21 – A Party

Lance and his friends continued to answer various questions from royals and officials.

"What weapons can we expect from you next?"

"Can't you guys tell me a little about rifles? You don't need to explain confidential things."

"Are you still single, Mr. Lance Ashbourne?"

This was a celebratory party because of their big win. After the king introduced them on stage, those people surrounded them.

At first, Lance thought he could enjoy this party, but he was wrong.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen." Tobias tapped a glass with a fork, drawing everyone's attention to him. "I, as chairman of the kingdom's weapons development department, would like to speak with Mr. Ashbourne and his lovely friends. So, excuse us."

Lance and the others left the crowd and followed Tobias.

"You saved us, master Ardelle." Trish took a long sip of wine from her glass, then sighed. "Those people are like hungry hyenas. I didn't even have time to enjoy this fine wine."

"No problem." Tobias chuckled. "That's the only thing I can do. It is you all who have raised the reputation of my department. They looked us down upon. This is one form of my gratitude to you."

Cecil asked. "What do you mean, sir?"

"So far, we have never made any new groundbreaking magic or weapons. Our highest achievement is hatching the dead dragon's eggs."

Tobias leads them to climb the stairs to a balcony. They then sat at a table full of food and drinks. Ashe filled her plate while Trish poured wine into a glass.

"Is it okay for us to be here?" Eve looked around. "They usually reserve this place for the king's close family, right?"

"This is King Cedric's direct order." Tobias wiped his glasses. "He feels sorry for you guys. You can't enjoy this party, even though this party is for you."

A piano resounded through the palace hall, accompanied by a woman's sweet singing voice.

"Had they not chosen to become a civil servant and a witch, they could have had a promising music career." Tobias commented.

Lance found that the one singing on stage was Jane Rufford, and the one playing the piano was Julian. Jane's gaze fell on Lance for a moment, but she could still continue singing well.

"So, what is your real purpose in bringing us here, sir? Is it just to keep us away from those people?" Lance faced Tobias again.

Tobias put his glasses back on and took a deep breath. "The Zashrend Kingdom will not stop. Their king had gone mad with greed. He desired to rule the entire world. After capturing all the Elven lands, he wanted to acquire Celestenia."

Ashe froze, heard that. But a few seconds later, she continued eating.

"So, this isn't just a fight over areas that contain a lot of resources, huh?" Lance displayed a bitter smirk. "This is because of one person's greed? Fascinating."

"The people will suffer if Zashrend takes over this country. They will take huge taxes, seize your land…." Ashe closed her eyes. "They will do many more bad things. That's what happened to my former homeland."

Lance looked at the musical performance again. "Your explanation does not answer my question, Mr. Ardalle. What do you want to discuss here?"

Tobias was silent for a moment. "We received news that Zashrend scientists have almost succeeded in their project. But we don't know which one yet, between the technique to summon and control terrifying monsters or homunculus."

"Homunculus? Artificial humans?" Eve responded. "They made that?"

"But I heard they can only make ordinary homunculi, without the fighting or magic ability they want." Tobias elaborated. "So it's possible that they will use the technique of summoning monsters from the underground realm."

According to a legend, many terrifying monsters once plagued this world. Then, the humans begged the gods to annihilate them. God answered the request by sealing those creatures into the underground realm. No one knows what that realm actually is.

But the god asked for one condition. That the king of the Zashrend kingdom and his descendants will become servants of God if they die.

"Government officials, top military brass, nobles, and the royal family. They are afraid of threats from Zashrend. They doubted that rifles alone could handle underground monsters. Well, I agree with them." Lance leaned back in his chair. "Tell them to relax. We will deliver powered armor according to their expectations."

Lance knew those parties wanted to put pressure on him. They thought by doing that, Lance could solve everything in an instant.

Lance will not lose to this pressure. He would work on the mech at his own pace, and without interference.

In the future, he will find satisfaction in seeing people stunned by his masterpieces.

"I dedicate this song to Lance Ashbourne. He played a big role in our victory." Because of the magic she used, Jane's voice resonated in every corner of the hall. She smiled at Lance, but the young man didn't respond.

Julian played softer piano notes, while Jane sang a song about a hero who saved countless lives.

"They demand that you guys do a conduct test for the soldiers in the next few days." Tobias massaged his forehead. "The king asked for it through me. He also conveyed the fears of various parties."

"We can do it in three weeks." Lance continued to look at Jane. "But you must agree to the method of recruiting the first batch of pilots that Trish proposed."

Tobias sighed again. "They asked for it to be faster…."

"Three weeks or nothing." Lance interrupted the man's words. "We had to put finishing touches on the Etna IV prototype."

Trish raised her wine glass. "You and those guys hope for the best, right? I also hope for the best. Good things, like this wine, require time."

"If Trish feels nothing wrong with the armor anymore, Lance will consider the project a success." Cecil added with a smile.

"You guys might take prototypes and blueprints from us," Lance continued. "But trust me, that's a bad idea. You will only produce bad armors, and that is very dangerous for the users."

Tobias wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Okay…. I will try to explain all this to them."

"Thank you, sir." Lance widened his smile. "We appreciate it."