“Lloyd, pass me the Reaction Stone.”
“Understood, Zerof-niisan. Number seven, right?”
“Yes. And I’ll need the catalyst liquid as well.”
“I thought you might, so I’ve already prepared it. Here you go.”
Dian had finished the core’s casing and quickly made himself scarce, leaving just Zerof and me to handle the generation of the nucleus’s interior.
The process of alchemical generation required such extreme precision and complexity that I couldn't afford a single moment of distraction. It was far more difficult than the ones I had made previously; since this was a large-scale model, maintaining the stability of the internal components was a constant struggle.
With a look of intense focus, Zerof stirred a flask and began blending the contents into a single bottle.
A thick plume of blue smoke rose from the bubbling, boiling liquid. As the smoke dissipated and the substances fused, a shimmering, silver liquid took shape within the glass.
“Phew. It’s finished.”
Strictly speaking, the liquid swaying inside the flask wasn’t a liquid at all, but a fluid metal. Known as an Artificial Sage’s Stone, this metal possessed the unique property of moving freely in accordance with a person’s will. By issuing commands to it through mana, one could provide a golem with its primary power source.
“Good work, Zerof-niisan.”
“It is all thanks to you. You have been a great help, Lloyd. Refining an Artificial Sage’s Stone is an arduous task. This golem, in particular, is a specialized unit; it requires a material of exceptional quality.”
The Artificial Sage’s Stone in the flask was several grades purer than standard varieties. Because this golem required high-precision movement, the stone had to be used not just for the limbs, but for every individual joint down to the fingertips, meaning we needed a massive quantity.
We had been forced to start from scratch every time a batch failed. Just as Dian had struggled with remaking the exterior, Zerof had clearly put in an equal amount of grueling labor.
“I have been thinking this for some time, Lloyd, but you are strangely well-versed in the arts of alchemy.”
“Eh? R-Really? I just spend a lot of my spare time in the library, so I’ve happened to dabble in a few alchemy books, that’s all.”
“All this from mere book knowledge, hmm? To be sure, magic and alchemy share a close relationship. As a mage, it is only natural for you to possess a certain degree of understanding, but your depth of knowledge is abnormal. You put ordinary alchemists to shame. If we were to combine our strengths, we might even achieve the taboo and Secret Art of alchemy—Human Transmutation. I should very much like to take you as my assistant, but... you seem to be Albert’s favorite, so I cannot exactly force the matter. However, one day, for certain...”
Zerof was muttering to himself while staring intently at me. I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but his eyes were genuinely terrifying.
——Work proceeded smoothly after that, and ten days passed.
The golem’s nucleus was finally complete. When I poured mana into it, the Artificial Sage’s Stone activated, and a steady rhythmic hum began to echo from within the core. The sound was stable; it seemed there was no longer any danger of an explosion.
“Hmm. It took quite some time, but we have finally reached the finish line. We owe this to the Rodylent Alloy.”
“The hardness and durability are impeccable, and it’s surprisingly easy to work with. We really lucked out with that Rodylent Alloy.”
...It bothered me that the metal had been given such an embarrassing name without my consent, but I decided to let it slide for now. Having passed its trial run without issue, the golem nucleus was finally installed into the main body.
At long last, the golem was complete.
“Whoa... it’s actually finished.”
“This is a prototype. We plan to make adjustments and fine-tune various upgrades from here on, but for now, we can officially declare it complete.”
Standing under the midday sun, the crimson golem shone with a brilliant luster. We all looked up at it, captivated by its presence.
“Heh heh, we did it, guys! It’s magnificent! With this thing, we can blow away any monster that tries to jump us, no matter how big it is!”
“Yes, it is a masterpiece. As a guardian of the state, there are few golems that could rival this. It will serve as a testament to our nation’s technological prowess and surely give us the upper hand in diplomatic negotiations.”
“The crystallization of our technology... the absolute peak of alchemy. Is it not a wonderful achievement? It is truly a work of art.”
It seemed the three of them each had their own motivations for this project. No wonder they had been so willing to cooperate on the construction.
...I could never tell them that I had only envisioned this thing as a training partner for my magic.
“Hey, Albert-nii, let’s give it a name!”
“Hmm, good idea... Lloyd, what do you think?”
“Eh?! Me?”
Albert had suddenly turned the question on me.
“You were the one who suggested building it, weren't you? Besides, I consider you the greatest contributor to its success.”
“I have no objections. Besides, the name is of little consequence to me.”
“Hey now, Zero-nii, names are important! ...Well, I don't mind if Little Roddy picks it. But hey, if you can’t think of anything, I wouldn't mind doing it for you. Let’s see... how about King Roddy, or Super Lloyd?”
No, absolutely not, Brother. I was physically repulsed by Dian’s naming sense. Beside me, Ren was shaking as she desperately tried to suppress a burst of laughter.
Since I couldn't possibly allow those names to stick, I thought as fast as I could.
“I-If that’s the case, how about we take ‘Di’ from our family name and add ‘Guardian’ to it? We could call it ‘Diguardia.’”
“Hmm, that sounds perfect.”
“Yeah, King Roddy was a strong contender, but that’s a good name too!”
“The name is irrelevant... though that one is not bad.”
Phew. Thank goodness. It looked like I had everyone’s approval.
“G-Good for you, Lloyd... It’s not... pff... King Roddy... heehee.”
“Yeah, that was a close one.”
Ren was on the verge of a total breakdown. I’m usually the type who thinks names don't matter, but I really had to draw the line there.
“Alright, now that the naming is out of the way, let’s get right to the trial run of Diguardia!”
“Ohh! I’ve been waiting for this!”
“Hmm, I wish to see the majestic figure of my Diguardia in action immediately.”
“Yes! I’m looking forward to it too!”
Finally, the time had come for the golem to move.
Well then, let’s see what it’s made of—and whether it can actually serve as a proper combat opponent for me.