Sponsorship Review (7)
The atmosphere in the review hall was, needless to say, far from pleasant.
There were judges like Centonio or me who showed some interest, but overall, reactions bordering on disgust erupted from various corners of the hall.
"That's a radical stance."
"Such rudeness in a sacred interview!"
"No need to see any more."
The experts who had high expectations for this interview each chimed in to express their displeasure, and even Aria, the vice director, furrowed her brow with a less-than-favorable response.
"Ahh, we're doomed……."
"Haha! It's fine, Assistant! Ordinary folks just can't comprehend geniuses by nature!"
"I shouldn't have trusted this idiot director!"
I, idiot…!
Ignoring the girl's shrill outburst cleanly, the man swept a hand over his face.
"No need to hear any explanations."
"Yeah, not worth the anticipation."
At the sight of those two, sharp glares shot from the judges' seats.
Some judges had already finished scoring and set down their pens, showing they had no great expectations.
However, one among them.
Darian, the executive director, who had been hanging his head in thought, suddenly widened his eyes and looked at her.
"Wait, Reisha Kaenhoff…?!"
Staring at her with trembling eyes in disbelief, he only noticed the surrounding gazes focusing on him and composed his expression.
"Ahem."
As he cleared his throat awkwardly and sat back down, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.
No, more accurately, the experts' gazes changed.
"…Reisha Kaenhoff?"
"The genius inventor…?"
"My god……."
Darian's words acted as the trigger; eyes that had just been voicing discomfort were now overlaid with thick curiosity.
"…Never heard the name."
Aria, who didn't know of the girl's fame, shot a questioning look at Centonio, unable to hide her curiosity and anticipation like the others.
"……."
"Director?"
But Centonio neatly ignored Aria's glance.
'Telling her now would be a problem.'
Normally, Centonio would have kindly informed her, but this was in the midst of the review.
Even if she'd inevitably learn it, explaining it directly to Aria was a different story.
'It could raise fairness issues if mishandled.'
It was the same reason the participants' schools were kept anonymous.
Fame alone could introduce bias into evaluations.
"…Ah."
As I thought that, Aria turned her head and schooled her expression.
She must have realized his intent.
"Heh! You all know well enough!"
At the same time, hearing Darian the executive director's exclamation, the girl stepped forward with a confident smile.
"That's right! I am Reisha Kaenhoff of the Magitech Engineering Department!"
"Magitech Engineering Department?"
"Hmm…?"
As the judges flipped through documents at the unfamiliar club name.
The girl, manipulating a small device, projected a screen into the air.
"Most of you probably don't know much about magitech engineering! That's why I've prepared a demonstration myself!"
"This is…!"
The screen she displayed showed a massive galleon that naturally evoked awe at its sheer size.
Rendered in monotonous gray like a blueprint, it still boasted an overwhelming presence befitting its gigantic scale, with an exterior design so exquisite it drew involuntary gasps of admiration.
"Hehehe! This is the pinnacle of magitech engineering and my lifelong dream! Its name: the aerial battleship Giz!"
A, aerial battleship──?!
Stunned by the girl's words, I widened my eyes and stared at the screen.
"Born from the fusion of magic and engineering, this masterpiece will symbolize magitech engineering!"
"Fusion of magic and engineering…!"
"It's a completely different concept from magic tools made purely by magic. Totally unlike artifacts!"
"Impressive…!"
"The design is excellent too!"
Buoyed by the judges' praise, the girl explained with even more fervor.
"Giz's greatest strength is its cost-performance ratio! It uses an artificially developed mana core to generate high-quality mana endlessly!"
"Mana core…?!"
"Unbelievable! A theoretical construct finally developed!"
"Hehe, figuring you wouldn't believe it, I brought a prototype!"
With that, the man beside her pulled a spherical orb from a large bag.
Inside the metal sphere glowed a subtle green substance, pulsating rhythmically with constant emission.
"Whoa…."
"Mind if I take a closer look?"
"Incredibly stable! What materials did you use for this stability?"
While the experts marveled at the mana core's technology, those of us from the student council, including me, were astonished by the sheer mana quantity within.
"Impressive mana capacity."
"Yes, and no fluctuations—seems to emit steady mana continuously."
"Is the enclosing metal acting as a stabilizer?"
Sharing our impressions as we scrutinized the girl's invention, we finally turned back to her once the orb was returned to the bag.
"Ahem! To clarify upfront, the mana core I just showed isn't complete yet."
"What?!"
"It seemed quite stable, but it's not finished?"
The experts reacted with disbelief, but soon one, the chief researcher, followed up.
"Output too low, I presume?"
"Exactly. Stability is secured, but its output is too weak to serve as Giz's heart. Boosting output further destabilizes it drastically."
"I see. Given the galleon's size, a small core couldn't handle it."
A massive galleon that could carry hundreds at minimum.
Its scale rivaled high-rise buildings, so the core would undoubtedly require transcendent output.
In that sense, the one shown was a failure.
"Still impressive. You've partially realized theoretically infinite power."
"Indeed. Revolutionary. Even without the galleon, applications are endless."
The judges' mood was excellent.
No, perhaps overly heated.
From their perspective, the invention by this small girl was groundbreaking.
But not all were unanimous praise.
"I now understand magitech engineering. So, one question: if we sponsor you, what will the Magitech Engineering Department develop?"
"Invest in Giz's development, of course!"
"Hmm. Meaning investment in the mana core you just showed?"
"Prioritizing the core is standard."
"Understood. Then I oppose."
"Hm? Why?"
"First, Giz's feasibility is near zero. Second, no guarantee of results even with our support. Third, your plan is far too long-term."
The girl struggled to respond to Aria's rebuttal.
She knew it too.
Her announced project would take at minimum a decade, or her entire life.
Of course, long-term investments could be worthwhile.
They'd even developed a prototype mana core.
But Aria thought there were clubs needing sponsorship more immediately, even without her club.
'Originality is superb. Creativity outstanding. Expertise top-tier.'
With that, Aria opened her closed eyes and spoke.
"Reisha Kaenhoff of the Magitech Engineering Department. Your idea lacks feasibility and scalability. Frankly, even ten years of research might yield no results."
"Mm…."
"That's true, but……."
"Still, it's an aerial battleship."
The other judges hesitated to counter Aria's statement.
It voiced the flaws they'd all considered.
Yet they hadn't voiced it for one reason.
"Not just that. Even if successful, an aerial battleship Giz would be no different from Roway's invincible fleet, right?"
Yes, the keyword "aerial battleship."
Aerial battleships were Roway's exclusive domain on the continent.
If Giz succeeded, they might sail black storms like Roway.
'If possible, it'd be the invention of the century!'
Even without geopolitics, the term stirred men's dreams intensely.
They wanted to see her aerial battleship at least once.
But the flaws were too great.
As Aria said, magitech research required continent-scale capital, not pocket change.
With limited 10 billion, it'd vanish before results.
"Darian, special judge. What's your view? From a commercial angle."
"Well……."
Listening to the Flugel side's review, I gazed at the girl ahead.
Her unwavering smile amid mixed praise and criticism was impressive, but the outcome wouldn't change.
As I prepared to score based on the experts' views.
At that moment.
"I see. I've heard your thoughts. You all think I'll fail."
"No, not failure, just too long-term……."
"The theory is all in my head."
"…Pardon?"
"Only manpower and resources left to realize it."
"What does that……."
"You said no different from Roway's invincible fleet?"
The girl scoffed once.
Her blue eyes gleamed.
"It's different. Completely different."
"What exactly……."
"Fundamentally different machines."
"……?"
With that, she manipulated the floating screen.
Seeing the changed screen, I reflexively stood──
"Naturally. Giz is designed as a transforming robot, after all."
"""Pass──!"""
"……!?"
Simultaneously, voices excluding Aria's rang out in unison.