Youjo Senki Vol 1 Chapter 2

Translators: Ghoststaker, Shuvi

Editing: Doopington, Rinhz, Skythewood, SifaV6, JcqC, Rockgollem
Raw Provided by: swiss Momo

 

The Airspace Above Klusross Army Air Force Testing Factory

 

Southwest side of Imperial Capital Berlun, above Klusross Army Air Force Testing Facility; today was noisy as usual.

 

Through scientific research, it became possible to recreate [Techniques], which enabled miracles by way of Orbs and Scepters. Modern magical studies and research made it possible to interfere with reality through the Operation Orb. In this physical world that was dominated by the third dimension, this was a method that allowed apparition of phenomena by giving appropriate stimulation to the point of application. To put it in simple terms, it was the difference between turning the gear wheel of a lighter with your hand and turning it with the power of magic. As long as you understood the way of doing it, you could recreate deeds such as miracles. This has already become a type of skill that could be achieved through technology.

 

Of course, fundamental principle related to mana and interference spells were not completely understood as of now. However, in order to gain military advantage over others, magic engineering research was pushed forcefully and the Empire made a significant breakthrough, leading to a formation of a new type of military unit. That breakthrough was the successful development of the Operation Orb, a combination of both mana and analog calculation. Unlike the era of legends, this allowed people to clearly understand in detail the where, the how, and to what degree of power to interfere with reality..

 

The essence of the Operation Orb was undoubtedly in the practical use of aeronautic magic. It allowed mages who were mere mortals to soar through the air. Which meant creating propulsion, forcefully raising a person into the sky, and maintaining balance while in the air. If they wished to, a magician could even straddle on a broom and pretend to be a witch. As the energy source that produces the stimulation, the bayonet-mounting rifle was a valuable item that served as a substitute for a scepter. Of course, it was a weapon mainly used to cast long range magic in a battle.

 

In any case, miracles were phenomena that could be recreated by using technology. Its utility and military application was widely recognized.

 

Yet, because people knew the importance of the orbs, the Great Powers had developed a cutthroat competition in researching this technology.

 

Even the pioneer of this aspect, the Empire, was not an exception.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Today, the weather was sunny with strong winds. My current altitude was 4000 feet high and increasing. About half of the scheduled experiments had been completed. Compared to the previous experiment where I almost died when the parachute failed to deploy due to humidity from the clouds, the conditions for today were not too bad. However, I didn’t feel motivated at all. It was not that simple of an experiment; if you were to lose focus for even a moment, the calculations would collapse and the orb receiver would burst into flames. Such conditions made it impossible to relax.

 

I stiffened my face that was on the verge of spasming as I cautiously maintained cruising speed relative to ground speed as stated in the plan. Since I already successfully completed the other experiments, all that was left was to ascend.

 

That’s right, with plenty of defects, zero reliability, the fancily-named [New Model] prototype orb.

 

Should I think of this as the joy of having the world in the palm of my hand? Interfering with the laws of nature is a job that requires delicate control and attention to fine details.

 

Tanya’s hand was tattered after being ordered to perform this task which required complete concentration with no margin of error to speak of.

 

If current medical technology was not this advanced, she would only have her left arm right now.

 

Holding an unreliable Orb was akin to holding a grenade. The result was obvious without saying. That was why the Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff’s mood was heavy as she flew, sighing in her heart.

 

[Receiver explosion! It’s on fire! Terminate experiment! Terminate experiment!]

 

Along with the moans from Tanya, screams from the air controller echoed through the sky once again.

 

How did things turn out this way? To explain, we would need to go back to my reassignment to the rear to recuperate after suffering my injuries in the north.

 

For the recuperating Mage Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaf, her assignment after she returned to duty was a matter of life and death. After the arduous battle, not only did she achieve great results, she even got a medal to show for it… This would be advantageous for her future prospects; however it also presented the problem that she might get tied down on the frontlines.

 

[Please let me read it.]

 

That’s why after I took the letter offered to me. I was hoping that it wasn’t an order to redeploy to the frontlines. However my worries turned out to be for nought—It was an undated domestic deployment order. In other words, it wasn’t official now, but once it was dated and signed by my supervisor, it would become an official document immediately. This was known in the military as “pre-decision.”

 

[Rejoice. This is a notice for your transfer to the Tactical Training Department, and a request for your secondment as testing personnel by the Inspector General’s Office.]

 

All in all, this wasn’t a bad situation. Not only was it a domestic posting, it was an administrative role. Working in the training department and partaking in an administrative role as testing personnel, Tanya felt that she was being highly evaluated.

 

Most important of all, there were many advantages of being assigned to the Tactical Training Department. As an elite unit within the Empire, not only did they get the best equipment, it was also a sacred training ground, suitable for honing skills and researching tactics. It was the best environment to increase one’s survivability as much as possible. For Tanya, even though she needed to provide guidance to others, she could also steal the techniques from them. In that case, this was the best assignment. There wouldn’t be any negative implications with having the Tactical Training Department on her resume.

 

As well, the vague request for her secondment to the Inspector General’s Office as testing personnel couldn’t be too bad. The Inspector General’s Office was the classic example of a backend support unit. If she took up a post as testing personnel there, she would be able to hide in the rear lines with the official excuse of performing experiments.

 

To be frank, I was hoping for an administrative post in the railroad department or Military Headquarters, but this was within acceptable range.

 

[We wish to respect your opinion as much as possible. Do you have any objections?]

 

He said he will respect my opinion as per protocol, but it had already been decided. He probably didn’t imagine that I would ever reject this offer. Since it had been arranged to such an extent, it also meant I won’t be allowed to reject this deployment. There were only three options: Yes, Oui or Ja.

 

[Yes, I have no objections. I am willing to accept this posting.]

 

[Very good. So, why don’t you start testing out the new prototype once you reach the logistics department. Formally speaking, you are being seconded from the training department.]

 

After the commander finished, he noted my consent on the official document. This document would then be handed to me as an official assignment letter. From that moment, my transfer was completed administratively. The process was fast—even the internal notification was probably just a formality.

 

[Of course, I’m sure you have some questions in mind. You have permission to ask them.]

 

I love superiors who were reasonable. They were worthy of respect.

 

[Thank you. First, why was I assigned to the training branch?]

 

Why not post me directly to the Inspector General’s Office—I was curious about the rationale? Of course, I welcomed the assignment to the training department, but to think they gave me two wonderful postings. Be it the political workings behind it or the reasons leading to this manpower deployment, please let me understand it better.

 

I didn’t want to be caught up in troublesome matters unknowingly and de-rail my career.

 

However Tanya’s worries were answered surprisingly simply.

 

[Even if you are an Ace, you are still a child. As such, sending you to the frontline does not leave a good impression for the public.]

 

….This made me understand that the logic of the higher ups was different from others; they only realized such a thing now.

 

On paper, I am still a child. It also means that I am in the position where I require the care of another. Looks like these big-shots finally understood what the common sense of society was.

 

[So you want the Ace to become a rearline accessory?]

 

Of course, I couldn’t let my supervisor see how happy I was that they pulled me from the frontlines over such trivial matters, but I still had to confirm it. If things went smoothly, this would be the best situation in my strategy for survival. This was amazing, wonderful. If it was this moment, I feel that I could achieve mutual understanding with the entire world’s population.

 

Tanya, who was so happy that she could accept any strange ideas at this moment easily, hid her glee under a cold expression.

 

[Such a novel perspective, Second Lieutenant. I hadn’t thought of it that way.]

 

These words from her commander allowed Tanya to confirm her suspicions.

 

Even though the higher-ups' intentions were unclear, the commanding officer in front of her did not deny her speculation. This meant that her speculation was not beyond how the situation actually was. How great, safe backline duty.

 

[I have misspoken.]

 

[The higher-ups think highly of you. That is also the reason why they’ve placed you as the key personnel in charge of the development of the new prototype.]

 

Also, practically speaking, posting an excellent Mage who has returned from the front to instructional duties or technology development was still within the norm of Human Resources. This was typically the best reason to pull young soldiers from the frontline. For members of the military, this was an easily accepted explanation.

 

After feeling relieved, Tanya started wondering—What is this new prototype from the Inspector General’s Office? She probably wouldn’t be used as a guinea pig, but she was still wanted to know which technological field she would be testing in.

 

[May I ask about the new prototype?]

 

If the reply was that it was confidential, then all I could do was to shut up. However, it would be good to have at least some kind of mental preparation.

 

When getting hit, humans would feel completely different levels of pain, depending on whether they expected it or not. Therefore, Tanya hoped to be notified earlier, so that she would be able to make some proper mental preparations.

 

Of course, curiosity was a large factor too.

 

[Well, I only know that you will be testing a prototype Operation Orb.]

 

[Understood. Thank you for the heads up.]

 

That was the truth. Within the safety of the rear and with the intent of the developing technology, various tests on the prototype Operation Orb were conducted. What he said was entirely true. Just that he did not inform her that the orb was as unreliable as the Italian [Red Devils①].

 

That was why I was suffering now.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

In the airspace southwest of the Imperial capital Berlun, at a height of 12,000 feet. This already exceeded the maximum elevation of the Operation Orb. This was about 3600 meters high. It is an unreachable height unless one wore special equipment designed specifically for breaking height records and was using a highly enhanced orb. The oxygen density was a concern, and more importantly, there was a high risk of hypothermia.

 

In order to let my body adapt to high altitudes, I spent too much time at the altitude of 6,800 feet, which proved to be counterproductive. In the end, humans were not meant to stay in high altitudes for such long periods of time.

 

[Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff? Are you still conscious? Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff?]

 

With an oxygen density so low it made one’s head dull and body as heavy as lead, Tanya felt so tired she didn’t even want to answer the radio. Even though she was wearing cold weather clothes, this was an altitude she only managed to reach by carrying an oxygen tank, radio set and parachute.

 

There was only one thing in Tanya’s mind: “the people who sent live humans to this height should try it out themselves.”

 

[Barely. Unable to sustain much longer. To be frank, I don’t think anyone can survive above this height.]

 

This height was colder than the ground temperature by 21.6 degrees. The oxygen level was less than 63% of sea level. Tanya doubted anyone could make a brief stopover at this altitude during aerial combat, and the place itself was obviously rejecting the presence of humans. In the end, the altitude limit of orbs were only six thousand feet. It would be impossible to shake off the effects of gravity any further as it was difficult to generate more propulsion at this height.

 

That’s why Tanya gauged that a mage was roughly equivalent to an attack helicopter in terms of aerial maneuver capability. In fact, due to the difference in flying altitude, the Empire had never incorporated mages and fighter jets into the same fighting unit. That was how absolute the flying altitude was.

 

Of course, if the only concern was altitude, it could be overcome by using special orbs used to challenge altitude records. However, the orb Tanya was testing wasn’t built to break altitude records, but bore the name of “New Model”, with the goal of military-wide implementation.

 

Even so, this “New Type — Elinium Type 95 Operation Orb” was able to exert a propulsion force that was normally impossible. However, the method used was simple and cliche. The concept was the same as an engine, the simplistic idea that, “if one isn’t strong enough, use two. If two is still too weak, use four”.

 

Hence, aside from the logo of the research lab to mark it as a prototype, it looked the same as any normal Orb. Design wise, there were also plenty of mechanical parts built into the sphere, and it was the same size as a common Orb.

 

But the main difference was inside of the Orb

 

[The main problem is that the mana consumption rate is too heavy. Mana conversion efficiency is really terrible.]

 

By quadrupling the output of an Operation Orb that uses mana in place of fuel, the mana consumption rate will also increase four-fold. However, unlike oil tanks, humans couldn’t easily increase their storage capacity to counter the spike in consumption.

 

Even though it had revolutionary performance, from the perspective of a mage, the practicality of this unusual Orb that kept posing impossible problems and induced incredible fatigue was doubtful. Not only was its consumption rate four times higher than usual, there was also the technical problem which required one to synchronize all four Operation Orb cores together.

 

Due to the success in miniaturizing the design, the size of the Orb was not too different from usual. Even though it had four cores, it was still small enough to be kept inside the breast pocket of a mage, which was amazing. It was convenient to carry and use.

 

Their astonishing accomplishment of miniaturizing the Orb made their technical skill worthy of respect, but from the standpoint of the user, it was a frustrating piece of junk. Miniaturizing delicate machinery meant lowering its tolerance for error. Not only did the user need to perform the difficult task of synchronizing four cores, the miniaturized Orb core was also unstable and unreliable.

 

Therefore, although the consumption rate was four-fold in theory, it was much larger than that in reality. Including the mana that constantly leaked out, an optimistic estimate would put consumption at six times the norm. The inability to adapt to the altitude was probably a huge factor; just conducting altitude experiments was as tiring as performing aerial combat maneuvers at full speed. Furthermore, this feeling of fatigue and pain increased exponentially with time.

 

[Second Lieutenant, can you increase altitude? In theory, you should be able to reach 18,000 feet.]

 

The testing staff replied with displeasure after receiving Tanya’s reply that was filled with fatigue.

 

…This maniac—Tanya cursed in her heart, while staring at the supervising aircraft. The criminal who interjected into the radio communication was in there. How satisfying would it be if Tanya could shoot down the supervising aircraft along with that fellow. Suppressing the tempting urge that surfaced like a drug addiction, Tanya sighed.

 

That voice was Chief Engineer Adelaide von Schugel , who was also an absolute maniac. Shooting his plane down would only lead to bigger problems and wouldn’t solve the issue, so she could only endure... This was extremely painful for Tanya. Having to test the prototype developed by that engineer, life is so unreasonable—Tanya could only lament to herself.

 

[Professor Schugel, please don’t ask the impossible.]

 

Without an electrically heated suit, living humans would not be able to fly higher than this. In the end, speaking from combat experience, just the fact that I would need to fly with my oxygen tank meant it couldn’t be put to practical use. Needless to say, a single hit to the oxygen tank would be a joyous experience for everyone except for the one who got shot.

 

Let’s say if someone didn’t wear an electrically heated suit, and relied solely on oxygen produced by magic instead of an oxygen tank to stay in this place. If the mana supply was dependent on the Orb, it would increase the already heavy consumption rate. Compared to normal Orbs, it was a consumption rate that made combat sustainability doubtful. The risk of the user losing consciousness due to factors such as low oxygen was very high.

 

Parachutes would need to be issued (which wasn’t much of an issue for experimental flights in domestic grounds) but to attempt a landing using parachutes while incapacitated and disorientated in a combat scenario would just result in one becoming an easy target. Even after landing, the safety of the user would be dubious, and if you landed behind enemy lines, you would definitely be captured.

 

The risk of the parachute being burned or malfunctioning due to humidity was significant. Just preparing a reliable parachute would require a lot of effort.

 

[You should have enough mana left, and the load on the Operation Orb is still within acceptable range.]

However—for oddball researchers who only care about their own project, the “theoretical” limits were everything.

 

[Professor, the error tolerance of this Orb is too low! This damn flawed thing might catch fire any moment!]

 

For soldiers who had experienced deadly aerial combat, rather than “theoretical limits,” “reliability” was everything. From Tanya’s perspective, just thinking about the previous altitude experiment resurfaced traumatic memories for her.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

It was a tragedy back then. At the altitude of four thousand feet, a slight error in synchronization led to a breakdown in mana balance. The cause was said to be the slight error in mana propagation speed inside the bypass circuit—even the experimental bypass circuit crafted with a higher level of precision than normal circuits used in battle couldn’t handle the load? When I found out the reason, I really felt like shouting: [Just how precise did you expect my control to be?!]

 

The Operation Orb couldn’t keep the mana from going out of control, resulting in chain explosions as the Orb failed to bear the overload. It was extremely fortunate that I managed to suppress the mana explosion in the nick of time with a backup Operation Orb that was prepared for emergencies.

 

However, that could only be done if the altitude was about four thousand feet. At twelve thousand feet, it would be impossible to move due to the cold and the severe lack of oxygen made me doubt my ability to maintain consciousness. If the prototype Orb caught fire at such an altitude, I would end up kissing the ground after losing control.

 

No matter who, even those without the dedication rivaling that of a woman towards her first kiss, no one would want that to happen. It was only natural instinct to throw the Orb away before it went out of control. But as a soldier, I couldn’t do so.

 

If it was possible I would toss it right away, but the prototype Operation Orb was highly classified. That’s why it wouldn’t be permitted. The moment I threw it away, protective measures to safeguard the integrity of classified material would be thrown into action.

 

After all, it was the duty of the testing personnel to return the Orb in good shape as much as possible. That’s why I had to be careful with my actions and keep the chance of accidents happening as low as possible. It was difficult to describe, but if forced to use an analogy, this was like riding a unicycle on a tightrope, jumping through hoops of fire and throwing daggers at the same time. The Orb left absolutely no room for error.

 

Anyone who use such an absurd Orb to increase altitude were either fools or had suicidal tendencies. Or maybe both.

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

[Of all the things you can say of my masterpiece, you just have to call it a flawed Orb!?]

 

The direct opinion of the test personnel Tanya was taken badly by the director of research who was pursuing the “theoretical limit.” Of course, Tanya could give the professor heartfelt compliments too; the performance of the Orb was truly exceptional.

 

To forcefully realize the quad-core synchronization system that was just a theory for current technology, it was an astonishing technical feat. This allowed the miniaturization of the old cores while maintaining their performance. From a purely technological standpoint, he was undoubtedly a genius.

 

It wasn’t an exaggeration to call this the greatest leap in technology since the unraveling of the theory behind the Orb and Scepter system.

Hence, could you please consider the users when creating it? For Tanya, no matter how great the performance was, no one would be able to keep up with the professor’s product. There was a saying in the military about “changing your body to fit the uniform” that would only be possible if the size of the uniform was not too many sizes off.

 

[Don’t just look at the specifications, consider practical usage too! At least, think more about the engineering redundancy!]

 

In the harsh battlefield, this was the biggest prerequisite in military equipment. The Dienstpferd that the cavalry wanted were not purebred horses.

 

[You are the one talking nonsense! Are you trying to desynchronize the perfectly optimized Orb!?]

 

[Professor Schugel, I’m begging you, please don’t yell over the comms.]

 

[Shut up! I will consider that if you take back your words!]

 

Yelling curses through the radio waves in experimental airspace. Ah, he wasn’t even a professional idiot, but just mentally a brat. Tanya wanted to hold her head and scream. Her head was really hurting badly, but this fellow was also the director of this experiment. If she was in charge of human resources, she wouldn’t neglect her duty and appoint someone who could restrain this technological idiot as his director to rein him in.

 

But the fact remained that this fellow was the director while I was the main testing personnel. I had nothing against the Empire’s policy of meritocracy, but at least consider the management ability of your officers. I really wanted to yell: “Know the difference between a professional and management!”

 

[Like I said…]

 

Based on my past experience, I was quite dissatisfied with the Empire’s management system. On the other hand, as a soldier, I had no choice since the actions I could take were limited by the conditions given to me. However, the consequences of my concentration lapsing cut short this headache-inducing argument.

 

[The temperature of the receiver and the Orb’s core is spiking!]

 

Eh! Ahhhhhh, damn it—! The accident caused by a lapse of concentration made me groan. The result of a synchronization failure made me unable to handle the Orb’s core about to go out of control. I immediately cut off my mana and emergency discharged the remaining mana inside the orb. As an emergency procedure, one move would immediately execute both of these actions.

 

Fortunately, the safety mechanism that was installed after the previous incident worked much better than expected. Even the receiver that caught fire and exploded the previous time managed to stabilize the circuit somehow. But even so, there was no way to discharge the mana contained within the Operation Orb without damaging it.

 

The mana within the core components of the Orb was unable to maintain synchronization and began to collide, causing the circuits to fail against the pressures and explode instantly. But what luck!—All thanks to the reinforced casing I vehemently requested being made just in time for this experiment, the explosion caused barely any actual damage.

 

[Air control officer, please acknowledge the situation. I am going to deploy my parachute now.]

 

Hence, Tanya’s pretty face showed relief as she informed the air control officer with an impatient tone over the wireless comms and got ready to land as per standard procedure. She had the minimum altitude clearance and was in the Empire’s safe zone. Under these conditions, rather than activating the backup Operation Orb in panic, it would be safer to deploy her parachute.

 

If it was in the Empire, there would be no worry about being sniped while one was slowly descending by parachute. So for the currently-descending Tanya, the most important thing would be to prepare for her safe landing.

 

[Copy that… Wait… Professor, please stop! Let go! Please let go…]

 

While she was opening her parachute in the midst of a slow descent, Tanya couldn’t help sighing when she heard this awkward argument via wireless comms, even though she knew it was just a waste of oxygen. She caught intermittent snippets of an argument via the comms. It seemed like there was a certain man who wanted to forcefully snatch away the wireless comms, and was causing havoc right now.

 

Did the Chief Engineer Adelaide von Schugel exchange his conscience with talent? Though there were many examples of talented people with questionable ethics, this is the first time in my life I have met someone with such a huge difference between his talent and his personality.

 

It wasn’t clear whether the world hated me, or was this the devil cursing me? However paranormal existences like magic exist in this world, this must be the handiwork of that devil X—Tanya could not help but lament.

 

[Second Lieutenant Degurechaff! Why did you mess it up again?!]

 

It seems like the hard-fought battle by the Air Control Officer was fruitless, the wireless comms was snatched away from the evil scientist after all. Even so, Tanya could not help but thank the fact that the Control Officer had at least tried to protect the wireless comms. Since the evil scientist is now obstructing me, I have no choice but to use my right to self defense. What a world, where one has to always fend for himself.

 

If I had to describe it I would only say one thing: “Where? Where is the law and order? The whole world wants to know.”

 

Right now, I have the upmost respect for jurists from the bottom of my heart. It doesn’t matter if it is a formality, please re-establish law and order in the world.

 

[I’m the one who should say that!]

 

After all, even a simple explosive interruption spell could not be cast properly because of the Orb’s ridiculously complex structure. The number of explosions caused by the receiver going out of control far exceeds those triggered by spells.

 

When I heard that we were conducting a flying experiment, I didn’t expect that I would experience the greatness and difficulty of “flight” again. Even though I’m not one of the Wright Brothers, I still experienced firsthand that the pursuit of flight technology was just a thin line away from falling to one’s death. Moreover, they flew on their own, bearing all the risks by themselves, so it wasn’t that bad.

 

But Chief Engineer Adelaide von Schugel didn’t fly on his own, but ask others to do so in his stead. He was even capricious enough to say things like “safety mechanisms dull engineering aesthetics.” I simply couldn’t believe my own ears when I heard that.

 

The moment when the experiment could finally continue normally, he would add in experiment itineraries and side projects that didn’t make any sense, forcing me to submit a unit transfer request at the time. Unfortunately, my request was revoked. But why? The answer was extremely unreasonable: “Because you are the only one who could conduct the experiment normally.” Not only that, the HR officer in charge even told me that I have to step over my predecessor’s corpse and move forward.

 

At first I thought he meant that by metaphorically, but it seems that he meant it by literally. Even fighting at the frontlines has a higher survival rate than this assignment. ...A few days ago, I was notified that I met the requirement to apply for a Purple Heart decoration.

 

[Isn’t this because of your lack of concentration! And you still dare to call yourself a soldier?!]

 

I endured the insults and abuse from Chief Engineer Adelaide von Schugel while suppressing the tempting urge of swearing back. I didn’t ask for this in the first place, and this is definitely not an enjoyable job but I’m still hundred percent a soldier.

 

[I have no doubts on being a proud soldier of the Empire! But the responsibility of a soldier is to operate weapons. There is no way my job requires me to be at the whims of flawed machinery!]

 

The actual problem was that Tanya believed the job of an Imperial soldier was simply to fight in battle with a rifle and an Operation Orb in each hand. No matter how it was twisted, this didn’t entail carrying a defective weapon that might explode at any time. A soldier who was issued with a broken rifle or a malfunctioning Operation Orb would have the right to complain. At least this was how things was supposed to work in the Empire.

 

Moreover, in harsh modern warfare, the most important quality for mage’s equipment is reliability and durability. This was a common knowledge even for the new recruits. Not only for mages, all military equipment was supposed to have reliability and durability as the first priority. Frankly speaking, equipment that focused on one-time usage was not suitable for war at all.

 

This logic was the same as racing car which focused purely on racing performance but wasn’t built to endure the wear and tear from continued usage. Weapons that weren’t rugged enough to withstand rough handling by soldiers were meaningless in a battlefield.

 

[What? You are saying it’s a defective machine again!?]

 

Of course, the military did know the necessity of technical validation. In order to flaunt their technical expertise for political propaganda, they would create equipment which focused on one single aspect in order to break standing records from time to time. Fashioning equipment to achieve world records was a different matter. However, the prototype orb issued to Tanya was considered as “the main candidate for the next generation,” something to be used by the masses.

 

This maniac, is he even capable of developing normal weapons? He is obviously immersed in his own world. Tanya doubted the common sense of the Chief Engineer and why the Inspector General of Logistics Office approve the development of this thing.

 

This world was really filled with inconceivable things.

 

[How is an Operation Orb that suddenly malfunctions at this altitude normal?!]

 

It was the same for aircraft. A plane with an engine that stops functioning all of a sudden were called killing machines. If the defects were horrendous, it might even be awarded the honour of the title [Widow Maker]. Compared with these, the problem of this prototype was worse. After all, just using it normally was a miracle.

 

Not only did it lose control and break down immediately, the power output lacked stability with no reliability to speak of. I had a strong feeling this was not a problem of it being a weapon or not.

 

[It’s because you fools break it so lightly! Why do you people so easily keep breaking my precision machinery?!]

 

[It is because the structure you designed is too fragile. Do you really understand the meaning of mil-spec?]

 

This maniac did not comprehend the meaning of military usage at all. Although in terms of design, he did fulfill all the specifications that the military requested for the prototype .

 

Even if it was just experimental numbers under certain constraints, it had the potential of surpassing the current Mage altitude limit to engaging bomber planes, dramatically increasing the strategic value of mages. In theory, burst firepower could increase by four-fold. Undoubtedly, this would increase the existing mage’s firepower tremendously.

 

But that was only possible if this prototype could function properly. This was common sense, but frankly speaking, an Operation Orb that required artistic or laboratory-level maintenance was useless. I really felt like asking him, was he trying to create a purebred horse that only needed to unleash its maximum performance for a short burst during a race ?

 

In the first place, the Operation Orb is a precision machine that only requires simple monthly maintenance. In comparison, this prototype requires the entire technician team to conduct maintenance after each use. Not only that, this was done by the Department of Logistics—with the best logistical support equipment and staffed by technical experts... I’m guessing he forgot the word [maintainability].

 

This far exceeds the maintenance standards at the front. This might be the right way to approach it for the sake of technical validation since there were only a few prototypes, but one couldn’t help but wonder if the problem of operating it under normal circumstances could ever be solved.

 

[Why can’t you understand how revolutionary this quad-core synchronization is?]

 

[I admit it is revolutionary...but I have also told you countless time that I hope you can produce something that can be used normally.]

 

[It works in theory! I’m the one who should ask, why can’t you make it work properly?!]

 

He might be the chief engineer in charge of developing new technologies, but the way he acts is more a scholar and thus, he was able say these troubling words with a straight face.

 

Based on Tanya’s Human Resource Theory (tainted by her biases), if she had to work alongside a scientist in the future, there is only one point she needs to pay special attention to.

 

And that was—whether or not he was a lunatic. Before discussing about his management capacity, you only need to note if it was possible to communicate with them during work.

 

By the way, people often say that there was only a thin line between madness and genius, but for Tanya, the method of differentiating them was simple. After a conversation, if you couldn’t resist to emptying your entire magazine into him, then he’s a madman, but if you are able to have a conversation with him normally next time, then he’s a genius.

 

[Professor Schugel! All I expected is an Operation Orb that can be used practically!]

 

[That’s the objective of this experiment! Don’t you even know the cycle of PDCA!]

 

...If I could use the backup orb in my hand and smash him, it would feel so good—No, people who can’t help having such thoughts were psychopaths. If not for my rationality reminding me that I shouldn’t do that, I’m sure this pair of hands would be tainted red.

 

Needless to say, Tanya was familiar with the PDCA cycle. The “Plan, Do, Check, Act” cycle process was well known. Tanya didn’t have any comments about it.

 

In fact, she agreed strongly with the implementation of this process. And because of this, all she wanted to say was, “Please be more serious in checking finished product.”

 

From the user-perspective, this was not a simple defect that could be fixed with a few adjustments. There were way too many severe errors, problems and flaws. If not for her confidentiality obligations and the safety mechanism embedded, she would have thrown this away long ago.

 

Not only that, even the safety mechanism couldn’t safeguard everything. It worked fine and prevents the worst situation from happening, but it couldn’t completely prevent mana from going out of control. One couldn’t help but keep the worst scenario in mind all the time—which was the electric circuit blowing out and the orb becoming a useless piece of junk.

 

In the very worst case scenario, if the explosion shrapnel hits and ignites the oxygen tank, it would be an extremely unpleasant situation. Based on previous incidents, the higher ups have issued a specially-made parachute with reinforced and improved structure, made from anti-knife and anti-fire fibres—but even with these, it was not a hundred percent safe.

 

If the testing personnel were to lose consciousness, one would still worry about the parachute deploying automatically. Moreover, regardless of the scale of the explosion, if one was unlucky enough to have the rope wrapped around their neck, there’s a high chance that they might suffocate to death before plummeting to the ground. That was a huge concern too.

 

Mankind have already learned through experience that the world acts in accordance to Murphy’s Law②: anything that can go wrong, will. An employee that might misbehave will certainly create trouble one day. For example, it was common sense for Human Resources management to not let bankrupt employee take on jobs involving money. The same applied here as well. Using a orb that might explode anytime was the same as waiting for it to explode in the air.

 

After landing, it was time to submit a transfer request seriously—Tanya nodded her head strongly to express her determination. She swore in her heart that in the worst situation, even if it left a bad impression on her superiors, she would be determined to fight to the end with Human Resources.

 

If this went on, it wouldn’t matter how many lives she had. In this hopeless environment, her position as a member of the training unit was her only hope. Although she did use this as an excuse, begging to be involved officially with the trainer team, it was not enough. She couldn’t simply rely on probing lightly anymore. If there wasn’t an official request to transfer units, there was a very high chance she would become a sacrificial lamb in the lunatic’s experiment. It was best to submit the request as soon as possible.

 

That was it. After she completed her outstanding tasks after landing, she started writing immediately.

 

Imperial Military Inspector General of Logistics Office, Technological Research Branch

 

[Request to change assignment] as per official guidelines. That bloodcurdling thought was being reflected on because of the notification about changing assignments from Mage Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff. As a strict bureaucratic organization, when the official request for a change of assignment came, the administration branch of the technical department needed to process her request dutifully.

 

The group came to a consensus that the request for an assignment change was not made on a whim. At any rate, if they included the unofficial requests for a change of assignment, this would have been the fourth time.

 

So far, it was a relief that the informal hearings were not submitted together with official documents. However, the number of times were piling up, and it was becoming a very pressing matter. It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it? Inevitably, the official request came. When Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff’s official Assignment Change Request papers reached the technical department’s management, they all grabbed their heads troublingly.

 

[So, what to do? For the time being, all official documents are here. Should we accept her request?]

 

They already persuaded her to stay three times, but she had reached the limits of her patience and submitted her assignment change request officially.

 

From the perspective of personnel management, they had breathing room to spare on the northern frontlines. Taking into account political and international relations, now was the best time to give young soldiers postings that would allow them stay at the backlines, since it was frowned upon to do otherwise.

 

That’s why for the Inspector General’s Office, the posting for Second Lieutenant Degurechaff wouldn’t be too difficult. However, even if the unit she would be posted to didn’t mind, they were reluctant to let this talent go.

 

[Impossible. She is the only one who can just barely meet Schugel’s standards.]

 

Instead of any outstanding capability, it would be closer to the truth to describe the genius of Chief Engineer Schugel as his only redeeming point. The development of the next generation Orb involved data collection at the basic level with the goal of researching advanced technologies. Even conservatively speaking, the standards demanded by the Logistics Command of the Inspector General’s Office were very ambitious. Even though he only did so on paper, he met all the basic requirements they wanted for the Type 95.

 

[That is true. The research finally showed signs of bearing fruit...we should take that into account as well, no?]

 

Even in the Empire, the leader in magic technology and scientific research, he was a pioneer in his field. Although magic was gaining traction in being recognized as a field of science, there was still vague elements and large numbers of errors during usage. His contribution in stabilizing the technology and pushing its development in the right direction and improving it was tremendous.

 

Just taking the research element into consideration, the data and theoretical insight due to the Type 95 was huge progress—that was just the evaluation from the research standpoint. For the research committee, it would be enough if the experiments brought about revolutionary advancement, but for the Logistical Command of the Inspector General’s Office, what they needed were tools that could withstand the rugged military operations, so they had to judge these issues while taking the whole scenario into account.

 

However, that was only from the research evaluation. Maybe, for a research institute, the fact that it was a groundbreaking technology was more than enough. But for the military, matters of logistics, meaning the capability to be used in the field reliably, was indispensable and a comprehensive judgement was required.

 

[Conversely, it would be regrettable if we lose someone who can somehow manage to use the Type 95 Orb.]

 

[We have to think about this for the long term. We don’t have any excellent testing personnel to replace her.]

 

The higher authorities in attendance were relaying their concerns of a valuable and talented mage being wasted unnecessarily. There was the issue of maintaining constant technological progress to keep up competition with other nations. For that end, sacrificing lives for the sake of technological advances were rare, but not zero.

 

The intense development of weapons due to national defence concerns resulted in accidents happening in units that were understaffed. The list of people who died while on duty was anything but short.

 

[I agree with you. Thinking about it long term, the retention and nurturing of mages is an issue the Empire should be worried about.]

 

[Also, if I have to say… Shouldn’t we consider the issue of her age? She might be extremely talented, but she is still a young girl. It’s too cruel for her to be relegated to Engineer Schugel’s plaything.]

 

For the Empire, the expanding number of sailors and aerial mages were unit types that needed a lot of training hours to improve the quality of each soldier. This played an important factor in their mind too. Operation Orbs and ships could be mass-produced, but competent and experienced core personnel could not be nurtured as easily.

 

On this point, Tanya was not only the youngest of those with combat experience, she was also a mage who had graduated from Officer Cadet School, a precious existence. It would be a pity if she was wasted just like that. On top of that, there was also the troublesome political consideration that Elinium Factory wasn’t the only place that was gunning for the seat of “developer of the Empire’s next generation Operation Orb.” If the Silver Wings Assault Medal recipient was to die in the line of duty, it would start a political storm. Everyone present could only pray that this wouldn’t happen.

 

Most importantly, in the eyes of anyone with a shred of conscience, Second Lieutenant Degurechaff was simply too young. Even if they were reluctant to look overly conscientious, it was a fact that her ability would rise further with time. Her performance so far made it clear she had boundless potential in her military career. If they were considering about whether to sacrifice her in the first place, she wasn’t a person that should be wasted in such a way.

 

The higher echelons of the military agreed to her posting here, but at the same time, assigned her under the Training Department. Their message was obvious, “You can do whatever you want to her, but return her in one piece (alive).”

 

[Losing the Type 95 Orb would be a pity too, that’s why we are so troubled!]

 

One of the participants said with his head in his arms, exasperating the dilemma they were in.

 

[Frankly speaking, the experiment also yielded results. The technological advancement was by no means small for the Empire.]

 

However, the participants’ comments have also indicated that they are in distress.

 

The expected returns from the experiment was enticing enough for one of the higher ups to approve a certain level of risk. That was why they devoted endless budget into the development of the Type 95. And now, they were finally able to see a glimmer of hope for the huge investments they had made.

 

The Empire had the advantage of technology in terms of their military strength. One of the main pillars supporting this advantage was the revolutionary advances in magic technology. This experiment had the potential of pushing that technology even further. Wasn’t this great reward worth the development funds? Just the proving of concept for the Orb Core Synchronizing technology was enough to dramatically improve the capabilities of mages.

 

[I acknowledge the significance of the four-core synchronization technology—but we still haven’t figured out how to implement it for practical usage, right?!]

 

And of course, the opposition also admitted what this technology represented. They readily praised the revolutionary technology, and didn’t object to the scientific study of magic with the full support of the Empire. The policy of developing this technology did produce great benefits. But to them, the development of the Type 95 included some parts they felt were not worth the cost.

 

After all, according to the feedback of the user, theoretical issues aside, there were too many problems in practical application. Apart from that, the Type 95 included advanced and revolutionary designs that weren't just “next generation,” but two or three generations ahead. It made them doubt if practical implementation was even possible in this era. That was the reason they had been repeatedly going about this circular argument.

 

The thing that stopped this debate was their observation of a single report.

 

[Have you all read the technical report? Second Lieutenant Degurechaff analyzed it very clearly. According to this, practical usage is impossible no matter how much mana you have.]

 

The Type 95 experiment report showed adept analytical ability, giving the reader the steady feeling that the author wrote it as a veteran in this academic field. Some of the people within the department were surprised by this, thinking that this wasn’t content that a ten-year old could write. A few even suspected that the report wasn’t written by her at all.

On one part, there were many doubts about whether she really did write this herself, but she was cleared of suspicion.

 

Despite that, the technical report was rigorous and well thought out. According to investigation, this report was written by Tanya herself. Too young to attend youth school (equivalent to middle school) as she was only ten years old, Tanya already had enough mana to meet the standard as a mage. From the talent and mana pool she had, her future was bright. But even this excellent mage officer who bloomed early couldn’t use this prototype reliably or steadily.

 

[Casting multiple spells, an increase in range and power... These are all excellent improvements, but if the operation time is dropped to a fatal level, there’s no point in using it.]

 

Even though the goal was a proof of concept, if the consumption rate rendered normal combat functions unsustainable, the quad core system would just be a flawed design. It might enhance firepower momentarily but in exchange for drastically shortening its operation time, unacceptable.

 

On a certain level, a constructive evaluation system might work here. For example, investigating the flaws of the advanced technology was also an important responsibility for the proof of concept. However, if the reason behind the rapid mana depletion rate was due to its basic structure, it wouldn’t help at all.

 

[Our objective from the very start was to confirm the viability of the theory and improve our technology. This is still within acceptable margins.]

 

On the other hand, the faction that proposed the research be continued agreed that combat sustainability was a flaw. In their eyes, this wasn’t an issue since the main objective was to show simply proof of concept. At the very least, the concept had no problems. This was the view of the technology faction that wasn’t particularly concerned about the limitations of practical applications.

 

The technological race between the Great Powers had reached harsh levels. From their point of view, it was natural to wish that the potential of the Type 95 would ensure their Fatherland’s technological advantage. Falling behind in the technological race presented an enormous threat, while gaining an advantage would ensure overwhelming returns. That was the reason they were hoping so earnestly for their improvement in technology by leaps and bounds. With this being a possibility, they could accept the costs of the entire Type 95 project.

 

[Regardless of how much potential it holds, the military doesn’t have the budget to splurge.]

 

However, this was just the opinion of the research personnel and their backers, the military that will exploit all sorts of weapons sees it differently. A normal Orb already cost as much as a primary weapon. This one-time-usage custom Orb that might break down anytime had already pushed development costs far beyond its allocated budget.

 

It was consuming an unbelievable amount of money, thus hesitation with putting in yet more funds was growing stronger.

 

This made them even more hesitant about increasing the budget after they had already sunk an unbelievable amount of money in. The return of investment would probably be better if they used the budget elsewhere. Such an opinion made sense. The Empire was strong, and while the budget for the military might be plentiful, it wasn’t unlimited. Since it was limited, they would need to always strive for efficiency.

 

[Even so, there is still a chance of realizing the goal of stabilizing mana in its physical form. Isn’t that more than enough reason to continue the experiment?]

 

[Are you suggesting that we pursue the path of alchemy? We can’t keep wasting our limited budget and manpower.]

 

Also, the opinion of both sides remained parallel on this point— Whether stabilizing mana in its physical form was possible. The logical flow was obvious. Since the mana consumption of the Orb was intense, sustaining combat prowess during battle would be difficult. Engineering Director Adelaide von Schugel also knew this.

 

As for the countermeasures for this problem, his conclusion was to store mana like electricity in batteries to solve the problems. The conversion of mana to another form in order to store it was something many people wanted to achieve, only to give up after making no progress.

 

By optimizing the usage of mana with an Operation Orb, one could interfere with reality with their will. This interference then manifested itself in the physical world. This was the basic principle of spells used by mages.

 

Of course, this phenomenon was temporary. Assuming someone willed for an explosion to happen, it would appear in the physical world. As it was a temporary phenomenon, the mana would disperse after the explosion was over, and couldn’t be turned inert. In that case, there only need to be the “will” to turn the phenomenon inert in the physical world.

 

Such a concept had already been researched right after the practical implementation of the Operation Orb. However, the idea of turning mana inert through the usage of mana had been tried countless times, merely increasing the number of failed attempts.

 

Research done optimistically in working toward practical implementation already resulted in a mountain of unsuccessful tries. All the Great Powers who invested seriously into this had already given up.

 

Interfering with the will interfering with the world in order to create a permanent object in the physical world. This sounded easy, but it was akin to twisting the law of physics permanently. This was venturing into the realm of ancient alchemy.

 

That was how unrealistic this technology was. At least in the eyes of soldiers who were first of all, pragmatists. From their viewpoint, exaggerating new technologies only made them skeptical—and this was already seen as an outdated theory.

 

It was so well known that the soldiers involved in the development and even everyone working in a magic-related industry knew about it. In a way, it was a dream just like alchemy, a theory that was only possible in the far future.

 

It required a huge amount of mana to interfere with the laws of nature for long periods of time. A dual-core system is the minimum requirement in order to allow for instantaneous injection of the necessary amount of mana . Similarly, the stabilization process would require another same number of cores. As such, at least four cores were needed to be synchronized and it further required precise control in order to handle the different processes simultaneously. Hence, up until now it has only ever been a theory yet to be put to practice.

 

[Four-core synchronization has already been achieved, so we can’t deny the possibility.]

 

[With the condition it is in, there is no way we can hope for a perfect synchronization. Even the only one who can use it properly, Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff, is operating at far below “standard” proficiency.]

 

That was why the “continued development” faction and “halt research” faction couldn’t come to a consensus despite observing the same results. The former saw hope while the latter saw futility. Both factions were logical in their own right. Truthfully speaking, the Orb that would cause accidents lacked credibility. Of course, no prototype weapon was perfect from the get-go, so this was within everyone’s expectation.

 

However, no other weapon had such a history of consecutive serious accidents. According to reports, Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff was able to survive each time by a hair’s breadth, which revealed just how intense those incidents were. And after conducting all those experiments, the result was an Orb that was barely operational.

 

But this much alone was already enough to demonstrate the amount of progress that have been made when compared to the past. Therefore, when the soldiers expressed their concern about how wasteful the experiments were, the mid-level human resources officer raised a point from a different perspective.

 

[By the way, why her?]

 

This was just an innocent question. On the other hand, it was an intriguing point. Judging from her history, Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff wasn’t a bad choice, but there were hordes of soldiers that outshined her. But amongst all of them, why could she operate the Orb more successfully than everyone else? By finding out the secret behind her success, they should be able to find the answer to their doubts. Once they realized this, they agreed that there was value in exploring the question in depth.

&nb

Chapter end