The Seventh Weaponry Factory

The Seventh Weaponry Factory, one of the cornerstones of the Algrand Empire's military might, was located on a collection of asteroids in space.

A haphazard military factory, built by joining together mined asteroids, it was essentially a space colony. Within the asteroid, everything necessary to operate the weaponry factory was present. The factory also housed many employees, so living quarters were well-maintained.

It was to this asteroid, Neya, that Emma's assigned ship, the light aircraft carrier Mearea, had arrived. The Mearea and the ships that came from the Banfield family were being guided into the interior of the Seventh Weaponry Factory.

"Welcome, crew of the Mearea. Thank you for helping us with this homecoming," announced the Seventh's operator, acknowledging the Mearea's construction records and greeting them with the term "homecoming."

Emma heard the broadcast from the hangar.

"It truly is a homecoming," she muttered, a look of understanding on her face.

Emma, wearing a jumpsuit but with her upper body bare, exposing a white tank top, emerged from the cockpit of her assigned prototype experimental craft, the Atalante. Her chest was clearly visible, but neither she nor those around her seemed to notice or care.

Molly, who stood nearby, was operating a tablet-like device, engaging in conversation with Emma.

"The Seventh is very particular," Molly said.

"Particular?"

"They're more specialized than others, so they like to show off their weapons," Molly explained.

Rumors of the Seventh Weaponry Factory spoke of excellent performance, but there were issues elsewhere. In their pursuit of production efficiency and maintainability, they had created numerous weapons that ignored the human factor in their design and operation. As a result, the factory had low popularity within the Empire.

Emma chuckled at Molly's explanation.

"The Banfield family still uses their products a lot, though."

"I don't mind them, but if I had a choice, I'd prefer the weapons from the Third. They look great, perform well, and have a good price-to-performance ratio," Molly replied.

Their conversation was overheard by the technicians who were working on the Atalante. Although they were aboard a warship, the technicians were wearing jumpsuits that were not from the Banfield family. They wore uniforms with the number "Third" on them.

One of them, Major Percy Pae, was the chief of the Atalante's development team, sent from the Third Weaponry Factory. An intelligent woman with a red-rimmed pair of glasses, her hair was tied in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She was the only one in the group wearing a white lab coat over a tight-fitting skirt suit. She was tall and well-proportioned, but her most prominent feature was her ears. They were long and pointed, a clear sign of her Elven heritage.

With a smile, Percy joined in Emma and Molly's conversation.

"It's an honor to be praised," she said.

"O-oh! Major Percy!"

Emma and Molly rushed to salute, but Percy waved them away.

"I dislike formality. Besides, I'm more of a developer than a soldier. I do maintenance and modifications, but I'm not a military person by trade."

Emma and Molly exchanged confused glances, bewildered by Percy's statement.

"But you're an officer in the Empire's regular army, right?"

"We heard that the army there is higher-ranking than the private armies."

Seeing their reactions, Percy put a hand to her forehead.

"The Weaponry Factory is a semi-governmental, semi-private military industry. I went to the officer school because the tuition was free if you were going to work in this kind of field," she explained.

Percy went to officer school to become a scientist, which is why she became a soldier.

Molly looked surprised.

"Is that even allowed?"

"It's allowed. But you're pretty much locked into working for a Weaponry Factory afterwards. If you're exceptionally talented, you might get scouted by a factory," Percy said.

While they were talking, the Mearea docked into the Seventh's drydock and was secured by an arm. The drydock, in a state of zero gravity, was hexagonal in shape, with ships secured to all six sides.

"It seems we've arrived. Everyone, keep a close eye on the Atalante. Don't let any of the Seventh's tech-obsessed fools near her," Percy ordered her crew, then turned to leave.

Emma followed Percy's gaze, focusing on the Atalante.

"Is this a special team just for her?" she asked.

The Atalante, which no one but Emma could pilot, was a Nevan model modified by the Third Weaponry Factory for special machine development. It had been left dormant at the Third Weaponry Factory, unpiloted, until now, when Emma became its designated pilot.

It was an incredibly difficult machine to operate, with even the best pilots giving up. In order to allow Emma to pilot it, the Third Weaponry Factory had sent a dedicated team, hoping to acquire data from the Atalante on special machine development, as well as any other pertinent information.

Suddenly, the hangar hatch opened. From it emerged personnel from the Seventh Weaponry Factory.

Molly scratched her head.

"They came to inspect her already, huh?"

In their hands, they held various instruments. Apparently, they had information about the Atalante and were eager to investigate.

One man, likely their leader, approached the group.

"Greetings, crew of the Mearea. Oh? Is the Third Weaponry Factory team here as well?" he asked.

Percy's team stood guard, wary of the newcomers.

"What a blatant greeting. That's why I hate dwarves," Percy snapped.

The Seventh's representative was indeed a dwarf.

"A haughty elf as the leader. What was the Third thinking?"

"What a rude thing to say. I hate the Seventh's low human rights standards," she replied.

"You're the one who looks down on dwarves. You made a disgusted face the moment you saw me."

"Oh? I wonder what you're referring to," Percy countered.

Seeing the technicians glare at each other, Emma sighed.

"Will they be okay?" she wondered.

As she watched the two continue their bickering, a message appeared on her terminal. Molly leaned over to see.

"Were we given orders for some kind of work?" she asked, assuming they'd been given a mission.

Emma shook her head.

"It's a meeting for all knights. I'm sorry, I have to go as soon as we leave the Mearea."

Emma began to walk away from the Atalante, and Molly waved goodbye.

"It's tough being a knight. I don't know what's going on, but good luck," Molly said.

"Thanks!"

A Welcome Party

The asteroid Neya contained a city. The Seventh Weaponry Factory's signature was in the city's functionality-first design. Efficient urban planning was commendable, but it lacked any sense of leisure, giving it a rather austere feel.

Emma, observing the city from a wall that functioned as a giant screen, was attending a gathering of knights who had been sent by the Banfield family. It was a welcome party hosted by the Seventh Weaponry Factory.

A standing buffet was set up, with knights from the Banfield family in attendance. Multiple venues were prepared, with separate parties for generals and colonels.

"They really do have money at the Weaponry Factory," Emma muttered, holding a glass of juice in both hands. She gazed at the wall, where images flickered and changed.

Most of the knights around her were talking to colleagues and acquaintances, but unfortunately for the Mearea, there was only one knight on board. None of her team members were present, so Emma was alone.

There were some knights who came to chat with her, but most of them were simply trying to pick her up.

"Hey, are you free later?"

A captain, a handsome knight with short hair, approached Emma. She was startled but realized the other knight's gender upon seeing their physique and chest.

"W-well, I have work," she said.

"That's a shame."

The knight, a woman, didn't seem to mind being turned down. She started to make small talk.

"You're new, aren't you? But B-rank? You're getting a pretty good deal, aren't you?"

The words had a hint of bitterness, but the female knight seemed genuinely curious.

"Um, I happened to earn some merit during a big mission."

Emma's vague response seemed to pique the woman's interest.

"You're interesting. You should join my unit sometime. We'd welcome you."

"I, um..."

She couldn't accept a scouting offer because she was currently working as a test pilot for the Atalante.

As Emma tried to refuse, she heard a dispute happening somewhere nearby.

"Say it again."

Emma and the captain turned towards a group of about fifteen knights, split into two factions. They were glaring at each other, their postures suggesting that they were about to draw weapons.

The other group didn't back down.

"We told you useless people who lost to pirates don't deserve the new model. The Teumessia is ours, you can have the Moheeb."

They seemed to be arguing about a new type of model that would be received at the Seventh.

As the argument escalated, the captain crossed her arms and sighed softly.

"It's so annoying that they're having power struggles even here," she said, looking disgusted.

Emma, seeking an explanation, asked, "Power struggles?"

"You don't know? There are two knights whose names come up when you talk about the Banfield family knights," the captain explained.

"I know that. It's Christiana and Marie, right?"

The two knights, who had previously occupied the roles of First Knight and Second Knight, were stripped of their positions after inciting Liam's wrath. Despite that, they remained essential figures in the Banfield family, as the need for knights was still dire.

Emma mentioned the public perception of the two knights.

"They're both first-class knights, and they have a reputation for being loyal supporters of the lord," she said with a smile.

The captain looked at Emma with an unreadable expression.

"Have you ever met them?"

"I've only seen them a few times at ceremonies. I've never had the opportunity to get close to them," Emma replied.

It was rare for ordinary knights to meet Christiana or Marie.

"I've only met them a few times myself, but those two are sworn enemies," the captain said.

"What?" Emma was shocked.

The captain took a sip of her drink.

"Rumors say their positions were stripped because they were fighting among themselves in front of the lord. Of course, the Knights' Order is relatively new, so it's common for people to fight for the top spot in any organization. If you win here, you're guaranteed security for hundreds of years," she explained.

"And the relationship between those people who are about to fight… is it maybe…"

Emma had a hunch, but she wished it wasn't true.

The captain smirked. "You got it right. They're from those two factions. Did you not see? The Christiana faction and the Marie faction clash quite violently here," she said.

"We need to stop them!"

Realizing that the two factions were about to turn on each other because of this childish feud, Emma tried to intervene.

But the captain stopped her, grabbing her shoulder.

"Wait. Our leader is going to intervene soon," she said.

"Leader? Do you mean the General?"

Emma couldn't believe the General was here.

The captain pointed with her right hand to guide Emma's gaze. A male knight was approaching the quarreling groups.

"It's him. In the Knights' Order, he's called the 'do-it-all' guy," she said.

Emma recognized the figure and gasped, uttering his name.

"Klaus... the Knight Commander?"

The Colonel, who was temporarily acting as Knight Commander to lead the knights on this mission, was there.

It turned out that the captain was one of Klaus's subordinates, and she was proudly bragging about her boss.

"He's an unknown knight, but he's quite incredible. I think he has what it takes to become a leader in the Knights' Order," the captain said.

Despite the absence of the First and Second Knights, the Banfield family's Knights' Order was still significant.

While they were lacking in numbers for a count's Knights' Order, they still had tens of thousands of knights. To be a leader in such an organization meant commanding thousands, if not tens of thousands, of knights.

In the ever-expanding Banfield family, someone holding a leadership position would be considered a first-rate knight in any other house.

The captain looked troubled as she gazed at the figure standing behind Klaus.

"He needs to be a special person to control those hotheads. It's incredible that he's able to keep that 'friend killer' by his side, though."

"Friend killer? You mean..."

Emma looked at the female knight behind Klaus and remembered her name.

Chensie Serra Tourei. A troubled woman who had belonged to several Knights' Orders before being expelled. She earned the dishonorable nickname "Friend Killer" because she was known to kill both enemies and allies on the battlefield.

The two of them stepped in to mediate the dispute.

Klaus, with a stoic expression, announced in a voice that echoed throughout the venue.

"That's enough. Both of you, step down."