I had just finished the design for K01 and was enjoying a brief moment of leisure when Robin and Tyler arrived.

Since they had listened carefully to my detailed explanation about the laboratory I wanted last time, I was secretly looking forward to what they might bring.

“Please sit down.”

I took my seat first and gestured for Robin and Tyler to do the same.

The two bowed respectfully toward me before sitting. Robin opened the blueprint he had brought and began to speak.

“I’ve prepared a new design based on what you mentioned last time, Miss. Please take a look.”

I carefully examined the blueprint Robin presented.

There was a large bunker underground and a storage room for food. I was particularly pleased to see dozens of secret passages drawn in.

“Who drew this blueprint?”

“I oversaw the overall management and supervision. If you’re concerned about the secret passages, please don’t worry—I’ve already prepared measures to ensure security.”

Robin had precisely pinpointed my concern.

There was an old joke that after designing secret passages, you’d kill the architect to seal their lips.

That was precisely because secret passages had to remain spaces known to absolutely no one.

“No one except me knows the full layout. Each secret passage was commissioned separately to different specialists.”

I was impressed by Robin’s meticulous attention to detail.

Of course, since he himself knew the layout, I couldn’t claim the entire world was ignorant of it—but at the very least, information wouldn’t leak from any source he didn’t control.

Robin, realizing he might have misspoken, quickly added an explanation.

“As soon as construction of the laboratory begins, I will destroy the blueprint. And I swear I will never disclose it to anyone else, so please set your mind at ease.”

I couldn’t help but smile slightly at his words.

Truthfully, I couldn’t fully trust Robin—we’d only met twice. But I trusted my father, Orland, who had sent him to me as a professional.

Orland was thorough and meticulous in everything. If he had chosen to send Robin to me, it meant Robin was trustworthy—and I believed that.

“Yes, I’m not worried about that part. But please remain especially vigilant to ensure no information leaks, as it is now.”

“Then shall we proceed with this design?”

“Yes. Please begin work based on this blueprint.”

At my words, Robin beamed with relief—he must have been secretly worried I’d reject it.

Once my conversation with Robin concluded, Tyler, who had been waiting beside him, eagerly spoke up.

“I remembered you wanted building walls and a sturdy bunker capable of withstanding even moderate attacks, so I looked into materials.”

Tyler rummaged through his belongings and pulled out an ore roughly the size of an adult man’s fist. Just by looking at it, I couldn’t tell what kind of ore it was.

Noticing my puzzled expression, Tyler stood up from his seat and continued.

“Let me show you directly. It might get a bit noisy.”

“That’s fine.”

As soon as I gave permission, Tyler took the ore in one hand and a brick in the other, then struck them forcefully together in midair.

KWAANG—!

A short but thunderous crash echoed.

Right before my eyes, the brick shattered upon impact with the ore, visibly cracked.

The brick was clearly an ordinary construction material. If it shattered so easily, the ore had to be far harder.

Seeing my curious gaze, Tyler extended the ore toward me and continued his explanation.

“You wanted a plain exterior, so the outer layer will be brick. But the unseen interior will be filled with this ore. I’ll pay special attention to reinforcing the underground bunker.”

“What’s this ore called?”

“It doesn’t have an official name. It doesn’t have versatile properties like iron ore. It’s occasionally used in constructing battle fortresses—we just call it Bltanium among ourselves.”

“Bltanium?”

“I’ve heard it’s named for its meaning: ‘unbreakable.’”

“I see.”

How fascinating. This was information I hadn’t encountered while reading the novel .

I took the ore Tyler offered and nodded.

“Alright. You clearly know more about this than I do—I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”

“Thank you.”

Though Tyler replied bluntly, the Bltanium he showed me definitely inspired confidence.

With the blueprint and interior materials settled alongside Robin and Tyler, only construction remained to begin.

“How long until the laboratory is completed?”

Tyler cautiously asked in response.

“How soon were you expecting?”

“Well… the sooner, the better.”

Matela and Barnen were clearly anticipating it too—if we could have a comfortable shared research space, it would benefit us in many ways.

I could expand the K01 series further, and even begin seriously developing weapons to prepare for war.

After a brief moment of thought, Tyler answered in a low voice.

“Two months—how does that sound?”

“What?”

Two months?

Surely he didn’t mean he could finish construction within two months?

Seeing my stunned silence, Tyler misinterpreted my reaction and frowned.

“If that’s too slow for you, I’ll complete it within one month. This is already the fastest deadline I’ve ever quoted for a project assigned by Marquis Brellof. Faster than this is impossible, even if I die trying.”

“Oh, I see.”

Though I hadn’t heard a long explanation, I somehow sensed that Orland had frequently assigned Tyler brutally difficult tasks.

I suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Robin and Tyler standing before me—but I supposed I was, after all, a member of the Brellof family.

“Then please complete it within one month.”

Robin and Tyler nodded in understanding at my request.

They seemed to be giving me a look that said, “Like father, like daughter,” but I couldn’t help it—I wanted it built as soon as possible.

“Have you eaten? If you’re not busy, please stay for a meal.”

I wanted to offer something to Robin and Tyler, who were about to undertake grueling work. Perhaps I also felt a touch of guilt.

After seeing Robin and Tyler off and turning around, my eyes suddenly caught sight of Ascan standing a short distance away.

Today, dressed in black, Ascan looked exceptionally handsome.

I’d bought him many outfits, but since this was the first time I’d seen him wear this particular one, it stood out vividly to me.

Tap tap. As I passed by Ascan’s side, a thought slipped out casually.

“The outfit you’re wearing today suits you well.”

Ascan glanced down at his clothes, then asked,

“Is that so?”

“You seem to suit black particularly well.”

“…I see.”

Ascan said nothing further. Since I hadn’t meant anything special by it, I simply continued walking toward my original destination.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps following me and turned to see Ascan walking behind me.

Curious whether he had something to say, I looked back. Noticing my gaze, Ascan spoke softly.

“Who were those people just now?”

Come to think of it, Ascan didn’t know Robin and Tyler. I’d only met them twice myself, so of course he wouldn’t recognize them.

“They’re the people building my laboratory…”

As I began to explain, I suddenly remembered something Ascan had said last time.

─I get angry when I see you with other men.

Coincidentally, Robin and Tyler were both men. I couldn’t help but reflect—had I been standing too close to them?

Seeing me suddenly fall silent, Ascan called out, puzzled.

“Miss?”

“Wait a moment—come here.”

I grabbed Ascan’s hand and pulled him into a corner. Then I carefully examined his hands and arms, checking for any signs of steel transformation.

Dragging him into a dim corner and immediately groping him caused Ascan’s eyes to gradually flush red.

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“Why? Because of what you said last time. I’m checking to see if your body transformed again.”

Thud. Ascan caught my wrist. He seemed to grip lightly, but due to the difference in strength, I couldn’t budge.

“Just ask me directly next time.”

I had no guarantee Ascan would always answer my questions truthfully. If he said “no,” I’d have no way to verify—so I preferred to check for myself.

“You said you dislike seeing me with other men. Did you get angry again this time?”

Was my question too direct?

Ascan, seemingly unsure how to respond, averted his gaze, then pressed a hand to his forehead. He answered in a slightly muffled voice.

“…No. This time, it was fine.”

“Good.”

True to Ascan’s words, my quick inspection revealed no signs of steel transformation on his body.

“Were you still remembering what you said back then?”

“Of course. It was a promise between you and me.”

I tended to keep my promises. And since Ascan’s rampages could threaten my safety, I had no choice but to be cautious.

But upon hearing my words, Ascan seemed to think something over, then smiled with an expression of barely contained exasperation, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Keeping some distance from others wasn’t difficult for me—but I couldn’t live like this forever. I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Ascan might rampage without my knowledge.

“Those people are building my laboratory. Their fields are slightly different—one handles architectural design, and the other seems to participate directly in construction.”

“I see.”

“They say it’ll be completed in a month. After the academic festival ends, let’s go together to see it. Master and Teacher Matela will come too. It’s large enough that using it alone would leave too much empty space.”

“One month doesn’t leave much time.”

“Which reminds me…”

A thought had just occurred to me. But since I wasn’t sure how Ascan would take it, I had to tread carefully.

“If you’re willing… would you let me help you learn to control your power?”

Ascan looked slightly surprised. His pupils widened briefly, then darkened.

From his expression alone, I couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

“I won’t do it if you dislike the idea. I’m only asking because I think it might be good for you.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you… but it’s not an easy task.”

I knew that even without him saying it.

Countless researchers from the Calua Empire had tried to control his power, yet none achieved clear results.

Ultimately, Ascan only gained control over his power in the near future because he reached an epiphany on his own.

Having read the novel , I knew this fact well—which was precisely why I could speak with such confidence.

All the answers lay within Ascan himself.

“If you don’t distrust me, then try entrusting it to me. At worst, you lose nothing. And even if you leave Brellof Mansion, if you can’t control your power, I’ll never truly feel at ease.”

Just as his body had suddenly turned to steel when struck by Reiana, if Ascan’s power manifested at an unwanted moment, his identity would inevitably be exposed.

That was a result neither I nor Ascan wanted.

My goal was to live happily for a long time in this other world—and if possible, I wanted Ascan to avoid falling into darkness and find happiness too.

Had my feelings somehow reached him?

After a brief moment of contemplation, Ascan gave a slight nod.

“Understood. Once your laboratory is built… let’s try it.”

I knew he had endured brutal experiments at the hands of the original Tanashia. I still remembered those scenes myself.

Yet the fact that he now chose to trust me again filled me with gratitude. For someone like Ascan, who had spent his life subjected to experiments, voluntarily stepping forward like this was absolutely not an easy decision.

“Thank you. I’ll never betray your trust.”

Ascan didn’t reply. He simply stared at me intently.

I couldn’t read the emotions hidden in his golden eyes—only that his gaze somehow looked strangely lonely and sorrowful.

After holding his gaze for a long while, I turned my head away first. For some reason, I found it difficult to keep looking at him.

“Well, I have things to do…”

“…A reward…”

“What?”

“…Please give me a reward.”

For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant and stared at him. Then Ascan continued softly.

“Even if this is for my own sake—if I succeed in controlling my power as you wish, please give me a reward.”

“Is there something you want?”

Ascan fell silent in response to my question.

I didn’t know what he wanted, but I knew he wasn’t the type to be greedy or desire many things.

A reward? It felt oddly like handing out candy to a child.

“Alright. Think about what you’d like. If you learn to control your power, I’ll give you anything.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I don’t lie about things like this.”

At my words, Ascan’s expression softened. He wasn’t smiling, yet his face somehow looked peacefully content.

“What if I ask for something very precious?”

“I’ll steel my heart and prepare myself. Deal?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll see you later.”

I turned away from Ascan first. Though finishing K01’s design had given me a bit of breathing room, I still had much to do.

Ascan bowed deeply and courteously to see me off.

As I walked down the corridor and turned the corner, I could still see Ascan standing in the same spot as before.

What could he be thinking?

For a moment, I felt curious—but since his aura seemed calm and relaxed, I paid it no further mind and continued on my way.