"About those blueprints, Linen Norton—I have a few questions for you."
When the subject shifted to artifacts, Holly regained a measure of composure, her expression growing slightly more formal.
"Please ask, Master Holly. Also, you're someone I've admired for a long time—just call me Linen."
Hearing that, Holly couldn't help feeling a bit buoyant again. But the moment she thought about the artifacts, she quickly set those feelings aside and asked instead, "Those artifact prototypes belonging to your younger sister, Princess Noraviel—were they also designed by you?"
"Novie?"
Linen pondered for a moment, then nodded shyly.
"That was just a whimsical thing between siblings when we were younger. Honestly, I never thought they would become real. Whoever turned those childhood daydreams into actual artifacts must be incredibly skilled. Ah—Master Holly, I mean… someone slightly less impressive than you."
So it really was him.
After hearing Linen's explanation, she smiled involuntarily.
"You don't have to be so formal with me, Linen. Besides—what if I told you the person who made those artifacts was me?"
A note of pride crept into Holly's voice, and, as expected, Linen's expression inside the crystal ball turned to astonishment.
"What… Master Holly, you mean the person who refined my sketches into real artifacts was you? Actually—no, that makes perfect sense. To take those messy designs and turn them into tangible objects would indeed require nothing less than the finest artificer in Zijinghua."
Though delighted, Holly maintained a composed front. Telling him that had merely been the opening; what she really wanted to say came next.
After a brief pause, Holly spoke slowly.
"So, Linen—now that you know, are you interested in having your new project 'recreated' as well?"
"Recreated?"
Linen blinked, confused.
"Hehe. Yes—recreated. I'm very interested in your new design, that little thing called the Maxim. But with your current skill, you probably can't fully refine it and bring it into reality yet, can you? You'll need an outstanding artificer."
Holly felt like a genius. Linen had imagination but lacked technical expertise and polish—so he needed someone who possessed both. And the best artificer in Zijinghua was standing right before him.
If he was willing to ask, she'd graciously help him out.
Of course, she wouldn't do it for free. There'd be a small price~
"Yes, my technical abilities aren't sufficient even to finish those blueprints, much less reproduce them," Linen admitted, his tone dropping. Just as Holly hoped, he continued, "So, I really do need an excellent artificer to help me."
"Exactly. So who is she?"
Holly felt the answer was on the tip of his tongue.
"Of course, it's Elena!"
"Then I'll graciously… E—E… Elena?!"
Holly froze.
"Yes."
Linen nodded earnestly.
"Elena is unquestionably one of the best artificers around me. And she has tremendous potential—your personal approval proves that, doesn't it?"
"Lately, Elena's artifactcraft has advanced by leaps and bounds, thanks to your guidance, Master Holly. It's still challenging for her now, but I don't think it'll be long before Elena can begin trying to—"
"Enough!"
Listening to Linen praise Elena nonstop, Holly finally couldn't endure it and cut him off. Seeing Linen's confusion, she realized she'd acted impulsively.
She cleared her throat again and said,
"Linen, what I mean is… your blueprint notes state the Maxim's individual firepower can, at best, suppress Low-Ring Arcana Mages. Only when used in coordination can it unleash its true strength, correct?"
"That's right."
Linen nodded regretfully.
"It's just that Elena can't yet mass—"
"Ahem!"
Holly interrupted him again.
"Master Holly, is your throat bothering you?"
Linen asked, puzzled.
This time Holly truly couldn't hold it in. She didn't even know what expression she should have.
She had to admit: when she first took Elena in, part of the reason had been Linen himself. But after spending time with her, Holly's feelings had completely changed—she genuinely liked the girl and was sincerely grooming her as her successor.
But now, at a moment like this, her disciple was competing with her for a man—no, for business—what exactly was going on?!
Linen was sharp in some ways, but in others, he was even more oblivious than Holly herself. She couldn't let the conversation stray any further from what she wanted.
Holly decided to throw a straightforward pitch.
"Linen—are you interested in working with me to recreate your blueprint?"
Linen, still confused, was now completely stunned.
"Working with you, Master Holly… is that really possible?"
But he immediately appeared apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Master Holly. Thinking it over… perhaps it's better to forget it."
"Why?!"
Holly really couldn't stand it. She couldn't accept that she'd volunteered this openly and still been rejected.
"Hiring a Master like you would simply cost too much. And I can't yet afford the materials needed for mass-producing artifact weapons."
Linen lowered his head, looking like a child caught doing something wrong.
When Holly realized this was his reasoning, she couldn't help laughing.
"Don't worry, Linen. Those are minor issues. I said it's not hiring—it's cooperation. I'm also interested in your blueprint. If you don't mind, give me the blueprint as compensation… as for the materials, I'll handle them."
"Really? Then… thank you so much, Master Holly!"
Holly nodded, satisfied.
"It's nothing. I'll contact you once the first batch of units is complete."
With that, their conversation ended. Once the impulse passed, Holly rubbed her forehead, her expression slightly pained.
Damn it. She'd acted impulsively.
Truthfully, waiving the crafting fee wasn't a problem. Obtaining Linen's innovative blueprint to build and improve upon was, for an elf as obsessed with artifact-making as Holly, a valuable learning opportunity in itself.
And the Maxim wasn't even difficult to create—Holly was confident she could complete it flawlessly.
However, the materials were another matter.
As one of the Empire's best artificers, she certainly didn't lack money. A single artifact commission fee could easily grant her more wealth than an ordinary person could spend in a lifetime. The issue was the materials.
Crafting one or two units was manageable with her personal stockpile.
But what she'd promised Linen wasn't just one Maxim—it was a machine-gun array. At minimum, dozens of them.
That much material… normally, she could ask the Artificers' Association for assistance. But the Association was currently in chaos, barely avoiding collapse. Relying on them to gather materials was unrealistic.
Suddenly, Holly's delicate brows furrowed. The headache vanished, replaced by her usual calm.
"Hehe. Master Holly—so here you are. I've been looking all over for you."
A middle-aged man in a black formal suit stepped into the courtyard, wineglass in hand, belly bulging. Seeing Holly, he nodded in greeting.
The moment Holly saw him, her brows knitted even tighter.
After meeting Linen a few times, she'd almost believed her aversion to men had lessened. But after attending this so-called banquet of the Five Great Houses, she became even more certain: Linen himself was the only exception.
Other men—particularly these deceitful nobles with daggers hidden behind smiles—she found utterly nauseating.
Still, considering his status, she replied coolly,
"What is it, Lord Vorn? Or rather—this is why you had me attend this banquet, isn't it?"
The man—the Head of House Vorn, one of the Five Great Houses—smiled and nodded.
"As expected of Master Holly. Straight to the point, just as the rumors say. I'll be direct as well. On behalf of House Vorn, I would like you to design an artifact for our House."
Design an artifact for him?
That wasn't exactly unusual.
"Then please describe your requirements, Head of House Vorn," Holly said absently, her thoughts still lingering on Linen.
Head of House Vorn hadn't expected Holly—famous for being difficult—to agree so readily. His eyes brightened as he eagerly began outlining his request.
"Thank you, Master Holly. The artifact I have in mind is a weapon—ideally powerful and long-range. It would be even better if it could be wielded by users with Low-Ring counts, or even ordinary people."
Hearing that, Holly almost snorted.
A perfectly standard, painfully cliché outsider's wish list.
The earlier demands were reasonable, but the last point was utterly absurd.
The stronger an artifact, the higher the user's requirements—wasn't that common knowledge?
Ordinary people should stick to flintlocks at their waist and behave.
Just as Holly was about to reject him, her eyes suddenly brightened as she remembered something.
"Head of House Vorn, your request is indeed challenging, but I happen to have something that matches your description exactly."
Vorn—who'd already braced himself for rejection—lit up instantly, surprise blooming across his greasy face.
"Really? As expected of Master Holly! Honestly, before inviting you, I approached several other artificers, but they flatly refused, pretending it was impossible. Clearly, they're just mediocre hacks making excuses because they're inferior to you."
"Is that so," Holly responded flatly, then asked, "Would you like to see the blueprint first, Lord Vorn?"
"There's already a blueprint?"
Head of House Vorn was ecstatic.
Holly nodded calmly and handed him the Maxim's blueprint.
She wasn't worried in the slightest about him stealing the design.
In truth, Linen's "blueprint" was less a finished design and more a concept sketch. In his previous life, Linen had merely been an ordinary person—of course he couldn't perfectly recreate a machine gun from memory. Thus, he'd roughly sketched out the Maxim's framework along with a few critical components.
But vast sections of intricate details were essentially blank, or randomly scribbled in with an "I think this should work" mindset.
Even Holly herself would need extensive revisions and redesigning to construct it—let alone Head of House Vorn, who clearly knew nothing about artifact design.
Thus, as an ordinary mortal, what Vorn saw on the page was—
"Th-this… is perfect!!"
Head of House Vorn's eyes shone.
This was exactly the artifact he'd dreamed of.
As a mortal noble, Vorn had carried a pistol for years for protection.
Thus, he understood better than anyone how weak and worthless firearms were in a world dominated by magic.
But this blueprint was entirely different—so innovative it felt as if it had come from another era entirely.
That sleek, intimidating appearance; that menacing barrel; even the custom-made brass bullets radiated elegance and lethality.
Most importantly—this brutal weapon could actually be wielded by an ordinary person!
It was something those second-rate artificers couldn't produce in a hundred lifetimes.
"This is the one, Master Holly! Exactly what I want! Name your price!"
Head of House Vorn rubbed his hands eagerly.
This time, Holly smiled.
"In that case, I won't be polite. Let's start with the materials."
Head of House Vorn nodded. Buyers supplying materials was an unwritten rule, after all.
"First, High-Grade Mana Stones for the energy core."
Holly raised one finger.
Head of House Vorn wasn't foolish enough to assume "one finger" meant only one, so he nodded readily.
"Ten? No problem."
"One hundred."
"One hundred?!"
Hearing the number, Head of House Vorn froze.
The Five Great Houses were wealthy—but that didn't mean he enjoyed being treated like a fool!
"No need to panic, Lord Vorn," Holly said serenely. "You can see yourself—this blueprint is only a concept sketch. To create a physical artifact, extensive modifications are necessary. Even I can't guarantee success on the first try. Thus, one hundred is merely an initial estimate. We may require even more."
She paused.
"Of course, if that's unacceptable, you can always refuse the deal outright."
"One more thing—since I'm personally interested in this blueprint, I won't be charging any additional fees. Just provide sufficient materials."
As she spoke, Holly had no fear that Vorn would reject her offer.
No normal person could resist the allure of an artifact like this. And for someone like Vorn—who had plenty of money—what he lacked was something that could grant an ordinary mortal security in the presence of Arcana Mages.
Without question, the Maxim would provide precisely that security.
Sure enough, not only did Head of House Vorn not argue—he was nearly moved to tears.
Master Holly isn't even charging extra! I'm so touched I could cry!
He had no excuses left to wriggle out of the deal.
"I'll pay, Master Holly. Whatever materials remain, House Vorn will cover. But you must provide me with five sets of the finished product!"
Head of House Vorn ground out.
"Heh. Decisive."
The corner of Holly's lips rose slightly.
Linen, your purpose for giving me this blueprint… is accomplished.
She could hardly wait to share the good news with Linen.
...
A short while later, inside Linen's dormitory.
"Done."
After receiving Holly's message confirming the materials were secured, Linen finally relaxed, setting the crystal ball aside.
In the corner, Teresia's gaze toward Linen gradually shifted from disgust to fear.
This man was terrifying.
As an outsider who'd watched everything unfold, Teresia understood better than anyone just how frightening Linen truly was.
With just a few casual sentences, he'd shifted Holly's mindset from "I must be hired to create artifacts" to "I want to help Linen create artifacts"—and he'd accomplished it effortlessly.
Ten Teresias couldn't hypnotize one Holly. Yet Linen could convince Holly to willingly empty her own pockets just to finance his project—and enjoy doing it.
Even timing his call during the Five Great Houses' banquet had clearly been intentional on Linen's part.
For a moment, Teresia even wondered what purpose her meticulously trained Mind Arcana served.
I'm a joke of a Mind Arcana Mage. The real master of mind manipulation is Linen…
And just as Teresia resolved to be even more cautious around Linen—never casually agreeing to his requests again—
Linen suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned toward her, eyes sly.
"Miss Teresia—are you interested in seeing the banquet?"
"Y-you… you're inviting me?!"
Instantly discarding all caution, Teresia's eyes sparkled with excitement.
---
T/N: OKAY it was family before yes BUT!! hehe ive been game of thronesing so i like using House now sounds more idkk formal and grandeur!!! South House is gonna be a pain though... good thing it got wiped! ALSO UGHHHH I MENTIONED IT BEFORE BUT I KEEP THINKING OF MASTER HOLLY AS THE HERTA!@!!!