Once you had decided to act, there was no reason to hesitate.
A little time had passed since I resolved to begin work on a close-combat unit.
Now, in the workshop that had gained a hangar, Mina, Noel, Erika, and I were looking up at the unit standing there.
“It looks similar to Cyclops… Is this it?”
“No. This is a technology demonstrator.”
I shook my head as I spoke to the surprised Erika.
“If we develop it further from here, we could make a custom unit that simply raises Cyclops’s close-combat performance, but for now, I wanted to make a new unit. This is a unit for drawing out the data we need—what technology is sufficient, and what else is required.”
Naturally, just because Cyclops picked up a sword didn’t mean it would immediately change jobs into a close-combat specialist.
Just as people here first had to build up their strength and stamina to become knights, a unit was much the same, so its output had to be raised first.
And besides that, there were many things to improve, like mobility and so on…
“I made it to operate it myself, so I can figure out how much of what we need to reach that point, and also how efficient it is right now.”
“So you really were trying to make an entirely new golem. But are you all right doing that while handling other things too?”
I answered Noel’s worried words with a nod.
“I just have to sleep less.”
“I’m starting to get scared of him.”
Mina said she was scared with her mouth, but her eyes looked as if she couldn’t be happier.
Then Erika tapped the technology demonstrator’s foot and asked,
“So for now, you’re starting by raising its output?”
“And improving the internal structure while I’m at it. I think it’ll take quite a while.”
It was necessary, but honestly, it wasn’t something that could be done quickly.
“Actually, raising the output itself is easy. The problem is…”
“Whether that much power can be transmitted to the unit?”
Just increasing the engine output didn’t immediately lead to the output of the unit itself increasing.
If you looked inside Cyclops, it had a structure where various parts meshed with one another, so even if the engine output rose, the power had to be transmitted through each component, and that meant the strength didn’t rise by that amount right away.
On top of that, the fuel, mana water, would be consumed faster, so keeping the output high all the time was inefficient by that much.
In truth, I had anticipated that too, so Cyclops had also been built with a structure that left some margin—in short, it could momentarily raise its output if needed.
If I used Overload on top of that, it could go even higher, but at that point it wasn’t the originally assumed output, and the insides would be damaged too, so I shouldn’t bring that up here.
‘Even so, it wasn’t enough.’
Against that one-eyed giant back then, at first we had been able to fight it properly, but when it fought in earnest, we were pushed back.
So the goal was a level equal to or higher than that one-eyed giant from back then.
“As expected, the feedback a single real battle brings is no joke.”
I kept seeing what had been lacking in what I’d thought up until now, and kept improving it.
No matter how many hours I spent turning things over at a desk, it couldn’t compare to one real battle.
“…You look happy.”
I heard Noel say softly.
Then Erika clenched her fist as if firing herself up and shouted,
“In any case, this is where it starts! I’m excited.”
“If there’s anything I can help with, please tell me anytime. I’ll be waiting in the workshop’s reception room.”
I nodded to Erika, whose expectations for the new unit already seemed to pierce the sky, and to Noel, who at some point seemed to have become the owner of the workshop’s reception room.
Mina thought for a moment, then looked at me and said,
“What do you need?”
“I want to ask for advice again. When it comes to close combat, I can only think of that person.”
Professor Rodelini had an enormous amount of knowledge, but she wasn’t someone who fought, so it wasn’t enough.
Mina naturally realized whom I meant.
“She’s not someone who moves for money.”
“I think she’ll consider it positively.”
When I said it with certainty, Mina nodded.
She probably meant she would trust me and leave it to me, and support me if necessary.
As if there was nothing more to discuss, Mina turned her gaze back to the unit.
“By the way, how did you make this? The one you were using before is standing right next to it.”
“I assembled the spare parts.”
Since I had assembled the repair parts meant for the Cyclops I’d been using, it had been fast and easy.
Hearing the truth, my sponsor nodded and said,
“Use them sparingly.”
“Time is gold, you know.”
“My money is gold too. Should I have you make it up to me another way?”
My sponsor’s eyes narrowed.
For some reason, there was a faint smile on her lips.
****
The news that Aizen Arclight was making a new unit spread in an instant.
“I bought Cyclops after quite a bit of resolve, and he’s already building the next unit.”
“I thought he’d spend this year continuing to refine Cyclops, but I lost.”
It was evening, after all the academy’s classes had ended.
Reina, Iserina, and Rodelini had gathered at a tavern near the academy to share dinner and conversation.
When one thought of an ordinary tavern, a rough and shabby impression came to mind, but the shops near the academy did business with nobles, so they were very neatly maintained places.
In such a shop, Reina looked at the food on the table and let out a hollow laugh.
“I never thought I’d see fried potatoes again.”
“I heard the Krista Trading Company is selling the recipe? There are even shops that sell them directly. But they only appeared recently, so how did you know?”
“Because I was there on the day this was born.”
It was a dish born in the Phoenix Count’s territory from a cooking method Aizen had suddenly mentioned.
It was quite a luxurious food, since it used oil, but the taste suited her well enough, so Reina was enjoying it without much complaint.
However, that made it all the more curious.
“How did that guy even think to fry this?”
“I’ve given up thinking about that child.”
Iserina didn’t mean she was giving up on Aizen in any bad sense.
It was merely that Aizen thought of so many strange things, even by her standards, that she meant she wouldn’t think too deeply about it.
If anything, Reina knew well that Iserina wanted to raise Aizen as her disciple.
“So, Reina. You’ve finally received Cyclops, but it seems you have a lot on your mind?”
“I had assumed, in my heart, that I would be using this for over ten years, but if the next unit comes out right away, I hesitate to purchase it.”
“The academy will support you, won’t it?”
“It isn’t good to use public funds too often.”
Reina said with a sigh.
Iserina grinned and said,
“In any case, now you can write the manual.”
Iserina spoke of Reina’s current goal.
Reina nodded and said,
“Cyclops is sufficiently powerful and dangerous. At the same time, it will have a great impact on future military strength.”
“So you need to organize the proper method of use and establish safety rules… prepare in advance so your former comrades can adapt quickly to Cyclops…”
Slowly chewing on a fried potato, Rodelini smiled broadly.
“To think that delinquent would become this diligent.”
“I grow too, you know.”
“It’s a good change. As a professor, it isn’t good to be too unknown in research subjects or scholarship.”
Of course, Reina had made her name through her martial strength, so Rodelini’s words seemed unnecessary, but on the other hand, they were also correct.
Reina had been reborn as a diligent professor, but she had no achievements as an academy professor.
Her decision to write a manual was both a desire to leave a bit of a name behind as a professor and consideration for her former comrades.
“Writing a book will be hard.”
“I imagine so.”
“It costs a lot of money too. …And the profits aren’t much…”
“I know that from looking at you, Senior.”
Seeing Reina tease Rodelini so immediately, Iserina laughed.
Then she put a fried potato into her mouth, chewed, and smiled.
“In any case, shall we eat today? Professor Rodelini is buying, right?”
“I-I never said that.”
“I clearly heard you obtained five days’ worth of food. You’re treating us, aren’t you?”
“That’s all potatoes. I dug them up from Aizen’s field…”
So that was why the Alchemy Department students had all seemed so happy—Aizen had scattered potatoes around, Reina thought with an inward laugh.
“I thought he only knew how to cause trouble everywhere. What a relief.”
Thinking that he was truly a student who required a lot of attention, Reina took advantage of the gap while the two professors were joking with each other, picked up a fried potato, and muttered,
“Still, I wonder if one excellent assistant who could help me make the manual won’t appear from somewhere.”
Originally, Reina had intended to drag Aizen into the Knight Department and, through a small deal, gently coax him over.
But Aizen had gone to the Alchemy Department, so it was impossible.
The only other people she could consider were Noel or Mina, but Noel had gone to the Magic Department, and Mina, though it was hard to imagine from her usual conduct, had at least gone to the Divine Department as a saintess.
Both of them were in positions where, due to their status, she couldn’t put them to work. And while she could manage with Iserina, she wasn’t particularly close to the professor in charge on the Divine Department side, so it was difficult even to bring it up, leaving her no choice but to give up.
Of course, Erika, who went around with them, was in the Knight Department, but Erika didn’t seem likely to know Cyclops in detail.
“I suppose I’ll have to throw myself at it alone after all.”
It was her first time doing something like this, so it was a little frightening, but Reina firmed her resolve, thinking it was a mountain she had to overcome.
She thought it would be nice if she had an assistant who, aside from Aizen, understood Cyclops well, could immediately grasp new technology when it came out, and, if possible, would be fine even without sleeping for a few days—but there was no such person, was there?
She could do it alone.
Steeling herself, Reina tilted the glass in front of her—
“Excuse me. Are you Professor Reina?”
“Who sent you?”
Reina glared at the sudden intruder who had interrupted her.
And soon relaxed.
At a glance, he didn’t look like someone capable of doing anything to the professors, and judging by his clothes, he wore the sort of suit commonly worn by people from trading companies.
‘Come to think of it, was this place under the Krista Trading Company?’
Just as she tried to identify the place where they were dining—
“In truth, Lady Mina, the head of the trading company, sent me. Lord Aizen Arclight is seeking advice on swordsmanship and close combat, and in exchange, he is offering to grant one wish within his ability…”
“Oh?”
At the fact that an assistant had appeared all on his own, Reina smiled without realizing it.