"Grandpa, everything has been done, and it's useless to sigh. Now is the time for us to take control of happiness and take a step into the future. 」

"That's exactly right. If you have technology but don't implement it, you don't deserve to call yourself a technician. I'll talk about that later!"

"These two people are still right......

Looking at Al and the Boss, who were smiling and holding their hands firmly, Laurie felt that he was only one step away from reaching enlightenment. Although it looked like it was a joke in the eyes of the others, they did not think about it seriously, and the boss said "And!" as the opening line, and changed his posture.

"The new technology comes in handy, which is the pride of the blacksmith, and the reward can be obtained by the way, and the money will be more abundant. It stands to reason that it would be the fastest to drive Tresthal directly to the king, but unfortunately, there is still a problem that has not been solved. 」

The boss jokingly gestured around, and then said:

"Therestal's completion is a lot of people, and almost half of the Rider School has joined. There must be a lot of rewards for a new type of aircraft, but if everyone involved in the development of it is to share it, won't there be a quarrel?"

The problem pointed out by the boss is extremely reasonable. Providing new technology to the National Institute of Machinery Research can get the corresponding reward as a price, and that will naturally be distributed to the person who assists in the development. As the boss said, there were many people involved in the completion of Trestal. That's a lot of people, including the El who made the proposal, the assemblers, the horsemen who tested them, and even some alchemists who developed materials. But in reality, it is almost impossible to accurately grasp how much credit these people have now. Not only the way of presenting Trestal, but the mountain of questions alone made everyone want to raise their hands and surrender.

"Can you say something? I have an idea......

As if to break the deadlock, Edgar raised his hand slightly. Laurie, who was about to set off for a long journey, ignored the two spectators who clapped to welcome the brave man, and started the school principal mode again.

"Well, no matter what you think, let's talk about it. 」

"That's rude. Not to mention the disposal, although there are still unfinished parts of the Trestal, its performance is still stronger than the previous body. As long as the technology used in the model machine is promoted, it will surely benefit greatly for domestic security. In short, it will definitely be conveyed to the government in the end...... right?"

"Well, of course. 」

All agreed. None of the people present wanted to treat the new machine as a specialty of the school park.。 Edgar confirmed, lowering his eyes to gather his thoughts.

"...... so ...... reward is indeed a problem, but finally think about handing over Trestal. No, not in any way, I don't think it's okay to hand it over. 」

"Is there something wrong?"

"Think about El Nesty when he first proposed, Boss. We're used to it now, but the technology used to build Trestahl was quite anomalous. 」

Hearing this, everyone sounded the fact that had been almost forgotten for a long time, and suddenly fell silent. If Al hadn't explained it to them directly, they wouldn't have been able to accept the technology themselves. It's always easy to forget one thing when you see Trestal's performance: it's still an alien in this world. The boss, who remembered this, clapped his hands loudly and said:

"Oh, yes, everyone wondered if the boy was crazy. 」

"Doubted me......

After everyone understood the situation, Edgar continued:

"In other words, there's no point in just handing over Tresthal, right? 」

Everyone looked at Al in unison. Under that pressure, even he flinched a little.

"...... then it doesn't seem bad to let those people in the National Machinery Research Institute listen to the 'Devil's Whisper'. 」

"What do you think of me......?"

"...... I'm going to cry?"

(Ah, the unhappy Al is kind of cute.) )

Al raised his eyes and glared at the Boss, who was indifferent, and for some reason Artie was secretly happy alone—Laurie ignored them and turned to Edgar. I saw him looking at the air, as if he was still thinking about how to turn it into words, and it seemed that he already had a case in his heart. Seeing through this, Laurie urged him to continue:

"I don't know...... if that's the solution. I think it is necessary for the forgers of the Riding Gymnastics Department to give some explanations to the National Machinery Research Institute. So, ask the other party to hire everyone as a new developer – that's one way to do it, right?"

Laurie's eyes widened. Edgar's proposal is to hire them instead of allocating questionable monetary rewards. Considering the fact that the forgers will graduate from the school sooner or later, and go around wielding iron mallets, this is also a good way out.

"Here's ...... a heroic proposal. 」

"They have a track record of building new machines, and needless to say, they have the knowledge of existing technologies. It can be said that it is an ideal person to develop new machines in the future. 」

The proposal was a dilemma for Laurie. From the perspective of conveying the right technology and the interests of students, this will certainly bring a win-win outcome, but it will lead to a situation where the university will become the biggest beneficiary - in other words, the National Institute of Mechanical Engineering will inevitably negotiate with the school, which is another relatively difficult task. Not to mention, Laurie, who was in charge of the negotiation at the time, and several other teachers. After all, they are only teachers, not negotiators, and it is conceivable that the road ahead is full of difficulties.

"It's an attractive proposal, and I don't know if it's going to go that way. We will also go all out to try it...... but in the end, it depends on how the National Institute of Machinery decides. 」

Since the decision is entirely up to the state, it is difficult for Laurie to assure them of anything. For now, as long as you can decide the general direction, you can do it. Although he had a hunch that the negotiations that awaited him would be very serious, as an educator, he also smiled bitterly because he was proud of his passion for his students.

While the conversation was trying to find some direction, there were two people who were engaged in the conversation with serious annoyance, and it was Chid and Artie. They understood the conversation, but struggled to keep up. Unlike Al, who is not of the same age as his physical and mental age, it is difficult to get two real twelve-year-olds to join the conversation.

"Hmm—is there anything we can do to help?"

"Sounds hard. I can't help it, just watch it. 」

They often act with Al, who doesn't look like a child, and have a lot of opportunities to participate in these kinds of conversations, so they're always thinking about how they can help.

(That's the way it is, because the boss worked hard together to make Tresthal, and everyone will have to do it together in the future, right?)

Artie had a few words on her mind—new, phantom knight, production, result—and her mind wandered through the memory channel through these vague words—and then connected to what had been told a few months earlier. A flash of inspiration in her anxiety made her look up suddenly.

"......, they say that the country is for great people, right?

"Hmm, that's right...... agreement?"

The meaning of the agreement, Arti's words, made Kid wonder for a moment, and then he managed to find the correct answer from memory.

"Ah...... yes, that's a credit to El. 」

That's a memory of when they used to talk to their father. Their father, the Marquis of Joakim Serrati, had asked them to "let me know if he would do anything in the future" - and in their hearts, their father's presence was equated with breaking the deadlock.

"Ah, Grandpa Laurie. We have a good idea. 」

"Oh, Kidd, what's that?"

Laurie, who thought they would ask more questions than take the initiative, was a little surprised. Kidd wasn't happy about it, and he had a bad idea on his face as he talked about his proposal.

"It's really difficult for grandpa to negotiate with you, isn't it? So, how about bringing in other big people who can negotiate as partners?"

"Oh, big shot...... do you have any candidates?"

"Marquis of Serrati. 」

Kidd decisively surprised Al and Laurie even more, while the others were confused. Someone learned of the twins' origins because of several incidents, but this rumor is not widely known. At this time, the mention of the name of the powerful nobleman puzzled them.

"......! By the way, that's right...... speaking of the Marquis of Serrati, he was indeed there at the time. It is also easier to explain this than others, and he can be asked to mediate. But ...... okay?"

The implication is to ask the twins about the situation at home. They are illegitimate children in their position, and they try to avoid contact with their own family. Can this really be done to your father?—the twins understood exactly what he meant.

"Father said before that if Al did it, he wanted us to tell him. 」

(I see, they agreed.) So, it's a good idea to talk to him first. )

"Well...... if you two say it's okay, I don't have any objections. What about you?"

The others looked surprised, and when asked, they looked at each other with a look of surprise. Speaking of the Marquis of Serrati, he is one of the few great nobles in the country. The Marquis of Serrati is also adjacent to the Great Tree Sea of Bokus, so he can also understand the importance of improving the performance of Phantom Knights. They thought that, regardless of why the two children had mentioned the name, if they could have his support, the Marquis would be a formidable supporter. Everyone winked at each other to confirm, then nodded vigorously.

"We have no objection. 」

"Well, it's not good to wear Trestal directly. How about approaching the Marquis in the form of information first?"

"yes, that's a good idea. Can you ask Davy to prepare that information?Kid, Artie, and then it's your turn. 」

The two of them stood upright, patted their chests and took over the task. Solving the problem may have reassured everyone, and that made everyone laugh. Tresthal, who was placed in the depths of the workshop, watched the scene silently.

After evening, the sun has just set, and the shops are closed one after the other. On the contrary, now is the time for taverns to make money. At the end of the day's work, residents rushed out to recharge their batteries while having a meal. A tavern in the city of Dreiser School is also having its rush hour as usual. Most of the guests here are elderly men, but there is a special guest sitting in the corner. He looked very young, a young man who was probably not yet twenty years old, and who looked like a student. Since he came to this shop, it can be seen that he has reached the standard of an adult (fifteen years old) at least.

He seemed familiar with this kind of place, naturally blending into the atmosphere inside, sipping a beer alone. Just as he was about to finish his first drink, someone sat down on the opposite seat. There was a vacant seat in the almost full store, indicating that the two had made an appointment to meet. In fact, the man who came later—a worker-looking, athletic man—ordered himself a glass of wine as soon as he sat down, and then grinned at the student.

"It's rare that you're going to ask me for a drink. What's wrong?Is it hard to study in the school park?"

The strong man took a sip of the wine and exhaled exaggeratedly. The student, who had already had a few glasses of his stomach, seemed to be drunk and replied excitedly:

"Ah-yes, I've been busy lately. 」

"Hahaha! That's what it's like to study. If you can overcome this, you can be considered an adult!"

"That's true, but it's a very thing these days. 」

The two drank happily and whined happily. Their conversation blends completely into the cacophony of the tavern.

"I thought it was finally over, but it turned out to be a small problem. 」

"Haha, the students are not having a good time!"

Even if you talk loudly, no one will look twice, and the tavern is such a place. Mind the drunkard's gibberish one by one, but it will be endless. Besides, there was a bunch of drunks making a lot of noise around me. At this point, it doesn't make a difference if there is one more noisy person. The two of them seem to be part of a group of drunkards - but they begin to observe their surroundings and lower their voices after making sure that no one is paying attention to them.

"yes! I really ...... that thing is at a stage where it's done. 」

"Oh, I didn't expect the students to be very good. 」

The whispers of the two could not be heard in the ears of the nearby people in the noisy tavern. The student's face was still red from drunkenness, and he looked like a drunkard with a beer in one hand, but his words were calm and coherent.

"You can't really underestimate enthusiasm. It seems that sooner or later this technology will be completed. 」

"Where's the details? You don't mean to tell me verbally, do you?"

The student shook his head, as if to say how it was possible, and then took out a stack of papers from his bag without being humble or arrogant. I can't tell you anything from the cover of the binding, but there is information about the new type of aircraft written inside. The strong man took it generously, and without checking the contents, he took it into his arms at will.

"I'll just say it, and I'll have some alcohol once in a while!"

"Okay, I'll invite the hard-working students to have a few drinks today!"

"It's better for you to go on the road!"

Until the atmosphere just now was gone, the two returned to being simple guests toasting together. The tavern became more and more lively as it got closer to the night, and no one in the room noticed them, let alone understood what the conversation under the table meant.

Heavy rain hit the stone-paved streets of the royal capital of Kankunin. The rain that fell at dawn turned into a torrential rain that enveloped the entire city.

The unimaginable rain made the residents who were always full of energy unable to go out, and the streets seemed to have lost their vitality. The line between the dark clouds that fill the sky and the stone streets blur, the two become one, hidden in the monotonous landscape.

The Marquis of Joakim Serrati was in his mansion on Rue de la Nobles, listening to the sound of rain outside, reading a document. It depicts a Alien Knight who is about to turn the world upside down, which is probably a precursor to the "Tempest". The breath of the riots gives a sense of imminent arrival of a hurricane that engulfs cities and countries.

The rude act of ringing the tablebell may have been a reflection of his heart, a rare act for a calm man. The seasoned butler who had served him for many years did not change his usual calm attitude, but he appeared in the office room much faster than usual.

"Sir, what do you command?"

"Send this document to Duke Discode's mansion as soon as possible. It must be handed over to the Duke himself by hand. 」

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away. 」

Joakim handed the document to the butler and whispered as he stepped back:

"Duke Discod, this may be trickier than we thought. 」

His words were blocked behind the heavy door of the duty room, and disappeared into the pouring rain.