“Hey, Lloyd! You vanished so suddenly that I was starting to get worried.”
Albert and his group arrived just as Ido was heading out. Lugol and his companions were with them as well.
“We got so fired up talking about golems that we felt like doing some work ourselves. You were in the middle of modifications, weren't you? Why don't you let us lend a hand?”
“Hehe, I knew Little Roddy would be here. I’m the one who brought everyone along!”
Behind Dian stood several technicians from other countries whom he had apparently befriended.
“If there is anything we can do to assist, please do not hesitate to command us,” Sylpha added, bowing respectfully at my side.
I was grateful for the offer. Even with the magic marrow fluid in hand, the modification process was going to take a significant amount of time. With just the two of us, we likely would have been working until dawn.
“Thank you, everyone! Look, Zerof-niisan, even they want to help.”
“Mmm… I-I suppose… but…”
“Do you really want to risk being unable to participate in the matches?”
When I pressed him, Zerof let out a resigned sigh.
“…Fine. I would appreciate the help.”
Seeing Zerof offer his thanks while looking thoroughly embarrassed, everyone exchanged glances and shared a wry smile.
We managed to finish the work just before dawn. Using the magic marrow fluid I received from Ido and the collective effort of the group, we enchanted Diguardia with a neutralization spell formula. This should allow us to break through that barrier.
“Hmm, we actually have quite a bit left over. What will you do with it, Lloyd? Return it to Ido?”
“…No, since he went through the trouble of giving it to us, let’s make use of it.”
There were other areas that could use adjustments. Ido had said he wanted to fight at full power, after all. I needed to do everything I could to prepare. Besides, my personal plan for Diguardia's modification was still in progress. If I did this to that part, and that to this part… Hehe, I was already looking forward to it.
『Aaaaaand there it is! Diguardia is unstoppable! Another victory! Absolute dominance!』
Amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd, Diguardia turned around and began its retreat. We had secured a win in the second match without any trouble at all.
“Is it just my imagination, or is the applause louder than it was during the first match?”
“It seems they had a bad reputation for being unsociable at first, but fans are starting to appear,” Sylpha noted. “When I first started as an adventurer, people ridiculed me because I was a woman, but those around you will eventually acknowledge you if you show them true strength.”
As I discussed the crowd's reaction with Sylpha, Zerof climbed down from Diguardia.
“Good work, Zerof-niisan.”
“I didn't do anything special. It was almost entirely thanks to Diguardia. It possesses overwhelming power, like an elephant crushing a mouse. Do you want to take the controls for the next one, Lloyd?”
“No, no, I’ll pass.”
I hurriedly waved my hand in refusal. I was already standing out enough just by doing the talking for Zerof. My true calling was that of a mage; I had no intention of making a name for myself as an alchemist. In this tournament, I intended to remain strictly behind the scenes.
“Honestly, you’re such a selfless fellow.”
“Ahaha, sorry.”
Fortunately, he seemed willing to let the matter drop. As I breathed a sigh of relief, a sudden roar of excitement erupted from the other side of the arena.
『Ooooh! Leonhart is showing off its strength as well! What incredible speed! It’s a total slaughter! They didn't let the opponent do a single thing!』
It looked like Ido had won his match as well. He caught my eye and flashed a faint smile, so I nodded back. Ido mouthed the words, I’m looking forward to the finals.
I was looking forward to it as well.
“Master Lloyd, look at that-ssu. Near the feet of Ido's golem—there's someone there-ssu.”
“Hmm? What on earth…?”
I turned my gaze where Grimo was pointing and spotted a black-hooded man.
“He seems to be a local. Is he one of Ido’s assistants?”
“He looks far too suspicious for that-ssu. I’m sensing a nasty aura coming from him-ssu.”
Certainly, for someone supposed to be helping Ido, he was acting strangely secretive. I wondered what he was up to.
“Wait, he’s holding something.”
Hidden in the man's clothes was an object like a piece of black charcoal that was emitting a strong magic power. It was a cursed tool.
A cursed tool is a type of magic tool, but one where the creator intentionally abandons control to achieve more powerful effects, weaving the spell formula into a chaotic mess. While they are powerful, they are impossible to regulate. They are essentially devices for causing magic rampages. Because of their nature, keeping one in contact with a mass of complex and delicate spell formulas like a golem for a long period would inevitably cause a malfunction.
“That bastard looks like he intends to attach a cursed tool to the golem-ssu. I don't know who he is, but he's probably someone who'd be thrilled to see Ido at a disadvantage-ssu. If he pulls it off, we'll gain a massive advantage without lifting a finger-ssu. Gehehe.”
“What a truly vulgar thought, worthy of a low-life Majin,” Jiriel interjected. “However, if that happens, the possibility of Master Lloyd losing will vanish entirely. Perhaps feigning ignorance is the wisest course of action.”
“Tch, your character isn't much better, you damn angel-ssu,” Grimo spat.
They both had a point, but…
“—I can't just leave him be.”
If Leonhart were to malfunction, I might not get to properly test the new weapon I had worked so hard to develop. If I was going to do this, I wanted a full-power experiment.
“Are you serious-ssu?! Even though the enemy would weaken himself if we just let him be, you're so diligent, Master Lloyd-ssu.”
“I want to fight at full power. I don't want anything interfering with that.”
“As expected of Master Lloyd. You desire a fair and square battle fought with all your might,” Jiriel praised.
I sensed a bit of a misunderstanding in their words, but regardless, I decided to stop that man for my own sake.
“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”
I called out to the man as he tried to approach Leonhart while blending into the crowd.
“Wha—?! Y-you… n-no. That can't be. On closer look, you’re someone else… You really gave me a fright.”
The man muttered something to himself before regaining his composure and turning a forced smile toward me.
“…Is something the matter, boy?”
“Yeah, I was wondering what you were planning to do with that.”
I grabbed the man's arm as he hurriedly tried to hide the cursed tool in his breast pocket.
“That’s a cursed tool, isn't it? What were you going to do with it? Surely you weren't planning on attaching it to the golem?”
The man’s face instantly turned pale, and he began to stammer out excuses.
“N-no, young man. This is, well, I just picked it up over there… I thought maybe it had fallen off the golem…”
“That's impossible. If you attached something like that, the internal spell formula would go haywire and definitely cause a malfunction. No one would even carry something like that around normally. Besides, I can clearly see the traces of your own work on that cursed tool.”
Looking at the object with magic focus, I could see the same spell formula reaction on the man's fingertips as on the tool itself. It was thick and unmistakable.
“It looks like you were the one who made this cursed tool.”
“T-that’s a false accusation! What is this brat talking about?!”
At a loss for words, the man raised his voice. While this was happening, people who sensed the commotion began to gather around us.
“Hey, what’s going on?” “A cursed tool? Bringing something like that to the Great Alchemy Festival is dangerous!” “It looks like that man is the culprit. That child is trying to stop him!”
Faced with the curious gazes of the crowd, the man desperately tried to cover his tracks.
“I-I really just picked it up! There's no proof! Right?! If you're saying I did it, then show me some proof! Proof that anyone can understand! You can't, can you?! Then stop making these baseless accusations!”
“Ah… no, that's not it. It's not like I'm trying to interrogate you.”
I shook my head at the man’s desperate defense.
“This is just a confirmation. I’m simply stating the facts. No matter what you say, what I’m about to do won't change.”
“Wh-what are you…”
Ignoring him, I lifted my fingertip and activated the holy magic ‘Glimmer.’ The holy light pierced through the man.
“Agagagagagagagagagagah?!”
The man’s eyes rolled back as his body convulsed. After exhaling a puff of white smoke from his wide-open mouth, his eyes suddenly snapped open.
“…Hah! What was I doing…?!”
The eyes he opened were no longer the dull, murky eyes from before; they were clear and sparkling.
“Is this a cursed tool?! N-no way, was I really trying to attach something like this to a golem?! Unbelievable. What a horrible thing to do…!”
The man collapsed, his face twisted in despair. He immediately scrambled back up and began confessing to me.
“I used to conduct golem research at Bertram. But then that boy arrived, and I was ousted from my position in the blink of an eye. I was consumed by a grudge… Thank you for stopping me. I will atone for what I’ve done.”
I see, so he was Ido’s predecessor. If a child like that had taken his job, it was understandable that he’d be driven by jealousy. In any case, the purification seemed to be a success.
“As usual, the effect is incredible-ssu. Master Lloyd’s holy magic is something else-ssu.”
“Indeed. While holy magic naturally purifies a person's wicked heart, only Master Lloyd could make it this potent,” Jiriel added.
While bowing his head, the man began confessing his actions to the arena guards. By the way, that man seemed to recognize me earlier, but I wonder what that was about. I forgot to ask. Oh well. I’d accomplished my goal, so there was no need to linger. I decided to retreat before the scene became a full-blown commotion.
“Please wait! Lloyd!”
I turned around at the sound of my name and found Ido standing there.
“Why did you stop him? If that cursed tool had been attached, Leonhart wouldn't have been able to move properly. If that happened, you would have had a massive advantage. There was no benefit for you in doing this.”
“Why…? That's a strange thing to ask. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be able to fight at full power. Since you said you wanted to fight with everything you have, I figured we felt the same way.”
Ido looked genuinely shocked by my words.
“Do you… really want to fight me at full power?”
“I’ve said so several times now.”
Ido’s face was dazed for a moment, but then his mouth softened and a visible tremor ran through his body. It looked like a warrior's thrill. He wore a grin he couldn't seem to contain.
“…It is an honor. I am truly happy, Lloyd. Finally, you’re going to fight me for real!”
“Of course. Make sure it's entertaining.”
“Yes, yes! Of course! Let's make it the greatest battle ever!”
I shook the hand that Ido held out. Finally… I wondered what he meant by that. Well, I’d find out soon enough.
Regardless, the finals were happening tomorrow.