"The actors are in place."
"Then, let us begin."
* * *
The Royal Castle of the Kingdom of Egerea was reputed to be a fortress of ironclad defense.
Its architectural design was rooted in the bitter lessons learned during the Great Magic War. The outer walls were built to withstand physical assaults, while the inner walls were specialized for magical defense. On top of that, a magical barrier stood guard to keep out any suspicious intruders. Finally, the castle was garrisoned by a selection of elite royal ritters and high-performance golem soldiers.
These factors combined to earn the Royal Castle of Egerea its reputation as an impregnable stronghold.
* * *
The golem unveiling had commenced before noon, but because the ceremony had dragged on for over two hours, it was now well past midday.
Jin was beginning to feel thoroughly fed up.
At the King’s command, preparations for a late luncheon finally got underway. Maidservants began setting tables and bringing out various dishes, though it looked like it would be a while longer before everything was ready.
Taking advantage of the break, Beena headed off to pay her respects to her former mentor, Gladia Hampton. Having nothing better to do, Jin followed along behind her.
"Master, it has been a long time."
Gladia Hampton, who had been chatting with someone nearby, paused and looked at Beena.
"...And you were who, exactly?" he asked, his expression one of complete indifference.
"Have you forgotten? It’s Beena. I was under your tutelage until last year."
Hampton considered this for a moment. Finally, he seemed to recall her. "Oh, it’s you. Forgive me, I have a great many students."
"No, please don't let it concern you."
"So, what brings you here? Did you build a golem as well? I don’t recall hearing your name called."
"Eh, no, well, you see..."
As Beena fumbled for an answer, Jin stepped in to provide a lifeline.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Hampton. Beena has been serving as my assistant, which is why she is in attendance today."
"And you are?"
"Ah, forgive my late introduction. My name is Jin."
"Hmph. And?"
"No, that's all. Come on, Beena, you've said your piece. Let's go."
With that, Jin pulled Beena away from Gladia Hampton. The man immediately resumed his conversation with his companion, seemingly having forgotten Beena existed the moment she turned her back.
"..."
Beena was visibly dejected. In some small corner of her heart, she had hoped her mentor would see how much she had grown and perhaps offer a word of praise. Instead, those hopes had been coldly dismissed.
"Well, that's just the way it goes, isn't it?" Jin said, choosing his words carefully to comfort her. "From a teacher's perspective, they have hundreds of students. To the student, there’s only one teacher, but the teacher sees a massive crowd. It’s hard for them to remember everyone."
"...Yeah, you're right. I suppose so. Thanks, Jin."
Jin pulled the slightly cheered-up Beena toward the buffet tables. He was hungry, and Beena joined him with a bit more energy as they walked toward the spread of food.
* * *
Elradrite—a gemstone capable of magnifying magical power.
A standard Elradrite can amplify magic by twenty times. If you combine two, the effect becomes four hundred times. And if you combine two more?
The theoretical answer is a hundred and sixty thousand times. Even if the actual performance didn't follow the math perfectly, it would certainly not fall below a hundred thousand.
That massive surge of magical power made it possible to perform a task that usually required physical contact: the remote overwriting of a control core's magi-formula from a distance of twenty meters.
"Erase. Write In."
The golems received their new master's command and unleashed their full, hidden potential.
* * *
A chill raced down Jin’s spine.
It was the same signature of magical power he had sensed just a short while ago.
"J-Jin, wha's wrong?" Beena asked, her cheeks stuffed with meat.
Jin’s face turned grim. "Beena, watch out!"
"Huh?"
"Gyaaaaaah!"
In that instant, a blood-curdling scream tore through the hall.
"Beena, over here!"
"Wait—kya?!"
Jin grabbed her, pulling her back so suddenly she stumbled. He caught her before she could fall and activated a magic tool.
"Barrier."
The golems at the Golem Party—including the utility units that had been helping the maidservants set the tables—had all begun to rampage.
"Kyaaa!"
"Gah!"
The sounds of destruction and terrified screams filled the air.
"W-What is the meaning of this?!"
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, stay back! I shall protect you!"
However, not every golem had turned.
"Are you... alright, Lotte?" Jin asked.
"Yes," the golem replied.
It was Jin's creation, Lotte. And—
"Schwarzritter! Stop the berserk golems!"
"Jawohl."
Reinhard’s Schwarzritter was also still functional.
"Damn it! Tauros, what’s happened to you?!"
"Ahhh! My Elios!"
Every other golem had broken free from its master’s control, rampaging through the room at will.
"Gyak!"
"Enough! Stop! I command you to stop!"
The royal ritters present fought desperately, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. A group of fewer than ten men stood no chance of suppressing over forty golems. They swung their swords, but their opponents were metal dolls that felt no pain, while they were only flesh and blood. Nine men became eight; eight became seven.
In the midst of the carnage, the royal ritter vice captain stationed near the King and the Prince was holding his own.
"Hah!"
Among the guests, only the royal ritters were permitted to carry weapons. Vice Captain Bruno wielded a masterwork blade coated in adamantite. When swung with his full strength, the sword was sharp enough to slice clean through a bronze golem.
Bruno had just cut down his third opponent.
"Your Majesty! I will hold the line! Please, escape while you can!"
"U-Umu."
King Egerea grabbed Prince Ernest and stood to flee. Only Lotte followed to guard them. They made a break for the emergency exit in the corner of the hall.
But just as they reached it, the door burst open. A tide of castle security golems came flooding in, cutting off their escape.