Trenches, Guns, and Magic

Helga Schmeisser.

Chief Designer of the Schmeisser Firearms Manufacturing Co., Ltd., creator of the MG14 light machine gun, MP14 submachine gun, and M1915 semi-automatic rifle... the youngest top-tier firearms designer in the Saxon Empire.

And, Morin's nominal "business partner."

At this very moment, this top-tier firearms designer was carrying a massive rectangular case that was completely mismatched with her figure, stepping down the airship's boarding ramp step by step in leather shoes clearly not suited for field walking.

Her dark brown skirt suit swayed slightly in the late May breeze, forming an extremely stark visual contrast with the rough men in field-gray uniforms surrounding her.

An "early-stage instruction unit officer"—one of the very first to follow Morin—who was leading a team checking the supply manifest, glanced up toward the ramp and stopped his pencil mid-air.

"Damn! Isn't... isn't that Miss Schmeisser?!"

The news spread rapidly among the unloading crowd. The instruction unit veterans who recognized Helga all stopped their work and looked toward the ramp.

The Schmeisser Firearms Company had provided the instruction unit with its full suite of primary weapons, from submachine guns to light machine guns to semi-automatic rifles. Helga herself had visited the instruction unit's base more than once for weapon deliveries and technical guidance.

Moreover, her first appearance at the instruction unit's training ground, demonstrating weapons for the inspecting Crown Prince and Army high command while single-handedly carrying an MG14 light machine gun and firing on the run, was too shocking...

That scene circulated within the instruction unit for a very, very long time; the veterans even gave her the nickname "Valkyrie."

"Why is the 'Valkyrie' here?!"

"Could it be?"

The eyes of several soldiers darted back and forth between Helga and Morin in the distance, the corners of their mouths turning up.

By the time Morin snapped out of it, he was already walking toward Helga.

He took the massive rectangular box from her hands; it was quite heavy.

Helga looked up at him. Up close, the young girl's cheeks flushed an unnatural red, and a few stray hairs had escaped her bun, clinging to her temples.

Her lips moved several times, finally squeezing out her first words: "Boss..."

"Why did you come to the front line? And without even notifying me in advance..."

Morin tried to keep his tone steady, but the surprise and reproach in his words couldn't be hidden.

"This is a war zone; it's very dangerous."

Helga buried her head, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's hum.

"I... I came on official business."

The girl paused, her speaking pace increasing.

"The Ministry of War invited the Schmeisser Company to send a technical team to the front line to help frontline units solve practical weapon issues... There's also a batch of new weapons that needs testing in an actual combat environment."

Speaking of weapon-related topics, Helga's speech clearly became much smoother.

"I brought over twenty technicians with me, all relatively experienced from the factory... You know Fritz, Heinz, and the others."

Following her words, Morin looked toward the airship's ramp. Sure enough, people were still disembarking successively, all dressed uniformly in work clothes, carrying various toolboxes.

Several of the faces were indeed familiar ones he had seen at the Schmeisser factory.

Morin waved at them in greeting. The technicians opposite clumsily returned a non-standard military salute, causing the soldiers nearby to burst into laughter.

After enthusiastically exchanging a few pleasantries with these acquaintances, Morin turned back to look at Helga.

He had indeed received notification that the Ministry of War was sending a weapons expert group to the front line—Kleist had mentioned it to him individually one day—he just hadn't expected the "expert" sent would actually be Helga herself.

"Just sending any technician over for this kind of thing would have been fine. You are the company's Chief Designer; there was no need for you to make this trip personally."

Helga's voice dropped even lower.

"...And I could also come see the boss."

Morin's expression instantly changed, taking on a more obvious reproach.

Helga bounded back a step almost instinctively, waving her hands repeatedly in front of her chest.

"No, no, no! I really am here on official business! I brought the official documents from the Ministry of War! I really didn't come specifically... well, not entirely..."

This flurry of panicked movements also caused the astonishing curvature of her chest, barely contained by the skirt suit, to heave violently.

Morin's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it; it took some effort to fix his eyes on her face.

"Alright, alright, I believe you."

He cleared his throat.

Helga finally stopped her panicked explanations, but immediately added another sentence.

"Actually... I was going to tell you in advance, but Sister Cecilia said I could give you a surprise, so I didn't say anything."

Hearing this, Morin didn't know whether to laugh or cry, unsure of what to say.

"It certainly is a surprise... though the 'shock' part accounts for more of it."

Helga stuck her tongue out. She had clearly recovered quite a bit from her initial nervousness, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, a conflicted expression appeared on her face, like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if she should.

"Right, actually Miss Patricia was originally going to come along too."

"Hmm?"

"She said she wanted to bring some new magitech equipment over. When she learned she could come to the front line to see you, she was so happy she hugged me and spun me around twice..."

Helga made a gesture.

"A full two times."

The image of Patricia von Seeckt's exquisite aristocratic face instantly surfaced in Morin's mind.

The blonde heiress hugging Helga and spinning in circles... Well, given Patricia's personality, if she could do such a thing, it meant she was truly happy from the bottom of her heart.

"Then where is she?"

"Unfortunately, the day before we left, the Imperial Magitech Research Institute suddenly notified her to participate in a critical technical breakthrough, so she had to drop it."

Speaking to this point, Helga lowered her voice and leaned in mysteriously.

"Even though Patricia told me not to tell... but after she heard the news, she actually cried and was very depressed."

Hearing this, Morin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Patricia von Seeckt, that blonde heiress so proud she wished she could point her chin at the sky, actually cried because she couldn't come to the front line?

But a moment later, Morin looked at Helga again, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, and deliberately spoke in an exaggerated tone.

"Helga, oh Helga, how did you become a traitor? When I return home, the first thing I'll do is report you to Patricia!"

The moment these words came out, Helga immediately panicked.

She lunged forward and grabbed Morin's arm, her speaking speed at least three times faster.

"Ah! No, no, no! I treat you as one of my own, boss, how could you sell me out! How could you do this—"

Before she finished speaking, she was already hanging onto Morin's arm.

With this movement, a pair of breathtakingly magnificent slimes pressed firmly against Morin's arm. The soft and bouncy sensation transmitted clearly through the sleeve of his military uniform.

A massive amount of images unsuitable for the battlefield instantly flooded Morin's mind, as if a dam had finally found an opportunity to open its gates and let everything out.

He instinctively took a deep breath, and then saw Kleist, Manstein, and Paulus standing not far away.

These three guys were currently standing in a row. The expressions on their faces were remarkably identical... their mouths sporting an extremely subtle smile.

Morin swiftly released Helga—more accurately, he extracted his arm from that soft trap—cleared his throat, and his voice returned to its usual steady command tone.

"Let's go. We'll head back to camp first."

"Oh... okay."

Helga also realized at this moment how many people around were watching. The blush on her cheeks spread all the way to the roots of her ears, and she shrank half a step behind Morin.

The group quickly returned to the Kampfgruppe's forward base.

The pre-arranged transport trucks had already hauled the supporting equipment for the "Thunder Warrior" project, the various toolboxes and weapon samples brought by Helga's team, and the massive amount of ammunition and supplies transported by the armored airship back to the rear, truckload after truckload.

Morin had his orderly lead Helga and the technicians from the Schmeisser Company to the temporarily prepared tents.

Helga walked a few steps behind the orderly, then looked back at Morin. Shooed away by his "go rest quickly" gesture, she obediently walked away.

Morin watched her back disappear in the direction of the tent area. Retracting his gaze, he found Kleist still standing nearby, the half-smile on his lips still there.

"Ewald, say what you want to say."

"Commander, I don't want to say anything." Kleist held back his laughter, gave an extremely official reply, and turned to leave.

Morin shook his head helplessly and turned to walk toward the 1st Company's encampment.

By this time, the place was already buzzing with excitement.

The other soldiers of the 1st Company who had remained on the front line surrounded the 27 veterans Klaus brought back.

The crowd was patting shoulders, thumping chests, their voices louder than the next.

"Good lord, your arms are thicker than my thighs!"

"What the hell did they pump into you guys?"

"Come over here and try arm wrestling, let's see if I'm still your dad—fuck! Fuck! Let go! It's breaking, it's breaking!"

Morin didn't interrupt the group for long. He merely stood on the sidelines watching for a while, then waved to Klaus.

Understanding, Klaus extracted himself from the crowd and followed Morin to a row of newly erected tents at the edge of the 1st Company's encampment.

"Tell me," Morin got straight to the point. "What exactly happened to your bodies?"

Klaus rolled his shoulders and began to answer.

"How should I put it... It feels like I grew a new set of bones and a new body of flesh."

He raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, then released it, repeating the motion a few times.

"In terms of strength, the data from the last test showed a two-arm lifting weight of just over 700 kg, and it didn't even feel like my limit."

"For speed, unencumbered, I can run a 100-meter sprint in under six seconds."

"As for reaction speed, I haven't found a suitable analogy... but judging from some test items at the medical center, the reaction speed of our group is roughly four to five times that of a normal human."

"The regenerative ability is even more exaggerated."

Klaus pulled up his cuff, revealing his forearm.

"During combat training, I got a cut from a weapon in the opponent's hand. It was pretty deep at the time, bled a lot... It healed in about ten minutes, and the next day I couldn't even find a scar."

Listening to this data, Morin wasn't too surprised.

After all, the modification serum injected into Klaus and the others was extracted from him. These changes were identical to what he experienced in the Paris underground laboratory, just slightly smaller in magnitude.

But when all 27 of Klaus's men possessed this level of physical fitness, the significance was entirely different.

"There's one more thing, Colonel."

Klaus's tone grew even more excited.

"Master Haber's research team discovered a magical affinity reaction in our bodies. Although it's very weak, the research team believes that after guided training, it's possible for us to gradually acquire spellcasting abilities."

This point, Morin had previously only known to exist in theory.

The modification serum created based on his Original Blood inherently possessed the effect of catalyzing magical affinity... This speculation was written in the report Master Haber sent to the General Staff and the Magitech Research Institute at the time.

But seeing the data in a report is one thing; seeing the soldiers he trained single-handedly standing before him, living proof of this conclusion, was another.

"Not bad, not bad..."

Morin stood up and circled Klaus, somewhat like a merchant inspecting goods, making Klaus feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I need to find a chance to properly spar with you guys, to personally test just how much you've been enhanced."

Hearing this, Klaus's expression instantly became somewhat subtle.

"Colonel, are you looking for sparring partners or punching bags? Although we've been enhanced, compared to you..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear... You are the original, we are the mass-produced models. What's there to compare?

Klaus clearly didn't intend to continue this "sparring" topic with Morin, so he quickly shifted the conversation to the survival rate of the experiment participants.

"...Colonel, ultimately thirty-three people survived the experiment. Twenty-seven of them are from our instruction unit, and the remaining six are from other units."

Klaus paused briefly, then recounted everything he saw and heard at the Imperial Military Medical Center.

One Guard officer, two NCOs from the Alpine Corps, three NCOs from the Stormtroopers.

The degree of their physical enhancement was basically identical to that of the 1st Company men, and the magical affinity reaction was also detected in them.

"But for this operation, they weren't sent to the front line."

Klaus lowered his voice a bit.

"The General Staff's order only mentioned the twenty-seven men from the instruction unit returning immediately. Those six were kept in the homeland."

"And..."

He hesitated, but still spoke up.

"Before we left, I vaguely heard that a General of the Infantry personally visited the medical center... and spoke specifically with those six men."

A General of the Infantry.

Morin's face revealed nothing.

He didn't press for more details, nor did he offer any evaluation. He merely nodded and said, "Understood."

Klaus stared at his commander for several seconds, but couldn't read any emotion from that face.

So he said no more.

There were some things a company commander shouldn't worry about. As long as the Colonel knew what he was doing, that was enough. His job was to launch attacks under the Colonel's orders.

"Alright, let's talk about something else."

Morin patted Klaus's shoulder.

"Let me see your new toys first."

Klaus turned and called out the tent door, bringing in two men.

Each "Thunder Warrior" was assigned two Junior Magitech Technicians. Although they wore standard Army uniforms, their collar tabs bore a silver gear and magic circle insignia representing the Magitech branch.

The two entered, saluted Morin first, and then, at Klaus's signal, walked toward a metal crate standing over a person's height in the corner of the tent.

From the outside, this crate was no ordinary military container. The exterior was covered in etched patterns, and each of the four corners had a securing mechanism with a latch.

The two magitech technicians cooperated to undo all the latches on the crate, then pulled the doors open simultaneously.

A cloud of white mist spilled out, cascading down the edges of the crate and laying a thin layer on the ground.

Once the white mist dissipated and the doors were fully open, the contents of the crate were fully revealed.

A full suit of heavy plate armor was secured to a dedicated mount inside the crate, complete from helmet to sabatons.

Even just standing quietly on the storage rack, the oppressive aura it exuded was enough to make the atmosphere in the tent heavier.

The outer layer of the entire suit was predominantly dark gray. The edges of the breastplate, pauldrons, and greaves bore matte dark-gold metallic trim. At the joints between the armor plates, faint patterns could be seen—the exposed traces of magical circuitry.

The helmet was fully enclosed, the visor section featuring a narrow slit for observation, behind which a transparent material was faintly visible.

Morin inspected the armor from top to bottom.

When he was at the Imperial Military Medical Center, he had participated in the preliminary feasibility studies for the supporting equipment of the "Thunder Warrior" project and provided many suggestions. He had also seen the blueprints for the several subsequent revisions made by Master Haber's team and the Magitech Research Institute.

But the gap between blueprints and the physical object was fully demonstrated at this moment.

"Tsk tsk tsk, it's so fucking cool. True men should wear this stuff... Quick, Klaus, put it on and let me see."

While admiring it, Morin nodded at Klaus.

Klaus agreed and began donning the armor with the assistance of the two magitech technicians.

The first piece to go on was the innermost layer. It looked somewhat like a bodysuit, but the material was completely different.

The surface was covered densely with dark red fiber bundles extending from the neck all the way to the ankles, arranged along the direction of human muscles.

This was one of the core technologies of this armor: the magitech muscle bundles downscaled from Armored Knights.

After one technician helped Klaus put on this layer of "skin," the other squatted on the ground, checking the interfaces and connection points everywhere, nodding after confirming everything was correct.

Next was the outer plate armor.

The two technicians took the armor pieces out of the crate one by one, fastening them onto Klaus in a predetermined sequence.

First the front and back plates of the torso, then the pauldrons, brassarts, cuisses, and finally the gauntlets and sabatons.

After each armor plate was fastened, the magitech technician would operate the inner locking mechanism to secure it, forming a physical connection with the magitech muscle bundles.

Finally, a magitech technician pressed a palm-sized circular module on the back of the armor and twisted it half a turn.

That was the armor's sole power source—a miniature magitech core.

"Hum—"

An extremely low hum emanated from inside the armor. The etched patterns at the joints of the armor plates began to glow with a faint blue-white light, which flowed once across the surface of the entire armor before stabilizing.

And the magitech muscle bundles beneath the outer armor were now activated. They established a direct connection with the wearer, who possessed a magical affinity constitution, accurately relaying every movement of the wearer to the armor while significantly negating the cumbersome weight of the armor itself.

Klaus wiggled his fingers, clenched his fists, and rolled his neck.

"How does it feel?"

Morin asked.

"Getting more and more used to it... It's much better than during training at the medical center last time, thanks to the adjustments by the magitech technicians."

Klaus bent over, then jumped in place.

The ninety-kilogram armor landed with a dull thud, smashing two shallow craters into the dirt floor of the tent, but his movements themselves were completely unhindered.

"The connection between the magitech muscle bundles and the body is smoother. Last time I tried it on, there was occasionally a delay during small turns; now I basically don't feel it."

Morin nodded, then asked: "What about the spell unit?"

One of the magitech technicians picked up the explanation.

"Report, Colonel. The spell unit is currently equipped with four preset spells: [Feather Fall], [Mage Armor], [Shield], and [Haste]."

"In addition, there are two optional spells, [Fireball] and [Magic Weapon], which can be swapped in based on combat requirements. However, the current spell unit can only hold four spells at a time..."

Morin silently ran through them in his mind.

[Feather Fall] solved the problem of jumping from heights—especially airdrops from armored airships. [Mage Armor] and [Shield] stacked with the armor's own defensive capabilities to form multi-layered defense. [Haste] further enhanced the speed already boosted by the modification serum, acting as a sort of burst mechanic...

These four as the default configuration were indeed reasonable.

And [Fireball] and [Magic Weapon] were offensively oriented options, swappable depending on the situation.

"The activation method for the spell unit is also very simple."

The magitech technician continued explaining.

"The wearer automatically establishes a connection with the spell unit after the armor is activated. So, all that's required is the intent to activate the spell, and the spell unit will automatically cast it... Of course, the prerequisite is that the wearer must possess a magical affinity constitution; otherwise, the spell unit cannot recognize the activation signal."

"This is also why this armor can only be used by 'Thunder Warriors' enhanced by the modification serum."

Hearing this, Morin looked at Klaus for a while longer.

The design philosophy behind this armor was quite different from the Saxon Empire armors he had seen before.

The plate armor of the General's Guard was purely defense-oriented. The magitech power armor of the Knight Attendants relied on an exoskeleton to provide strength enhancement... But this "Mjölnir"—the hammer of Thor in Norse mythology—was closer to a comprehensive and more powerful auxiliary platform.

It didn't provide additional strength output because the wearers themselves were already enhanced by the modification serum; strength was simply not an issue.

What it truly did was "digest" the weight of the armor through the magitech muscle bundles, allowing the wearer to retain the agility and speed granted by the modification serum while gaining heavy armor-level protection.

Coupled with the four spell buffs provided by the spell unit...

The comprehensive combat power of these "Thunder Warriors" on the battlefield could no longer be simply measured.

Morin: "If I recall correctly, the initial concept was a three-man squad as the basic combat unit?"

"Yes, Colonel." Klaus nodded, basically guessing Morin's thought.

"Then have your two partners suit up too. Let's go to the training ground and see how you move~"

With that, Morin walked out of the tent.

Hearing this, Klaus told the magitech technicians to notify the other two in the adjacent tent, then followed Morin outside.

About twenty minutes later, three fully armed "Thunder Warriors" stood in the clearing outside the tents.

Their weapon configurations were all different.

The soldier on the right held a shield taller than half a man in one hand and a single-handed straight sword in the other.

The face of the shield and the spine of the sword also bore faintly visible magical circuitry, and the edge of the straight sword gleamed with a faint cold light.

The soldier on the left carried a massive rifle on his shoulder... or rather, calling it a "rifle" seemed somewhat of a stretch.

It was a Schreitrittergewehr M1915 13.2mm large-caliber rifle just beginning to be issued to the Army, similar to the Tankgewehr M1918 from the world before Morin's transmigration.

This weapon was actually designed for infantry to use as an anti-armor weapon against enemy Knight Attendants and plate armor supermen, and could also be used to target the joints of Armored Knights if necessary.

However, the caliber and recoil of this thing were not something an ordinary infantryman could handle.

Klaus stood in the middle, leaning on a two-handed greatsword with both hands, the tip resting on the ground. His posture was relaxed yet full of oppressive presence.

"These cold weapons..." Morin looked at the straight sword and the greatsword, then at Klaus.

"Colonel, these use the same manufacturing processes and enchantments as the ones for Armored Knights."

Klaus lifted the greatsword, holding it horizontally before him; the patterns on the blade flashed for a moment.

"Chopping through ordinary armor is like child's play."

Morin looked at these three men for a long while.

To say he wasn't envious would be a lie.

But he also knew very well that if he wore this armor, it would become a restriction instead.

Because he was a spellcaster, and in this world, there existed a rule similar to "spell failure chance from wearing armor"...

Just like when he tried putting on the Knight Attendant's power armor last time, as long as he "wore" any armor-like creation, he would temporarily lose his spellcasting abilities.

In other words, if he put on this "Mjölnir," he could only use the few low-circle spells pre-installed in the spell unit, while his own spellcasting abilities would be locked.

It could only be said that the loss outweighed the gain.

Morin retracted those unrealistic thoughts, then glanced toward the edge of the clearing... He didn't know when, but the instruction unit soldiers had already gathered around, three layers deep, craning their necks to look inside.

"Alright, since the audience is all here..."

Morin jutted his chin at Klaus.

"Give everyone a demonstration."

Klaus was waiting for exactly these words. He hoisted the greatsword onto his shoulder and nodded to his two companions.

The three figures encased in gray heavy armor marched in unison toward the temporarily designated training ground at the edge of the camp.

The instruction unit soldiers automatically parted to create a path. Some had already started climbing to higher vantage points around the training ground for a better view.

Kleist, Manstein, and Paulus had also arrived at some point; they stood right next to Morin.

Kleist still held a military canteen in his hand, the coffee inside steaming.

Ever since the Kampfgruppe's affairs became increasingly complex, this military canteen filled with coffee had become the standard equipment for the Kampfgruppe's second-in-command.

In one corner of the training ground sat several rammed-earth walls left over from previous training. They were about two meters high and nearly half a meter thick, packed solidly.

Klaus walked to the center of the training ground, turned his head to look at Morin first, and after receiving a nod, muttered something to the two beside him.

Then the three separated, each taking up a different position.

"Let's run two laps to warm up first."

Klaus's voice came through the helmet, muffled, but everyone around could hear it clearly.

The next second, the three heavy armor warriors, weighing nearly three hundred kilograms combined, stepped out simultaneously.

The first two steps were fairly normal: heavy, steady, leaving deep imprints in the dirt.

But from the third step, everyone's expressions changed.

Because the speed of these three men suddenly increased to a level entirely inconsistent with their appearance.

A ninety-kilogram armor over a body enhanced by the modification serum wasn't that heavy to begin with. Now, the weight burden was perfectly "digested" by the magitech muscle bundles.

The three heavy armor warriors tore around the training ground at a speed faster than a light cavalry charge. Dirt kicked up everywhere, every step leaving a distinct depression in the ground.

"Holy shit, that speed..."

Manstein's voice cracked. Like the other two, he clearly had never seen a spectacle like this.

After finishing the two laps, Klaus looked as if he had just finished warming up, and then set his sights on the rammed-earth walls.

Without any flashy moves, he simply held the greatsword at his side, lowered his center of gravity, and charged at full speed.

"BOOM——!"

The half-meter-thick rammed-earth wall shattered into a pile of residue before him. Clods of dirt and scree flew in all directions. Klaus burst through the ruins of the earth wall, the armor surface only coated in a layer of dust.

The observing soldiers collectively drew a sharp breath, then erupted in thunderous applause.

"Again!"

Someone shouted.

Klaus was pumped. He raised the greatsword and chopped down at the second earth wall.

The magical circuitry on the blade lit up for an instant.

Immediately following, the half-meter-thick rammed-earth wall was cleanly cleaved in half down the middle. The two halves crashed outward, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

The other two "Thunder Warriors" weren't idle either.

The shield-bearer directly smashed the third earth wall to pieces with his shield...

Yes, "smashed"... As the shield swept across, the rammed earth shattered and scattered upon impact.

Meanwhile, the one carrying the large-caliber rifle aimed at an abandoned steel plate at the target position at the end of the training ground, racked the bolt, then stopped and aimed.

"BANG——!"

The gunshot was rugged and muffled. The M1915 large-caliber rifle, whose recoil was so massive that an ordinary soldier lying prone couldn't even control it, remained perfectly still in the hands of the "Thunder Warrior."

And a thumb-sized hole appeared on the struck steel plate.

All this was accomplished without the three using any spell units.

The training ground erupted completely.

"My God..."

Paulus muttered. He was a calm staff officer who rarely lost his composure like this, but at this moment, he truly couldn't hold it back.

"If you add the buffs from the spell unit..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but every officer present had already completed it in their minds.

Morin watched the three figures rampaging through the training ground, the corners of his mouth turning up involuntarily.

This was the exact vision he had conceptualized with Master Haber and the research team back at the medical center... Not simply "enhanced soldiers," but "super soldiers" in the truest sense.

Individual protection approaching the level of a Knight Attendant, mobility far exceeding it, plus the additional abilities provided by the spell unit...

The Knight Attendant, an expensive product born entirely from the mindset of the old era, could consider exiting the stage of history completely.

The resources consumed by those magitech power armors could be largely reallocated to the "Thunder Warrior" project.

And for the Morin Kampfgruppe, the role these twenty-seven warriors could play in the upcoming battles was incalculable.

After doing a lap around the training ground, Klaus walked back to Morin.

"Colonel, how was that?"

Although his voice sounded somewhat muffled through the visor, Morin could still feel the excitement of this instruction unit veteran.

Morin patted the spot on his breastplate, producing a dull thud.

"Not bad, even better than I expected."

He paused.

"Have your men complete their armor acclimatization training in the combat zone as soon as possible, then spend some more time in the frontline trenches. Also, confirm the spell unit configuration for each armor with the magitech technicians... We'll be using them in the upcoming battles."

"Yes!"

Klaus responded crisply.

Morin turned to leave the training ground. After taking two steps, he stopped, looked back at Klaus's armor, and was silent for a moment.

"Colonel?"

"Nothing."

Morin waved his hand and walked away briskly.

Kleist watched Morin's retreating back and took a slow sip of coffee from his military canteen.

"Did you see that?"

He said in a low voice to Manstein beside him.

"The Colonel looked like he really wanted to wear it..."

Manstein nodded slightly.

"I saw it.."

Paulus silently twisted the knife from the other side.

"Too bad he can't wear it. Perhaps this is the burden of the strong."

The three simultaneously let out a "meaningful" sigh.

After concluding his exchange with Klaus and the others, Morin hurried back to the temporary tent area where Helga and the technical team were located.

Helga's private tent was tidied up perfectly. The young girl had already changed out of her skirt suit into a clearly custom-made uniform—a dark blue coverall with a tool belt around her waist, and her hair tied back into a neat ponytail.

Several blueprints were spread out on the folding table in front of her, alongside several half-opened crates containing various tools and components.

Helga was leaning over the blueprints examining something. She only looked up when she heard Morin walk in.

"Boss, you're just in time. Based on your experience fighting with a double-barreled shotgun previously, I redesigned a much more convenient weapon and brought a batch of prototypes over~"