Evaluation
"Then I'll be off."
"Yeah! I'll be cheering for you!"
After parting with Karen in front of the department, John Brown headed to the office.
"I'm here... Department Head, sir?"
Not only the team members but also the department head were inside the office. He sat in an empty chair, reading the planning document Brown had prepared.
"Hmm. You're here? You've come up with something intriguing."
"Yes, sir."
"Is this the weapon you've designed?"
"That's right."
Brown answered tensely.
'I was going to discuss it with the team first, revise the plan, and then come see you.'
The plan had gone slightly off track, but what was done was done.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"Here you go."
"Hmm..."
The department head took the gun and began examining it.
"So... you load the propellant and the ball in here?"
"Yes, sir."
"And pulling this makes the ball fire?"
"Yes, Department Head."
"Hmm. Interesting."
The department head set the firearm on the desk and looked at Brown.
"This weapon's similar to a bow."
"Yes, sir."
"Then let me ask you this: compared to a bow, what do you see as this weapon's main advantage?"
"..."
The department head's evaluation had begun. For Brown, it was a crisis. But seen another way, it was an opportunity too. Convince him, and he'd get extra support.
And in his mind were memories from his past life—information as good as an answer key. He was confident.
'I can convince him.'
Brown started his response.
"It's easy to learn."
"Easy to learn, eh..."
"Training archers is tough. You need decent strength, and aiming's indirect, so mastery takes time and training."
"True enough."
The department head nodded along with Brown's explanation.
"But a matchlock's different. Just learn to load and fire—it's simple, so anyone picks it up fast."
"Then show me."
Brown demonstrated loading and firing for the department head.
"Load the powder, add a small cloth patch. Ram it home with the rod, then..."
Once Brown's explanation wrapped up, the department head spoke.
"Definitely straightforward. I could do it myself right now. But ease of use alone won't replace the bow."
"It delivers consistently greater power than a bow. And..."
The department head fired off several questions, but Brown's answers were convincing enough. After a moment's thought, he nodded.
"You've prepared thoroughly, I see. Good work so far. Creating a whole new weapon type can't have been easy."
"Thank you, sir."
"Alright. So how do you plan to deploy this thing effectively?"
"Accuracy's still low, and reloading takes time. But with multiple shooters firing volleys—while one rank reloads, the next fires—we can cover the weaknesses."
"Can you make fundamental improvements?"
"Yes. It'll take time and resources, but it's doable."
"Fair enough. I think that's all for now. Keep up the good work—I won't hold back on support."
"I will, sir!"
"Two weeks from now, upper management's evaluating. Prep like you did today."
"Yes, sir!"
The conversation wrapped, and as the department head turned to leave...
"Oh, Department Head—one more thing. I'm planning another weapon besides the matchlock."
"What's that?"
"A cannon... here's the proposal."
The department head skimmed the papers Brown handed over.
"...Basically a matchlock scaled up big?"
"Exactly, sir."
"Hmm. Can you demo this in two weeks too?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'll expect it."
Once the department head was gone, Brown let out a sigh of relief, tension draining away. His palms were slick with sweat—he'd been more wound up than he realized.
'One hurdle down.'
He'd won the department head over. Support was incoming.
Now he had to build demo matchlocks and a cannon, prep for the big evaluation. Plenty to do.
As Brown mulled his next steps, the team gathered around.
"Damn, Brown—you prepped hard. Smooth answers, no stumbles. Solid as hell."
"What can we do to help till evaluation day? I'm all in."
"Mind if I take a shot with that thing?"
Meanwhile, back in his office, the department head sank into his chair, replaying the talk with Brown.
'Interesting weapon he's made.'
He'd been a field commander once, with plenty of battlefield exploits. Peace had pulled him off the front lines into this desk job.
'What if we'd had something like that back then...'
He imagined it briefly, then chuckled and turned to his piled-up paperwork.
The next day, Brown left the department as usual, heading for the smithy. The difference? His team trailed along.
"Oh, you made it here?"
"Yeah. The senior smith helped out."
"Guy's got real skill."
Mid-conversation en route to the smithy, Brown spotted Karen.
"Ah, Karen. Fancy meeting you here."
"Hehe. How'd it go?"
"Got the department head's approval. Solid support lined up too."
"Congrats! That's great."
"And this is..."
Brown pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
"What's this? Whoa!"
A check for a hefty sum.
"Your gunpowder got us this far. Here's to more."
"But this is way too much..."
"Covers what we've used so far and future batches. Plus, it worked out great for me too."
"Hehe... alright then."
Karen was strapped for cash without academy funding. The check was a godsend.
"Thanks. I'll hustle even harder now..."
"I'm the one who's grateful."
"But who's this crew...?"
Karen eyed the group with Brown.
"Ah, these are my teammates. This one's..."
Introductions done, they filed into the smithy.
"We're here."
"Huh, big crowd today."
"Been a while."
Everyone from the department swung by the smithy at least once, so they all knew each other.
"Good to see ya all. Here for the gun?"
"Yeah. And we'll need more matchlocks."
"How many?"
"Around twenty."
Brown handed over a check to the senior smith.
"Includes the cannon deposit from before. Also, any chance we can grab some armor?"
"Armor for what?"
"Power testing."
"With that payout? Armor gratis. Pick from the stack and test away."
"Thanks. Oh—hold off on extra guns till we confirm power."
"You got it."
Leaving the grinning smith rubbing his hands, Brown and the others grabbed armor and headed to the backyard.
Long story short: power test passed. On Karen's fourth shot, the armor toppled.
"Nailed it!"
Karen rushed to check.
"Whoa, Brown—the armor's pierced!"
'Perfect.'
Brown smiled at her words.
"Your Highness. Time to go."
The princess, fussing with her golden hair, replied to her attendant.
"Right."
A month had passed since the imperial council decided on department evaluations. Today, many would shut down or merge.
"Hmm..."
She'd attend the evaluations too—just for kicks. Wondering what desperate gimmicks the departments might pull.
"As usual today, please."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The attendant took position behind her and began chanting, as always. The princess's appearance shifted gradually.
Her golden hair and eyes—proof of her identity—turned brown. Her stunning looks, enough to flush any cheek, dulled to plain.
"All set."
"Good. Let's move."
"Yes."
She rose and headed to the evaluation site with her attendant.
"This should be fun."
But the evaluations didn't live up to her hopes. Mediocre stuff—a bit more polish than usual, maybe.
'Boring.'
Department after department, nothing worth her attention.
"Next: Weapons Development Research Department's new weapon demo."
'One more, then I'm out.'
The princess eyed the file. It claimed success on a brand-new weapon.
"From Weapons Development Research: John Brown. Today's demo weapon is..."
She watched the man present with indifferent eyes. The content was fresh enough.
'Fires balls to strike the enemy.'
Undeniably novel, but not gripping. Her gaze stayed cool.
It wouldn't take long for that gaze to shift.