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Join the Server“What in the world is going on?!”
The resounding shout of the current king, Genoa, echoed first thing in the morning. On the large monitor in the conference room, the Zaisler Corporation’s matching test device was shown exploding into pieces within the palace’s public hall, setting fire to its surroundings.
He frantically switched channels, but a similar scene was playing on every single one. After being broadcast live, the news was now dissecting the incident. An even worse clip showed a large piece of shrapnel flying from the explosion and embedding itself in the center of Moore Corp’s black machine.
“Your Majesty, Zaisler Corporation’s test device was inspected multiple times…”
“Inspections?!”
Before the official could finish, another roar cut through the room.
“Whether it was inspected multiple times or dozens of times, does that matter? What matters is that the device that exploded on site *was* the one that was inspected dozens of times!”
The shouting king collapsed into his seat, and the Chief Chamberlain rushed to support him, offering a guiding touch. The quiet scolding that His Majesty might fall ill again, followed by the sound of tea being poured, went unnoticed. No one in the conference room dared to turn their heads toward the king.
The Lord of Zaisler and his son bit their lips. The device was one already in use at the Center. Moreover, it had been inspected countless times with the intention of releasing it as a commercial product even before it was supplied to the Center.
Sighing, the king turned his head to Bliss.
“I hear Moore Corp’s machine was also damaged.”
“Shrapnel from the Zaisler device destroyed the central sensor, the capsule, and the vaporized oxygen gel inlet.”
In other words, it was ruined. The officials were left speechless by Bliss’s impassive damage report. The Lord of Zaisler, now responsible for damaging equipment registered as military property, stepped forward.
“We will replace it with Zaisler Corporation’s newest model. Since we broke it, we will provide you with two.”
The offer of two devices, each worth billions of Gheed, didn’t seem bad at first glance. But Herace, who had been listening, displayed his tablet on the monitor and refused.
“That won’t be possible. The equipment for the military must be faster and lighter than the equipment at the Center.”
The specifications for both devices appeared side-by-side.
“…!!”
“Did you truly believe I approved this device for military use for no reason?”
Herace’s cold gaze was fixed on Devon. Devon’s expression hardened as he examined the specs. Although the head of the Procyon Unit had become Devon’s Esper, preventing many things from falling into Herace’s hands, Herace was still the one who oversaw all three Esper units. Moore Corp’s product contained elements that Devon, who considered it medical equipment under the Center’s jurisdiction, could not interfere with.
“Anti-tank… high-explosive… short-form… Esper barrier… forty stacks?!”
“…!!”
As someone read the list aloud, the faces of those listening turned ghostly white. The Lord of Zaisler and his son, who had recently been engaged in a territorial war, froze as well. Sensing that they were imagining those components had been in the public hall yesterday, Bliss sighed and spoke.
“Naturally, those components were not installed yesterday. If they had been, the machine would have exploded when the shrapnel from the Zaisler device hit it.”
Only then did some clear their throats and turn their attention to Herace’s explanation.
“When a unit relocates, the two things that the researchers worry about most and that take the longest to install and dismantle are the matching tester and the Esper barrier surrounding the encampment. I’m aware that not only Moore Corp but also the Center has been working to increase the installation speed of the Esper barrier. However, the only way to reduce the time currently is to narrow its range. But since the range itself covers an area of only twenty to thirty centimeters, it’s practically impossible to shield an entire unit with it.”
“…A small-range, short-form barrier is far more expensive.”
As Genoa muttered, the officials seated on either side of him nodded in agreement. A tremendous budget was allocated each year just to maintain the Esper barrier currently surrounding the royal palace.
“However, it can be used on the test device that holds the matching data of the unit members. Moore Corp has utilized this advantage to create a device that is sleeker and more mobile than the medical equipment produced by Zaisler. In an emergency, it can block an approaching enemy Esper or use a self-destruct mechanism to scatter shrapnel for mass destruction.”
It was a device created not to stop an enemy, but to stop Bliss himself. He had allowed Doctor Sera to study his body instead of the Center in his search for a compatible guide. The device was meant to buy time for the surrounding researchers to escape if he showed signs of going berserk while inside the tester.
Bliss smiled bitterly at the old memory.
“…The processing speed is also much faster.”
Wilfried, the son of the Lord of Zaisler, pointed out sharply. While Zaisler’s model boasted a processing speed 1.5 times faster than conventional ones, Moore Corp’s was twice as fast. Though the sensitivity wasn’t detailed, Wilfried, who knew the properties of matching testers well, discerned that Moore Corp’s sleek machine was likely far more delicate than it appeared.
“…You’re sharp.”
Wilfried grinned at Herace’s less-than-complimentary praise.
“At the end of the day, I’m still a developer.”
‘…So the Lord of Zaisler was a Technomancer.’
‘That explains the increase in new medical equipment launches and patents in recent years.’
Bliss recalled the report on Zaisler Corporation and furrowed his brow slightly. He remembered what Enoch, looking exhausted after pulling an all-nighter running the information network, had muttered before they came to the palace.
– “This stuff… it’s called medical equipment, but its functions are so advanced it could be modified into weapons in a pinch.”
Autonomous regions were forbidden from engaging in the weapons business. It was a strict imperial control. Yet, something about them smelled fishy. Bliss gazed at the affably smiling Wilfried with a blank expression.
“In any case, this model from Moore Corp is intended for internal military use only, with no plans for commercialization. Therefore, we will also need to hear the Moore family’s proposal regarding compensation. Myself, Lord Bliss, and a considerable number of others were not informed that Zaisler’s device would be present in the public hall.”
By not commercializing, they would not participate in market competition. The justification that Moore Corp, the aggrieved party, was unaware of the deployment of a Zaisler model approved by the king put pressure on not only Zaisler but also King Genoa himself for compensation. Devon wore a look of defeat. He thought things would be easier with Enoch absent, but Herace was now spouting the man’s characteristic prickly wordplay. With an air of inevitability, Genoa let out a hollow laugh and asked Bliss Moore,
“What compensation does the Moore family desire?”
“We would like to manage the Ekaneum mine in the Riga territory on your behalf, and to be provided with the ultra-high-purity Ekaneum produced there at a reasonable price.”
“…!!!”
The habitual smile finally vanished from Wilfried Zaisler’s face.
****
Impeccably dressed, Ethan was leaving one of the Aitoolia Empire’s largest media corporations with Enoch Cloud, who managed to look beautiful even when haggard from lack of sleep. Kyle and Maxon, who had been stopped by security and couldn’t follow them all the way up, pulled the car around. Ethan quickly got in, sighed, and grumbled.
“Why did they have to take so many pictures?”
“That was a small number, Ethan. Honestly, why did that machine have to explode and force me to get involved personally? You’re sure we didn’t touch it, right? A few simple errors would have been enough to cause a malfunction.”
‘I know, right?’
Pricked by Enoch’s words, Ethan lowered his gaze and answered inwardly. Why did Sawol have to pull that wire yesterday? A sigh threatened to escape.
“And it was supposed to be an interview. Why did they make me change clothes so many times?”
“I suppose you’re more photogenic than expected. Could you move away a little?”
As he spoke, Enoch scooted closer to the window. A small smile touched Ethan’s lips, seeing him do the same thing he always did when they were together, but he feigned ignorance.
“It’s shocking that one of the Empire’s biggest media companies agreed to immediately publish reports on suspicions surrounding Zaisler Corporation in the event of any future malicious media play against the Moore family, all in exchange for a few exclusive interviews with me during the Spring Flower Festival.”
“They must have thought it was a fair trade, since we provided the data. Timing is everything when it comes to dropping a story. And Ethan, the ‘Flower of the Empire’ is more popular than you think. The Crown Princess has skillfully used that to boost Prince Herace’s image. This Spring Flower Festival is the first time the person holding that title will appear before the public since it changed hands. Two exclusive interviews on that are valuable.”
“But we just made novel-level speculations based on information gathered last night.”
“Yesterday’s incident tanked the credibility of a perfectly respectable imperial corporation. There will be a backlash, no matter what. It’s a relief if even a work of fiction can help. It was useful that Bliss and Herace didn’t know about the King’s approval, which created a justification, but His Majesty the King is surely displeased.”
“What exactly did you like so much about Scott?”
“…!!”
The sudden question brought the smooth flow of words from Enoch’s lips to a screeching halt.
“…Did he seem pure to you?”
“…”
Though he still didn’t answer, Enoch’s reaction was a partial affirmation.
“I don’t dislike that side of Scott, either. But the reason I could accept him as a close friend was because I decided not to expect anything in return whenever he did his instinctive addition and subtraction. The memory of him approaching me like a friend he’d just seen yesterday, without any hesitation when I was a village outcast, is just too vivid.”
“…Instinctive addition and subtraction? He’s not a calculating person like me.”
Ethan smiled faintly, his eyes curving.
“He probably doesn’t even think about it. He just moves as his heart desires, and he instinctively chooses what’s best for him. There’s no need to weigh things back and forth like you do, Enoch. It’s pure instinct.”
That was the kind of purity, the kind of innocence he possessed. Ethan had embraced that purity, as long as it didn’t cross a line he had set in his mind, and in return, he received Scott’s genuine goodwill. Because it was goodwill received as payment, he held no lingering attachment when Scott distanced himself of his own accord.
But it seemed Enoch was different.
“…Just keep your promise, Ethan.”
“From me, to you, and then to His Highness Devon. A pure child, but he seems to have done his addition and subtraction quite well, don’t you think?”
Enoch’s emerald eyes, fixed on the view outside the window, trembled faintly.
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