Chapter 88: New Year’s Commemorative Cultural Event (3)
In my previous life, which no one in this world—not even my family, nor Aria, who had stuck by my side for years—knew about.
Robots were not mere machines or weapons.
To be honest, as weapons, robots were practically junk, hopelessly inefficient and underperforming.
If there were mana, like in this world, that might be one thing, but otherwise it was a hundred times better to just use tanks or fighter jets.
Then, if robots were not weapons that could produce such efficiency, what were they?
Coolness and romance.
I was not joking. I meant it.
Without those two elements—coolness and romance—a robot was nothing more than a corpse made of scrap metal.
Its very existence would not hold up.
If anything, you could say those two things were everything.
There were often things that prioritized emotion over efficiency, but it would not be an exaggeration to say robots stood at the very peak of that field.
And that same sentiment remained quite strong in Gigants, which could be called this other world’s robots.
As a result.
“Isn’t it far too much of a waste to leave the coolest, most romantic Gigants in the world as something only knights—and royal knights at that—can ride?!”
“Uh…”
“So I made up my mind!
Not just knights, but mages too, and even ordinary people who don’t know how to handle mana at all!
I would create a world where anyone can ride and play with a Gigant.
Not as weapons for knights, but as toys everyone can enjoy!”
A mage obsessed with Gigants had been born.
He had been captivated by the coolness and romance the Gigant had shown.
‘Well, I suppose it’s a relief he isn’t a mad scientist burning with ambition to mass-produce the weapon called Gigants and rule the world.’
Rather than that, it felt more like the dream of a child whose romantic desire to personally ride the toy called a Gigant had been maximized.
It was like the hobby of a capable person being carried out on an absurd scale.
If YouTube had existed like in my previous life, he might have easily gathered a million subscribers with just the production videos.
“Huh? But is it all right to demonstrate Gigant development this openly?
For now, Gigants are supposed to be equipment belonging to the royal knights.”
Well, personal tastes were something to be respected.
And since I was the one who had filled the Gigant with coolness and romance in the first place, I did not exactly have much to say, but there was one thing I was worried about.
For the time being, Gigants were treated as exclusive equipment belonging to the royal family, so was it really all right to build one outside and publicly demonstrate it like this?
Wasn’t he worried the royal family might scold him with, “You rascal!”?
“Ah, it’s all right. I’ve already received formal permission from the royal family.”
“Is that so?”
“To be precise, we’re currently cooperating on technological development for the improvement and mass production of Gigants.
In exchange for helping with those improvements, I also received permission to develop and exhibit civilian-use Gigants while we were at it.”
Fortunately, that concern had already been resolved.
The prototype Gigant was still impossible to use properly in real combat, and was closer to ceremonial equipment for show, but depending on continued research, no one knew how it might develop.
Rather than letting it sit idle, the royal family had generously allowed cooperation with the Magic Tower for its improvement.
“However, since the condition is that it be for civilian use.
Rather than as a weapon used by knights.
Its primary role will be as a rideable toy, but even that much is already something, isn’t it?”
There were conditions attached: it had to be smaller, and all dangerous combat-related abilities had to be stripped out.
But Karix seemed satisfied enough simply with the fact that he could recreate a Gigant and ride it around for fun.
Pure, in a way, if one wanted to call it that.
“Now that I think of it, there were mages before who were seriously injured while riding and playing with golems they had made in imitation of Gigants.
It does seem that those who have seen Gigants develop a strong desire to ride one themselves.”
“Ah, I was one of the mages who was seriously injured back then.
A friend and I tried imitating one and nearly died. Hahaha!”
“What? Mr. Karix, you were one of the people involved in that incident?”
“That’s right. When I was carried to the temple back then, I realized something.
That merely copying the outer appearance with a golem would make it impossible to actually ride and play properly.
That is why I began researching and developing a toy Gigant that could be ridden in earnest like this!”
Oh…
Isn’t this guy genuinely insane?
A person who nearly died riding and playing in a golem made as an imitation, and the thought he had after barely surviving was, “Next time, I should make it properly before riding it!”?
Did the memory of nearly dying vanish along with his wounds during treatment?
It felt like hearing a story about a pioneer who kept trying despite crashing dozens of times and eventually invented the airplane.
It was somewhat impressive, but also made him sound insane.
No, perhaps one had to be that insane to set out to develop and ride a Gigant…
“It’s impressive that the royal family and the Magic Tower allowed the development.
When you think about it, isn’t this purely your hobby being brought into work, Mr. Karix?”
“Hehe. I put in a bit of effort and packaging there.”
“How?”
“I received a fair amount of sponsorship from those who share the same dreams and ideals as I do.
And I persuaded them that if we developed it for civilian use, it could be used not only as a toy, but also on construction sites and the like.”
So he had dressed it up as the development of something like humanoid heavy machinery or a power suit.
To think he wanted to make it that badly.
This passion was definitely real!
‘Well, fine. So what if a person seems a little crazy?
It’s good to be certain about what you want to do.’
It was not as if he was harming others, was it?
If anything, he might end up fulfilling other people’s dreams and hopes on their behalf.
“Then shall we take a look?
At the technology of the civilian-use Gigant you developed, Mr. Karix.
Ah, you can demonstrate it now, right?”
“I was planning to demonstrate it myself after finishing my guidance for you, Author, so there is no problem doing it now.
Let us go at once.”
And the Gigant we saw at the demonstration area, where we went to confirm the results of that passion tinged slightly with madness, was indeed small.
Instead of a giant dozens of meters tall that did not lose out even to a drake.
There was a small giant about four to five meters tall.
Unlike the original, whose entire body had been made of sturdy metal in order to support its enormous frame of dozens of meters, giving it a heavy presence.
This one was different in that it was a golem with armor overlaid on it.
It certainly felt more like an amusement ride than a weapon.
‘It looks like a giant robot decoration at an amusement park.’
Though the difference was that you could not ride those, while you could ride this.
And that was exactly the point.
Hadn’t everyone at least once wanted to ride inside a giant robot decoration at an amusement park?
But in reality, they did not move, and there was no space for a person to board, so it was impossible.
The small Gigant before my eyes had the magical power to reawaken those forgotten desires and dreams.
In other words…
It was a little small, but it overflowed with coolness and romance.
“Kiyaaa! This is amazing!
It’s true that not just knights, but ordinary people like us can ride this, right?”
“It’s smaller than the original Gigant we saw in the capital before, but actually, for ordinary people like us, this size might be more appropriate.
Honestly, I wouldn’t even dare try to control a steel giant dozens of meters tall.”
“It’s not like we’re really going to fight a drake or anything. I’d be satisfied if it could put one of my kids on each hand and show them the sky.”
It seemed the other guests who had come to watch felt the same.
No one was disappointed by its small size, and most of them could not hide their excitement and anticipation as they imagined themselves riding a Gigant.
“Then I will be off for a moment.
If any problem arises while I am gone, please tell another staff member immediately.”
“Do you really have to go yourself?
I think you could use another specialist.”
And while receiving all that anticipation, Karix briefly stepped away from his role as guide and attempted to personally board the small Gigant he had made in order to demonstrate it.
This slightly mad but romantic mage had already suffered a serious injury in an accident once before, a fact that came to my mind.
Feeling pointlessly uneasy, I tried to stop him by suggesting that he entrust it to a trained expert this time.
“No! I have decided that I will be the one to do the demonstration no matter what!
I cannot hand over such a wonderful role to someone else!”
But it was nowhere near enough to stop him when his eyes were already half-filled with nothing but Gigants.
In the end, Karix personally boarded the small Gigant he had made.
“Will it be all right, Author?
It’s good that he’s so passionate, but he looks a little worrying…”
“I’m worried too, but we can’t stop him when he says he wants to do it.
All we can do is pray it succeeds safely.”
Aria and I watched the scene nervously.
Kiiing—!
Fortunately, the small Gigant succeeded in safely raising its body.
Its size was incomparably smaller than the original.
And it had far less of the weightiness of steel and the overflowing pressure of mana.
But as for its spirit.
It stood no less imposing than the original, solemnly raising the decorative greatsword prepared for it high into the air.
“Oooh! It’s moving! It’s moving!”
“Looks like it can move even if you’re not a real knight!”
It was clearly a decorative greatsword without an edge, hollow on the inside.
But in that moment, as people cheered at the sight of it, whose spirit was no different from the original greatsword that had split a drake in half.
Giiiiik—
An uneasy grinding sound rang out.
“Uh? Why is it doing that?”
“Isn’t that thing collapsing?”
In the end, the ominous premonition became reality.
Whether it was because the pilot was not a knight and thus could not reinforce the frame, or because the materials used were not sturdy enough.
The Gigant’s arm, which had lifted the greatsword, bent, causing the greatsword to swing down upon the Gigant itself!
Of course, I was startled and sprang up from my seat.
“No! The crystallization of my dreams and romance!!!!!”
But as the greatsword fell toward him, Karix screamed not out of concern for his life, but out of worry that the Gigant he had developed would be damaged.
“Ha… That man is a real proper lunatic.”
Before I could worry, a hollow laugh burst out of me.
Honestly, there was no point worrying about people obsessed with something.
Well, fortunately, thanks to the sturdy safety measures he had put in place based on his previous lesson, this time it ended with only minor injuries.
“You. Your budget is being cut.”
“Nooooooo!!!!!”
But under the pretext that he had almost caused a safety accident by demonstrating incomplete technology and ruined the atmosphere of the fair, his budget was cut.
And seeing Karix scream in despair at that, Aria and I shook our heads.
Yet this time, we could not hold back our laughter and burst out laughing.
Whatever the process had been, this event too had come to a truly enjoyable close.