‘The Cyclopes lacks any real sense of the creator’s dedication. It just feels like they made a big Golem, nothing more. Do you have a reason for that size? What about the balance with its weight? Did you properly calculate the load on the machine? Do you think simply adding your own technology to the conventional model would make it better? If so, that’s some serious arrogance.’
The harsh words rained down from the image of Dr. Babylon, floating in midair, directed at the man in the plague mask—formerly known as "Maestro the Conductor."
Maestro seemed stunned for a moment, but eventually, a faint voice slipped out from behind his mask.
‘No way...! Are you telling me someone like you created that machine...?!’
‘Yep. Nice to meet you, masked Golem engineer. My name is Regina Babylon. I’m the creator of the Frame Gears and, incidentally, the lover of His Highness Grand Duke of Brunhild.’
‘That’s a lie! I’m just her employer!’
I quickly denied Dr. Babylon’s words from within the Reginleif. What’s she saying in the middle of this mess?! Well, it’s not just the case that she’s my employer, but explaining that would be a hassle.
Luckily, it seemed Maestro wasn’t interested in that detail and didn’t respond to it.
‘It seems like you can’t accept the fact that you lost to my Frame Gear... The Dragoon Dragon Knight you fought has been improved, but it’s still mostly an older model. It’s nothing to be proud of.’
‘Wha...?! An older model...?!’
Maestro the Conductor stood frozen, seemingly stunned.
It’s true that the Dragoon Dragon Knight is an older model. Originally, it was stored in Babylon’s hangar alongside the heavy knights Chevalier and the Black Knight Night Baron.
Although it’s been modified over time, there shouldn’t have been any major changes.
‘Impossible...! Are you telling me that’s an older model?! It should definitely have superior performance compared to other machines!’
‘Basically, Frame Gears are influenced by the skill of their pilot. A beginner will move like a beginner, and a master will move like a master. They’re built to bring out all of the potential of their user. If you feel that it’s strong, that’s the pilot’s power.’
‘Oh, that’s rare. Ende’s getting praised...’
‘What do you mean rare?!’
Whoops, I forgot. The communication with Ende was still connected.
‘Well, it’s the default to always get criticized by Uncle Takeru...’
‘There are times when Master praises me too! Well, only occasionally...’
I’ve never seen it. But I guess it happens sometimes. After all, Uncle Takeru is good at balancing praise and punishment. His title as the "God of Martial Art" is no joke.
‘The pilot, you say?! Where’s the room to consider such an unstable factor?!’
‘And that’s where you stopped thinking. You’re cutting off the potential that people have. Do you realize that means you’re also denying your own potential? If you don’t think about that, there’s no way forward for you.’
With Maestro the Conductor completely dismissed, the professor’s sharp words became even more pointed.
‘Have you ever studied magic? There was the "Ark" available, so coming to the Eastern Continent shouldn’t have been difficult, right? Or perhaps you couldn’t take an interest in technologies outside of your expertise? I learned a lot about Golems from these two, starting from scratch. Both of them studied magical engineering diligently. Let me be clear: your vision is too narrow. Even if you get skilled at copying people, your mind is stuck in fixed ideas, and that’s why you can’t see beyond it.’
Ugh... I almost feel sorry for him, not that he deserves it. Look—he’s shaking all over...
‘What do you, a child, know?! The more I studied the ancient technology of the Legacy machines, the more I could do nothing but despair at the lost techniques! I don’t even know how many times I wished I had been born in the distant past! When Goldo appeared before me, I felt it was fate! The man who knew all the ancient Golem technologies, Chrom Ranchesse, appeared before me! I was chosen to be Chrom Ranchesse' successor! For that, I abandoned everything!’
‘For that reason, you became an apostle of the evil god...’
‘What nonsense...’
As Maestro the Conductor continued his monologue, the two people who had once been part of the five great Masters looked at him with helpless expressions.
To sell your body and soul for unknown technology... I can’t really understand that feeling, since I’m not an engineer.
Did he just go ahead and grab whatever was dangled in front of him, thinking it was what he wanted...? As the professor said, his vision is too narrow.
‘Well, it’s your life. Selling your soul to the devil is your choice. But dragging other people’s souls down with you is something I can’t accept. Don’t you think so, Kuon?’
‘I agree.’
‘?!’
Maestro the Conductor dodged the slash from Kuon, which came from behind him, by rolling out of the way.
When did Kuon arrive?
I can also see Kohaku carrying Steph and Alice behind him. And there’s Gold too. Looks like they’ve been running all the way from the town.
‘You...!? You’re the kid who defeated Graphite!’
‘Graphite...? I don’t know who that is.’
‘Probably that old man in black, young master.’
Kuon tilted his head slightly, and Silver, the [Silver] crown in his hand, spoke up.
I had suspected that Kuon’s information had leaked from the bird Golem that was monitoring the battle, and sure enough...
Maestro the Conductor, showing clear signs of caution, raised his metallic red fine rapier.
With a whoosh, flames erupted from the fine rapier, and the flames became slashes, aimed at Kuon.
However, Kuon dodged effortlessly, as if he had predicted the attack.
No, he must have actually predicted it. Kuon’s right eye had turned orange-gold. He had used his [Future Sight] magic eye, hadn’t he?
As the fine rapier was swung, fiery slashes were unleashed one after another. Kuon calmly evaded each one, stepping lightly to the right and left.
‘Stop being so twitchy...!’
The fine rapier in Maestro’s hand flickered for a moment, and then a second fine rapier appeared beneath it.
Grabbing the second rapier with his left hand, Maestro, now using dual swords, unleashed double the number of slashes at Kuuon.
‘...I can’t avoid this one. [Slip]’
What!?
Kuon leapt to the side and then slid along the ground in a position similar to a sliding tackle in soccer.
Wait, no, he was actually spinning! Did he use [Slip] to eliminate the friction of the ground after jumping, and then slide with that momentum!? Since the friction was gone, there wouldn’t be any abrasions, but I never thought there was such a use for [Slip]...!
‘It’s not that cool, so I didn’t want to use it...’
That’s true. With all friction completely eliminated, Kuon couldn’t stand up and couldn’t maintain a steady posture. He spun and slid sideways and vertically, looking pretty goofy and... surreal. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to use that method of movement either.
‘Couldn’t you have just canceled out the magic with your magic eye?’
‘It doesn’t work on heat, and I overused [Future Sight]. If I could, I would have done it.’
Kuon’s magic eyes are incredibly useful, but using them continuously puts a strain on the body. I really hope he doesn’t resort to that kind of desperate fighting too often...
After canceling [Slip], Kuon stood up. By now, a platinum-colored sphere, about the size of a baseball, was floating around him like a satellite.
"[Divine Weapon Armament]"
The platinum sphere unraveled like thread and reformed into a new shape in Kuon’s right hand.
It took the form of a one-edged sword about the size of my Brunhild’s short sword, but with a revolver, trigger, and gun barrel attached to it—essentially a sword-gun divine artifact.
Kuuon aimed the sword’s tip at Maestro the Conductor and pulled the trigger.
From the barrel on the back of the sword, a compressed divine energy bullet was fired. Maestro the Conductor, who had been holding the fine rapier of the cursed artifact, initially readied himself to block it but, seemingly reconsidering, narrowly dodged the incoming bullet at the last second.
"I remember now. That weapon didn’t even allow Graphite’s regeneration and destroyed the cursed artifact’s royal scepter, didn’t it?"
‘Whoops. I might have spoiled that a bit...’
"Well, if that’s the case, there’s a way to deal with it."
Kuon probably saw the battle between the apostle of the evil god with the royal scepter and himself through the bird Golem we had previously secured for surveillance. It seemed that Maestro the Conductor’s wariness toward Kuon had risen significantly. Well, they’re natural enemies, after all...
Kuon pulled the trigger again, but Maestro the Conductor swiftly dodged the bullet, seemingly anticipating the attack.
For a technician, he sure is good at dodging... He must have had his physical abilities enhanced after becoming an apostle of the evil god...
"With a bullet like that, dodging is not difficult! If it doesn’t hit, it means nothing!"
"Well, I knew it wouldn’t hit, so I guided it into your blind spot."
"Blind spot...?"
Maestro the Conductor suddenly checked his surroundings.
One of the broken legs of the Arachne Golem was impaled into the ground near his right hand, blocking his line of sight.
From Maestro the Conductor’s viewpoint, he would likely see the commercial city of Mio Parade behind the Arachne Golem’s impaled leg.
However, from my angle, I could see what Kuon was aiming for. I realized what he had been targeting.
There was a sound, like a distant explosion—Boom! The shot pierced the Arachne Golem’s impaled leg and a massive crystal bullet shot straight toward Maestro the Conductor.
"Gwah!?"
Taken completely by surprise, Maestro the Conductor was hit directly by the crystal bullet fired from Yumina’s Brunhilde. He spun uncontrollably as he bounced off the ground.
"Just like Mother. Her aim is spot on."
‘Wow... She doesn’t hold back, huh? Definitely a mother-son pair...’
It looks like Silver is backing off... I kind of get how he feels, though...
Did they have a meeting before coming here?
Even after taking a direct hit from Brunhilde’s crystal bullet, Maestro the Conductor, being an apostle of the evil god, still hasn’t died. Of course, unless divine energy or a divine artifact is used, it’s impossible to completely kill him.
Though he was battered, regeneration had already begun. His severed limbs were starting to heal, but there was no way our son would just sit by and watch that happen.
A bullet was fired again from the divine artifact. This time, Maestro the Conductor couldn’t dodge, and he took the bullet squarely in his already-damaged left arm.
The bullet, a mass of divine energy, tore through the left arm of Maestro the Conductor, and the forearm and beyond were ripped off.
The severed hand disappeared like sand in the wind.
‘It’s not regenerating...?!’
Though I couldn’t see his expression under the plague mask, it seemed like he was surprised. Since he entered firing range, Kuuon must have activated [Divine Energy Nullification].
If he had seen the battle between Kuuon and the apostle of the evil god wearing the goat skull mask, he should’ve known this would happen, but I guess there’s a difference between seeing it and experiencing it.
Kuon fired again. Since [Divine Energy Nullification] was active, the divine energy bullet shouldn’t be possible, so that was probably just a magic bullet.
‘Tch...!’
Maestro the Conductor dodged with a sideways leap on his nearly severed leg. His movements were no longer as relaxed as before; now there was a clear sense of desperation in his actions.
‘Is this the end...?'
Maestro the Conductor pulled something resembling a test tube from his waist and slammed it onto the ground. With a burst, a raging inferno spread out from around him. Could this be a self-destruct?
‘Has he gone mad?’
‘No, this is...’
As Kuon hesitated behind the curtain of flames, Maestro the Conductor emerged from the fire, riding a cart-like Golem with multiple legs, similar to a centipede.
Then, with astonishing speed, he began to pull away from Kuon.
‘He’s fast!? That bastard is trying to escape!’
‘At that speed, I can’t keep up... Steph, can you handle it?’
‘Piece of cake! [Accel]!’
From behind, Steph shot forward like a rocket. Kuon returned the sword-gun-shaped divine artifact to its spherical form and threw it at Steff, who was rushing by.
The platinum-colored divine energy orb circled around Steff like a satellite as she zoomed past.
‘Divine weapon equipped!’
The artifact unraveled once again like thread and reformed into a new shape—into a shield form, Steph’s divine weapon.
The multi-legged cart Golem was fast, but with [Accel], Steph was faster. She rapidly closed the distance.
‘[Prison]!’
‘What...?!’
‘Hah!’
Wrapped in [Prison], Steph kicked off the ground with all her might and charged forward. With the propulsion of a rocket, Steph collided with Maestro the Conductor, sending him flying with tremendous force. I could’ve sworn I heard a crack just now... Was that the sound of his bones breaking? Or maybe it’s just a malfunction in Reginleif’s microphone?
‘Gwahh!’
Maestro the Conductor, who was hit from behind, bounced off the ground and flew through the air like a skipping stone.
The multi-legged Golem, now lighter, increased its speed and sped off, leaving its master behind as it disappeared into the horizon.
‘Tch...! I won’t let it end here!’
Maestro the Conductor, now missing his left arm and battered, swung the cursed fine rapier to slash at Steph.
But Steff, likely due to the protection of [Prison], stood there confidently, not even attempting to dodge. Ah, idiot...
‘Heh, that won’t work on me...’
With a sharp crack, a fissure appeared in [Prison], and Steph’s confident expression froze.
With Maestro the Conductor’s second strike, [Prison] shattered completely, and Steff hurriedly dodged the attack.
‘Steph! I told you that [Prison] wouldn’t work on him! Activate [Divine Energy Nullification]!’
‘Oh, right!’
I clearly explained it to her! Didn’t she listen, or did she forget!?
With a clang, Steff blocked the fine rapier’s thrust with the divine artifact shield, and this time, she properly activated [Divine Energy Nullification].
However, the range of [Divine Energy Nullification] from the shield Steff holds is short—only about two meters.
Well, if it’s within two meters, then [Prison] should be safe too, so she’s probably fine...
‘Tch...!’
Maestro the Conductor launched a barrage of rapid thrusts, but Steph blocked each one with the shield. Despite being a five-year-old, she seemed to have no trouble dodging all of his attacks, likely because she’s used to playing with sword gods and martial gods in her daily life.
Well, the shield Steph holds is shaped with a slight distortion, like a rectangle’s longer side, so it can block all of the attacks without requiring much movement.
‘Soon, all the technology created by Chrom Ranchesse will be mine! I won’t let children like you get in my way!’
‘Muu! I don’t care about that!’
‘Cursed brats...!’
Maestro the Conductor kicked Steph’s shield with his front legs.
The direct force made Steph stagger. With her five-year-old frame, she couldn’t fully negate the power of the strike.
[Prison] would likely block the damage, but as Maestro the Conductor repeatedly front-kicked my little daughter through the shield, I felt myself getting furious. At that moment, Steph lost her temper.
‘Enough—stop it!’
Gikyoh!
Taking advantage of the brief opening when the kick was coming, Steph leapt up, holding both hands beneath the lower part of the shield, and slammed it down onto Maestro the Conductor’s head, as if swatting a fly.
The shield, made from the divine artifact, struck his skull, and Maestro the Conductor collapsed, the metallic red fine rapier rolling out of his hand.
‘Persistent crows are hated by girls, you know!’
With an angry face, Steph slammed the shield into the ground with a don! The next moment, a crack echoed, like metal breaking.
‘Huh?’
‘Wha...?!’
At Steph's feet, or rather, beneath the shield she had lowered, was the metallic red fine rapier, now split in two.
She didn’t do that on purpose, right...?
Maestro the Conductor’s body gradually turned into sand.
‘No...!? Goldo! Not yet! I’m not...!’
Reaching out as if to grasp something, Maestro’s hand began to turn into sand from the fingertips.
On Reginleif's monitor, I saw Gold's figure in the distance. Did Maestro, as the apostle of the evil god, see that figure...?
The apostle of the evil god, whose fingers had turned to sand, was eventually carried away by the wind, leaving only his clothes, equipment, and the plague mask.
‘Such a pity... The girl from Babylon said it herself, he wasn’t great at creating new things, but he was a genius at improving them. In other words, he had the ability to create something better than the original creator. As someone’s assistant... or rather, a partner, he might’ve reached even greater heights.’
‘His pride wouldn’t have allowed that, though. That’s another reason I can’t stand him.’
The voices of Professor and Engineer Elka reached me in the cockpit of Reginleiv.
On the monitor, Professor looked regretful, while Engineer Elka’s voice carried a sense of frustrated anger.
Dr. Babylon simply puffed on his aroma pipe, letting it waft in the air.
‘All great engineers have an unrelenting curiosity. They have the strength to never bend their beliefs and to charge forward toward their goal, relentlessly. Even we, one misstep away, might’ve done the same thing as him.’
It’s a truth coming from the professor, who had created humanoid giant robots and androids. If that’s the future they were headed toward, it would’ve been a terrible world. In my mind, all magic engineers and Golem technicians in this world have something off about them.
‘Well, all that’s left is to mop up the remaining Cyclopes. Dowburn has been cleared, and next up are the Gardio Empire and the Demon Kingdom Xenoah, and... oh?’
‘Touya-sama, the Cyclopes that attacked Regulus have been dealt with.’
‘Xenoah is all clear as well.’
Following the professor’s words, reports from Lu and Sakura came through. It seems Regulus and Xenoah have been suppressed as well.
Now, we’re left with Gardio Empire, where the most [Fusion Soldiers] and Cyclopes remain...
Elze, Linze, and Leen, who headed there, seem to still be fighting.
I should leave behind enough Frame Gears for the mop-up operation from other battlefields and head to support them.
As I reached for the communication panel to ask Cesca in Babylon to calculate how many we need to move...
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