The Genius's Rest (Or So They Thought)
The morning after the demonstration, Serian Elhardt walked down the corridors of the Armaments Bureau with a haggard face.
“Haa— I’m so tired.”
She had been tormented by nightmares of falling from a cliff all night long. She had no idea how many times she had kicked at empty air in her dreams.
It was then that it happened.
“G-good morning, ma’am!”
One of the researchers chatting in the hallway glanced at her and immediately folded himself into a perfect ninety-degree bow, delivering a greeting sharp enough to cut.
That startled me. Why put so much energy into a simple hello…?
But that wasn’t the only odd thing. On her way to the lab, every researcher and technician she passed stopped what they were doing and parted like the Red Sea. As if by prior agreement, they all bowed their heads with solemn expressions.
The demonstration from the day before had already sent ripples throughout the entire Armaments Bureau. Their gazes were an unsettling mixture of reverence and fear—impossible to put into words.
Dodging those burdensome stares, she finally reached her private lab, closed the door behind her, and stepped inside. With a heavy thud, she collapsed into her chair, planted her forehead on the desk, and let out a long sigh.
I… I can’t do this anymore…
The goal she had first set for herself was carrying her further and further in the opposite direction. The harder she tried to ruin the project, the deeper she sank into the quagmire.
The fanatical looks in everyone’s eyes. Chief Valentine’s tears yesterday. And… General Clausewitz.
—Prepare to have your name recorded in history.
The faint smile he had shown at the very end refused to leave her mind. That expectant gaze, like a predator that had finally spotted its prey, lingered behind her eyes.
It’s a swamp. This place was a swamp. The more she struggled, the deeper and faster she sank into this hopeless mire.
“……Ha, hahahahaha.”
A helpless laugh burst out of her.
She was completely exhausted. She didn’t want to think about anything.
Choco… I need chocolate…
Like a zombie, Serian staggered to her feet and shuffled toward the break room. She grabbed the container of cocoa powder, intending to quickly mix herself an iced chocolate, when—
Clatter.
The sound was far too light. Serian slowly turned the container upside down. Nothing came out. It had been empty ever since she made the last cup yesterday.
“……No. Without this, I won’t have any strength left.”
Thud— She didn’t even have the energy to call Martin and ask him to bring more.
Serian slumped onto the sofa like a puppet with its strings cut. She stayed there without moving a muscle.
Just then— knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
“……Yes.”
At her feeble reply, the door opened.
“Oh my, it’s our youngest!”
Ella was the one who entered. She looked horrified at the sight of Serian sprawled out like a corpse.
“What happened? Are you sick? Why is your face so pale!”
“…Senior.”
Ella worriedly helped her sit up. Serian mumbled something in a lifeless voice.
“What was that? Snap out of it!”
Ella leaned in close and put her ear right next to Serian’s mouth.
“Say it again!”
“…Sugar… levels dropped…”
“Whoa…”
One hour later, Serian’s eyes sparkled as she stood in what felt like an entirely different world. The imperial capital’s most famous dessert café, Sweet Crown, was a heavenly place filled with glittering chandeliers and the rich scent of sugar.
Serian’s eyes flew wide open.
“There was a place like this—!”
“There’s usually a massive line, but we got lucky today,” Ella said, sliding the menu across the table. “My treat! Order anything you want!”
Chomp, chomp—
Serian began demolishing cakes and tarts at terrifying speed. She barely paused for breath, like someone who had gone days without food. Ella stared blankly at the growing tower of plates and quietly swallowed.
...Oh no.
Thinking of her wallet growing thinner by the second, she screamed inside her head. But Serian’s face looked so blissfully happy. Even as she shoveled food into her mouth, a bright smile never left her lips.
Well, after showing that insane level of focus yesterday, the mana and sugar she burned through must have been enormous.
Ella felt oddly proud. Yes, she needed to eat at least this much to recover. As expected, a genius’s energy consumption really was on another level.
Seeing her like this, it’s hard to believe she’s the greatest genius in history who will change the empire’s future.
“…You monster.”
Ella poked Serian’s now plump, soft cheek.
“Aah, whyyy—”
Once her stomach was reasonably full and her mind cleared, Serian finally asked.
“By the way, Senior… is it really okay for us to be out like this during work hours?”
Ella let out a small laugh.
“Oh my, you’re only asking that now?”
Just one hour earlier, Valentine had stood before the entire Armaments Bureau holding an imperial document and made a grand announcement.
In recognition of the outstanding achievements of Development Officer Serian Elhardt, His Majesty has personally granted a one-week special reward vacation!
“But why are you on vacation too, Senior?”
“Hey! No matter what, I’m still your direct supervisor! Well… mine’s only for a day, though.”
The main residence of the Elhardt ducal family was too far away. A round trip by carriage would have consumed the entire vacation. In the end, Serian decided to rest in the private quarters attached to the Armaments Bureau.
On the fluffy bed, Serian lay with her arms spread wide, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Now… what should I do for a whole week?
She had been running without rest this entire time. From childhood, it had been an endless cycle of training and study. The academy had been the same. Even on days off she had buried herself in magic theory. And the position of Development Officer she had finally reached was the very first head that would roll in this empire.
...If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have just slept instead of training or studying.
She no longer wanted to do anything. Once the tension left her body, all the fatigue she had accumulated crashed over her at once.
Well, I did push myself pretty hard yesterday.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t slept properly once because of the project. No wonder she had felt weak all the time.
That day she slept the entire time in bed. The next day too, she lay on the lab sofa counting ceiling patterns or watching clouds drift past the window to kill time.
“Hehe, resting feels nice. Maybe this really is my natural constitution.”
But her ‘perfect rest’ was constantly interrupted.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Ah! Development Officer, you were here. About this document…”
Again—knock, knock, knock.
“Ah! Our youngest. Good, I had something I wanted to ask you.”
Once word spread that she was staying at the Bureau, people came looking for her every time an issue arose with the project.
“Agh, seriously! I’m on vacation! Why do you keep coming?!”
In the end, she stuck a sign on the lab door. Written in crooked handwriting were the words:
Important Meditation Training in Progress
Do Not Disturb
She had simply wanted to sleep more without being bothered. After that, she really did nothing but sleep except when it was time to eat. Sometimes she would go out to the garden bench to soak up some sunlight and fall asleep right there. Other times she sat by the lab window and simply zoned out.
Her behavior was nothing more than the desperate flailing of someone who just wanted to rest.
However—the eccentric actions of a genius always looked to ordinary people as if they carried some profound, unimaginable meaning.
“Um… did you ask? What did Development Officer Elhardt say?”
At Chief Development Officer Valentine’s question, Martin—who had returned after seeing the sign—reported with a grave expression.
“The person in charge has entered ‘important meditation.’ It appears to be a form of training in which she organizes the inspiration gained from the demonstration and attains enlightenment on a new dimensional level. I dared not disturb her.”
Unfortunately, Valentine, who was not a mage, had zero understanding of a mage’s training methods. But—he had a knack for grasping the core meaning behind words.
Whoa! I have no idea what that means, but it sounds incredible. As expected—the genius of the century really is different!
Valentine was deeply impressed.
Even while resting, she refuses to neglect her training…
Not relying solely on natural talent but combining it with relentless effort. Her genius had not been born from nothing.
As expected… she really is on another level.
In Valentine’s heart, Serian’s stature rose yet another notch.
One afternoon a few days later, Elias and her team members discovered Serian asleep in the Bureau garden.
“Oh my, she’s sleeping. The Development Officer really has been overworking herself lately.”
“Mm— mm.” Elias quietly raised a finger to her lips. “I received some intelligence that the Development Officer has entered training for ‘Great Nature Synchronization Meditation.’ It is a practice in which one opens every physical sense and synchronizes oneself with the flow of mana…”
“Oh my, there’s a technique like that?”
“Of course. She is from one of the Five Great Families, after all. That’s what it is!”
Of course, no such technique existed. Serian had simply dozed off after eating too much.
Nevertheless, the rumors grew more and more extravagant, each new version adding another layer of grandeur.
Meanwhile, those rumors had reached even the highest echelons of the military.
General Clausewitz gazed with satisfaction at the young man standing before him. Impeccable posture, perfectly tailored uniform. It was Lieutenant Colonel Kaizen von Walter, second son of the illustrious Walter family—a military house of renown.
“Effective immediately, I appoint you as deputy commander of the 1st Special Mobile Battalion.”
“Loyalty!”
“You will learn a great deal once you arrive. Especially from the person in charge, Development Officer Elhardt…”
Clausewitz began explaining to Kaizen about the Chief Development Officer he would soon be working alongside. The man before him was a knight who had shaken the world as the Sword Saint several generations ago. For such a figure to speak so highly of someone—
Just how remarkable must this person be?
It was puzzling. No matter how much of a genius she was, wasn’t she still just a development officer? Did it mean she possessed exceptional knowledge regarding weapons?
What could a knight like me possibly learn from a development officer?
“Are you listening, Lieutenant Colonel Kaizen?”
“Yes! Of course, sir.”
“Hmm.”
As if he could see straight through Kaizen’s thoughts, Clausewitz asked in a low voice.
“Have you ever heard of the Mental Universe Realization Training?”
What the hell is that…?
It was the first time he had heard the term, but Kaizen answered vigorously anyway.
“I have not yet, but I will look into it immediately!”
“Ahem. In any case, go and do well. As deputy commander, your responsibilities will be immense.”
After leaving the office, Kaizen walked down the corridor, turning the general’s words over in his mind.
…A genius development officer.
A person whom General Clausewitz—who had once been called the Sword Saint—had praised so highly.
Serian Elhardt.
Kaizen felt a strange curiosity toward that name, accompanied by a quiet spark of rivalry.
But that lasted only a moment. An arrogant smile soon curved his lips.
No matter how amazing the equipment she created, in the end she’s nothing more than a theorist who has never experienced real combat.
On a battlefield stained with swords and blood, what could a knight like me possibly learn from a development officer?
With that thought, he pictured the future spreading out before him.
The second son of the prestigious Walter military family. The top graduate of Valhalla Knight Academy, which gathered only the empire’s greatest elites. And now he had been appointed deputy commander of the empire’s first special mobile battalion—one created with the fate of the empire itself at stake.
A unit that would wield secret weapons capable of overturning the tides of war, under the empire’s full support. The position of deputy commander was the highest honor, one that practically guaranteed a future generalship.
Kaizen was certain. If he distinguished himself here, elevating his family’s honor would be certain—and entering the core of the imperial military would be only a matter of time.
—But he still did not know.
What kind of existence the true ‘monster’ he would soon meet really was.
And that his encounter with that monster would arrive in the worst possible form for him.