Rigel, who shared various stories with us, said she wouldn’t leave just yet. She still had someone to meet.
Everyone knows that person must be Erica. She will probably be heading to Tartar for field experiential learning soon.
Given Erica’s recent surge in both divine power and strength, I speculate she will engage in combat directly.
“Sivar.”
“Yeah?”
“Has Erica ever been a nuisance to you?”
Before leaving, Rigel posed that question to me. I was momentarily taken aback but answered right away.
“No, not at all. I haven’t seen her lately.”
“I see. Or did someone from the Gaia Church approach you?”
“Not that either.”
“Good to hear. Please avoid the Gaia Church whenever possible.”
Rigel was particularly warning me to be cautious of the Gaia Church. Given who she is, I nodded.
For sure, the divine power of the Gaia Church poses a significant threat to me. Even without her warning, it’s unsettling.
After all, just the other day, Luna and I were ambushed inside the Chaos Forest.
We were fortunate Luna handled it well; otherwise, we’d have been in serious danger.
“Well then, I wish you a safe academy life. If you ever need my help, just let me know.”
With that, Rigel took off again. She’s not heading back to her homeland, but she intends to stick around here for a while.
The rest of us, including me, returned to our daily lives. I planned to rest as classes start tomorrow.
‘Should I meet Jane before I go?’
I hadn’t seen Jane lately. Now that I’d made the Steel Suit, I wondered what she was up to.
I told Grace, who asked where I was going, that I had a quick stop to make. I was headed to Jane’s workshop.
Since it was a weekday, Jane’s workshop was oddly quiet. It seemed we were the only ones not having classes today.
‘But does Jane even attend her classes regularly?’
Upon arriving at Jane’s workshop, I knocked cautiously on the door.
I didn’t want to repeat the mistake of barging in and getting hit by an energy beam as I had last time.
However, knocking didn’t elicit a response; it was silent inside. I wondered if she was out, so I tried opening the door.
-Creak
Surprisingly, the door opened very easily. Each time I came here, I felt Jane really needed to get into the habit of locking up.
As I stepped in, the dark background welcomed me. She was probably still at class.
‘Oh, the suit is still intact.’
Jane’s greatest invention, the Steel Suit, was glowing even in the darkness.
It sparkled in the eye area, almost as if it were alive…
“Hmm?”
Why is it glowing? Before I could ponder further, I suddenly heard:
-BEEP BEEP BEEP
A strange noise came from the Steel Suit, and it seemed to fix its eye holes directly on me.
With the lights in its eyes, it felt like there was someone inside it.
Just as I was subtly backing away in unease, I heard:
[Intruder detected. Intruder detected. Intruder detected.]
A pleasant female voice flowed from the Steel Suit. But I swear I’ve heard that voice somewhere before.
It sounded just like Jane’s. I imagined it would come out like this if she spoke in a serious tone.
‘Wait, intruder? What?’
While I was flustered, the Steel Suit continued its warnings.
[Please leave the premises immediately, intruder. Otherwise, we will respond according to academy law for trespassing.]
I felt dazed but complied with the Steel Suit’s command. Ignoring it seemed like a terrible idea.
Soon enough, I stepped out of the workshop, and the Steel Suit fell silent again. The lights in its eyes were completely extinguished.
What just happened? I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the situation.
‘When did she make something like this?’
How long has it been since the Steel Suit was created that it’s gained such defensive capabilities? Jane’s talent was truly frightening.
She had mechanized demons in the Soul World, but I never imagined she could do something like this.
At this rate, she might even create an AI soon. With Godin’s support, that doesn’t seem impossible.
“Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!”
“?”
While I was lost in thought, I heard someone rushing over in a panic.
Turning my head, I saw Jane sprinting towards me, her face pale as a ghost.
It was the first time I’d seen her since the Steel Suit activated. She hadn’t changed much apart from her hair having grown a bit longer.
“Gasp…! Gasp…! S-Sivar?”
“Yeah. Hi.”
“Do, do you think… Gasp… cough!”
“Take it slow.”
Is it because she’s in a non-combat class? Or is it just because she lacks stamina? She looked like she might faint any second.
I gently encouraged Jane to take deep breaths while rubbing her back. My cheap dress shirt was soaked with sweat.
She must have been shopping with Eli not long ago, so why is she wearing such a shirt? Is that a trait of a genius?
Eventually, Jane straightened her back and took a big breath. Her glasses slipped down, and she adjusted them, which was a bonus.
“Phew… thank you. Was there someone inside?”
“It was me.”
“Oh, so it was you, Sivar? Thank goodness. Phew.”
Jane placed her hand on her chest in relief. It was getting hot now that summer was approaching, and I could faintly see through her white shirt.
I wasn’t sure if I should say anything or not. Especially since she had quite the voluptuous figure, which kept drawing my eyes.
‘Men are truly…’
Even though I’m a guy too, I can’t help but keep staring. Even when there are taller people than her around.
Just then, while I was feeling the bittersweetness of being a male, Jane opened the workshop door and went back inside.
Contrary to when I had entered a moment ago, the workshop was eerily quiet now. Is there a facial recognition system or something?
“You can come in now.”
“How about class?”
“I just woke up from a nap.”
“Aren’t you attending class?”
“I’m planning to simply submit a graduation project and graduate.”
It sounded like she meant classes were unnecessary.
But Jane’s next words left me utterly dumbfounded.
“Also, Professor Godin agreed to help. What’s it called? Grad student?”
“…”
“I heard each professor has a recommendation letter. With that, you don’t have to attend classes.”
Is this modern-day slavery? A legal form of it at that.
And Jane was considered top-tier from Godin’s perspective, while other professors would see her as a nuisance.
A student who doesn’t attend the classes she should be in and only does weird stuff every day. A challenging student to handle.
‘But if she enjoys it, then whatever…’
Given Jane’s zeal for learning, she’d probably be fine being a grad student. They’d likely benefit each other.
I followed her into the workshop. Unlike earlier, it was eerily quiet inside.
Even the Steel Suit, which had been glaring a moment ago, was now quiet. I had no idea what she’d done to it, but it was tranquil now.
“Jane, why is it so quiet?”
“That? I installed an alarm system. If it doesn’t recognize my face, it goes off.”
“Is that even possible?”
“It’s a magic trick Professor Godin taught me. I made the recognition machine, though.”
“…”
Who said it? If someone seems to do something incredibly easy, they’re definitely a genius.
Jane spoke as if it were no big deal, but in this day and age, especially with the technology lagging behind modern times, she invented a facial recognition system.
I didn’t even know where to begin when it came to pointing that out. Does she realize she’s a genius, or does she not?
‘Probably because she doesn’t realize, she says things like this?’
For her, it might be like, why can’t anyone else do this? This mentality of seeing herself as normal while viewing others as monkeys.
I’ve heard that when she was corrupted in the Soul World, she treated humans like monkeys.
“By the way, why did you come to see me? Is it about the investment?”
But even Jane can become utterly pitiful when it comes to money. I watched as she transformed into a timid little thing in a split second.
Her hands clasped together, she fidgeted anxiously, almost scared that I was there to collect my investment funds.
To be honest, since she had made progress, it’s only natural for me to want to collect the investment now. That’s basic investing.
I’m not a sucker; I want to get back the money I invested. But ‘not yet’ isn’t the right time.
“Sure, I want the investment back, but… are you making anything else?”
“Huh? Something else… you mean?”
“Yeah. Other than the Steel Suit. Are you planning to make more stuff?”
Jane is a genius. She can’t be satisfied with just one Steel Suit.
Just as she has turned demons into a mechanized army, there’s no doubt that she will play a significant role in future battles.
“I’m not sure. Honestly, I made this thing so fast, and now I’m assisting Professor Godin.”
“Is that right? Okay, keep at it.”
“U-uh, I’m planning to make money by selling the Steel Suit…!”
“No way.”
I would consider selling anything else, but selling the Steel Suit? That’s just insane.
It’s not even about patenting or copyright issues. It’s obvious where that Steel Suit would end up.
‘It’d probably end up in Santia.’
If that happened, Jane’s safety could be compromised.
Someone could order her to crank out suits in a cave like in some superhero movie.
Moreover, in that movie, they pretended to be making missiles while they were really creating suits, but Jane has none of that.
“I’m in for the long haul. Plus, it’s only been a year. Don’t rush it.”
“Is that so? Thank you so much. I truly appreciate it. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t met you, Sivar…”
Jane wiped away the tears that fell as she removed her glasses. It seemed she’d been worried about me a lot.
She knew that the world wasn’t easy. By the way, she looked even prettier without her glasses.
“Make what you want to make moving forward. But don’t tell anyone.”
“Understood! But why do I have to be so careful?”
“Because I’m worried it might fall into the wrong hands.”
“Ah…”
Upon hearing my words, Jane looked at the Steel Suit. It seemed she began sketching some kind of idea in her mind.
Her home country, Santia, was a place that could barely be described as good. It was a place where Big Brother had become a reality.
What’s more, there was even a revolutionary army aimed at breaking that system. It truly is a dangerous place.
‘What kind of academy is heading to that dangerous country for field experience?’
Since they’re going to the Eastern Empire, what does it matter?
I shook off my stray thoughts and asked Jane.
“Is there something you want to make?”
“Hmm…”
After a moment of contemplation, Jane cautiously observed my reaction.
Then, she broke into her signature shy smile and said bashfully:
“…A automatic attachment system?”
“…”
“D-do you think it’s too weird? Haha.”
That sounds really cool.
*****
The next day, when classes began.
“What the… is this?”
“Right?”
There was a mountain of letters piled up in front of the lodging.