The Genius's Intent
Serian sat on the sofa in her laboratory, her leg bouncing restlessly. A desk carved from the finest wood, a sofa draped in silk, even a private break room. The office was more luxurious than most noble mansions. But—none of it could ease her anxiety.
‘Why… why does everything keep succeeding?!’
Engraving mana circuits onto mithril was supposed to be impossible. It was common sense in the field of magic engineering—practically a universal truth. Yet that very truth had shattered so pathetically in her hands.
The ripple effect was far greater than she’d anticipated. A few days ago, even the head professor of the Armaments Manufacturing department from her alma mater had come to visit.
“Thanks to you, Serian, a fifty-year-old dream of the academic world has finally been realized…!”
The woman had teared up as she clutched Serian’s hands, then made a huge fuss about rewriting the textbooks immediately. She’d gone on for over an hour about how proud she was—how magnificent it was, how they’d carve Serian’s name into the research building, how incredibly proud the academy was to have produced such a prodigy right after graduation.
Serian had endured it all with a hollow smile until she was finally released.
Serian-style Ultra-Precision Mithril Smelting Method. Thanks to this bizarrely named new technology that had somehow earned itself an official title, the aerial maneuver device project was now racing forward at full speed, as if it had sprouted wings.
The team’s morale had pierced the heavens. Everyone was ecstatic, claiming they were making history. No one had ordered it, yet they willingly pulled all-nighters, burning with passion. Whenever she passed them in the hallway, their eyes gleamed like those of religious fanatics.
But to Serian, those employees were nothing but a burden. She felt exactly like the unwilling cult leader of some shady religious group. It was as if they’d all been brainwashed.
‘Ugh… at this rate, we’re not actually going to succeed, are we?’
Absolutely not. That couldn’t happen. If the Astra Empire won the war like this, she might end up first on their assassination list.
Hoo. Calm down. Just calm down.
Serian forced herself to regain composure and took a long, deep sip of her iced chocolate. The sugar flooding her brain barely kept her sanity intact.
Anyway, creating problems during production and inflating the budget were only secondary measures. The real core of this budget-wasting project was something else entirely.
Something that looked revolutionary on the surface—but in reality demanded absurd levels of skill, making its practical use close to zero! That was the ultimate goal.
No matter how plausible the invention seemed, if producing even one unit devoured an enormous budget and required superhuman talent to operate, then it was simply a failed project. Nothing more than a waste of tax money. Everyone would click their tongues and say, “As expected, she’s just another all-theory, no-practice smartass.”
‘That’s right! Hehe. My plan isn’t over yet.’
A sly smile crept across Serian’s lips as she rediscovered hope.
At that moment—
Knock, knock, knock.
“Yes, come in.”
The person who opened the door and entered was Elias, chief of the Magic Engraving Team. Neat uniform, gold-rimmed glasses. True to her reputation as one of the Bureau’s top elites, not a single strand of hair was out of place.
She was also a graduate of Cardinal Academy—six years Serian’s senior. Having graduated with outstanding grades and risen through the ranks at an unprecedented pace, she was a legendary figure who had become the youngest chief of the engraving team in the Armaments Bureau’s history.
When she was assigned to this project, everyone had asked her the same question:
‘…Aren’t you offended having to work under a junior who just graduated?’
But Elias hadn’t cared about those looks at all. On the contrary, she treated her assignment to this project like a divine revelation.
Because—she was an extremely, extremely passionate fan of Serian Elhardt.
It had all started three years ago, when she’d happened to come across a certain thesis.
Concerning the Irreversible Diffusion Phenomenon of Mana Circulation and an Artificial Control Model.
The paper that had turned the entire academic world upside down. It directly refuted the fundamental principle that “used mana disappears according to the law of entropy.”
Most professors had scoffed, calling it the childish delusion of a young student. But Elias, an engineer to her very bones, had been different. The perfectly constructed equations. The elegant control model. She had trembled as she turned the pages.
‘A mere undergraduate… wrote this?’
From that day on, she had scoured everything—library materials, archives, even academic conference presentations—anything with the name “Serian Elhardt” attached. Every single one mocked existing common sense with bold, genius-level content.
Then, by chance, she saw a photo of her in the academy newspaper.
Icy silver hair. Eyes that seemed to pierce through everything. An unreachable noble aura.
Elias had unconsciously murmured,
“...Even her face is genius.”
The more she dug, the more astonished she became. Top of her class in every subject—magic theory, practical skills, applied magic studies—while majoring in armaments manufacturing. She had even won first place in the Imperial Cup Rookie Swordsmanship Tournament as the first non-knight major to ever do so.
Was there anything she couldn’t do?
By the time she came to her senses, one wall of Elias’s room was completely covered with articles and paper abstracts related to Serian.
‘Ah… if only I could work with Lady Serian someday…’
It had become her one and only wish.
And then one day, that dream became reality.
Therefore, this project wasn’t just work to Elias. It was a dream come true—a perfect alignment of her greatest love and her career.
She glanced furtively at her idol.
Those ice-cold, rational eyes. That face which somehow felt mysteriously cute despite its chill. It was exactly as she had imagined.
“What brings you here, Chief Elias?”
At Serian’s voice, Elias clasped her trembling hands together and finally spoke.
“C-Chief Development Officer. A serious problem has occurred with the mana control device on the gas ejection port…”
“What? Which part…”
“The device is overly sensitive… so if the user gets even slightly nervous or fails to control their strength, mana gets ejected excessively.”
The core of the device was the mana-to-gas conversion circuit that Serian had designed—a structure that converted mana from magic stones into gas to generate thrust.
“Since the gas conversion circuit is still in its early stages… Ah! Of course, the circuit you designed is perfect! It’s just that our technical skills can’t keep up…”
“It’s fine. Speak comfortably.”
“To solve this, we’d need to add a complex resonance circuit, which would roughly double both production cost and time.”
Elias finished her report with a troubled expression. It meant the project had hit a major obstacle.
‘Double the production cost and time?’
Let’s see—Serian ran the numbers in her head. The corner of her mouth almost twitched upward on its own.
This is good.
A situation where the project could be delayed due to budget overruns, or in the worst case, completely scrapped. She was about to say “Please proceed that way,” when—
Wait a second.
But she quickly hardened her expression.
It’s too early to feel relieved.
If it was that passionate Director Valentine? He might run straight to the imperial palace and secure double the budget. And if it was those team members with stars in their eyes? They’d clearly stay up all night and somehow complete the resonance circuit anyway.
If there was even a 1% chance of success, she had to nip that bud immediately.
‘I can’t rely on uncertain failure. I need to personally pave a path toward certain failure.’
She took a sip of her iced chocolate as if she found the whole thing pathetic, then spoke.
“A resonance circuit? Why would you use something so complicated and inefficient?”
“Pardon? B-but there’s no other way…”
“There’s a simpler method.”
Serian answered as if it were a bother.
“Just apply a vibration spell to the control device.”
“What? A vibration spell? Why suddenly…”
“If it looks like the mana is about to overload, make the handle shake violently.”
She set her cup down indifferently and added,
“Then the user will naturally ease up on their strength. …Oh, right.”
Serian tilted her head slightly and said casually,
“While you’re at it, embed some moonstone and connect it too. It should help with mana control.”
For a moment, Elias doubted her own ears.
Vibration magic? Moonstone?
‘This… makes no sense.’
Her common sense as a magic engineer was blaring warning sirens. If the handle shook uncontrollably during combat, it would only interfere with operation. It was a fatal design flaw that could put soldiers in even greater danger.
And moonstone, of all things? An expensive decorative stone that only glowed prettily when mana was applied and had no practical use beyond ornamentation. During night operations, it would practically be shouting “I’m right here!” to the enemy.
But…
Elias looked at Serian’s indifferent face as she drank her iced chocolate. That calm expression. Those deep eyes that seemed to see through everything.
‘…No. There must be some hidden meaning. Because Lady Serian… is that kind of person.’
She forcibly suppressed her own shallow judgment and began interpreting the “genius’s intent” behind those absurd instructions.
Of course, there was no such deep meaning in Serian’s words.
‘Vibration? Obviously to interfere with operation.’
If the handle shook like crazy during battle, aiming would be thrown off and the panicked soldier would crash straight to the ground. Could there be a more reliable failure-inducing device?
Moonstone? That was just luxurious tuning for budget waste. A ridiculously expensive rock that only sparkled when mana was applied. Slathering it all over the device would send production costs skyrocketing without limit. And at night it would make a perfect target—truly killing two birds with one stone.
‘Expensive, useless, and dangerous.’
The perfect trifecta. The ultimate move to sink the project.
Serian smiled triumphantly in her heart, satisfied with her flawless plan.
And so, thanks to Serian’s “sensible” advice, the project progressed at lightning speed.
And finally—the fated day arrived.
In the basement of the Armaments Administration.
A massive indoor testing ground. Tall artificial rock walls and complex structures had been built to resemble the ramparts of a real fortress. Hanging everywhere were scarecrow targets pretending to be enemy soldiers. Even imperial mages had been stationed at the top to recreate defensive barriers. It was a perfect mock battlefield.
There, the entire development team—including Valentine and Ella—had gathered. Their faces were filled with anticipation, excitement, and a touch of nervousness.
As it was a Level 1 national project, the observers were equally impressive. The front rows of the observation seats were packed with the empire’s highest-ranking officials, their shoulder epaulets gleaming brightly.
“It’s been a while, Director Valentine.”
The empire’s shield, General Clausewitz, with his sharp eyes, spoke to Valentine. He was one of the empire’s highest-ranking officers, a 10-star knight.
“General, it is an honor that you have taken the time to visit.”
Valentine bowed deeply with respect.
“Enough with the formalities. I’m tired of reading vague reports. Show me the real thing today.”
The general’s gaze turned toward the testing ground.
“That rumored new development officer. I need to see with my own eyes whether the device that child created can truly change the face of the battlefield.”
His words carried both expectation and a subtle pressure regarding the massive national defense budget that had been spent like water.
But Valentine answered with full confidence.
“Seeing is believing. Today, you will witness the moment a new chapter of the empire’s history is written.”
His gaze moved to the center of the testing ground.
There stood a prototype of the aerial maneuver device mounted on a mannequin. Matte black alloy. Precisely interlocking gears. Even the softly glowing moonstone. It was sleek, deadly, and unmistakably a weapon of the future.
Serian stared at the scene with a stiff expression.
“Development Officer Elhardt, are you not nervous?”
Valentine asked. But Serian simply nodded briefly, maintaining her poker face.
Valentine cleared his throat and muttered,
“As expected… geniuses really are different. To remain that calm even in a situation like this.”
However—in reality, Serian was screaming internally.
‘Yes, please. Whoever wears that thing had better not even fly a single meter before smashing into the ground. Only then can this project finally get scrapped…!’
As she had designed it, the device was impossible for human reflexes to control. To put it plainly—it was essentially an uncontrollable rocket.
Directional control was unstable, and there was no stop function. Miss the timing to anchor even once, and it would slam straight into a wall.
All that remained was to demonstrate it in person.
To show that this thing, which had swallowed an enormous amount of the empire’s budget, was nothing but a colossal piece of junk.
Valentine patted Serian’s shoulder with a voice full of emotion.
“You’ve done it. Now it’s time to prove the performance of this great invention. We’ve prepared a soldier for the demonstration—”
“Wait.”
General Clausewitz raised his hand to stop the demonstration soldier. His gaze turned toward Serian.
“I saw an interesting record. Development Officer Elhardt, I understand you won the imperial swordsmanship tournament during your academy days.”
“Pardon? Ah… that is true, but.”
“Truly impressive. You’re the first non-knight major to ever win that tournament, aren’t you?”
“You flatter me. I merely learned a bit of swordsmanship as a child.”
Wait. Wait just a moment. What is he trying to say?
A chill ran down Serian’s spine. She had a very bad feeling that something was going terribly, strangely wrong.
“How modest. Even among mages, I’ve never seen anyone with that level of swordsmanship.”
At the general’s words, the surroundings stirred.
‘No, wait a second. That was when I was just a kid!’
Serian screamed inside. That tournament had been for lower-year students who had just started learning the sword—a competition for beginners, essentially.
‘Back then I only entered because of family honor, and I won by using a cheap strategy of analyzing the opponent’s movements and striking only at their weaknesses!’
Don’t tell me—
“Which is why,” the general nodded slowly and delivered the finishing blow.
“A device this delicate and sophisticated cannot possibly display its true worth in the hands of an ordinary soldier. Wouldn’t it be proper for the creator who fully understands its structure and principles to demonstrate it herself?”
“An excellent suggestion!” Valentine shouted loudly.
“Development Officer Elhardt! Show everyone how you open a new chapter of the empire’s history with your own hands!”
“Ooooh—!”
In an instant, cheers filled the testing ground.
And the technicians came rushing in like a wave, beginning to attach the cold metal devices to Serian’s body. Cylinders were fixed to her waist, auxiliary devices strapped to her legs and arms.
Click.
The sound of the final buckle locking into place rang in her ears like a death sentence.
Serian’s face turned deathly pale.