Ch.117Repair (3)

After finishing my business with Lord Gaff regarding the transfer of prisoners, I headed to the warehouse where the Golem Armor was stored, accompanied by this intermediate mage… the former head of the Metal School, Master Craftsman Lord Malakai Falten.

Though I may not have specifically targeted him—Malakai Falten, to be precise—as a golem expert, the very reason I brought him here was precisely for that Golem Armor.

Of course, as I mentioned earlier, I never predicted that such a prominent figure as a former department head would personally grace this backwater place with his presence.

Anyway, I learned a few things while moving to the warehouse with him. One of them was… that Lord Malakai Falten was far more talkative than I had imagined.

“Excuse me, Lord Falten. I have a question.”

“What is it, Lord Alzar?”

“I’ve been wondering for a while—are golems and automata different structures, despite both being constructs? I’ve wanted to know, but couldn’t find any experts or relevant books…”

At first, I was merely trying to break the slightly awkward atmosphere by voicing a question I’d been curious about.

But contrary to my casual intent, Lord Falten’s reaction was… well, it’s a bit rude to say, but he was like an excited otaku who finally found someone asking about his area of expertise.

“Indeed! If that’s what you’re curious about, I’d be delighted to explain everything!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he launched into an aggressive torrent of explanations, proving the adage that “intermediate mages and above are not quite right in the head” as he endlessly elaborated on my simple question.

He spent over 20 minutes explaining what could have been summed up in a single sentence: “Automata have mechanical circuits like gears inside, while golems are solid materials imbued with magical power.” He even brought in specialized knowledge to explain this exceedingly simple concept.

Meanwhile, as I listened to his explanation, I was reminded of university lectures that now existed only as distant memories in my mind.

‘Wait a minute… aren’t intermediate mages from the Magic Tower actually professors?’

From what Charlotte, a Magic Tower study-abroad student (though she dropped out), had told me, and from what I’d read in books, the Magic Tower as an organization was closer to an educational institution than a magical research facility.

Although its foundation was the exploration of magic, and education was merely the means to pass that exploration down to future generations… over time, the Magic Tower gradually transformed from a research institution into the educational institution it is today.

Therefore, when skilled mages with intermediate or higher proficiency join the Magic Tower, they acquire the “duty” to nurture future scholars through their own academic achievements…

‘…Ah, that certainly makes sense.’

Having learned that one shouldn’t expect social skills from intermediate mages who are strongly influenced by the Mysteries, I was just nodding along appropriately to his explanation…

“I apologize for interrupting your explanation, but we’ve arrived.”

“…Ah! Thank you, I’ll continue my explanation later!”

The moment I opened my mouth upon reaching the place where the Golem Armor was stored.

Lord Malakai Falten, who had stopped his explanation and closed his mouth, approached the warehouse I had indicated with an expression that anyone could tell contained barely contained excitement.

※ ※ ※

The warehouse currently storing the Golem Armor—what I casually call the “hangar”—was, naturally, a cutting-edge facility in its own right, equipped with all manner of installations to safely store the Golem Armor.

Despite its wooden exterior built above ground, the space extended underground to increase the area, creating a rather majestic space with a ceiling height of 3 meters that could appropriately reflect its scale.

And in that space were two Golem Armors, carefully preserved within a status preservation magic field despite being damaged during the process of deactivating them, owing to their immense value.

These angular iron-clad constructs, reminiscent of military armor plating, generally resembled the physique of an ogre. If I had to make a comparison, their skeletal structure might appear similar to the stone golems commonly created in modern times.

But only on the surface.

The most striking characteristic of these units at first glance was their military sci-fi aesthetic that seemed to defy the world’s established norms.

Notable features included the angular armor plates covering the internal components and the lens-type situational awareness monocular camera hidden behind the visor.

Additionally, the skirt—the leg armor—was structured to allow for mounting something, and plugs that appeared to supply power to weapons could be seen inside the wrists.

Since this unit was closer to a golem base with mechanical devices attached, it was easy to see that it had various modern mechanical parts.

‘Does it mount something like a backpack… and a cannon-like thing on the shoulders?’

Even to a non-expert like me, the backpack and shoulder structure that seemed designed for mounting equipment was one reason I thought it resembled gear depicted in military sci-fi genres.

Meanwhile, this unit had quite a variety of other distinctive features.

The cylinders and pistons installed in the joint sections of the legs worked together to bear the load, and thrusters extending from various points provided propulsion for posture control.

Of course, the power source was… almost certainly the magical power of the internal pilot.

Well, considering that ordinary Golem Armor is merely stone with iron plating that one can wear, the technology applied to this was probably at a level that couldn’t even be reproduced with modern techniques.

Anyway, as this perfect—a description not at all exaggerated—golem suit stood proudly on the ground…

“Ooh, ooooohhh!!!”

Having given off that kind of vibe from earlier, Lord Falten was now openly displaying his golem otaku tendencies, unable to hide his excitement as he stared at the armor.

As I had roughly anticipated, this Golem Armor was indeed an ancient artifact rather than some patchwork creation. His enthusiasm, which could hardly be described as mere excitement, was proof of that.

And somewhere amidst this passionate and intense atmosphere, I couldn’t help but worry about the damaged parts of the Golem Armor.

Although we had completed some restoration to show it to him, there were many parts that had been completely destroyed in the process of Hannah taking it down.

One had its head component split and detached, the elbow part completely separated due to a major impact, and to top it off, the chest—which almost certainly housed the main organs—was split in half.

In the process of destroying the “doll” with severed limbs that could be considered the pilot and the machines, external damage was inevitable.

We had fixed the golem’s parts in their original positions using wires and supports, like displaying dinosaur fossils… but that doesn’t change the reality of the damage.

“…What would the repair estimate be?”

When I asked this of Lord Malakai Falten, who was closely observing the completely broken Golem Armor, he… with his initial solemnity completely gone, excitedly opened his mouth.

“Repair estimate? That’s not what’s important right now! Th-there’s an intact Golem Armor right before my eyes!”

“What do you mean… wasn’t this Golem Armor completely smashed?”

“The critical drive components that can’t even be touched are undamaged, and only parts with fully understood structures were destroyed. My goodness… it’s a perfectly intact Golem Armor that I thought I’d never see again!”

Starting with these words, Lord Falten excitedly poured out all sorts of technical terms and information. Though his words were honestly difficult to understand, I could clearly feel how desperate he was.

“Estimate? I don’t need money! I’ll pay for the materials myself! So please, please let me repair this Golem Armor!”

“…”

He was so desperate that he was asking to be allowed to repair it without needing anything in return. The situation was so sudden that I was too taken aback to speak carelessly.

But perhaps he interpreted my silence born from bewilderment as some form of refusal. Looking quite urgent, Falten began to frantically offer additional negotiation terms.

“Th-then I’ll also equip you with ancient weapons currently being reproduced! If necessary, I’ll stay here and handle the repairs myself!”

Had he been blinded by something too great before his eyes? These negotiation terms clearly exceeded what could be offered verbally, but…

“I understand your wishes, Lord Falten. Yes, I gladly accept!”

“R-really?! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Armed with the mindset that what’s good is good, I listened quietly to these conditions and then opened my mouth to accept them as if doing him a favor.

It was the moment when an unintended freeloader was added to the village.