The match concluded, and Tao climbed down from the wreckage of the Lao-kanfu. She was drenched in sweat, looking utterly spent.
"She took a real beating, Boss. I bet she’s feeling pretty miserable right now," Grimo remarked.
"You should go comfort her! If you do, you might even receive a passionate embrace from Tao-tan! Just imagine it...!" Jiriel added.
I nodded at their suggestions. To be honest, I really wanted to hear her firsthand impressions of fighting Ido.
As I hurried over to call out to her, Tao noticed me and turned around.
"Oh, hey, Lloyd."
She beamed at me with a wide, radiant smile. Her expression was exactly the same as usual—if anything, it seemed even brighter.
"What a total disaster! I lost! Man, the world really is a big place, isn't it?"
It seemed she wasn't as depressed as I’d feared. That was a relief; it meant I could ask her all sorts of things.
"Yeah, your opponent was incredible. It couldn't be helped. Anyway, do you have a minute? I have some questions about that Golem—"
"Sorry, I’m in a hurry!"
Tao cut me off bluntly and dashed into the shadows of the arena.
Was she heading for the restroom? Feeling a bit curious, I peeked around the corner after her, only to see her back trembling.
"Damn it... damn it all...! I lost! I actually lost...! I couldn't even touch him...!"
The sound of her fist slamming against the stone wall echoed—thud, thud.
"...I could tell, even through the Golem. That kid is strong. If we were fighting in the flesh, I wouldn't have even been a match for him. The world is vast. My Kung-fu still has a long way to go."
Her voice was thick with resolve. Grimo and Jiriel both gulped at the sheer intensity radiating from her.
"...Well, I guess that makes sense," Grimo muttered. "No way she wouldn't be frustrated after getting shown up by a brat like that. That little lady’s going to get a hell of a lot stronger, mark my words."
"A flower is not defined by beauty and cuteness alone. I suppose one could say 'Tao-tan huff huff.' Heh heh," Jiriel added creepily.
The two of them were whispering about something or other, but I ignored them. It looked like Tao was busy reflecting on her mistakes. In magic research, failure is a constant; the important part is using it as a stepping stone for the next attempt. It would probably be better to get the details from her once she’s had some time to process everything.
Thinking that, I decided to leave her be.
"Well now, that was quite the gripping match, wasn't it?"
I turned around at the sudden voice to find Lugol approaching, accompanied by several men.
"Ah, these men are Golem pilots. We got to talking and things became quite lively, so they decided to join me for a bit."
The men at Lugol’s side directed intense, curious gazes my way.
"Ho, so you are the one who piloted that Diguardia..."
"To think someone so young could achieve such a feat..."
"H-Hello..."
I felt like their stares were strangely heated, but perhaps I was just imagining things.
"I wondered who that was, but it's just Lugol. I didn't expect to run into you here."
Albert joined the conversation, exchanging a handshake and a friendly pat on the shoulder with Lugol.
"Albert! That’s my line. What is a busy man like you doing at a place like this?"
"This is my precious younger brother’s big moment. I can't be bothered with office work at a time like this."
As I watched the two of them chat like old friends, Dian leaned in and whispered into my ear.
"That Lugol guy is the First Prince of the northern superpower, Shoozel. He’s a bit of an eccentric, but he’s a capable man. Ever since he was put in charge of their economy, Shoozel has been booming. Though if you ask him, he only did it to fund his Golem research. He’s close in age to Albert-nii, so they’re often together at international conferences."
"I see. That’s good to know."
Now that I thought about it, a normal person wouldn't be able to build a Golem. Putting aside something like the Lao-kanfu, which was clearly a low-budget build, Golem manufacturing required an immense amount of capital and equipment. Come to think of it, most of the people Lugol had brought along were faces I recognized from the parties my father, Charles, used to drag me to.
"I have an idea! Why don’t we all have a party tonight to foster some friendship? I’ll make all the arrangements, of course," Lugol proposed.
Albert nodded in agreement. "That sounds excellent. It’ll be a great opportunity to introduce my pride and joy of a brother to everyone."
"Oh, that’s a great idea, Albert-nii! We can talk shop about Golems, too! Zerof-niisan, you don't mind, right?"
Dian threw the question over, but Zerof shook his head with a grim expression.
"Forgive me, but I must decline. I am not particularly fond of flamboyant social gatherings. Besides, I have the maintenance of Diguardia to attend to. I shall leave the socializing to Lloyd."
"Wait, hold on, Zerof-niisan! Hey!"
"Now, if you’ll excuse me."
Ignoring Dian’s attempts to stop him, Zerof turned and walked away.
That night, a party was held at a reserved high-class restaurant. It was attended by nearly a hundred people involved in the tournament. Albert took every possible opportunity to introduce me to various dignitaries, while Dian deepened his friendships with engineers from other countries. Sylpha was busy assisting with the service, and Ren of the Poison Moth had her eyes sparkling as she occasionally snuck samples of the expensive food.
I say they "were" doing those things, because I had already slipped away. I left the party venue and headed back to where Diguardia was being kept.
"Is this really okay, Boss? Sneaking out on your own like that."
"It’ll be fine as long as Albert and the others are there. Besides, I’m just an unimportant seventh son; nobody’s going to notice if I’m gone."
"That is absolutely not true!" Jiriel immediately protested.
Seriously, angels just don't get it. A seventh son is treated pretty casually. In fact, that's why I’m allowed to do whatever I want like this.
Thinking those thoughts, I pulled back the hanging black curtain, revealing the brightly lit interior of the workshop.
"Zerof-niisan!"
When I called out to Zerof, who was deep in work, he turned toward me in surprise.
"Lloyd? Why on earth are you here...?"
"I came to help, of course. Here, I brought some late-night snacks."
When I showed him the basket I had brought from the party, Zerof’s stomach let out a thunderous growl.
"...I suppose I shall accept your offering."
Zerof took the pasta with his usual bluntness and began to eat.
"...Phew, pasta truly is the ideal food. It fills the stomach efficiently."
"You always did eat nothing but that, Zerof-niisan. More importantly, the modifications you’re working on now are to counter Leonhart’s Barrier, right?"
Zerof’s eyes widened in surprise.
"...Ah, so you noticed. Precisely, Lloyd."
"Haha, anyone would think of it after watching that match. You’re planning to enchant a Barrier Spell Formula of our own to neutralize their attacks, right?"
Diguardia already had a Barrier Device installed in its arms for defense. He was likely adjusting it to add a neutralization function. I was thinking along the same lines.
"That attack that melted the Lao-kanfu... most people who saw it thought it was a corrosive liquid or something similar. Not a single person realized it was a high-level Barrier. On top of that, you immediately deduced my plan... I truly am glad I brought you along, Lloyd."
Zerof was muttering something to himself, but I was more concerned with the logistics. We didn't have any surplus Magic Marrow Fluid for the Enchantment. It takes a long time to produce, and since it would be difficult to prepare a sufficient amount now, we wouldn't be able to generate enough output to neutralize Leonhart’s powerful Barrier. We could try to scrape some out and reuse what was already in the machine, but that would likely cause imbalances elsewhere.
"You noticed the problem as well, then. Yes. Without more Magic Marrow Fluid, no further modifications can be made."
"Hmm... that is a problem..."
Maybe we could salvage some from the Golems that had already been eliminated? No, we wouldn't be able to ensure the necessary purity that way. To weave a powerful Spell Formula, high-purity Magic Marrow Fluid was essential. Against an opponent like Ido, standard materials wouldn't cut it.
As I was racking my brain for a solution, I noticed a presence moving outside the curtain.
"You seem to be in a predicament."
"That voice...!"
I rushed outside to find the masked boy, Ido, standing there.
"Good evening. It is a lovely moonlit night, is it not?"
"What business do you have here at this hour? Did you come to scout us out?" Zerof demanded.
Ido shook his head at the question.
"No, heavens no. I would never stoop to such a thing. However, I am well aware of what is troubling you. To put it simply, you intend to neutralize the Barrier installed on my Leonhart, do you not? But you lack the Magic Marrow Fluid required to achieve the necessary output. Am I wrong?"
"Wh...!"
Zerof was at a loss for words, having been read perfectly. However, he quickly regained his composure and stepped toward Ido.
"You... so you were eavesdropping..."
"I told you, I wasn't. As proof, here—this is a gift from me."
With a snap of Ido's fingers, a small Golem appeared carrying a wooden barrel. When Zerof opened it, his jaw dropped.
"Is this... Magic Marrow Fluid?! And the purity is incredible!"
Looking into the barrel from beside the stunned Zerof, I saw it was filled to the brim. Its purity was nearly on par with what I could manufacture myself.
"It didn't look like Diguardia was equipped with anti-Barrier weaponry. I knew that once Lloyd saw my Golem, he would immediately devise a countermeasure. But I realized there was nothing you could do without the materials, so I brought some. You’ll accept it, won't you?"
"...I don't understand. Why help your competition? There is no benefit to you in doing this," Zerof said suspiciously.
A small smile played on Ido’s lips.
"Benefit? Heh heh, of course there is. After all, I get to fight Lloyd at his full strength. That alone is my reason for living!"
His reason for living? That’s a bit of an exaggeration... but I really don't remember meeting him before. I had tried to look under his mask with See-through magic several times tonight, but I couldn't see anything because of a specialized barrier.
As I was pondering this, Ido turned his gaze toward me.
"Are you curious about my face? If Lloyd gives his all and manages to defeat my Golem, I shall remove this mask and show you my true self."
"Heh, quite the generous offer. In that case, can I ask for one more thing?"
Ido’s eyebrow twitched, but he quickly regained his composed expression.
"To want even more in this situation... how greedy of you. But that is exactly why you are Lloyd. Very well, what else do you desire? Shall I offer my very life?"
"Heh, you’re quick to catch on."
Ido is exceptionally talented with Golems and magic. If I could make him my subordinate, I’m sure he’d be a massive asset to my research. He is definitely the kind of person I want to recruit.
But for some reason, both Ido and Zerof were looking at me with absolute shock.
"...Heh, I see. To think that such a small charity would be enough to satisfy you was naive of me. You’re telling me that if I want to fight you, I must come prepared to stake my life... is that it? I see. It seems it was I who lacked resolve."
"He’s my younger brother, yet he’s so audacious," Zerof whispered. "It must be a bluff, but that arrogant Ido has been completely silenced. Truly impressive."
Ido and Zerof suddenly started muttering to themselves. I wonder what’s wrong. I don't think I said anything particularly strange.
"Very well! I shall stake my everything to challenge you, Lloyd! I look forward to our duel in the finals."
"O-Oh, okay."
With that, Ido departed into the night. I’m not entirely sure what just happened, but I suppose I should be grateful. I’ll make sure to put this Magic Marrow Fluid to good use.