The following day arrived. The sky was a brilliant blue, the wind was brisk—a perfect day for a spectacle.
The eyes of the massive crowd were fixed on the arena's center, where two Golems stood facing each other.
"The Golem Fight has reached its climax! Finally, finally, the final match is upon ussss!"
High-strung as ever, the announcer shouted while gesturing toward Diguardia.
"A first-time entry that has fought its way up with overwhelming strength, the pride of Saloom, the Crimson Dragon—its name is Diguardia! Its pilot is the Third Prince, Zerof! Up until now, he has crushed his opponents with devastating firepower! Will we see that majestic figure again in the finals?! Stay tuned!"
A roar of "Waaaaaa!" erupted from the stands.
There had been plenty of people here yesterday, but today the crowd seemed to have doubled in size.
"Ho, it seems Master Zerof has become quite popular," Jiriel remarked.
"That's 'cause he’s strong, Boss. Once you get results, the crowd starts seeing even that surliness of his in a good light-ssu," Grimo added.
As Jiriel and Grimo noted, Zerof’s popularity did indeed seem to be on the rise. At the start of the tournament, he wouldn't even acknowledge the cheers, which had led to a fair amount of booing. Perhaps he had finally grown used to the attention, as he was at least returning the crowd's gaze now. Honestly, he could at least wave his hand.
"Opposing him—the winner of the previous tournament, piloted by Bertram’s greatest alchemist, Competitor Ido... Leonhart! Will that overwhelming speed be on display in the finals as well?! Expectations are sky-high for this one tooooo!"
A thunderous "Dooooh!" of applause exploded, even louder than before.
I suppose that’s the advantage of being on home turf. Ido waved back to the crowd as the cheers made the very ground tremble.
"The firepower of Diguardia versus the speed of Leonhart—who will win and who will fall?! I must admit, I was so excited I couldn't sleep a wink last night! Now, both competitors, please begin your final preparations!"
Following the announcer's instructions, the final stage began.
That said, the inspections were already finished. All that remained was for Zerof to board and perform the final system checks. However, Zerof didn't move.
"Zerof-niisan, is something wrong?"
"Ah... somehow, well, my gastrointestinal condition is... unfavorable..."
Zerof let out a thin, pained groan.
"A stomach ache? Perhaps the intense stress has disrupted your constitution," Jiriel said worriedly.
Hmm. It was hard to imagine a man as indifferent to others as Zerof suffering from something like stress.
"I smell a lingering scent of mana, Boss... It looks like he's under the influence of some kind of magic-ssu," Grimo noted.
I focused my vision with Magic Focus. Looking closely, I could see the faint traces of mana. Following the trail back to its source...
"Ido, huh."
It seemed Ido had cast a spell on Zerof.
"In this physical state, the final match would be impossible. Lloyd, you take my place."
"Zerof-niisan... are you sure about this?"
"It is better than Diguardia losing without being able to demonstrate its true power. I'm counting on you, Lloyd."
Zerof had been looking forward to this battle more than anyone. He had spent countless hours maintaining Diguardia and preparing for this very moment. He must have desperately wanted to fight this match himself. This was clearly a painful decision for him.
I nodded slowly. "I understand."
"I am truly glad I brought you along. Well then, I leave the rest to you... Ugh, I'm at my limit..."
Leaving those words behind, Zerof dashed toward the restrooms at full speed.
"Zerof-niisan, I will surely avenge you...!"
"Master Lloyd, for someone saying those words, you've got quite the grin on your face-ssu..."
Oops. My cheeks had loosened up without me realizing it. Well, it might be a bit conspicuous, but I couldn't exactly refuse after things had been set up so perfectly. Besides, I feel bad for Zerof, but I’d been dying to take the controls myself.
"Ohhh?! It seems we have a pilot substitution—?! In place of Competitor Zerof, Competitor Lloyd, who has been providing support until now, will pilot Diguardia!"
As the announcer’s voice echoed throughout the stadium, I stepped onto Diguardia's palm. It rose automatically to the chest, where the armor plating slid open to reveal the cockpit.
"Lloyd! Good luck! You can do it!"
"Don't you dare lose, Little Roddy!"
I waved back at Albert and Dian as they cheered from the stands.
"Master Lloyd! Fight on!"
"Good luck!"
"Kick his butt, I say!"
Sylpha, Ren, and Tao were there too. When had they prepared those? They were waving banners with my name emblazoned on them. I hadn't wanted to stand out too much... but I suppose it was far too late for that.
Regardless, I climbed inside, closed the hatch, and pushed the activation lever forward. With a low hum, Diguardia slowly stood up. The Magic Boards lining the interior of the cockpit projected the world outside in every direction.
"Whew, no matter how many times I see it, this thing is incredible-ssu. It projects the outside view onto the Magic Boards through the Golem's eyes, right?"
"To be precise, they're cameras. Since they're attached all over the frame, even spots that would be blind spots for human eyes are shown perfectly."
"Mmm... while I was unaware, human technology has advanced to such heights..."
Diguardia utilized various other technologies to function as well. I intended to let it unleash every bit of its potential.
"Can you hear me, Lloyd?"
A voice echoed directly in my mind. It was Ido. He was using Telepathy, a magic that allows conversation through thought. I gave a short "Yeah" in response.
"I apologize for what I did to Master Zerof. But I've already dispelled the technique, so he should be fine soon."
"Did you want to fight me that badly?"
"Of course. There is no meaning in this for me unless I defeat a Golem piloted by you. So, Lloyd, please... fight me with everything you have!"
Ido pressed the point with intense conviction. While that was my intention as well, his manner seemed almost desperate.
"He's quite passionate, isn't he, Master Lloyd? Do you really not remember him-ssu?"
"I have no memory of him at all."
"How pitiful... but I suppose it can't be helped. To Master Lloyd, such things are mere trifles."
"Either way, I'll find out once I win."
As I operated the control panel and flipped the switches, the whirring of the drive grew louder. The grinding of gears, the hum of the power source, the rasp of metal on metal—all of it merged into a single roar that filled the cockpit.
It wasn't unpleasant. Rather, a comfortable sense of exhilaration wrapped around me. I let a smile play across my lips and pushed the lever all the way down.
"Diguardia, active."
As if responding to my voice, Diguardia stood tall and lifted its head. With a sharp metallic ring, its eyes lit up, glaring at the enemy. Directly ahead, I could see Leonhart dropping into its own combat stance.