An Unexpected Incident

“Line up to receive equipment!”

At Aria’s command, the soldiers formed orderly queues.

One by one, they stepped forward, suppressing their excitement, and each received their own set of magitech armor.

The moment they eagerly donned it, the training ground erupted into barely contained exclamations and cheers.

“So light! Way lighter than the old iron cans we used to wear!”

“I can move so much more freely!”

“And this magic protection… I feel like I could actually block a fireball now!”

Vivian watched the soldiers’ thrilled reactions with quiet satisfaction.

Though still rudimentary, this batch of armor represented Evernight’s first independently produced industrial achievement—an immensely significant milestone.

As the mana crystal workshops expanded capacity and refined their techniques, far superior equipment would surely follow.

“Quiet down, all of you,” Aria barked, instantly silencing the clamor.

“Now commencing equipment testing. First squad—fall in!”

At her order, a dozen soldiers snapped into perfect formation.

“Activate magitech armor!”

Following prior drills, the soldiers channeled mana into the crystals embedded in their armor.

The next instant, a faint glow rippled across the surface of each suit, forming a visible magical barrier.

“Excellent. Miss Lucia, please strike the target soldier’s chest plate with a standard-power [Frost Arrow].”

Aria gestured toward the Frost Banshee standing nearby.

Lucia promptly condensed a basic frost arrow.

With a sharp whoosh, it streaked toward one of the soldiers.

Though a flicker of fear crossed the soldier’s face, he stood his ground, letting the attack strike true.

Boom!

The ice arrow slammed into the chest plate, colliding with the energy barrier in a dull thud before shattering into countless glittering crystals.

The soldier staggered slightly but remained unharmed.

The barrier merely rippled like water disturbed by a pebble.

“It worked!”

“This armor can actually block magic!”

“Amazing!”

The soldiers cheered again.

But then—something went wrong.

The targeted soldier suddenly felt a violent surge from his armor.

The embedded mana crystal began flashing wildly.

“What’s happening?!” he shouted in panic.

Aria’s expression changed instantly.

“Remove the armor—now!”

It was too late.

BOOM!

A powerful burst of mana erupted from the suit, sending a shockwave that forced everyone nearby back several steps.

Fortunately, the surge dissipated almost immediately.

The armor returned to normal, and the soldier collapsed to the ground—shaken, but uninjured.

“Overload…?”

Vivian frowned and hurried down from the platform to inspect the armor herself.

Sure enough, hairline cracks had appeared in the mana crystal, and the flow of energy through the runes had become unstable.

“That’s strange. Didn’t the workshop run tests? The reports claimed everything was fine.”

Vivian’s brows knitted tighter.

Aria and Lucia rushed over as well.

“Hey, hey, hey—what just happened?!” Lucia waved her hands frantically, desperate to deflect blame.

“This isn’t my fault, right?! I only used the most basic frost arrow! I swear! I kept the power as low as possible—barely enough to freeze a rabbit! I followed the testing standards exactly!”

“…Shut up for a second.”

Vivian shot the frantic Frost Banshee a withering glance and continued her examination.

“It’s not anyone’s fault but mine. I overlooked something in the design, and the workshop tests didn’t replicate this extreme scenario.”

After a thorough check, she concluded.

“The mana circuits have a flaw. When soldiers inject mana, it tends to pool inside the crystal. This particular crystal was ice-attuned, so when struck by an ice-attribute spell, the internal and external energies stacked instantly, exceeding the crystal’s capacity and triggering an overload explosion.”

She exhaled.

“Thankfully, it was only a small-scale release. No real harm done.”

“How do we fix it?” Aria asked with concern.

“I’ll revise the design and add an energy-limiting rune to prevent overload,” Vivian replied.

“Also, we’ll need to teach soldiers proper mana injection control—never dump too much in at once.”

She paused.

“For now, this batch should be used with caution.”

“Understood.”

Despite the minor mishap, the demonstration had been a resounding success.

The New Army’s combat prowess was proven, and the magitech armor performed largely as intended.

Once the overload issue—missed in earlier testing—was resolved, Evernight’s military strength would leap forward yet again.

“Aria, I have one more task for you,” Vivian said.

“Please give your orders, Your Majesty.”

“Beyond training the regular forces, I need you to form a special operations unit.”

Vivian’s gaze sharpened.

“This unit won’t fight on open battlefields. Their role will be reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage—our old specialties. They’ll be dedicated to dealing with those… anomalous enemies.”

Aria understood instantly.

“A unit tailored for those… special foes?”

“Exactly,” Vivian nodded.

“Conventional troops may lack the flexibility to handle them. I need an elite team capable of rapid response and precise strikes.”

“We’re going back to what we do best.”

“Leave it to me,” Aria replied gravely.

“I’ll select the very best from the New Army and form the unit. This style of combat is second nature to us—rest assured, Your Majesty.”

“Good.” Vivian clapped her shoulder.

“The army is in your hands.”

Aria nodded firmly.

That night, when Vivian finally returned to her tent, she found Lucia waiting with Luna in her arms.

“Why are you two still up?” Vivian asked softly, sitting beside them.

“Luna insisted on waiting for Mommy before sleeping,” Lucia answered with a tender smile.

“She practiced mana control again today and was exhausted, but she wouldn’t close her eyes until you came back.”

Vivian looked at her daughter.

The little girl was fighting sleep, her drowsy eyes fixed on her mother.

“Mommy… you’re back,” Luna murmured.

“Luna missed Mommy…”

Vivian gently took her into her arms.

“Mommy’s here. Good night, Luna. You can sleep now.”

“Mmm…”

Luna nuzzled into Vivian’s embrace and was out within moments.

“This child is growing more and more attached to you,” Lucia said quietly, meeting Vivian’s gaze.

“And to you,” Vivian smiled.

“We’re both her mothers.”

“Yes,” Lucia whispered.

Outside the tent, moonlight spilled like liquid silver.

Yet Vivian knew this fragile peace would not last much longer.