It had been a mock battle that started suddenly, but honestly, I had been hoping for it too, so there was no problem.
More than anything, it was an arena that seemed like it would not open for quite some time yet; was this not tantamount to holding the very first match there unofficially, right then and there?
Just like that, as I readied my unit as well, I instinctively opened my mouth.
“Golem Fight…!”
A brief moment passed as the golems faced off against one another.
“Ready, go!”
At the words I shouted alone, the tech demonstrator began to run first, making the arena floor resound loudly.
And it began to swing its equipped sword in a wide arc; matching that, I raised my sword as well.
*Claaaaang!*
Since the mock battle itself had been planned, they were blades that had not yet been sharpened, but it was impossible to eliminate even the noise of metal clashing against metal.
As I maintained the unit’s output and continued the contest of strength, the moment I tried to push through by raising the output in an instant, I saw the tech demonstrator subtly lower its arm.
Its objective was obvious, so instead, I used the boosters to quickly get away.
“Damn it, I was trying to deflect and catch you!”
“I can see all of that because Professor Reina does it so often!”
That person had truly shown what she could do once she adapted to the Cyclops, so there was a great deal to learn from her.
The most important lesson was, indeed, that.
“She said that as long as it took human form, you should assume it could use all human martial arts!”
I had, of course, known that too.
But for someone ignorant of the Cyclops’s structure and origins to encounter it and immediately make that judgment held tremendous value in itself.
Because it also meant that if one grew accustomed to the unit’s speed, one could perform the motions humans used in swordsmanship just like this.
It meant that simple movements like deflecting an attack and striking upward, as Erika had been trying to do, could be quickly recognized and countered.
And Erika was no different in that regard, so I saw her charge using the boosters.
She was probably intending to use the opening created as I put distance between us to deny me time to regroup.
A giant battering ram flew straight toward me.
I plunged my sword into the ground and immediately raised both hands to grab the tech demonstrator.
*Thud!!*
A tremendous sound rang out, and Knight was pushed backward.
And I heard Erika’s slightly surprised voice.
“Ah, I definitely heard there was an issue with the arm slipping!”
Should I call it sly, or should I call it good instinct?
I understood the reason she had tried to attack by charging with her weight.
Knowing that the coating developed by the Alchemy Department worked too well, causing a problem where force would spin free in the existing Cyclops joint structure, she had attempted an attack that would be tricky to receive with brute force.
Had the tech demonstrator from back then taken that attack, it probably would not have been able to receive it properly, and its arm would have likely been broken off.
But.
“Did you think I’d field a new unit without improving that?!”
It was no longer a problem for Knight, which had even made the risky decision of reducing mass-production efficiency in order to reinforce the existing arm structure.
The auxiliary joints visible through gaps in the armor reinforced the main joints, and the amount of coating had been reduced as well.
There had been a great sacrifice in that reaction speed and movement speed had decreased compared to when it was first applied, but the higher output and the fact that its base speed was still above the Cyclops’s did not change.
Yes, now I could shout with confidence.
“I am different from that thing, different!”
Knight’s mono-eye gleamed as I raised the output and threw the tech demonstrator.
The tech demonstrator, which had been nearly sent flying, barely regained its balance, but I had already closed in.
“I’ll show you what golem martial arts are!”
I clenched my fist and struck the tech demonstrator’s head, then lifted my leg and kicked its sword away.
‘Now.’
That very brief moment when the tech demonstrator flinched, hesitating over whether to counter with a fist just the same or to retreat and pick up its sword again.
With the thought that I had to press the attack now to seize a sure advantage, I activated the boosters and rapidly closed the distance.
I immediately lowered the body to let the tech demonstrator’s confused swing pass by, then came up and struck upward hard at the chin area.
Toward the tech demonstrator reeling from the impact, I immediately threw a left punch, and while rotating my right foot and pushing off the ground, I extended my fist like a spear.
The fist that shot out struck the tech demonstrator’s head hard once more; strictly speaking, it was only the main camera that took the impact, but due to the golem’s bulk and durability, I could see the entire frame shake again.
Once again using applied boxing, I threw consecutive left punches, dodged the right arm Erika swung for a counterattack by lowering my body, then from that posture drove in as if embracing the opponent and threw another punch.
Finally, I straightened the frame and threw an uppercut, toppling the unit.
“What in the—…!”
I heard Erika’s voice, but there was no standing against Knight, which executed techniques nearly identical to those used by humans.
The tech demonstrator, having already lost its balance from taking sufficient impacts, fell to the ground.
An enormous cloud of dust rose with a thud.
And I saw the tech demonstrator trying to get up.
‘So she wants to keep going.’
It had only taken punches, not a fatal blow, so it was not incapacitated.
And it was clear that Erika had no intention of giving up and intended to keep fighting.
Its mono-eye blazed through the cloud of dust, signaling that it could still fight for quite a while longer.
‘I see.’
So she wanted to see it through to the end.
I nodded and shouted through the speaker.
“Mock battle, end!”
“Ah, how dirty!”
“If I say it’s over, it’s over!”
Because if I ended it now, it would wrap up with me as the winner.
Then I could end things on a pleasant note with my victory.
I felt no shame.
Because if it were Professor Reina, who had clearly gone soft, she would have done the same.
“A disciple should make good use of what they’ve learned, after all.”
“Oh, come on!”
Smiling as I watched Erika protest, I helped the tech demonstrator to its feet.
****
“What did I just see?”
“Two steel giants engaging in close-quarters combat, then moving into hand-to-hand fighting, with the new model winning.”
His companion answered Daniel thus, but both of their voices were trembling.
Given who they were, they were trying hard to hide their excitement.
Honestly, they had just witnessed a spectacle of golems larger than humans fighting and trading blows right before their eyes.
The fierce gales when swords were swung.
The metallic sounds when the two units clashed.
And the dull, heavy sounds of steel striking steel.
Whether it was calculated with exquisite precision or not, the wind did not blow violently all the way to the spectator seats, but the sensation felt throughout the body with every movement and every collision was no trick.
“I vaguely thought it would be cool, but….”
Experiencing it in person was vastly different from what I had imagined.
Those who had first entered simply to see what this place was for were greatly startled by the two giants that appeared out of nowhere; they flinched at the fierce winds raised by the massive bodies, but soon took the metallic sounds as a battle hymn and cheered on the fight between the two giants.
And when one finally fell at the end, they erupted in cheers after a very brief silence.
‘If this were to go full-scale….’
Ordinary martial arts tournaments would not stand a chance.
For humans, the arena is wide, but unlike martial arts tournaments where the viewing space is that much smaller and farther away for that very reason, with these giants’ melee, you could feel their enormity even while maintaining a safe distance, and you could experience the aftershocks with your own body.
And the combination of beer and the potato dish I was tasting for the first time, as well….
“Wait, when did I pick this up?”
“When I noticed, the woman they call the merchant leader was handing them out as a service, you know?”
The guard said nonchalantly, putting the food he held into his mouth.
It seemed that while he had been focused on the fight, someone had secretly placed it in his hand.
Still, since he was a guard who would not have missed such a thing, this must mean it was safe.
Daniel took another bite of the food he had been eating without worry and nodded as he spoke.
“So it’s potato. Fried in oil? A precious dish indeed.”
“Oil is precious too, but have they figured out how to acquire a lot of it, or learned how to use plenty of it…? Ah. Anyway, these are fries. But I heard they were the long-cut ones; these look like they’ve been crushed.”
“Either way, as long as there’s no poison and it tastes good,” the guard said, continuing to eat.
Now that I looked, someone was frying potatoes on one side of the arena, and the Holy Maiden of the Saras Order was handing them out; and next to her was….
“It’s Noel.”
“I already heard in the report, but as expected. You really are close. I see she follows you everywhere.”
Daniel smiled briefly at the sight of his niece.
He likely had not noticed because of the hood.
When I strained my ears, I could see Noel looking slightly flustered, asking if this was really okay, and the Holy Maiden muttering that this was how word of mouth spread.
“I had thought as much while reading the reports that child sent through the count’s household, but it seems she has finally found someone with whom she can open her heart. She was a child who could never help but worry about such things due to being close to politics.”
“You have something to tell Count Nexia, Your Majesty Danimus. Ah, Sir Daniel.”
“You still have that habit of loosening up when you drink beer, I see.”
Daniel chided with a smile.
The guard stuck out his tongue and said,
“But it’s refreshing. They don’t usually do this often because it costs a lot. The merchant company must have plenty of money.”
“I must certainly admit that. It’s hard to enjoy something like this when sneaking out, so I should make the most of the opportunity.”
Having spoken thus, Daniel nodded and looked at Noel again.
“Having someone with whom you don’t need to stand on ceremony is a blessing.”
It was a statement that applied both to his niece and to himself.
The guard, who had been like a brother to him since childhood, smiled briefly.
There were not many people Daniel could trust, but because there were still trustworthy people by his side, he had been able to endure as best he could.
But he could not just endure forever.
“That aside, I think you should start thinking about your approach. After all, the reason you came this time is precisely that, is it not?”
“I suppose so.”
Daniel nodded.
He watched the knights of House Phoenix and Erika conversing at a slight distance for a moment, then opened his mouth again.
“I must test the baron personally.”
“There was the report from Count Nexia’s household as well, and it is to the point where the Phoenix Margrave sent even his daughter to support despite not being a foolish man, but you still want to see with your own eyes before believing?”
“Isn’t that obvious? It is not that I do not trust them, but this matter is extremely important.”
Nodding to the guard, Daniel spoke quietly.
“Finally, someone has appeared who dealt a blow to that arrogant count’s house. Someone has appeared who properly tripped up the one everyone had been trying to deal with. I cannot miss this opportunity.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to just go and speak to him without making it complicated? Considering Noel’s report, the baron treats those who treat him with courtesy with courtesy.”
The guard said cautiously.
But Daniel shook his head and said,
“Is there not someone right beside me who nearly died after trusting appearances and rumors alone?”
“Did I not warn you? Would it not be an option to simply listen this time?”
The guard spoke teasingly, and Daniel nodded with a smile.
“I apologize. So help me one more time.”
“Any number of times, sir.”
The guard muttered that being deeply cautious was both a problem and a virtue.
And soon, he noticed something and spoke in a slightly quicker tone.
“Ah, but it looks like they are going for another round. This time, they seem to be swapping units to fight. They are getting up.”
“Let us watch this match too before we go.”
“Shall I get more fries?”
“Bring more beer as well.”
They were two men who agreed that work was work, but playtime was playtime.