Lance took the mech project off for a few days. He wanted the others to rest after such an intense incident.
But his three co-workers asked him to continue immediately. So, after four days, they returned to the workshop.
This is Eve's final assignment. Trish also seems to enjoy her job as a tester. Meanwhile, Cecil is happy to see Lance's passion.
Lance realized that this had also been their dream.
"When can I do another test?" Trish took the mech's shoulder and studied it. That thing was clean of bloodstains, making the color of the steel visible. "Is it still long?"
"After that incident, I thought about various things to improve this thing." Lance put several sheets of paper and books on a table. "So, yeah. We might need more time to complete one full piece of armor."
Cecil added. "And there are several materials I want to try. I've ordered them, but they won't arrive for a few weeks."
"You are still taking part in individual parts testing." Sitting in a chair, Eve started writing something in her notes. "Or you can cook for us. Feel free to do it at any time."
Trish's tone became more cheerful. "Is it true? That's good! I thought about learning belly dancing if I did nothing for days. I get bored easily…"
Trish stopped talking when she heard footsteps coming from behind the door.
When the door opened, Eve stood up. Uncharacteristically, she widened her eyes. "Father?"
With gray hair and a thicker beard, Arthur Moryet led two people behind him: Julian and a thin man with glasses.
"Cut the formalities." Arthur said, as they were about to bow to him. "You guys can already guess why I came here." He then glanced at the man wearing glasses. "He's Tobias Ardalle, member of the weapons development division in the palace."
"Excuse me." Tobias approached the armor parts that were still scattered on the floor. After glancing at the inscription, he made a conclusion. "Inscription for movement magic, huh? I met the inventor many years ago. He even had difficulty making an inscription for his own spell. Your daughter is a genius, Sir Arthur."
"Movement magic, one of the forgotten magics. The professors said it was worthless." Arthur walked over to Tobias, leaving Julian to give Lance a sharp look.
Lance crossed his arms, staring back at Arthur's aide.
Tobias crouched down, examining the armor frames on the floor. "You're right, sir. This magic can only move objects a few inches. To utilize it to this extent…." He adjusted his glasses again with shaking hands, then smiled at Lance. "Just who are you, young man?"
"I'm Lance Ashbourne, sir." Lance answered. "An ordinary villager."
"An ordinary villager, huh?" Tobias rose to his feet. "In my entire life, I have never seen a design like this. And once I heard it worked, it… It sounded like a dream."
"Cut the crap, Tobias." Arthur snapped. "Tell me, can someone else can do this design?"
Lance felt a jolt in his heart. His brain went to work, gathering arguments to fight back. He refuses to let others claim his work.
"I'm afraid, Sir Arthur." Tobias took a deep breath. "This young man and your daughter must handle this project. I don't know who else could do it."
"This is why I discourage you from researching such things, Eve." Arthur sat down in a chair and rubbed his face. "I don't want you to be recruited by the military. There will be a lot of pressure."
Tobias smiled at Evelyn. "You will graduate faster, Miss Evelyn. You'll present your work to the professors. After that, you'll receive a diploma from Mytra academy. Unfortunately, you won't be able to attend the graduation party."
Evelyn glanced at Lance. "On paper, this is my project. But actually, the leader is Lance. These are his blueprints, after all. He's the one who decides..."
"It doesn't matter who decides." Arthur Moryet massaged his forehead. "You won't be able to refuse. The Celestenia Kingdom government requested it."
Evelyn closed her eyes, then approached her father. "I'm sorry, father. But believe me, I made this project because of Lance's wonderful ideas. I approach this with curiosity as a scientist."
"But…." Arthur gasped. "Ah, there's no point arguing."
Lance's heart was already beating fast. The possibility of intense pressure from the palace was among the factors that bothered his thoughts. However, there were also aspects that made him eager to work for them.
He will get more resources, and his dreams will become brighter.
"What about you guys?" Lance looked at Trish and Cecil.
Without the slightest hesitation, Cecil stepped forward. "I told you, I would support your dreams, no matter what, Lance. I'll come with you. My parents will definitely approve of this because they want me to go to the city."
Meanwhile, Trish scratches her hair. "To be honest, I never thought about working with this country's military. But I've fallen in love with your armor, boss…. Ah, I'm conflicted about this. Can I think about it first?"
"When will we leave, Mr. Tobias?" Lance asked.
Tobias adjusted his glasses. The shaking in his hands had subsided. "About two more days. Sorry, we have little time."
"Both of them have played a crucial role in this project. I can't just leave them, or I'll have a hard time doing this job."
"No problem. As Miss Evelyn said, you are the actual leader of this project. You are free to bring the people you need." Tobias smiled again.
"Two days, huh?" Trish took a deep breath. "I have to admit, it was very short."
"You have time until the last second we leave." Lance assured her.
"Great." Tobias clapped his hands once. "I'm glad it went so smoothly."
Lance walked towards a table where he put his documents. "I predict it will take 6 months to a year to create mass-produced battle-ready armors."
Tobias was silent for a moment. "I'm afraid that won't do. You know our kingdom's political situation with our neighbor, right?"
"Yeah, that's why I thought of a temporary solution." Lance pulled a folded piece of paper from the table and handed it to Tobias.
Frowning, Tobias opened the paper and gasped. The trembling in his hands returned. "W-what is this?"
"It's called a firearm." Lance answered in a cold tone. "I'm sure we only need to try it a few times. After that, we can produce it quickly."
It was a simple rifle schematic with low-cost materials. But this world has never seen anything like that, so Lance is sure that no one can fight it.