Rheinmetall

The moment Altair got the guns, he took them to the Army Club for testing.

The test results for the New Rifle pleased Altair immensely. Even Anastasia, a veteran who had retired from the front lines, was very fond of it.

Anastasia also offered her opinion on the Winchester M1895 and Marlin M1895, recommending that they produce the Winchester. It was better suited to the army's needs.

When Altair explained that neither weapon would be mass-produced and that they were only meant for everyday hunting, Anastasia was so shocked she was at a loss for words.

The appearance of an entirely new kind of firearm, both lightweight and powerful, piqued the curiosity of the army officers at the club. Everyone wanted to borrow one for a test, and before long, Altair was besieged at the shooting range.

The commotion only ended when word reached Owen Donovan, who came in person and tested the weapons himself.

After everyone had left, Owen Donovan took Altair to his office and asked, "Have you made any plans for what to do with this New Rifle?"

Altair immediately told him that he had no intention of producing the weapons.

Though both guns outperformed the firearms currently used by the Loen Kingdom's army by a wide margin,

their only real advantage came from the gunpowder. Once the other weapon factories finished reverse-engineering it, Altair would have no advantage left.

After hearing Altair's explanation, Owen Donovan seemed relieved. "If you don't plan to produce these weapons right now, then do your best to keep them out of sight.

"Even though you're an Earl now and don't have to fear threats in public, you still can't guard against them behind the scenes.

"Given your family's unusual circumstances, the army won't cause you trouble, but I can't make any guarantees about the navy or the factory owners. After all, this is technology that's generations ahead of its time."

"What you're doing is like a child running down the street with a cornucopia. Anyone would take a bite."

Listening to Owen Donovan's lecture, Altair regretted what he had done that day. I got careless and forgot how things work in this world. It looked like he would have to bring forward his plans for the arms business.

He turned to Owen Donovan and said, "Uncle Owen, I may not be planning to mass-produce these two weapons, but I have other kinds of firearms.

"Each of them outperforms these two. They haven't been manufactured yet, but I've already prepared the technical drawings. As soon as I give the order, the factory can start production."

Hearing this, Owen let the pipe fall from his lips. He stared at Altair, speechless for a long while.

Owen thought, I assumed Altair had just happened to develop New Gunpowder and then made two new guns to go with it.

But who would have thought he had even better weapons? It seems I underestimated Altair. As expected, every Sheffield is extraordinary.

After thinking it over, Owen said to Altair, "You should get your family's Guard Team back as soon as possible. Your household has no Beyonders protecting it right now. If anything happens, you'll have lost more than you can afford."

At the mention of his family's Guard Team, Altair began searching his old memories. He recalled that his father really had commanded a squad made up of Beyonders.

He asked in confusion, "Didn't that squad get wiped out? I remember they were usually inseparable from my father. And after he passed away, I never heard from them again. I thought they'd all died."

Owen nodded at Altair's words. "Some of them did survive. After that battle, the survivors were mostly recovering from their injuries. They sent you a telegram a month ago. I remember it clearly.

"They should still be recovering in Bayam. Perhaps your maternal granduncle forgot about it. He received the telegram after you left Bexland.

"Would you like me to send them a telegram and recall them?"

After thinking it over, Altair still asked, puzzled, "How did they survive? I remember the battle report said that not a single person had made it out alive."

Seeing the questions written all over Altair's face, Owen explained, "According to their account, your father fought to open a way out. After escaping, they went into hiding and began recovering from their injuries. They weren't found by the rescue team until half a month after the war ended.

"You can rest assured they aren't lying. MI9 has finished verifying their account, and everything they said checks out."

Once his questions had been answered, Altair said to Owen, "Then I'll trouble you to send them a telegram, Uncle Owen. If I sent it myself, the round trip would take at least a month."

Owen patted his chest and said at once, "No problem. I'll send them a telegram over the military line in a bit."

Altair didn't stay for lunch. He left the club on his own.

As soon as he got home, he sent Hahn to the company registration office. He registered two companies, Rheinmetall and Northern Industries.

Rheinmetall was meant to produce some small items, which he could trade for High Sequence Beyonder Characteristics by offering shares. Northern Industries was to be kept for his own use, with no shares sold to the public.

Once the companies were registered, he could transfer the Weapon Factory and some outdated technologies into them, trading for things others had no use for but he could put to good use. The one thing he needed least right now was Gold Pounds.

The Sheffield Family had made hardly any major expenditures over the past few years. Its funds at Backlund Bank had accumulated to a million Gold Pounds.

For the next few days, he'd better keep his head down at home. After what he'd done today, everyone in Empress Borough probably already knew about it.

He'd really let success go to his head. He'd originally planned to take advantage of this time to play the Assassin and digest his Potion.

Before evening, Hahn returned to Sheffield Manor and introduced Altair to the governess and personal maids he had found.

"Freya Quinn is the daughter of a fallen noble family. Her family began to decline due to gambling when her grandfather was young. By the time her father inherited the title, it had been reduced to that of a Baron, and he couldn't turn things around.

"Freya's arrival gave him hope, so he gave her a complete noble education and raised her to be a perfect young noblewoman, hoping to marry her into another noble family. Half a month ago, debt collectors came to their home to demand payment by force, and her father died as a result.

"She had no choice but to register with the Servant Association and try to support herself with what she'd learned. She asks for room and board and a weekly wage of five pounds."

Normally, she would never have been given a position in Altair's household. But the meaning of "no one available" wasn't the same as "no suitable candidate."

He could make do with someone for now and replace her if he found someone suitable later.

"Vera and Irene are your personal maids. One handles your clothes, grooming, and personal belongings; the other takes care of mending clothes, sorting jewelry, and accompanying you on outings."

The two were twin sisters. Because of their elven blood, they had been captured and trained when they were young, and were now former slaves. Hahn had bought them for a thousand pounds each.

The nations of the North Continent had all abolished the Slave Law, but this sort of trade still went on in secret. Officially, they were free people, but in private, they were still treated as slaves.

If Altair had to name one thing they had in common, it was that they were both very beautiful. Maybe it was just his imagination, but when Hahn introduced them, he had emphasized how skilled they were at serving people.