In the Rhine Lab, Defense Department office.
"The inspection form is ready, there are five questions to ask, and materials to verify... Okay, everything is in order, no problems."
On a simple and clean small desk, a young white-haired Vouivre / Wyvern female, wearing Rhine Lab's protective uniform, sat in an office chair, typing on the computer in front of her.
"...It's like this every year. The Defense Department isn't security. We're clearly on equal footing with other departments, so why are there always so few applicants?"
Sighing, the young Vouivre / Wyvern's mood was a bit low.
"Is it really my problem? No, I should maintain high standards and strict requirements. Experimental work is not child's play."
In front of her, only one resume sat there pitifully.
However, the young Vouivre / Wyvern quickly cheered up, straightened her back, and began her work with a serious expression.
"Look on the bright side, at least today's shift won't be delayed by extra tasks. Let's see, the areas scheduled for security checks..."
Saria, Head of the Defense Department, leads all work matters of the Defense Department.
As a child born into the Vouivre / Wyvern Alliance, Saria came to Columbia with her parents very early on.
Although Wyvern are all strong and robust, surpassing Sarkaz in terms of strength, and many of her people are warriors and artisans, Saria was particularly attentive to academic studies from a young age.
Saria, who excelled in both character and academics, earned dual doctorates in life sciences and microbiology, and received an offer from Rhine Lab before graduation.
However, after joining Rhine Lab, Saria did not choose a 100% research position, but instead joined the Defense Department.
This department is not security, but it is responsible for some of Rhine Lab's security work.
Researchers in the Defense Department discuss and research the safety of all Rhine Lab project teams, ensuring that no accidents occur during experiments, minimizing the probability of danger, and simultaneously developing some protective experimental equipment.
It is precisely because of this that the Defense Department, by preventing the implementation of many dangerous projects, has been resented and ostracized by researchers from other departments.
But even so, Saria still chose the Defense Department.
During university, a classmate in her thesis group, due to recklessly adopting an unprecedented Originium compound ratio, refused Saria's dissuasion, which ultimately triggered a violent explosion.
This serious experimental accident resulted in the deaths of three of Saria's classmates, and more than a dozen graduate students in the same building also contracted oripathy due to radiation.
Although Columbia claims there is no oripathy discrimination and no explicit isolation laws, everyone knows that once one contracts oripathy, even the greatest Genius will have a bleak future.
Saria deeply knew that while the pursuit of truth is important, once the process of exploration spirals out of control, exceeding the safe limits that humans can master, it will only bring disaster and suffering to humanity.
By then, let alone progress and innovation, fewer casualties would already be a good outcome.
From that moment on, Saria decided her ambition was not to pursue truth, but to prevent overly aggressive and unsafe projects and experiments from occurring.
She wanted to be a wall, a wall to stop science from sliding into the abyss of madness.
Thus, within just a few years, by preventing several major experimental accidents and ensuring no experimental personnel casualties at Rhine Lab during that period, Saria quickly rose to Head of the Defense Department.
To the researchers in other departments, even diamonds were more flexible than this stubborn Wyvern.
She would strictly enforce experimental safety regulations on experimenters; even if a slight safety hazard was found, the entire laboratory would be shut down for rectification for several days.
This caused those Genius, who were accustomed to living and eating in the laboratory, saving every moment to explore truth, to grumble endlessly, and they gave this strong, intelligent, and stubborn female various nicknames—Diamond, Solid Rock, Ferro Alloy, anything hard would do.
However, Saria did not crave understanding from others; she knew she was doing the right thing.
It's just... "Ha, Ifrit, I hope they find her soon..."
Even the hardest Diamond has a soft part deep inside.
A few months ago, Parvis, Head of the Structure Department, initiated a military industrial experiment project called the "Ifrit Project," with the Columbia military as the client.
For this largest business deal, the Director personally issued instructions for the Defense Department and Structure Department to jointly participate in the project.
And in this project, Saria met a Sarkaz little girl, and a young Liberi researcher... From her waist, Saria took out a brown feather.
After special treatment, this soft feather had become a nice ornament; it wasn't taken from a feathered beast or a small bird, but from... a person.
"Ifrit, Silence..."
Recalling the fierce argument from before, even the rock-solid Saria couldn't help but sigh.
"Sa-Saria?!"
Suddenly, Saria heard a familiar voice in her ear, tinged with a hint of joy.
Previously, Saria only heard this somewhat hoarse but vibrant voice when she went to the special ward.
Looking up, Saria widened her orange eyes.
At the entrance, a blonde little girl in a hospital gown, with a joyful expression, came running, and behind her, a tall, black-haired male, with a smile, watched it all.
With a thud, Ifrit, barefoot, crashed straight into Saria's arms, making a somewhat solid collision sound.
This wasn't because Saria was flat; her figure was exceptionally curvaceous, but her uniform, "Fortress," contained Rhine Lab's professional protective modules, capable of withstanding bullets and Spell.
"Ifrit—why did you run over here? Where's Silence?"
Although somewhat unexpected, Saria quickly calmed down, opened her arms, and embraced the small, exceptionally thin figure.
"Of course I ran to see you! Hehe, Silence experimented very late yesterday and just went to sleep. As soon as she's gone, the remaining white coats start arguing, and they even argued outside the door—so I just ran out!"
Ifrit collapsed into Saria's arms, her smile exceptionally bright, seemingly very excited by this successful adventure.
Saria's gaze, however, showed a hint of lament after hearing Ifrit's words.
After the Head of the Structure Department died in Sargon, had the internal strife within the Structure Department reached this point?
Not knowing that the man who had delivered the final blow to Parvis was standing right in front of her, Saria sighed softly.
"Alright, Ifrit, this is nothing to praise. Your body is still very weak. Before things get out of hand, I need to send you back."
Extending her seemingly slender, but actually metal-smashing arms, Saria patted Ifrit's little head, picked up the landline phone on the desk, and dialed the number of her subordinates responsible for finding Ifrit.
Although the experimental safety of the Ifrit Project still needed verification, at least for now, Ifrit, this small Infected, was indeed receiving the highest quality treatment.
"Ugh... You're so old-fashioned. I just want to play with you a bit longer, Saria."
Pouting unhappily, Ifrit was not surprised by Saria's reaction.
In Ifrit's eyes, this person, who had the same eye color as her and also had horns, had always cared for her.
Whenever some scoundrel in a white coat wanted to cut her with a knife or inject some strange liquid with a syringe, she would immediately step in and stop them, always protecting her.
Although Saria always did things by the book, and no amount of sweet talk could change her mind, Ifrit still liked her very much!
"Look, look! I even found him, that, what was his name—right, Goki! Come in quickly, with me here, your interview will definitely pass!"
Pointing towards the door, Ifrit, as if presenting a treasure, introduced the person she had just met to Saria.
"He can use fire just like me, and his Spell are even more powerful! Saria, can he be my teacher, please?"
Ifrit rubbed her face against Saria's chest coaxingly, and Goki finally entered the room at the opportune moment, gently closing the door.
"Head of the Defense Department Saria, hello. This Nona was looking for you, so I brought her along."
Looking at the intimacy between Ifrit and Saria, Goki felt a hint of envy.
—Of course, it wasn't envy for the 'face wash,' it was for the familial affection, familial affection! He had often woken up with Skadi's face washing him.
It seemed that even six years ago, the Rhine Lab family of three had a closer relationship than imagined.
"Thank you, Mr. Goki. Please wait a moment. I will immediately notify others to bring Ifrit back."
Nodding steadily at Goki, Saria answered the phone.
"It's fine for the child to listen in, Head of the Defense Department Saria. Nona Ifrit wants to stay with you a bit longer... I don't mind being the excuse."
Looking at the gloomy Ifrit, Goki winked at her.
"Exactly, exactly! I'll be good! Let me stay a bit longer, Saria! Please!"
Nodding gratefully at Goki, Little Fire Dragon—no, Ifrit, who was now quite far from the title of Little Fire Dragon—continued to coax Saria with a more aggressive approach.
"...Ifrit is in my office. I'll send her back to the Structure Department later. Warn those fools who are obsessed with infighting that if they can't protect Ifrit, I will take over that responsibility—Ifrit, sit still and be quiet."
Hanging up the phone, Saria effortlessly lifted Ifrit with both hands and placed her on a nearby chair. She then turned her head and looked seriously at the man who had been smiling at her.
"This will not be a bonus point for your interview, Mr. Goki. I will fairly and seriously evaluate whether you can become a member of the Defense Department."
"I couldn't ask for more, Head of the Defense Department Saria—you'll know what an excellent person I am."
Sitting on the stool opposite Saria, Goki nodded at this woman, who could arguably be his most frequently appearing character in the game, and his expression also became serious.
He wanted to understand the Ifrit Project, to understand Rhine Lab, this organization that was almost entirely made up of scientific scoundrels and research fanatics from top to bottom, and to what extent they had researched the power of the gods.
Goki felt it was best to do so through this most steadfast, most rational, and most principled "Diamond" lady.
Saria would be his future leader—and his best Alliance.
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