19 – Confidence

The melted snow signals the end of winter. Lance woke up too early, so he found no activity on the base yet. He entered a room and walked into a metal frame adorned with pre-installed armor pieces.

Etna IV. The two previous prototypes that were born here proved unsuccessful. They couldn't handle all the movements that Trish did.

The new prototype combines robustness, stronger materials, and a slimmer size for improved maneuverability.

But he found some issues in its joints. There is still some delay when Trish uses them. It seems like the new material of the frame doesn't match the magic conductor they're using.

It all stressed Lance, but he was used to it. It's always like this, even in his previous life. It took his team countless experiments to achieve the desired results.

And two months have passed since he occupied that large base.

"Happy birthday!!!"

The simultaneous sound triggered the young man to turn back. He found his female comrades smiling at him.

"Ah…." He was so busy that he forgot his birth date in this world.

Cecil came forward and handed Lance a pie with three candles. The number nineteen decorated the center.

"You made this, Cecil?" Lance smiled.

The blonde woman sighed. "You want to get food poisoning again? Trish is the one who cooked this."

"Time to party!" Trish spread her arms. "Well, after that, we have to get back to work."

Lance rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "Maybe we should give up work today. We have just one day off per week. I oversee this project, so I'm free to do whatever I want."

"That's irresponsible." Trish shook her head in disbelief, but then gave him a thumbs up. "I like it."

"You look so excited, Trish." After saying that, Ashe yawned. "Even though you're passionate about testing those armors."

The female warrior shrugged. "Even though I like this job, I can also get bored. I want to free my armpits and crotch from excessive sweat from time to time."

"Good, then." Lance widened his smile. "Let's go."

He forgot he was determined to take everything easy. He has been spending time with these girls all along. But it's mostly about work. On weekend, they rest.

With bigger projects involving more people, they hardly have time to do anything else.

They sat in the dining room, sang the birthday song, and started eating the pie. Lance's gaze circulated among his friends. Last year, he celebrated his birthday with his mother, Felix, and Cecil's family. Now, he is with young beautiful girls who care about him.

He should be grateful for something like this. In his previous life, he would spend his birthday working.

"What's wrong with you, Eve?" Cecil asked the witch. "You haven't touched your pie."

With her mouth full, Ashe responded. "This thing is great, Eve. It's a shame if you don't eat it."

Eve put down her fork. "It's okay…. I just don't have much appetite."

"You're thinking about the war that might take place today, right?" Lance responded, but his tone remained casual. "Are you worried that the mass-produced rifles will fail, and that will threaten our project?"

Silence enveloped them. Nobody spoke any more. Yes, the war was proof that Lance's team could indeed make weapons.

Soon after, the sound of a knife cutting the pie filled the air. Ashe having a second.

"I'm not worried at all. Lance's design and Cecil's build are extraordinary." The cyan-haired elf stuffed a large piece of pie into her mouth. "I have tested those metal rods thousands of times. I know it. Trust me."

Trish cringed a little. "I've tried that weapon several times. Every time I pulled the trigger, I flinched. My boobs jiggle hard. It's too painful. I can't imagine if I did it a thousand times, Ashe… And yours is so much bigger."

Cecil took a long breath. "Why are we discussing something like this?"

Lance thought about introducing sports bras into this world. But he didn't know its structure. Finding substitute material will also be challenging.

Ashe laughed, then put on a bitter smile. "Yeah, it's very tough. But imagining that those weapons could help defeat the Zashrend Kingdom... That strengthened my resolve. They have taken my homeland and killed my friends."

The female elf gripped her fork so tightly that it shook.

Silence returned, and Eve to rise from her chair. "Excuse me."

She then walked away.

"We haven't even gotten to the most important thing yet." Trish took the wine bottle from under the table.

"It's okay. Let her be." Lance realizes other people may not be as confident as he is. He was sure these projects will be successful.

***

Eve entered a toilet stall and locked the door. She then used soundproofing magic so that no one could hear her.

She coughed while covering her mouth. When she checked her palm, she found thick blood on there.

Following that, she gripped her chest, experiencing a searing pain.

"Please… Let me finish this…." She shed tears. "I want him to achieve his dream…."

The witch coughed again, expelling more blood from her mouth.

Eventually, she took a deep breath. Then use a spell with her magic staff. It then sucks up all the blood from the mouth, lips, cheeks, clothes, hands and cheeks.

She wiped her tears with a handkerchief, got up and left the toilet with her usual expression, as if nothing had happened.