The golem looked very human-like, but its skeleton and body were made of unknown stones and metals. Whirr!! Pshh!! Letting out steam as it transformed, the golem slowly began moving and fully stood up. It was much larger than when Davey first saw it, like it had initially been squished up or something. Furthermore, it didn’t have a monolithic structure that was specialized for defending and attacking; it really moved like a human.

To be honest, Davey wouldn’t have been able to make this golem if he didn’t have the base of the golem to work with; it was impossible to create a movement this fluid and agile with the current existing knowledge. He didn’t understand how the hell the structure of the golems that protected the ancient ruins were created, but their movements were very strong, agile, and fluid. Davey struggled to understand this fact better as well.

This Megatron prototype was the OP model that had overcome most of the disadvantages about golems that existed. It wasn’t unusual that there was only one as of right now.

Davey quietly mumbled at the golem that silently stood with glowing blue eyes. “Attention.”

Clunk!! There was no answer, but the golem with glowing blue eyes stood straight up with a fluid movement.

“At ease.”

Clunk!!

“Turn around.”

Thud!

“Shout for five seconds.”

Clunk!

“Roar!!!”

Davey felt satisfaction as the golem perfectly obeyed him and did exactly as he ordered.

“It is the recording magic stone that you gave us. It should be perfect for fear or a morale boost,” one of the dwarves said.

“Is the other thing I asked for also ready?” Davey asked.

“Oh, that? It’s not yet complete, but it shouldn’t have a problem as it progresses further.”

Davey slowly nodded. Then, he ordered, “Interception mode.”

Clunk! Clunk!! The golem put its gigantic hands on the ground and slightly bent down. At the same time, some strange-looking things popped out from its back and began lining up.

“Th—That’s…”

“I asked you for a simple interception system, but you made me an ultimate weapon?”

“Hahaha! All we do is smelt and hammer according to the blueprint we’re given. As you wished, there are two magic stone batteries for single shots. There are four continuous energy batteries, although they are less powerful!” the dwarf proudly shouted. “How is it? I have equipped it with everything you said so that it can proceed.”

“Most aerial monsters will turn to ashes even before they can approach us.”

Davey heard gasps from all over.

“Oh my… A golem that can execute other complex orders other than the first order… And its fluid movement and a rechargeable magic battery… Sir Davey, what on earth did you make?!”

“Right. Are you thinking of going to war?!”

Davey slowly nodded at the bewildering questions. This golem was something that lots of mages and alchemists would go wild over if it was revealed to the public. Although there were still improvements to be made, it was still quite a good prototype considering the basic abilities and the fact it could follow orders. Davey smiled at the two people who were staring at him in shock. “War? What are you talking about when we live in peace? It is only a guardian to protect the territory.”

‘It’s a little violent, but…’ Davey had no intention of cutting back money and resources on protecting his home.

Winley, Yulis, and Illyna just chuckled hollowly. It was like they had given up on Davey’s easygoing attitude.

* * *

It would be rude not to test out something once it was completed.

“I will grant you one wish if you battle with it just once. I’ll do it if it’s not something like teaching you the swordsmanship of the Sword Lord,” Davey said to Illyna.

“A—Alright. But that might break.” Illyna spoke confidently while she dragged her large sword on the ground.

“If it breaks, it was only just that good. Swing as much as you’d like.” Davey wasn’t lying; if the golem was to break without being able to do anything against Illyna, it was a failure for it to be that mediocre.

‘Why was I saying this?’

It was natural for Davey to have such a perspective, especially when considering the enchanted golem’s basic skeleton or its destructive force. The Megatron prototype was an early model that had seven of the magic stones that were responsible for operating the enchanted golems. Although he acted like this, he had very high expectations for it.

-It’s still going to be difficult to beat a Swordmaster.

‘Little drops make the mighty ocean, if there is room for improvement, of course.’

A Master at a transcendent level wasn’t common.

Clunk!! Illyna pulled out her large sword as she watched the Megatron, which got into position after transforming into battle form. It looked like the machine parts were spinning together. It seemed like Caldeiras was desperately trying to get Illyna to use her, but Davey wouldn’t be able to judge the golem properly if the divine sword helped out.

“Hm… It looks quite expensive…” Illyna commented.

“It’s not going to be easy.”

Illyna’s eyes glistened as Davey answered without a doubt. She said, “Don’t regret it.”

Boom!! Illyna, who showed a strong obsession over battling, struck first. A blue mana surrounded her sword and body as she crushed the ground in an instant. At the same time, the Megatron prototype’s blue eyes shone and a sword came out from its wrist to point toward the ground.

* * *

The battle ended with Illyna’s complete defeat.

“This is unbelievable!!”

Although one of the Megatron’s arms was on the ground and half its body was crushed, Davey smiled in satisfaction as he watched Illyna scream while pinned down onto the ground. She was rendered immobile. In the end, the prototype had destroyed her defense with its berserker-like charges and overpowered her.

“What kind of golem is this strong?!” Illyna, who was screaming, clenched her jaw as Davey grinned. The golem was so strong that Illyna, who was the greatest swordsman of the next generation to use the Sword Lord’s swordsmanship, would’ve been knocked out if she had let her guard down even for just a second.

“Huff… Puff… It shoots if I get away from it… It strikes back if I get near it… Ugh…”

-But its efficiency is lacking despite you putting seven of those extraordinary magic stones.

Davey agreed silently at Perserque’s detailed observation. He commented quietly, “Ancient humans wouldn’t have just used one magic stone if simply having more was better.”

Having a big fuel tank didn’t mean that a car would be faster; the important thing was the engine’s power. Davey knew very well that it would just become more burdensome if the fuel tank got bigger for no good reason.

“There’s a lot I have to work on,” Davey declared.

Watching the dwarves quickly run over and load the parts into their wagons, Davey slowly walked toward Illyna, who was wheezing on the ground. ‘Well, I never expected her to look like a beautiful painting even in this situation. How selfish.’

“Good work,” Davey said to Illyna.

“Huff… Puff… An automatic barrier… Huff… What kind of golem…”

“[Hard Shield], the 3rd circle magic spell is just the basics, isn’t it?”

When Davey spoke so matter-of-factly, Illyna pounded on her chest with her fist in frustration. “That’s why it’s unbelievable! What kind of golem can use magic that’s above the 3rd circle?! Are you trying to make a weapon to destroy the entire continent?”

“Hey, that’s the least it should do, considering it has a magic stone embedded in it.”

“There’s no use in talking to you…”

Yulis’ eyes shone brightly as he cast a wind magic spell on Illyna, who murmured like she was tired of Davey. He called out, “Sir Davey.”

“No.”

“…Bummer.”

‘How dare you desire a magic stone.’ Davey remembered the way Yulis was staring at the magic stone, the nucleus of the golem, from a little while ago. He was slightly worried that Yulis, who was still staring at it while holding back his greed, was going to run away with the magic stone if he didn’t keep an eye on it.

“I didn’t know that I would lose to a lump of metal…” Illyna muttered. The victory would’ve been hers if she had used the divine sword, which was basically her other half, but this battle was just a conditional one.

Davey had gathered useful data; he did want to do it himself, but he wouldn’t have been able to properly gather data like that. What he needed was combat data regarding different methods and skill levels. However, it was quite bothersome to go and look for someone as talented as Illyna, so the battle between her and the Megatron was a huge gain for him.

“Phew… I feel like it was a little unfair. So, you’re granting me one wish as you promised, right?” Illyna asked Davey cautiously, as if she was speaking to a fraud.

“If it’s not about teaching you swordsmanship.”

“Then I’ll think about it for a little bit.” Illyna sighed. “And… That thing… Are you going to make more of them?”

“I’m thinking of making about five more as the prototype is now complete.”

Illyna pointed at Megatron, the fighting enchanted golem that was shut down and motionless, while slurring the end of her words. “Can you give me one in the future?” She asked Davey.

“Do you know how much those cost?”

It was difficult to put a value to the labor, magic stone, and the ancient magic circles that were put into creating the golems.

“I didn’t say that I wanted them for free.”

“So, are you saying that you’re going to buy them…? Or something like that?”

When Davey asked in bewilderment, Illyna tilted her head. Her cold gaze turned innocent and pierced right through Davey. She stated, “I have a lot of money.”

It was weird because it was true. Then, Davey put on a big smile and answered Illyna without hesitation. “You probably can’t buy it even with your wealth, Princess Illyna. And they’re not for sale.”

‘She’s filled with greed.’

40. The Way That Seigneur Shows His Generosity

The creation of the Megatrons, the early models of the Decepticon Fleet, the golem army that was going to be the guardians of the territory, was the result of Davey’s work during the spare time he had in between developing the territory. The golems became extraordinary beings as he put all of his desires into them. Its power was similar to an enchanted golem, but its ability to last a long time, variety, and its ability to use magic however it wanted, were definitely advantageous.

It was when Davey was analyzing the intricate magic circle, which looked to be created by an ancient mage, with [Re-fix Curse], the magic spell he used before to trace the curse in the territory when Perserque and him began speaking.

‘Nothing else is wrong…but it lacks combat data.’

-But it’s even crazier to bring this unbelievable thing out into the world.

‘What should I do…’

“You’re here.”

“Did you jump over the wall again?” Davey asked Illyna.

“We decided to be friends, right? I came here because the royal attendant said that you would be here.”

“I can see right through your offer to be friends. Do I have to accept?”

“…You can’t say yes to me?”

“Well, it’s not like I can’t, but…”

Illyna wasn’t someone who would cause problems for Davey if they were to become friends. He had a better understanding of her personality from seeing her for the past few days.

“And… It looks like Caldeiras wants to meet her friend, too…”

After seeing Illyna trail off and show him Caldeiras, who was wrapped up in a cloth, Davey could see Perserque, who was asleep on the crafting table, rubbing her eyes with a tired expression.