Illya lowered her head and studied the blueprint in her hands, falling into deep thought.
This design was something Ron had pieced together bit by bit in his spare time recently.
The structure was fairly neat, with all the key details in place. While it couldn't compare to a professional schematic, it was more than enough to clearly understand what it represented.
"What do you plan to use this for, Your Highness?" Illya suddenly asked.
"To mass-produce weapons for the army?"
Ron shook his head.
"Just to equip my future private troops."
"By mid-month, I'll be granted the title of Territorial Count."
"When that happens, I'll have my own domain—and the right to raise private forces."
"The territory I'm eyeing is near the Forest of Freyst. Now and then, small-scale beast surges spill out and damage farmland and mining areas."
"With just the local patrol units—or the small group of soldiers I currently have—it won't be enough to deal with them."
"But if ordinary people can arm themselves and be incorporated into my private force… that should be enough to handle those beast waves."
Ever since news of his upcoming title spread, Ron had already investigated the situation in Tansen City.
Every summer and winter, beasts would emerge from the western Forest of Freyst.
They weren't particularly dangerous—just large in number and not even classified as magical beasts.
But for ordinary people, there was little they could do except avoid them, leaving crops and mines to be destroyed.
Decades ago, Tansen City had been a top-tier resource city.
Its patrol forces were strong, and dealing with such beast waves was trivial.
But now?
With the rise of Western development, its resources had been overexploited, and the city had declined.
Its former status was long gone.
Its location near the forest didn't help either.
Trade routes favored the Royal Capital, and its economy had stagnated.
In many ways, it resembled post-industrial decline cities from Ron's previous world.
But even so, Tansen City still had advantages.
Geography: Located in the empire's center, connected to three regions and the Royal Capital (except the west beyond the forest).
Agriculture: Fertile land with surplus production—even under reduced farming due to beast threats.
Expansion potential: Vast unused land near the forest.
Infrastructure gap: Underdeveloped—perfect for rebuilding from scratch.
And most importantly—
It didn't belong to any duke or marquis.
Once Ron claimed it, it would become his direct territory.
But with ownership came responsibility.
Twenty-something soldiers under Yuna's puppet command weren't enough.
So Ron had two solutions:
Increase troop numbers
Equip them with element guns
"I understand," Illya said, standing up with the blueprint.
"So, should we build a prototype first, or finish the second Element Vehicle?"
"Both," Ron replied.
"You already know how to build the vehicle. For the gun, list the materials—you'll need them."
Illya nodded and left to compile the list.
Ron summoned Guy's subordinates to procure missing materials.
At this point, Guy's management team had grown to over twenty core members, each with their own subordinates.
Ron's expanding empire made this inevitable.
In the future:
Nora would oversee the management team
Guy would co-manage operations
A dual-core structure to prevent excessive centralization of power.
Ron trusted Guy—but structure mattered.
Even Guy himself had begun delegating authority to avoid suspicion.
Ron noticed everything.
After assigning procurement tasks, Ron and Illya returned to the second Element Vehicle prototype.
The frame was complete.
Most magic arrays were already engraved.
Without the recent experiment interruption, it would've been finished in 2–3 days.
Fast.
But not fast enough.
Watching Illya use magic to guide materials into place, Ron spoke:
"Illya… can we make a production process where magic arrays handle everything?"
He was thinking of assembly lines.
If his old world could mechanize production—
Why not this one with magic?
Previously, he used Heartvine-like plant systems for packaging automation.
But those were limited—only capable of simple gripping.
Now, with Element Potato as a clean energy source—
Could they build a full magical production line?
Illya frowned.
"For vehicles, aside from engraving arrays, construction is already simple.
Floating Spell, Cutting Spell—that's enough."
"Why complicate things?"
Ron shook his head.
"For you, it's easy. You're a mage."
"But what about ordinary people?"
"If they could operate a production line, wouldn't efficiency skyrocket?"
"…But our current efficiency is enough," Illya countered.
"For now," Ron replied.
"What happens when these vehicles become popular across the entire Rixis Continent?"
"You expect yourself—or other mages—to build them forever?"
"At your current rate:
1 vehicle every 2.5 days
~12 per month
~100+ per year
How many years to meet demand?"
"And should highly paid researchers spend their lives doing repetitive labor?"
"I didn't hire you for that."
"And what about future inventions?"
"If everything relies on mages, supply will never keep up."
He paused, then added:
"Unless… you want these to remain luxury items for nobles only."
That hit.
Illya fell silent.
"…You might be right."
"But what about engraving magic arrays?"
"Without proper training, ordinary people can't do it."
"If mages are still required, the assembly line loses its meaning."
She continued engraving inside the vehicle as she spoke.
Ron climbed in and leaned over the seat.
"What if…" he said,
"We build a magic array that engraves magic arrays?"
Illya froze.
"…That's impossible," she said instinctively.
"Engraving requires:
Understanding magic patterns
Knowledge of biological mana pathways
Material compatibility
Precise mana control
Even many mages struggle with this—let alone ordinary people."
Ron grinned.
"I never said ordinary people need to learn it."
"…Then what do you mean?"
"What if the engraving is done by the system itself?"
"And humans just assist in small steps?"
Illya blinked.
Processing…
A magic array… that engraves magic arrays?
"That… still doesn't solve variation," she said slowly.
"Every array is different. A universal system wouldn't work."
"Then don't make it universal," Ron replied.
"One assembly line = one type of array."
"For example:
A line dedicated to Wind Acceleration Arrays for vehicles
Another for Sound Recording Arrays
Mass production. Simple. Repeatable."
Silence.
Illya's worldview shifted.
She had always believed:
To popularize magic → educate the masses.
But that was unrealistic.
Now, Ron proposed a different path:
Don't teach everyone magic.
Instead—
Let them participate in production as small parts of a system.
Even if it was just a concept…
It was revolutionary.
"I understand," Illya said slowly.
"I'll research this direction."
"And I'll need your input."
Ron smiled.
"Of course."