I Became a Witch and Started an Industrial Revolution

For this reason, even Mitia had begun to gradually loosen the restrictions on women in the military.

Although she had once recognized and supported women joining the army, there had been countless restrictive regulations — for men and women were different, and many things could not be done simply because one wanted to.

Thus, most of the female soldiers in the Federation had worked in logistics-related posts, such as cooks, doctors, and transport units.

But now, that would no longer suffice.

The shortage was too great, so she decided to reopen certain categories to further recruit gifted women.

For example, snipers — a newly emerging profession thanks to the invention of scopes — and the soon-to-be-established air force, where female pilots would serve.

In the foreseeable future, female pilots would make up a large proportion of the Seris Federation Air Force.

After all, when expanding the air corps, the number of women available for recruitment was significantly higher.

As for overload maneuvers and such — that was nothing to worry about.

If nothing unexpected happened, the main body of the Seris Air Force would still focus on bombers and transport aircraft, its role being that of frontline support aviation.

Their task was to eliminate enemy firepower from the skies and inflict effective clustered damage on the ground forces — now that was the real meaning of “men and women working together without tiring.”

After watching this unprecedented “Children’s Day” celebration, Bratt apologized to the hotel, compensated them for the wall he had broken, switched to another suite, and began writing a letter to the King.

【Father, please believe in my judgment. You can’t possibly imagine what I saw today — I saw ordinary people flying in the sky! Goddess above! This world has gone mad!】

【After two years of travel and observation, I have found that this newly risen nation possesses a peculiar kind of magic. I have not only witnessed their steady march toward prosperity but also their growing strength — a strength that is beginning to surpass magic itself.】

【Yes! I chose my words carefully — they are surpassing it! They use something called a telegraph to transmit information — and an ordinary person can learn to use it within two days! Meanwhile, the magic spell for delivering letters requires years of study, exorbitant fees, and the consumption of mana.】

【Their weapons’ destructive power has already caught up to that of magic. Though their defense remains weak, I can’t shake the feeling that they’ll soon catch up, for inscribed alchemy doesn’t favor mages — even ordinary people can learn it.】

【As you have seen with automobiles and trains, they have replaced our beast-drawn supply convoys — and consume far less than giant beasts ever did.】

【They may still be small and insignificant, but once united, they unleash a power comparable to miracles. They are using something called “technology” to rapidly catch up to the thousands of years of magic’s creation and accumulation.】

【This power is terrifying. I still tremble when I think about it. If this continues, could it be that one day, they too will stir up blood and chaos, just as the goblins once did?】

【Perhaps the other nations were right — that we should bind the souls of commoners with divine authority, bloodlines, and all manner of chains...】

After finishing, Bratt sealed the letter, encrypted it with magic, and handed it to his personal guard.

Through the communication network Suria had left behind within Seris territory, the letter would be relayed step by step back to their homeland.

He then headed for the Empress’s Palace to request an audience with Mitia.

His goal was simple — he wanted that great machine that flew in the sky.

Of course, he also wanted that other one that had sped past at tremendous speed!

To his request, Mitia politely refused — there was no room for negotiation, no matter how much money he offered.

Not to mention that even her own country didn’t have enough airships — the technology behind them wasn’t particularly advanced, but the key lay in helium refinement.

She couldn’t possibly sell airships across the sea along with the gas itself, could she?

The transport of helium was no simple task, and she hadn’t even begun to disclose the methods.

If Suria were to mine it locally, that would be equivalent to handing over the technology outright — she would never do such a thing.

As for hydrogen airships — selling them an easily flammable, explosive contraption? Wouldn’t that ruin her own nation’s airship reputation?

In her previous life, the two infamous civilian Zeppelin disasters hadn’t caused that many deaths in total — but the scenes themselves had devastated the airship industry.

She still intended to use airships for transporting goods to other nations in the future — cheaper and more economical.

If a few self-detonations occurred, no other country would ever let her “giant flying fireballs” land on their soil again!

As for independent research without a reference... heh, Mitia actually wanted to see whether they could handcraft something new from scratch.

After all, the way people in a magical world thought would surely differ from that of a technological system — and she could always copy—no, “draw inspiration” from it~

Bratt left the Empress’s Palace disappointed.

Before long, Aisha appeared before Mitia, dragging along a lifeless Sherria by the arm.

Seeing Sherria, whose neck of fate was firmly in Aisha’s grasp, Mitia spread her hands helplessly — there was nothing she could do.

Then she began chatting with Aisha.

By now, she had already figured out Aisha’s way of doing things — the dragon girl was always deliberate and purposeful, though most of those “purposes” involved tormenting Sherria, which made them less apparent~

And this time, the news Aisha brought was rather interesting.

It concerned the cooperation between the Seris Federation and the witches.

In Mitia’s view, the two sides had already been collaborating for some time — it was merely being made official now.

Perhaps that was also why commoners found it so hard to rise up.

Even if some faction succeeded in rebellion and spread its influence across the land, they would still have to face one or two Saints.

The age-old question remained — once someone reached Saint-level, who in their right mind would still rebel?

Only another Saint could restrain one of equal rank.

Without such a core pillar, at best, uprisings could fracture a nation — but never truly overthrow it.

Yet Seris, thanks to Mitia, maintained countless connections with the witches — allowing them to ignore that rule and bring their forces openly onto the battlefield.

When it came to individual combat power, few could stand against a witch.

In other words, these nations were little more than proxy actors on the stage.

The Seris Federation had now expanded to a large enough scale, with a solid foundation, considerable military power, and a sizable population — enough to pass the witches’ evaluation.

At least, that was how the dragon girl Aisha described it.

The current situation of the witch race was far from optimistic.

Their population was limited, and even if the entire race were mobilized, there would inevitably be those who slipped through the cracks.

Some who had lived long under other nations’ guidance would be unwilling to return.

After all, other countries weren’t foolish — they wouldn’t easily let go of such extraordinarily talented individuals.

Those willing to hand over their own witches did so only because the collective might of the witch race was simply too overwhelming — no single empire could withstand their pressure.

But that didn’t mean those empires couldn’t unite to sever the witches’ roots.

Mitia’s rise, therefore, offered the witches a clear path — to raise a new power of their own.

The larger the territory it could occupy, the better.

That way, they wouldn’t need to keep running — they could simply take what was already built.

The witch race was inclusive of all kinds, embracing equality among all races.

Mitia’s political direction and ideology didn’t conflict with this — in fact, she seemed more like an inheritor of it.

It was the same for Mitia herself.

For both sides, cooperation and alliance were the most logical choice.

The Federation expanded outward, the witches safeguarded it, and the gifted born among the Federation’s people naturally joined their own ranks.

The cycle of mutual benefit was stable and self-sustaining.

With such a strong rear base, the witches could also free up their hands to strengthen external power and retrieve more of their lost young.

The witches represented the present, and Seris represented the future — this intertwined chain of interests would not be easily broken.