It's a Revolution!
It's a revolution! Inside the Armaments Bureau's development conference room on the day Serian Elhardt submitted her first proposal, every key figure had gathered—senior development officers, the development teams, the testing teams, core personnel from every department. In truth, a meeting of this scale was unheard of. The proposal hadn't even received official approval yet; it was still at the simple submission stage. Normally the officers would skim the document, briefly discuss whether it needed revisions or outright rejection, and move on. But this time was different. A new hire after several years. And not just any newcomer—the person hailed as the greatest genius in Cardinal Academy's history, the youngest development officer ever appointed. Everyone was curious. They wanted to witness the skills of this woman shrouded in rumors with their own eyes.
Thanks to that, far more people had crowded into the conference room than Valentine anticipated. He was chuckling to himself. What a perfect opportunity. With so many watching, he could rip apart the new hire's ridiculous proposal piece by piece and thoroughly humble her.
...Or so he had firmly believed.
A heavy silence blanketed the room. The conference room had grown so quiet it seemed everyone was holding their breath. Valentine and the senior development officers sat frozen, proposals in hand, completely lost in a daze. The sound of turning pages, the sound of breathing—everything had vanished.
Valentine's hand trembled faintly. Slowly, carefully, he set the documents down as though handling a fragile relic. And then—
"This is..."
His voice cracked.
"A revolution!"
A chair scraped back and slammed against the floor. Valentine shot to his feet.
"Contact the Treasury immediately!" he shouted, gesturing wildly. "This is the highest-grade project in the entire history of the Armaments Bureau! Gather every coin of budget we need!"
The senior development officers exchanged glances. Disbelief was etched across every face. Had they ever seen Valentine this worked up? The man who had stood at his post for decades was shouting with the excited voice of a brand-new recruit.
"Martin! Submit an urgent report to the Imperial Palace at once! This project is... no, this young woman is the future of the Empire!"
Meanwhile, Ella, standing off in the corner, still hadn't recovered and muttered under her breath.
"...What the hell did I just witness?"
Just a few days ago—no, only yesterday—Serian had been the little junior they needed to look after. They'd called her the youngest, bought her meals, and explained the harsh realities of working at the Armaments Bureau. But now that same junior had, in just a few days...
'...I met a monster.'
Ella leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh. Suddenly everything she had ever accomplished felt utterly pathetic. The new sword improvements she'd perfected over several years, the shield durability enhancement project—everything looked like child's play compared to the proposal Serian had casually scribbled down in mere days.
Valentine was still riding his wave of excitement.
"Ella! Where is Ella!"
At his shout, she snapped back to attention.
"H-here, sir!"
Ella stepped forward reflexively.
"You're Development Officer Serian's supervisor, correct?"
"Y-yes, that's right..."
That single word hit her like a blow to the chest. Supervisor. The term suddenly felt impossibly heavy. Could she truly call herself that? Or... wasn't she the one who should be learning from her?
"Excellent! From now on, provide Development Officer Serian with every form of support she requires! Whatever she wants, grant it!"
"Y-yes! Understood!"
Ella answered on reflex, but confusion still churned inside her. The girl who had seemed so pitiful for already drawing the Chief's ire had somehow become the one shaking the entire Armaments Bureau to its foundations.
'...So this is what a real genius looks like.'
Only then did Ella truly understand. Being the top graduate in Cardinal Academy's history wasn't just an empty title.
The next morning, Serian headed to the Armaments Bureau humming cheerfully.
"Hmm-hmm~"
She was in an excellent mood. After submitting the project yesterday, all that remained was getting torn apart by the Chief Development Officer today.
'He'll probably call me in any time now.'
The thought that she'd taken a massive step forward in her grand Armaments Bureau escape plan made her feel wonderfully light. Her steps were bouncy and carefree.
'He's bound to call that absurd proposal utter garbage that only wastes budget.'
Just imagining it put her in a good mood.
But the moment she stepped inside the Bureau, the atmosphere felt... off.
Everyone she passed in the corridors was whispering.
"Did you hear? The Chief supposedly lost his mind after reading the new development officer's proposal."
"Really? How bad was it?"
"They say it's a design that will push the Empire's armaments technology forward by a hundred years..."
"...Whoa, seriously?"
Serian's steps slowed. She couldn't catch every word, but it was clearly about her.
'What? What is this?'
The corner of her mouth twitched upward.
'Have the rumors already labeled me as a complete failure?'
Heh heh heh. Serian cheered inwardly. This might wrap up faster than she'd expected. She was already pondering the best place to flee overseas with her family.
'The Astra Empire is obviously off-limits... Maybe the southern Free City Alliance? Or should I leave the continent entirely and head for an island nation?'
The plan was progressing much quicker than anticipated. Serian made her way to her laboratory in high spirits.
Once inside her lab, Serian whistled while brainstorming her next "budget-wasting project."
"Hmm... what should I go with this time?"
She rested her chin on her desk, pondering seriously. A Hero Man suit proposal? Nah... even for her, flying armor would be too obviously intentional.
Heh heh heh.
At this rate the summons should arrive any moment. It must have been so ridiculous that they still hadn't contacted her.
"Perfect, perfect. They've definitely written me off as a total lunatic."
Her first impression as a daydreaming princess must have been firmly cemented. Just then—
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
'Here it comes! Finally!'
Serian instantly rearranged her expression—head slightly lowered, face full of remorse. Natural. It couldn't look forced.
When she opened the door, Ella stood there with a complicated look on her face.
'Yes! I'm screwed! ...Wait, no—I'm saved!'
Serian cheered inside. She must have been thoroughly scolded by the Chief about how she was supervising her junior. Her expression looked genuinely shaken. Hmm, I do feel a little bad. After all, Ella had taken such good care of her until now.
"Serian... Lady Serian. The Chief Development Officer urgently requests your presence."
Lady Serian?
Oh no. She'd always called her "kiddo" or "our youngest Serian." Was she already distancing herself?
'...I'm completely marked now.'
It seemed something truly serious had happened. That's what Serian concluded.
But Ella's inner thoughts were entirely different.
Despite how it looked, Ella was a veteran who had graduated at the top of the Weapon Crafting Academy and survived years in this cutthroat field. Of course Serian was called a genius from the magic academy side, but a rookie was still a rookie. She'd assumed Serian was nothing more than a fledgling who had only studied weapon development from books.
That was why she'd given her so much guidance as a senior, bought her meals, and looked after her. Of course, while drinking she'd also bragged quite a bit about her own accomplishments. Actually, thinking back... it wasn't "a bit." It was a lot.
But... she'd been showing off in front of a real genius?
Just thinking about it made her face burn with embarrassment. That expressionless, flawlessly icy face—she'd thought it belonged to a shy girl and found it adorable. Now it radiated charisma instead.
...To think she'd bragged about mere sword improvements and shield durability projects. Compared to Serian's achievements, they seemed utterly insignificant. As expected, the top graduate from Cardinal Academy of the five great magic families truly was on another level. How pathetic must she have seemed this whole time?
Gazing at Serian with eyes full of awe and respect, Ella found she could no longer speak to her casually. Polite speech came naturally.
"The Chief Development Officer is urgently looking for you."
On the way to the Chief Development Officer's office, researchers and technicians stepped aside one by one as they passed through the corridor. Every single one of them looked at Serian with eyes full of reverence.
'...Why are they acting like this? Do I have something on my face?'
Serian wondered inwardly. Just days ago these were people she'd shared meals and jokes with. Today they wouldn't even meet her eyes, kept their mouths clamped shut, and subtly avoided her. It felt a little... hurtful.
But her mood quickly improved.
'Heh heh, the failure rumor must have spread properly.'
Excellent. Everything was going according to plan.
Serian stopped in front of Valentine's office. She cleared her throat once and composed her expression. Ahem. She was heading in to be scolded. If she walked in smiling, he'd think she'd done it as a deliberate prank. Forcing her lips into a downturned line—
Knock, knock, knock.
"Serian Elhardt. You called for me?"
A loud crash came from inside, as if something had been knocked over.
"You're here? Come in, come in quickly!"
The moment the door opened, Valentine sprang up from his chair. Then he seized both of Serian's hands.
"Development Officer Elhardt! You are... you are the Empire's treasure!"
"I'm truly sorr... Yes?"
Serian, who had begun apologizing on pure reflex, felt her mind go completely blank at the sudden praise.
'What... is happening?'
"It was an absolutely astonishing proposal! I've never seen such an innovative concept!"
"Yes... I did that?"
Her pupils trembled. Serian couldn't help but be stunned. She'd been certain words like these would come pouring out:
'How dare you submit such a ridiculous proposal.'
'Do you think the national defense budget is your personal toy money?'
'No matter how prestigious your five great family background is, there's a limit to wasteful spending.'
But what was this?
"Just how did you come up with such a brilliant idea? Hmm?"
"Pardon? I... well... it was really just close to a delusion of mine..."
"Haha, enough with the modesty. A delusion? If this is a delusion, then everything we've done until now has been nothing but children's games! Haha!"
Valentine slapped a document onto the desk. It bore the clear imprint of the imperial seal.
"The aerial mobility device has been promoted to the Armaments Bureau's highest-priority Level One project as of today! Budget, personnel, materials—ask for anything you need!"
"......"
"I will devote every resource the Bureau possesses to you!"
"......"
"………………What?"
Serian's mind went completely blank.