Several days had passed.
Tanashia had read all the books on magical engineering weapons during that time.
Since the world of inherently utilized elemental magic such as fire, water, and wind, the weapons here differed from those used in the modern era.
The weapons used here employed magic stones imbued with mana as conduits—to shoot flames, summon earthquakes by borrowing the power of the earth, and so forth—relying on supernatural forces.
People blessed with special abilities, like Noxia and Reiana, did exist, but they were an extreme minority.
Thus, the purpose of magical engineering weapons was to temporarily grant necessary powers during wars or disasters.
Naturally, the required abilities varied depending on the situation.
For example, in Noxia’s case—someone who controlled water—she could aid agriculture during droughts, alleviating the suffering of the empire’s citizens and contributing to national prosperity.
Likewise, Reiana, who controlled wind, could occasionally read weather patterns or wind directions to preemptively prepare for dangers like typhoons.
Moreover, each person had a limit to the amount of mana they could wield; thus, even with identical abilities, individual skill levels varied drastically.
Comparing just the two, Noxia’s mana capacity vastly exceeded Reiana’s, and water was more practically useful in daily life than wind—hence, even the nobility treated them differently.
Given these circumstances, a nation’s strength inevitably depended on how many ability users it had and how many magical engineering weapons it possessed.
This was precisely why bloodlines bearing special abilities became nobility, and why people revered those who inherited such powers.
‘The problem is, right now, the Arwen Empire lacks any ability capable of leading it to victory in war…’
Ascan wasn’t born with an innate ability like Noxia or Reiana, but after undergoing the human weapon experiment, he gained the power to freely control inextinguishable flames.
Ascan’s ability was the strongest possible in warfare.
In the novel , nothing within the Arwen Empire could stop the army he led.
Of course, if Ascan stayed by my side, that future would never come—but since my goal was to create the world’s most powerful weapon, I had no choice but to consider even the worst-case scenarios.
‘Magic stones…’
In short, in this world, weapons were essentially conduits enabling the use of magic. But magic stones were far too expensive to distribute to ordinary soldiers.
Weapons crafted through magical engineering were immensely powerful, but precisely because they couldn’t be widely used, they became a niche field.
‘No wonder the Calua Empire tried to create human weapons—given these issues.’
The human weapon experiment Ascan underwent involved injecting mana into an ordinary person’s body to grant them special abilities.
In a way, it resembled the concept of magical engineering—the only difference being whether the subject was an object or a human.
‘What if I gathered tons of magic stones and built something like a nuclear bomb?’
Fortunately, the Brellof family was wealthy, so I thought I could probably amass quite a few magic stones.
Developing a weapon powerful enough to engulf an entire area in flames upon detonation at a target point didn’t sound bad at all.
Even if never actually used, merely possessing such a weapon would greatly reduce the likelihood of war breaking out.
‘Or… perhaps a universal weapon usable even by ordinary soldiers?’
If such a weapon could be created, the Arwen Empire’s national power would skyrocket—but for now, it was nearly impossible.
Magic stones were so difficult to obtain that their price was whatever the seller demanded; unless this problem was solved, realization was out of the question.
‘If only there were something capable of replacing magic stones…’
So far, all magical engineering weapons required magic stones. But was there truly no way to utilize mana without them?
My thoughts spiraled endlessly. No groundbreaking solution immediately came to mind, but I couldn’t afford to stop pondering.
Just then—
“Ahem.”
A cough snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned toward the sound and saw Matela standing there.
“Oh, when did you arrive?”
“Just now. What were you thinking so deeply about?”
I quickly covered the weapon sketches I’d been doodling absentmindedly—they weren’t ready to be shown to anyone yet.
“Just thinking about various things.”
“What could possibly be so troubling that you didn’t even notice me entering?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s really nothing important.”
“By the way, I’ve brought the item you requested last time.”
“Really?”
I sprang up from my seat with excitement.
Matela, apparently aware of how eagerly I’d been waiting, immediately opened the box she’d brought and showed it to me.
It was a bracelet crafted from magic stones.
At first glance, it resembled an ordinary jeweled bracelet, but upon closer inspection, its mysterious shimmer revealed it was anything but ordinary.
“What ability is this bracelet imbued with?”
When I asked excitedly, Matela replied with a pleased smile.
“You should ask the person who made it directly.”
“The person who made it?”
“Yes. I’ve brought along the magical engineering teacher who will instruct you from now on.”
“Oh, where are they?”
I hurriedly looked around, but aside from Matela, no one else was visible in the room.
When I gave Matela a puzzled look, she belatedly realized the situation and sighed as if troubled.
“Ugh, seriously!”
Matela strode over and flung the door open wide. Standing outside was an old man with a scruffy beard, looking like a vagrant off the street.
Dressed in filthy, ragged clothes and with soot smeared across his face, he looked nothing like an ordinary scholar.
‘…Who is this?’
As far as I knew, contained no such character.
As I stared at him, Matela, standing beside me, offered an explanation.
“As you can see, he has a bit of a quirky side, but he’s very famous in the field of magical engineering. His Lordship went to great lengths to invite him here.”
“I see.”
“His name is Bar nen Ad Tei nan do…”
“What?”
I couldn’t help but jump in surprise at the name Bar nen—it was the author of the magical engineering books I’d been reading.
I’d earnestly begged Orland and Matela to find me a skilled teacher, but I never imagined they’d manage to bring Bar nen himself.
The thought of him personally teaching me made me want to jump up and down with joy.
“Hello, I’m Tanashia…”
“I know. Daughter of Marquis Brellof. If not for the debt I owe the Marquis, I wouldn’t have been dragged to a place like this.”
Bar nen looked at me with obvious displeasure—it was immediately clear he had no desire to teach me.
“Matela mentioned something about a genius, but this is just a noble young lady’s hobby before marriage, right? I have no intention of humoring aristocratic pastimes…”
“Uncle! You already agreed to teach her—how can you say such things!”
Matela cut him off with a sharp shout.
Somehow, Matela and Bar nen seemed already acquainted. His words could easily be taken as deeply rude, so she’d evidently stepped in out of exasperation.
But honestly, I didn’t care at all. It didn’t matter to me why Bar nen had come here.
What mattered was that I could now directly ask him all my questions.
“Wait—there’s so much I’ve wanted to ask you in person!”
I hurriedly fetched the book Bar nen had authored. It was filled with countless questions I’d marked where I couldn’t understand.
I immediately handed the book to Bar nen and began asking question after question.
“This part here—I don’t understand why you explained it this way.”
“…What?”
The one flustered by this situation wasn’t me—it was Bar nen.
He stared in astonishment, alternating his gaze between me and the densely annotated book.
“This concerns the profound depths of magical engineering—it’s naturally difficult to grasp… But you’re curious about this? Why? Aren’t you a noble young lady?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“…!”
At my reply, Bar nen looked momentarily speechless.
The fact that I was Tanashia of the Brellof family and my desire to study magical engineering were entirely separate matters.
But Bar nen clearly found me fascinating. After all, most noble young ladies wouldn’t risk their lives studying magical engineering like I did.
“Hah.”
Bar nen chuckled dismissively, then grew serious as he examined the sections I’d marked.
He glanced at Matela beside him and spoke in a lower voice than before.
“So the ‘genius’ part… wasn’t an exaggeration, then?”
“Of course not! Why would I lie about something like that?”
“Well, I assumed you were exaggerating to lure me here.”
Somehow, Bar nen’s gaze now appeared genuinely serious. He gestured toward the desk and spoke quietly.
“Come here. I’ll explain it to you.”
“Yes.”
I brightly replied and followed Bar nen to the desk.
Just then—
Knock knock. Jerin tapped on the door and spoke cautiously.
“Miss, Lady Reiana has arrived.”
“Reiana? Why so suddenly?”
“It seems today is your regularly scheduled monthly meeting. What shall I do?”
I knew from the original story that Tanashia and Reiana were friends, but I hadn’t realized they held regular monthly meetings.
Lately, immersed in studying magical engineering and suddenly adding a new class schedule, I’d simply overlooked this detail.
Bar nen stood waiting at the desk, so I had no choice but to quickly reply to Jerin.
“Tell Reiana to wait in my room for a moment. Please ask her to understand—I’ll come as soon as the lesson ends.”
“Ah, yes, Miss.”
After hearing Jerin’s reply, I hurried toward Bar nen.
The thought of finally studying magical engineering under someone’s guidance—after having studied alone all this time—made my heart race strangely.
To think I’d feel this excited about studying in my lifetime…
I suddenly felt the reality of having become a genius.
Reiana hadn’t wanted to come to the Brellof mansion from the start.
Until recently, she’d thought of Tanashia as a friend and enjoyed spending time with her, but after the imperial ball, her feelings had been thoroughly wounded.
Still, now wasn’t yet the time to fully reveal her true intentions if she wanted to deliver a proper betrayal.
She judged it more advantageous to stay close, pretending friendship—just as Tanashia had once done.
That was why she’d attended the regular meeting without breaking the pattern…
‘She’s making me wait, is she?’
After hearing Jerin’s explanation, Reiana couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Tanashia, who had always greeted her warmly, had changed overnight—and changed too drastically. Even if a class schedule had suddenly come up, with just a little consideration, she could have given advance notice.
Jerin, noticing Reiana’s stiff expression, spoke carefully.
“I’m sorry. It was a sudden class schedule…”
“Hah, fine. I get it—no need to explain further. Just bring me some tea.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Jerin answered and hurriedly left the room. She’d personally witnessed just how fierce Reiana’s temper could be.
Reiana’s already sour mood sank even further.
Tanashia’s behavior felt like a subtle act of disrespect toward her.
‘Hah, now that she knows I’m the daughter of a hostess, she’s openly treating me like this, is she?’
It was Reiana’s own inferiority complex, but even the slightest hint of being looked down upon made her unable to control her emotions.
Just as she unconsciously let out a rough breath and began muttering angrily—
Knock knock. A familiar boy’s voice accompanied the knock on the door.
“Miss, it’s me.”
At first, hearing the knock, she assumed Jerin had returned with tea—but upon hearing the voice, she immediately recognized the speaker.
‘That voice…!’
It was Ascan—the insolent boy who’d locked her up at the imperial ball.
No matter that Tanashia had ordered it, Reiana had no intention of forgiving him.
BAM!
Reiana swiftly strode over and, instead of answering, flung the door open wide.
Ascan, clearly not expecting Reiana—not Tanashia—to be inside the room, stared at her with momentary surprise.
Reiana grinned and waved at Ascan.
“Hello, we meet again?”
Even upon second glance, Ascan’s face perfectly matched Reiana’s taste.
His looks were so exquisitely handsome the term “pretty boy” fit perfectly. She especially loved ruining such beautiful faces until they were tear-streaked and wrecked.
“There’s one servant in your household whom Tanashia left crippled.”
In the original story, Tanashia would beat servants at the slightest displeasure. The same was true in Reiana’s own Krisha household.
Since their personalities were similar, they’d never once objected to each other mistreating their respective servants.
“How should I ruin you?”
As Reiana, delighting in finding someone to vent her anger on, looked at him, Ascan’s face—normally expressionless—grew icy cold.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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