tripod, a portable magic camera, and a notepad with writing tools. Nodding in satisfaction, she closed the luggage and carried it back to the open field where the three Ancient Ministry personnel involved in the testing were already waiting.

She noticed that Professor Calvello, wearing a complete set of orange-colored protective gear and goggles instead of her glasses, was already there in the center of the field, lightly pacing around with both hands on her hips. Her two apprentices, also wearing the same piece of equipment sans the headgears that were hanging from a nearby tree, were sitting on bench-sized finely-shaped square rocks.

‘Wait, that’s not there before,’ Fiolina idly remarked. But she quickly reminded herself that this is a Training Ground, so someone must have summoned them using magic.

Seeing Fiolina had returned and carried something, Meteos stood up from his seat, tapping Walman on the shoulder to draw his attention and made his way to the beastwoman.

“Let us help with that,” he offered.

“Ah, thank you,” Fiolina responded, nodding slightly.

It did not take long for them to set up the recording equipment. With Walman holding the camera, Fiolina stood behind the video recorder to operate it, giving a thumbs-up to Meteos and started recording. Nodding in affirmation, he turned in the waiting Robin’s direction and exclaimed.

“We will now begin this impromptu and very informal testing of the Aikon Corporation’s Second-Generation Manadriver! First, we will see if it can cast the three basic spells installed inside the device without problems, and after that, you are free to do what you want! Teacher, are you ready?”

“Yeah, but wait! I’ll make some adjustments first!” Robin hollered back.

On both sides of the Mage’s waists is the bifurcated state of the A.M. Revolution Manadriver, attached to a belt. However, there’s also her old Manadriver dangling on a short chain. Since the latter device is always active, she simply took a deep breath and focused her mana on her hands, imagining the desire that she wanted to ‘paint’ reality with it. And finally, she decided to loudly call out one of the five spells installed in the old Manadriver.

“Earth Creation Magic: Tearing Earth Turning Wave!”

Robin slammed both of her hands on the ground, sending a wave of mana through the soil that then traveled to the edge of the clearing within seconds, shifting the local terrain to Robin’s desire. A moment later, numerous stone pillars instantly shot up from the ground, filling the empty clearing with uniformly-shaped makeshift dummies.

“Alright, done!” Robin grinned.

From behind the lens, Fiolina gasped in surprise the moment stone pillars started emerging all over the place. Although their position and direction were random, upon closer look, all of the stone pillars are exactly two meters in height and have a thickness of about 50 centimeters.

“What a great display of control! I never know that spell can do things like this!” she exclaimed.

“Traditional mages and foreigners usually use earth magic to break up the terrain and devour the enemy in combat, but that’s only one way to use it. In essence, the Tearing Earth Turning Wave is a technique to alter the terrain around the caster to suit their desire. It is a very well-known magic commonly used by the Imperial Army’s combat engineering units to fix damaged roads or to assist in other construction projects because of how easy and versatile it is when used correctly. With a refined control, the caster can choose between increasing the area of effect for widespread destruction of terrain or making something as detailed as this at the expense of the much smaller area of effect,” Meteos helpfully explained.

Liberal use of the Tearing Earth Turning Wave is one of the reasons why the construction projects at the Altaras Island and other small nations outside the civilization area visited by the Holy Milishial Empire’s delegation since last year progressed so fast, due to the Holy Empire’s military Mages equipped with early Manadrivers were mixed in with the construction workers as ‘special crew members’ who built harbors, airports, bridges, road, and railways within days and even mere hours. Already, legends like “One-Night Bridge” and “One-Night Road” have begun surfacing in outside civilization countries due to how roads that span miles suddenly appear overnight. However, since what exactly the Holy Milishial Empire is doing in these countries and their working methods are shrouded in secrecy, it left other countries scratching their heads whenever this topic was brought up. The recipient countries also didn’t dare to question it for fear that it will draw the Holy Empire’s ire.

Arch bridges made of stone and stone-paved roads similar to the highways during the ancient Warring Kingdoms Period are considered simple emergency infrastructure to aid disaster-affected areas by the Holy Milishial Empire before modern construction is built to replace them. But it is a good enough taste for low-civilization countries who are salivating for the Holy Milishial Empire’s technology like hungry hyenas.

Sometimes literally.

“I heard that the Professor is born with a lightning affinity, a person who should have struggled the most when learning earth magic, I wonder what will happen if she performs with her own element,” Fiolina muttered, focusing on the lens, not wanting to miss even the slightest movement made by Robin.

“Well, the more techniques a Mage has in their repertoire, the better, but we’re going to see that soon.”

Meteos signaled to Robin to continue with the performance. Robin’s goggles somehow gleamed in the morning light that matched her feral grin.

“Now, time for the highlight. Spell number one.”

Robin quickly reached for the Runite Charger on her left waist and pressed it against her mana-covered right palm, its rapid beeping signaled the activation of the Manadriver. Without hesitation, she proceeded with the spell, her heart was pounding even faster from excitement.

“Lightning Creation Magic: SNAKE LIGHTNING!!!”

Magic particles that emanated from her body vibrated rapidly, transforming into a yellow-colored electric discharge that took the form of a serpent that briefly coiled around Robin. However, when she pointed her hand forward, the serpent quickly shot up following her gesture, obliterating a row of pillars in its path. The opening move was followed with another Snake Lightning, and another, and another, and another, each attack serving as the extension of Robin’s punches and kicks. She ran through the forms while the yellow serpentine silhouettes struck the unmoving stone pillars around her relentlessly in a wild war dance. After completing the barrage of attacks, she finished by performing a lightning-powered jumping roundhouse kick, sending the last Snake Lightning barreling through the stone pillars in a wide sweeping arc before dissipating into beautiful yellowish particles.

As Robin landed on the ground and turned back to look at her handiwork, she saw that rubbles already littered the places where her Snake Lightning struck the pillars, visible among the cloud of snow particles that the explosions kicked up. Her mind ran through the previous movements and compared the feeling to the times when she used her old Manadriver to do the same technique, clenching the Runite Charger in her hand.

‘I’m barely tired at all. So it really functions as advertised. Heh, intriguing.’

With those thoughts, she put on the biggest smile on her face and yelled at the sky, pumping her fist, visible to the three others on the edge of the clearing.

“YEEEEEEEAAAH!”

Walman, who held the camera, snapped the shutter furiously, capturing his teacher’s electrifying performance.

A wide-eyed Fiolina let out a squeal, “I never thought that magic and martial arts combined will look so awesome! Personality aside, the Professor is so cool!”

“I see you are thinking the same thing as me,” Meteos quipped from the side, a tone of amusement in his voice.

Realizing that someone had seen her breaking her neutral façade and gushing like a little girl, an adorable shade of red quickly adorned the beastwoman’s face. The boy did not say anything further to the blushing Fiolina, snorted slightly before returning to look at the clearing and yelled at Robin.

“That’s quite a fancy move you got there, Miss Robin! What happens to the ‘simplest attack works the best’!?”

“What are you talking about!? Aren’t we going to show off our moves? You cheeky brat, why don’t you come here so that I can beat you with my simple moves!?”

“Hmph, maybe later!”

Although she sounded indignant to an outsider, there was no real heat in her tone as Robin yelled back in response to Meteos’ teasing.

“Too bad, I didn’t bring my staff here, otherwise things are going to be much flashier,” Robin sighed, mentioning the one item that all Mages have. After moving toward a spot among the still intact stone pillars, Robin took a deep breath and proceeded with the next spell to be tested, bringing her clenched fists to form a cross in front of her.

“Spell number two, Lightning Creation Magic: FULL CHARGE!!”

Soon after she willed the spell to activate, the same magic particles emanated again, but this time they spread out until Robin’s entire body was enveloped in a yellow crackling aura. Like the previous performance with Snake Lightning, Robin took a similar fighting stance, but instead of launching a long-range attack, Robin brought her lightning-covered fist toward the nearest stone pillar, destroying it in a single hit.

“Look at this, Lightning Straight!”

BLAAARRR!!!

She continued the dance of destruction with the Full Charge, a lightning magic used to enhance the user’s power and speed by enveloping them in a lightning aura, wildly running around the clearing destroying random stone pillars like a knife slicing through butter. All the while, her apprentices and the guest who was recording her can’t stop marveling at the Professor who was probably venting all the stress accumulated over the work days and enjoying herself.

‘Okay, this is two spells covered, now let’s ramp this up a notch!’

Robin ran to a pillar and used it as a foothold to leap upwards. Then, while somersaulting in midair, she pointed her right hand at a faraway stone pillar, shouting the name of what was supposed to be the third spell installed inside the A.M. Revolution.

“Take this, THUNDERBOLT!!”

From that hand, a thin bolt of lightning shot up from the outstretched limb and impacted the pillar with a tremendous roar, reducing it to dust just like the other victims of Robin’s attack.

“Wooooh! This is it, this is the Second-Generation Manadriver’s power!” she exclaimed in realization, landing on top of a stone pillar after finishing the attack while the Full Charge was still covering her form. While normally a Mage can only cast one spell at a time because of the sheer concentration needed, which is the reason why mages rarely combine spells, apparently the A.M. Revolution’s built-in computer translated Robin’s desire to “destroy the stone pillars in a single hit” as keeping the Full Charge active at full power while she launched the powered-up ranged attack. The new Manadriver just displayed its ability to overturn yet another common sense of using magic or rather, surpassing its limitations with the help of advanced magic technology.

However, three minutes later, Robin began to feel tired. So she deactivated the lightning aura and hopped down from the pillar, landing safely on the snow-covered ground. Panting slightly, she made her way to Meteos and the others, raising a hand to signal them to stop recording.

“Hm? That was sooner than I expected, Miss Robin,” Meteos wondered curiously.

“Ah, yes. I just remembered to be sparing with my mana reserves in case you guys are running out of dummies to hit,” Robin replied, sitting on the stone bench.

“Oh. Okay,” he shrugged.

Fiolina approached her.

“Err… how are you feeling, Professor?”

“Well, I feel refreshed! Nothing beats destroying rocks after a whole week of stressful working!” Robin laughed.

At her answer, Meteos and Walman rolled their eyes as they glanced at each other while Fiolina looked mortified. She never encountered a scholar who likes to destroy things as much as she loves inventing. But she did not deny that Robin is a skilled Mage and martial artist who managed to combine the two seamlessly.

“Do you sense any abnormalities on the Manadriver?” Fiolina asked again.

“I don’t think so. However, it’s probably because I’m still using the installed spells regardless of my desire. I did not conjure a completely different magic. I just went creative with the way I’m using the three spells, that’s all,” Robin said, rubbing her nape.

“Then leave it to me and Walman, we’ll see if the Second-Generation Manadriver can truly realize a desire beyond what spell it contains,” Meteos chimed in. “Speaking of which, is it okay if we skip to the more creative part of the testing, now that Miss Robin had shown the basics?”

Fiolina pondered for a moment before nodding in affirmation.

“Yes, you may do so. However, please pay attention to your mana reserves. If you suddenly feel exhausted, don’t hesitate to signal us and we will be taking a break. This is just preliminary testing, after all.”

“Thank you for being considerate,” Meteos said. “But sideshow or not, we’ll give our all, too. Isn’t that right, Walman?”

“Of course!”

“That’s the spirit!”

And thus, the four of them took a five-minute break time to review the A.M. Revolution’s performance.

---

Unbeknownst to Robin, her apprentices, and Fiolina, they were being observed by someone else. Some distance from the Training Ground, a black car was parked on the quiet roadside. The car’s occupants, a pair of individuals wearing black half-masks and black outfits, were looking at the whole thing with binoculars they had brought with them.

The younger of the two, a male, gasped as he observed Robin’s demonstration of high-intensity lightning magic.

“Oh, wow! Agent Flamberge is on the roll with those lightning magic! Is that what they call peak performance!?”

“Flamberge is already an Advanced Mage material in my opinion,” answered the other occupant, a red-haired female with a loose braided hairstyle who was sitting in the rear seat. She crossed her arms, impressed with what she just saw.

“I’ve never seen a Mage cast magic spells in such a short interval before in my life. Imagine if two Mages were to face off like that, instead of watching a boring chess-like match, maybe we get to see something interesting like a full-blown brawl where spells fly all over the place.”

“That’s actually terrifying to think about, ma’am.”

The masked woman chuckled at the man’s response.

These two are members of the Ministry’s Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department. However, from the black masks they are wearing, they came from a different division than Robin, who is known as “Flamberge” among the Ancient Weapons Operators. On the day the CEO of Aikon Corporation contacted Arsene Lippin about the Manadriver he wanted to give to the company’s benefactors, Andreas Birkburn, the chief of the secret department, assigned these two to observe the proceedings from afar.

“What’s wrong, Aym, not prepared to see something out of the legends?”

The man called “Aym” coughed awkwardly, “…I don’t know, Agent Sitri.”

“Well, the future is very unpredictable, so it’s best that you prepare, adapt, and overcome any changes that will come. I myself also never thought I would witness such rapid technological advances before my fifties, but here we are,” the woman mused. “But… a device capable of realizing a person’s desire, I don’t blame you for feeling scared by it… Aym, what do you think if our technology advances further and the Manadriver is able to achieve its theoretical limit?”

Aym lowered his binoculars and looked thoughtful at the woman called Sitri’s words.

“Theoretical limit?” he repeated.

“Yes, a Manadriver’s theoretical limit. Everybeing that is not the Muish is born with magic, energy unmatched by nothing in terms of practical utility to the point it seems able to realize any desire. You desire to burn something, you tap into your mana, and you get fire. However, in practice, using magic to realize desires at their full potential is very difficult because of the many hurdles it faces in order to control them properly. But as technology advances, we are able to achieve many milestones in using magic. While other civilizations are still scrounging magic stones, the Holy Empire is able to dig past them and found the endless stream of mana gushing deep underground. With the magic circuits, depending on how it is arranged, they can transform mana into everything. But imagine, what if even more advanced technology is able to eliminate all those hurdles and let people truly realize their desire?”

“Then are you saying that the theoretical limit of a Manadriver is…!?”

“Yes, be, and it is. The world can be as you want it to be. That is the theoretical limit of a Manadriver, and by extension, magic. Now that’s some terrifying thought. Imagine that out of all things, diligent studying and deepening our understanding of how the world works allow people to achieve heaven.”

Technology is born as a result of applying knowledge gained from learning the components of the universe, which is called science. And since this universe is one where magic exists as one component of it, magic is therefore science. To say magic is not science is a mistake that people out there still hold to this day, it’s like saying biology is not science, or chemistry is not science, or psychology is not science, and so on. Maybe there are universes out there where magic does not exist if Mu’s creation myth is to be believed, but as far as the people of this universe are concerned, science also includes magic.

How one understands magic will determine how powerful it can be. And as suggested by Agent Sitri, the theoretical limit of how powerful magic can be is basically something that maybe even the Ancient Sorcerous Empire is incapable of reaching.

Godhood.

Aym slowly turned to face Sitri.

“Ma’am, you must have thought this for some time, but please be careful with those thoughts. Did it ever occur to you that it could be heresy?”

“Why we are born with it, then? Are we going to just let our birthright go waste without exploring its full potential?” Sitri countered.

“………”

“Also remember this, we are the members of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures. Our mission is to protect this world from the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s return at all costs. If the gods are the only beings that can defeat them, then mankind, unripe as we are, must strive to achieve godhood ourselves. Besides, mankind has sinned too much since the Day of the Beginning, do you think we are still worthy of salvation from the gods? Even if we are still worthy of their salvation, the gods will not change our fate until we change it ourselves. We cannot hope that someone will conveniently appear and solve our problems.”

“I-I see…” Aym sighed, “Heh, someone who conveniently appears? Like that legend about the Messengers of the Sun God that those Far Easterners believe?”

“Yeah, yeah, like them. I loathe that legend,” Sitri spat, venom evident in her voice, “It is a tale about mankind of this world being so weak that we can only fight properly when outsiders come and help us. I despise being weak.”

Aym returned his gaze to the distant Training Ground and leaned back in his seat.

“Then you must despise the fact that we have to rely on the relics left by mankind’s greatest enemy in order to advance ourselves, am I right?”

“Hmph. That’s different. We are trying to copy the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s relics, but we are still making the effort to become stronger ourselves, not sitting back and doing nothing while our problems are being solved by someone else.”

“Oh, okay.”

Looking at the Training Ground again with his binoculars, Aym perked up.

“Hey, look, they are done taking a break. Both of Agent Flamberge’s apprentices are walking toward the clearing.”

“Ah, yes, the youthful makers of those destructive weapons,” Sitri hummed, referring to the magic torpedo and naval mine.

As they observed Meteos and Walman, Aym and Sitri, two agents belonging to the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department’s Control Division, were eager to see what they, the Ministry’s enfant terrible, can do with the Manadrivers they wielded.

AIKON CORPORATION Research Data

RUNITE REDOUBLIZER

The Runite Redoublizer is a part of the Second-Generation Manadriver that holds the computer needed to process the installed magic spells and allows the user to perform instantaneous spell casting.

The Runite Redoublizer consists of the following parts:

• Access Lamp – Red and green lights that flash right and left the Runite Redoublizer when the Runite Charger is attached. It indicates that the Runite Charger is accessing the Runite Redoublizer’s internal computer. The Access Lamp turns off whenever an abnormality occurs.
• Core Circuit Loader – A reading device used to identify the spells contained in the Core Circuit attached inserted into it, read its information, and send a signal to activate its function.
• Regen Generator – An internal computer built into the Runite Redoublizer. It is equipped with a ‘Hard-Drive’ capable of storing and processing three medium-length spells.
• Hook – Used to attach the Runite Redoublizer to the wearer’s clothing.

Chapter Text

When the break time is over and its time for their turn, Meteos Roguerider and Walman Falkenhausen without hesitation strode to the center of the field where they will proceed with the testing of the Second-Generation Manadriver, which basically using it to their hearts' content. Now that their teacher Robin had shown them all the general idea of how to use the device, they decided to go straight to test the advertised ability of this awesome magic tool: using installed spells as 'ingredients' to a more diverse, instantaneous magic casting. Granted, the repertoire is still quite limited, so they must be considerate of their desires or else it could risk the device crashing.

But progress is progress.

"Hmm, how should we proceed with this?" Walman muttered, staring at a Runite Charger in his hand. He was given the same model as Meteos, a regal gold and white-colored Manadriver that was for some reason named "BIRTH-DAY", in capital letters, by its maker.

"How about I go first?" Meteos offered.

Weighing his options, Walman responded.

"Sure, you're the smarter one. I think you can figure it out easily," he said, feeling confident that his childhood friend will breeze through using this new device just like Meteos had with everything else. Besides, didn't he say that he 'got the gist of it' earlier? Walman concluded that it is best that he observed how Meteos do it first.

Meteos paused in inserting the green Core Circuit into the Runite Redoublizer and turned to look at him with a slightly stunned gaze.

"What are you talking about?" he muttered softly, but audible enough for the brunette to hear.

"Eh? What?"

There is no trace of resentment in Walman's tone as he said those words. To be fair, Walman in his teenage years is much more timid compared to his adult counterpart in the previous timeline and it is safe to say that their relationship in this new life is very much warmer than the estranged rivalry they once had in Meteos' old life. But Meteos did not expect him to say that line so openly. So, a future tragedy can be avoided by being nice.

"......Never mind," Meteos lightly shook his head.

After signaling Fiolina that he is ready, Meteos pressed the Runite Charger against his palm to start the activation, causing the BIRTH-DAY Manadriver to emit a noticeably higher-pitched beeping sound than the A.M. Revolution used by Robin.

"So, wind magic spells, talk about lucky. It just happens to be my element. The spells for Gale, Great Breakthrough, and Wind Protective Wall, regardless of its purpose, they all manipulates air pressure and velocity. With a bit of mix and match, their spell components can combine to create the effects of several spells I know of," Meteos mused.

The fact that he memorized many magic spells down to their components and is able to determine combinations on the fly reinforced Walman's opinion about his friend's intelligence.

He turned to face the still-standing stone pillars among the rubble that littered the clearing.

"But I only desire to destroy that stone with wind magic, what do you think this Manadriver will produce?"

Walman brought a hand to his chin and pondered for a second.

"Er... I'm not too familiar with wind magic, but... maybe something destructive that is not whirlwind?"

"Okay. Well, time to find out. Proceeding with the experiment."

Feeling his heart pounding from anticipation, Meteos took a deep breath to calm himself, exhaled, and then took a stance, spreading his legs with knees bent and his left hand extended forward. Meanwhile, the right hand holding the Runite Charger was brought close to his waist. As he channeled his mana to the device, powering up the Manadriver, it started to emit very faint green particles forming a vortex around the Runite Charger. Meteos concentrated and reaffirmed his desire.

"Grant me the power to realize my desire!" he shouted, bringing his right hand forward to punch the air with all his might.

"SEIYAAA!"

In an instant, the particles transformed into a highly compressed wind bullet rotating at a very high speed that shot through the field in a straight line. Although the wind bullet was invisible to the naked eye, the result was immediately shown as the stone pillar that Meteos targeted suddenly exploded in a shower of debris and dust, reducing the target into a jagged rock half of its original height.

"!!!"

Walman who stood some distance behind Meteos felt his jaw went slack, awestruck as his friend's magic obliterated the stone pillar in the blink of an eye. The only indication that the magic activated is the barely visible particles moments before Meteos punched the air and a stone pillar just exploded. It's just like what he had read in the books, that although wind magic is not as grandiose as fire, water, lightning, and earth in terms of visual, it is, in fact, the deadliest basic element if used right.

"......Hmm, there's no mistaking it, that is a wind bullet. A Drilling Air Bullet, to be precise. So that's how the Manadriver interprets my desire," Meteos muttered in satisfaction as he relaxed his stance.

The Runite Charger's built-in amplifier caused the mana to double its power, resulting in a larger-scale replication of the Drilling Air Bullet, a long-range wind magic that was generally used to assassinate people by destroying their heads with tremendous pressure on a single point. When Meteos and Walman's eyes met each other, the former gave the latter a small smile and a nod.

"It is easy to use. The computer and the amplifier are working properly, all you do is think of a goal and channel your mana, then release. Now I'll do it again but this time without using the Charger."

Meteos attached the Charger to the belt on his waist and took the stance again. This time, however, he made a different gesture. In a swift motion, he spread his hands to both sides, then brought them crossing in front of him. As the green particles appeared and swirled in front of him, Meteos brought his hands close to his sides. The particles rotated even faster and shrunk in size, gathering into Meteos' hands.

"Feast your eyes on this! Technique development! Lámhach Stoirme!"

As Meteos thrust both of his hands forward, unleashing the magic with a name Walman never heard before, the particles transformed into a barrage of Drilling Air Bullets that flew toward a group of stone pillars. Even faster than the first one, multiple circular holes suddenly formed simultaneously on the sturdy pillars followed by dust and snow that the magic kicked up.

He then made the punching the air motion again, unleashing a fairly strong wind bullet and quickly turned to yet another stone pillar. With every blow he made, the stone pillars suddenly lost a chunk of themselves as the magic tore through them, but those were still nowhere as strong as the very first Drilling Air Bullet he conjured.

"How should I feast my eyes on that!? I can't even see them... Scary..."

Walman shuddered to imagine himself standing in the way of those invisible projectiles. What he did not know is that even a nearly-soundless wind bullet that can suddenly turn a person or a monster into a bloody shower upon impact is still considered quite "flashy" by wind magic standards. There are even more silent techniques where the caster can simply manipulate air to choke an enemy to death or to transform the air they are breathing into razor-sharp winds that ravage their bodies from the inside.

By the time Meteos finished casting the magic, a group of stone pillars a hundred meters away from their location was reduced to ruins, where the still-standing ones were riddled with holes and damage that can be seen among the billowing dust and snowy cloud.

The silverette turned toward Walman, panting slightly, and gave him a thumbs-up. His friend stared at him.

"Hey, Meteos," Walman started. "What the hell is Stoir—whatever that you yelled earlier?"

"Oh, that. Lámhach Stoirme. I made that name up. It's Enysfalian for 'Storm Shooting.' I just couldn't help myself," Meteos answered cheekily.

"Ah, I see!" the brunette pounded a fist to his open palm, "Well... I already forgot most of its lessons. My Enysfalian is very rusty."

"Walman, you live in Leiden and your neighbor is a Druid. Yet I find it amusing that you somehow understand Rucymish more, of all things."

"Blame it on my dad and his Navy buddies, I guess," Walman shrugged. "Maybe I should come up with cool names for myself!"

"Sure. Maybe you should use your grandpa's mother tongue?"

"Herzlander? Oh, hell, nah. That's even worse. But by the way, how come you're the fluent one? That language isn't even from this land."

"Well, I can be very curious about things," Meteos chuckled. "I can teach it if you want."

"Hmm, it's very ironic... but I'd love to."

---

Robin learned that one of the Second-Generation Manadriver's characteristics is that due to its advanced computer, even if one knows what spells are installed in the wielder's device, there are so many possibilities that it is hard to predict what magic will come out of the caster's desire even if she can narrow it down based on the elemental affinity. The wielder can even potentially invent new magic without knowing. Due to the very faint particles that appear upon the magic's activation, it cannot be seen from her place. But by looking at the damage on the stone pillars, which took the form of spiraling holes, she concluded that the closest existing spell capable of creating that effect is the infamous Drilling Air Bullet.

'So of all magic, the one that appears is that technique. I wonder what kind of desire Meteos wished for when he cast that magic? Is it vague or detailed? Man, so many unknowns with this one,' Robin thought as she observed her apprentice's handiwork from afar with arms crossed and narrowed eyes. But for now, let her cheer for her apprentices. And so, she stood up from her seat and yelled loudly.

---

"By the way, Walman, I think next someone is going to say, 'Holy shit,'" Meteos joked.

"Huh?" the brunette raised an eyebrow at Meteos and snorted. "Yeah, right."

"OOOOOH MYYYY GOOOOOODS!"

Robin's yelling sounded from the edge of the clearing not long after that. Hearing it, Walman roared in laughter while Meteos tried to fight back an embarrassed blush.

"Dammit."

It seemed that even with his future knowledge, he can't predict what people will say next. But how in the world did Robin do that?

---

"Holy shit!"

Aym, an agent of the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department's Control Division, whisper-yelled from inside the car parked away from the Training Ground. As he watched Agent Flamberge's two apprentices performing the test, the silver-haired one, Roguerider, stepped forward and took a fighting stance before punching the air. The next thing he knew, his invisible magic—wind elemental, there's no doubt about it—destroyed a stone pillar as if it was hit by a 20 or 30-millimeter magic light gun. The subsequent attacks, although noticeably less powerful, are still enough to reduce the surroundings into a ruined mess.

Aym's companion, Sitri, decided to give her own two cents.

"According to our information, he's the one with wind affinity. I'm guessing that is an overpowered version of the Drilling Air Bullet. Well, we can't be sure if it's an exact Drilling Air Bullet or just a replication that resembled that technique. It all depends on the device's ability to compute the user's desire and project it, which is a very broad ability already."

"Drilling Air Bullet, huh...? I did not expect the Manadriver's desire-granting ability to be that great, when all he has is spells of basic techniques."

"But regardless of the Manadriver's power, we also have to take the user's own proficiency into account. Look at him, there's no way someone unfamiliar with wind magic or a newbie can cast something powerful but controlled like that."

Aym rubbed his chin, "Makes sense, reports say that the person of interest has been practicing since his childhood. So do his friend. Them being under Agent Flamberge's apprenticeship only serves to intensify their training regimen."

Sitri did not say anything further, keeping her eyes glued to the distant clearing. Demonstrating a Drilling Air Bullet seems fitting to test the limits of the Manadriver, a revolutionary magic technology, the masked redhead thought.

Among the magic practitioners, wind elemental magic seldom received enough appreciation because of its less flashy nature. However, the Drilling Air Bullet is an exception due to its infamy as the favorite technique for the Holy Milishial Empire's assassins and its historical significance, being a magic that makes this country what it is.

First appeared during the Warring Kingdoms Period more than 3.000 years ago by the name of "Ventus Terebratoria," the magic spell was invented by Prince Hollowrain, a town elf who would later become known as His Majesty the Emperor, Milishial VIII. He first used it to snipe the king of an invading southern dragonfolk tribe at the time during an ambush, heralding the end of the dragonfolk's domination over the land east of Runepolis, the reconquest, and then the unification of the fractured Middle Lands (this region's name before the term 'First Civilization Area' was coined). As the elven prince desired a strong country but was aware that his people also consisted of humans, dwarves, and beastmen who were less attuned to magic compared to his own race, the prince ordered the creation of a magic tool that can replicate his technique's effect at all costs, and as a result, inspired by this magic, the weapon called 'gun' was born.

It was also from this spell's characteristics that the Milishians later learned the concept of 'rifling' to be used on their smaller firearms because they wanted to replicate the spinning projectile effect of the spell without expending more mana to spin a bullet inside the barrel. Because of the existence of this magic, the Holy Milishial Empire technically never experienced the era of smoothbore guns.

Funnily enough, when the usage of quasi-rifles began to become widespread among the unified Holy Milishial Empire's military several decades later, they finally began to discover ancient relics in large numbers, among them an Ancient Sorcerous Empire's firearm dubbed the 'Lightwing Carbine,' a spirit magic gun (a type of magic firearm that uses two rails of magical arrays to propel projectiles). For centuries the Holy Empire's gun design did not evolve much because the barbarians that keep invading them did not even know what a 'gun' is and were very easy to defeat. It was until recent times and after observing the Muish Civil War, where two warring factions using guns fought each other, that the Holy Milishial Empire took a giant leap in their gun design by introducing machine guns and true rifles equipped with the bolt-action mechanism.

The Ventus Terebratoria magic allowed Prince Hollowrain's people to acquire a very clever and easy way of murdering people. Among other things, it allowed them to push back their invaders and put an end to the Warring Kingdoms Period, bringing peace to the Middle Lands as the victorious Holy Milishial Empire, even though they started the period living as a collection of oppressed weaklings.

The rest of the history is just like what the Milishians are taught in schools: after unifying the Middle Lands, His Majesty the Emperor decided to stop the wave of conquest and built their position in the international community through diplomacy as the strongest nation in the known world, and the Second Amendment limiting uncontrolled magical arts practice.

Sitri sighed, "It seems that we will have much to report."

Aym replied to her words sympathetically, "And it's just the beginning..."

"Mm, yes. It's only the beginning..."

The two masked agents continued to observe the proceedings.

---

"Alright, Walman. The sun is getting up but it's still cold. Why don't you make things warmer a bit?"

After a round of discussion, Walman Falkenhausen whooped as his turn came and picked up his Runite Charger.

His affinity is fire, the most aggressive element of the basic five. Almost all known fire magic is used for attack, to reduce enemies to cinders. A fire elemental mage always tries to overwhelm the enemy with powerful strikes from a distance, while defense for them means stopping an enemy attack with an even more powerful attack.

However, in order to destroy the stone pillar, simply burning is not enough. Walman's flames are not hot enough to melt rock, so he must think of something else related to fire that can destroy it... explosion.

After activating the Manadriver, Walman readied himself with a low stance, slowly lifting to aim the Manadriver at a target while his other hand supported it, holding it at the elbow.

"In order to destroy a stone pillar using fire, it must be able to explode upon impact. I get it. My desire... is for that stone pillar to explode... using my magic," Walman said as he channeled his mana to the Runite Charger, bright red particles began to coalesce around the knuckle.

Meteos grunted. As a side effect of his friend's fire magic charging, he can feel the temperature around him rise a bit.

'Fireball, Exploding Flame Shot, and Running Fire. It can be done, but it will be taxing if he wants it to be truly destroyed,' he thought, deciding to stay close to Walman in case something undesirable happens.

---

"Ohoho, it's the fire element boy! Now, what kind of magic will come out? Is it a fireball? Or is it an—"

"Quiet!" Sitri chided, smacking the top of Aym's overexcited head with her backhand.

---

The charging magic power finally took a bright red ball of energy spinning wildly in front of Walman's Runite Charger.

"Fire!"

As he willed the magic power to destroy his target, the energy ball then transformed into a destructive-looking beam of flames rushing to the stone pillar.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Upon impacting the standing stone, it granted Walman's wish in a grandiose fashion: the magic exploded on the rock with a loud roar, engulfing it in a pillar of fire and debris. Not only that, as the sheer heat of the flame beam melted the snow on the ground, it conjured a line of water vapor in the place where the attack passed.

"HAAAAAAARGH!"

Walman channeled more mana to the Charger. Not knowing how much mana was needed to manifest his desire on the reality, the boy decided to give as much as possible, increasing the intensity of the flame beam.

CRACK-BOOOOOOOM!

"How's that...!?" Walman shouted, looking at the result with trepidation.

After several seconds of firing, the raging wildfire soon subsided, revealing the extent of the damage he had inflicted on the target. The top part of the stone pillar where the flame beam struck was blown away, leaving a deformed chunk of rock just like Meteos' wind bullet did to the helpless object earlier.

".........Ugh!"

Walman collapsed to his knees with ragged breathing, but Meteos immediately jumped in and held his friend.

"Are you alright?" he calmly asked.

"It's hot."

"You don't say," Meteos snarked, but gently helped him sit on the ground.

"I'm feeling spent just from that one attack already..."

"You overexerted your mana when you charged that magic. But Walman, that was lit. Pardon the pun."

Walman chuckled at his attempt to cheer him. Then, the sound of boots rapidly crunching the snow caught their attention and when they turned to look, their teacher Robin had already been on their way, running, while the Aikon Corporation secretary Fiolina trailed behind her.

"Report!" Robin shouted the moment she arrived.

"Walman has a mild case of mana exhaustion."

Walman just spent around thirty percent of his total mana reserves in that single attack which happened in a very short time. In normal circumstances, a mage will try their best to avoid this, carefully managing their mana consumption so that their loss of energy happens gradually. In a more severe case, the sudden exhaustion that came crashing like waves can knock someone unconscious.

"I understand. You need to take a break," the Mage said, crouching to meet Walman's gaze and checking his body for visible injuries. Fortunately, there were none besides his sweating face. The protective gear that the boy wore protected him well from the fire.

The brunette boy slurred, "A bit of rest seems nice."

"Good. Now let's go. We have an entire day to do this. Take it easy."

"Next time try a more controlled approach with your magic," Meteos advised.

"I will."

"Okay, Walman, now let me do this. Here goes!"

"Huh? W-what are you doing!? Hey!"

With a cackle, Robin lifted the boy from Meteos' arms and carried him on her back before bolting to the nearby warehouse in order for Walman to recuperate. The poor Walman was too tired to do anything, so he just covered his eyes in resignation.

Meteos crouched to pick up Walman's Runite Charger that was left behind, running his hand on its surface. It's warm and appeared to be undamaged. One of the Runite Charger's components, the Discharge Wings, did its function without fail, harmlessly discharging a portion of the excessive mana that Walman channeled earlier to prevent the device from overloading itself and self-destructing.

"Will he be alright?" Fiolina muttered. "I... uh... I did not expect all of those things, those are amazing, but I'm worried about your friend..."

"Don't worry. Walman is not a weakling. With one or two hours of rest, I think he can resume the testing if it's okay with you."

"N-not at all! Take as much time as you need. This is a part of my job, after all."

"That's relieving to hear. On the bright side, we have another thing to review. I have so much to talk about."

The beastwoman gave him a nod. It is still around seven o'clock in the morning, a long day awaited the four of them—and their two unseen observers.

"......Heh, good grief."

Meteos suddenly let out a short chuckle, drawing Fiolina's attention.

"Is there something wrong, Mister Roguerider?" she tilted her head.

"Ah, nothing, don't worry about it," he waved off Fiolina's inquiry.

'Fiolina Bucciarati. Your face might not show it, but you are very excited seeing people doing their magical spectacles, aren't you? Judging by your tail, that is,' Meteos thought slyly as he walked behind Fiolina to the warehouse.

Fiolina Bucciarati of the raccoon-dog Daby Tribe has a soft and bushy tail as part of her demi-human traits. Even though the beastwoman tried her best to keep her facial expression impassive throughout the entire thing, her tail was not. It subconsciously moved following her emotions, wiggled adorably whenever she witnessed a magic spell being performed or when one of them interrupted her explanation, and slumped when she is worried. It seemed that no one, not even the tail's owner, paid attention to this, but Meteos did, and it amused him.

People really are unique.

17:30

Aikon Corporation Headquarters, William Ameir District, Runepolis

As the sun was setting, the CEO of Aikon Corporation, Victor Legendorga, was sitting inside his office, leaning on his desk with his fingers crossed. Facing him is Fiolina, his secretary who was giving him a verbal report on the morning's activities at the Ancient Ministry's Training Ground.

"...that concludes my initial report about the prototype's testing, Mister President."

When Fiolina finished her report, Victor leaned in his chair and spun on it, turning to face the sprawling metropolis behind his office's window panes. After taking a deep breath, he abruptly shot up from his chair and shouted.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Victor was jubilant. To say that the test is successful was an understatement. It took him all of his willpower not to jump and interrupt Fiolina's report every time she mentioned the Second-Generation Manadriver's newfound capabilities.

Victor turned around and spoke cheerfully, "Fiolina, thank you for your work. Now, come closer."

He motioned his secretary to come closer and then produced an envelope from his outfit, which was then handed to the beastwoman. It was the bonus he had promised to give to her upon completing the task. Fiolina, who had anticipated this, bowed in gratitude, but as soon as she laid her eyes upon the label, she widened her eyes.

"Forty-five percent...!?"

"Oh, yes. About the fifteen percent that I will give you... I feel that is too few for your troubles, so I triple it. How is that?"

Fifteen plus forty-five, that means Fiolina just acquired a 60% bonus of her usual salary, which is already high. She was at a loss for words, still feeling that she did not really do much other than running a simple errand and watching her favorite magic spectacle to deserve such an amount of money.

"Never mind, you must be tired. You can go home now, enjoy your weekend, Fiolina."

"M-Mister President... thank you very much... e-excuse me..."

"Mm... good evening."

After Fiolina exited the office, the CEO opened a document detailing the Second-Generation Manadriver from a stack of papers sprawled on his desk. To be able to use magic power, one part that the inhabitants of this world were born with, without having to recite cumbersome spells that become increasingly longer the more powerful the desire behind it is, is the everybeing's longtime dream. Even the Holy Milishial Empire's magic technology cannot eliminate this obstacle completely, only reducing the time it takes to do so.

However, one woman with an ambition set out to find ways to eliminate said obstacle. Her name is Robin, and with fortunate circumstances brought by her encounter with a pair of youths that now became her apprentices, she succeeded in inventing the device that can defy the longstanding rule of casting magic in this world: the Manadriver. Her ultimate goal is to be able to use magic to realize one's own desire without having to go through the lengthy process of chanting spells.

Following her footsteps, Victor Legendorga ordered his company to create a better version of the Manadriver that can do what the First-Generation Manadriver cannot. And that effort has borne fruit.

To say that the testing of the Second-Generation Manadriver is a success is an understatement. Although its three-spell capacity is regrettable, the inbuilt computer's ability to use them as resources is a huge achievement for such a small device. Fiolina even reported that the three participants of the testing managed to cast new magical abilities of their respective elemental affinities that were unseen before. In other words, they just invented new magic spells by just desiring it to happen.

Alas, the device cannot memorize the computation it produces, and as a result, those new magical abilities were lost. It is doubtful that any attempt to replicate it will result in the exact same thing. Victor's incompetence and lack of foresight had denied the people a chance to learn those new inventions, develop them, and pass them on to future generations. That was a shameful display on his part.

"I must rectify this mistake at once... that's right..."

Victor pulled his grimoire and called for the R&D chief to come to his office and discuss the future improvements of the Second-Generation Manadriver. He will be busier than ever, but Victor didn't mind it at all, because on this day...

It was a happy...

...Happy...

...HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

...to a new age filled with excitement.

23:14

A dark-haired and brown-skinned man sitting at a chair inside an office room sighed with a complicated look on his face after listening to the report conveyed by his subordinates, Agents Sitri and Aym. After Robin and her apprentices finished testing the Aikon Corporation's Manadriver at around thirteen o'clock, their hidden observers immediately left the area and prepared to report to the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department's headquarters, a complex hidden somewhere in Runepolis. And now, they just finished explaining what transpired during the day.

The man addressed as the superior gave a glance at the folder and several magic photographs that the two agents took before leaning in his chair and snorted.

"Legendorga the Younger... that neket iadet. As useful as an ally he might be, he is way too whimsical for my liking. Is everything a plaything in his eyes?" he grumbled.

There is no denying the Aikon Corporation's usefulness as a partner. This company collaborates with the Ancient Ministry by manufacturing and supplying magic circuits as the Ministry requested, with their products outclassing others in terms of quality. To have his company achieve this feat that no other company has achieved, Victor Legendorga must have his fair share of brilliant minds working at his Condor Tower. This is also one of the reasons why the Aikon Corporation's employees formed the second-largest majority of the additional personnel that the Ancient Ministry drew into the Alpha Edge Project from the available worker pools after the RMA.

"None of this would have happened if he takes his time and contacted us in advance so that we can prepare things. But nooo... he had to contact our esteemed Director personally and shoved his new toys. You have to be kidding me. Also, what the hell is the Director even thinking? None of his stunts make any sense at all."

The development of a Heavenly Vessel is already adopted as the Ancient Ministry's future policy. There are unexpected developments along the way, but the overall situation is favorable. However, Arsene Lippin, the Director of MOASEC, somehow promised, or rather blurted, to His Majesty the Emperor himself that a new Heavenly Vessel can be completed within two years. The problem is, the upper management will absolutely never accept if the new Heavenly Vessel turns out to be only a slight improvement from the previous series. Everything must be a great leap in terms of performance to catch up with the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's own Heavenly Vessel as much as possible before they returned. So when Victor Legendorga approached Lippin with a device containing an even more advanced magic circuit, the core of the Holy Milishial Empire's advancements, the Director accepted it without a second thought.

'That's what you get for appointing an inexperienced guy to the job, I guess. Lippin should have never even become a leader in the first place. That is all that man's fault!'

His thoughts wandered back to Lippin's predecessor, former Minister Bandero Capone, who blundered so hard that he got fired and this series of events started. At least, unlike Capone, Lippin is willing to bear the responsibility for his actions and tried to make the leading organization in humanity's protection live up to its name.

'No matter, there is no use dwelling on the past events.'

The man sighed and looked at his subordinates again, "That being said, Sitri, and Aym, you did a good job. From now on, you are hereby ordered to stand by and return to your ordinary lives tomorrow."

Sitri and Aym bowed again before exiting the office.

---

The eeriness of a dimly-lit empty hallway greeted the two agents upon exiting the office room. The headquarters, which was designed to confuse intruders, was designed in such a way that it resembled a creepy labyrinth that feels somehow exists in this world and not at the same time. However, for the agents who were practically entities lurking in these spaces, they can navigate through the headquarters with ease.

As they walked, Aym stretched and let out a loud yawn.

"Finally, we get to exit this funny-smelling maze and back to the real civilization! If only we are not bound to secrecy, I would've already been bragging about being able to work side by side with you to my friends," he sighed longingly, causing Sitri to roll her eyes.

"Keep your job as an agent out of your ordinary affairs or else..."

Aym turned at her with an offended look, "I'm not that stupid, ma'am."

Upon reaching an intersection, the two parted ways to head towards the changing room of their respective genders before exiting the headquarters.

"Well then, Agent Sitri, I'm off, see you around," Aym said, offering his hand.

Sitri shook Aym's hands, "Well, if you miss me so much, you can find my real face everywhere. Be careful on your way home... Aym."

The masked man bowed and departed in the opposite direction.

---

When Sitri entered the changing room, she encountered another woman inside, arriving just as she draped a red scarf around her shoulders. It was Flamberge, an agent from the Operational Division who just returned from a temporary assignment at the Runepolis Magic Academy several months ago. At present, she was assigned to watch over the Ancient Ministry's designated person of interest, Meteos Roguerider, and help him with his little projects. Yes, this is Professor Robin Calvello.

Sensing her presence, Robin turned around, grinning as soon as she saw the masked woman standing in the doorway.

"Oh my. Is that you, Sitri? Long time no see!"

"Mm, indeed, my dear Flamberge," she nodded. "But like what I said to everyone, if you miss me so much—"

"Your real face is everywhere, I know," Robin finished, rolling her eyes. "Not that I miss you that much, or at all."

"You hurt my feelings."

Sitri pouted and walked to a locker to start changing. The masked woman finally took off her black mask and slowly undressed, changing the black-colored suit of light armor she was wearing for a white button-up over a black undershirt, a matching skirt, leggings, and boots.

The person behind that mask is a sight to behold, with flowing red hair, a shapely figure, and a delicate face belonging to a young woman in her twenties, even though her real age is already three decades old. However, what will catch the attention of many is the redhead's golden eyes, where instead of round black pupils, vertical slits were present in their place. Those bewitching orbs are the mark of Sitri's heritage: a beastwoman of the snake Bemiu Tribe.

While she was putting on her change clothes, Sitri asked Robin, "How are you doing, Flamberge?"

"Oh, yes, I just heard from the Chief. You and Aym were there earlier. Well, I'm a bit exhausted and sore in places, but I just took a good rest before reporting here, so I am fine and feeling refreshed. By the way, Sitri, how do you like the show?"

"Stellar, as expected of Flamberge. Also, it seems that you've gotten yourself some really interesting students, that person of interest and his friend."

"Heeh, I know, right!? Did you see Meteos creating wind blades—oh, wait, never mind, those are invisible, or Walman's flaming beam!? They are so creative with their new toys that I think we just invented one or two new magic back then...!"

Sitri listened to her fellow agent's chattering with a smile that she never showed while wearing that black mask. Earlier in the day, Meteos, Walman, and Robin took turns practicing with the Second-Generation Manadriver, testing its limits and creating new magical techniques on the fly. The session also unexpectedly doubled as a language lesson because Walman, the son of an ethnic Herzlander hailing from northern Magicaraich, was ironically getting a Herzlander language lesson from Meteos, an Enysfalian. All because he wanted to name the moves he just created.

After finishing dressing up, Sitri sat down across from Robin.

"I know, I was there, remember? At this rate, I'm really looking forward to call you Master Calvello."

"Thank you. I will definitely become a Master, like my mother and father before me."

"Mmm... what an ambition... Very well, I still want to talk, but seeing that you are making preparations to head home already, I will not hold you back anymore."

"Well, grimoires exist. Use them," Robin pointed out.

"Ah, yes. You're right. I'm afraid I will be too busy with my ordinary affairs to have a chat, but I will try."

Robin smiled and stood up, picked up her bag, and headed outside. But after only walking for a few steps, she stopped and turned back.

"Oh! One more thing..."

Sitri tilted her head, wondering what Robin has to say.

"Goir... Meteos told me the meaning of that word! You snake, you've been calling me a 'hatchling' this entire time!" she yelled at her indignantly.

Sitri blinked once, then twice, before a laugh escaped her.

"Pfft... ahahahaha! You just realized it now!? Took you long enough, Goir."

"Hmph! You've got to be kidding me! I seek retribution for this! Name a day and place for a spar, I'm going to destroy you for teasing me of my ignorance," Robin challenged.

"Wait until I get my hands on a Manadriver myself, and then it's on, how's that?"

"Fine, it will be more exciting that way. Until then, see you again, Gránna."

Robin uttered that last word with a smirk before disappearing into the hallway. Hearing that word caused the beautiful snake-woman to sweatdrop.

"'Ugly,' really, Flamberge?"

AIKON CORPORATION Research Data

RUNITE CHARGER

The Runite Charger serves as the user’s primary spell launcher device and a weapon. When the user pushes the knuckle into another part of their body (typically the other hand) it activates the entire system, switching from ‘Save Mode’ to ‘Operational Mode.’

The Runite Charger consists of the following parts:

• Power Grip – The Runite Charger’s grip. It to suctions itself onto the user’s palm to prevent it from falling off during movement. A round connection terminal part is located in the middle, loaded with the appropriate magic spell to create that effect.
• Power Trigger – A trigger used to launch spells, greatly reducing the user’s strain on preparing and casting the spells. Built into the Power Grip.
• Discharge Wing – The outer sections. They discharge any excessive power that might flow back into the Runite Charger during spell casting, preventing it from self-destructing.
• Energy Stream – The lights the Runite Charger emits whenever it performs a function. A clear window on the Runite Charger allows people to see the energy within, informing them of the state of the Runite Charger.
• Insulator Wall – The grey metal insulation parts which shield the Runite Charger’s inbuilt computer from excessive energy when a magic spell is released, also intended to protect the internal mechanisms when the Charger slams into an enemy or an object.
• Analyse Eye – Two round units located at the front edge of the Runite Charger, used to adjust the launched spell’s focus.
• Charge Terminal – Two black slots on the front edge of the Runite Charger, it allows the Charger to slide onto the Runite Redoublizer for storage and amplification. It also acts as a mana conductor, responsible for realizing the user’s desire and project an effect into the reality.

Chapter Text

January 19, 1615 Central Calendar, 14:21

MOASEC Apartment Complex, San Redentore District

The silence of his abode greeted Meteos as he finally arrived at his apartment room. It has been like this every weekday. His roommate Walman is still on his shift in the Alpha Edge Project, replacing him until one and a half hours later in order to fulfill their obligations to the Ancient Ministry.

With an exaggerated sigh, Meteos opened the door wide and lifted a wooden crate sitting by his feet to carry into the apartment. Proceeding to walk further inside, he arrived at the door of his apartment’s so-called ‘Planning Room,’ an office-like room dedicated to all his plans and as one would expect, is filled to the brim with books, documents, and blueprints. Meteos placed his crate there with a dull thud that reverberated across the room.

“Phew… finally,” Meteos groaned, stretching his limbs. The sensation of his popping joints made him involuntarily let out a grunt of pleasure.

He was on a tight schedule today. The work on the Alpha Edge Project only intensifies day by day, but immediately after finishing his shift, Meteos departed for the Imperial Mail Service in Xenosgram District by himself to retrieve a package sent from his hometown of Leiden. And this package came in the form of a heavy wooden crate that would not look out of place among a shipment of firearms. These activities are not part of his obligations in the Ministry, but still, he had his reasons to do these side quests, a very personal one.

One crowbar and the quick application of a simple lever mechanism later, Meteos pried the sealed crate open, revealing the contents of the package after long being stored under layers of rodent and termite-repellant magic papers. Its distinct scent tickled the boy’s nose as he peered into it with a growing sense of anticipation.

The box was divided into two parts. One half is filled with envelopes containing some of the drawings Meteos had made in the past nine years and the other is a smaller cardboard box containing the notes related to his designs. He counted fifteen envelopes, meaning there are fifteen blueprints in this box alone. Picking the leftmost one and opening it with a paper knife, Meteos then spread it wide on the drawing table.

“Oh, how nostalgic,” he remarked upon seeing what was drawn on the paper.

This one is one of his first drawings, made shortly after he regained his memories post-reincarnation. It started as a simple drawing to test how far he remembered his knowledge, but after some tweaks here and there, it turned into a proper design drawing by the Holy Milishial Empire’s standards. His parents, being civilians unfamiliar with military matters, simply chalked it as their son having too much imagination and gave him words of encouragement and praise. It then snowballed from there.

After finishing reviewing the design and making additional notes to simplify its design and remove unnecessary parts, Meteos folded it back to the envelope and pulled a pencil to mark it, ‘Design GP-11,’ before proceeding to the next drawing.

“Hmm, a lightweight machine pistol operated using a delayed blowback closed bolt mechanism, firing Imperial Pistol Ammunition and capable of selective fire ranging from single, semi-auto, and full-automatic,” he recited the details of the drawing like it’s second nature for him. Nine years already passed since he created this drawing but he did not forget even one part of it, as if this creation was just born mere moments ago.

A machine pistol is a weapon that somehow existed in both the otherworlders’ home planets despite their vastly different histories. Perhaps both Japan and the Gra Valkas Empire found a place for automatic firearm firing handgun cartridges on the battlefield, called kikan kenjū and maskinpistol, respectively. As for this world, the only firearm similar to them at this era is the Holy Empire’s M1600 Self-Loading Carbine (SLC). Meanwhile, Mu will not introduce machine pistols, or mitraillette, as they called them, until the early 1640s.

The M1600 SLC is a semi-automatic weapon with an unusual design in the form of a magazine that is located on the top, manufactured in limited numbers by the Imperial Arsenal, and remained an obscure weapon since its introduction a decade ago. Intended for close-quarters combat during raiding narrow corridors of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s dungeons, it fired the Imperial Pistol Ammunition. However, despite it worked just fine against frail and dumb goblins armed with swords, the common type of mooks the Army often find inside the dungeons, the units who were fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on who you ask) enough to find deeper ones will often find themselves outgunned by armored and intelligent humanoid monsters who wielded the Ravernal equivalent of a GPMG like it was assault rifle and sometimes, one or more Lesser Nosgorath units.

Therefore, the preferred tactic for clearing a dungeon is to lure the monsters out into an open space and finish them off with superior firepower. However, while it works with shallow dungeons like the ones appearing in news channels, this passive strategy will not work with the more advanced ones, ruins that sometimes contain a higher quantity of intact Ancient Sorcerous Empire relics. There’s also the problem of the monsters’ black blood that contaminated the soil.

Meanwhile, Meteos’ design of a machine pistol, which he gave the name ‘GP-12,’ features a more conventional design as well as being better in general in terms of performance. It can even fire bullets at full auto. Whether the military or police will be interested in this design or not is up to them, but anything goes for an inventor like him. Besides, he still has plenty of ammunition to feed the Holy Empire’s starvation of advancement.

Living in the Holy Empire where nearly everything is already provided is such a blessing compared to if one wished to start the same thing that he did in this country in another, even if it’s another superpower Mu. Even more so with the pillar of the Holy Empire’s advancement is now directly supporting him. If the Ancient Ministry really wanted to, they can ask to move a mountain, and the rest of the Holy Empire will have no choice but to ask ‘how far.’ Meteos is working on his designs with that in mind, inventing things and makes use of the Ancient Ministry’s support to his hearts’ content.

The next design he pulled made him let out an amused chuckle. If an automatic machine pistol might be considered unattractive by the military, then this one definitely is. He remembered this as a drawing he designed around his sixth birthday in this new timeline; an automatic rifle intended to be a successor to the M1591, the standard issue rifle for the military. It has the same operation system as the now-named Design GP-12. Firing the standard Imperial Rifle Ammunition, 7,62 mm, it was shorter than the M1591, but its estimated weight is heavier by almost 500 grams and it’s even heavier than the Japanese Hachikyuu-shiki-shoujuu. Even though Meteos can and is in fact, already designed a similar weapon firing smaller rounds, he doubted the military to be willing to accept its reduced power, especially when considering the Army’s primary enemy in this era is not humans, but monsters. If anything, they might request something more powerful.

He did the same thing as the previous designs and labeled it ‘Design GP-13,’ with an additional note on how to find out ways to further improve the design, including weight reduction measures without making the design frailer. And with the existence of magic, there are many avenues that can be explored.

‘Three out of fifteen.’

---

19:58

The silverette was joined by Walman in reviewing his designs after the latter came home from his shift, only further proving that the brunette is quick on the uptake even though the design’s complexity spiked considerably beyond the GP-17. It’s a shame that Robin is not here, though. That woman would have been thrilled seeing these kinds of stuff firsthand.

When he finished with the last one in the package, GP-115, Meteos briefly glanced at the wall clock and then at Walman, who was scrutinizing the drawings and notes that he had already reviewed.

Two minutes before eight o’clock.

It is a pleasant and quiet evening, the kind of situation that Meteos liked very much.

He himself was never one for idle chatting, preferring to spend time burying his nose among books and documents in silence, even more so when they are related to the Light-Winged Devils’ ancient relics. Even in this second life, where those alien technology no longer fascinates him as much as before, Meteos continues to be a rather quiet person as he focused on creating more and more technological wonders of his own. But because he wanted to try to become at least a more decent person and a good friend this time, he walked up to Walman at the drawing desk to remind him of the time.

“Hey, Walman,” Meteos called out as he tapped his friend on the shoulder.

“Yeah?” the brunette answered absentmindedly, not looking up from the blueprint.

“How’s it going? Are there any problems you don’t understand?”

“No worries, I got this.”

“It’s almost eight. There are two hours left until bedtime. Want to take a break?”

At those words, Walman glanced up and looked at the clock. Humming to himself, he finally spoke, putting aside a note about a machine gun design labeled GP-14.

“Sure,” he smiled. “What about you? Waiting for your evening call as usual, or are you the one calling tonight?”

Meteos bristled at Walman’s barely concealed snicker, but he quickly composed himself and replied neutrally with a raised eyebrow. “What of it?”

“Oh, no, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not going to make fun of you. I mean, you seem a lot more relaxed since you’ve been grimoiring each other and that’s actually nice, er… yeah.”

Meteos gave Walman a stare before shrugging and silently headed out of the room with Walman in tow, heading to the bedroom to pick up his grimoire and finding Walman already in the middle of turning on the magic monitor in the living room like he usually does. Without much fanfare, he joined Walman in sitting on the couch to watch the evening show. However, from the gleam of those oceanic blue eyes, glancing at the black screen of his magic phone from time to time, it is clear that his anticipation was directed somewhere.

The brunette boy lightly snorted at his friend.

It’s already been four months since Meteos started a new routine with his grimoire, where he will use the two hours before bedtime as a break from all kinds of chores and work before actually sleeping on time. Even though this means less time to work, he compensated for it by making full use of his time when awake. Not that it seems to matter much for the young prodigy. If anything, his drive to finish his work increased two—no, threefold.

He also seemed to have better sleep, as Walman can no longer recall when the last time his friend thrashed around in bed and mumbled something incomprehensible in his delirium. It was obvious that he is having nightmares, but he didn’t know what kind or why they happened so often. After all, it’s not like he was having a bad day recently. Although he was concerned, as long as Meteos don’t want to talk about it to anyone, it was not Walman’s place to ask him about it.

That’s why his friendship with Nadia Smirnova is probably the best for both of them. It was painfully obvious that the blonde girl has a crush on Meteos. ‘Gold and Silver’ pairing, as Robin calls it. She’s such a demure, nice, and pretty girl, but she’s not exactly Walman’s type.

What makes him really curious, though, is what Meteos actually feels about that eastern girl, seeing that his friend, who rarely interacts with kids of the opposite gender, seems to be very comfortable in Nadia’s presence. And after seeing him pampering Nadia with all sorts of things at every chance they meet, Walman really wanted to ask Meteos about it. Does he reciprocate her feelings after the few times they met and saw each other?

‘Should I ask him directly…? Hmm, ah, screw it,’ he thought, really wanting to scratch that itch of his.

“So…” he started, “Are you going to call her first?”

“No. Tomorrow is Tuesday, which means she will have alchemy in the morning. It’s her favorite subject, she must have been studying hard right now. I shall not disturb her. I’ll let her do it when she finished studying.”

‘Eeh… you even know about that…’

Walman is convinced. Never had he seen Meteos seem to care about what a girl likes and dislikes.

“I see… What do you think of her, by the way?”

“…!”

Although he was briefly taken aback by the question, Meteos firmly replied. “Nadia is a kind and intelligent girl who came all the way from Zaftra for the sake of her grandmother, isn’t that admirable?”

“Huh, that’s it? Then… do you like her?”

“For someone like her, the real question is if there is something that people dislike about her, Walman.”

Walman held back a laugh, “Well… you once said that people can be cruel with their tongues.”

Yes, it was something that Meteos once said to Walman before, having seen firsthand in his previous life how the Gra Valkans behaved with their delusions against the natives of this world, even though they were clearly losing the war they started themselves. No matter how mankind beat those little devils to submission, not once did their venomous tongues shut up and continued to lash at them. It’s annoying and just plain pathetic on the Gra Valkans’ part, but it became downright infuriating when the natives still getting killed.

Are they really humans as they claim to be, or is Meteos stand corrected in thinking that they are monsters?

Anyway, the thought of anyone disliking Nadia is simply preposterous.

Walman continued, “But that’s not what I’m asking.”

Meteos narrowed his eyes, “Just get to the point already, Walman.”

“Okay, okay. Do you like Nadia, as in like-like?”

At Walman’s words, Meteos was actually stunned as he figured out the meaning behind that question: “Do you like her so much that you want to spend your days with her by your side?”

“…What makes you think I liked Nadia that way?” he muttered.

“Well… every time we hang out together, I see that whenever she needs something, you are always quick to give. Heck, even when Nadia doesn’t really need it, you took the initiative and offers to buy her things. Her grimoire, for example. It’s useful, but still expensive, what did you give it to her for?”

“Is it wrong that I just want to help someone with good intentions? It’s not like anything I give her are useless, frivolous things,” he reasoned.

“Uh, huh. If that’s the case, then you should do the same with the others, like…” Walman brought up his fingers and began counting, “Sofia, Hilda, Shadya, Aguilera, Annet—wait, no.”

He almost mentioned the daughter of the Duke of Runepolis, the last person who could possibly be given such treatment by Meteos. Coughing awkwardly, Walman continued.

“And don’t forget the boys as well. But you didn’t do that. So can you blame me for thinking that you are indeed like her?”

“…Am I…?” the silverette asked to himself. A confused frown began to slowly appear on his face as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe Walman is just joking with his assumptions, but Meteos indeed felt a throb, a strange sense of fondness just by thinking about that one girl.

He was silent for a while before abruptly standing up from the couch and walking off, muttering a brief, “I’m going to the bedroom,” leaving his friend alone in the living room, the sound of the magical monitor becoming a distant background noise as Walman’s bewildered stare followed Meteos’ briskly retreating back.

“…I’m not screwing things up, am I?” he murmured.

---

Just as he disappeared from his friend’s line of sight, Meteos quickly closed the door and threw himself on their double bed, sprawling on it while letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Now that Walman had brought up that topic, he can’t stop thinking about it.

Their first meeting was barely remarkable, with Meteos thought of her as just an ordinary girl like any other who happened to be saved by Robin from an unfortunate crime scene. It was later that he found out more about Nadia. Her likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams, as well as passion and talent. He wanted to reward her for her efforts, and so he did, and it felt just right doing it. But why he wanted to do it in the first place?

They rarely meet each other after he graduated. But every time they did, his admiration for her personality slowly turned into something indescribable that is growing inside his heart. He also began to notice more of her as a person… the way her eyes lit up every time they locked gazes at each other, her captivating voice, and everything else about her fascinated him. The mere thought of seeing her, or at least listening to her voice again every night conjured a different feeling of fondness and anticipation than the one he feels when he masterfully danced his fingers on the papers as he poured his imagination into creation.

A more pragmatic part of his mind reasoned that this newfound feeling, although he can’t explain it at present, is useful for him. Never before he had felt breezing through his work, no matter how difficult it is, to be so overwhelmingly easy, until the time comes for their evening calls. Is that why Meteos felt compelled to shower her with kindness? Because he wanted to reward the object of his feelings for being useful in furthering his goals? Or is it something… genuine?

Meteos never had a life partner in his previous life, having lived alone until the day he died. Perhaps he subconsciously longed for one, and perhaps he found it in Nadia. But he was still unsure.

“It was slow, but steadily growing, and never fades. Like standing on a hill in the morning, standing still in place as the sun creep in from beyond the horizon, waiting for the warmth of its golden rays to wash over your entire being… it feels exactly like that… but sunrays… why it had to be sun?” Meteos chuckled mirthlessly, finding it to be ironic for now that whenever he thinks about the sun, the first thing that came to his mind is that ‘another star.’

“Gods, she’s just one girl I had the chance of meeting. When it started to turn out like this… This matter is something that my pathetic brain doesn’t compute!” he huffed, flailing his limbs into the air and letting them hit the soft bed with a muffled thud.

“I hate this feeling of uncertainty; I need to find out more about this—hm?”

It was at that moment that his gaze stopped at the calendar on the wall. Showing the first two months of the Central Calendar Year 1615, he noticed that on the 8th of February, it was marked blue and circled among black numbers of the normal weekdays and red-colored weekends.

“Lá Bandia an Uisce… Hmm…” (Water Goddess Day)

Meteos hummed in contemplation, and then the grimoire rang.

20:55

Runepolis Magic Academy Girls Dormitory

“…And one more thing, I want to ask you something, Nadia.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Do you have any plans for Sunday on February eighth?”

“Hmm… that’s quite specific. But no, nothing in particular.”

Nadia got up from her bed to pick up a calendar sitting on her desk, tilting her head upon finding out that the specific date is marked blue with a circle, the sign of it being a religious holiday.

“I see, that’s nice!” Meteos’ voice sounded pleased. “Do you know that February eighth coincides with the Water Goddess Day? If you have nothing to do at your dorm, why don’t you visit the Temple of Saoirse at the end of the road? People over there are going to hold a community event after the worship, I’ll be there from the morning, too.”

“I never visited such events since I came to the capital. I-is it alright if I go there?”

“Hm? What do you mean by that? Even if you don’t participate in the ceremony, the event is open to everyone. Heck, that’s the reason it opened in the first place. Come to think of it, it makes me wonder why your classmates never asked you to come.”

“Maybe they forgot…”

A loud, disbelieving sigh was heard from the other end of the grimoire before Meteos continued. “That’s—Never mind. Anyway, I’ll be delighted if you can come and visit. I’ll… show you around if you wanted to. What do you think?”

Despite them being the same age, Meteos’ achievement has propelled him and Walman into being employed by the most prestigious institution in the Holy Empire. However, that also means that he is now an extremely busy person, of course he will have no time to waste. Grimoiring each other is one thing, but hanging out and chatting face to face? The prodigy’s time is too precious for that.

Now Nadia regretted that her shyness prevented her from spending more time with him while she can, despite knowing how her crush’s ambition is probably burning as bright as the August Star of Heaven in the sky.

This is why this invitation directly from him caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. In no time at all, a rosy tinge adorned Nadia’s cheek as she fumbled with her words.

“I’d love to—I mean, o-of course! That will be great…!”

“……I’ll be looking forward to it…… Oh, right. Since you’re having an exam tomorrow, I think we should end this call now. I wish you the best of luck, and good night.”

“Thank you, Meteos, and good night to you as well…”

After the call ended, Nadia brought her grimoire close to her chest and hugged it tightly. Her smile never left her face even as she leaned back into her bed and closed her eyes. It was a good day, as always. She hoped that tomorrow and the days after that will be better than today.

“Psst, Meteos, are you sleeping?”

Walman’s not-really-quiet whispering can be heard by Meteos, who was facing away from the brunette on the bed.

“I’m trying to. What is it?” he answered without looking at him.

“I was wondering something, and I wanted to ask you.”

“Why don’t you ask earlier?”

“Sorry! I forgot! I just remembered now!”

Meteos snorted, “What is it that you wanted to ask.”

“It’s about those GPs…”

“GP? The blueprints?”

“Yeah, those drawings from the crate.”

“Okay, what about it?”

“What does ‘GP’ mean?”

Meteos sweatdropped, did his friend seriously do this, just as he was trying to sleep? However, he humored Walman and turned to face him.

“Enysfalian. Gléas Plota. In Milishian that would mean ‘Plot Device.’ You know, techniques in a story used to move the plot forward?”

“I know what a plot device is,” Walman retorted. “But that’s curious naming. Any reason behind it?”

This time, Meteos gave Walman a playful smirk before shifting so that his back faced him again.

“Who knows? It might be random, or I named it as such because I indeed wanted to move the plot of a story forward…”

“Huh? I don’t get it…”

“Sweet dreams, Walman.”

“Ah… g-good night.”

Currently Publicly Available Information

KAGASEO

Kagaseo, designated α Corona Majestatis (Alpha Corona Majestatis), and abbreviated Alpha CoMa or α CoMa, is a star in the constellation Corona Majestatis (lit. “Crown of Majesty”). With a visual apparent magnitude of -1,7 it outshines all other stars as the brightest star in the night sky. In addition, the star’s position which is very adjacent to the north celestial pole makes it also called the North Star. In addition to its brightness, its position as the pole star makes it essential for navigation.

The star’s prominent appearance and position has caused Kagaseo to hold a significant influence in many cultures. The most famous of them is the Milishian mythology, in which it was called the “August Star of Heaven” (not to be confused with a mythological event with the same name, that meteor is depicted in mythology as a fragment of this star sent by the gods to banish the Light-Winged Devils from this planet).

Until this day, it is unknown where the name “Kagaseo” came from or what it means, being already appeared in writings as far as the reign of the Third Milishial Emperor to indicate the brightest star in the sky which was used as a fixed point from which to draw measurements for celestial navigation. Although there are speculations, the fact that it does not match any of the recorded languages in the known world or even the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s language greatly confused the researchers.

It is just a lone soul, but maybe it only takes one lone soul out of the millions.

If Meteos never started his little summer project in March 1613, he will continue his studies in Leiden until he graduated from junior high school. Meanwhile, Robin, who never met him on that day, will eventually succumb to immense stress and insanity that she committed suicide. As a member of the Ancient Ministry’s ancient weapons operator, her death was kept secret and her name was expunged from their records.

Her mother Candee, Robin’s only living relative who never stopped searching for her missing daughter, never found out about this. She spent the next seventy years after Meteos died in 1722 still waiting for her beloved daughter. Finally, after coming to realization that her daughter will never come back, she, too, killed herself. The world knew her as an eternally beautiful and youthful human woman, but secretly she led a life filled with despair and sorrow and died alone.

On 3rd September of 1613, Nadia Smirnova, a young aspiring alchemist from the eastern coast will encounter an unfortunate incident in the streets of Runepolis. Although she managed to run away from her robbers, without Robin being there to help her, those three thugs caught up with her and dragged her back into the dark alley. Nadia desperately struggled, but it ended after a bullet lodged itself inside the poor girl’s head. Not stopping there, the gun-wielding thug was so enraged with Nadia’s struggle that he emptied his entire magazine on her. And that’s as far as I would humor the notion of describing it.

Unaware of all this, Meteos’ life went on, only to end up in a bleak timeline that was his previous life.

No matter whether large or small, entities that disturb time and space will cause a ripple effect that will greatly change the future timeline. Meteos Roguerider is just one person, an insignificant speck in the cosmos, born into a planet unfortunately so ravaged by the unwanted visitors in the distant past that it stunted its growth like a poor child suffering from malnutrition. However, just by being reborn in the past, he becomes the center of a ripple that swept through the universe, changing futures and derailing the course of fate whether he’s doing it knowingly or not.

As for the future that will happen next, it is obvious that it will no longer be set in stone.

Chapter Text

February 2, 1615 Central Calendar

Le Brias, Altaras Kingdom

Inside a conference hall in the center of the Atenor Palace, the Kingdom’s leaders were holding a meeting with their liege, King Taara XIV. The monarch had just turned 46 yesterday, but the increasing streaks of his graying hair and the wrinkles on his face gave the impression that the king is older than he looks. He sat at the end of the conference table, silently weighing the opinions and proposals that his vassals came up with as they exchanged their opinions in a lengthy discussion.

The most frequently brought-up points of interest in the meetings were about things related to the Parpaldia Empire, a superpower country of Philades—the dragon across the strait whose vicious snarl always breathed down the Altaran people’s necks, and how to deal with their increasingly unreasonable demands. That is why when the Foreign Minister reported that the Kingdom’s magic stone export this year is able to fulfill the quota demanded by Parpaldia, the officials and the king slumped in relief.

After composing himself, Taara asked, “What about the Parpaldian government’s response?”

Hisham, the gaunt and elderly Foreign Minister turned to look at the king with his sunken eyes. As the one in charge of diplomacy, including dealing with the superpower countries, the stress of having to endure Parpaldia’s abuse most of the time had caused this man to age even more poorly than the king. However, this time, Hisham cracked a small smile and responded to Taara.

“Through their ambassador, the Parpaldian government plainly stated that they had accepted and expected us to continue to be able to fulfill their… requests, as agreed in the treaty between our countries. That is all, Your Majesty.”

Sighs and grunts echoed in response to the elder’s statement. Meanwhile, War Minister Nader, a large and intimidating man dressed in green garb sitting near the other end of the table, scowled, crossed his arms, and scoffed in derision.

Of course, they never expected that blatantly arrogant country to offer them gratitude, nor they did expect Parpaldia to improve their treatment toward Altaras, but at least this is still better than being threatened again. The last thing they wanted to happen is to see Altaras give up her sons and daughters to toil as slaves in Parpaldia.

The king nodded. “Then… I suppose we can at least rest easy about now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is a relief that Parpaldia is satisfied with our offering. However, considering their domestic situation at present, it is possible that the export of Parpaldia’s outdated technology might be reduced, or even ceased completely.”

“That’s hardly surprising,” Taara sighed. “I also expected that much. Although they will never admit it, Parpaldia is currently struggling with its internal situation and its bogged-down military campaign. If Parpaldia always made excuses to not uphold their end of the agreement in normal times, they will do so even more now.”

“Hear, hear,” one of the ministers quipped.

Through the merchants and spies, the Altaras Kingdom managed to glean some information about Parpaldia’s progress, or rather lack of it, in their invasion of the northern kingdoms. Declaring war against four countries at once, the Altaran Ministry of War had submitted an analysis concluding that Parpaldia’s superior national power will make a short work of them. Their prediction of a Parpaldian victory is also strengthened by the fact that the four nations tend to act on their own without proper coordination with each other.

However, through a combination of factors, the Parpaldian army’s advance was unexpectedly slowed to a crawl just before they can conquer the last kingdom still resisting. And shortly after that, a famine struck Parpaldia’s breadbasket region which forced the invasion to a halt. It is like curses have been placed one after another on the Parpaldia Empire. For the Altarans, Parpaldia’s crisis was like a godsend that allowed them breathing room.

But as if to shoot down their optimism, War Minister Nader raised his hand.

“I held no love for Parpaldia, they can die for all I care. However, we should still be wary because this will become a problem that affects our Kingdom as well. As much as I dislike to point out about this, we rely on Parpaldia’s provision of their outdated weaponry to bolster our national defense. By our own, even if we mobilize all the gunsmiths and shipwrights in our country to produce weapons, they will still not match what Parpaldia gives in both quality and quantity.”

Nader’s words caused a stir among the attending officials who were whispering to the one sitting next to them.

As the country is categorized as an “outside civilization country,” which is just another term for “weakest countries in the known world,” Altaras do not have a voice in the international community and are often subjected to the whims of more powerful countries as a result. This is evident in their relationship with Parpaldia, the superpower country closest to them. While they signed a trade treaty, the helpless Altaras couldn’t do anything if Parpaldia suddenly wanted to rewrite its contents or abrogate it one-sidedly. This is also true with Parpaldia’s export of designated technology it considered obsolete to Altaras. The island kingdom is considered lucky if Parpaldia just decides to reduce its export when the empire can stop it altogether.

“I have to agree with Lord War Minister,” Hisham spoke. “We should not let our guard down just because the Parpaldia Empire is preoccupied with their internal issues. If anything, it’s at a time like this that their policy will be at most erratic.”

“Lord Foreign Minister, are you implying that we should watch out for an armed invasion from Parpaldia anytime soon…?” someone asked in disbelief.

“That’s how Parpaldia works, isn’t it? In order to keep up their population, they invade their neighbors, plunder them of resources until nothing is left, rinse and repeat,” said Nader.

King Taara raised his hand and interjected, “I don’t think an invasion of Altaras will happen anytime soon, but we still have to be on our guard regardless.”

His words caused the other officials to sigh in resignation, but they all agreed with the king. They had the same thoughts regarding the situation; however, at best they could only remain as powerless observers while the Parpaldia Empire marched on with their conquest, hoping that the dragon will not set its eyes on their island.

Seeing that the officials had calmed down, King Taara spoke again.

“Indeed, the possibility of Parpaldia halting their export while we can do nothing but obey their unfair demands is very painful. But now the situation is different. The Holy Milishial Empire came to us and offered to help develop Altaras in exchange for us granting them the right to mine useless ores. What was once a failed attempt to open a mine turned out to be profitable. Their companies and people also started to come in droves to do business. This turn of events is a blessing! I am thinking of using their presence in our Kingdom to deter Parpaldia’s aggression while we benefited from their technical assistance to develop. As you can see, we never see Parpaldia lessening their pressure on us, and yet they did because the Holy Empire’s people are here. What do you all think about this?”

The ministers erupted in hushes again.

Only several months after accepting the Holy Milishial Empire’s offer, Altaras already experienced a boon from their investment. New export goods, infrastructures such as uninterrupted roads that connected Altaran cities, expansion of port facilities to allow their giant ships to dock, and job opportunities started popping up everywhere. It can be said that the Altaras Kingdom is more prosperous than ever. Even the community to accommodate the workers established in Le Brias’ suburbs shone even brighter than the city itself at the night because of the Holy Empire’s installation of the magical lighting system. The Altarans were salivating for more.

Meanwhile, Hisham, while somewhat agreeing with the king’s view, he is aware that it will bring a new set of problems.

“If we can use their presence to our advantage, then I don’t mind that idea, Your Majesty. But… as the Foreign Minister, I would like you to take into consideration the future consequences of our actions. Even if we can use the Holy Empire to shield us from Parpaldia’s aggression, there are still too many things we don’t know about their intentions. To begin with, they, the strongest empire in the known world who never cared about us before, suddenly approached the Kingdom with the most strangest of requests.”

There were murmurs as Hisham finished advising the king. In their understanding, the Holy Empire was not the kind of country to suddenly make friendly gestures to worthless peons, especially the outside civilization countries.

Another official, Suleyman the Minister of Interior, raised his hand. “Is it possible that the Holy Empire find Parpaldia’s expansionism concerning and they wanted to use Altaras to keep them in check? Parpaldia is busy with their own problems right now, so they might want to use this opportunity to cut off their chances of expanding southward while Parpaldia can’t do anything about it.”

A minister crossed his arms. “Really? Lord Interior Minister? The August Star of Heaven, who scared away an entire Muish fleet with a single shot, finds Parpaldia, who is far beneath them, concerning enough to use the Kingdom as a buffer state? If the Holy Empire really finds Parpaldia concerning, what’s to stop them from marching into their capital with their giant ships and razing Esthirant to the ground?”

Although that minister’s comment was a gross exaggeration as a result of mix-ups between many secondhand accounts and propaganda, there was a time when the Holy Milishial Empire and Mu almost got into an armed conflict. In the year 1592, a dispute over the ownership of the Sol Islands, which was located in the Minerva Ocean between the First and Second Civilizations, saw the deployment of both Milishian and Muish naval fleets who then proceeded to face each other in a standoff. Although the HME’s fleet did fired a shot, it was only a warning one, and it’s not even what caused Mu to back off from the dispute. Negotiations and Mu’s weak post-Civil War situation were the real reasons behind it.

However, rumors that emerged from this event shaped the known world’s perception of the Holy Milishial Empire. Regardless of what actually happened, the fact that they asserted their dominance over the closest country that can rival them, making Mu withdraw without a fight, made it became a common understanding in Altaras and other low-civilization countries that as the strongest superpower, if the Holy Milishial Empire really wanted to (and if they consider it worth waging war for), they can just bulldoze through international conventions and destroy anything that gets in their way without needing to complicate things like forming alliances. They are powerful enough to do so in their opinion.

Nader raised his hand again. “But the civilian infrastructures the Holy Empire built in our country can be repurposed for military use. Expansion of Le Brias Harbor and a new airport in Rubail Plains, they are all conveniently located near the Parpaldia Empire.”

“Could it be, something has happened in the Central World that made the Holy Empire consider an armed intervention to the Third Civilization’s affairs?”

King Taara interjected, “Gentlemen, we are starting to speculate things. Let’s calm down and return to the topic.”

“Yes, I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

The king then turned to Hisham again.

“Foreign Minister, what do you think?”

“There are still too many uncertainties, but based on the Holy Empire’s past behaviors, they are not the ones to attack another country first. They only fought back when they were provoked, thus I am leaning to the opinion that military intervention in the east is not their goal, at least for now.”

“Still, there are many reasons for the Holy Empire to station their military. For example, I don’t believe they will trust us to handle the security of the trade routes. Sooner or later, we might see one or two warships from the Holy Empire docked in the harbor over there,” Nader pointed to the Le Brias Harbor’s general direction.

Suleyman coughed into his hand and was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.

“But as long as the Holy Empire is willing to help us and allow us to be their ally, we can at least try to utilize that opportunity. Besides, Lord War Minister, do you have any better idea to counter Parpaldia?”

Nader was taken aback that Suleyman asked him back and shook his head with a grimace. “No. We lack the capability to challenge Parpaldia. If Parpaldia decides to invade us, then the only thing we can do is delay the inevitable. I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

King Taara nodded and waved off Nader’s apology. “Yes, I know. In addition, if not for the Holy Empire’s technical assistance, we will not be able to fulfill Parpaldia’s demands this quickly. I still think it’s worth a try.”

Hisham warned, “Even so, Your Majesty, we should tread this carefully. The Holy Empire has its own interests. If we are careless, we might cause the Kingdom to turn into a helpless puppet for the August Star of Heaven before we know it.”

King Taara hummed and nodded again. He understood this, but he still decided to go ahead with his plan.

“We need to try to balance our relations with both the Holy Empire and Parpaldia, of course. Ideally, I wanted to establish a non-aggression treaty with Parpaldia while using the Holy Empire’s presence to deter them and benefiting from it…”

A wishful thinking, to be sure. But Taara only wanted the best for his people.

“Also I have a question: The Holy Empire’s ambassador also once told us that if we showed enough cooperation, they will consider recognizing Altaras as a Third Civilization Country at the Eleven Countries Leadership Conference, but how far can we trust the Holy Empire?”

Another tantalizing proposal, but also strange and too sudden. Most of the officials present in the meeting held their breath, unsure of what to answer. After a brief silence, Hisham raised his hand.

“Your Majesty, they say they will consider it, but they don’t really tell us when they will actually do it, aren’t they? For all we know, this is just something to ensure our loyalty, or worse, a dangling bait for Altaras to do as the Holy Empire dictates. I am not delusional enough to believe that they will propose it at the next year’s world conference, or even the next world conference after that.”

The painful truth of this world where the strong can freely impose their will on the weak.

King Taara sighed at Hisham’s reply. ‘True, but… if it is something that can ensure the safety of my people, I don’t mind doing it if push comes to shove. But come to think of it, am I too hasty in accepting their offer?’

A man named Hamza, the Minister of Trade, chimed in, “Your Majesty, we must admit that we will never be seen as equal by either Parpaldia or the Holy Empire. All I can think now is to seize the opportunity and cooperate with the Holy Empire. Along the way, we will show them that we can become a better trading partner than Parpaldia, with which the Holy Empire has a rather tense trading relation, and that it is best to invest in an independent Altaras rather than a Parpaldian colony. If we can be recognized as a Third Civilization Country, then it’s even better.”

‘Ah, so there’s no other option for weaklings like us…?’ Taara inwardly lamented. Even though his country is starting to benefit from the Holy Milishial Empire’s investments, the future of Altaras is still too uncertain.

The discussion continued for several more hours until the meeting ended, leaving all the officials and the king feeling drained.

---

After the day-long meeting, a very tired Taara staggered into his bedroom, finding his queen, Elif, sitting by the bed with her back facing him. Upon hearing the double doors’ creak, Elif’s eyes lit up and turned her head to look, smiling at the sight of Taara.

“Welcome home, my love,” she greeted with a smile.

Despite the fatigue, Taara smiled back and walked over. Seeing her always made him happy no matter how stressful the management of the Kingdom is.

“How did the meeting go? Did Nader cause you trouble?”

Taara sat on the edge of the bed, letting Elif’s soft lips kiss his cheek, and chuckled.

The Minister of War, Nader, is Elif’s older brother, which made him Taara’s brother-in-law. He is blunt and does not mince words, speaking whatever is on his mind. While Taara appreciated his honesty, he is worried that his attitude will cause him to get into trouble.

“It’s just him being him, don’t worry about it. As for the meeting, well, I feel that it only produces more questions than answers.”

“How so?” Elif tilted her head.

One explanation later, Elif nodded in empathy.

“The Holy Empire and Parpaldia… they are such a handful, aren’t they?”

“I should not be surprised, with them being superpowers and all…” Taara grumbled. “But in hindsight, I guess I too should be blamed for this. I fell into the Holy Empire’s sweet words and agreed to their terms, thinking that I can use them to our advantage but forgetting to think about the long-term consequences of my action. And I did so because I am too scared of what Parpaldia will do, now I’m worried.”

Elif snuggled closer to him and said softly, “You are not to blame, Taara. You did your best.”

Taara patted her head in gratitude. Elif was his wife and queen, but more importantly, his friend. She had been with him since his days as a young prince, and she was the only person he trusted with his true feelings.

“I know, but I hope that the future will be kind to us,” he mumbled. “Anyway, how was the day for you? How did the little one behave?”

“Ah, our baby boy is doing great. He is growing so fast, Taara! He is so excitable, I even lost count at how many times he tried to crawl away when I wasn’t looking.”

Taara stared at Elif for a moment in surprise.

“Oh, right, he is almost six months old, isn’t he? To think he’s grown so much already!”

“Hush, I just put him to sleep,” Elif playfully put her finger on Taara’s lips.

Taara nodded sheepishly, sharing a quiet laugh with Elif before Taara got out of bed and walked over to the crib, where his baby boy is supposedly sleeping. However, upon arriving and glancing over the edge, he blurted.

“Eh?”

A pair of innocent brown eyes stared back at Taara’s black orbs.

Curious at Taara’s sudden reaction, Elif came over and giggled.

“Oh dear, looks like the little one doesn’t want to sleep yet.”

“Ah… did I wake you up, boy?” Taara wondered.

“Da… da…!”

The baby cooed in response and held out his little hands to reach his father. The king sighed in amusement before picking him up and holding the baby in his hands.

“I see you are still cute as ever, Khalid…”

The baby smiled brightly and stretched his arms towards Taara again.

“Ah, here we go, good boy! Good boy, who’s the good boy?”

As Taara started to rock the baby, Elif approached them and smiled.

The marriage between Taara and Elif initially was marred with uncertainties because after seventeen years, there was still no heir in sight. The king’s advisors started to urge Taara to take a concubine, but he still believed in his queen. This is why when Elif was pregnant and gave birth to Khalid in the previous summer, the entire country erupted in joy.

Taara brought Khalid closer, close enough that his hands began to try to pat his cheek, and muttered.

“My son, you are truly a blessing for us…”

For a second, he looked down at the baby and felt a twinge of guilt.

“You will one day rule this country as the king, and it is my duty as your father to make sure everything is prepared. I just hope that the path that I am taking now will not fail you and cause you hardship in the future, where I will no longer be around to guide you.”

Watching her husband, Elif placed her hand on his shoulder and embraced her family from the side.

“Don’t worry, my love. No matter what happens, we will walk this path together.”

“…Thank you, Elif… Can we stay like this for a little while?”

Holding Elif and Khalid tightly, Taara watched as the dusk settled in beyond the window. Lights began to flicker one after another in the city of Le Brias as the answer to the darkening sky, but mother nature didn’t want to be outdone and brought her own lights to adorn the black night. It was a beautiful sight that Taara always admires every night from the balcony of his palace before going into slumber; the ethereal band of gathering lights that crossed the sky above and when he glanced beyond the strait, the celestial Crown of Majesty and the bright North Star that always there, almost unchanging—Kagaseo, the August Star of Heaven.

A star whose name was used by the people who came and built the brightly shining buildings on this land, and some of them could now be seen if Taara was willing to look a little further to the west. Even if it was just a handful of buildings, the glaring lights these Milishians carried have already begun to make the starlight in the sky look dim. If this continues, his son Khalid may never have the chance to see them like he did.

Taara had always heard that the Holy Empire’s capital is a city filled with lights and wondered if the people who lived there ever gaze at the stars the way the Altarans did. It is a bit sad that in order to gain the splendor on civilization, people would lose the chance to witness the beauty of the nature. But perhaps that’s life, where to gain something, one must be prepared to give up something else in return. Just like sacrificing his country’s pride to a certain star in order to save it from the dragon of Philades’ claws.

February 4, 1615 Central Calendar

Esthirant, Parpaldia Empire

Ever since the famine broke out in eastern Parpaldia and spread to the rest of the empire, every day is a struggle for survival. The government’s efforts to do damage control were feeble at best as soldiers try to put down riots across the country. To make matters worse, food prices are rising on their own due to scarcity of supplies. People wanted to escape the country, and those who were able to do so quickly jumped ship after the Holy Milishial Empire opened a job recruitment bureau in Esthirant, drawing cheap labor to be used for their projects in Altaras.

This was also true for the capital city of Parpaldia. In Esthirant, the icon of prosperity for the Third Civilization Area’s superpower and the wealthiest city in the eastern world enough to receive the title of ‘Pearl of Philades,’ an atmosphere of gloom and confusion descended upon its inhabitants as soon as the sun rises.

The once orderly streets were filled with people trying to buy bread while others tried to sell it or even steal from them. Sometimes these desperate people even resorted to violence that spread like wildfire. The commotion continued all through the day, drawing the attention of local authorities who immediately sent patrols around the area. However, things would get worse when most of these patrolmen fell victim to the unrest themselves, and chaos ensued.

However, the northern district of the city where the magnificent Paradis Palace, the residence of the Emperor, stood, remained untouched by any kind of unrest. Its magic-powered heaters were still running without interruption for the sake of its inhabitants’ comfort, belying the fact that this year is one of the coldest winters in Philades’ history. As a result, a comfortable temperature reminiscent of springtime can be felt inside the palace building.

The color crimson, the color of the fire magic stone used in those heating mechanisms, has always been associated with the Parpaldia Empire and is always present in any decorations: the banners that draped the palace interior, governmental offices, uniforms, and so on, and so on. It is commonly used to symbolize valor, bravery, beauty, nobility, elegance, passion, determination, strength, and vigor, among others.

However, the First Emperor, Parpaldius, chose crimson as his color to symbolize the blood of people shed by the hostile barbarians who invaded Parneus, the Holy Land and the Parpaldian people’s ancestral homeland. His descendants then continue to raise this crimson banner high as the country turned into a new juggernaut, swallowing the hostile countries one after another as the rising Dragon of Philades marched on its roaring rampage of revenge.

This is why, Leonius, the current Emperor of Parpaldia, didn’t use the very color associated with bloodshed to decorate his bedroom. Instead, he opted for white with gold accents. For the man, a bedroom is a place where he could let go of his burdens as the head of an Empire. A single canopy bed stood in the middle, and sitting there was a woman who is Leonius’ wife.

Empress Adriana, born Adriana Lutjens van Pienaar, is a woman of average height with dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades. As if there was no winter, she was dressed in a simple sleeveless white dress with a golden armlet that adorned her left arm. As her husband was still in his office doing his work, Adriana’s eyes, which were sea-green in color, were looking at the only other occupant of the room with a gaze filled with warmth and joy.

“I know you can do it, my little angel…!” she cheered.

Said little angel has inherited Adriana’s beauty, but those eyes and the shade of his tuft of platinum blonde hair are undoubtedly Leonius’. This is Ludius, the five-month-old Crown Prince of Parpaldia. The newest addition to the Imperial Family was lying on his stomach on the bed, lifting his head in search of his mother with his curious gaze.

“Oh, you really are something else…”

With a proud smile on Adriana’s face, she rubbed Ludius’ backside while admiring his accomplishment. Feeling his mother’s hand gently stroking him, Ludius babbled happily.

“Your father must be delighted seeing you once he returns. Right? I can’t wait to see his face.”

The Empire’s Crown Prince has grown fast since birth, and the Emperor himself was also very keen on raising him. Like all proud parents, Leonius also once bragged that his son will reach greatness, and in Ludius’ case, being an emperor of Parpaldia that will surpass him one day. He already assigned Ludius tutors who will teach him a variety of things… reading, writing, mathematics, theology, history, philosophy, martial arts, military science, marksmanship, and more.

The man was serious about preparing his heir to be worthy to be the one who will lead the Dragon of Philades.

But that can wait until Ludius is older, because on this day, the young Ludius had reached a milestone: he started to learn how to crawl.

---

In another corner of the Paradis Palace, one man was visiting after receiving the summoning order from the leader of the Empire himself. His name was Pieter, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces. And now, just before entering the Emperor’s office, he straightened his ornate military uniform before knocking and announcing his arrival. A curt “Come in” from beyond the doors signaled him to enter, and now, standing before the Emperor of Parpaldia, cold sweat began to pour from Pieter’s back.

How could it be not, when there was no man in the whole of the Third Civilization Area more feared than the one who sat behind the desk? In addition, this man, known for his piercing glare, was directing it to none other than Pieter himself. With a large amount of tension between them, Emperor Leonius remained silent as he continued staring the Supreme Commander down like a lion stalking its prey. Although he wanted to squirm under his liege’s gaze, Pieter had no choice but to stand still until the Emperor decided to speak.

Also present in this room was the Imperial Advisor, Ruperther, standing beside the Emperor’s desk. An ever-loyal vassal, he had served the Emperor since they were both young, and it can be said that he is one of the people the Emperor of Parpaldia calls a friend. Like the Emperor, Ruperther’s attention was also focused on Pieter. But was it a look of pity on his face? Or a grimace of displeasure? It was hard to tell.

Finally, the silence was broken as the Emperor spoke, still not letting up his glare.

“Supreme Commander. I am sure you are educated enough to know that as of this day, it has been exactly nine months since the invasion of the northern kingdoms began. And yet, I have not heard any report of our complete victory over our enemies. I demand an explanation.”

“I understand your impatience, Your Majesty. However, we’ve put forth a great effort to ensure the safety of Parpaldia from the northern threat—”

“Oh, yes, you must have thought so too, considering that you sent one hundred and fifty thousand Parpaldian men to their deaths with absolutely no gain,” the Emperor sarcastically interrupted Pieter.

“C-calling it a fruitless effort is unfair, Your Majesty…!” Pieter sputtered. “The invasion may stretch past the schedule, but we have certainly made gains and brought down three kingdoms, leaving Kooze left—”

“Which are barbarians and stupid, Supreme Commander. An alliance of barbarians is still barbarians, worthless peons waiting to be crushed by our Empire. And yet, you have kept requesting reinforcements to fight against them despite having the strength to crush them within half a year!”

“A-about that… reports from the field indicate that the enemy resistance is tougher than expected—”

BLAM!

The sound of the Emperor slamming both his hands on his table interrupted Pieter as he tried to find an excuse, jolting him in shock as he witnessed the Emperor abruptly standing up from his chair with his face now contorted in fury.

“You dare give me that excuse!? Enemy resistance is tougher than expected!? Is this what I should expect from the powerful Imperial Army!? When you proposed to resume the northern campaign, I granted it because I am confident in the strength of our military, and yet somehow you squandered every single advantage we had and made my Empire into a laughingstock! And even worse, your incompetence also caused my own subjects to suffer! Do you see the riots on the streets!? You are also responsible for them! I should have you beheaded for this stupidity!” Leonius roared.

As if a dam had burst, Pieter could only watch the Emperor rant at him as his head drooped even lower and lower. He didn’t even feel his body trembling anymore. Pieter just wilted on where he stood as the Emperor’s wrath continued to descend upon him.

Since the beginning of the year 1614, the Parpaldia Empire, which had constantly declared war and invaded small countries on the Philades Continent had halted its expansion to pacify the conquered territories. But in May, the military judged the annexed territories to be pacified and proposed to the Emperor to continue the northward invasion and the Parpaldian army began to assemble at the northern border.

In response, the targeted countries, Kooze, Arukh, Cannara, and Edrin, formed a coalition to resist the Parpaldia Empire. However, even though these nations are supposed to be allies, they acted on their own agendas and there was very little coordination between them. With the difference in strength between the Empire and the coalition, on paper, the Parpaldia Empire should have no problem dealing with them. By January 1615, only Kooze remained as the last state to be conquered.

However, the rebel elements in the previously annexed territories were not completely squashed and during the start of the invasion, they struck, interfering Parpaldian army’s logistics and causing chaos in the rear. The invasion was further hampered by the poor weather conditions in the months before winter, with all roads across the country turned into muddy terrain, and finally, as the winter came, the climate became too cold for wyverns and land dragons to operate, depriving the Parpaldian army of their greatest advantage earlier than usual. As a result, they were completely bogged down on the battlefield with no chance of regaining their momentum.

To avoid losing face to this blunder of allowing the rebels to roam around, the field commanders blamed it on the ‘unexpectedly strong enemy resistance’ and omitted any report of rebel sabotage. In addition, food supplies continued to be sent to the frontlines. Either they lost in the hands of the rebels or the corrupt colonial administrators, no one is really sure. But as far as the Emperor is concerned, the invasion force is receiving all the support it could get and yet their incompetence caused the campaign to turn into a chaotic mess that caused domino effects that engulfed the country. And Pieter, the overall commander of the military, is the one on the receiving end of the Emperor’s pent-up frustrations.

“Your Majesty, you must calm down,” Ruperther spoke for the first time. “Anger will not solve anything. Let us think about this calmly.”

The Emperor exhaled loudly and sat back in his chair, turning to his advisor. “What do you have in mind, Ruperther?”

“The invasion to the north is turning into a prolonged campaign and a food crisis has occurred in the east. These two are currently the Empire’s biggest problems, but the latter is especially dangerous to Your Majesty’s rule as the increasing discontent from the Imperial subjects can severely destabilize your rule.”

The Emperor grumbled in dismay. Ruperther continued.

“Therefore, in order to give us room to solve our domestic situation, first I propose that the invasion of the north be postponed indefinitely until the condition improves.”

Pieter balked at the Imperial Advisor’s suggestion, and he couldn’t help but blurt, “But that will cause our military a massive loss of face if we withdraw in the face of barbarian kingdoms! Just give us a bit more time, we will surely—”

“Wasn’t it you who cause the whole thing to happen in the first place!?” the Emperor shouted again, interrupting Pieter.

“Ruperther, explain. As much as I hate to say it, he has a point. Withdrawing from the invasion will give an impression that the Empire is weakening, and wouldn’t that also incite more rebellions?”

“It can’t be helped. The harvest failure in the east, our breadbasket region, is unexpected, but it was the military operations that make things worse with their consumption of food supplies. Unless the invasion is stopped, we will never be able to solve the food crisis. Besides, I am not saying to openly give the order to retreat. Thanks to the victories by General Chevalier and General Arde, the coalition forces have been weakened to the point that they will not be able to pose a threat to the Empire. Let’s announce that the Empire has succeeded in neutralizing the threat from the north and not do any further military campaigns until the food crisis is solved. We can invade at any time, but all of it will be useless if we couldn’t control our own people.”

The Emperor closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Immediately after that, he let out an angry sigh.

“It really can’t be helped, huh…?” he said, and turned to face Supreme Commander Pieter again.

“Fine. We will do as Ruperther’s advice. This is my decision! Tell the army to withdraw from the invasion at once.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Y-your order will be done!”

“I am not finished. You know, Supreme Commander, the Imperial Army is strong. Strong enough to dominate over the barbarians around us. However, when the Imperial Army is incapable of doing a task as simple as defeating a coalition of small kingdoms, then there must be something wrong with them. Therefore, Pieter Arnold van Both, you are hereby stripped of your position as Supreme Commander and demoted to Lieutenant General. Your final orders are to issue a withdrawal for the northern invasion force in the name of a rearguard action, and upon their return, you will hand over your position to General Chevalier Gerard de Ruyter! Now get out of my sight!”

The soon-to-be former Supreme Commander Pieter turned pale as a ghost and barely managed to give his liege a bow before bolting out of the Emperor’s office in fear as soon as the Emperor’s order spelled doom to his career.

Gazing contemptuously at the door, the Emperor leaned back and crossed his arms.

“Hmph, that’s the end of him. What now, Ruperther?”

“It is regrettable how the military mismanagement had forced us with this option, but unless you want to see the Empire fall apart, it has to be done before the damage spreads too far, Leonius.”

The Emperor, Leonius, closed his eyes and clicked his tongue at his friend’s words.

“Do things happening across the strait have any bearing on your counsel?”

Ruperther nodded. “Especially because of that. Milishial… even though we don’t have any clear understanding of their intentions yet, we can infer that their mere presence alone on that island will tip the balance overwhelmingly in Altaras’ favor and hurt our prominent position as the center of trade in the east. If the Empire were to weaken while Altaras used Milishial to their advantage…”

Leonius turned away from him and rested his chin on his fist as he thought.

“How much do you think Altaras benefited from Milishial’s presence?”

“I cannot say for certain, but the impact will be great and no matter how we look at it, this will become a blow to our national interest. And judging by the fact that the Altaran ambassador confidently stated that they will be able to fulfill our request this year, I would say that Milishial had a hand in this.”

“Lucky bastards… we can’t even find justification to bring them in line now. And even if we did, those Altarans will just cry to Milishial for help. Whatever, Ruperther! For now, focus on reversing the damage those idiots made out there and get our economy back on track. As for me, I will think of something to deal with this troublesome island.”

“As you wish.”

Ruperther walked over to the front of the Emperor’s desk and bowed at him. “Then, Your Majesty… if you’ll excuse me…”

“Mm.”

Ruperther was about to leave the room without another word. But Leonius called again.

“Wait… where are you going after this?”

“I will return straight to my residence, why is it?”

“……I see. There are too many idiots out there who will ruin your monthly rounds, anyway.”

Knowing that Ruperther likes to visit the city once a month, Leonius tried to warn in his roundabout way that even the streets of the capital are now unsafe for such leisure walks, even more so considering Ruperther’s high position in the government.

“Ha, hahaha… well, even if you put it that way, it kind of makes sense. See you around, friend.”

And with that, Ruperther left the Emperor’s office.

Now alone, Leonius reached for a rolled map on his desk and spread it wide on the table. It depicts the Third Civilization Area, including the large red blot on the map that is the Parpaldia Empire. Spanning from Marl Bay in the west to the eastern coast of the Great Orient, this is the Dragon of Philades, the acknowledged superpower country that had just recently toppled Leifor from its position as the fourth strongest country in the known world.

It is hard to believe that the Empire was once the Republic of Parneus, an ordinary low-civilization country that always fell victim to the invasions from its neighbors. That was until the First Emperor, Parpaldius, achieved the impossible and proclaimed the establishment of the Parpaldia Empire. One by one, the neighboring aggressors fell to the rising dragon until the present day when the southern half of Philades was already within their grasp, and the weaker nations waiting to be crushed underfoot.

Meanwhile to the south, there was the Altaras Kingdom, which occupies a strategic position for trade. If Parpaldia let them be, Altaras will grow stronger and will be able to challenge Parpaldia’s supremacy on the Esthirant Strait. Which is why, it is only natural for the Empire to interfere with the Altarans, threatening them with military invasion while making them dependent on Parpaldia through the export of outdated technology that is slightly more favorable compared to other weaklings in the continental Philades. Until now, where an outsider had to come in and offer a helping hand to the Altarans, threatening the status quo that Parpaldia had established.

“August Star of Heaven… Milishial…”

Leonius clenched both his fists until they turned white, trembling at how the situation turned out.

“Since time immemorial, Milishial only fought people who challenged them. Not once they tried to expand their territory beyond the Middle Lands, nor challenged the Dragonfolk’s Emor Kingdom. Why is that? They are spineless. They don’t seek worthy adversaries. They avoid making any enemies. They’re little more than cowards. They may be the strongest empire in the world, but they have no strength! To trample one’s foes, and take all they hold dear… That is the true taste of victory. Power must be exercised to demonstrate one’s strength. But they lack the mettle! They were content to merely sit and watch as the world revolve around them. That is why the more I grow up, the more I hate Milishial. They don’t deserve every inch of power and prestige they have. But this… this…!”

Amidst Leonius’ ragged breathing, gasps of laughter began to come out.

“So, finally they decided to come out from their ivory tower and mingle with the weaklings, and this is the taste of their power… Just by being present on Altaras, Milishial already cut off my ambition to conquer southward and ensured that damned island will not be targeted by the Empire. This is interesting! Not even sending a single soldier and yet, the effect is still astonishing… Damn it, this might have been more interesting if not for the fact that idiots almost ruined my country and I’m stuck here licking the wounds Parpaldia inflicted upon itself.”

As abrupt as his laughter came, Leonius then slumped on his chair and let out a beleaguered sigh.

“Sorry, Ruperther, just as you came with interesting reforms, this happened…” he muttered to his friend who had long since left.

Studying the map once again, Leonius began to think of a plan to deal with this situation. Although he may not be as smart as Ruperther, he had come up with some ideas that he wanted to share with him and hammer to the other idiots in the next Imperial Conference.

But by the end of the day, even someone of Emperor Leonius’ caliber can be exhausted dealing with the affairs of the state. And just before the clock struck five o’clock, he told his aides that he needed rest and retired to his private quarters.

Leonius wanted to bury his face in Adriana’s bosom so badly, melting into her embrace and forgetting the stress that came with being the head of the country.

Currently Publicly Available Information

ALTARAS STRAIT

Altaras Strait (or Esthirant Strait as known in Parpaldia) is a body of water around 2.785 kilometers (1.503,78 nautical miles) long and from 607 to 932 kilometers (327,7-503,24 nautical miles) wide, between the Philades Continent (Third Civilization Area) and the Outside Civilization regions of Altaras and Sios Islands, connecting the Silberian Sea with the Great Orient Ocean.

As the main shipping channel connecting the Central World with the Far East, it is one of the most important shipping lanes in the known world. It is also been utilized by the Altaras Kingdom as a natural defense mechanism.

Chapter Text

February 5, 1615 Central Calendar

San Redentore District, Runepolis, Holy Milishial Empire

Walman paced back and forth alone in the pristine hallway of the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures’ administrative headquarters, walking from one end to the other countless times while his mouth continued to mutter barely audible words. The squeaking of Walman’s rubber shoes that he absentmindedly rubbed against the ceramic tiles of the floor echoed in a silly attempt of warding off the silence in that section of the building.

Occasionally, the employees who passed that corridor would stop and turn to look at the brunette in astonishment, for it is extremely rare, if not downright impossible, that a young teenager was seen wearing an orange-colored Clearance Level 2 employee badge—the mark of an engineer. However, their own duties soon brought them from their stupor and they immediately walked away despite the curious sight, leaving the boy to his devices.

‘Deep breath, exhale… deep breath, exhale…’

He did it over and over again, but Walman still can’t calm his rapidly beating heartbeat. He knew that this day will happen and mentally prepared himself, but the pressure is still there.

“We already did this before, but why am I still nervous…?” he muttered to no one in particular, “Just how in the world Meteos can endure it is beyond me—hm?”

Just as Walman turned around from walking to one end of the hallway, his eyes caught the familiar woman emerging from a corner near the other end. Said woman’s expression broke into a wide grin at seeing one of her apprentices as she jogged lightly toward the boy.

“Heeey~” she greeted, waving her hand.

“Ah, Miss Robin, good morning,” Walman smiled lightly despite himself.

“Sorry if I’m late, I came here as soon as I can…! Well then? Where is Meteos? Why are you here alone?”

“He’s already inside, I’m just here because… I’m getting nervous,” he rubbed his nape with a bashful expression on his face.

“Ah… nervous, huh?” Robin repeated in understanding. “Hmm, how about we check on your friend together?”

She then reached out and gently massaged his shoulders as she ushered Walman into Conference Room 4, the place where they will conduct today’s agenda.

“O-okay.”

Walman and Robin opened the double doors to see Meteos sitting at the center of a U-shaped table, staring at a moderately-sized box-shaped device in front of him. When he pressed a button on it, a bright light shone from the device’s circular lens to the screen across the room. Meteos then picked one card-like object from a box nearby and inserted it into a slot on the device, causing the screen to display one of Meteos’ generalized technical drawings that were projected from it.

As one of the ministries of the Holy Milishial Empire government, and the most influential one at that, the MOASEC is often entitled of receiving new, state-of-the-art magic technologies before everyone else. This included this device, a magic slide projector developed by a central Milishial-based conglomerate, the ‘Tlaloc Optics.’ Even though it was not as prominent as a juggernaut such as the Aikon Corporation, this company is one of the MOASEC’s partners that also benefited from any progress that the Ministry made in advancing the Holy Empire’s magic technology, one of the Ancient Ministry’s providers of nigh-limitless resources.

As a further development of the earlier slide projection technology called a ‘magic lantern,’ this slide projector is still called such by some people in the Holy Empire. It works by using a lamp powered by magical energy to illuminate a slide that has been placed in a tray. The light is then directed onto the slide through a series of lenses and mirrors, and the image is then projected onto a screen or wall, just like what was happening right now.

Tinkering with the projector some more, Meteos swapped the slide with other slides in succession to make sure that the projector is working, occasionally reaching to a knob on the lens to adjust its focus. He was just finished setting up the device when Robin and Walman entered the room.

“Morning, my adorable apprentices! How are you doing!?” Robin greeted them cheerfully—despite the fact that she had just greeted Walman a few seconds ago.

“Good morning to you as well, Miss Robin,” Meteos nodded in acknowledgment before his gaze darted to look at Robin’s rather messy ponytail and sighed. “…You didn’t forget to take a bath before coming here, didn’t you?”

The bespectacled woman rolled her eyes, but her expression quickly turned into a scandalized one once Walman began to sniff around and glanced at her uneasily.

“Hey, what’s with that look?” Robin sputtered. “…Sheesh, I wasn’t aware my speech sounds like ‘unga bunga’ to some people. Of course I took a bath—” she insisted.

“Well…… no offense, Miss Robin, we’ve seen and heard from your friends that you’re so busy you often forget to clean yourself,” Walman said.

“—before attending meetings.”

‘Riight, so I’m the monkey.’

Robin gave her apprentices a glance before shaking her head in embarrassment. She then shrugged it off with a laugh, turning to face Meteos with her arms spread wide and her smile returned in full force, this time with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“If you don’t believe me, then come here, you can take a sniff yourself and you’ll know just how clean I am.”

“Uh……”

“…Okay, I believe you. So I’ll just pass.”

Now it was Meteos’ turn to roll his eyes. It was hard to believe that this quirky woman is the daughter of Candee, the mage famous for her beauty magic and overall ladylike attitude. However, he refrained from saying anything about it because that would be a low blow.

The room was filled with awkwardness and silence for a brief moment before all three of them burst into laughter. For Walman, seeing Robin trying to break the tension with her weird sense of humor helped ease the anxiety that came with the meeting that will be held this day. He can already feel the nervousness that plagued him earlier melt away with Robin’s infectious laughter.

“Huh… I’m feeling better now. Thank you, Miss Robin.”

“Oh, is that so? Good for you, then!” Robin turned to look at him with a grin.

Then she faced the seated Meteos again.

“The attendees will be coming soon, is everything ready?”

“No problem. I’m just done adjusting this projector. We are ready at any time.”

“Heh, such confidence,” Robin muttered.

“But… I can’t thank you enough for arranging things and allowing us to have this meeting, Teacher. I and Walman owe you a lot,” Meteos thanked Robin earnestly without hesitation.

“Oh, it was nothing. When the upper management heard about the new inventions that you boys created, they immediately told everyone to let you two go and present the designs. I just helped to make sure things move smoothly. Don’t worry about it.”

Since today is a weekday, Robin didn’t come to her apartment. Instead, she slept on a mattress inside the Aerial System Development Facility’s drawing room so that she can respond to any requests as fast as possible from the Alpha Edge Project without going back and forth from the apartment, which is located quite far away from the headquarters. Still, from the perspective of Walman, who was clueless about her real affiliation’s backdoor maneuvers, she can somehow still help them set up things for introducing their new inventions while being extremely busy.

Walman nodded, but he raised a question, “But I’m still wondering, is it really okay for the Alpha Edge Project to let some of its personnel go?”

In the Alpha Edge Project, which is an ambitious and high-stake project requiring utmost perfection and commitment from all involved in it, these two boys worked in alternating shifts, while Robin was there nearly all the time. However, this meeting was held in the morning of a weekday, in what was supposed to be Meteos’ shift. But here they are, holding a meeting to present what could be called a ‘side quest’ of the Alpha Edge Project.

Of course, Robin can’t tell that this was allowed to happen because of the secret department’s intervention.

“Well, it’s not like the entire Alpha Edge Project is filled with incompetents that the absence of three engineers for one day will matter much. Besides, it was the upper management who gave the green light upon hearing the proposal.”

“I see.”

“Mm-hmm. You know, ever since that day we first met, we at the Ancient Ministry are putting our expectations on you two, and you two further proved it by presenting more interesting things even as academy students. So… you really needn’t worry. If anything, we will make sure that you will not be denied of anything in your quests,” Robin finished with a wink.

Walman looked at Meteos, who opened his mouth with a carefree smile.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect it to start and go that far. But if you say so, and that is what the upper management wants, we’ll strive to live up to their expectations, don’t you think so, Walman?”

“O-of course!”

“…Also, just for confirmation, Miss Robin, whenever I or Walman or anyone else come up with new ideas worth presenting, the Ministry’s leadership won’t hesitate to arrange things, yes?”

“That is indeed true. Be reassured,” Robin nodded. “By the way, did I just hear you say whenever, not if, earlier?”

“Yes, Dear Teacher, you did. I mean what I say. These GP designs? This is just the beginning,” Meteos said as he held up a slide in his hand.

Hearing Meteos’s statement, Walman gulped. His friend had always been confident in himself, even as a child. On top of having great intelligence, he had also shown himself as someone who never wavers in front of others. In contrast, Walman was very timid. He is envious of him sometimes. He wished he can be like Meteos too, someone who doesn’t get flustered, and someone who can keep his cool even in situations where others would panic.

“Hahaha! Interesting! That’s glad to hear!” Robin giggled. “What about now, Walman? Are you still worried?”

“No… not anymore. I guess I’m worrying too much about things,” he replied.

“Don’t sweat it, alright? Let’s just focus on the presentation for now.”

“Okay.”

Walman nodded with a newfound determination.

To be honest, Walman thought that Meteos could have done all these things alone. He could have left him in Leiden while he embarked on his new adventures as an inventor working for the most elite ministry in the Holy Empire. But he didn’t do that. Meteos reached out to Walman, who shared the same dream and helped him realize it together. Even now, when technically they were about to present Meteos’ old drawings that he just pulled out of storage, he never heard him say, “These are mine, remember that.”

Is that what is called friendship? If it is, then what a great friend Meteos was.

The young Roguerider had said that this is just the beginning. Walman vowed then and there to himself that he will not let his friend down, and to become someone worthy of walking by his side.

After that, the three of them discussed the technical details of the presentation and some more to wait for the other participants of the meeting.

“But this is going to be a long one…”

Naturally, after retrieving his ‘GP’ package, Meteos immediately informed about its contents to Robin, who in turn reported to her superior in (what is publicly known as) the MOASEC’s General Affairs Department. From here, unbeknownst to Walman, Robin’s report was passed to her real affiliation, the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department and Director Arsene Lippin himself. And thus, while they were preparing the materials for the presentation, the secret department pulled the strings behind the scenes to ensure that no obstruction will hinder their Person of Interest, Meteos, and his friend Walman in presenting their new creations as smoothly as possible.

Meteos, who succeeded in creating the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s conductive magnetic radar with nothing but factory tools, had caught this secret department’s attention. This secret department, in turn, does all kinds of backroom maneuvers to fulfill its own agenda, which is using Meteos’ brilliant mind to try to better the Holy Empire. That’s not to say that its treatment toward Meteos is exclusive, though; they will do the same for every potential individual they can find.

This time, there were fifteen GP designs plus one magic revolver cannon design for a total of sixteen, and upon receiving them, the upper management made it clear that they wanted Meteos to explain all of them. There will be no trouble with the first eight: the magic revolver cannon and the Designs GP-11 to 17. However, the rest is tantamount to introducing several new concepts and technologies in a single run, something that can hardly be called easy.

But the success of this meeting will further boost Meteos and his friend’s value as individuals within the Ancient Ministry.

This all happened just like what Meteos had envisioned. By appearing to be their biggest catch, striving to be the so-called child prodigy of this era, he managed to make the Ancient Ministry and its nigh-unlimited resources, which he knew like the back of his hand, dance on it.

Meteos was looking forward to being spoiled rotten and chuckled.

---

Several minutes later, the presentation’s attendees began to stream into Conference Room 4. Again, Walman can’t recognize these people, but for Meteos, he was greeted by familiar faces that also served to confirm his suspicions. They took their seats on both sides of the U-shaped table, picking up the materials that were distributed beforehand.

‘Well, well, well, what do we have here? Secret department agents? Looks like the Ancient Weapons Department is truly at play here.’

All of the attendees this time were Meteos’ senior agents in his past life. Their appearance, their dress style, everything is identical to how they appeared in his memories, except for the fact that those who were not elves or dark elves looked two decades younger. Despite they belonged to the Ministry’s elite, when unmasked, they cannot be distinguished from other employees; be it an administrative staff who might happen to live next door in the apartment, an excitable technician from the workshop, or a grumpy janitor of the museum. And that’s not even counting those who infiltrated the society outside this headquarters.

However, remembering most of his interactions with them made the silverette sigh in disappointment, more to himself rather than to these people.

He shook his head briefly and turned to Robin who nodded and stood up before speaking up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking your time to gather in this room. My name is Robin Calvello from the General Affairs Department, this time I will be acting as a moderator for the presentation which will be conducted by our friends, engineers Meteos Roguerider and Walman Falkenhausen today. As you may have already known in advance, these two are our newest and youngest members, graduated from the Runepolis Magic Academy by skipping grades and were recruited through an invitation by the Ministry’s leadership. Today, they will be presenting the interesting designs that they have come up with to you all.”

Robin smiled, watching Meteos stand up with a determined look. In his hand is a slide of the Design GP-11.

“Thank you, Miss Calvello, for the introduction. Today, we will be explaining the following inventions. Let us start with the first design, please refer to the fourth page of the document—”

Inserting the appropriate slide into the magic projector, the screen displayed the general design drawings of the GP-11, a handgun. For the next eight hours, Meteos and Walman provided the explanation of the materials, with the attending agents surprisingly listening to them intently with a man who appeared to be their leader taking notes of everything. But when they were given the chance to ask questions, they did so thoroughly, giving the two of them an impression that they were undergoing an intense interrogation than a mere presentation.

To summarize the presentation, the ‘GP’ designs consisted of the following items (these are the revised versions made just before the presentation):

• GP-11 – Semi-Automatic Pistol featuring a delayed blowback system and a unique squeeze-cocker mechanism that Meteos designed, which allows the user to cock the weapon by squeezing the grip, rather than pulling the slide back. This mechanism also serves as a safety, as the gun cannot be fired unless the grip is squeezed. The GP-11 was designed to hold up to 8 rounds of 9mm Imperial Pistol Ammunition fed from a single-stack box magazine, which means that the rounds are arranged in a single column, rather than being staggered.
• GP-12 – Machine Pistol using a roller-delayed blowback action and closed bolt firing the 9mm Imperial Pistol Ammunition with a magazine designed to hold up to 30 rounds. Designed as an improved successor of the M1600 Self-Loading Carbine, the GP-12 will become this world’s first true submachine gun. It has selective fire capability, meaning it can be set to fire in semi-automatic or full-automatic modes.
• GP-13 – Automatic Self-Loading Rifle that Meteos proposed as a successor to the venerable service rifle of the Holy Empire, the M1591 bolt-action rifle. A new type of firearm, the GP-13 is designed as a magazine-fed weapon that uses a roller-delayed blowback action, chambered in 7,62×51mm rimless ammunition that Meteos also designed to accompany the design (GP-13-1). It was also designed with a selective fire capability, and with the application of even inexpensive materials with correct magical treatment (such as iron bamboo), it can be made to be relatively light while staying durable, something that a magicless civilization like Mu will struggle to solve. Since the attending agents were most impressed with this design, Meteos personally had a high hope for the GP-13 to be approved for further development.
• GP-14 – General-Purpose Machine Gun designed to be used as a support weapon and vehicle-mounted weapon. It is a recoil-operated air-cooled design chambered in the same ammunition as the GP-13 and uses a continuous belt of linked ammunition to feed the weapon or alternatively a drum magazine. Compared to the HME’s machine gun in service, the GP-14’s design looked sleeker and lighter. Other design features include a barrel designed to be able to be quickly changed and its very high rate of fire.
• GP-15 – Heavy Machine Gun design chambered in 12,7mm ammunition that is mainly used today as Heavenly Vessel’s magic light gun ammunition. The GP-15 is a belt-fed, air-cooled, recoil-operated design.
• GP-16 – Basically an attempt at introducing the concept of an anti-materiel rifle under the name of Anti-Armored Dragon Rifle and despite its name, it is claimed to be able to destroy the core of a rock golem in a single blow if used right. This semi-automatic sniper rifle-like weapon is chambered in 12,7mm ammunition, fed through a detachable box magazine that holds 10 rounds. Meteos also designed it with a fluted chamber and a muzzle brake to reduce recoil.
• GP-17 – Handheld Anti-Armor Grenade Launcher that Meteos designed to provide the Holy Empire with the concept of a weapon that can take on enemy tanks and other armored enemies. It consists of two blueprints, the GP-17-1, a launching tube designed to be fired from the shoulder-mounted position, and the GP-17-2, a fin-stabilized shaped charge warhead that is designed to be effective against fortifications and armored monsters. If the Ancient Ministry approved this design for further development, this will be the known world’s first rocket-propelled grenade. And typical of magically-powered ammunition, it can produce a myriad of effects other than flaming explosion.
• GP-01 – The only presented design made in the present day and is closely related to the Alpha Edge Project, the Magic Light Revolver Cannon. Designed as a single-barreled 20 mm autocannon, the design is activated using magical energy and is operated by the leftover energy from firing the bullet, rotating the five-chamber magazine running parallel to the barrel in order to give it an unparalleled rate of fire. Although Meteos knows that a rotary cannon such as the Pal Chimera’s Atrates outperforms it in every way, this design is less complicated than that to allow easier research and development, not to mention still very much overkill against Muish flying machines, Emorian Wind Dragons, and other country’s wyverns. However, the Holy Milishial Empire’s enemy was, is, and will always be the Ancient Sorcerous Empire.

“Before we proceed to the next item, are there any questions regarding the materials so far?” Meteos asked the audience.

A hand quickly shot up.

“Yes?”

The hand belonged to a rather creepy-looking man with chin-length wavy hair that almost covered one of his eyes. From the silverette’s memories as a reincarnator, this man would be Azar Khosrau, who normally works as an administrative staff in one of the Ancient Ministry’s branch offices. However, when he dons a mask, everyone refers to him as “Dantalion.”

Azar’s pale-yellow orbs stared at Meteos with an indescribable look before leaning on the backrest of his seat and speaking.

“These series of designs, ‘GP,’ as you called it, were created by you?”

“Yes. With the exception of GP-01, which was jointly designed with Walman here, all fifteen of them are my work.”

“Well they seem solid, so I’ll leave the details to others. But I still find that’s hard to believe that someone your age made all of these. You must have prepared these for a long time, when were these designs created?”

Meteos smiled slightly.

“I started in the year sixteen-o-five, initially as nothing more than simple drawings. As I learned more, I improved and modified them until they became the drawings they are now. I started intensifying my efforts about a year ago, by the way.”

“How old are you now?” Azar asked further.

Walman was getting uncomfortable listening to the creepy man’s tone.

“Fourteen years old, sir.”

“That would mean you first started as an elementary school student,” the man mused.

Meteos shrugged, trying to act indifferent.

“I am an aspiring engineer who is fascinated by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s technology. Mister Birkburn’s book is what inspired me to start drawing these. To join the Ancient Ministry, the pillar of the Holy Empire’s technological advancement is an engineer’s greatest dream, including mine and Walman.”

Across from Khosrau’s seat, a female dark elf with striking red hair arranged in a dreadlock ponytail chuckled and sighed, “Ah, to be young and innocent again.”

Another agent raised blurted without raising his hand, a bit too snide to Walman’s comfort, “I don’t know what the people in the Navy think, but it’s still hard to take you seriously. This whole presentation feels like a child wanted to show off his crayon drawings to the adults. Don’t you think so, friends?”

Murmurs erupted at those words.

Unperturbed, the silverette replied, “Then please just look at my work instead of my person and try to find the best in it. Just like my previous inventions, I believe that they will be useful in contributing to the Holy Empire in her great struggle against the Ancient Sorcerous Empire… But you are not wrong, in a sense, I am indeed a child who wanted to show off my creations to others. The GPs, the magic turbojet engine, the magic torpedo, and even the conductive magnetic radar…”

Meteos did not hesitate in listing his achievements to make his point. Besides, as secret department agents, everyone attending this meeting (minus Walman, of course), should be aware that it was not Meteos who came to them offering his services, but the other way around. If anything, he took this comment as a secret test of character or something. Glancing at his side, he saw his poor friend was on the verge of sweating bullets already. Walman in his past life would have burned this sorry sod to death in anger, but Meteos hoped that it will never come to pass in this new world.

A green-haired man sitting next to Robin stared at him silently, no doubt an avian beastman from his hair color which is improbable to any other sapient race. His expression was blank, like a sculpture frozen in place, even as his and Meteos’ eyes made contact. But his gaze was filled with intent, a gaze reminiscent of a predator sizing up its prey.

‘Well… that’s to be expected from him…’ Meteos thought, before continuing.

“…If you think that it’s frivolous, there are others who have far nobler desires and did nothing to achieve them, no? What really matters is the length one takes to commit to their desires and make them real, it’s a fair game, after all. I did just that.”

The green-haired man wanted to think that this Meteos kid is motivated by greed judging from those words, but something told him that it was not the case. But in the end, people who are committed to their desires are the ones who will move this world and paint it in their image. Even the Holy Milishial Empire itself and the prosperity they enjoyed now will not exist if someone in the ancient times wasn’t greedy enough to unify the Middle Lands.

‘Committing to one’s desire, huh? This kid would’ve gotten along with Victor Legendorga just fine. Continue to amuse us, then…’

He then decided to speak up.

“I think that’s enough. Roguerider and Falkenhausen have already more than proven themselves. What matters is that they present the design that they have created to us. Let’s continue.”

Meteos gave the green-haired man a bright smile, “Thank you, sir. Then, I shall proceed with the next item, Design GP-18…”

Up to this point, the GP design took the form of complete technical drawings of the new proposed equipment. But from the GP-18 onwards, it will be quite different. Walman was even more unsure of how the attendees would take these increasingly outlandish and never-seen-before ideas devised by his friend, but since they were requested to present everything, they did so anyway.

[GP-18: Rocket Artillery]

Relatively simple in Meteos’ opinion. It consisted of various design concepts for rockets and rail launchers. Even though rockets, especially early ones, are less accurate than artillery guns, this design is cheap, simple, easy to mass produce, and effective in delivering a large blow over a wide area. This is especially deadly to the other countries’ armies where massed formations are the norm or against a horde of lumbering monsters in a flat plain. The design allowed it to be mounted on ordinary trucks, allowing it a high degree of mobility, as well as on other platforms such as trains or naval vessels.

It just so happened to the agents handling it that this rocket design eerily reminded them of the top-secret guided magic bullets, and it also happened that Meteos had already an air-launched rocket design in mind already. But that’s another story.

[GP-19: Proximity Fuse]

As someone known in this timeline as the boy who successfully made a functioning conductive magnetic radar, this was seen as his attempt to take the research even further. The GP-19 is a design concept of proximity fuse, a type of fuse that is designed to detonate the warhead of a projectile when it is close to the target rather than on impact, which is the Holy Empire’s current mainstream fuse. This can be achieved by various means, but the GP-19’s method is to use a small radar to detonate the shell.

When Meteos planned this years ago, he did not account for the existence of Manadriver, an amazing device that can shrink and simplify magical mechanisms so early in this new timeline. This worked in his favor by allowing the Holy Empire to quickly develop a small conductive magnetic radar for say, anti-aircraft shells.

Again, unique and creative, but an overkill invention. However, the Ancient Sorcerous Empire is a thing, so there’s no need to hold back.

[GP-110: Night Vision]

Being able to see the enemy without being seen is key to night operations. What Meteos proposed in this GP-110 is to develop a device that can enhance ambient visible light and converts near-infrared light into visible light, a process known as image intensification. Once again, the existence of Manadrivers made this plan easier to execute, as one now only needs to input the right spell components and a desire to realize this miracle. However, if one wants to use such a brute force method, one might need all spells known to man and input them into the Manadriver to see what will happen next and study what principles are applied in the process. However, once they know what is needed to make the effect, the Holy Empire can make a small, helmet-mounted NVD or night vision scope in an instant.

What a cheat, but life is hardly fair. Meteos would rather misfortunes to go away and land somewhere else rather than in the Holy Empire, though.

[GP-111: Armored Personnel Carrier]

Meteos claimed that he was inspired by the land dragons endemic to the Philades Continent and envied Parpaldia for having it (a lie, of course). Basically, this is a concept for an armored combat vehicle designed and equipped to transport soldiers, its armor giving them protection from hostile attacks compared to the vehicles used for the Holy Empire’s motorized infantry. Unlike the Parpaldian land dragons, however, an APC does not need to eat a load of food and create excrement that will cause trouble.

The GP-111 is the concept of an APC featuring wheels, by the way.

[GP-112: Continuous Track]

A type of propulsion system consists of a series of metal plates or belts connected together and looped around a pair of drive wheels or sprockets. This system provides better traction and stability than wheels, allowing vehicles equipped with it to navigate difficult terrain more easily. They are also able to distribute their weight more evenly over the ground, which can help prevent them from sinking into soft soil or getting stuck in the mud (not that this is a problem since mages can just command the terrain to stop being muddy with their magic, now much, much easier thanks to the Manadrivers, but on the other hand it is harder now to convince the agents to give the GP-112 some consideration).

Something called an ‘Endless Railway’ has actually invented two decades ago by a certain farmer, but it remained an obscure invention because of the lack of interest in it. If it’s possible, Meteos wished to use his current influence to reach out to that inventor. His talent was too precious for the Holy Empire to ignore.

[GP-113: Tracked Suspension]

Somewhat related to the GP-112, the GP-113 feature two wheels mounted to a framework to form a bogie, which shares a coil spring running horizontally between the tops of the crank arms.

[GP-114: Fire-Type Engine]

Originally the design concept of an engine designed in a way that it is capable of accepting high purification level magic fuel with the intention of making a magic engine powerful enough to move a land vehicle with heavy armor. However, the invention of Manadriver which can realize a much smaller engine but with the same or even higher power output made the GP-114 pretty much obsolete at this point.

With an appearance that looked suspiciously similar to a certain V12 petrol engine, if the government gives Meteos permission, with a slight modification, he can make a profit by opting to sell this design to another country. For example………

Magicaraich Community.

Oh, yes.

It is a sufficiently advanced magical civilization that’s unique in its own way because it also incorporates some of Mu’s mechanical technology to improve its national power. It has a relatively good relationship with the Holy Milishial Empire, and had Magicaraich’s influence been slightly larger than Leifor or Parpaldia, they could have had a chance to contest the superpower title from both empires. It’s an interesting country, which also happened to be his friend Walman’s ancestral homeland.

If it really happens, Magicaraich’s northern neighbor, the Kingdom of Mu, will never see it coming. In the first place, since the Holy Empire never bat an eye to mechanical technology, Mu will never expect an advanced mechanical-looking engine so familiar to them to come from someone in the Holy Milishial Empire, of all countries. It would be an insult of unparalleled degree.

Mu’s pride of being the sole mechanical civilization, built by generations upon generations of hard work in developing technology that doesn’t use mana to work, will be undone in an instant, all because of a single invention of a snot-nosed brat who is not even seventeen.

As a comparison, Mu’s strongest internal combustion engine in the 1610s is a V8 engine capable of producing 150 horsepower. Meanwhile, a modified GP-114 can easily achieve 1.300 horsepower, which is a Gra Valkas-tier mechanical technology. It could be used to power a propeller-driven monoplane capable of reaching 600 kilometers per hour.

However, the ramifications of someone in the Holy Empire selling a mechanical engine will not just stop there for them. Mu, as the second-strongest country in the known world, is naturally looked down upon by the strongest, which is the Holy Milishial Empire. In addition, their mild manner and pacifism in a world where dog-eat-dog caused other countries to sometimes not take them seriously. Leifor often had its vassals launch minor skirmishes on their borders because of this.

After the conclusion of the 1592 Sol Island Dispute, Mu, the so-called ‘Blue Lion of the West’ which conceded to the Holy Empire without a fight, had reduced to a meek and obedient pet of the August Star of Heaven, barely surviving by scrounging for scraps untouched by the Holy Empire. And if this decision of selling a mechanical engine more advanced than their own set sail, Mu’s prestige will crumble to dust even more.

However, Meteos believed that Mu will somehow find a way to catch up. His experiences with the Muish told him that they were passionate and curious people with spirit. If Mu is really the second superpower and a worthy rival to the Holy Empire, they will find a way. If they have greed, that is.

But what he didn’t realize is that Meteos had subconsciously overestimated Mu’s capabilities.

Hmm… decisions… decisions…

Meteos shook his head, deciding to let such far-fetched thoughts slide for now and focused on the task at hand. Finally, they came to the last item presented today.

[GP-115]

The star of this session, also claimed to be inspired by the Parpaldian land dragons. The GP-115 is the design concept of a heavily armored combat vehicle incorporating the designs GP-112, GP-113, and GP-114 in it, armed with a cannon mounted on a rotating turret as its main armament. That’s right, this is the design concept of a sensha, or stridsvogn. Ravernal’s armored golems may be still out of reach, but mankind doesn’t necessarily have to follow every single one of the Light-Winged Devil’s steps in order to gain power.

Roderick and Meteora, Meteos’ parents, called this drawing an ‘iron mastodon,’ while Meteos, who was rather fond of this design, gave the GP-115 a codename, “Imperializer.” Despite the boy claimed to be inspired by the Parpaldian land dragon, which was the megafauna used in a way similar to tanks in this world’s contemporary era, when it comes to using heavy animals for combat, what the Milishian people relate more is actually proboscideans, enormous creatures with tusks and long, muscular trunks.

During the Warring Kingdoms Period some 3.000 years ago, contenders to the unification of Middle Lands used them in their armies, which was featured in modern Milishian history books.

The Kingdom of Caelus tamed the big, but short-legged ‘mastodons’ that live in the plains near their territory as a force multiplier, adding to their already powerful magic guns and cannons to finally overwhelm all invaders and unite the fractured land into one, making them the direct predecessor of the modern Holy Milishial Empire.

To the south, the ancient dark elven kingdom called Vallarge marched into battlefields riding their ‘rubaws’, creatures smaller than mastodons with four tusks that shaped like shovels.

And the most formidable of them all is the four-tusked ‘mumak’ (plural ‘mumakil’) whose habitat is near the eastern coast. Living close to a high concentration of magic stone deposits caused the mumakil to evolve into hulking behemoths twice as large as a mastodon with thick skin that was resistant to arrows. Their presence on the battlefield was feared by other kingdoms of that era because not only they were covered by additional iron armor, the tower mounted on their backs were manned by powerful mages, making each of these mumakil an army of one.

However, despite the power and awe that these creatures inspired, mumak’s reputation was a bit tarnished in the history books and academic circles due to their association with the ancient Kingdom of Rusalka, a massive Ravernal-worshipping cult led by a heretic king.

Their important role in the Warring Kingdoms Period is what inspired Meteos to call the GP-115 “Imperializer,” meaning ‘the instruments that make an empire.’ It is the proboscidean cavalry of the modern era. However, that’s still up to the higher-ups to decide.

Anyway, after this session ended, Walman thought that not even the military officers would be so aggressive in their inquiries. He might be exaggerating, but it might be a miracle that he and Meteos can survive the session. And after returning to the apartment, the accumulated exhaustion caused the brunette to make a perfect impression of a log.

---

20:13

MOASEC Apartment Complex

“…So, you’re heading back to work.”

To Meteos’ pointed statement, Robin answered with a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Ahaha… well, there’s no shortage of chores for someone of my position…”

‘Both in Alpha Edge Project and as a secret department agent, yes. That’s for sure.’

The boy smiled and nodded in understanding, “I see. I wish you could rest some more, though.”

Robin chortled at this, “Hey, hey, hey! Look who’s talking!” But her expression quickly softened as she spoke, “The same goes with you, though. You two have worked especially hard today.”

The two shared a quiet laugh for a moment before Robin bid her student goodbye and left the apartment on her scooter. Now that the sideshow is over, Meteos hoped that this day will be productive even if it’s only one. Judging from the personnel who attended the presentation today and Robin’s call to work. The secret department must have convened to discuss the GP designs before passing them to the government.

“Huh, speaking of secret agents… now that it had occurred to me, I wonder what would be Robin’s codename be?”

Currently Publicly Available Information

MONSTERS OF THE WARRING KINGDOMS PERIOD

During the tumultuous Warring Kingdoms Period (2186-1700 BCC) the three prominent factions in the later period were known to train members of the proboscidean order for combat. Generally, they were used to charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. The binomial name of these creatures was given by the Holy Milishial Empire’s Astra ed Luminem Institute of Biological Research.

The smallest of the three, rubaw ( Gomphotherium meritum) , was used by the Kingdom of Vallarge which occupied the southern Middle Lands. It had four tusks, two on the upper jaw and two on the elongated lower jaw. The lower tusks are parallel and shaped like a shovel and were used for digging up food from mud. An adult rubaw can measure 2,5 meters tall and weigh 4,5 tons.

The modern word for this species, ‘rubaw,’ came from the Vallargian word “ꜣbw” which can mean any animal with tusks and trunks. Vallarge deployed rubaws extensively during their expansion period, but had a hard time using them in expanding northwest due to the rubaws’ inability to swim deep rivers.

Mastodon ( Mammut milishianum)  lives in the plains in the northwestern Milishial, close to the modern-day location of the capital city, Runepolis. Its name means ‘breast-tooth.’ A mastodon has a robust body, but with rather short legs. The average male mastodon can grow up to 3 meters tall and 11 tons in weight.

Used by the Kingdom of Caelus in their unification campaigns, the mastodon itself would normally be armed with thin plate armor and would bear a large crenelated wooden carriage on its back, occupied by a group of proto-gunmen wielding handheld magic air guns. During the late campaigns of the Middle Lands unification, the Caelian army experimented by mounting a large version of the magic air gun on a mastodon to use it as an ancient mobile artillery to try to outrange the Rusalkan army.

The largest of the three, mumak ( Stegotetrabelodon gigalomania) , originated from Area B7R, an area rich in magic stone deposits on the southeastern coast of the Holy Milishial Empire (modern-day Cassandane Province) and was tamed by the Kingdom of Rusalka when they conquered the region. Due to living in a magic-rich area, the mumakil developed a gigantic physique reaching 6 meters tall and 20 tons in weight, or around twice the size of a mastodon. It has four tusks, with longer and curved upper tusks and shorter lower tusks.

Due to the Kingdom of Rusalka’s method of training, the mumakil were known as blood-lusted monsters. In addition, due to their size, the Rusalkan army is able to erect war towers on their backs to place combat mages and archers.

Chapter Text

February 7, 1615 Central Calendar

Kingdom of Mu, Second Civilization Area

For the people of Mu who lived in major cities along the country’s eastern coast, the winter months can be said to be the most unpleasant time to live. And this is not about the weather conditions caused by the cold water currents coming from the Northern Ocean. Unfortunately for the second-strongest superpower, it was caused by something that only a magicless mechanical civilization like theirs had: air pollution caused by the burning of coal.

It’s already bad enough that the thick smoke and ash belched by the factories at the industrial centers from sunrise to sunset every day filled the sky over Otaheit with aerosols detrimental to human health. But during the cold days of winter, people’s desire to have a warm dwelling drove them to turn on their coal-fired heaters, causing the air pollution to become even worse. The black smoke mixed with water vapor formed into tiny droplets which fell as sooty rain, making it impossible not to see the gray haze covering entire cities. It made one feel suffocated just looking at it. In addition, if a snowfall occurs, instead of the pretty sight of white fairy-like flurries gently falling down the sky, the most populated Muish cities instead saw their grounds blanketed by grayish polluted snow, hideous and disgusting to the eyes.

The Muish called this phenomenon ‘fumard,’ a portmanteau of the words fumée (smoke) and brouillard (fog). In the common language, it would be called ‘smog,’ a phenomenon that stuck like a sore thumb in a world filled with civilizations using a type of energy called ‘magic.’

The less-than-desirable (read: horrible) air condition has been the subject of concern (read: criticism) from a certain August Star of Heaven, especially during international conferences. Though other countries had their own grievances, as the strongest country in the known world, only the Holy Milishial Empire is the most vocal about this fumard problem, having their diplomats stationed in Mu to develop respiratory-related sickness after an extended period of staying.

Of course, with Milishial being Milishial, they in their pride and ‘benevolence’ decided to not only scold Mu for their nature-destroying behavior, but also try to offer the Kingdom an alternative in the form of pollution-free magic technology. This is a move that would obviously profit Milishial if Mu accepted it and decided to import it. However, Mu being Mu, they in their pride and spirit of ‘self-reliance’ to be free of any magic-related technology politely decline the offer.

That said, the Kingdom does acknowledge that the people are still getting sick, so while they are desperately trying to find a solution, they painfully and hypocritically allowed the government offices and individuals who can afford them to purchase and install the expensive magic-powered devices, which were considered luxury items.

---

08:00

Meanwhile, in the western suburbs far from the center of Otaheit, where the air was cold but clear and the visibility was good, there stood a three-story building complex occupying a plot of land near the edge of the city. Though its old-style architecture, being built as a mansion of a noble family in the past, was not unlike the ancient tourist attractions in the Kingdom, the imposing fence, the row of national flags that lined the top of the building’s marble façade and the armed guards standing at the checkpoint at the gate reminded everyone that this was not a place for ordinary citizens to visit. In fact, this place is the headquarters of the Muish Ministry of Defense.

Inside one of the rooms of such a building, two men were having a meeting.

“Jean Pierre d’Artagnan is here. I apologize for my tardiness.”

“Ah, if anything I should be thanking you for taking your time out of your busy schedule, Admiral. Please, have a seat.”

Standing across from the stoic Muish Royal Navy commander is none other than the occupant of this room and the Kingdom’s Minister of Defense, Jérémie Nohelka, an elder of the same age as the Admiral with a neatly trimmed beard and a clean black suit that exudes the aura of a quintessential gentleman. With his warm tone of voice, Nohelka motioned d’Artagnan to take a seat in one of the chairs lining the sides of a long table in the center of this spacious room.

The Defense Minister’s office was formerly used as a dining room for the nobility that once lived in this building. Even though it had been renovated several times, it still retained the sense of grandeur and this signature long table. This is where Minister Nohelka conducts most of his meetings and discussions with his subordinates and visiting guests. This time, the Defense Minister had called the Commander of the Muish Royal Navy for a meeting to discuss a certain matter.

Eyeing a pair of glasses and a bottle of scotch whiskey already prepared on top of the table, the elderly admiral let out a rare grin and spoke as the Defense Minister poured some for the two of them.

“Thank you for such a warm welcome, Defense Minister.”

Nohelka chuckled, “Goodness, Admiral d’Artagnan. How long has it been since we met in private?”

“I am afraid that my duties prevented me from taking leave even once from work. Please forgive my rudeness for declining some of your invitations for a drink before.”

“No, no, it’s completely understandable. We know each other for a long time, and I don’t hold any ill will against you. There’s much to be done, especially since you became the commander of the Royal Navy, isn’t it? I heard that your fellow officers in the Navy aren’t exactly… agreeable.”

“Well, the same can be said for you, Defense Minister. I heard that the Parliament spent more time in pointless debates these days than actually doing anything concrete.”

“Alas, we both suffer from dreadful colleagues, aren’t we?”

The self-deprecating joke from Nohelka, d’Artagnan’s longtime colleague, caused the normally stiff admiral to let an amused chuckle. The two men laughed, making fun of their own situations in their respective workplaces. When it subsided, the Defense Minister continued on with a more somber expression.

“That being said, despite my wishing to make the most of this rare chance today, there are more pressing matters.”

Sensing the change of tone, d’Artagnan sipped his drink once and straightened his back.

“Very well.”

“First of all, regarding the last Parliament session… The bill of the new naval construction program based on your proposal has been accepted.”

“I see. Finally.”

While this should be a cause for much rejoicing, d’Artagnan’s expression did not change in the slightest. He merely propped his elbows on the long table and crossed his arms to show his satisfaction.

“Oho… as expected from you, Admiral, not losing your composure to anything. I was expecting you to be somewhat upset with the result,” Nohelka remarked.

“Hm. Although the reduction of the ten first-class battleships’ replacement from eight to four new designs seems like a painful compromise to the Neutralists’ opposition to the proposal, it is actually a reasonable one, something that only the most rabid of those so-called Innovators who are blind to the truth of our country would deny.”

“Is that so… then this is your plan for an actual compromise between the ideas of the Neutralist and Innovator factions? A naval modernization, but not expansion?”

“Yes. Modernizing the navy is a logical thing to do, looking at the Holy Milishial Empire’s example with their own, but don’t mistake this as me wanting to achieve parity with them. It just cannot be done.”

“I see… even you think so, too, Admiral.”

While advocating a more powerful capital ship design in the form of a battleship carrying a uniform main battery of large-caliber guns, Admiral d’Artagnan also proposed retiring a number of warships in a move to make the Muish Royal Navy slimmer, but deadlier than before. He believed that while Mu’s naval strength should be sufficient to deal with not only the next largest superpowers, the Navy’s primary duty is always to defend their waters against the invading neighbors in the immediate vicinity of the Second Civilization Area that don’t need too many ships. However, at the same time, he wanted the Kingdom’s technology to be advanced enough to not be oppressed by the Holy Milishial Empire that practically dominated the waters of the known world.

The Muish Royal Navy is designed to defend the Kingdom’s territorial waters, organized into four main fleets and six regional defense fleets. Of the 270 combat vessels deployed, eight of them are second-class battleships—old ironclads relegated to coastal defense, and ten first-class battleships. The latter was armed with two twin 305 mm (12 inches) guns as primary armament, supplemented by a variety of smaller-caliber guns intended to fight against wooden sailing ships. Powered by coal-fired steam engines, these beasts can reach speeds of 16 to 17 knots maximum.

The sight of a Muish steel ship arriving at a civilized country’s port city is already an intimidating sight to that country’s people. However, the design of the Muish battleships can be said to be quite obsolete and weak. From whose point of view? Holy Milishial Empire.

After all, for the Milishians, a ship made of metal armed with two main gun turrets, one in front and one in the rear, is what their very first modern magic battleship looked like many decades ago. After that, excavation of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s relics unearthed a more advanced design where their attempt in copying it resulted in their magic warships at the present day.

Milishial’s own navy, on the other hand, is capable of projecting power at least within the oceans of the known world, being organized into eight main fleets (the Zeroth Magic Fleet and numbered Magic Fleets one through seven) and three regional defense fleet commands, with a total of 344 surface combatants. While this number and Mu’s fleet did not seem too far apart, it was the individual capabilities of Milishian magic warships that made them so overpowered.

It’s the reason why the Holy Milishial Empire is feeling bold enough to adopt a policy as stipulated in their Imperial Naval Defense Act: the requirement that the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy should be superior to not only the second-best and third best, but all countries in the known world combined.

This is an outrageously ridiculous requirement, but considering the level of civilizations in the known world, 344 warships where each can confidently solo fleets of wooden sailing ships is a surprisingly realistic number. Such is the disparity between the strongest superpower with the rest of the world. Simply thinking about it already brought despair and a sense of hopelessness to these other countries.

Never mind if the Milishians are simply doing a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ with their ancient relics to the point that their magic technology’s strength is actually flaws. Power is power.

But what makes it even more terrifying, since if flawed defects made by Milishial are already too powerful to defeat by other nations, imagine what a perfectly-made one can do.

With 24 magic battleships, the number alone is able to beat Mu’s own battle fleet into submission. Each magic battleship is nearly twice as larger than the Muish first-class battleships, but much faster with the ability to reach 21 knots. The thirteen older Steel-class battleships were armed with six 343 mm (13,5 inches) Spirit magic cannons in two triple turrets forward and one triple 152 mm (6 inches) Spirit magic cannon at the rear, all using a fire control system to guide their bombardment. This rendered the crossing the T tactic by Muish warships to be ineffective in a hypothetical naval battle as the Milishian battleships are still superior to anything they throw against them even with only their forward guns.

On the other hand, the newer Silver-class retained the same gun caliber and armor scheme as its predecessor. However, it incorporates the sturdier silver magic alloy that allows it to use the state-of-the-art magical armor reinforcement technology, where its 280 mm belt armor can be enhanced to achieve the same strength as a 305 mm belt armor using magic within 30 seconds. That is why the Silvers are only about 1.000 tons heavier than the Steels.

D'Artagnan’s initial draft of the plan, which was estimated to be completed in a decade, was to eventually replace Mu’s old capital ships with eight all-big-gun battleships that will be equipped with the latest technologies that will emerge within those years. At the same time, the plan called for the increase of cruisers and small ships to deal with sailship-using navies and further funding for Project Whitehead, a project to develop the mechanical torpedo in response to Milishial’s Lancelot. In addition, sometime after October 1614, d’Artagnan made a revision to his new battleship’s design.

This proposal was greatly opposed by the Defeatists—ahem, Neutralists, who viewed such an act as completely unnecessary. It was the emergence of the magic torpedo that made these officers relent. However, the Neutralists still objected that eight all-big-gun battleships is still too many, so d’Artagnan further revised the plan to only include four—only one for each main fleet. Naturally, the Brats (Innovators) were outraged and started demanding that d’Artagnan not cave into the opposition.

The Admiral closed his eyes and sighed, “Those Defeatists and immature Brats… both are misguided in their views of what is best for this country. But no matter, what is done is done. The bill is already passed. By the way, Defense Minister, are there any expectations of when the construction of the first ship can be started?”

Nohelka perked up at d’Artagnan’s question.

“Ah, yes… Actually, Admiral d’Artagnan. I hear that you have been stockpiling steel in anticipation of building your ship since December, yes?”

“……Indeed.”

“If the ship is laid down around spring this year, when can it be completed?”

“I think…” d’Artagnan paused, trying to give a plausible estimate, “A new hull can be commissioned by the summer of next year.”

Nohelka nodded. The new construction program might require additional funds, but the Ministry of Defense is ready to find ways to get it. However, d’Artagnan did not miss the subtle expression of discomfort on the minister’s face and prodded him to get an answer.

“Are there any problems?”

“W-well… upon reading your proposal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs asked me one question regarding that.”

“Which is…?”

“If the construction starts in April, can that new ship be ready for the Eleven Countries Leadership Conference next year?”

The Admiral stared at Nohelka with his eyes slightly widened, but he quickly narrowed his eyes and asked in an incredulous tone.

“Pardon?”

“Yes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes that the new battleship design be present at the upcoming world conference as a representative of our country’s state-of-the-art technology.”

“………”

“Can it be done, Admiral?”

“Why so hasty, Defense Minister?” d’Artagnan asked back.

Seeing that d’Artagnan did not actually deny the question, Nohelka nodded to himself for a moment before getting up from his seat to pick up a newspaper hanging by the holder next to his office table. He then placed it in front of the Admiral for him to read.

“That is this morning’s issue. Read it.”

“…?” d’Artagnan raised an eyebrow but read the newspaper anyway. Upon seeing the headline, he finally understood what drove the Foreign Minister to ask that question.

“Inauguration of Le Brias Magic Train Station in the Altaras Kingdom…? So the railway line that Milishial is building in that country is already operating? They even claimed that another station in the southern part of Altaras will be in operation next month, two more on western and eastern sides, and even an airfield in the following months…”

The newspaper’s headline showed the black-and-white photograph of a magic train station with architecture clearly belonging to the Holy Milishial Empire complete with the sleek locomotive signature of a magic train on it. According to that article, the rail line will connect the Altaran capital of Le Brias with mines all over the country and other major cities such as Carifa in the southern point of the island.

As one of the two countries with the largest reserve of NMC-22 ore that the Holy Milishial Empire is currently seeking, Altaras Kingdom relinquished the mining rights of those useless substances in exchange for what can be seen as a very generous assistance from the August Star of Heaven in developing their country. In turn, Milishial is beginning to feel the benefit of investing in this country as it can also now sell more of the previously restricted industrial products. The Altaran government itself also proceeded with the policy of inviting as many Milishian investors as possible in a scheme to deter the Parpaldia Empire while the latter was still reeling from its domestic crisis. It can be said that 1614-1615 were very prosperous years for Altaras Kingdom, a country located outside the civilization areas.

The Milishian business community is pleased with the profits, their politicians took pride in the increased prestige and honor this deed had done, and a certain inventor was happy with the stream of supplies needed to realize his greatest project yet. The government of Altaras was glad, but a bit wary, while the Parpaldia Empire is seething over the fact that someone dared to encroach on their turf, but this someone happened to be the worst possible country to antagonize.

I mean, what can their Imperial Oversight Army even do? Volunteer for live target practice?

On the other hand, this recent news caused a stir in the minds of Mu’s officials, because…

“Is this what I think it is?” d’Artagnan looked up at Nohelka.

“…Yes. As you know, if Mu tries to compete with Milishial in terms of trade, you know well who would win. Our country can survive for this long because Milishial’s policy of restricting the exports of their magical technology created a niche that we can fill with our industrial products. But now that restriction has been lifted and Milishian products suddenly flooding the market, the noose around Mu’s economy will be tightened even more…!”

“Hmmm… to think that the day when Milishial is seriously committing to their rhetoric as the so-called protector of the world will spell the end of us. Very troublesome indeed. Then? What is the government’s response to this?”

“Nothing yet, I am afraid. We are currently debating the details of the government’s countermeasure… There is also the possibility that Milishial will expand even more, so there are talks that Mu should be ready to export something that Milishial hasn’t provided to the other countries yet…”

“Weapons.”

“Correct. Specifically, to the nations on the Second Civilization Area.”

“Including Leifor? If so, what are the chances they will stop sending its vassals to harass our borders as gratitude? Or is the government trying to use the new battleship to intimidate Leifor into normalizing our relationship with them, or to demand reparations that have long overdue?”

“………”

The problem coming from the ravine of a technological gap between Mu and Milishial finally reared its ugly head. The difference in technological and military might was one of the reasons why the Holy Milishial Empire was able to monopolize the entire trade with the countries of the known world, as their products kept sidelining Mu’s own. Even though Mu’s products were cheaper, Milishian products’ quality was so high in comparison that many decided to purchase them over Mu’s.

“Never mind. Then where will the new battleship will come into play in this?”

“The government thinks that the presence of state-of-the-art technology in the world conference as a testament to our country’s capability will instill a sense of confidence in other countries, convincing them to procure weapons from Mu. The situation isn’t too dire now, but we are running out of time, that’s why, Admiral! I know this is a very tall order, but please allow us to use your new battleship to be our country’s hope…!” Nohelka pleaded.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, d’Artagnan finally opened his mouth.

“Very well,” he said simply.

Nohelka sighed in relief, but three fingers from the Admiral’s right hand cut him off.

“Money, manpower, and space. If you can pull some strings to provide these and make sure that no one will get in the way of the construction plan, we might be able to finish one new battleship in exactly one year.”

“Y-yes, I understand. I’ll make sure that you will have things covered.”

“But be warned, Minister. I don’t promise that the new battleship will be fully complete by that time. You might want to attach dummy wooden turrets to fool everyone… or worse, install fake smokestacks and tow that new ship to the world conference. But even then, there might be someone out there who can’t be so easily deceived by the ruse. Also, let’s hope that the prideful Milishial will see this move as a joke… or otherwise, they will consider it a threat. Is the government willing to take the risk?”

The Defense Minister gulped, but nodded with resignation.

“We don’t mind. As long as we can bring the ship to the world conference next year, the government will do everything.”

“Fine. Do as you will. You have my word that I, Jean Pierre d’Artagnan, will do my utmost to help the government accomplish its goals.”

Nohelka stood up and walked over to d’Artagnan, offering his hand.

“Thank you, Admiral. I am counting on you.”

D’Artagnan silently stood up and shook Nohelka’s hand, his sharp eyes staring at the fellow gentleman with a burning resolve. The meeting ended shortly after that.

---

20:00

After returning from his work, Admiral d’Artagnan and his aide, Ensign Antó, visited a workshop located south of Otaheit, where the former did most of his work in planning the new battleship design whose construction was already approved by the Kingdom’s Parliament.

Looking from the elevated platform at the floor, illuminated by the lights from the ceiling, there sat d’Artagnan’s project in all of its glory.

“We’re here,” the Admiral said, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

It is the 1/20 scale model of the revised all-big-gun battleship design. Just by looking at it, one already knows that this will put to shame any warship Mu has up to this point. It still retained the mast, smokestacks, turret shape, and open-air bridge typical of the Muish warships. However, the difference lay in the number of large turrets present in the model.

Still carrying 305 mm guns, the largest artillery in Mu’s disposal, instead of four twin and four single turrets that d’Artagnan’s initial design possessed, this revised battleship design only carries five of such monstrosities, each in the form of a twin turret where three are located on the centerline while the other two sat on the sides of the forward superstructure. Nevertheless, it was still more powerful than any warship that is not from Milishial.

It looked symmetrical, and not too cluttered, being a ship model.

“This will be a perfect defender of our Kingdom’s seas,” Antó continued, eagerness evident in his voice as he greatly looked forward to seeing the real thing.

“It will also be eminently expensive that the cost of producing and maintaining too many of them will be a massive money pit, a waste of taxpayer’s money,” d’Artagnan said.

“Eh…?”

Antó was taken aback, as his superior did not sound enthusiastic at his own creation. The elderly admiral then turned to the young officer and continued.

“The Kingdom’s economy is already struggling, but now that they have accepted this ship, they have no choice but to reduce the Navy if they truly want the Kingdom to survive.”

“But why, sir?”

D’Artagnan sighed.

“The existence of Neutralist and Innovator factions in our Navy, is a reflection of how the people of Mu feel. The Neutralists are your superior officers who were commanders of the ships during the Humiliation of 1582… In that standoff, they saw firsthand just how intimidating Milishial can be, and decided that they should have been content with just surviving in this cruel world and not making a nuisance out of themselves. But depression got the better of them and they transformed into a shadow of their former selves. They became resentful of advancements or expansion because they were afraid it will bring Mu into an uncontrollable euphoria that will end in another confrontation with Milishial, and by that time, they think it is even possible for Mu to finally be wiped off the map. Those people are what you youngsters call ‘Defeatists,’ Antó.”

The young ensign looked down at his superior’s scolding.

“On the other hand, Innovators. They are young souls with noble dreams, but lacking in touch with reality. They dreamed to stand on the same ground with Milishial, but more often than not they neglected the people. For the sake of pride, they did not think of the long-term consequences of their actions. Honestly, those two factions are making me sick, have they even considered what each other feels besides calling them names and insults?”

This was the reality of the current state of Mu as d’Artagnan saw it. The Kingdom was slowly being consumed by the conflicting feelings of its own people, and it was getting harder and harder for the elderly admiral to look at them without feeling a tinge of guilt.

“Then, Admiral… is this ship your way to reconcile those conflicting ideas?” Antó dared to ask. He wanted to know where his superior really stood.

“Yes. As a shipwright, I wanted to build a ship so beautiful and majestic that the people of Mu can be proud of it, but at the same time I want to give those who are too confident a dose of reality, that everything comes with a price. The Neutralists’ inaction and the Innovators’ ambition… I want them to understand that the military exists to protect the people, not make them suffer, before they go too far.”

D'Artagnan might make enemies of both the Neutralists and Innovators at the same time, but he didn’t care. The admiral wanted to stop Mu from marching to its own ruin, even if it means shooting itself in the foot. But at the same time, it’s his duty as a shipwright to give the Kingdom an ironclad defense from its enemies.

The duality of this Kingdom is as painful as it is wonderful.

“But… the results of the meeting earlier will hurt that intention, to be sure,” d’Artagnan murmured.

“Speaking of which, Admiral, how did the meeting with the Defense Minister go?” Antó asked, curious.

The admiral was brought from his melancholy, gazing at the battleship below.

“Ah, yes. I almost forgot to tell you about it. Actually…”

Upon hearing it, the ensign nearly jumped with his eyes widened in shock.

“HUH!?”

Currently Publicly Available Information

NAVY STRENGTH COMPARISON OF 1615 CC

As of February 1615 CC, t he Muish Royal Navy, the second-best navy in the known world, is comprised of around 270 warships, compared to the 344 warships in the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy's possession.

Chapter Text

February 7, 1615 Central Calendar, 17:30

William Ameir District, Runepolis, Holy Milishial Empire

It goes without saying that from sunset to sunrise again, the Sleepless Magical City of Runepolis always shone with city lights so brilliant that it can even be seen from the farthest reaches of the horizon. But on this day, just as night was about to fall, fireworks were being launched from all over the metropolis, adorning the auspicious clear sky above the city’s skyscrapers with even more lights, vibrant colors, and noises, to celebrate the eve of the Water Goddess Day as if the usual hustle and bustle of the city weren’t enough.

Even though some residents, especially those who worship the Water Goddess as their patron deity, opted to conserve their energy by taking a rest in order to prepare for the prayer ceremony in the morning, some night owls took advantage of the occasion to enjoy themselves even if it’s not even ten minutes past midnight, feasting at the sights and sounds brought about by the fireworks and revelry.

The business district of William Ameir was also not exempt from such a festive mood, where people coming home from a long day’s work mixed with the celebrating crowds resulting in rather congested traffic. It can even be seen from the topmost floor of the Aikon Corporation’s headquarters, also known as the ‘Condor Tower,’ where the CEO’s office was located. However, the man who owned this economic juggernaut already had his attention focused on something more interesting in front of him than seeing vehicles crawling like ants down below.

Lord Victor Legendorga was listening to a report made by the Aikon Corporation’s head of R&D, with his secretary Fiolina Bucciarati standing by his right side.

“…therefore, before we can make a Manadriver capable of memorizing a spell sequence generated from a computation, we must first be able to devise a method to record the computation result in some medium and, if possible, use that medium to also replicate the spell sequence recorded on it. This is where the challenging part begins, Mister President.”

After a period of brainstorming among the company’s researchers after Victor’s recent request, the R&D department came up with a proposal to the CEO.

Victor hummed in his seat, “I kind of expected it from the start, so what do you propose to make it happen?”

“After discussing with my colleagues, we came up with the idea to try to rewire the Regen Generator and connect it to an array of magic circuits and lamps set to turn on when in contact with a specific mana wavelength. Based on the theory that a spell works in casting a specific phenomenon by emitting mana in patterns, it should be possible to record the mana patterns emitted by the Regen Generator’s computation by observing the array.”

Victor raised an eyebrow, perplexed by how complicated it sounded.

“Why is that? If you’re going to do such a lengthy process, does this mean you cannot simply record the computation into the already existing spell components?”

“Yes, we are truly sorry, Mister President. While our technology allows us to engrave spell components into magic circuits and perform spell casting with it, there has never been a technology to do the reverse. I think that the rule set by the current magic system made it too complicated even if someone tries to do it, and there is no guarantee that every spell component known to man will be able to fully cover the Manadriver’s computation results. Therefore, we need to devise a ‘new’ magic spell system that can also be operated solely between machines. We have to start from scratch in order to achieve this and yes, even invent a new magic spell system.”

“Hmm, what a predicament…” Victor murmured as the chief researcher finished his long-winded explanation. “To make a new magic spell system, you say?”

The magic spell system used by the Holy Milishial Empire and everyone else in the known world was based on the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s set of magic spells. Through studying the leftover relics and trial and error process, they managed to make themselves able to manipulate their mana into a phenomenon in what is known as spell casting. So far, everyone’s mentality regarding the magic spell system is that if it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it. Mankind has never encountered the need to research if there is a way to create an entirely new magic spell system because the current one always works. Even advancements in magic technology, such as magic circuits, only revolve around how to make these magic spells can be cast faster. And yes, this even applies to the early Manadrivers.

Long people believed that this rigid set of characters dictates the result of magic when someone cast it, with the aforementioned theory about mana patterns being a relatively recent idea. Victor’s intention with the Manadriver technology, which so happened to attempt to do something opposite of the conventional magic spell-casting tech, will inevitably encounter a great hurdle in its progress since there was never been a precedent of it to learn from. This is another example of just how imbalanced and strange the Holy Milishial Empire was in its technological development. Anyone who is not from the known world might find it unrealistic and retarded, but for the people in this known world, this is their reality (and they have to deal with it).

However, a leap forward in magic technology that can be accomplished by this is the only thing that Victor cared about.

The blonde CEO took a deep breath before his eyes suddenly widened, startling his two subordinates as he abruptly shot up from his chair.

“THAT BEING SAID…! It can’t be helped, but it won’t stop us from doing what we must. I sense that this will bring yet another revolution in our society, so it’s only appropriate to say happy birthday for this new problem for us to solve! Chief researcher!”

The man immediately straightened his back upon hearing his boss addressing him so loudly, “Sir!”

“What else do you have in mind?”

“W-well, if we managed to do that, some of us suggested that we could reproduce those patterns by creating a device to read them and achieve the objective to memorize the result of a Manadriver’s computation… somehow. Then, I think we can just reprogram the Regen Generator to be able to process these patterns, creating the exact same duplicate of a previously recorded magic spell. This part is not that hard to do once we figured out how the previous step worked.”

Victor hummed again, “So, you’re saying that the difficult part will be in recording the mana patterns of the computation process’s result?”

“More or less so, sir,” the chief researcher nodded.

“I see. Then, you may proceed with your proposal. In the meantime, Fiolina,” Victor called out to his secretary, “Contact the Ancient Ministry about this new development immediately and arrange a meeting with their representatives, preferably anywhere in the next week.”

“I understand,” Fiolina answered, jotting notes on the notepad she carried with her.

By now, despite the hardship they were going to face, Victor was grinning. With a small smile of his own, the chief researcher spoke with determination, “I understand, Mister President, we will do our best.”

“Good, you are dismissed.”

The chief researcher gave him a bow before leaving the office room.

Victor sat down on his chair once more, crossed his arms, and spun to face Fiolina.

“What’s on my schedule next?”

The raccoon beastwoman checked her notepad before answering, “You are free after this, sir.”

“Ah, yes, speaking of the Ancient Ministry, the delivery of Manadrivers that they are requesting is already departing to San Redentore, right? That’s too bad, we just finished this interesting discussion. I feel like it’s getting harder and harder keeping up with the pace of the rapid developments these days…” Victor spoke self-deprecatingly.

Despite his cheery mood while in office, these revolving door of events and new challenges occurring one after another also caused Victor a certain degree of fatigue as there are only a limited number of hours in a day. He also felt the pain of not being able to take all the time off he wanted due to the numerous work orders that were piled up for him.

“Mister President, I don’t think you will be able to take a long break any time soon, but since tomorrow is the Water Goddess Day, let’s use the most of it to relax,” Fiolina remarked in the sincerest tone she could muster, earning a chuckle from Victor, who couldn’t help but agree.

“That’s the bluntest consolation I’ve heard yet, but you’re right. And one more thing, what about the cake?”

“The celebratory cake will be sent to the Temple of Saoirse tomorrow at nine o’clock, just after they finished the prayer ceremony, exactly as you ordered, sir,” Fiolina nonchalantly responded to this question as well, making her boss nod in satisfaction.

“Well, well, well, what a day,” Victor stretched his arms. “It’s time to go home, then. See you next Monday, Fiolina, I hope you enjoy the holiday!”

The secretary smiled gratefully, “Thank you, Mister President.”

The CEO left his office almost exactly at 18:30. However, instead of driving home to his residence in the neighboring Lambert District, he headed past the Albion Palace to visit his brother’s mansion in the Arden District literally on the other side of Runepolis, having to contend with the traffic from all the people celebrating along the way.

---

18:20

Arden District

Fortunately, Victor was able to arrive on time to be present at the family gathering of House Legendorga, a rare occasion in which all the members of this noble family were able to gather together. With a residence large enough to accommodate all family members at once, it was always Victor’s older brother, Count Benedict Legendorga, the Imperial Minister of Internal Affairs, who hosted the gathering.

The mansion’s dining hall was lavishly decorated in warm colors of maroon and gold. Around them, the servants and maids who were ready to respond at their beck and call were also dressed in a customized uniform of primarily red colors. After all, as the people who served this noble house, they were also expected to uphold the Legendorgas’ pride and dignity with their behavior and the way they dressed, reminiscent of the house’s family crest, a phoenix.

“Bless the gods for allowing all of us to see each other in good health.”

Sitting at the end of the dining table, the usually stern-looking count opened the meal with a prayer before allowing himself a hint of a smile seeing all of his family members gather in one place like this, looking dignified and orderly even as they indulged in their meals. Flanking Benedict was his children Adonis, Arran, and Argos on his right, while his wife Heike, a noblewoman of Herzlander descent, was accompanying his youngest children, Adel and Alain, on the left. Next to Argos was Benedict’s younger sister, Irina and her husband, an easterner Imperial Guard captain named Batzorig, as well as their only daughter, Bianca. Meanwhile, across from them is his youngest brother Victor, his wife Berenike, and his two sons, Eleazer and Esiocles. Curiously, regardless of what features their other parent possesses, all of these Legendorga children are always born with that bright golden hair and blue eyes.

Benedict saw that his brother Victor was grinning the entire time. There must be something that happened on the way to make him look giddy like that, but as per family custom on this occasion, they were saving such talks after this solemn dinner.

After the dinner ended and the exchanges following it, Benedict found Victor lounging alone on the balcony, admiring the show of fireworks in the distant downtown skyline with a glass of wine in his hand. Sensing the presence of someone behind him, Victor turned to look and called out to him.

“Brother.”

Benedict approached his side, giving him a nod.

“How do you find the supper, Victor?”

“What a feast your mansion just prepared for us, Brother. I’m glad we can see each other after a long time, especially Adonis and the others.”

Benedict’s three oldest children are all in their twenties and had left their parents’ house to pursue a career in the military, with Adonis in the Navy, Arran in the Army, and Argos in the Air Force. Soon, their other children will follow suit and leave their parents’ house as well.

“Yes,” Benedict said. “But eventually a bird must fly out of its nest. Even though I’m a bit sad, I’m prouder of what my children have become.”

Victor sipped his wine, listening to Benedict’s words now being directed at him.

“Now about you. I saw you’ve been smiling like you were about to prank someone in our youth earlier. What happened?”

Victor chuckled.

“Ah, just the usual busywork, but today my men said something interesting. They came up with this idea on how to upgrade the Manadriver, but ended up proposing to create a new magic spell system entirely. After thinking about it, I’m very much looking forward to what will come out of it.”

“Huh… of course, I should have expected this. Looks like your little pet project has become a success, after all. Then, I reckon what you said is a good thing?”

“Well, no, but actually yes,” Victor shrugged, much to Benedict’s bewilderment. “Creating a new magic spell system from scratch is an unexpected problem. But after pondering about it, I became convinced that if we could solve this, the whole society itself might change. I’m filled with anticipation, Brother.”

Benedict’s brows furrowed. He had heard about the Manadriver and its capabilities from his brother many times. A device that revolutionizes the entirety of magic, it laughs at the face of even the fastest spell chanting known to man by performing magic in an instant. However, he didn’t think it will be that easy to implement it into the Holy Empire’s daily lives anytime soon. A tool like Manadriver, while it has great potential, is also very easy to abuse with even more horrific ramifications than the illegal possession of a gun. For the Holy Empire’s government to allow its usage for ordinary civilians, a lot of effort needed to be put in, including implementing a set of laws and safeguards on the device itself. Even then, Benedict almost didn’t want the Manadrivers to be freely available.

The Manadriver may be an incredible invention, but if that was used indiscriminately and irresponsibly, it may cause untold destruction. Victor’s words of ‘changing the whole society itself’ might come true in the worst possible way.

“Victor, I’ll be blunt with you. If making Manadrivers available to the masses is what you’re implying, then I’m against it. I don’t care how much Adonis, Arran, or Argos praises their uncle’s present, they’re military. The ordinary civilians are not ready for such a thing yet.”

The younger brother was unperturbed. “You may be right in that sense, Brother, but think about the potential it can make when it’s used by the right people. Healers, firefighters, civilian industrial complex—”

“I’m not blind to that, Victor. I’m just giving you a warning before you might do something you regret with that ‘greed’ of yours.”

Victor finished his drink and looked at his older brother in the eye, trying to read the emotion behind those stern blue eyes. Finally, he spoke.

“I will keep that in mind. Besides, if I ever stray from my path and do anything reckless, I have you who will beat me up to bring me back to my senses, isn’t that right?”

“………”

“Be as that may, Brother, you can’t stop mankind’s progress. Give them a little spark, they will desire, they will dream, and they will walk forward. That’s just how greedy mankind is…”

He smiled wryly and turned away to walk inside, leaving Benedict silently mulling over his words. If he were to be honest, his younger brother’s tendency to lump all desires, hopes, and dreams together as ‘greed’ is even more off-putting than his obsession with baking cakes and celebrating birthdays. Benedict can understand Victor’s belief that desire is a force of progress and evolution, the greatest gift of mankind.

But at the same time, if a man owns an entire valley filled with gold, he will inevitably desire for a second one, and he will then desire for a third, and he will desire for more until his mouth is filled with nothing but dirt.

‘What is exactly inside his mind?’ Benedict silently wondered.

That aside, the night was filled with delight for the family.

23:45

Magic Technology System Development Facility, Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, San Redentore District

In contrast to the noisy downtown, the sparsely populated San Redentore District of Runepolis was as quiet as ever. Some of the building clusters near the neighboring districts did show signs of celebration as well, but as for the rest, only the darkness of the thick forest seemed to permeate the district like a curtain. From above, even the light from street lamps seemed to be cut off in places by the shadows of the trees, making the atmosphere here quite spooky and gloomy for some, a far cry from the tranquil scenery of the daytime.

That is why the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures’ headquarters complex stood out like a beacon in this otherwise dark and foreboding place. Located far away from any nearest settlement, the complex really looked like a shining island in the middle of a jet-black ocean. Meanwhile, a pair of moons in their waning gibbous phase stared at them from above.

Lady Clara Steinbelt, a noblewoman in charge of leading one of the Ancient Ministry’s main research and development facilities, was already getting used to this quietness, but the wake of the Alpha Edge Project’s commencement brought some slight changes in the dynamic, with employees standing by in their workplace in increasing numbers. Despite the said project is primarily undertaken by the aerial wing of the Ministry, Clara’s department was expected to pull its own weight in anticipation of future upgrades, riding on the momentum created by the introduction of a completely functional conductive magnetic radar by Meteos Roguerider to create what would be her facility’s most ambitious project yet: developing a conductive magnetic radar small enough to be mounted on the Heavenly Vessel.

This decision was based on the recently intensified analysis of the Alpha Zero, an ancient relic in that the engineers speculated that it would make sense if the missing component on the Alpha Zero’s nose would be a detection device of some sort. As for the Magic Technology System Development Facility’s task, Clara had to complain here that the radar for the Alpha Edge Project had to fit inside the stupidly tight space of the fighter’s nose.

Fortunately, they were told that they were not expected to fulfill a specific requirement, only told to do ‘as best as they could.’ But typical of the Ancient Ministry personnel, this only aggravated the facility and especially Clara Steinbelt’s own pride and competitive spirit, who were tired of lackluster results for a very long time.

That is why they were also now scrambling to conduct another wave of in-depth learning of whatever Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s detection technology was available at their disposal combined with the know-how learned from dissecting Meteos’ conductive magnetic radar.

Speaking of Meteos, Clara had to admit that the notes and instructions he left were detailed enough for them to learn and understand on their own despite him being unable to present alongside them. Thanks to these, Steinbelt’s facility was able to provide the military with new conductive magnetic radars to upgrade their mana detectors. With the Ministry of Military Affairs’ extensive effort in promoting the deployment of this new equipment, the Holy Milishial Empire planned to have their air defense system fully utilize conductive magnetic radars by 1616 CC. Priority was placed on reinforcing the western coast and Carthinia Province where Cartalpas was located for obvious reasons.

In addition, a separate development was also taking place at the Runepolis Magic Academy where Meteos used to belong. With them possessing Meteos’ research data at a quality similar to the one held by the Ancient Ministry (in fact, it was the original data), Clara heard that they were now in the process of developing a functional ship-mounted conductive magnetic radar, as expected from their specialization in making naval-based equipment.

Therefore, using the analysis of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire artifact and Meteos Roguerider’s research data, the Holy Milishial Empire was making progress on developing conductive magnetic radars based on all three platforms of land, sea, and air, at the same time.

“Decades of prevalent stagnation are about to be torn apart little by little…”

From her office, Clara muttered to no one.

As she stood near the window panes, looking at the courtyard below where the cars and autobikes were half-filling the parking spot, Clara was waiting for the time of a meeting with someone dispatched by the Ministry higher-ups…

…in the middle of the night.

This has something to do with the delivery of Second-Generation Manadrivers from the Aikon Corporation earlier in the evening. For obvious reasons, upon the company’s announcement, the Ministry higher-ups immediately ordered the Aikon Corporation to provide them with as many of them as they can. The Manadriver’s potential is just too great for them to not capitalize on.

She glanced at her wristwatch once and murmured, “Now, time to meet the guest…”

After an uneventful trip to Reception Room 4, the noblewoman entered the room only to find it still devoid of people. There’s a box containing the new Manadrivers hastily prepared by Clara’s subordinates sitting on a table made of thick glass in the center of the minimally-decorated room.

“………?”

The room was still empty and the couches were still cold, with no sign of someone occupying it. Considering the nature of her guest this time, Clara merely shrugged and sat down on the sofa facing the door to wait. Several moments later, when she turned her gaze to the box on the table and reached to open it, a voice suddenly came out of nowhere from directly in front of her.

“I have come to retrieve the package.”

“!!!”

Clara’s hand quickly retracted as her widened eyes shot up to look at the source of that voice. A figure clad from head to toe in black without showing any inch of skin was sitting with their legs crossed on the sofa across from her, seemingly appearing out of thin air when Clara wasn’t looking. Their features were concealed by a blank white mask and black hood, with slits in what their eyes should have been. In addition, their distorted voice made it impossible to discern what gender they are without looking directly at them. This figure, though, has a tall masculine physique, so Clara is going to assume this figure is a ‘him.’

“…Must you super-secret agents appear and disappear so suddenly all the time like that?” Clara deadpanned, her surprised expression replaced by an annoyed one.

“There are things more important than complaining about how we operate, Lady Steinbelt,” the figure chided.

As one of the leading members of the Ancient Ministry, Clara Steinbelt was aware of the existence of a fifth branch dedicated to research and development called the Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations Department. Being a secretive organization only, its members were required to wear masks and address each other by codenames for the sake of confidentiality. However, even among them, there were some individuals like this one, appearing and disappearing on a whim like ghosts, and rumored to be hiding in plain sight among the many faces of the Holy Empire’s citizens. While they, too, appeared to be a part of the secret department, only the highest leader of the Ancient Ministry seems to know their exact nature and their place in the hierarchy.

But from what she could discern, anything that these individuals were involved in is always put on the pinnacle of priorities, even among the Ministry itself.

“……Very well,” Clara sighed and nodded, her face quickly turning serious. “Here are the samples of Manadrivers that the Ministry has requested the Aikon Corporation to deliver.”

The figure leaned forward and opened the box, finding a row of colorless Manadrivers of the BIRTH-DAY variant. Picking one, the figure examined the device back and forth for several moments.

“Excellent. I will bring this back to our lab to do some analysis on our own. Hopefully, this will assist in our department’s project as well as yours.”

Clara perked up at the mention of the secret department’s ‘project.’

“Ooh, if I had to hazard a guess, does this mean that you are going to finally analyze that in earnest?”

“It has always been our Ancient Weapons Department’s long-cherished dream to realize that desire, Lady Steinbelt. If the Manadriver is as potent as advertised by Aikon’s CEO Victor Legendorga, then this will help us break the bottleneck that has been holding us back, even if it’s just a little.”

“So, are we going to finally see the rumored anti-gravity magic realized in this world?”

“Not simply magic that can make things fall upwards, to be precise, but a controlled manipulation of gravity itself using magic. Can you imagine the practical use if we can master it?” the masked figure leaned forward.

“I see, quite an ambitious objective to achieve, but one that I really look forward to seeing.”

“You acted as if ambitious is not part of what makes us Milishian, Lady Steinbelt,” the figure responded. “As long we have the knowledge and resources, nothing is too far-fetched for the Ancient Ministry to undertake. And as you know, our Ministry is blessed with almost infinite resources.”

Clara chuckled in amusement. The air inside the room was a bit chilly, but it was filled with anticipation of an unparalleled degree.

In the ancient inscriptions left by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, there were mentions of ‘power that allows one to free themselves from worldly constraints and reach the realm beyond.’ Considering the heretical existence of the Light-Winged Devils as in the folklore, Milishian researchers tend to disregard this as a method of achieving enlightenment in a religious sense. And as it turned out, upon further investigations, they later discovered that this inscription refers to none other than the so-called ‘anti-gravity magic.’

What led to this conclusion is the discovery of ultra-high-class ancient artifacts in different places of the Holy Milishial Empire’s territory in the Central World: ring-shaped flying fortresses later classified as the Object A – Pal Chimera-class heavy command cruiser. The fact that a Pal Chimera was supposed to be capable of flying despite its shape and mass by using magical engines that generates an anti-gravity field exposed the people of Milishial to the possibility of manipulating mana to free an object from the planet’s gravity and, if the inscription is to be believed, a key for the Ancient Sorcerous Empire to ascend to the realm of stars beyond.

And thus, just like mankind once dreamed to fly, the Milishial began to dream once more.

However, in order to understand the so-named anti-gravity magic, they first need to find a functioning engine and operate it to observe and analyze. Unfortunately, the first Pal Chimera ever discovered, the Xibalba, was a decayed wreck rotting after being left exposed in the open for ten thousand years. Being located in the middle of the harsh Excan Province jungle, even its unidentified armor, which was supposed to be very sturdy, cannot resist the constant pounding of outside elements. It was quite a fitting name that they gave this unit a name that means “place of fright” considering how horrible-looking it was when they first laid their eyes upon it.

The Milishians had absolutely no idea how to repair it, so the only other option was to find another one and pray that the next unit will be in a good enough condition. After Xibalba, the Holy Empire’s Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures managed to find and excavate two more units, but without luck so far. As a consolation prize, however, the units found were at least in an increasingly better condition than the last.

The second Pal Chimera was called Eesfet Oon-m’Aa Poo (“nothing is true”), found in the Meketaten Site at the center of Vallarge Province. It was buried deep underneath the rolling sand dunes, unlikely to be operational until the near future.

The third unit discovered was a close call and a terribly unfortunate case. This unit, the Hyperborea (“beyond the North Wind”), was said to have been able to operate by the accounts of the Warring Kingdoms Period. However, this unit was located in the Rusalka Province, the domain of an ancient heretic king who built an entire complex on top of it dedicated to the worship of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. During the late stage of the era, the Kingdom of Caelus, the unifiers of the realm, launched an attack on his domain where the Hyperborea received extensive damage after being bombarded by the Caelians and for being the site of the final duel between the heretic king and the town elf who would be later known as His Majesty the Emperor, Milishial VIII.

Yes, the climax of the chaotic period before the Middle Lands’ unification and the formation of the modern Holy Milishial Empire more than 2.000 years ago was decided by two overpowered mage-kings decked in full armor duking it out and beating the absolute shit out of each other until one of them perished.

With a Pal Chimera as their literal fighting ring, the Middle Lands once bore witness to an epic showdown that literally decided whether the future will be ruled by a nation that honors the gods or a raving Light-Winged Devil worshipper that seeks to envelop this planet in corpses and sacrifice them to their banished masters.

Back to the matter at hand…

While the Ancient Ministry continued to pour its resources into finding other Pal Chimeras and analyzing the ones they already found, the existence of the Manadriver as an analytical engine that can perform magic just by inputting what the user desires to it has the potential of accelerating the secret department’s research on gravity manipulation. Despite the military managed to use the First-Generation Manadriver in conjunction with a specially developed tool to make individual soldiers fly to some extent, they doubted the magic used in it to be true ‘anti-gravity,’ instead thinking of it as mere wind magic that assisted them in gliding.

“So, what do you think, Lady Steinbelt?”

“Do you even have to ask, mister secret agent? Of course it would be interesting,” Clara said with a raised eyebrow as she leaned back on the couch, but she suddenly frowned. “But you know, it pains me that we cannot combine our research activities together because of confidentiality reasons.”

“It can’t be helped. Besides, even though we’re going to both research and develop Manadrivers, we have different priorities. Perhaps there’s another time when the circumstances permit it, but in the meantime, any result from our progress will eventually be passed to yours as well,” the masked man answered with a slight shrug.

“I still think that this policy of secrecy will bring harm to the research progress than good, mister secret agent. Think about it, what if both my and your departments come up with similar or even identical research results, wouldn’t that be a waste of resources, not to mention inefficient?”

“Unfortunately, it is not my place to decide our department’s policy. I suggest speaking to the Director and making your grievances known.”

Still, Clara did not appear to be satisfied. She thought that the two departments can achieve so much more together.

“Fine, then, is that all?”

“Yes. We will put these to good use. Just look forward to the results,” the masked figure said as he stood up and offered his hand for a handshake.

“Mm-hmm, just promise me that you do your best.”

The masked man’s cold gloved hands sent a tinge of discomfort to Clara, but she didn’t show it on her face.

“In any case, I hope that you achieve success in your endeavors as well. Happy Water Goddess Day, Lady Steinbelt.”

“Huh?”

At the masked man’s words, a startled Clara checked the clock on the wall to find that it was already 00:00 on the 8th of February, this year’s Water Goddess Day just like what the masked figure said.

“Ooh… on you as… well……?”

But when she glanced back to return the greeting, the masked figure and the box he received were already gone in the blink of an eye. When Clara poked her head to the corridor to see the outside out of curiosity, all she found was a silent hallway devoid of human activity. It’s as if the masked figure was never there in the first place.

“………”

She felt a twinge of worry for the Director, a shy and rather innocent guy who had to be exposed to whatever secrets these agents might contain the moment he took his current seat. It must be distressing, at the very least. But since she was too tired for any more secret agents’ antics, Lady Clara Steinbelt decided that her first agenda on this holiday was thus to try to get some shut-eye before waking up in the morning.

She still feels sorry for Arsene Lippin, though.

04:35

MOASEC Apartment Complex

Meteos was already awake in this early morning hours and is doing a rather predictable thing in his apartment’s working room while his friend Walman was still sleeping blissfully on the bed. Having been sternly told to adjust his sleep schedule by Robin, waking up early is a much better and acceptable alternative. This way, he can continue imparting his future knowledge into readable materials without being scorned by his teacher in this new timeline. This is why, after doing a morning prayer, Meteos was already holding his pencil.

Several designs of a 76-millimeter Spirit-type magic cannon were already done. Now on to the 84-millimeter one and then up to the 105-millimeter design to complement the Imperializer’s design. Meteos also tried to implement the elements of a Manadriver in it to see if it would improve its performance. Heck, he even tried to make the entire cannon a Manadriver.

“With the Holy Empire’s system, just one type of bullet can be turned into an armor-piercing or high-explosive depending on the magical properties imbued into its warhead. Compared to mechanical civilizations that will need more than one type of shell for different effects, this advantage in logistics must be capitalized to the utmost. Also, with this Manadriver, can a magic cannon’s accuracy be improved just by inputting the device with a desire to ‘hit a target accurately’? If so, it would be a cheat…”

Meteos chuckled at the wild thought. Since a Manadriver is a technology developed based on his own work at improving a calculator (that also resulted in the emergence of the grimoire), any advancements in Manadriver technology can also be implemented in the Holy Empire’s computers. Perhaps, making the Manadriver realize that specific desire can be done after all, even with a slightly more complicated method than simply ‘make a wish and it comes true.’

But after glancing at the clock, his amusement faded.

“Robin usually comes home around this hour. I wonder where is she now?”

By the way, since Meteos is mentally 136 years old, much older than Robin, he tends to say her name without honorifics whenever he’s alone. This is a weekend, and a holiday to boot. Having her still nowhere to be seen around the usual time she will return to this apartment is… concerning.

He already texted her several times, and she even didn’t answer when Meteos called her.

But it turned out that he didn’t have to be so worried after all.

---

One hour earlier

MOASEC – Ground System Development Facility

“Must you call me to this place so early in the morning, Old Man?”

Robin complained to a muscular dwarf leading an entourage of three people standing in front of one of the warehouses that lined a certain section of this compound. She was rather annoyed because just after her work finished for the week and she was getting ready for riding home, the crew of the neighboring facility out of nowhere called her to their place for a sudden test of courage. Due to the state of their progress, this place is practically as quiet as a graveyard compared to the other facilities.

The GP designs that Robin’s secret affiliation has been discussing several days ago are about to shake things up a little, but that will be sometime in the future when it actually happened.

The dwarf in question, Professor Harley Hendrickson, rolled his eyes at his old acquaintance’s petulant attitude. Behind him, a man with spiky blonde hair and a female dark elf with her red hair arranged in a dreadlock ponytail looked at each other and snickered.

“Well, you’ve become so busy that there’s no other time to summon you here,” he shrugged unapologetically.

“Screw you, Old Man, that’s exaggerating,” Robin pouted, causing Harley to let out a hearty laugh. “What is this anyway? A prank? A dare? Or is this a trap?”

“Okay, okay, let’s get to the point. Actually, our crew had finished repairing a certain machine that is about to be declassified soon, and we want you to be the first one to test it—no, rather, we wanted to give it to you.”

After eyeing the three, Robin tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips.

“Huh… okay? What exactly is this machine? And why me?”

Harley grinned, “Why don’t you see it by yourself? Emre, open the hangar!”

“Aye, aye, boss!”

The blonde-haired man called Emre mock-saluted his boss and operated the magic panel attached next to the hangar door. As the hangar door slowly slid open with a heavy rumbling sound, the rows of magic lamps on the ceiling lit up one by one, slowly revealing the object that was sitting in the darkness. And then, the lights finally shone on it.

“………!!!” Robin gasped.

Sitting there is a gleaming manmade steed with a lean appearance, with its head turned to face the entrance, as if inviting her to come. Robin slowly took a step forward, but her stride quickly evolved into a jog, and in no time at all, she was running and approached the machine.

“No way… Trychaser!? But how…?” she exclaimed.

Harley laughed, “Gahahahahaha! It’s been already a decade, ain’t it? We found it lying as a wreck near the ruins on that day. So, because we have nothing to do around here… we figured why not play around with this one and help it get back into shape?”

“We even gave it a nice paint job that might suit you, so, what do you think?” the dark elf commented.

“What do I think, you say…?”

Robin was incredulous.

She loved autobikes. She loved the thrill of speeding down the countryside highway, the freedom of riding along a road without having to worry about other cars blocking her way and even the feeling of wind roaring down her entire being. But more than anything else, she loved Trychaser. It was a unique prototype, lean, mean, and so powerful that it made her feel like riding the Emperor’s legendary mount Red Hare itself to the battlefields of the Warring Kingdoms Period. And indeed, exactly one decade ago, Robin once rode into her first mission as agent Flamberge on this very autobike. Even though it was a lifeless object, this machine gave her a lot of memories, be they fond or painful. However, that will be a story for another time.

So to find out that this Trychaser was now intact and fully restored to its proper glory after seeing it destroyed long ago, it almost brought a tear to her eye. All she can do is stare at the machine, mouth agape. The once jet-black color of the autobike was now adorned with a combination of metallic silver and red, with the handguard being painted in a striking gold color.

“…It’s… nostalgic… y-yeah,” Robin stammered, trying her best to look tough, but she ran her hand on the Trychaser’s armored handguards. “Why keep it a secret, though…?”

“Protocols.”

“Ah, touché.”

The three could see how fond the brunette was of it. They couldn’t help to look at the reunion with warm gazes.

Harley called out. “Despite we took out its arithmetic unit, we upgraded the engine with the latest magic circuits, so it’s still the most advanced autobike yet. We will give you the parts that are needed for the repairs, but in exchange, we will ask you for data from time to time. Of course, we will let you bring it home. This one is yours, Robin. Do we have a deal?”

The answer to that is a bone-crushing hug that took the dwarf’s breath out of his lungs.

“Old Man, you’re the best!”

After Robin finally let go of him, the three let themselves laugh as well.

“Go on, try it,” Harley gestured before turning to his subordinates again. “Emre and Nefertari, go pick up the Acceler Rod and a proper helmet for Robin!”

Emre and the dark elf called Nefertari nodded and went to pick up the items. Meanwhile, Robin proceeded to mount the Trychaser.

“Woah…”

“Here, Professor,” Emre said, offering an object called the Acceler Rod. With a familiar hand, Robin took the object and inserted it into the spot where the Trychaser’s right handlebar was supposed to be and twisted it, turning the machine on with a rumbling sound characteristic of the fire-type motor engine.

Vroom…! Vrooom…! VROOOOOOOOOMMMMMM…!

“So this is the new engine unit, sounds smoother than what it used to be, but still menacing with those roars,” Robin remarked as she revved the throttle. “Cool! Alright… I’m ready to go and show this off to the boys back home!”

“I know, right!?”

After donning the helmet given to her by Nefertari, she turned to Harley one last time.

“Old Man—no, I mean, Professor Harley Hendrickson, I don’t know how to thank you for this,” she said sincerely.

“Heh! Consider this to be a Water Goddess Day gift from me to you, don’t mention it.”

Robin laughed, “Hahahaha! What an extravagant gift! Then… Old Man, Nefertari, and Emre, I’m off.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Take care.”

“Ride on, Professor! I’ll take care of your scooter!”

As the three Ground Facility personnel waved their goodbyes, Robin rode home with her new mount. She was so happy that at one point in the empty road, she even brought the Trychaser into a wheelie. Just like the old times…

It was truly the best gift she ever hoped for.

And so, with the events happening in the darkness of the night, the sun rose in the east, heralding the beginning of the Water Goddess Day.

Currently Publicly Available Information

WATER GODDESS DAY

A winter holiday celebrated in the Holy Milishial Empire every second Sunday of February (in 1615 CC, it coincides with the 9th of February). Originally a time for praying to Saoirse, the Water Goddess worshipped by the people of Enysfalian cultural group (the Holy Milishial Empire has a different concept of ethnicity due to its multiracial, as in multiple sentient beings, nature), it has since evolved into a nation-wide holiday where friends and loved ones exchanged gifts.

Chapter Text

February 8, 1615 Central Calendar, 04:50

San Redentore District, Runepolis

Robin was filled with an intense feeling of elation and rushing adrenaline, bringing her autobike, the refurbished M1605 Trychaser, on this semi-trial run after a very long time being separated from each other like a long-lost friend. Her entire being shook with excitement, enduring the battering of the rushing wind while her gloved right hand continued to twist the throttle handle further, bringing this piece of cutting-edge technology of its time to reach the top speed of 105 kilometers per hour almost in a blink of an eye. The rumbling of the new fire-type motor engine tore through the silence of the empty forest road. With nothing but a pitch-black world around her, it was hard to believe that this countryside-like scenery is still in Runepolis.

As Robin focused on going home while savoring the feeling, though, the headlights soon came to illuminate the sight of something white standing in the middle of the road, unmoving in the autobike rider’s way.

‘Huh!? What the—’

In the split second, Robin reflexively pulled both brake levers, bringing the Trychaser drifting along the cold asphalt as she maneuvered the bike to reveal its right flank toward the mysterious figure. Within seconds of closing the distance and they were about to collide, it—they, the white-clad figure—suddenly jumped, somersaulting in the middle of the air over Robin’s head before landing gracefully as Robin barely managed to stop the speeding autobike several meters away.

“GAH—what the—HEY! THAT WAS DANGEROUS!” Robin yelled, feeling her heart about to jump out from her chest.

She swore she just heard a distorted chuckle in response, as if that person was not about to get slammed by a speeding vehicle. In return, she indignantly gripped the throttle harder and twisted it several times, letting out loud menacing bursts of its engine roar.

The white-clad figure turned around and stepped into a spot lit by the streetlamp, making their appearance clearer for Robin. They wore a bronze mask, sculpted in the likeness of a weeping lady wearing a wreath on the crown of their head. Under the lighting, the eye holes were pitch black, offering no windows to the soul that Robin could discern. Meanwhile, the white garb they wore was a hooded robe with golden details that reached their knees, along with bandaged arms visible through their clothing.

Those were enough to tell Robin who this person is: a fellow secret department member, but their fashion indicated that they occupied a higher position in the hierarchy, a supposed gatekeeper of secrets possibly even older than the Warring Kingdoms period itself, all the way to the first iteration of their organization during the Second Milishial Emperor’s era around nine thousand years ago.

“………”

Robin’s new, custom helmet and visor that completely covered her face somewhat hid her expression, making her feel secure under the emotionless gaze of that mask. Despite being already serving the secret department of the Ancient Ministry for a decade, the sheer mysterious aura emitted by these supposedly ancient figures always creeped her out. She’d rather limit the interactions with them as much as possible. However, there’s no doubt that these figures can do more than the scope of the black-clad masked men’s ability and it wouldn’t hurt to get into their good graces, if one can.

For some reason, one of them suddenly appeared before her. Whoever sent them must have wanted something to do with Robin.

“Gobusirobo pa gobu bi regijiragijida ba?” 

“……Heh?”

Then, amidst the idling noise of the Trychaser that prevented the total silence of their stare-down, the masked figure spoke first in a tongue familiar to Robin but hadn’t spoken since long ago. It was Sheban, a language spoken by the people of Uqbar where Robin spent her early days in the Ancient Ministry’s secret department running around the region in pursuit of an ancient legend.

Robin raised an eyebrow, ‘Huh…? Is this bronze mask testing me…? Okay, then, but I hope I’m not rusty enough…’

She inwardly huffed before clearing her throat and answering in the same language.

“Bebegija’n zagisa baga’pa zabasi gijiseragen. Bobo gogododagi’zo gijugusi gijide, rogugijijizo bosesu jogo’bi gijide buseda bodo’bi bangija gijiba bagi.” 

The figure hummed, sounding pleased. Maybe because they liked what Robin was saying, or the fact that she still spoke this difficult language fluently. It’s been a long time since she visited Uqbar, after all, and the people outside the Sheban Cultural Group often gave up on the first try learning it.

“Gosepa jobadada. Bobo dadi’pa, padabugijigijin’gu boboben’zo godudage gusu dare’bi, pazapaza gagiji’zo zabodiragijida. Bonbagi’n buzan’gi bangijiragijide, pasepase Zusubi Bebegija’pa, Jogujijin’n bose raze’n jijigegi’n zabibi’gu, paga Gijingegi Degibobu’bi dodede zidudujogo dugubabeduduzegasu’do, zenbagi gijiji’gu zanzan gusu’bi gidasiragijida. Padagiji’pa, biri’bi zozogiji’n zozogijugu’zo gadagesu da’bi, Bebegija’gu biri’bi, gijigijogo’do gijide base’zo bandobu giji, base’n gijinmo’zo zogubobu guru jogi gijigodo’zo dududagedabadadaga bozegu.” 

They were straight to the topic, it seemed.

“…Ruzubagiji gugisu’do banjijidasa?” 

“Padagijidajiji’pa, padagijidajiji’n robudebi’bi babagu bagisi, gidugu zero gabada, zizideza Jogujijin’bi gijigen’zo degibijo gijiragu. Gijibagiji, gobo badegi’gu, rogiji biri’gu gijoburu’bi dage sasebagi’do gorodadasa, padagijidajiji’pa dabugan’n zagidagi jogogin’zo jogogi gijide gisunza…”

“Jasiragu’re, gogijinmagibagu. Zepa, gugujijidugurage’n Jogujijin’n gijijudugu zuren’pa zoguzegijoguba?”

“Padagijidajiji’ba gogobiba bangijin’zo rodede gosi, banbegi babugijoge’n gisagi’zo dugujiji gijide gisu gagijijuba. Rogugugu jogi gijisage’gu bibesu’re.”

“Goguzeguba. Bagabede, gasigadodogozagiragijida.”

“Ronzagibagi. Gijogugebi’zo gage duguzubeseda, gogijiribabu rubupa sesuzegijogu.”

Robin felt that the conversation was about to end and shifted her posture on the autobike in preparation to leave. However, the figure’s hand shot up.

“Rogu zidodogu. Bosebasa zegiji’do gigijogijo’bi zanbagagige gibunzasogu?”

Robin raised an eyebrow, not expecting that question, but she nodded.

“Zagi.”

“Jijaga, zaseba’bi gunden’zo dabonze risu’re. Gose’gu Bebegija’bi zebisu gagidegigen’n bodoza.”

“Gasigadodogozagiragijida. Zoba’bi babiba gasiraguba?”

“Gija, bosegijijogo bibobu’n jijara’zo gusu dugurosi pabagi. Goregipabu’zo gobabe gijide, rabodobi rogogijipabegozagiragen.”

At those words, Robin wordlessly twisted the Trychaser’s throttle and turned around, getting away from the bronze mask as soon as possible. She didn’t bother looking back as she rode on, knowing that she will only find nothing but empty air there. But after confirming that masked figure’s intentions, Robin breathed a sigh of relief. As much as it was fun to exchange a Sheban language conversation with someone after a long time, this unexpected but somewhat inevitable encounter between secret agents quite irked her due to the suddenness of the situation.

‘Man, there’s so many things happening this week…’

05:00

MOASEC Apartment Complex

After waking up much later than Meteos, Walman cleaned himself and dressed in the best clothing he had in his wardrobe in preparation for going to the Temple of Saoirse in downtown Runepolis for celebrating the Water Goddess Day. While waiting for the time of departure, as they were supposed to take the first bus heading there one hour later, Meteos picked up his tools and holed up inside the drawing room until that time comes.

However, doing so at a time when the sun has yet to even rise was too much for Walman, but he was also too restless to sit on the couch and do nothing. In the end, he decided to walk to the underground parking lot to see if, by any chance, their teacher is already there. He also brought his grimoire along to call on Meteos in case Robin really came.

“Huh, is that her?”

Eventually, someone did come to the quiet parking lot riding an autobike and slowed down in search of an empty parking slot. Judging from the clothing and scarf, it was indeed Robin.

But what she was riding was not the scooter Walman knew she had. It was a thin yet sturdy-looking autobike painted in silver and red with a pair of large silver metallic-colored tubes protruding on its backside—from what Walman once read, those were exhaust pipes for fire-type engine-using vehicles. In addition, it has striking gold-colored horn-like protrusions above its headlights.

And it was loud.

Normally, Walman, who was not used to hearing such a rare type of engine, will think that it sounded unpleasant. But come to think of it, that autobike’s sound pales in comparison to a magic turbojet.

However, now that their teacher was here, as Walman was about to come over to Robin and her autobike, he reached for his pocket to grimoire his silver-haired friend.

---

“Intriguing.”

Around twenty minutes later, after letting Robin rest for a moment, take a bath, have breakfast, change clothes, and so on, she and Walman were back at the underground parking lot, this time joined by Meteos, who uttered that word upon seeing the parked Trychaser. As Robin had anticipated, the autobike became a topic of conversation to pass the time while waiting for the time for departure.

“Why, thank you,” Robin preened. She was glad that her students appreciated the Trychaser’s awesomeness and let them circle her ride to inspect it closely. In the meantime, she took a quick glance at Meteos and Walman’s attire.

These students of hers were also dressed very neatly for the occasion, as expected, looking fresh and practically glowing in Robin’s eyes. It was only natural, given that they were going to attend an annual religious holiday ceremony that people from their home province of Enysfal celebrate. Since Robin herself was also going to accompany them as their mentor and an esteemed Mage of the Ancient Ministry, she couldn’t afford to look like the messy-looking magical engineer she was infamous for among her colleagues before the two came.

Even she has standards.

Walman opted for a combination of multiple shades of brown, paired with a white checkered winter scarf. However, Meteos Roguerider seemed to put in extra effort in the clothing department: a maroon button-down shirt under a black double-breasted suit jacket which was complimented by a white necktie in a Caelus knot, properly tailored for his size and meticulously ironed before sprayed with cedar perfume which seemed to be his favorite scent. He also wore black trousers, matching gloves, and polished black dress shoes, as well as a double-collar black long coat to withstand the cold winter of Runepolis with a loose belt dangling around it.

This little gentleman seemed to take the motto of “clothes make the man” to heart. He definitely had the intention of dressing to impress, and Robin was impressed, alright. She dared to say that Meteos could indeed pass as a member of the noble House of Pendragon with that silver hair who, for some reason, decided to dress like a Legendorga. It was a different kind of charm that is more expected from a mature high-born than a young teenager, no matter how one looked at it.

But Robin and Walman of this timeline had no way of knowing that Meteos’ choice of wardrobe, as well as his overall mannerisms, were partly cultivated from the secret centenarian’s past life where his occupation as a Grand Mage would often see him summoned to the palace and spoke directly to the Emperor himself. Thus, he felt that his choice was only natural for him.

Looking at him, Robin and Walman shared a glance and raised an eyebrow at each other, apparently having come to a certain assumption.

“Speaking of which, Teacher…” calmly asked Meteos who was maybe either oblivious or uncaring, interrupting an air of mischief-filled understanding between the two with his curious question. “Did you just casually ditch your scooter in exchange for this prototype?”

The bespectacled brunette nonchalantly answered, “Yeah. To tell you the truth, I was the Trychaser’s original test rider when it was developed back in sixteen-o-five as one of my first assignments after joining the Ministry. Sometime later, the Trychaser was damaged and the development experienced a hiatus, so I was assigned to join other projects ever since. Now, the Ground Facility’s team seems to be finishing its repairs and still want me to be its test rider. I don’t see what’s wrong with that and thus, I traded my scooter for the bike.”

“Ten years…? That’s long,” Walman deadpanned at the fact that Robin seemed to do that without second thoughts. “But you work at the Alpha Edge too, won’t that interfere with your schedule?”

Robin grinned at that. “That’s the best part. It doesn’t. Old Man Hendrickson said to me that I’m free to use it as my everyday ride as long as I stop by their workshop for servicing periodically, where they will collect the data by that time. That’s where I serviced my scooter, anyway, so it changes nothing.”

“Oh, lucky you.”

“They could’ve chosen another personnel,” Meteos pointed out.

“You’re not wrong,” Robin admitted. “But I get to ride the Trychaser again, so who am I to question their decision?”

“………You must have quite a history with this autobike to be so fond of it,” Meteos murmured and contemplated from where he stood. With this information, he had just obtained another clue about Robin’s possible past that she hadn’t told them yet.

In the previous timeline, there was an entry about a machine called the M1605 “Trychaser” in the Ancient Ministry’s Clearance Level Red (secret department and above) archives. It was described as a fire-type motor-powered prototype autobike specially designed to handle rough terrain (which was also apparently classified as street-legal by law, for some reason) and speed through a combination of lightweight chassis and its rare engine. Most importantly, though, it featured an unusual array of jury-rigged Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s Clearance Level 4 arithmetic unit attached to its dashboard for controlling various functions that the machine had at the time. The surviving photographs and documents completely matched the autobike that Robin brought home, making it a high possibility that this Trychaser was indeed the M1605 recorded in the archives.

Furthermore, according to the archive, the M1605 was involved in only one Ancient Ministry operation in the same year it was built: a joint operation with the police to investigate the so-called “Uqbar Magic Gas Mutation Case” which happened to be the only major case happened that year. The primary actor in the operation was an agent called “Flamberge,” with no further information provided. As for the autobike itself, it was destroyed at the end of the operation and there was never any intention to rebuild it. Instead, the data obtained from the M1605 was used to develop another machine that will be used by the Imperial Police Headquarters in the decades long after that.

If what Robin had just said was a half-truth version of what might really happen, then this “Flamberge” might be his teacher of this timeline. Various circumstances have changed so much that this world’s incarnation of M1605 was allowed to survive to the present day. Just like Robin herself. Yes, definitely a good thing.

‘If that’s true, then my teacher fought the monsters of Uqbar as a seventeen-year-old?’

It was questionable for the leadership of the Ancient Ministry of that time for their reason of picking a teenager and then sending her to—wait, no. Meteos remembered that Robin ran away from her mother due to family issues. The Ancient Ministry might have been interested in Robin’s skills, accepted her, and gave her a condition that led Robin to take the mission to Uqbar in exchange for using their power to grant her anonymity and a chance to follow in her deceased father’s footsteps just as she desired at that time, a very easy string for the Ancient Ministry’s higher-ups to pull. That was all just a speculation in his mind, though. The truth might have been gone very differently.

On the other hand, the thought of a young girl defeating the monsters of Uqbar, a whole group of superpowered serial killers, with martial arts skills, magic, wits, and a cool bike, sounded like something out of a superhero tale but with a modern flair to it. It’s as if she could be a hero of another story.

How crazy that was if it was actually real aside, Meteos suppressed any more thoughts about it and decided to focus on the present. He would just play along for the moment.

“Teacher,” he called out. “Can you tell us more about your bike?”

“Sure thing!” Robin chirped before gesturing them to come closer and crouched near the bike’s engine. The two followed suit.

“First of all, how familiar you are with fire-type motors for street vehicles?”

Meteos and Walman glanced at each other before the latter answered. “I’ve read about it, but some reminder would be nice.”

“Right, to start the explanation, this bike’s full name is the M1605 Trychaser, the only one of its kind. One day ten years ago, the guys at the Ground Facility thought of something. ‘What if we can provide the military or police or whatever with a versatile bike that they can use to go anywhere easily whether there is a paved road or not, but also faster than any other bikes, lightweight, strong, and reliable? And so, the Trychaser was their answer. Emphasis on ‘Try’ on the ‘Trychaser,’ since they are, you know, trying.”

The two chuckled at how Robin presented her explanation.

“You can’t be serious,” Walman said, half amused, half in disbelief.

“I’ll have you know that the Ground Facility guys are not the best in giving names.”

“Huh.”

“Anyway! They got the materials and design done, but back then, there was no small lightning-type motor small enough to bring a vehicle close to 90 kilometers per hour, even if it is two-wheeled and made as light as possible like this bike. So, the engineers chose the more ‘explosive’ option in order to gain more power. They resorted to using the liquid magic red stone fuel just like the one used on the Heavenly Vessel engines, but how do they use fire magic to move this one? Let’s look closer.”

As Robin continued to explain, she pointed to the parts of the engine with her finger.

“As its name suggests, the fire-type motor uses fire elemental magic as part of its mechanism, where the liquid magic red stone fuel will be mixed with air before entering this component, called a cylinder, through this inlet port. The mixture will then be pushed upward and compressed by a moving part called a piston before the enchanter activates the fire magic spell, converting the mana into an explosion and hot gas that expands and push the piston downward to the bottom of the cylinder. Since the piston is connected to a rotating shaft at the bottom by a metal rod, this downward movement causes the shaft to rotate, which is connected to the rear wheel via a chain. When the shaft’s rotation brings the piston upward again, the remnant gas from the spellcasting leaves the cylinder to the exhaust port at the same time as the new mixture enters before the process is repeated to form a cycle. And that’s the simplified version of how the Trychaser’s fire-type motor works.”

With the way the Trychaser’s fire-type motor works, it was basically a Milishian equivalent of a 250-cc liquid-cooled one-cylinder 2-stroke engine arranged in a vertical configuration, fueled by a tank capable of containing 9 liters of 10% purity liquid red magic stone fuel. Speaking of which, this type of fuel and its purity level was the same as the one once used by the Alpha-1 and Beta-1 Heavenly Vessels. Its usage for military aircraft was quickly abandoned not long after its introduction due to how wasteful it was when used by their engines, but it remained in limited use with fire-type motor vehicles.

Simple and lightweight, yet durable since this prototype used mithril alloy, in terms of maximum speed, it was indeed superior to even the lightning-type motor of the present day. However, the engine’s construction, which was specifically designed to use 10% purity liquid red magic stone fuel, meant that the Trychaser’s engine also shared the drawbacks of a two-stroke engine, namely high fuel consumption and low efficiency that even improving the fuel’s purity level can’t fully solve this. It also needed an exhaust port to expel the remnant gas and magic particles from the cylinder.

Unlike a mechanical two-stroke engine that used gasoline, this did not result in air pollution since the expelled magic particles, which were harmless without a spell, will quickly be dispersed into the atmosphere and enter the planet’s ‘mana cycle,’ a cycle of energy that will ensure that magic power in this planet will never run out. Therefore, from an environmental standpoint, a fire-type motor was just as clean as any other magic engine.

However, its subpar fuel efficiency and the noise it emitted were what caused this type of engine to be less popular in the Holy Empire, because although it was not banned by law, the average Milishian people who were used to the quietness of their everyday vehicles did not want an autobike that sounded like a machine gun fire every time it moved and use more, different fuel to reach a certain distance than the mainstream engine (they don’t really care about top speed, which was one of the main strengths of a fire-type motor).

Apparently, Robin further described that the Trychaser was upgraded with a new fire-type motor that’s more fuel-efficient and easier to the ears. Outwardly, it looked similar to the old engine as far as she remembered.

“Oh, that’s good,” Meteos responded to that revelation. “By the way, what specifically that this upgrade entails?”

“Well, it all can be found on the manual—ehh?”

Robin’s voice trailed off and her eye twitched as she realized something.

“Ah, merda (shit).”

“?”

“!!! ……I… uh… I forgot to ask for the manual,” she blurted.

“You forgot to ask for the manual,” Meteos repeated, raising his eyebrow in disbelief.

His teacher nodded slowly, her cheeks taking a reddener in embarrassment as she brought her gloved palms to cover her face. She was so excited to ride the Trychaser again that she had ignored everything else. Worse, she also actually only told the barebones of her bike’s upgrade, so without a manual, Robin lacked a material to answer her students’ questions. She had roped herself into an unbearably embarrassing situation that she wanted to crawl into a hole and lay there.

They would not learn this until they read the proper manual, but this refurbished Trychaser actually received a downgrade. With the removal of the machine’s dashboard-mounted arithmetic unit, it lost several of its capabilities: no afterboosting mechanism and nitrous oxide canister, no spell projector mechanism, and no control panel. At least the autobike still had the manacom that Robin can use.

“………” Meteos sighed as he stood up. “I can see it from your face when it comes to your bike. Maybe you really can’t wait to ride it and simply forgot about it. I guess that’s understandable.”

Robin responded with a muffled groan. “Kid, you’re so considerate… but this is so embarrassing.”

Meteos glanced at Walman, gesturing at him with his chin to urge him to talk. Taken aback, the brunette thought for a second, choosing his words.

“Umm… Hey, let’s look at the bright side! If you brought the manual with you, we’ll never stop talking about it, missing the bus and being late to attend the ceremony.”

Looking up to meet his gaze, Robin let out a sigh and chuckled. She looked at her students with an expression filled with relief.

“Always looking at the bright side, huh?” she said, standing up. “Very well, let’s do that.”

At that moment, Robin’s grimoire rang. Pulling it from her jacket to answer the call, she excused herself and walked over to the empty corner away from the boys. As she departed, Meteos came over and stood next to Walman.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“Well, there must be something so interesting about it if Miss Robin seems so fond of it.”

“I’m more interested in the inner workings of this autobike than anything, at the moment. I’d love to disassemble and analyze it when I got the chance. But Walman, what crossed your mind when she talked about ‘upgrade’ to the engine?”

“Hmm… let’s see, if that’s how the fire-type motor works, then if we can somehow produce a 100% purity level magic fuel and a good enough magic circuit, then we can eliminate the explosion and just make the enchanter turn the fuel into gas to make the mechanism work, I think? Also, with how much mana that kind of fuel can contain, I imagine that 9 liters of fuel this bike carries can make it reach many, many times of its original range.”

A 100% purity level magic fuel is capable of being infused by ten times more mana than the Trychaser’s original fuel. In addition, with better magic technology and proper magic circuit arrangement, one drop of it can be used to reach this Trychaser’s original 104 kilometers range at least, possibly more.

“While that might be right, I don’t think that is the path of development that we should pursue.”

“Huh?”

Walman tilted his head. As for Meteos, while Walman’s suggestion made sense, there was no way he would settle with that. That was nothing more than a half-hearted Mu/Gra Valkas/Japan tier of magical improvement. If the August Star of Heaven were to shine even brighter, it needs to master the one thing it was known—magic technology—to the utmost perfection, or a ‘controlled abuse of magic,’ as some would morbidly call it.

A certain group of purists would consider this statement heretical (while being actually heretics themselves, so it is a case where they pointed a finger to someone, but forgot that they pointed three more fingers back at themselves), while another certain group of people would derisively call this development as unfair and/or straight up screaming “this shit is so fucking stupid and illogical what the fuck is retarded bullshit is this!? AAAAAAAAAA—”

Okay, and?

Though to be fair, this mentality can and will happen to the Holy Empire itself should it remain too weak when that fateful day comes. That’s why, to avoid humiliating itself to all parties concerned, it needed to be strong. If it can dissuade nations from fighting by the mere mention of its name, the better. If it can continue to be prosperous and respected regardless of the presence of those two interlopers in the future, the better. The more they can stand equal to the interlopers, the better. The more overpowered it is, the better. It always seems impossible until it’s done.

Anyway.

Meteos nodded, bringing up his fingers. “Lightning, fire, wind, water. The reason why there are various types of liquid magic stone fuels and engines that can only accept just one type of fuel in our country is because our technology is not advanced enough to completely purify the magic stones and turn them into a 100% purity level magic fuel.”

“Ah, so, the reason why we use the engines the way we are is more because we are forced to, rather than wanting to have it that way? With limitations and stuff.”

“Yeah. What we should strive to achieve is to advance the magic technology to create a powerplant that can use the 100% purity level magic fuel. Imagine a universal fuel that can be used by any vehicle, capable of being infused with mana so dense that it can transform even a guzzler into an efficient machine with a bit of tweaking. It’s something out of dreams, don’t you think?”

Hearing it, Walman was reminded of a certain device.

“Ooh, so it’s just like powering a Manadriver! But instead of mana drawn from a person, it uses an artificial container of some sorts, like a lightning motor’s fuel cell or a fire motor’s fuel tank?”

“Heh, heh, a Manadriver engine… I guess everything will become Manadriver in the end.”

The silverette couldn’t help but think that that device’s name itself was so fitting. But it also reminded him that if they wanted to realize that dreamlike engine, it all came back to how good can they improve their magic circuit technology first, and how fast.

Shortly after that, Robin returned and called out to them in a cheery tone.

“Boys, there’s a change in plans! As it turns out, you don’t have to use a bus to go to the downtown! One of the Ministry staff said that he’ll pick you up with his car and go to the Temple together. He’ll be here soon.”

“Really?” Walman blinked. “That’s convenient.”

The woman’s smile never left her face as she just shrugged. Seeing this, Meteos decided to call out on it.

“Did you do something, Teacher?”

“Well, who knows? Don’t you think that good boys who are diligent and smart should be given many rewards in life?”

“Huh, I like that,” Walman said, his back straightening.

“………”

Meteos couldn’t help but let out a mirthful snort. Being facilitated for their convenience is one thing, but the Ministry giving them a free ride to go to places whenever they wanted was not really what he expected the higher-ups to do. Why? It was so mundane.

As for Robin, however, she wasn’t actually the one who asked a staff to do her apprentices a favor. It was one of the things told to her by the bronze-masked figure who suddenly appeared in front of Robin on her way home. Maybe the upper management was amused considering what transpired in the Ministry lately, or something, and decided to do this not unlike a father giving his children a candy for being a good kid. Either way, Robin decided to just roll with it.

It was then that Robin and Meteos noticed a movement from the corner of their eyes and immediately turned to look at the entrance’s direction, spotting an entering automobile.

‘What a beautiful car,’ one might think, fitting for someone of wealth and taste.

Its smooth and streamlined design was further accentuated by its clean metallic white paint, while those twin ‘grills’ in front of the car and its angular headlights were dead giveaways of whose production line this vehicle came out of. Known as the S40, it was the last year’s model E-segment (executive car in HME’s car classification), a 4-door sedan manufactured by Tonitrus, a company easily recognizable by its insignia and the fact that they were the ones dominating the luxury car niche in the Holy Milishial Empire’s automobile industry. However, it seemed that Tonitrus’ seemingly unshakable grip in this field would be challenged by another famous manufacturer, Wellston-Martini, who just unveiled their WM HG5 concept car at an auto show held in January this year.

But the point is, this S40 car is expensive, even to the Runepolians.

And from inside, someone familiar to the three with an equally striking physical feature emerged. A tall male with neck-length green-colored hair—a bird demi-human—of Robin’s age stepped out from the driver’s seat with an impassive expression and walked over to the group. Seeing him, Robin’s smile widened and she yelled in delight.

“Ooh, hey, Artie! You’re finally here!”

“Artie?”

Robin was too oblivious to the dark clouds that seemingly gathered above the man’s face upon hearing that name, so oblivious that she could not avoid a hit to her forehead courtesy of the verdette’s middle-finger flick.

“Owww!” Robin whined, nursing the aching spot.

“Of all the times you have to be acting so friendly to me, it had to be now…” the man glowered, but upon turning to Meteos and Walman, his face immediately took a friendlier expression, but not friendly enough that he smiled at the two boys.

“Roguerider, Falkenhausen, it’s been a while,” he greeted, offering his hand for a handshake.

“Mister Arkland,” Meteos nodded and reached out with his own, followed by Walman.

This man was one of the attendees in Meteos and Walman’s GP presentation three days ago, Arthur Arkland. Apparently, he was the one who was sent by the circle that the bronze mask belonged to.

For Meteos, the whole premise of him being here was quite eyebrow-raising, since a relatively high-ranking secret department agent like Arthur, for some reason, was told to fetch a pair of young teenagers on a cold Sunday like this. At least, the man’s usually flat face did not show a hint of displeasure for being here, meaning that if he did, he hid it well. Though his offended look when Robin called him by the name “Artie” was amusing.

“Miss Robin says that a staff member has offered to give us a ride to the Temple of Saoirse in the downtown. But we didn’t expect it to be you, sir,” Meteos said with a tone as polite as he could.

“………”

Arthur glanced at the pouting Robin for a moment before letting out a faint grunt.

“I was… around here, when I remembered Robin talked about you last night during a break. Since I was also planning to see around the temple this Sunday, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to pay a visit to you.”

“I did…? I mean, of course! Man… you’re so kind to us, Artie.”

Arthur’s eye twitched.

“Oh, but I’m afraid that my car’s last seat is already reserved for someone else, so I can’t give you a ride, Professor.”

Robin looked at him with an obnoxiously smug grin. “Mah, don’t worry about me! I was about to say that I’m going to ride on my new bike, anyway.”

There was something indescribable in those green eyes as Arthur finally turned to look at the parked Trychaser nearby when Robin casually pointed at it with her thumb. He stared at it for a good few seconds, then back at Robin, before he scoffed.

“That’s good! ……Now, if there’s nothing else, are you ready to go?”

“Sure thing.”

“Yes.”

“Then this way.”

Ushered by Arthur, Meteos without hesitation walked over to the car. However, Walman stayed for a moment and turned to ask his teacher.

“Umm… are you disliking each other or what? Mister Arkland looked like he wants to scold you earlier.”

“Oh, ehehe, don’t worry, that’s just harmless banter between friends. He probably already knew that I’m getting a new bike. Now get going, kid, before we’re late!”

Walman realized the time they’re in and nodded frantically, running toward the car in an attempt to open the door next to the driver’s seat. But as soon as his hand touched the door handle, Arthur called out to him from his seat, stopping him.

“Hey, you.”

“Y-yes?” Walman stammered, unsure of what he did wrong.

“Use the backseat like your friend.”

The brunette wanted to ask why, but this seemingly stoic man turned out to be grumpy enough that he might scold him for asking too much. So, he did just that and entered the car, finally sitting alongside Meteos. The car’s interior was comfortable and warm, thanks to the combination of onboard air conditioner and the soft car seat. Walman, who had never been inside a luxury car before, looked around in amazement. His friend, on the other hand, already made himself comfortable without much noise.

“Man, this is a great car…” he sighed, his shoulders relaxing in bliss.

Arthur glanced over his shoulder and said, “We are going to stop at my house to pick up my sister along the way.”

“We understand. By the way, thank you for your hospitality, Mister Arkland.”

Satisfied with Meteos’ words of affirmation, Arthur lightly nodded and proceeded to turn the car on. The simple quiet whine of the S40’s engine greatly contrasted the blaring noise the Trychaser makes as Robin happily revved its throttle in order to warm up its fire-type motor.

‘An obnoxious woman with an equally obnoxious ride. What a fitting match,’ Arthur thought dryly, seeing Robin several meters away about to don her helmet with a stupid grin on her face.

Shortly after that, a car and an autobike emerged from the apartment complex’s underground parking lot and headed to downtown Runepolis while the others who were heading for the same destination started to board the Ministry’s buses. Suffice to say, the Trychaser earned many looks from the bystanders as it passed by.

In front of Arkland Residence, Daybreak Town, Junis District

“Brother, where did these children came from?”

“There is something wrong with your phrasing.”

“And who is that woman riding that strange autobike over there?”

“Morgan, what is wrong with you?”

As they stopped by Arthur’s residence as promised, that exchange happened between Arthur and his sister, Morgan Arkland, who was waiting for their arrival.

And it was done in a completely flat tone of voice.

Maybe it runs in the family.

Seeing this, Walman nudged Meteos.

“She’s looking at us, what should we do?”

“Just smile and wave, Walman. Smile and wave.”

Walman nervously did just that. But because his nervousness, he looked like someone suffering from constipation.

“H-hello, miss.”

Morgan gave them a brief glance through the open side window before turning to look at her brother again.

“……Brother, you never came home bringing two young teenagers I never seen before, surely there must be an explanation for this.”

“………Just get in the car,” Arthur grunted.

Also, speaking of traits, they learned that Arthur’s sister was actually his twin sibling. The differences were that Morgan had a slightly rounder face, softer facial features, and her longer hair that reached her shoulders. As his eyes followed the woman who was about to enter the car, Walman pouted, seeing the reason why he wasn’t allowed to sit at the front.

After entering and sitting at the seat preserved for her, Morgan turned to look intently at the two, waiting for the explanation from her brother.

“………”

“This is Meteos Roguerider and Walman Falkenhausen. Believe it or not, these two are engineers belonging to the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, my workplace. And you two, this is Morgan Arkland… my twin sister.”

“Good morning, Miss Arkland.”

“N-nice to meet you.”

“………”

The stare down continued for a few seconds before something unexpected happened.

“!!!”

Morgan’s face broke into a smile. In fact, it was a smile so sweet that it made Walman blush upon seeing it. She was indeed nothing like her brother, Meteos inwardly deadpanned.

“I see! So these two boys are your colleagues from work? To think that you finally bring your friends home, but I did not expect them to be… how old are you, darling?”

“Fourteen,” Meteos answered.

“Fourteen years old! Oh, my goodness! Are you like, super smart or something? Did you skip classes in school?”

“Well…”

Ignoring Walman who was a bit red in the face, Meteos shrugged and raised his hand in a so-so gesture, causing Morgan to let out a giggle.

At that moment, Robin approached from behind on her Trychaser and removed her full-face helmet.

“Hello there!” the bespectacled brunette cheerfully greeted. “I see you have met my apprentices. I am Robin Calvello, nice to meet you!”

Morgan’s eyes widened in recognition upon hearing that name, and she quickly turned to face her.

“Ah, so you are Professor Calvello! My brother talked a lot about you when he’s home!”

“Oh, gods, give me strength…” Arthur sighed, burying his face on the steering wheel. This was supposed to be the blessed Water Goddess Day. He didn’t understand why he should suffer from his sister’s antics.

Ignoring him, Robin raised an eyebrow.

“Good things, I hope?”

“Well, he said that you are a crazy woman, but someone who, I quote my brother, ‘kicked his arse so many times during sparring matches.’ I think he’s being grumpiest the most at that time when he returned home literally nursing his sore bottom,” Morgan stated, innocently spilling Arthur’s one of, it not the greatest embarrassment in his life as if it was natural.

Robin burst out laughing.

“Hah! Those are good things, alright! It’s nice to know that Arthur thinks so highly of me.”

Outwardly, the sour-faced older verdette remained silent, seemingly mourning the loss of his dignity and trying to focus on the part of fulfilling the duty as ordered by his superiors. Said children was whispering to each other.

“Meteos, what did we just have gotten ourselves into?”

“A situation where we better off watching from the sidelines.”

“Oh, very wise,” Walman nodded in agreement.

It would be better not to butt in the conversation between the adults, especially the one where one of them looked really miserable upon being teased by the other party.

“……His forms are decent, but it’s still a bit rough on the edges. That’s why out of thirty-two matches, the best your brother can do is—”

Finally, Arthur decided to interrupt, pointing out the existence of the other passengers in the car. “Can you two save it for later? Don’t want the children to be late to the ceremony, don’t we?”

Robin, for her part, had the decency to stop blabbering and looked bashful.

“Oh, right, the children,” Morgan said. “Yes, brother. Let us go.”

Looking at her brother, who as far as she knows mostly indifferent to other people, the sight of him being considerate to a pair of strangers was surprising, yet endearing. She didn’t know if this is how Arthur behaves in his workplace or not, but nevertheless, Morgan’s respect toward him just went higher.

“………”

On the other hand, however, Arthur looked uneasy at the way his sister smiling and giggling at him. But in the end, he settled for silently stepping on the throttle pedal and departed for their destination.

The pre-dawn sky heralded the rise of an azure heaven by the time the scenery had changed into the urban landscape of Runepolis. The quiet morning on that holiday gradually turned into a livelier one as they approached the Temple of Saoirse, with blue banners gradually popping into sight one after another. The closer they to the house of the gentle goddess, the faster Meteos Roguerider’s heartbeat became, knowing who was also there at the end of the road. His gaze was firm into the distance, but he savored the blessing of living a second life still.

Currently Publicly Available Information

DAYBREAK TOWN

The Daybreak Town is a town in central Runepolis, part of the Junis District south of the government district of Albion. To the west and south of Daybreak Town lies the Lafleya District, to the east the Bankside Town, and to the north across the Great Sumter River is Junis District’s skyscraper-riddled town, Kingston.

Chapter Text

February 8, 1615 Central Calendar, 06:53

Tranquila District, Runepolis

At the end of one of the streets in this part of Runepolis’ Student Town, located some distance from the Runepolis Magic Academy’s main campus, stood a place of worship dedicated to Saoirse, the Enysfalian Goddess of Water. Standing near the entryway to the edifice, beyond the cobblestone fence that separated the impressively-sized temple and its serene courtyard from the rest of the Imperial Capital’s renowned Student Town, a trio of young maidens could be seen observing with idle fascination the steady flow of people from all ages entering at a leisure pace.

They were there to wait for another group of people who will arrive shortly according to their agreed timetable.

“Hey, did he send a message yet?” the most prim and proper-looking of the three turned and asked one of her friends in order to break the silence among them.

“He did,” quietly answered a certain blonde girl with an appearance no less enchanting than the former, but with a demure air that gave off an aura of modesty rather than the usual arrogance and confidence associated with high society nobility. One cannot be blamed for mistaking her to be a part of them and then being surprised when interacting with this girl.

Her gaze was fixated on the glowing screen of a grimoire in her hand for a moment before turning to look at the temple’s gate with a searching look.

“He says that they will be there in a few minutes.”

“Wonderful! I was worried about the time we would spend waiting here. Anna, Nadia, are you sure we aren’t here too early…?” the third girl with red hair arranged in a crown braid whined, petulantly resting her head on Nadia’s shoulder. The blonde didn’t seem to mind her antics, laughing softly at the touch.

Similarly, the one called Anna, the silver-haired Lady Annette Pendragon of Runepolis, giggled underneath an exclusively-tailored scarf neatly wrapped around her neck. Wearing the Pendragon family’s renowned cerulean color as part of her attire, she stood out more than any girl in this town with a beauty that made it difficult for the common people to approach or speak to her. And yet, the sight of this young noblewoman casually chatting with her two acquaintances, as if it was completely natural, gave off a sense of wonder to the templegoers who happened to lay their eyes on them.

“Well, our friend here is worried so much that she’s going to be late,” she said in a teasing tone, but quickly clarified. “Not that I mind, though, it’s nice to be able to go outside and stretch our legs a bit, isn’t it? I feel like I’ve been too cooped up inside the mansion as of late, with nothing else to do but study…”

“Heee…” the redhead grinned.

“Hush, cut it, Sofia. You know I need some refreshing too.”

One might think that being born an elite, Annette Pendragon would be expected to lead a strict lifestyle; however, she was still fourteen years old girl and her father, the Good Duke, was in perfect health to do his duties. It was for this reason that he often encouraged his only daughter to venture outside, form close bonds with her peers, and revel in the pleasures of youth. Being a filial daughter aside, Annette was more than happy to oblige, particularly during the trip to the Temple of Saoirse alongside her two cherished friends. The transformation in the usual scenery left her feeling invigorated, and as she explored this part of the district which she seldom frequented, she also got to know more about the land that the Emperor had entrusted her father to lead.

Without realizing it, by visiting the temple and mingling herself with the commoners, Annette had just accomplished one of the visions of Duke Pendragon. And by paying respects to Saoirse, a deity originally foreign to Runepolis, this occasion also carried a strong political statement whether it was intentional or not.

This magnificent temple was made mostly of cobblestone, but with a distinct style of architecture that combined the Caelian style and that of Enysfal, the place far to the south where Saoirse’s cult originated. It occupied an impressively-sized lot, built through the efforts of the Enysfalian community that arrived in Runepolis in the past. Since then, the temple’s traditions were warmly welcomed by the Runepolians for so long as a god has their back, the god will have their altar.

The events happening in the Middle Lands for at least the last four millennia had made it such that its civilization believes that the gods sent the August Star of Heaven to free them from the Light-Winged Devils in the distant past. Therefore, the citizens of the Holy Milishial Empire believe that if a deity exists, then that deity must have a hand in sending the August Star of Heaven too. This belief system of Middle Lands omnism, acknowledgment and tolerance for any god regardless they are their patron or not, and whether they came from Middle Lands or not, is one of the defining traits that united the Milishian superculture. No pious Milishian will brand someone as a heretic unless they openly attack other people using religion as a justification, worshipping the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, and the most heinous of them all, attack other people using the worship of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire as justification. Hence, things like advocating genocidal rampage against an enemy and unnecessary cruelty were considered by society to be a form of devil-worship; an affront to their religion.

Thus, Annette’s visit as a member of the powerful (albeit dwindling) House of Pendragon had further endeared her and by extension the Good Duke to the people here, furthering Runepolis’ reputation as a welcoming place for those who wanted to seek their dreams in this city.

“Passing over two mountains in a single gallop,” just like an old Milishian adage.

Today, from one end to the other, the street where the temple was located was decorated in soft blue. Banners lined up at even intervals on the sidewalks fluttered gently with the morning breeze, while strings with magic lanterns linked the ivory-painted buildings standing on each side. The sky was clear, as if the heavens itself approved of the proceedings of this celebration, and even those who see another deity as their patron could be seen here and there. The stalls that had been set up along the street, meant for the post-worship community event, were still covered in cloths and will not be open for at least one hour later.

“This temple looked nice, isn’t it?” Annette asked them.

“Mm. I don’t remember ever seeing a Temple of Sa-wo-eer-shye in my hometown, so this is my first time…”

Nadia nodded and muttered in agreement, her native Zaftran accent leaking slightly over her otherwise standard Milishian as she struggled in spelling that name. Seeing this, Sofia kindly took the initiative to correct her.

“No, Nadia. That’s not how you spell the Goddess’ name. She is pronounced SEER-shuh.”

“Ah! Oh…” Nadia blushed.

“Hehe. Can’t have you mispronounce Meteos’ patron deity in front of him, now can we?” Annette chuckled, making the adorable blonde’s red tinge on her face deepened.

Since Nadia was from Rusalka on the east coast and Saoirse is a deity from Enysfal, a region on the west coast that was separated from each other by a tall mountain range in the interior, it was quite natural for her to not know how to correctly pronounce her name since a cultural group’s deity in the Holy Milishial Empire tends to stay in one place. However, exceptions can be seen in the culturally diverse Runepolis. Perhaps there are worshippers of Saoirse in Nadia’s hometown, but maybe their number is too small for having a temple of their own.

Despite the butterflies inside her stomach, Nadia was able to digest that information well.

“I-I see… Seer-shuh, Saoirse.”

“Mm-hmm! That’s right,” Annette nodded, her blue eyes—an oceanic shade similar to that of Meteos’, Nadia thought—looked at her with a clear glint of understanding and pride in them.

“Ah, if only they were here already,” Sofia quipped from the side.

“Now, now, let’s don’t worry about that. Thinking about waiting will only make things longer and more unbearable. What about… hmm, what should we do in the meantime?”

“Wander around?”

“Umm… I don’t think we should do that,” Nadia decided to answer. “…Maybe they will be here soon.”

Annette and Sofia looked at each other and smiled.

“If you say so.”

“Fine with me.”

The time was just two minutes past seven o’clock when the three of them noticed and turned in the direction of the incoming presence of a professor that they were grown to be fast friends with. And behind the waving Robin was her two apprentices and a pair of unfamiliar strangers walking at a more relaxed pace.

“Professor!” Sofia exclaimed as the three proceeded to straighten their backs and politely bow at her in unison.

“Ahh, morning, girls!” Robin grinned. “It’s nice to see you on such a fine holiday. Isn’t that right, my apprentices?”

Walman nodded in exasperation as he glanced at Robin, but the other boy calmly answered with a simple word.

“Yes.”

“!”

That was the voice of someone who occupied a special place in Nadia’s heart; someone whom just hearing his name being mentioned at her, knowing him, and remembering his face, let alone talking with him, gave her a feeling of warmth inside. This young man standing beside Robin was none other than the very first person whom she ever had a crush on. Her silver lightning.

Until now, she cannot pinpoint the exact reason why she was so attracted to him; was it because of his quiet personality? Or perhaps his looks? How he looked so unique from other people with that shade of hair, even after knowing Annette? How he was especially kind and considerate of her that he never showed anyone else? Or maybe it was simply his voice that made her feel comfortable whenever they talked. She just did. It could be anything, or it could be nothing. Perhaps she didn’t need a reason, after all.

However, no matter how often they talked with each other through grimoire and the fact he still sounded the same as she remembered, there was something about his voice that made Nadia’s heart skip a beat upon hearing it in person this time. Then she turned to look at Meteos in the eyes.

Within just a few months of not seeing each other, Meteos looked different from what Nadia had remembered. While they used to have roughly the same height, he now towered over her by several centimeters. His developing facial features, too, had lost some of their baby fat, revealing a slightly sharper countenance that now more fittingly matched the bright, intelligent glint of his eyes. It’s like all the sense of familiarity that she had gained during the last time she met him was being reset by the new air that he exuded, leaving Nadia, who was finally able to talk to him without getting flustered all the time, finding herself a blushing girl again who felt like she is getting to know Meteos for the first time. Where once he had been a cute boy, he was now downright handsome.

While it’s not only him who undergoes physical changes as Walman standing right beside him also looked different from before their early graduation from the RMA, Nadia’s attention was on Meteos most of the time, finding herself lost in his presence.

Meteos stepped forward and greeted them with a friendly smile, “Good morning to you all, Nadia, Sofia, and… Lady Annette Pendragon.”

The last part, uttered with a cheeky tug at one corner of his lips, caused the mentioned noblewoman to shrug playfully and play along with the other silverette’s almost faux courtesy. This greeting clearly ignored the established social hierarchy of this country and was a playful verbal jab to her house’s reputation when it came to interaction with common citizens. It was not out of malice since Annette had gleaned from their previous interactions that Meteos’ behavior was not particularly averse to aristocracy and rather had a tendency to carelessly blurt out his thoughts on something. It was a slightly annoying quirk of his that could have caused trouble if they were to be taken seriously, but Annette took this in good humor and even chuckled a little at how refreshingly bold he was.

The girls returned his greeting with a wave, including Nadia who found it hard to maintain her composure while feeling her heart pound like mad in her chest.

“By the way, girls. Let me introduce you to my colleague from work. This is Arthur Arkland,” Robin said, gesturing to the tall man who gave them a silent nod.

“!”

While Annette gave him a cordial response and Nadia was already a bit disoriented, Sofia took a good look at the verdette before her eyes widened in surprise. His mature build, broad shoulders, and sharp look that graced his features… this bird beastman’s appearance is quite an eye-catcher of the strong and silent variety, it seemed. Definitely someone that the gossiping ladies of the neighborhood and some would dub as this generation’s contender for their made-up title of the ‘Nation’s Boyfriend,’ if only he didn’t spend his days working in a place as secluded (for Runepolis standards) as MOASEC. The feeling of missing someone like him for so long will be as hilariously great as when the previous ‘holder’ of that title—a rather pretty boy—was officially off the market… and this person also happened to be someone working in the same place as Arthur.

Once an accident, twice a coincidence, and three times a pattern. If this trend continues, someone will eventually draw a conclusion that the MOASEC is actually a hideout for attractive men.

Which might be good for recruitment prospects…?

“Hello…” she managed to utter a shy greeting.

Again, silence. Not even a faint grunt came out from Arthur’s tightly-closed lips, but at least a faint motion of nodding his head showed that he had just acknowledged her.

‘Awww~~~’ the young redhead inwardly gushed, her freckled face was adorned with a shade of pink as she not-so-subtle ogled him.

Robin continued. “And this is his twin sister, Morgan.”

“Nice to meet you, everyone.”

“Likewise,” Annette smiled.

“So… How do you do? We don’t make you wait for too long, right?”

“Worry not, Professor,” the young noblewoman answered. “This visit is a delightful one, even as we only simply admire the townscape and the temple’s scenery.”

“That’s good to hear. By the way, I’m glad that you can come on this auspicious day. For that, thank you so much,” said Meteos.

Sofia poked at Nadia’s arm, startling her. Then, realizing what Meteos had said, she assumed that they wanted her to answer, trying to formulate something in her mind before stammering out a reply.

“O-of course…! Umm… I m-mean, this day means so much for you… isn’t that right?”

“……Ah, yeah… yes, it is.”

The slowly growing fascination he felt towards Nadia was beginning to double as Meteos watched her fumble with her words in replying to him. That moment of vulnerability displayed by the shy girl before him brought out a sense of tenderness in him that he was only able to express with a gradually widening, but gentle smile. Not only Nadia has a brilliant mind, an admirable goal, and a beautiful voice, but she was also impossibly adorable in his eyes. This he realized.

In response to the silver’s warm gaze, the gold fidgeted, but then began to slowly smile as well, eliciting a brief chuckle from Meteos in front of her before turning to face the rest of the group.

“Seeing that it’s almost time for the ceremony, I suggest that we quickly enter?” he offered to everyone present’s agreement.

Robin nodded with a snicker and let the boy take the lead of the group toward the temple. While walking, Morgan tapped her shoulder with a curious look.

“Hey… Robin? What’s the story with those two kids?”

The professor chuckled amusedly. “You see, the blonde girl, Nadia, obviously has a crush on Meteos. I was there when they first met, and she already blushing like mad when she laid her eyes on him for the first time.”

“Oh, that’s cute. But what about Meteos himself? Please tell me he felt the same way about the girl,” Morgan replied, a bit too giddily.

These words made Robin ponder to herself. When she first mentioned about Nadia to Meteos, he was interested in her talent, not Nadia as a person. However, as they continued to see each other, the silverette began to warm up in his behavior around her; sort of mannerisms that would make Nadia flush red in the face and act awkwardly in response. Robin thought he could have at least some signs of affection toward the girl. That didn’t even mention all sorts of gifts and support that Meteos readily gave. So far, Meteos kept vague in his motivation for doing all those things…

“Honestly… I don’t really know. But deep down, I hope so.”

“Ahhh…” Morgan sighed but felt a twinge of interest. If even his own mentor was still looking for some sign of reciprocating feelings, then what could she, a stranger who just met him this morning, can do.

That conversation between the ladies was of no interest to Arthur who was walking at the tail end. It was then that his wandering gaze caught sight of a familiar face emerging amidst the tightening crowd of people just before the front door of the temple. It seemed that the person somehow realized that they were being stared at and turned back, giving him a knowing smile before resuming their walk inside the temple.

“………”

While impressed at that person’s senses, Arthur couldn’t help but roll his eyes considering who that person was.

And with that, the snowy exterior changed into the warm, solemn worship hall of the Temple of Saoirse.

---

07:41

Amidst the templegoers, the group found a spot where they knelt on the wooden floor, clasped their hands, and prayed along the mellifluous, almost singing-like chant of the High Druid of Saoirse with reverence until the end. Even for those who did not see Saoirse as their patron deity, this scene was one where they can find some godly leisure time from their busy lives. They joined together as one congregation, all kneeling and praying as well. Some prayed for personal wishes while others prayed for the safety of their loved ones. While they had some differences in opinion and belief, everyone came together as one people in prayer toward the Water Goddess.

‘Great Saoirse, are you as merciful as Mithra?’

Such are the thoughts of one Nadia Smirnova as she found herself kneeling among the congregation in the ritual. The blue banners that hung from the ceiling, the lovely chanting, and on top of all that, the redwood effigy of Saoirse, a humanoid female with feathered wings jutting out of either side of her head and a fish’s tail, gazing at the gathered worshippers like a gentle mother watching over her children. It felt so peaceful. She could feel her stress and anxiety being washed away from her heart. It reminded Nadia of the warmth of the Sun Goddess Mithra’s sanctuary back in her hometown Zaftra, which was equally comforting. And now that she was here, wishing Grandmother Tatyana, Sister Aelita, and her friends back home good fortune all year round, Nadia offered a prayer.

The ceremony was long, but the High Druid soon concluded with a profound prayer and benediction in the revered Goddess’ name, signifying the culmination of the ritual part of the day. The attendees subsequently started rising from their spots, gravitating towards each other to exchange greetings and talks, be it with familiar companions, relatives, or even strangers, before proceeding with the next agenda planned for the day. However, when Nadia turned her gaze to the right side, she found Meteos, still immersed in the whole thing. With his eyes closed and his head bent low, he seemed to not acknowledge his surroundings.

Nadia kept watching over her crush in silence for a few more moments, her countenance bearing a hint of worry. Yet, as Meteos remained rooted to his spot, she felt the urge to offer him a gentle reminder that the ceremony had come to an end. Though apprehensive of the norms observed by the worshippers of this temple in doing what can be said to be interrupting someone’s prayer, she approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking it several times in the hope to nudge him out of his silence.

“Umm……” she began with hesitation. A part of her was already feeling embarrassed at herself, dreading what the silver-haired boy’s reaction would be if he realized that she has approached him to disturb his moment of prayer. The rest of the group, even the adults, simply watched in silence and waiting, never once raising their voices to stop her.

“………”

Meteos slowly opened his eyes and looked at the source of the shaking. When their gazes met for a second, Nadia was astonished. For that fleeting moment, her crush’s cerulean eyes looked tired, bearing an uncanny resemblance to how her grandmother’s gaze usually looked like. But as quickly as that tiredness manifested, it dissipated, replaced by a youthful glint that was more befitting of his age.

“Ah…”

He glanced around the hall, checking his surroundings, before his gaze eventually settled back upon Nadia.

“Umm… s-sorry, if I interrupted you…” the blonde apologized.

“No, no,” Meteos reassured her with a smile as he finally stood up like the other templegoers. “Thank you for the reminder. I was… lost in thought for a moment there.”

“Is that so…” Nadia nodded, but she was still unsure.

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Seeing that her crush didn’t seem to be offended by her gesture, Nadia finally felt a sense of relief.

Meteos spoke again. “After this, let’s go to the community hall at the back of the temple for the next event. After that, if you want, we can go around the street, visiting the stalls and the like…”

Nadia smiled. “That would be great. But this time I’m paying for my things as well.”

“Oh?”

When she processed what she had just blurted out, Nadia gasped and blushed. Did she just give a witty remark? To Meteos of all people!?

She can’t believe this realization, but at the same time, it was a sign that she was becoming more and more at ease with the silver-haired boy. It was such a silly thing, but it felt like she was already beginning to feel more comfortable around him beyond long-range talks on grimoire. It made her smile, even while blushing, at the thought.

Her face reddened further when Meteos chuckled in amusement.

“I won’t stop you, then, if it doesn’t bother you.”

“O-of course not…” she stammered.

“Then, let’s?”

“Mm!”

‘So caring…… I do like her, am I?’

As Meteos was looking at the pretty face of the girl in front of him, he thought to himself. A profound emotion stirred within, gradually eroding the lingering doubts that had plagued his mind. Perhaps this was the answer to the question of whether he truly harbored a genuine attraction to her as a person. Now, confronted with the possibility, Meteos found no reason to resist the tide of his feeling toward the fair-haired beauty. Everything seemed to have fallen into place with a resounding click, and he felt compelled to follow the current of his feelings.

Moreover, there were still four more years before they reached the age of eighteen, during which many events would surely unfold. If their connection thrived and he really found himself falling for her, it would be a positive outcome. Yet, if this inclination was merely a fleeting infatuation that led to a dead end, Meteos could tell the girl to stay at arm’s length during that time… but despite this option, he felt a growing reluctance to see something like that come to pass. In fact, he was looking forward to seeing this relationship between himself and her flourish and deepen. He would like to see how being in her presence could change his heart, how much more of him could he give to this girl, all while staying respectful, of course.

‘Let her be my sun…’ an even deeper part of him whispered, adding a slight weight to his chest.

He sighed inwardly. The version of himself in the times immediately after being reincarnated wouldn’t even care about such a thing. Now as he lived this second life by connecting to more people and forming bonds, he became more conscious and aware of his own feelings. But it still made him wonder where did it come from.

Sometimes, Meteos Roguerider’s extreme focus on his self-imposed mission caused him to overlook the significance of experiencing feelings as a fundamental aspect of being human. Nevertheless, Meteos, too, was a human being. The capacity to feel was what distinguished sentient beings such as humanity from monsters and self-proclaimed perfect lifeforms, and it was a fact worth celebrating, as it was evident that despite its flaws, mankind was truly created in the most excellent form.

He somewhat reluctantly turned his gaze from Nadia to look at the rest of the group who seemed to be engrossed in a hushed conversation amongst themselves, possibly to avoid being overheard by the two of them.

“Hm?”

“I am ninety percent sure that he really likes her,” Walman concluded with Sofia, Annette, Robin, and Morgan nodding in agreement.

“So he’s not as dense to the girl’s feelings as I thought,” Morgan commented, causing Robin to raise an eyebrow at her.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Thoughts, Arthur?”

“Don’t ask me questions. Keep me out of this.”

“Awwww…”

“Whatever they are talking about?” Meteos muttered.

“…We should tell them it’s time to go.”

“Um, that’s right.”

While Nadia walked over to inform the group about the next agenda as told by Meteos, the reincarnator turned to face the statue of Saoirse, his hands clenching involuntarily.

‘Goddess… even if in the end my life is just a divine plaything… an entertainment for you to laugh and mock at… is it wrong that I desire to be happy? Even if one half of my happiness comes from rebelling against a certain fate? For that matter… my heart and actions are utterly unclouded… If you see my actions as justice, then please do not let my heart be led astray, but if not, then forgive me, for I am a terrible sinner!’

Meteos Roguerider’s prayer to Saoirse was a private matter between him and the gods. But this man, with a mix of uncontainable fervor and a new feeling he had just experienced, once again renewed his oath, reinforced instead of faltered, before the Divine Goddess that happiness will be his to claim no matter what, not letting anyone take it away.

07:45, around the same time

Ministry of Military Affairs Main Building, Albion District, Runepolis

Among the Holy Milishial Imperial Government’s offices, the MOASEC stood apart as the odd one out in terms of its location. These offices were harmoniously situated in a clustered arrangement, forming two distinct groups that are differentiated by their spatial relationship with the Albion Palace at the heart of the city. The first group, known as the ‘Ivory Hall,’ is positioned along the thoroughfare of the same name that stretches southwards from the palace towards the Foundation Monument. Meanwhile, the second group, denominated as the ‘Azure Lane,’ is located to the north-northwest.

Here, the grand marble façade of the imposing structures that lined the side of the avenue was adorned with striking Milishian blue banners that gave the road its famous moniker, emblazoned with the nine rays of the August Star of Heaven, seemingly intended to harmonize with a series of pointed pillar monuments situated at the heart of Azure Lane. Erected to commemorate the end of the Warring Kingdoms Period and the dawn of a new era for the Holy Empire, these monoliths were meticulously engraved in such a way that they served to weave a tale of the bygone era for anyone who traverse through them, building up to a crescendo of a triumphant symphony that culminated in a magnificent semi-circular monument that represented His Majesty’s greatest design: the Unification of Middle Lands.

At the end of the Azure Lane, a sight to behold awaits the intrepid visitor: a series of awe-inspiring, towering statues, crafted in reverence of the proud peoples of the Holy Empire. These monumental figures, garbed in full regalia and wielding ancient weapons: an Elf (square-sky halberd), a Dark Elf (khopesh), a Human (spear), a Dwarf (war hammer), and a Beastman (battle axe). Each statue stood proud and tall, their weapons outstretched toward the heavens, all pointed in the same direction. Carved into the base of the monument is the Holy Empire’s national motto, “FIVE PEOPLES UNDER ONE UNION” – a seemingly pretentious declaration that is full of itself, yet one that speaks volumes of the heartfelt aspirations of those who once walked these lands. For it was they, brave souls who served as instruments in this grand orchestra of ten thousand years of history, who hoped and dreamed that their sacrifices would lead to lasting peace and harmony.

Such was the backdrop of Azure Lane, a stage upon which the Ministry of Military Affairs, the agency charged with safeguarding the cherished dreams of the populace, stood. Though the jubilant festivities honoring Saoirse were the star of this day, the ten-story Military Ministry’s Main Building remained abuzz with its staff and operating with an undiminished capability. Amidst this scene, the dour-looking Military Affairs Minister, Marquis Ignis Schmill Pao, sat in his office on a plush sofa while smoking his exquisite brand of cigarettes.

The Marquis had already promised his grandson that he will be there once he finished his duties after this one final appointment, so not being able to spend this holiday at home was not the reason why was the scowl not leaving this grumpy elf’s attractive face. Nor he was like that because he contemplated about his old-fashioned family name.

“………”

Exhaling after a deep drag on the cigarette, Ignis took another puff as he continued gazing at the stack of documents brought to him by the real reason for his sour mood.

“………What is the meaning of this?” he drawled, finally looking up to see Andreas Birkburn from the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures, accompanied by one of his subordinates.

“It’s exactly what it means, Minister,” the auburn-haired human innocently answered.

“Don’t insult my intelligence, Andreas! Out with it, your intention in bringing these to me.”

Ignis aggressively tapped his finger on the document’s cover where he could see the logo of these visitor’s affiliation and two letters of “G” and “P” on it. A staring match ensued as Birkburn chose to seemingly ponder over his response for a moment, further irritating the Minister.

“That, is a token of our utmost apologies from the whole Ancient Ministry, sir.”

“Hah!” Ignis scoffed. “Are you meaning to say that your entire Ministry is also feeling at fault for what Arsene said?”

“The arbitrary proposal of Director Lippin to His Majesty is certainly an unthinkable one that will possibly cause inconveniences, but it was a combination of confidence that the Ancient Ministry gained after our recent successes and the confidence from us Ancient Ministry members. The repeated assertions from us subordinates to the Director are what influenced him to come forward with such an absurd promise. Therefore, we are also as much at fault here. Besides, you also know that the Director is better off atoning for his mistake by overseeing the Alpha Edge Project until its completion, rather than coming here offering you well-meaning but empty platitudes, no? I know you are not that petty, Minister.”

Ignis leaned back in his seat, but his visible anger was already beginning to dissipate the moment he heard those words. Before responding, he discarded his cigarette into the ashtray.

“And these couple of blueprints for proposed designs is your idea of appeasement?” Ignis raised an eyebrow.

“Those are designs for a variety of land weapons,” Birkburn pointed out.

“I can see that. And your point?”

“Looking at the state of the Holy Empire’s military, unfortunately the Imperial Army is the least advanced branch of the three. I won’t bore you with details, but thanks to our recent activities, the Ancient Ministry managed to come up with these proposals to alleviate their concerns and start the long-awaited modernization of the ground forces. I’d say just in time, since I hear through the Army liaison to us that their upper echelons were starting to get impatient.”

Notwithstanding its status as the bastion of technological advancement in the Holy Milishial Empire, both in military and civilian areas, the MOASEC – hailed as the epicenter of the nation’s greatest minds – had remained stale in its progress for as long as people could remember. However, the past year has witnessed a remarkable rekindling of its performance, and a plethora of breakthrough inventions have been emerging in quick succession to inspire the related organizations to keep up with them. Nonetheless, to the consternation of the Imperial Army, it is always the Imperial Navy that invariably enjoys the lion’s share of every new piece of technology introduced. Magic ships, naturally, but also small arms, given that they operate naval infantry, and even Heavenly Vessels.

Despite repeated complaints from the Army, the MOASEC was unable to rectify the situation, as their lack of fortune in unearthing any ground-based relics from the Ancient Sorcerous Empire remnants meant that the Army remained the most technologically and doctrinally backward of all the Holy Empire’s military branches. Indeed, the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that the Holy Milishial Imperial Army was said to be actually only marginally superior to the Muish Royal Army, who lacked mages capable of commanding the terrain to facilitate their operations. It is only due to the Milishian Army’s theoretically excellent logistics – by the standards of the known world – that they are able to maintain a semblance of superiority over their Muish counterparts.

Hence, when the MOASEC presented these ‘GP’ designs, Ignis was pleasantly surprised given the Army’s predicament. He was indifferent to their origins and creators, as long as they get the job done. Nevertheless, a sense of suspicion still lingered in his mind as to the MOASEC’s motives.

“Hmph. Then do what you must,” the handsome Marquis grunted, lighting another cigarette after a while. “Go and entertain the Army if you can, but I don’t think it will be that easy, nor do you even need my approval to start your own projects. You… don’t come all the way here simply to ask for apologies by showing off your stuff, am I right?”

Birkburn sheepishly chuckled. “Ahahahaha…… Yes, the Minister is truly sharp. Actually, we at the Ancient Ministry thought that using the Alpha Edge Project as a precedent, we should tighten our cooperation with various organizations more closely to ensure the success of our endeavors. Hence, we thought that by showing these designs, we will be able to convince the Military Ministry to cooperate more with us. In other words, we are asking you to not lose confidence in our ability to provide you with new equipment.”

“Hah, there you go! What a roundabout way to apologize for your current transgressions and pledge to consult us for your activities,” Ignis rolled his eyes.

“Well, I guess so, Minister,” Birkburn smiled at Ignis’s sarcastic reaction. “Then, do we have a deal, sir?”

A drag, then a puff of smoke. The intense emerald eyes belonging to Ignis narrowed slightly.

“Steady there, I don’t think it’s very fair.”

“Ah?”

Birkburn’s subordinate looked at his boss in concern, but the man simply stroked his goatee and waited for Ignis to continue.

“I will give Arsene a chance for forgiveness if, and only if the Ancient Ministry manages to complete the Alpha Edge Project within the promised time limit, which is two years as Arsene said. But I will not forget about this. What Arsene did was idiotic and should have never been done in the first place! …And since you feel responsible for his stupid proposal, then feel free to try to make amends.”

With that, the Minister’s anger had seemingly returned. Ignis then leaned forward after taking another long drag from his cigarette and continued.

“But circumstances have it that the Military and Ancient Ministries are mandated to work closely together. I am willing to listen and provide assistance to realize these GP designs of yours. Name your requirements, and we’ll talk.”

“Thank you, Minister. We will prepare to hold talks for that matter soon.”

“Hmph. If only you did that with the Alpha Edge…” Ignis remarked bitterly. “But whatever, it’s useless crying over the spilled milk. Call me a pointy-eared bastard if you want, but you’re lucky I’m not that ‘Villainess’ Herodia.”

As soon as Ignis uttered that name, all three present let out a weary sigh. Herodia Courtenay, the Minister of Treasury, was notorious for her visceral aversion to both Arsene and Ignis. In addition to the heated budgetary debates between the Treasury and Military Ministries, the former reserved its most venomous attacks for the Ancient Ministry, which it considered an even bigger tax thief, yet even more useless than the military. Unfortunately, the strained dynamic between the Treasury Ministry and the two showed no signs of improving and was likely to remain acrimonious. Nevertheless, even a ‘villainess’ like Herodia would dutifully comply with the Emperor’s commands. Thus, securing funding for the MOASEC should prove to be a non-issue given His Majesty’s favorable disposition toward them.

The disdainful mockery that Herodia directed towards Arsene was particularly irksome to Ignis. However, the poor man had earned his ire so much that he resolved not to intervene on his behalf, as a means of teaching him a lesson. ‘Let him suffer the consequences of cutthroat politics,’ he thought to himself. He was neither Legendorga nor Pendragon.

Yes. Despite Birkburn’s claim to the contrary, Ignis was not above pettiness.

“……Which is why it’s better for us to form a joint front and work together for mutual benefit rather than facing it separately, don’t you think Minister? Are you not tired of being ridiculed by the Villainess and her underling?” Birkburn pressed with a slightly joking tone.

“Oh, I will surely consider that had not Arsene decided to damage my trust in him by his mistake,” Ignis glowered. “Go fix your internal affairs first before you come back and talk to me about forming a united front! …That’s all you have to say?”

As the clock neared the eighth hour, the meeting came to a close, granting Ignis a long-awaited opportunity to be with his grandson who wanted to see the festivities of the Water Goddess Day in the Tranquila District. Although the Military Minister’s fury toward Director Arsene Lippin remained palpable, he recognized the potential in the GP designs and promptly delegated the responsibility of its management on his part to his subordinates, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army.

Before leaving Azure Lane, the elf decided to indulge in a moment of relaxation, savoring his last cigarette while reviewing the presented GP designs and remembering the regular reports about the impressive headway made in the Alpha Edge Project. Despite his lingering resentment will not seem to subside any time soon, Ignis sometimes pondered about the enigmatic workings of fate that had bestowed upon his Ancient Ministry counterpart both abundant fortune and ill luck in equal measure.

08:04

A11 road, Belyudra District

As Birkburn’s gaze swept over the passing buildings that comprised the urban milieu of Runepolis, sitting within a speeding car en route to his secluded office in the San Redentore District, he informed his superior Lippin of the details concerning his recent meeting with Minister Ignis Schmill Pao through the grimoire. The moment he finished his explanation, Lippin’s voice sounded relieved in his reply.

“Thank you for your hard work, Birkburn.”

“Don’t worry, sir. You can always count on me.”

“…One more thing. Is it really okay with how you worded your presentation to Minister Schmill Pao and omit any mention of Young Roguerider’s contribution in inventing them?”

“Yes. Being too honest about it will not do us any good. As a former Army general, Minister Schmill Pao shared their conservative belief regarding the path of our advancement," Birkburn firmly explained. “For the Army, technologies derived from reverse-engineering proven Ancient Sorcerous Empire technologies are more reliable than gambling on a new innovation they never seen before. It’s faster to convince them that way and then come clear after that… or not. I just told them in a vague manner, after all, Meteos Roguerider is also a member of the Ancient Ministry, thus making his research an Ancient Ministry activity. That’s how I interpret Young Roguerider’s very own words regarding the GP designs to ‘do as your will.’”

“I see…”

Lippin sounded like he had mixed feelings about how his subordinate pushed to advance the Ancient Ministry’s interests.

“Welcome to politics, sir.”

“Honestly…” Lippin let out a bitter sigh but in the end, he thanked Birkburn for his efforts, ending the call after that.

After a moment of silence while the car continued to traverse the increasingly empty road, Birkburn’s other subordinate, a white-clad man seemingly in his mid-twenties who had waited patiently in the car during the meeting, turned from his seat next to the driver to look at him.

“Don’t you feel bad for the Director, Chief?” he asked, his hazel eyes glimmering with interest.

“What is it, Daguva?”

“It was you who recommended him to the Council of Imperial Ministers and with His Majesty’s approval, successfully placed the Director as the number one man in the Ancient Ministry. You don’t feel bad seeing him getting attacked left and right by the other ministers?”

“Oh. Well… yes, it is rather painful to see someone I personally helped get a promotion to suffer so much because of some stupid mistakes. But if I can help him regain his lost credibility later, I’m fine with it.”

The subordinate called Daguva crossed his arms with a sly grin, parting his lips to reveal a row of sharp teeth. As a stag-beetle demi-human, Daguva boasts the magical ability to excrete substances from his sweat glands that have the remarkable capacity to congeal into an armor-like casing. However, in addition that he himself lacking any overt resemblance to a stag beetle, his sharp teeth frequently left people confused about his true species.

“Why bother helping that buffoon keep his position when you can become a Director yourself?”

The driver let out an uneasy glance at the demi-human beside him at those words.

“No.”

“Hah? Why?” Daguva tilted his head.

“………I just don’t see myself as someone to lead the Ancient Ministry.”

“Even if you have to grovel to other ministers in defending Lippin?”

“Why you—” the driver was about to deliver a scathing reply before Birkburn stopped him with a wave of his hand.

“That’s called diplomacy, Daguva. As you can see, it’s something that has kept the Holy Empire on the top of the world for this long,” the auburn-haired man calmly replied. “I thought we are done with this?”

“Whatever,” Daguva flippantly replied, throwing his hands behind his back. “Gorage’pa gorogijisogi ba. How could you be so selfish, yet so selfless at the same time?”

His words sounded rather condescending but Birkburn chose to ignore the demi-human’s comment, turning his attention to the outside view again.

“…I don’t have many ambitions. When I recommended Lippin, I envisioned him as someone who will not take too many risks, someone more inclined to play safe…”

“Considering how it turned out, I’d say you’re a horrible judge of character. Not to mention a coward,” Daguva dryly remarked. “If you desire a comfortable life so much, then go become the Director yourself. You seem to be good at politics, you can easily be able to lead the Ministry your way. But no, you chose to use that talent to propel someone else because you’re too spineless to take the reins on your own. It is true that Lippin is innocently stupid, but you’re even worse: a dishonest and cowardly stupid. You’re the true loser of the two.”

“………”

Birkburn nodded in resignation. Daguva was right, he was too scared of making tough choices that will come his way if he were a Director. Nevertheless, he felt that his attempts to defend the Director he had all but manipulated this entire time is good enough of an atonement. Even though it was painful to feel this emotion, Birkburn found solace in the fact that this ability to feel was a sign that he was not a monster. Yet.

---

“Politics, huh…”

In the balcony of his residence in the Lambert District, Director of the MOASEC, Arsene Lippin, forlornly stared at the now darkened screen of his grimoire long after the call with his subordinate ended. He wondered from time to time again how a simple paper pusher like him got propelled to his current position, somehow not sacked on his first day, and get to experience firsthand the intrigues in the inner workings of the Holy Milishial Empire’s government. He did not have a prior clue of what was going on inside the bureaucracy and politics. Either being seen as a brilliant and daring young man with his actions or getting roasted by the seniors, it’s all new for him.

The man sighed as he began to think that he was actually being used as a pawn by some unknown force, even more invisible beyond the level of the Secret Department he witnessed in his own Ministry. However, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he quickly shook his head to drive them away.

“Dear?”

His wife Cassandra came from behind him, with their young daughter Noelle in tow. When Lippin turned to look, they were already dressed in winter clothing. ‘Right, we’re going to enjoy the holiday outside,’ he reminded himself.

“Ah, you’re ready to go?” he tried his best to make a smile and approached them.

Both of them nodded happily.

“Yes, papa! Can we go now, please…?”

“Sure thing,” Lippin nodded. “Let me grab my cloak and we’re all set.”

“Um!”

“We’ll be waiting downstairs.”

When Lippin proceeded toward his bedroom to change into a fresh set of garments, he came across his firstborn, Ishmael. The young lad, bearing a striking resemblance to a younger version of himself, appeared to have been caught off-guard by his father’s sudden appearance, as evidenced by the startled look he gave Lippin.

“Uh…”

“Ah, there you are, Isha. You’re not ready to go yet?”

“…I need to use the bathroom,” the boy answered sheepishly.

“I see. I’ll be downstairs with your mother and sister. We’ll depart as soon as you’re ready.”

“Y-yes, dad.”

Lippin did not say anything more to let Ishmael do his business, settling for continuing his walk to get ready himself with a relieved sigh.

Despite his extremely busy timetable, Lippin tried his best to spend as much time as he could with his family, particularly with his two children. His relationships with Ishmael and Noelle were returning to normal, but they were still longing for his presence. Yet now, with all these things happening in his life, Lippin found that the precious moments of leisure he once enjoyed were dwindling at an alarming rate. It was an irreversible situation, an overwhelmingly terrible deal that left him with shame whenever he gazed into the innocent eyes of his own children, a sensation he had never before experienced. But he blamed no one. It was his own fault that he ended up in his predicament, after all.

In the end, while attempting to reconcile with his predicament, he decided to cast aside all other thoughts and at least use this day to relax as much as possible.

In the end, despite the heavy thoughts and burdens weighing on their minds, everyone decided to go on the Water Goddess Day with a positive outlook, or at the very least, make an attempt to do so, whether it was genuine or veiled under layers upon layers of masks.

MINISTRY OF ANCIENT SORCEROUS EMPIRE COUNTERMEASURES Research Data

THE VERDICT: DESIGN "G.P."

Legend:

Light Blue: Approved for prototype production

Light Green: Approved for additional research

Dark Blue: Placed into consideration

Black: Canceled

Chapter Text

"Professor, the time has come."

"Uh, huh..."

Harley Hendrickson, distinguished leader of the Ground System Development Facility, maintained an air of stoic composure as he received the strange opening from the enigmatic masked figure seated across from him in their mysterious, liminal abode. The surroundings were a perplexing amalgamation of an office space and an ominous underworld, complete with ghoulish yellow wallpaper and eerie magic lighting. Though the lack of windows made it impossible to discern their exact location within the Holy Empire, Harley was no stranger to this clandestine haunt, having been visited, or rather being told to come to a random location and spirited away here on previous occasions. With each visit, he noted a subtle metamorphosis in the space's strange layout, yet he remained calm and prepared for whatever revelation the masked individual would offer next.

"Is this related to my department?" the muscular dwarf asked, lightly stroking his beard.

"Correct. Securely stored inside this chest are materials that can bring your Ground Facility to glory," the masked individual triumphantly declared, gesturing to a large chest that was already there before the only two men(?) in this room even arrived, idly sitting without care on the table's side.

"Oho? Is that so?"

"Seeing is believing, so go ahead and open it."

Harley grunted and rolled his eyes. Despite the seemingly endless variety of masks and their wearers, all these secret department agents seemed to be too fond of their theatrics. As a member of the dwarven race, said to be known for being direct, he found these performative displays to be increasingly tiresome. Such grandiose antics seemed better suited to the fanciful sensibilities of elves, or at least the stereotype of them as one might heard in those Outside Civilization Countries.

Nevertheless, Harley reached out and opened the lid to reveal its contents. When he realized what were those from its familiar color, he gave them a long stare, picked one up, and then turned back to the masked figure.

"This is..."

"Yes, Professor Hendrickson. Execute these plans well, and you will find the renown that you and your men has long seeking! I can promise you this with utmost certainty."

After taking a moment to process the revelation, Harley slowly nodded. His lips quirked into a faint smirk before he gave the masked figure a hearty laugh.

"Hohoho... I'm certainly not complaining! Tell me more about it."

It was late in February. While other R&D groups within the Ancient Ministry were enjoying a surge of innovation and progress, Harley's department seemed to be mired in a period of stagnation. Despite their best efforts, the Ground System Development Facility had failed to make significant headway on any major projects, leaving them to tinker with smaller undertakings in a desperate attempt to stave off idleness. All the while, they still anticipated the arrival of the artifacts freshly excavated from the depths of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire's ruins, but they never came.

That's why the revelation on this day was like a plot device that can finally advance their story forward. Harley couldn't help but smile as he engaged in a spirited discussion with the masked figure, who represented the shadowy forces that maneuvered behind the stage. Together, they carefully laid out the intricate details of their plans, leaving no stone unturned in their quest for success as a tribute to the original designer's ingenuity, for thanks to him, they would soon become a power to be reckoned with even more.

The dwarf, feeling that getting left behind is unbearable, was thus prompted by his own competitive spirit to play his part as soon as he was dropped off in a random clearing near the MOASEC headquarters. The moment the sun rises, Harley already proceeded to devise a plan using the materials provided, and in a similar fashion as the Alpha Edge Project, it led to the formation of the Light Weapons Development Group, combining the strength of the Holy Empire's small arms manufacturers under the leadership of the MOASEC's Ground System Development Facility.

March 3, 1615 Central Calendar

Runepolis Magic Academy Alchemy Department, Processing Plant 1

Just like how the RMA's Shipbuilding Department possesses a dockyard, the Alchemy Department maintains two processing plants as one of the many facilities affiliated with the prestigious RMA committed to the advancement of the country's magical technology. The larger of the two, the Processing Plant 1 (PROPEL-1), is located to the south of the Runepolis metropolitan area in the Caelus Province. Encompassing an expanse akin to that of a city block, it houses a plethora of facilities essential to its purpose, as well as laboratories, offices, library, and even recreational facilities as part of its supplementary amenities. Renowned for its unrivaled track record in producing excellent results, the PROPEL-1 was handpicked by the Holy Milishial Empire's government to engage in a collaborative endeavor with the MOASEC. Specifically, producing the crucial materials necessary for building the prototype Heavenly Vessel which was touted as a next-generation masterpiece fighter crafted under the auspices of the Alpha Edge Project.

"I still think it is hard to believe for this facility to receive NMC-22s in large quantities, let alone processing them into materials for an extremely important project. It's just too absurd," a mage who headed this facility remarked in the control room as he monitored the facility's operation.

Shara, an elf from the main RMA Alchemy Department laboratory assigned there after the commencement of the project, chuckled at those words.

"It is absurd, indeed. But we are making good progress. The absence of magical properties in the NMC-22 turns out makes it easier for us to process it from the ore to its pure form in the elemental separator. We can also save money because we don't need catalysts and additional processes! As long as the supply from the mines continue to flow consistently, we will comfortable able to fulfill the Ancient Ministry's demand, am I right?" he said, making the chief nod with a sigh.

"Well, maybe you're right. It's absurd, but not necessarily in a bad way, I guess."

As they speak, the facility has continued to process the NMC-22 into a new type of alloy as per the MOASEC's instructions. This undertaking gained momentum with the influx of substantial shipments of golden red stones, *1 rusalkites, *2 and other minerals containing NMC-22 since last year. Prior to this, the Holy Empire had limited its processing of this material to modest quantities in smaller plants for research purposes. Shara's assignment to the PROPEL-1 was multifaceted. Not only did he conduct inspections, ensure stringent quality control measures, and made reports to the RMA, but he also sought to disseminate the RMA's research findings concerning the properties of NMC-22 and the properties of the alloy produced from the process. The MOASEC's request had impelled them to undertake these endeavors on a grander scale, and at least for the duration of the Alpha Edge Project, they will treat this as part of their research activities on this material.

The elemental separator mentioned by Shara earlier is an advanced magical technology currently owned solely by the Holy Milishial Empire. Taking the form resembling a furnace, it consists of a central core encased in a metallic frame, with numerous pipes, valves, and chambers branching out from it. While the dimensions can vary, the version housed within the PROPEL-1 occupies an entire building.

At the heart of the elemental separator is the core chamber housing an array of magic circuits inscribed on special conductive materials to facilitate the flow of mana throughout the machine. It is fed with the minerals through conveyor belts that deliver the ore into the initial pre-processing chamber, where it undergoes an initial treatment to break down larger rocks to achieve the desired particle size and remove excess impurities. Once the ore is adequately prepared, it is transported through a network of elemental separation chambers dedicated to separating a specific impurity from the ore. Usually, various catalysts will be introduced to the chambers to induce chemical reactions to aid the meticulous process of separating magic-conductive impurities from a magic-conductive ore. However, since the NMC-22 is a non-magic-conductive material by nature and thus will not react to the magic circuit's spells, the operators happily skipped this process knowing that they won't have to waste money on those expensive catalysts. While the separated impurities are guided out of the machine through valves and pipes, the purified NMC-22 concentrate continues through the system to undergone additional purification process to further enhance the purity before eventually reaches a final collection chamber.

Usually, the next process is the elemental enrichment, in which the materials coming from the elemental separator enters a chamber filled with catalysts to target the remaining impurities in order to further purify the substance and increase its content. But the elemental separator did its job in producing purified NMC-22 better than expected, so the operators also skipped this process and proceeded to the alloying and casting it into desired shapes. The resulting alloy, tailored to meet the MOASEC's Alpha Edge Project specifications, is just referred to as the Grade AE alloy by the PROPEL-1 workers.

They did not know that this easier and cheaper production process than usual placed them above certain otherworldly interlopers in terms of extracting the purified form of this material directly from its base mineral. This is a fact that they will never know in the original timeline until it was too late.

Contrary to conventional expectations, the unconventional material in question proved to be the long-awaited solution to the MOASEC's persistent obstacle in developing a high-performance aircraft engine. With astounding swiftness, within a span of approximately two weeks from now, the Holy Empire's first magic turbojet engine, the AM-J-01, will undergo testing within the Aerial System Development Facility. Whispers and speculations also about within the inner circles of the MOASEC that the NMC-22-based alloy, with its remarkable properties, is being contemplated as a prospective substitute for the materials that were originally utilized in the excavated engines of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. This revelation underscores the profound impact of this innovation and its potential to reshape not only the immediate realm of aviation but also the realms of ancient relics and magic technology.

The gears have started to turn even more.

As Shara beheld the sights unfolding before him, a rush of memories flooded his mind, evoking recollections of a certain young boy who had once graced his laboratory with his peculiar request. Contemplating his tender age and witnessing the remarkable advancements and innovative avenues of research that had flourished in his wake, Shara experienced an overwhelming sensation akin to watching a mountain sprouting legs and walking away. This realization evoked a whirlwind of emotions within his being. At one moment, an effervescent sense of anticipation bubbled within him, envisioning the limitless possibilities that the future held in store. However, in the next instant, a poignant pang of regret enveloped him, acknowledging the missed opportunity to engage in research endeavors alongside the enigmatic boy. It was an absurd notion, as the chief had aptly described, yet not necessarily negative in its implications.

"Well... I don't think it's that absurd. A Heavenly Vessel don't need active magical reinforcements unlike magic ships, so if they discovered NMC-22 to be a perfect material for their project, then I think it's good for them."

"But man..." the chief replied. "The Ancient Ministry's request is so troublesome. The moment their notification comes in, we scrambled to replace the circuits in the separator chambers. They're lucky we also process iron clays *3, otherwise I'm going to punch their rep in the face if they ever show up here."

"Now, now, don't be so grumpy. That means you don't have to change too much of the circuits, right? Besides, I heard you still made a lot of fortune from selling those irons," Shara said with a smile, eliciting a wry laugh from the chief as he mentioned one of the businesses undertaken by the PROPEL-1.

They then looked back beyond the control room's window where the minerals continue to flow into the elemental separator. After a brief silence, Shara opened his mouth again.

"You know, chief. I think there might be a solution to that problem."

"Huh? Really?" the chief raised an eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm. I heard from the professors back at the capital that the Aikon Corporation is starting to introduce the Second-Generation Manadrivers—ah, that device that allows you to done away with troublesome incantations and throw magic spells as easy as breathing."

"Oh, that thing? Where in the world did you see it can help material processing?"

The chief looked skeptical.

"Sheesh, chief, let me finish! I heard that because of its inbuilt computer, just by inserting spell components for three simple spells, you can order a fist-sized Manadriver to be able to conjure tens of thousands of different magic effects! Now imagine a Manadriver the size of a separator array... connected to this central control room... where you can adjust them depending on your needs..."

Hearing Shara's assertion, the chief's eyes lit up as he thought about it.

"Ooh... OOOOHHH! I see! That would certainly make things more convenient when it comes to the capability to adjust to different materials... but isn't a computer system like that quite pricey? Are you sure it will be worth it in the long run?"

"Um... well... I think I will bring this to a discussion when I get back first. But I plan to do it! I will make a proposal and show them its potential! Just you wait!" Shara exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Whoa... c-calm down..." the chief was taken aback by Shara's outburst.

For Shara himself, he was unsure why he felt this way. However, ever since that boy visited his laboratory and then proceeded to left him in the dust, Shara decided that he has to make an effort. He has to do something!

It's as if he owes a debt for that silver-haired youth. And so, he made up his mind—he must act. If a mere fourteen-years old can accomplish such an extraordinary feat, then where there is determination, a path shall surely be forged—he too is capable of achieving the same. To fall short of such a pursuit would be undeniably disgraceful.

Several days later on March 8, Shara took advantage of the Sunday to return to Runepolis and reported his proposal to his higher-ups. Armed with the idea and conviction, Shara in the end managed to convince them to grant their approval and bestow the greenlight upon the proposal. The PROPEL-2 was designated as the test site while the Aikon Corporation, a company that just happened to be aggressively pushing the boundaries of their technological prowess, was chosen as the manufacturer tasked with bringing this visionary system to fruition.

There is also the Aikon Corporation's desire to promote the widespread use of the Manadriver technology. As the Ancient Sorcerous Empire never needed a magic spell assistant due to their innate mastery, the emergence of the Manadriver held a special place within the Aikon Corporation's President Victor Legendorga's heart as the truly original technology of this country and not a result of copying.

This experiment to integrate the elemental separator machine with the Manadriver technology will be met with a resounding success, compelling other companies within the field to follow suit to try to integrate the Manadrivers into their own manufacturing machines. The RMA and its affiliated institutions, as well as the Aikon Corporation, also seized on this opportunity to further improve their magical machines and incorporate new technology to further elevate their capabilities. And Shara will be credited as the esteemed innovator of this system. But will he prove to be one to be contented with this achievement, or not, only time will tell.

March 10, 1615 Central Calendar, 01:00

Arsenal de la Dorada, Valiante Province, Holy Milishial Empire

The naval shipyard, nestled near the Valiante Province's capital city of Cielo Dorado in the southwestern part of the Holy Milishial Empire, reverberated with a symphony of progress on that early spring night. Illuminated by artificial lights, punctuated with the resonating clank of metal, and resonating with the fervent shouts of diligent workers, the shipbuilding yard resonated with the spirit of advancement. While this facility was typically dedicated to the construction and repair of the Imperial Navy's warships, what was laid down at one of its slipways that night wasn't a magic battleship or other smaller ships, but something altogether different.

Standing at the edge of the shipyard, Commander Armando Olteca watched with keen interest as the construction crew worked newly laid keel. Beside him stood Gormes, a technical officer who came from the capital city. This young man was the visionary behind this venture, having riding the wake generated by the triumph of magic torpedoes, and now presented a new method of striking the enemy where they least expected it.

"A vessel capable of diving into the ocean... an undersea boat, huh. I don't think ever seeing anything like it," Olteca said.

"Yes, Commander. This is the culmination of the study we conducted after witnessing the performance of those magic torpedoes. The high command seems to be very interested with the idea of a ship that can move underwater and hit an enemy with torpedoes from its blind spot undetected and authorized us the project to construct this 'U-boat.'"

A smile tugged at the corners of Olteca's lips. "Heh, that's the Navy for you. Bold as usual. But I have to admit, looking at the technical details you gave me, I think I can understand why the higher-ups are so eager to see the U-boat added to their disposal. It's really a technological marvel."

Gormes nodded in agreement. "Indeed. One of the reasons they cited is the considerable advantage the U-boat will bring in a hypothetical war with our rivals, especially Mu who possess metal ships. There is also the aspect of advancing technological development."

"Ah... anything to escape the boredom of stagnation, I suppose."

The advent of the U-boat not only introduced a groundbreaking concept but also fostered novel ideas that the Navy perceived as the path to naval technology's future, if not its strategy. In truth, the Navy's interest seemed to extend beyond the U-boat itself, encompassing the potential innovations that could emerge from its introduction, such as the notion of detecting objects underwater by sound. The magnitude of their investment spoke volumes; the Navy perceived this endeavor as an absolute win.

"By the way, Gormes," Olteca called out. "Do you think that the Ancient Sorcerous Empire possesses a weapon similar to this U-boat?"

"About that, sir... we still uncertain. Among the relics unearthed thus far, there is nothing looked like it. Assuming that they have same idea of attacking enemy from underwater, there is a possibility that the Ancient Sorcerous Empire might develop their own distinct form of technology and methodology, different from the U-boat."

"There's also the possibility that we don't find enough relics to know about that. Come to think of it, I hear that the Ancient Sorcerous Empire can use monsters, what's to say that they might have use some sea monsters to do their dirty work underwater?"

"Yes. We simply can't dismiss that possibility entirely. Assuming that the Ancient Sorcerous Empire really possess them, then wouldn't it make fighting underwater something that we should learn and master as well?"

"Indeed."

As the construction workers continued to play their part in the genesis of the Holy Milishial Empire's first submersible military vehicle, the U-boat, Olteca and Gormes continued their deliberations, exploring a myriad of subjects with unyielding dedication.

March 12, 1615 Central Calendar

MOASEC Aerial System Development Facility, San Redentore District, Runepolis

The hangar serving as the test site was filled with an air of excitement and anticipation. Under the bright magic lights, the engineers scurried around, making final adjustments to the metallic cylinder placed on a mount known as the AM-J-01 magic turbojet engine. The atmosphere was charged with energy as the engine section crew members prepared for this very moment. Also present is Professor Robin Calvello and her two apprentices, as well as the head of the Aerial System Development Facility himself, Marco Rossi. The studious-looking gentleman was speaking with the engine section's leader Emilia Giovanna during the preparation process.

"Woooh! Here we go, boys! The moment of truth!" Robin exclaimed to her two apprentices, excitement clearly plastered on her face.

"I'll be lying if I don't anticipate this," Meteos replied, smiling.

"But this is not like Meteos' miniature magic turbojet... I hope everything goes well," Walman said with a hint of concern.

"Yeah... let's pray for their success."

Not only them, but several engineers can also be seen forming huddles and praying to their respective patron deities. Meteos decided to point this out to his anxious friend.

"Look, Walman. Different people are praying to different gods and goddesses for our success. With so many deities behind our backs, how can we afford to fail?"

Walman was speechless after hearing his words. He never thought that way, especially in the context of the 'unity in diversity' concept that he was being taught since elementary school. Realizing this, he struggled to hold back a laugh as he replied to his friend.

"......Damn... Y-you're right! Looks like I owe you one this time."

"Ah, no sweat, friend."

Robin smiled, but a voice she didn't hear for a long time intruded on this wholesome moment.

"Yo! Robin, is that you? Long time no see, eh?"

When she turned to look in that direction, the visage of a male in his twenties came into view. He sported an unbuttoned white collared top over a white undershirt, accompanied by white trousers and even white shoes. The only deviations from this monochrome ensemble were his skin color and his haphazardly-slicked back medium-length black hair, with a few strands hanging over his hazel eyes. Approaching the bespectacled professor with a mischievous grin, his wide smile revealed a set of sharp teeth.

Impeccably clean teeth, mind you.

"You..." Robin deadpanned.

"Yeah, me!" the man chirped.

"What brings you here?"

The man shrugged playfully before answering. "Well... the big shots are too busy to attend, so the Director orders the Chief, who in turn orders me to come here to observe this test of yours."

"Oh...? Not here to reunite with an old acquaintance, I suppose?" Robin sarcastically retorted.

"If you'd like, we can do that too," he responded with a smirk.

"Heh."

As the two locked eyes, seemingly on the verge of tension, Robin's apprentices noticed the newcomer and turned their attention to them.

"Teacher, who is this?" Meteos inquired.

But before Robin could answer, the man jumped in front of them and exclaimed, startling Walman.

"Oh! These two must be your apprentices! Right, Robin? Gorogijisogi. Hey, what are your names?"

"Hey, can you not...!" Robin started to get irritated at the man, but he immediately put his hand up to stop her.

"My bad, my bad, I was getting too excited."

"Tch!" Robin clicked her tongue before proceeded to properly do the introduction. "Yes. These two are my apprentices. Meteos Roguerider..."

"Hello."

"... and Walman Falkenhausen."

"Uh, hi."

"And you two, this is my... old acquaintance..." Robin resisted an urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Go-Daguva-Zeba..."

"Just call me Daguva, kids," the man helpfully provided additional information.

'Oh, that name, Robin's reaction, and that language just now, an Uqbarese, huh. There must be some history between these two,' mused Meteos.

This fellow could very well be someone Robin encountered during her previous assignment in Uqbar, assuming she truly is Agent Flamberge. How did Meteos arrive at this conclusion? It was based on Daguva's name. While anyone could be a Sheban, someone with a name like his is likely from Uqbar.

Within the Sheban cultural group exists a tribe now known simply as the 'Uqbarese people,' who adhere to a unique three-part naming scheme. The first part of their names historically denoted their rank within the tribe's hierarchy. However, over time, the tribe's practices—which apparently involved a 'game' of killing the members of other tribes for fun—underwent significant changes in the centuries after the Unification of Middle Lands. Consequently, most of the tribe's traditions faded away, and their naming convention was altered under the ruling authority. It is believed that the name "Go" stems from an ancient warrior class. The second part of the name represents their personal name, while the third part signifies the clan to which they belong. In Daguva's case, his name ends with "Zeba," a clan (used to indicate 'tribe' in the Holy Milishial Empire's trinomial nomenclature system for beastmen) consisting of stag beetle demi-humans native to that region.

Drawing from this information, Meteos can reasonably infer that Daguva is a beastman with the Therianthropus lucanus zeba trinomen.

Yes. Despite not looking like an insect and his sharp teeth may lead you to think otherwise, Daguva is actually an insect demi-human.

"Hmm... very well," Meteos spoke, striving to maintain cordiality. "Speaking of which, Mister Daguva... to which section you belonged? You don't seem to be working around here."

"I usually run errands for the Chief—Andreas Birkburn, I mean, outside the town. He recently told me to come here, so yeah."

"I see."

While the four of them engaged in light talk like that, Emilia was being spoken to by her superior, Rossi. It seemed to have greatly surprised her from the reaction she gave him.

"Eh!? M-me, sir?"

Rossi arched an eyebrow. "Why not? You are the one who leads this team, right? It's just a couple of inspiring words, no big deal."

"No big deal!? With all due respect, sir—"

"Now, now, Miss Giovanna, if this test is a success, you will have to make more speeches like this in the future, so this is a good start now that it's only your close associates who attend this event."

Emilia pouted upon hearing her boss's words, but she knew there wasn't much she could say back to him. Instead, she simply offered him a respectful bow.

"I'll do my best, sir!"

"Excellent. I am counting on you, Miss Giovanna."

Rossi looked at the assembled engineers and gave the signal to go ahead with the test. As the room grew deathly silent, with everyone waiting for the moment, Emilia stepped forward to give an address while trying to calm her nerves. Among the audience, she could see Robin giving her a thumbs-up and a cheeky grin.

"L-ladies and gentlemen, after many days and night of tireless work and dedication, we are finally come to this day, which marks the maiden test of what we call our country's first magic turbojet engine. This is different from his is a great leap forward in our aerial capabilities, and I couldn't be prouder of each and every one of you..." 'How's that? Did I do that right?' "Now, let's move to the observation room and proceed with the testing."

The moment Emilia finished giving her speech, the assemble swiftly moved into position. The engineer manning the control panel operated a lever and announced, "Activating magic barriers."

As a safety precaution, the area between the engine and the observation room was installed with magic circuits that upon activation, it conjures multiple layers of powerful magic barriers to prevent the debris from explosions caused by the engine failure to hit the personnel. The air shimmered with vibrant blue particles before a solid translucent barrier materialized before the watching eyes of the attendees.

"Commencing the first testing run of AM-J-01! Engine, start!"

The deafening sound of the turbojet in operation filled the site as the engine roared to life. The entire team watched, holding their breaths for the moment they had been working hard towards. While Meteos harbored confidence in its success, the other engineers, whose past experiences were haunted by failure after failure, initially dreaded the outcome. Although there were ample materials available to construct a new engine in the event of failure, the tight deadline necessitated a threefold increase in efforts with even less time to spare. The engineers, who nearly forget to eat and sleep, were already on the brink of exhaustion even if they regularly switch shifts with other employees. However, a small part of them was also filled with hope. Whatever their desire would be, from genuine wish to see mankind reach new heights, a sense of duty, a completely materialistic one, or fear of the consequences if they fail to deliver results, all prayed to the gods to let this be a success, even if just this once. It all lead to this moment.

For the team, the triumphant roar of the AM-J-01 was their long-awaited roar of awakening.

Not only did the AM-J-01, constructed with the Grade AE alloy, remain intact and flawlessly execute its run, but its recorded performance also stunned everyone present. It managed to achieve a maximum thrust four times greater than that of the Chant-Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Engine used in Alpha-1 and Beta-1. However, it fell short of the Alpha Zero engine's true performance, attaining only about 80% of its capability. Although unaware of the latter comparison, the Milishians were rapidly closing the gap, but there was still considerable ground to cover.

"Look! It's alive!"

"Finally!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Those fuckers will never call us losers again!"

Applause erupted throughout the test site, mingled with cheers, excited chatter, and occasional exuberant swearing. Witnessing her work surpassing all expectations, Emilia felt like she is going to faint from all the pressure being lifted off her chest. The other attendees shared a similar feeling of joy, and even Robin could not contain herself as she clapped wildly at the accomplishment.

A proud Rossi turned to Emilia with an extended hand and a smile.

"Congratulations, Miss Giovanna."

Emilia took his outstretched hand in return. "Thank you, sir. But all of this cannot be accomplished without them..."

She trailed off and gazed at the two youngsters who were being teased by their mentor. They looked happy enough with themselves, and as the three made eye contact with them, the two adults smiled as well.

Even though they all basked in the victory at the moment, they all knew that this was just the beginning. The Alpha Edge Project hasn't even taken flight, and the last thing they want to see is that its wings being clipped before it can even take off the ground.

As a side note to everything, it finally came to the Milishians' attention that the NMC-22 is quite a mouthful to pronounce. When the Ministry of Education conducted a naming competition to give it an official name, two contenders arose as the ultimate finalists: "titanium" by the MOASEC and "gracium," advocated by Shara of the Runepolis Magic Academy. Accompanying their proposals were essays explaining the philosophies underlying their chosen names. Ultimately, the discerning judges considered Shara's essay to possess a deeper resonance, thus designating gracium as the official appellation for the NMC-22.

---

"Gratia, huh?"

As Meteos Roguerider found himself reading the Ministry of Education's verdict, he, the very proposer of the name 'titanium,' allowed a gentle murmur to escape his lips while seated at his working desk. Strangely, a wide smile embellished his face despite the fact that it was supposed to mark his first time to encounter defeat within this second life.

But gratia is a good name. It's an old Caelian—somewhat fitting to come from an elf—which means "grace," "mercy," and "elegance," and the origin of the modern Milishian word of "grace." For Meteos, who entered the competition half-heartedly, he'd rather see "gracium" win rather than his proposal, which he borrowed from what a certain otherworldly nation of Japan call NMC-22.

He already hoped that his proposal would lose from the start.

"My, my. Meteos, you look way too happy for someone who just lost a competition," Robin commented as she leaned on the doorway, holding a mug of hot chocolate. Walman, who silently watched, gave a nod.

"What?" the silverette turned to face her. "Are you expecting me to go sulk in the corner?"

"Uh, no," Robin shrugged. "That would be immature of you."

Meteos chuckled, then inwardly decided that it was time to spout some bullshittery as his countenance turned somber.

"......If a person does not taste defeat every now and then, how will he know how to fight a victorious battle? In this world, there is no such thing as an ever-victorious man. There are only men who do not give up after a defeat, who grow stronger from experience, and who eventually emerge as victors. In a way, failure is a good thing. It teaches us how to succeed... It's the same with being an Ancient Ministry member. If it's not for learning from all your failures, I will not devise all the things you're working for in the whole Alpha Edge Project as good as what we're working now. I was also able to improve upon my GP designs because there's a mountain of your failures for me to step on and make it a success."

"........."

His two friends went silent, seriously ruminating at his words. Then, Walman opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey, uhh... hearing that, I'm suddenly thinking... what if... the Alpha Edge... uhh—"

"No."

Meteos immediately interrupted him, his eyes turning fierce.

"You have failed enough. This time, I will not let it happen."

The two didn't know that the 'you' in his declaration extends to beyond just the Alpha Edge Project.

Currently Publicly Available Information

RUSALKITE

A mineral composed primarily of the oxide of NMC-22 (later known as gracium) and iron oxide, first discovered in the Rusalka Province of the Holy Milishial Empire and commonly found as accesory mineral in metamorphic and igneous rocks. It has a black to dark gray color and a metallic luster when polished. With a hardness of 5 to 6, it is relatively durable.

With the commencement of the Alpha Edge Project, rusalkite becomes an important source of gracium, which is a non-magic-conductible metal but is discovered to have exceptional strength, low density, and excellent corrosion resistance.

Other major deposits of rusalkite includes the Meerky Kingdom and the Altaras Kingdom.

Omake

A.S.O.H

The title refers to the acronym of the moniker of a certain country located between two oceans separating it from other two powers--a country which, while well-intentioned at heart, has this tendency to fuck things up for everyone in general.

This country is responsible for things in the past, present, and future, some of the more recent ones is inciting fear to certain countries by their actions, as if making other country leaders suffer a heart attack every time its name is whispered to their ears is not enough. Their Alphas are cowardly piece of shit, designed to use speed to fight using hit-and-run tactics instead of the MANLY dogfighting.

Not to mention they apparently graduated into even more cowardly piece of shits by inventing torpedoes and sneaky U-boats that can strike ships from underwater... ew. Imagine not doing ROMANTIC artillery duel between battleships like a man.

Gags aside, and in all fairness, this country is for the most part are decent people who're trying to do the right thing, safeguarding their interests, and achieve happiness in general; it's just that things rarely tend to go as well as they'd hope or like, generally to the detriment of those around them.

🗿

Chapter Text

Invention, which has the meaning of unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process, does not always have to be something grand or world-changing. Sometimes, cutting a wooden board into a long, oval shape and attaching two pairs of small wheels underneath it for fun is already enough to introduce something novel to this stagnant world. And that's what Meteos thinks as he finally got the chance to create a "skateboard" amidst the generous work schedule of his workplace. With a new toy of his creation, he surfed home along the perpetually quiet San Redentore road as he finished his shift in the Alpha Edge Project. Occasionally he pushed the ground with one foot to regain speed the moment he felt that his trip had slowed down.

---

March 20, 1615 Central Calendar

San Redentore District, Runepolis

The icy grip of winter has finally loosened its hold in the Holy Milishial Empire, yielding to the gentle touch of the changing seasons. Nature, like a painter with a vibrant palette, adorned the forest on both sides of the road with hues of delicate pastels, as if brushing life onto a blank canvas. The ground that was once blanketed in snow now boasted a carpet of blossoms, their petals unfurling like secrets whispered on the wind. A harmonious chorus of chirping birds and rustling leaves celebrated this rebirth. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of budding trees, casting a dappled dance of light and shadow upon Meteos' path, chasing away the lingering chill of winter's farewell. The fragrance of blooming flowers enveloped him, an embrace that mingled with the sweet notes of hope and possibility. It was as if the world itself had donned a new attire, vibrant and resplendent, inviting him to share in its splendor.

However, despite finding himself in a tapestry of an awakening, a feeling of fatigue clung to Meteos like a heavy cloak, dragging his every step and eroding his usual resilience. The vibrant scenery seemed muted as if drained of its magic. The empty road, which usually gave him a sense of tranquility, now stretched before him like a desolate expanse, echoing his weary state of being.

Meteos inhaled the fresh air as much as his lung could afford, holding it for a moment, before exhaling it in a long and weary sigh.

"This annoying feeling has caught up to me again..." he murmured to no one, fully in realization on why his body felt this way.

Despite the measures he took, the adjustment in his sleep schedule to keep his mind and physique fresh, in the end, the rapidly increasing pace of the Alpha Edge Project and the sidequests he frequently took up on his own made his second life quite taxing, leaving little time for any sort of recreation or relaxation. His shift ended at midday, but his afternoons and evenings are far from leisurely, doing the aforementioned things.

Reincarnation aside, Meteos Roguerider is still a full-fledged human with all of its limitations, after all.

---

"Angel Fruit, you say?"

Meteos recalled speaking that line when Robin found him and Walman having lunch in the cafeteria while showing them a long, but thin cardboard box she produced from her bag. He remembered earlier in the morning she had gone to the post office to retrieve a package. This must be it.

"Yup!" Robin cheerfully answered, "I might or might not have told my mom about how tired you kids can become during your shifts, so since she happened to order a bunch of these fruits from abroad, she decided to package some of them and told me to share it with you."

"That's very kind of Mrs. Candee," Meteos remarked.

"Huh? A fruit that can cure tiredness?"

"You don't think that's too good to be true, do you?" Robin said as if reading Walman's mind, before giving him a smirk. The boy, on the other hand, stared at the box with dubious eyes before nodding slightly.

Listening to Robin giving Walman an explanation, Meteos sighed.

He was aware of what those fruits are. Small red nut-like fruits, they grow only on a distant island nation nestled located in the Outside Civilization Area far west of the Mu Continent. Eventually, this land became a colony under the dominion of the Gra Valkas Empire when they appeared in this world according to the history of Meteos' first life. It was said that the Angel Fruit's substances—or a mythical power, as claimed by the island's inhabitants—are capable of granting individuals the chance to share a dream with someone they held a connection with. However, those who consumed it would invariably awaken with no recollection of their dreams, leaving the veracity of such claims in perpetual uncertainty. Nonetheless, one fact remained: the fruit was indeed capable of improving a person's sleep quality, fostering the potential for more delightful journeys within the realm of dreams.

In short, good sleep leads to the maintenance of physical beauty. It's something that a mage like Candee is understandable to be interested in.

"Then...! If it's very rare, it must be very expensive, right, Miss Robin?" Walman exclaimed.

"Why, yes, my dear student. But my mother's rich, so don't worry about that! Hahaha!"

"Eh......" Meteos sweatdropped. On one hand he's happy for them that their relationship is okay after being separated for so long, but she still caught him off guard with that declaration.

As a side note, Robin's monthly income might surpass Candee. But that's probably just mothers.

"By the way, Meteos."

"What is it, Teacher?"

"Take one day to not doing any sidequest after coming home from your shift, would you? I appreciate you try to adjust your sleep schedule, but are you sure you don't feel fatigue at all?"

"If you never mention it, I will not feel it at all," Meteos answered in half disappointment knowing what's to come.

"Kid!"

".........Very well."

---

Such thoughts swirled within Meteos' mind as he beheld a red wooden box that contained the Angel Fruits. He had finally arrived in his apartment, where he decided to do what Robin said that day and sleep like dead. After leaving notes for Walman, Meteos made himself comfortable on the bedroom after consuming one of the fruits and let himself drift off to dreamland.

"........."

Meteos could have sworn he was dreaming.

He recalled going for a shut eye this afternoon, so this must be a dream. Yes, that must be it. But on the other hand, he felt lucid. He could move his limbs freely in this dreamspace.

"Too bad, I won't be able to remember this dream..."

Looking around, Meteos found himself within a corridor seemingly crafted from the purest alabaster in the world, stretching forth in both directions to unseen end. Tall mirrors adorned the corridor's walls, showing Meteos a reflection of his teenage self. Adorned in a neat clothing of white collared shirt with maroon vest and black trousers, his appearance was no different than his current life's self.

Now filled with curiosity and a burgeoning sense of anticipation, Meteos decided to walk forward, taking his steps carefully upon the corridor's gleaming floor. Each footfall echoed softly while his eyes continued to fixate upon the distant source of light from the corridor's end. Its beckoning luminescence held a promise of revelation, drawing Meteos ever closer, as if an unseen force guided his path. It felt like an eternity of endless walking, but Meteos continued to press onward until the light grew brighter and enveloped his entire being.

"What the..."

When he felt that the light had subsided, Meteos raised his gaze and found himself to be in another ethereal space. This time, it appeared to be some sort of a dimly lit circular courtyard, where he now stood on top of a rampart that surrounded the open space. The darkness of the sky seemed to blend seamlessly with the ground, with what appeared to be stars adorning the celestial garden. With him recognizing the Crown of Majesty constellation directly above his head, Meteos could see that this dream sky is taken after his planet's.

At that moment, bluish light flickered briefly in the middle of the courtyard, and then...

"Where am I? Why am I here?"

Meteos paused, chills running down his spine. Those words didn't come from his mouth, yet he knew that the voice belonged to him... at some point in his life.

As he watched, the light faded away to reveal a humanoid figure—a human male. Said human wore an all-too familiar dark gray longcoat complimented with brown decorations, navy blue collared shirt and matching ribbons. His short silver hair looked tousled, and overall his young face looked haggard.

With the silver mask absent, the man was an older doppelganger(?) of himself, with an attire matching the one Meteos wore the day Walman died, but with a twenty-something years old physical appearance that seemed to reflect his prime. Whatever does this mean, the younger-looking and real(?) Meteos watching from the ramparts already felt seeds of discomfort growing within his heart. It felt dream-like, but at the same time it's not. The older version of himself at first looked around in confusion, his gaze sweeping the place where Meteos stood once. However, despite him being clearly visible on top the ramparts, the young man did not react upon his presence at all. It's as if the boy was never there.

Could it be that Meteos is watching something similar to a holographic projection? Him being a spectator to the events unfolding in his dream?

"...What does this dream mean?"

But at the same time, it was intriguing. The reincarnator thus decided to watch what will happen next.

"Shouldn't I already be dead? Ah, is this an afterlife, then?" Meteos heard the man spoke.

---

"Where am I? Why I am here?"

Meteos Roguerider, the Grand Mage, inventor, and former captain of the superweapon Pal Chimera could have sworn he was already dead.

"Shouldn't I already be dead? Ah, is this an afterlife, then?" he muttered, still reeling from what had transpired to himself as the memories came back, surging like a tempest.

Surviving the ravages of the wars spanning the known world, Meteos had achieved the position and title of Grand Mage in the peace that followed. However, the scars of those conflicts, while not visible on his physique, seared deep into his heart. The Holy Milishial Empire, once stood at the pinnacle of prosperity, had crumbled beneath the weight of conflict and ambitions. Meteos had dedicated his life to serving his homeland, only to see it wither away, its glory stolen by alien powers. A twinge of envy gnawed at his soul as he thought of the otherworldly countries of Japan and Gra Valkas Empire, who now basked in the robbed radiance that should have been the August Star of Heaven's.

Ah... the Sin of Envy.

Countries steal, cheat, and lie all the time, yes. This was nothing new. But still... to be outdone in such a sordid way... Unacceptable.

Regret weighed heavily upon his shoulders, now his mind focused the weight of all the comrades he had lost, the lives extinguished in the fires of war. Their unfulfilled dreams, their unspoken words of farewell, weighing down upon him like an anchor dragging him into the depths of despair. At one point, he felt that his long life was a form of punishment for his sins. All the random things he had done one after another in the postwar period was just his way of escaping that feeling. Sometimes he felt that he did something good, but the feeling for the most part was still there.

It was incredibly infuriating. Being a loser, that is.

"Afterlife? Hehehe, not quite."

"...Who's there!?"

A voice that suddenly echoed out of nowhere alerted Meteos, forcefully dragging him out of his musings. From the direction of the voice, Meteos saw a young-looking man emerging from the darkness. His skin was pale and white, as if he had never seen the sunlight, with a pair of glowing lavender eyes that studied him with a tinge of mischief within them. He was clad in what looked like a white traditional garb, complimented with red lines and ornaments that adorned it. His hair, silver like Meteos’, was shoulder-length long and wild, two locks of which framed either side of his face, while his forehead was covered with a red patterned headband tied to the left side.

".........?"

Meteos remained silent as this strange man approached him. The more he observed him, the less convinced Meteos was that he was an ordinary person. And that skin color, which was the exact same tone as the Light-Winged Devils, made his skin crawl. His appearance brought a sense of foreboding that invaded his heart.

"Ha? Are you going to keep your silence like that?" the pale man asked.

".........Who are you?" Meteos finally opened his mouth, absolutely disliking this freak's patronizing tone.

"Aha! That's a good start," the man jumped happily. "I have been called many names, but on this occasion, you can call me Kagaseo, the Brilliant Male."

"Kagaseo...? Like that star?" Meteos pointed to the brightest star in the sky above their heads.

"Yeah."

"The August Star of Heaven?"

"I just happen to have the same name as that meteor that your people revere so much, don't think about it too much, but yeah. The Japanese also called me by a different name... Hoshigami Kagaseo, Ame-no-Kagaseo, and last but not the least, Amatsu-Mikaboshi, which by the way can be translated as the 'August Star of Heaven.' Funny, isn't it!?"

"The rebellious Star God..."

Meteos remembered reading that once in a literature and muttered, causing Kagaseo to cackle.

"If you bear such grandiose names, you are a deity, then?" Meteos asked, trying to be calm.

"Let's say that I am a God, and I have summoned your soul after your death to this place. Can you guess what will happen next?"

Is this a riddle?

"I don't know... but earlier you said that this place isn't an afterlife."

Kagaseo began to pace around Meteos, still carrying a nonchalant air around him.

"Alright then. Suppose I'll just tell you. In the event of death, souls will be reviewed by gods and goddesses and will categorized into those who will be sent to afterlife and remain there, and those who will reincarnate. If the need arises, those who reincarnate will be allowed to keep their memories, knowledge, and experience intact. Usually. Oh... but you just so happened to end up in my turf."

Alarmed, Meteos narrowed his eyes at those last words, his mind struggling to comprehend what exactly Kagaseo meant. But judging from his tone, nothing good come from every conclusion that came to mind.

"What will happen to me?" he dared to ask.

"You, Meteos Roguerider, has somehow been chosen to reincarnate with your memories intact. But I find that absurd! Why it should be you that is been chosen as a special case!? A sore loser like you!? You don't deserve this honor!"

"What...? Then... if you objected to that decision so much, can you just send me to the afterlife and be done with it? You are a god, aren't you?" Meteos replied in shock, a cold shiver now running down his spine as Kagaseo stopped in front of him, this time with a clearly displeased look on his face.

Meteos never asked all this to happen. Not allowed to reincarnate? Fine. He was already too tired anyway. The only thing he wanted now is just to rest and meet with the souls of those who died before him... Father... Mother... Walman...

"Hehehehehe... hahahahahahahaha... BRAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kagaseo started cackling maniacally.

'...What now...!?'

"AS IF I'M GOING TO LET IT HAPPEN!" the God thundered, all traces of playfulness have now been replaced by a pure, unadulterated rage.

"B-but why!? Can you at least explain to me what did I do to deserve such damnation—was it my sins?"

"I don't give a flying fuck about your sins or your good deeds or whatever. If I say your soul is going to be erased from existence, that's what will happen. You just happened to end up here and I don't like your face. That's all there is to it," Kagaseo bluntly asserted.

Meteos now realized what this God meant that he just so happened to be ended up in his territory and sank to his knees in despair. The fact that there is some other unknown entity that judged his soul to be reincarnated was not at all important to him now. His unlucky soul was about to be erased to oblivion by a malevolent god.

'Is this how it ends...? To be pathetically erased by an impostor bearing the August Star of Heaven's name...!?'

His head drooped into his hands as he felt himself crumbling in agony. This nightmare has already lasted far too long.

"Haha! How pitiful. Hmm, what about we make this enjoyable as it lasts? Ah! Yes! I should put up stakes! How about this... I will give you a chance! If you win this, I will allow you to be reborn into your younger self with your full knowledge, memories, and experience intact. I will even grant you a perfect photographic memory! Should you amuse me enough, I will also give you a chance to have one wish granted. You can do whatever you want with it, but will you do it...?"

".........!"

Meteos raised his face and glared daggers at Kagaseo who remained looming over him, his body which initially trembled in terror, now shook as his despair gradually transformed into a burning cauldron of rage.

"Stop... toying around!" the human spat between the gritted teeth.

"Oh? But I know you want it. YOU know you want it. That glimmer in your eyes! Is that hope? Bwahahahaha! What? Resolving to make right the wrong that is decades in the making!? Eh!?"

"Grrrrrr!"

Ignoring him, Kagaseo snapped his fingers and four objects materialized in front of Meteos. At the same time, another object appeared in the god's left hand with purple light particles.

"What—"

Kagaseo let out a sinister chuckle. "I have chosen these tools to play our little game. Those are what will help you in the challenge I am about to give you."

"And that challenge is—"

"You are going to use that to try and survive against me in a one versus one fight!"

Meteos balked, "A mortal being pitted to fight against god!? So you're just setting me up to fail anyway, after all...!"

"Haaaaaa, but, bu... bu... bu... bu... but... but... muh... muh... You'll never know until you try... is that what you mortals always believe?" Kagaseo mocked. "Why don't you put that saying to use and TRY!?"

"Tch!"

Meteos could not hide his frustration any longer. It was clear that this 'challenge' is designed as a nothing more than a trap. He was about to get humiliated either way. But by the benevolent gods and the real August Star of Heaven, he swore that he won't die until he at least shoves his boot into this asshole's smug face. All the frustrations that he kept bottled up in life, he will let it all explode now.

"Bastard..." Meteos growled and instinctively grabbed the two objects sitting in the center. "In that case... bring it on..."

As soon as his hands touched them, Meteos could feel a light zap of electricity and a surge of knowledge rushing into his mind. The names of these objects, their mechanisms, parts, and how to effectively use them, he had all those clear as day.

"Hmph!" he scoffed. "So you're at least be kind enough to let me know how to use these..."

"Wouldn't be fun otherwise. Now, quick! Make your preparations!"

In Meteos' right hand is a black buckle-like object called the Transformation Belt Desire Driver, developed based on a very advanced hydrogen cell technology capable of generating an enormous amount of renewable energy with an efficiency of over 96%. Not even the hydrogen engine magitech Meteos worked on just before he died and Japan's 22nd century technology can match that output in such a handheld size. Meanwhile, the object in his left hand is the ID Core, serving as a personal identification code terminal for the user... which is capable of transforming into an armored warrior called a Kamen Rider.

Meteos' given ID Core has a navy-blue color with white accent, depicting a crocodile. Without further ado, based on the knowledge in using it, the Grand Mage quickly inserted the ID Core into the Desire Driver's Perfecter Core socket.

DESIRE DRIVER!

ENTRY

The announcement was heard, followed by Meteos bringing the Driver to his waist and let the Ridol Line band extend to fasten the driver.

"Hehehehe..."

With a gleeful smile, Kagaseo started to don his own equipment, the Transformation Belt Vision Driver. Similarly, the belt announced its activation with a calmer and more robotic voice. The next step for him is to press his thumb to the belt's Biometricer authentication device to prepare for the transformation.

GLARE-X, LOG IN!

Reaching to his left side to pick up the Providence Card to continue with the procedure, Kagaseo declared in a voice that couldn't hide his excitement.

"Let the fun begin! Henshin!"

INSTALL

DESTRUCTION, CREATION, IMAGINATION

GLARE-X

As soon as he swiped the card down on the driver's reader device, five interconnected purple energy rings materialized from beneath Kagaseo and moved upwards, enveloping him in light particles as they passed. In his place was a menacing figure wearing a black suit underneath a set of futuristic armor, standing by as the spherical drones called Hypnorays that also materialized with the transformation latch on his shoulder, chest, and knee part of the armor. Unlike the original Kamen Rider Glare, Glare-X can be identified by the red flaming motif on his visor, chest armor, and the aforementioned Hypnorays.

Kagaseo, now Kamen Rider Glare-X, crossed his arms and patiently waited for Meteos' own transformation, lightly tapping his fingers as he did so.

"My turn..."

SET!

Next, Meteos grabbed the two other objects and forcefully inserted them into both slots on the either side of the Desire Driver. Turning the key on the right one and twisting the grip on the left one twice to activate them, the human remembered that one phrase that seemed just right to announce in this situation.

"Henshin!"

DUAL ON!

ZOM~BIEEEE! AND... BOOST!

With a cacophony of angry roars, death metal music blaring, and an engine revving, the Zombie and Boost Raise Buckles synchronized their powers, materializing a set of armors on either side of Meteos' transformed form. As the black undersuit encased his body, a mechanical apparatus emerged from behind him, seamlessly pulling the armor pieces onto the suit to complete the transformation.

Emerging from the transformation is another Kamen Rider. His navy-blue helmet appeared cracked with white lines, framed by crocodile jaw-like protrusions on both sides and completed by a pair of piercing orange visors and purple mouth guard. The Zombie Buckle, used to materialize the top armor, manifested as an overall bulky purple armor with menacing spiked pauldrons and a diagonal purple line that connected it to the Desire Driver. Adorning his arms were expansion equipment capable of generating potent poisons, while his left hand was wrapped in the Berserclaw as a feature unique to this form. A tattered shoulder cape hung from his left shoulder. Furthermore, the Zombie Buckle granted Meteos with the Zombie Breaker, a sword-chainsaw hybrid that he gripped using his free right hand upon materializing.

Moving downward, the Boost Buckle equipped Meteos with orange-red armor, adorning his thighs, kneecaps, and ankles. Protruding from the shins were exhaust pipes that erupted with menacing flames as soon as the transformation took hold. The combination of the Zombie and Boost Raise Buckles had resulted in a Kamen Rider that was mismatched in color, but looked formidable all the same.

The transformed Meteos took one second to look at his armored hands and the rest of his body.

"I transformed... this form... it's called... Kamen Rider... Rogue?"

"Ha! Kamen Rider Rogue, eh!? Even with that form, do you even have the power to rebel against your own fate!?" Glare-X taunted.

"It's not like I've given that many options!" Rogue retorted, brandishing the Zombie Breaker and took up a stance.

READY...?

FIGHT!

In a swift motion, Glare-X detached a Hypnoray from his left kneecap and kicked it, sending the projectile careening toward the crocodilian zombie Rider. However, thanks to the knowledge and muscle memory acquired from the Desire Driver, Rogue swung his Zombie Breaker with all his might to deflect it and willed the Boost Kicker on his legs to fire, giving him the power to charge at his opponent at breakneck speed.

At this point, being a fight occurring in a realm between life and death using powers given by a God, all common sense was already thrown out of the window.

'Fuck common sense, fuck rationality, let's go wild,' the Star-God Kagaseo would say. He was about to have a time out of his dull life with Rogue as his dance partner. Glare-X grinned under his helmet seeing Rogue running towards him, chainsaw-sword at the ready, and motioned his hand to recall the Hypnoray he just sent away. All the while, he just arrogantly stood still, as if inviting Rogue to land a hit or two. Within his mind, he was thinking about more fuel to be thrown into roasting Rogue.

"!!!"

Rogue sensed the incoming Hypnoray from behind and sidestepped to avoid an explosion from the impact. With his momentum disrupted, Rogue stabbed the Zombie Breaker into the floor to aid him in drifting before resuming his charge. He tried to run around the standing Glare-X, arriving at a spot behind his back, and attacked, his Zombie Breaker's chainsaw roaring and dripping with poison.

SKRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...!!

"Ara, ara, do you think it will be that easy, Dear Rider?" Glare-X chuckled.

Before the chainsaw could touch Glare-X's back, four more Hypnorays detached and formed an energy shield to block the strike. Sparks flew from the contact as the Zombie Breaker struggled to cut through the thick defense.

"At least you tried to fight and not RUNNING AWAY LIKE A COWARD!"

Without turning around, Glare-X snapped his fingers, ordering the shield to emit an energy pulse that sent Rogue back several steps and quickly disengaged it, commanding the Hypnorays to fire laser beams. Now showered by destructive lights, Rogue dashed backwards to avoid them, gain distance, and try to calmly assess his opponent. Each movement, each taunt from Glare-X held valuable insights for his next move. He took a deep breath, focusing his thoughts amidst the chaos of the fight.

'His defenses are impressive. Those drones he deployed formed a formidable shield that can easily block my strikes. I don't think direct frontal assaults will connect. I'll need to find a way to outmaneuver his defenses, exploit a weakness, something that he might be overlooking in his arrogance...' Rogue racked his mind in desperation. '...But he's a God... dammit, what should I do?'

Alas, just as Rogue was about to implement a strategy, out of the corner of his vision he saw the Hypnorays fired the laser beams to the floor, generating a thick cloud of dust that hid Glare-X from view.

'Smokescreen...!?'

"HA!"

"Oh, shi—AAAAAAAH!"

Out of the dust cloud suddenly emerged Glare-X's fist which impacted Rogue's helmet, sending him who was unable to react in time crashing into multiple pillars and generating more dust clouds. The next moment when Rogue tried to regain his senses from the disorienting impact, he felt a choking grip on his throat, restricting his airflow and causing him to gasp for breath. Amidst the settling dust, the flaming motifs of Glare-X's visor glow with an intense gaze, emanating a sense of sadistic pleasure as he revels in Rogue's vulnerability.

"Look at you, Rogue," Glare-X said in a mock-hurt tone, lifting his opponent's bulky armored form with ease before slamming him back down on the ground. "Fighting desperately for a chance of being sent back in time... tsk, tsk, tsk."

Feeling that to be not enough, Glare-X now straddled Rogue and cocked his fist again.

"What is even a time travel, but nothing more than a pathetic attempt to force the world to move around oneself!? What are you even trying to achieve in doing that, Rogue!?"

BOOM!

Each hit felt like it can turn a human's head into mush, but Rogue's helmet protected Meteos from that fate.

"Your dreams!?"

BOOM!

"Your happiness!?"

BOOM!

"Your IDEAL WORLD!?"

Rogue's body ached from the relentless pummeling he endured at the hands of Glare-X. With every hit, his armor rattled, and his vision blurred, but the refusal to die in the hands of fate burned with him. He used his Boost-powered leg to kick Glare-X in the back, sending him tumbling away. But just as Rogue managed to break free, Glare-X quickly recovered and gave Rogue a hard kick in the stomach, sending him rolling. In a panic, Rogue frantically reached for the Zombie Buckle and twisted its Waking Key once.

ZOMBIE STRIKE!

Using the momentum from his roll, Rogue swung his Berserclaw and summoned a giant red energy claw that swept the general area where Glare-X stood. The transformed god brought his hands to guard against the attack, laughing as the force sent him flying. However, Glare-X's Hypnorays formed an elastic energy barrier in his path to serve as his cushion. Thanks to them, Glare-X rebounded and landed gracefully some distance away.

"So... what...?"

Amidst his ragged breathing, Rogue managed to stand up.

"So what if I believe in something? So what if I wanted to pursue my own wishes? I don't expect someone like you to understand... but for mortals like us, believing in something to keep them going... and desire to pursue their wishes... and happiness! It's what makes a mortal's life worth living! They—"

Some faces surfaced in his mind amidst his reminiscing.

"They even went so far as to put their lives in line so that they can achieve their ideal world! Don't you dare to trample upon their wishes...!"

Glare-X was amused by those words.

"Pfft! That sounds like something a pathetic dweeb would say! Believing in ideals, you say...? We higher beings call that cringe! Hahahahaha! That's why you mortals' lives will continue to be nothing more than insects in a trash heap!"

'Dammit all... to be able to brush off that attack with ease... His raw power is completely out of my league!' Rogue cursed in frustration; his stance already turned unsteady from the damage.

Seeing his condition, Glare-X mused nonchalantly.

"Oh, I know! Time to add more participants to the party."

HACKING ON. CRACK START!

With a press of the Vision Driver's Biometricer, Glare-X first summoned two GM Riders along with detaching his shoulder-mounted Hypnorays to begin hacking them as his slaves. Then, he manifested two more Raise Buckles out of thin air and inserted them to a slot on the left-hand side of the belt one by one.

SET. UPGRADE. REMOTE CONTROL. MONSTER.

SET. UPGRADE. REMOTE CONTROL. MAGNUM.

These successive commands granted the GM Riders the Monster Form, a blue and yellow melee-based form equipped with a pair of gauntlets, and the Magnum Form, a white gunslinger form brandishing the Magnum Shooter 40X at the ready. The two wasted no time to start lunging at Rogue, followed by Glare-X who watched the proceedings behind.

"!!!"

Rogue, having regained his breath, frantically sidestepped the Magnum GM Rider's barrage and shoved him out of the way to meet the Monster GM Rider's punch. Even though his Berserclaw managed to parry the opening punch, Monster subsequently followed up with a strike to Rogue's solar plexus. This was also countered by Rogue hopping backwards and kicked Monster's hand with a Boost-enhanced strike, sending him tumbling away.

"Believing in ideals, you say!? Stupid! Why can't you mortals be real?"

The fight unfolded in a rapid fashion. Magnum lunged from behind Rogue, but the crocodilian Kamen Rider caught his gun-wielding arm and pinned it under his left armpit, redirecting the bullets he fired to Glare-X. Amused, the transformed god approached leisurely and delivered a series of love taps in the form of half-hearted punches at the struggling Rogue.

"Oh, right! Hahahaha! I almost forgot! Your entire existence is just a fiction after all! You are never real to begin with!"

"What... are... you... talking... about!?"

Monster and Magnum tried to lunge at him again, but Rogue somewhat manage to endure their attacks while giving one or two counters in return. However, the two GM Riders then split to allow Glare-X to run between the gap and launch an explosive side kick at the surprised Rogue.

"Gah!" Rogue grunted, being the receiving end at the relentless attack. His attempt to recover his bearings was thwarted by Magnum who swept in and fired at him from point-blank range.

"That's right!" Glare-X laughed. "You are nothing more than a fiction that us higher beings use as entertainment!"

"What!?"

"Your kind's misery! Your kind's death! We cheered and hollered at them! We celebrate when aliens slaughtered your world! We devise scenarios to humiliate your people! One esteemed audience even suggested to just nuke your country... for no reason at all! Ahahaha!"

---

'What kind of dream is this!?'

Seeing the events play before him, Meteos the reincarnator could feel his jaw went slack at the sheer absurdness of it all. He knew it was a dream, but he couldn't help but feel that way. Two men having an intense talk and then transformed into armored warriors before duking it out is something that wouldn't be too out of place in a morning television show for kids. His thoughts and feelings oscillate between awe, confusion, and concern. If all meanings do have a meaning, then he still couldn't wrap his mind around what does this dream mean, whether this was a real vision of his period before rebirth or not.

Meteos couldn't recall that something like this happened between his death and rebirth, yet this whole exchange implied that this was happened to Meteos' soul the moment after he died. Therefore, as he observed Rogue, the transformed form of his older-looking doppelganger, Meteos couldn't help but feel a strange mix of connection and detachment.

"When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools..." the silverette murmured, thinking about Glare-X's scathing insults. "Then, are we in the end exist only to be laughed at by the higher beings?"

That's unfair. This fate, this existence, all of them are unfair. He couldn't help but feel a burning envy for those higher beings. It was selfish, yes, but he was done being mocked at every single time. He wanted to pursue his dreams, his happiness, his ideal world.

Meteos bitterly glanced at Rogue.

"I don't know if this dream is a reflection of my desires which clashes against the cold reality... but I was here, being able to slowly see my wishes and happiness grow... You can do it too, Rogue... come on! Fight it!"

Rebel against fate!

---

Whether Rogue listened to Glare-X's mockery or not, he decided to unleash a finishing move. Rogue gripped the Boost Buckle's Boost Throttle and twisted it once.

BOOST TIME!

As the standby sound echoed, Rogue used the Boost Kicker to leap high in the air. At the same time, Glare-X detached two Hypnorays from his knee armors to open fire at him. Vulnerable in his position, the laser beams impacted Rogue and sent him crashing down.