October 9, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:10

Holy Milishial Empire, Runepolis Magic Academy, Training Ground

In the Runepolis Magic Academy, there is a location called the “Training Ground,” a place where students and staff of the RMA could practice using their magic powers. In the Holy Milishial Empire, where the usage of magic in public places is restricted by law except for self-defense or emergency cases, the Imperial government provided locations like this throughout the country, where citizens can legally practice their magic casting ability under the supervision of the institutions to which the training grounds belong to.

The Training Ground becomes one of Meteos’ favorite places after arriving at the RMA. It is one of the places where he can relieve the stress of endlessly drafting plans and blueprints by using his wind magic to train and channeling his inner child by performing various tricks for his amusement. Today, however, the purpose of his visit was different.

At a secluded corner in the Training Ground located near a pond surrounded by trees that separated it from the rest of the area, Meteos and his friends, accompanied by Robin and another engineer were setting up a small cylindrical object on top of a stand. While Meteos was attaching a hose connected to a bottle filled with red liquid to the object, Annette, one of his friends from another class, spoke to him with a dubious expression as she inspected the object closely.

“Hey, Meteos… are you sure this will work?”

The silver-haired boy only sighed slightly and answered her calmly.

“You guys have worked hard for this past month, so have some confidence, because I’m sure that your efforts will be rewarded without fail.”

“I really wanted to doubt you, but… they say you never fail at making things, so…” Annette trailed off.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing,” Meteos retorted flatly, to which she let out a light snort.

Since last month, when they agreed to help Meteos with his project with the promise of instantly passing the coveted equivalency exam if they succeed, Nadia Smirnova and her two friends, Sofia Trussardi and Annette Pendragon, were involved in the construction of the object being set up right now, which Meteos called a ‘miniature magic turbojet engine’. According to him, it is supposed to be more advanced and sophisticated than the engines currently used by the Heavenly Vessels of the Empire. Initially, Annette doubted that such an ambitious and farfetched project will succeed, but after learning his track record and seeing Professor Calvello agreeing, excited, even, at the proposed project, she reluctantly agrees and did her best to help.

They spent the first two weeks determining the composition of the new material that will be used for the engine, and another two weeks actually building and assembling the engine. The result is that the engine’s components, which consists roughly of a compressor, combustion chamber, a turbine, and nozzle, are made entirely of this new alloy, exhausting the entire supply of NMC-22 in RMA, even though the engine is very small in size.

On the other hand, although he is seeking their help, Meteos basically carried the entire project, as the design and blueprint for the engine was already 90% complete when he spoke to them, while the rest of them did nearly nothing but observe and take notes of how the characteristics of magically enhanced iron combined with the NMC-22 and other materials at a certain composition, with only Robin providing inputs here and there for the engine’s construction. Although Nadia and Sofia were okay with how things proceeded, Annette wasn’t satisfied with this, as she expected to have a more active role in the project. After all, Meteos asked for their help, not asking them to watch.

‘But… worked hard my ass…’ Annette huffed.

She asked questions here and there, but apparently, the inner mechanics of this new engine is much more complicated than she initially thought and far beyond her comprehension. It’s not something an ordinary junior high school student’s school project. It’s no wonder Professor Calvello is so enthusiastic.

However, this is the same as being handed something for free while doing nothing at all. Annette’s pride as a noblewoman won’t allow it. She decided that she must pay Meteos back later somehow.

Several minutes later, they finished setting up the engine.

“Okay, we’re done setting up the engine. Miss Robin, please.”

At Meteos’ prompt, Robin nodded and stomped on the ground, channeling mana into the soil to materialize hardened earth that securely clamped the stand in place. She didn’t need to chant the spell nor call out the spell’s name, as she always carried the newest “Manadriver” (terminology coined by the Army to distinguish military-grade grimoire system from the civilian ones) for self-defense, courtesy of being the Manadriver’s inventor and a MOASEC member.

“Wait a second, Meteos,” Robin called out. “For an additional safety measure, let me conjure a magic barrier first.”

“…Of course, but please don’t push yourself too hard, Miss Robin.”

“Heh… thanks for your concern.”

As she was playfully chiding Meteos, Robin focused the magic power again, this time into her stretched-out left hand, creating a translucent bluish barrier between them and the engine stand. And while keeping her left hand in stretched-out position, she called out again.

“Alright, you may start.”

“…We will now commence the first testing run of the engine,” Meteos declared in front of a magic video recorder set up a distance away from the stand where the engine was set up. He then walked to a lever connected to the engine by wire and pushed it.

WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING………

WROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!

As the engine is turned on and red-colored liquid magic fuel begin to be sucked into the engine, it began to emit a loud whine for several minutes in the preheat stage, and as the engine transitioned into the idle stage, the sound turned into a loud roar as the air sucked into the intake was compressed, heated by the burning fuel in the combustion chamber before expanding through the turbine, resulting in thrust coming out of the nozzle behind the engine.

“Eep!” Sofia yelped and covered her ears, startled by the unprecedentedly loud noise.

“Man, that thing is greedy,” Walman commented on the fuel consumption of the engine, which is far higher than the Light Magic Engine he knows.

“Yes. No visible abnormalities so far, the material is holding out.”

“I can’t believe it. It really works…” muttered the RMA engineer accompanying them from behind the video recorder he was operating.

“Yeah…”

Meteos wrote into the notepad. However, he was frustrated that they still don’t have the means to monitor the detailed condition and performance of the engine, so he had to make do with only visual observations. He bit his lip and pushed the lever further to bring the engine to maximum thrust.

The reason they are doing the testing outdoor is because of the concern that arose from the possibility of the engine exploding during the testing run, which can damage the laboratory. That’s why they chose a secluded place at the Training Ground. But thankfully, the engine looks fine so far. The bluish particles generated from the engine’s nozzle continue to spew furiously, and the sheer heat distorted the air behind the engine. The team continued to look on in amazement.

From where she is standing, Robin, while continuing to concentrate to maintain the magic barrier, couldn’t help but whistle at her students’ piece of work. The roaring sound of the miniature turbojet engine is completely different from the buzzing sound that the Chant Powered Light Magic-Compressed Air Engine produces. She then noticed that the engine stand began to move slightly under the engine’s full thrust, despite the clamps securing the stand.

With a grunt, she made a clenching gesture with her free hand, channeling the magic power to hold the stand through the hardened earth clamps. Robin began to feel a slight sense of discomfort of having to exert more magic power and concentrate on two spells at once, sweat began to form on her forehead.

“Oh no… hang in there, Miss Robin,” Nadia said worriedly.

“Nah… it’s nothing, continue on, kid!”

Meteos nodded and let the engine run at full thrust for a few more minutes before the fuel bottle run out of red magic liquid, causing the engine’s movement to gradually stop and began sputtering gray smoke from the nozzle. Seeing the jet engine stop moving, Robin dispelled the magic barrier and let out a deep sigh.

“Alright! It’s done. I think it’s safe to say that the first testing run of the new engine is a success!”

Meteos declared happily to the rest of the team, who cheered in response to his words. However, one of the girls, Annette, just crossed her arms and did not try to hide her dissatisfaction at how things proceeded, although she smirked a bit when Meteos made eye contact with her. Meteos continued as he looked at his notepad.

“In addition, we have confirmed that the new alloy, which is created from Combination 6 of the magically strengthened iron combined with the NMC-22, is capable of withstanding heat and pressure generated from the operation of the engine. It is also lighter but stronger than even the strongest of pure magic iron alloys. Overall, the result is very satisfactory.”

He then turned to the three girls.

“Congratulations, you three. Now, Nadia, Sofia, and Annette, the rest is for you to make a report about this and you’re skipping the exam. Sorry, I can’t help with the report, since I’ll be very busy. But don’t worry, if you have any questions, Walman can help you. Right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Nadia and Sofia nodded in understanding, while Annette let out an annoyed sigh and spoke up.

“Go on with your business, then. We can do it on our own from here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes. I’m sure.”

Meteos glanced at Nadia and Sofia, who both nodded in confirmation of Annette’s words.

“We don’t want to bother you, if you have something more important,” Nadia said.

“…Alright, then. I’ll check the engine.”

As they watched Meteos turn on his heel and walked towards the stand, where Robin and the RMA engineer were talking to each other, his friends began to talk among themselves.

“That Meteos, why he always tries to do things on his own?” Muttered Annette.

“We’re talking to him about it. It’s much better than when we first arrived in Runepolis, Miss Robin often berated him not to overwork himself, that stubborn guy.”

Hearing Walman’s answer, the bespectacled girl raised an eyebrow.

“Is that so? Then tell him to start trusting his friends more in a group work like this.”

“That’s right, it’s not good for his health,” Nadia added.

“……Are you sure you’re not upset that he’s practically coddling you the entire project, Pendragon?” Walman asked a bit snidely.

“What!? What are you talking about!?” she sputtered.

Walman gave her a knowing smile. When Meteos came to them and asked for their help, he did not expect them to actually help him build the engine, so he gave them roles that he thinks easy to do for the three girls. Of course, this must have unintentionally hurt the pride of Annette Pendragon, a noblewoman of high standing who is also a genius herself. That must be the reason why out of the three, she is the one who asked questions the most, trying to show her own ability. However, as it turned out, it is too difficult to understand for someone inexperienced as her. Even Walman who lived with Meteos still has difficulty understanding the silver-haired boy’s workings.

“…Alright, alright. I admit this turbojet engine thing is beyond my expertise. But! I will show you this is not the end! Meteos said this is only the beginning of the project, right? Then I will show him that I can do much more than just sit and watching! Just you wait!”

Annette declared as she pointed her finger at Walman. Her blue eyes glared fiercely at him behind her glasses.

“Haah!? Why the hell are you pointing at me!? Tell that to Meteos, not me!” The brunette yelled incredulously.

Watching the two begin bickering at each other, Sofia and Nadia laughed lightly.

Meanwhile

The engine was cooled down enough to be held by hands. Robin, helped by the RMA engineer, began to remove the cables and fuel hose before picking the engine unit and holding it in her hands.

“Man, this kid never ceases to amaze me…” She muttered, then turned to the engineer. “Hey, Carlos. What do you think?”

Seeing that he was being addressed, the RMA’s engineer named Carlos, responded to her question.

“It’s a very ingenious invention, Professor. By using this mechanism called a turbine, the engine’s air intake and thrust are increased dramatically, and as a result, the overall performance is far higher than the Light Discharge Engine. But what interests me more is the material used in this engine. I can’t believe that Roguerider kid found a way to develop heat-resistant materials using literal junk ore…”

“Mm-hmm. Imagine if the full-scale version of this engine is put to practical use. The Heavenly Vessels may be able to reach beyond the speed of sound.”

As she stroked the now cold surfaces of the miniature engine, Robin’s mind traced the possibilities that came from the practical usage of the turbine technology, which will change the entire path of development that the Empire is currently taking. If the Empire understands the principles behind it, they can apply them in many fields other than aviation, and by promoting the usage of the material used in the engine, the Empire can find a much cheaper, but stronger alternative to the purely magical ore that the Empire is still incapable to process, significantly cutting the cost of technology development. Honestly, a significant portion of funds in reverse-engineering of excavated Ravernal technologies was used on materials.

Having understood how a turbine works from her time assisting Meteos, Robin already has some suggestions for improvements in mind. However, another thought came upon her at the sight of the engine’s inner mechanism.

‘Hmm… Some part of this engine looks eerily similar to a destroyed Ravernal engine I’ve seen in the Ancient Weapons Operation Headquarters. That is top-secret information, and I can guarantee that Meteos had never seen it before, so I’m sure this is a coincidence, but to think his invention greatly resembled something made by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire… Fufufu, interesting… very interesting, Meteos Roguerider…’

Robin felt the corner of her mouth rise the more she thought about it. However, the sound of people yelling broke her out of her musings.

“Hmm? What are those kids doing over there?”

She looked at the group from her place to see Walman and Annette bickering with each other before noticing Meteos walking towards her.

“I’m glad the engine looks intact,” Meteos said, looking at the mini turbojet engine in Robin’s hands.

“Yep, by the way, Meteos, let’s discuss the details after this in my office.”

“Yes.”

As they began storing the equipment used in the testing, the sun began to rise high in the sky and soft autumn breeze blew on the Training Ground, caressing their faces. Meteos looked at his wristwatch and spoke up.

“There is still plenty of time before lunch, what are you going to do next, Miss Robin?”

“Hmm… I guess I’ll go back to my office and take a nap.”

“Oh, damn, I guess maintaining two spells at once is quite taxing for the physique, huh?”

Robin nodded, “Pretty much so. A side effect of using Manadriver is that you will need to exert more magic power at the cost of instant spellcasting… I’m practicing for months, but man… it’s still tiring to use multiple spells at once.”

“But look at the bright side, can the Agarthan mages do the same thing?”

“Hah! They can’t! Score two for Robin, then!”

The teacher and student laughed, making fun of the mages from their neighboring country of Agartha Kingdom, which despite being a country that excelled in developing magic power of individual person instead of magic technology like the Holy Milishial Empire, began to see their efforts overtaken within months ever since the invention of the grimoire system. It’s only a matter of time before HME began mass-producing the newest Manadrivers as part of their military equipment.

“I have an idea. It will be great if you can make a portable magic barrier that can be deployed without being constantly maintained by mages, don’t you think?”

“Hmm… I’ll keep that in mind.” Robin yawned.

Seeing his teacher already looking tired, Meteos stopped talking and after finishing storing the engine, they began walking out of the Training Ground.

10:00

Runepolis Magic Academy, Robin’s office

Upon entering her office room, Robin immediately threw herself on the couch and after removing her glasses and taking a more comfortable position, she let her increasingly heavy eyelids close, the sign of her asleep being the slight rising and falling of her chest. Meteos and Walman already get used to her informal behavior in her office, but Nadia, Sofia, and Annette, who decided to follow them, were taken aback at this.

“Is this… happened often…?” Annette asked unsurely.

Walman snorted, “Yeah, formality is practically nonexistent inside Professor Robin Calvello’s office. Now, you three can take a rest here before lunch, just make sure not to disturb her, okay?”

“Uh… yes…”

“Alright, I’m going to check the engine in the lab.”

Meteos walked out of the office, leaving the girls and Walman inside. The brunette, feeling the awkwardness of being the only male in the room, decided to strike a conversation.

“So… you wanna ice cream? There’s a fridge over there.”

“……It’s cold inside and outside, Falkenhausen,” the spokesperson of the trio, Annette, answered flatly.

“Uh… right…”

Walman hung his head and walked to Robin’s desk to sit down on the chair. Nadia and Sofia took a seat on the sofa opposite the one used by Robin for napping and began to talk with each other, while Annette looked over the bookshelf, trying to find interesting reading material.

Two hours later, Robin woke up from her nap in coincidence with Meteos’ return. And after having lunch, Nadia, Sofia, and Annette went home, leaving Robin and the boys returning to the office to discuss the result of the test today.

“Miss Robin, since we already used up all the materials needed to make the engine, we cannot create another one,” Meteos started from his position on the couch across from Robin, sitting beside his friend.

“Yes. It was a good decision to record the test run, after all. That way, while you are continuing to further test the engine, I can submit my report to the Ancient Ministry immediately without delay.”

Robin sipped the tea she had made after answering.

“Um… how fast can you report this to the Ancient Ministry?” Walman asked.

“Tomorrow, at the earliest.”

“Really!?”

Meteos rubbed his chin, “I see. What about the development of the full-scale engine?”

“Well, it depends on my superiors at the Ancient Ministry. One successful testing run with a miniature engine may not be enough to convince them, and if they did, the materials you propose are rare in the Empire. You really causing headaches for many bureaucrats, you know.”

The Holy Milishial Empire’s land, which is rich in magical ore resources, including the largest magic stone mine in the known world, is poor in non-magical ore resources such as the NMC-22, which is the main material used in Meteos’ miniature magic turbojet engine. This is very unfortunate, as it means they need to secure the resources first before even proceeding to build a full-scale engine. Robin perked up, remembering something.

“Oh yeah, I heard rumors that a certain mine in Meerky Kingdom continues to produce useless ores, I’ll include that in my report…”

“Then, Miss Robin, please include the Altaras Kingdom as well, half of the material we used originated from there.”

“Hmm… alright.”

Since there is nothing they can do for now, Robin continued to the next topic.

“Then, while we are waiting for confirmation from my superiors, I hope you don’t forget, Meteos.”

“Hm, yes, we can check how the development of conductive magnetic radars and computer technology progressing…”

“I want a grimoire and a camera in one device,” Walman commented.

“Yes, we can… but to do that, we need a more advanced computer technology.”

“I’m joking, you know…”

“And I’m not.”

“Seriously?” Walman sounded hopeful.

“Yes.”

Robin gaped at Meteos, “I was about to talk about patent, kid. Don’t forget to submit the patent for your magic turbojet engine. You don’t want money!?”

“Oh, yeah. That too, more money for funding future projects. Yay.”

After that, the three continued their talk until evening, when they returned to their apartment.

19:30

Arden District

In a corner of the Arden District, located east of the Empire’s government district where the Imperial Palace is located, there is a glamorous mansion owned by a noble family, the Pendragon family. Sitting on the top of a hill overlooking the capital, one can see the brightly lit palace and the city’s skyscrapers in the distance from the balcony of this mansion.

A black car passed through the open gates of the mansion and stopped in front of it. From the vehicle, a middle-aged gentleman stepped out and walked into the building. This is Duke Lucius Pendragon, the owner of the mansion and the head of the Pendragon family, who is also serving as the mayor of Runepolis. He was home after a whole day of working in the City Hall, and he can’t wait for a good night’s rest.

“I’m home,” Lucius said as he entered the mansion.

“Welcome home, father.”

“Ah, Anna.”

From the top of the stairs leading to the second floor, there stood Lucius’ only daughter, Annette, without her glasses. She then descended the stairs and ran up to her father who gave her an embrace and a kiss on top of her head, a gesture of affection that Lucius always does every time he comes home from work.

“You’re back already, father?”

“Yes, I finished my work today. Did I make you wait?”

His daughter shook her head, smiling, “Not at all.”

Several minutes later, Lucius and Annette were in the dining room, facing each other and enjoying a quiet dinner. Lucius opened his mouth to speak.

“Anna.”

“Yes, father?”

“How is your school today?”

Annette’s hands paused for a moment before answering.

“It’s alright as usual… actually, father, do you remember about Meteos?”

“Meteos? Ah, one of your friends… with silver hair? What about him?”

“Yes, that one. He made an engine more powerful and louder than a Heavenly Vessel’s engine for our project. Can you believe it, father?”

“Engine?”

Lucius raised an eyebrow. He had heard from his daughter that she and her friends were asked by a silver-haired teenager named Meteos Roguerider to help him in what he assumed to be an ordinary school project in exchange for an instant pass for RMA’s difficult equivalency exam that her daughter was seeking. However, he did not expect it to be some advanced technological breakthrough like this. If he is not interested in him before, he is now.

“Yes, an engine. Actually, we spent this whole month working on this project, and today is the successful testing of that engine. I just need to write a report and I am skipping high school.”

“I see, that’s good to hear… But you seem too relaxed this whole month when your school project sounded like a difficult one to make.”

Annette pouted, “Yeah… actually it’s because we did nearly nothing.”

“How so?”

“Well, it’s Meteos, he gave us very easy jobs while he did almost everything alone. What’s the point of asking for help, then? Sometimes I think he just wanted to show off, but it seems that he’s just insensitive.”

“Hmm, what a very strange kid.”

“Yes. I had to admit, though, it was really difficult. I can’t understand this engine thing at all.”

Lucius, who had finished his meal and now wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, smiled teasingly at his daughter.

“Oh? So my daughter has finally met someone who rivaled her intelligence?”

“F-father!?”

“Hahaha, just kidding…”

The father and daughter sat down for a little while at the dining table.

“Um, father?”

“Yes, Anna?”

“Does our family really have no relatives left?”

Lucius’ gaze softened as he glanced at his daughter, then he shook his head quietly.

“I’m afraid no, Anna. I am the only child of my parents and… we might be the last of our people.”

“But…”

“Hmm, Anna, how about this. Let’s invite him, his friends, and your teacher to our house during your graduation party. I’d like to meet them in person, especially Roguerider.”

“That’s a good idea. Well then, I’m heading to my room. Good night, father.”

“Good night to you as well, my dear.”

Annette bowed to her father left the dining table to head to her room. Watching at her retreating back, Lucius let out a quiet sigh and he headed for the balcony to smoke. He glanced quietly at the shining Imperial Palace in the distance and pondered as the cold winds of the autumn night blew.

The noble house of Pendragon is not a big family. Instead, it only consists of Lucius, the current head of the family, and his only daughter and heiress, Annette, with no other relatives. Their beloved wife and mother had already passed away five years ago in an accident. The big mansion felt even more empty ever since then, and because he had to fulfill his duties as a noble and mayor of the capital, he always left Annette alone at the house. He tried to be there for Annette as much as possible, but the loneliness she had to endure must have been very unbearable.

As being nobility is naturally detached from the common people, he was afraid that Annette will have some difficulty in socializing with people. But Lucius is very relieved to find out that Annette is able to find genuine friends that can provide her with some semblance of happiness. However, it seems that she began to think that one of them might be their family’s long-lost relative or something.

‘I can’t wait for us to meet…’

Lucius took a long puff of his cigarette and looked up to the sky. His silver hair and blue eyes glistened under the moonlight.

Currently Publicly Available Information

NMC-22

A lustrous metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in seawater, aqua regia, and chlorine. In its pure form, it cannot be channeled with magic power, so it is mostly ignored by the nations in the First Civilization Area due to its nonexistent magical value.

Recently it has been used as the main material for a new type of alloy used in the construction of a prototype small engine by a group of student mages from the Runepolis Magic Academy under supervision and guidance of a MOASEC member.