The world changed overnight.

If I had to compare it, it felt like I’d been an ugly duckling yesterday, but suddenly everyone was praising me as a pure white swan.

“That young lady developed K01?”

“She’s so young—how did she manage to create such a weapon? Truly amazing.”

“She’s a genius in magical engineering, after all.”

On the second day of the academic festival, I went to the venue as scheduled, and—just as if by magic—every gaze turned toward me.

Ever since arriving in this other world, I’d only heard harsh words; now, every word I overheard was praise directed at me.

The academic festival was originally mostly about testing special abilities, so I didn’t have much to do—but unlike the first day, no one mocked me anymore.

That wasn’t all. Whenever I had a free moment, strangers I’d never seen before came to me, proposing deals: Would I consider distributing magical engineering weapons?

In this other world, distributing magical engineering weapons meant acting as an intermediary—either selling what I created for the highest possible price, or connecting me with buyers who met certain conditions.

Naturally, the better my weapons, the more demand there would be—and the higher the intermediary commission they could charge.

I now fully realized Orland’s worries hadn’t been unfounded.

If I’d been even slightly less mature, I might’ve been tempted by their proposed sums and signed the contracts without hesitation.

‘Ah, I’m so tired.’

I hated being universally disliked, but this—being universally adored—was equally exhausting.

“Lady Brellof, just a moment, please—!”

Seeing someone who looked like a festival official chasing after me, I quickened my pace. I’d refused them enough times already—it was getting tiresome.

That was when—

Thud. Someone grabbed my hand and yanked me behind a building.

Thanks to their strong pull, I found myself instinctively hidden behind the structure.

When I looked up in surprise, I saw Dekain, his finger gently pressed to his lips, silently signaling me to stay quiet.

As always, half his face was covered by a mask—but even that couldn’t hide how handsome he was.

“…”

I obeyed, holding my breath and saying nothing. Then I saw several more people appear behind the official who’d been chasing me.

“Where’s Lady Brellof?”

“No idea. She vanished suddenly.”

“Damn, I didn’t even get to properly explain.”

“Quick, scatter and find her!”

Watching them move with such coordinated urgency, I realized—if I’d been caught, I’d have been harassed for a long while.

Sighing deeply, I turned to Dekain.

“Thank you. You saved me.”

“Don’t bother thanking me, Tanashia.”

Hearing my name spoken by him felt strangely unfamiliar.

Of course, I’d given him permission to use it—but seeing him say it so naturally still felt odd.

As I stared blankly at Dekain, he seemed to misinterpret my gaze. With an awkward smile, he added softly,

“You’re not regretting letting me call you by your name, are you?”

“Of course not. I rarely regret my own decisions. I was just staring because you said it so naturally.”

For some reason, my words made Dekain’s smile deepen.

“Good to hear. And you really don’t need to thank me. I also have questions about K01 I want to ask you.”

I’d already noticed Dekain’s interest in K01, but the thought of being pestered by him too left me utterly drained.

Perhaps sensing my mood, Dekain chuckled lightly and continued,

“Don’t worry. I don’t want to distribute K01 like everyone else.”

“Why?”

“It’s still incomplete.”

“…!”

Perhaps because I’d received so much praise since unveiling K01,

Dekain’s words hit me like a slap to the back of the head.

The truth was, K01 had a weakness—and no one else had noticed it yet.

Seeing my shocked expression, Dekain smiled gently and said,

“Oh? Was that a secret? Or are you just surprised I noticed?”

“If I had to pick… both.”

It wasn’t exactly a grand secret, but I saw no reason to advertise K01’s flaw.

“It costs a fortune just for one magic stone. And K01 requires two stones—it’s too expensive to ever become widespread.”

He’d nailed it.

K01’s production cost was prohibitively high. Thus, mass production was impossible, and ownership would remain limited.

“Since it’s powered by magic stones, its usage must also be limited.”

Exactly as Dekain said—K01 could fire only three shots.

Once depleted, K01 became no better than a toy gun. The fire and wind powers granted by the magic stones vanished.

“Yes, you’re completely right.”

I admitted it readily.

Even though I hadn’t yet revealed detailed specifics about K01, I was impressed that Dekain had deduced these facts.

“Still, it’s undeniably remarkable. It’s a completely new weapon unlike anything seen before—small in size, yet incredibly powerful. Many will want it despite its flaws. But I’m different. I’m far more interested in the weapons you’ll create from now on.”

Dekain’s red eyes sparkled with ambition.

His words were more merchant-like than anyone I’d met—and showed he highly valued my future potential.

“The weapons I’ll create from now on…”

I planned to begin serious magical engineering weapon development once my laboratory was built, but I hadn’t finalized any concrete plans yet.

“Tanashia, if you can reduce K01’s production cost or increase its firing capacity, you’ll create something truly extraordinary.”

He wasn’t wrong. K01 was only the first series—I intended to keep developing improved versions that addressed its weaknesses.

“So what exactly are you proposing? That K01 isn’t ready yet, but you want to distribute the weapons I’ll create in the future?”

I didn’t beat around the bush.

Dekain flinched slightly at my blunt question—but apparently he didn’t mind my boldness, because he soon smiled gently and nodded.

“Yes, exactly. Igtheon Trading Company can offer you the best possible terms. I want to support your growth.”

“Support meaning…?”

“Tanashia, I know you’re part of the Brellof family and not financially strained. But we intend to invest fully.”

It was wonderful that the Brellof family was wealthy—but that wealth belonged to Orland, not me. I couldn’t freely spend it.

Even if Orland supported me, magical engineering was an expensive field—honestly, the more financial leeway I had, the better.

To someday gather dozens or hundreds of magic stones and build something like a nuclear bomb, I’d need serious backing.

Dekain clearly understood this developer’s psychology—which was why he made this offer.

‘Sharper than I expected.’

Others were purely greedy for K01’s power, not calculating long-term gains and losses like Dekain.

Truly, as an ambitious man, his perspective was unique.

Honestly, right now I wanted to eagerly accept Dekain’s proposal—but I needed to consult Orland and Barunen first and decide carefully.

“I understand what you’re saying. I can’t give an immediate answer. Can I think it over and get back to you?”

“Of course.”

Dekain nodded readily, as if he’d expected this response.

Since he was being so accommodating, I couldn’t help but ask my own question.

“But why are you so interested in K01? Distributing K01 now would bring you profit, but investing in me implies you’re betting on the distant future. Why?”

Dekain was Emperor Lajent’s illegitimate son. His goal—naturally—was to succeed his father as emperor.

I was curious how my K01 fit into his ambitions.

I knew the original plot of , but since the novel contained no weapons I’d created, I needed to understand how things had changed.

“That’s too sharp a question—it’s hard to answer.”

Dekain frowned genuinely, as if truly troubled—but the relaxed smile never left his lips.

His composure made me realize anew how formidable he was.

Indeed, he was like a flower hiding thorns—or rather, a snake concealing fangs.

“I’d appreciate an honest answer. You may not trust me, but I guarantee secrecy. I think I need to know where you intend to use the weapons I create.”

Even shallow trust was better than none—without some degree of confidence, maintaining a relationship would be difficult.

Perhaps sensing this, Dekain sighed and finally spoke.

“You know the relationship between Lajent Empire and Kalua Empire isn’t good.”

I nodded—of course I knew.

“According to intelligence, Kalua Empire is developing weapons for war.”

Having read , I knew those weapons were human weapons—and Ascan was exactly that.

“Lajent Empire is investing heavily in magical engineering weapons to prepare for any contingency. Given the situation, Igtheon Trading Company is also sparing no expense in investment.”

Dekain pinched his thumb and forefinger together, forming the shape of a gold coin.

“War… is profitable.”

He wasn’t wrong. War profited someone.

But I also perceived the truth he hadn’t voiced—he wanted to become emperor, so he couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

was an unfinished novel, so I didn’t know how Kalua Empire fared against Lajent Empire after defeating Arwen Empire.

But as they say—the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

My goal was to prevent Kalua Empire’s future war—so Dekain’s proposal felt deeply satisfying.

‘Right, thinking about it, I’m not entirely alone in sharing this goal.’

Dekain aimed to become emperor, so our destinations differed—but in a way, we were both in positions needing to check Kalua Empire.

I suddenly felt like I’d found a comrade.

I’d thought his intentions were purely self-serving, but perhaps—with the right approach—he could become a reliable ally.

I looked up at Dekain with sparkling eyes. Sensing my sudden shift in mood, he stared back, surprised.

“Thank you for being honest. I won’t tell anyone. But I truly like the reason you gave.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“I didn’t expect you’d like hearing ‘war is profitable.’ Honestly, I thought you’d look down on me as a lowly merchant.”

Ah, did it come across that way?

It wasn’t what I’d intended—but regardless, Dekain’s goal genuinely satisfied me.

“Even noble society operates on capitalism. I oppose war itself, but preparing for such situations isn’t wrong.”

Everyone prepares for worst-case scenarios. I, too, was developing weapons to prevent Kalua Empire’s future war.

My answer seemed to surprise Dekain—he stared at me with widened eyes, then smiled faintly, almost imperceptibly.

Somehow, this smile felt different from his usual ones.

I’d always thought his smiles were effortlessly warm and gentle—but seeing this expression, his previous smiles now seemed fake.

That was when—

“Young lady, there you are.”

I turned toward the familiar voice—and saw Ascan standing rigidly there.

Suddenly, I noticed Ascan’s gaze felt colder than usual. Then I realized—he was staring at Dekain and me walking side by side.

‘Oh no!’

I remembered what Ascan had said last time.

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

Startled, I stepped one pace away from Dekain.

I’d unknowingly drawn closer out of joy at finding a comrade with shared goals in this other world—it wasn’t intentional at all.

“Ascan, don’t misunderstand. We’re just friends.”

As I fumbled to explain we weren’t close, Dekain—who’d been silently watching me step away—suddenly asked,

“I saw you before too—who is he?”

“You mean Ascan?”

“Ascan?”

“My attendant.”

“Attendant…”

Somehow, Dekain’s gaze changed. It turned cold—as if he’d openly revealed the sharp thorns he’d been hiding.

“Once might be coincidence—but twice? Never just coincidence.”

“What are you talking about?”

His words made no sense to me. But instead of answering me, Dekain kept his gaze fixed on Ascan.

Then, from afar, I spotted Barunen approaching, waving both hands energetically.

“My disciple! My lovely disciple! I wondered where you’d gone—you’re here!”

“Ah, Master—please don’t call me that.”

Hearing the usually prickly Barunen address me with such overflowing affection made goosebumps prickle all over my body.

Seeing my distaste, Barunen beamed even brighter and bounded over.

“I saw other fellows bothering you, so I came to rescue you. Come with me—let’s go meet Marquis Brellof.”

“Father?”

While I was momentarily distracted by Barunen, I caught sight of Dekain approaching Ascan and saying something to him.

I didn’t know what they discussed, but the atmosphere felt tense.

I hurried over and asked,

“What were you talking about without me?”

“Hmm, you’d probably get a faster answer asking your attendant.”

It was a strangely loaded remark.

I looked at Ascan with a confused expression, but his tightly closed lips showed no sign of opening.

‘What’s going on?’

Feeling unsettled, I kept staring at Ascan—when Barunen, having drawn near, looked at the two of us standing together and asked,

“What’s wrong? Do you have other things to do?”

We didn’t. But before I could speak, Ascan spoke first—in a voice noticeably lower than usual.

“Young lady, let’s go.”

I instinctively sensed tension between Dekain and Ascan. After a brief hesitation, I nodded obediently.

“Alright.”

Whatever they’d discussed, I could find out later—for now, leaving seemed the better option.

Hearing me, Dekain smiled faintly and waved.

“Then I’ll see you again soon, Tanashia.”

His casual behavior somehow felt artificial—but I nodded, signaling I understood.

Thus, Ascan, Barunen, and I departed together. For some reason, Ascan’s unusually expressionless face weighed heavily on my mind.