Reinhard was currently conversing with Donald, a magi craftman from the Celuroa Kingdom, and the automata Elena.
Their discussion had turned to the structural design of golems.
"Indeed. Modern golems are far too simple—crude, really. Golems of the past were crafted with far more intricacy," Elena remarked.
"I agree. Golems and automata are modeled after humans. If that is the case, why do they not mimic human anatomy more closely?"
Reinhard, having grown talkative without realizing it, spoke these words and thought he saw a flicker in Elena's eyes.
"Lord Reinhard, I have heard from Lord Donald that you also create internal-skeleton-type golems."
"Yes. Until recently, I was using soft magi-resin. However, I eventually realized that was insufficient."
Elena stared fixedly at him. "Did you come up with that yourself, Lord Reinhard? Or did you have a specific model in mind?"
As she asked the question, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"It was... because I heard that Adri—Adriana Barbora Tsetse made golems like that."
Reinhard had nearly let Jin's name slip and hurriedly covered his track. However, upon hearing that name, Elena's countenance twisted.
"Adriana, you say?! Does that woman still intend to stand in my way even after a thousand years?!"
"...Huh?"
Her crimson eyes burned with intensity. The faint haze that had been clouding Reinhard's mind suddenly vanished; in its place, he felt a surge of mortal danger and tried to stand. Elena, however, was faster.
In an instant, she kicked the table aside and closed the distance. Just as she reached out to seize his throat and strangle him—
"We will not allow that!"
Sage and Cosmos, the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) golems guarding Reinhard, appeared and intercepted her.
"What! This movement... this vibration... it belongs to Adriana!"
Shouting this, Elena shifted her target from Reinhard to the two SP golems.
Reinhard retreated to the corner of the room and woke up the Black Knight Noir. Meanwhile, Donald took up a position opposite Reinhard, accompanied by Golem 457.
Elena fought valiantly against both Sage and Cosmos. In fact, she seemed to hold a slight upper hand.
"Heh, so this is all you amount to? Adriana's work was stronger in the old days!" Elena toyed with Sage and Cosmos, tossing out words to no one in particular.
"What is happening here?!"
Three guards who had been waiting in the hallway burst into the room, alerted by the commotion. Seeing them, Donald gave an order that was barely more than a murmur.
"457."
In that moment, Fire Bullets erupted from 457's hands. Sixty in total.
The twenty Fire Bullets fired at each man pierced their heads, chests, shoulders, stomachs, hands, and legs, reaping their lives in the blink of an eye.
"You monster! Flame Ball!"
Seeing this, Reinhard launched a Flame Ball at Donald. The sphere of fire, nearly a meter in diameter, was not the kind of magic one typically used indoors. However, 457 extinguished the approaching orb simply by touching it with its palm.
"What...?"
"Hahaha, Reinhard, it is a pity. Personally, I wanted to bring you over to our side, but now that Elena has reached this state, that is no longer an option. Therefore, there is only one path for me to take. For the sake of our future, you must die."
With that, Donald gave the order to Golem 457. "Kill Reinhard!"
"I won't let you get me that easily! Noir, engage!"
And so, a two-front battle began: the Black Knight Noir versus Golem 457, and Secret Mobile Unit (SP) Sage and Cosmos versus Elena.
Sage and Cosmos were struggling. Even with the martial arts techniques of veteran intelligence agents, they were no match for Elena's raw capabilities.
"How cheeky for such defective works!"
However, because it was two against one, they managed to maintain a stalemate. Additionally, the movement of Elena's left arm was slightly inferior to her right, allowing them to exploit openings. Even so, Elena was superior in both speed and power. Sage and Cosmos relied on a level of coordination possible only between identical models to fight without taking any fatal blows.
Meanwhile, Noir and 457 continued their battle, smashing through the walls. Noir was superior in power and speed, while 457 made full use of specialized techniques and magic. A Wind Cutter released by 457 had just crumbled another wall.
"W-What is going on?!"
The inn staff came running at the noise, but they turned on their heels and fled the moment they saw the golems battling in the cramped space.
"Reinhard!"
Mattheus arrived at the scene with ten subordinates. Three of them were magi.
"Oh, Mattheus!"
"What on earth is this?"
"I don't know either. They suddenly attacked me."
Since Donald had mentioned wanting to recruit him, Reinhard suspected the Unifilar were involved, but without proof, he hesitated to say it aloud.
"Donald Carroux Alpha! Attacking a diplomat of the Shouro Empire... have you lost your mind?!" Mattheus called out, but Donald ignored him.
"I can't imagine it is, but could it be... Seduce...?"
Elena reacted to Reinhard's murmur. "You know of Seduce! Now I truly cannot let you live!"
As she spoke, she threw Sage toward Cosmos. The two golems tumbled over one another. In that brief opening, Elena closed in on Reinhard and released a Wind Slash.
The invisible blade of wind seemed poised to tear Reinhard apart, but it shattered and vanished right before hitting him.
"What!"
It had been blocked by the barrier Reinhard had activated at the start of the fight.
"Phew... I have Jin to thank for this," Reinhard breathed a sigh of internal relief.
Sage caught Elena when her movements slowed slightly upon seeing the Wind Slash fail. Sage twisted Elena's left arm and threw her with a shoulder toss. Elena crashed through the glass of a window and was hurled outside.
They were on the second floor, but Elena regained her posture in mid-air and landed safely. She shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Donald! That's enough! I've seen what they're capable of—let's withdraw!"
Donald heard her, but he was currently surrounded by Mattheus's men. Golem 457 was being held down by the combined efforts of the Black Knight Noir, Sage, and Cosmos.
"Donald Carroux Alpha! The Shouro Empire is taking you into custody for the crime of injuring a diplomat!" Mattheus declared, ordering his subordinates to bind the man.
"Heh... Hehehe... You think you've caught me with this?" Even while bound, Donald remained defiant. "Did you think I would do such a thing without any back-up?"
Before he could even finish, the hallway wall crumbled as ten golems came pouring in.
"Uooo!"
"Mattheus!"
Mattheus and his ten subordinates were easily blown aside. Noir, Sage, and Cosmos followed, caught off guard by the sudden reinforcements.
"Hehehe, this is my true strength. The likes of a Black Knight or some mysterious golems are no match for me." Donald rode on the shoulder of Golem 457, mocking everyone present.
"You are with the Unifilar, aren't you?" Reinhard asked, though it was more of a confirmation.
"Heh heh heh, exactly. I am the second seat of the Unifilar—the 'Wise Man who Knows the Past,' Donald Carroux." Donald was now openly arrogant.
"The one who knows the past, you say?"
"Yes. Before the Great Magic War, magic and magi craft were far more advanced. Restoring that era is our ultimate desire."
"Shut up! You speak so highly of yourself while starting wars and making innocent people suffer."
"Hmph. Those who cannot use magic are nothing more than an inferior species. Though our numbers dwindled in the Great Magic War, we magi are born rulers." Madness seeped into his voice.
"You're a fanatic!"
"Say what you like. In the end, it is nothing more than the howling of a loser. I truly am disappointed, Reinhard. You had the potential to be one of us."
"I would refuse even if you begged me. I know something much more wonderful than your past."
Donald seemed slightly intrigued. "Oh? And what is that?"
Reinhard took a deep breath. "It is the future."
"What?" Donald was taken aback by the unexpected answer.
"You who are haunted by the ghosts of the past would not understand. Magic is useful, certainly, but it is not absolute. Beyond magic, there are other forces in this world that must be understood and utilized."
"Forces to be understood and utilized?"
"Someday, you will understand. But by then, it will be too late," Reinhard said, looking Donald straight in the eye.
"Hmph. Nonsense. We have nothing left to discuss. Golems, crush them!"
Donald gave the command. Mattheus also shouted to his subordinates. "Engage them!"
The ten golems attacked. Meeting them were Reinhard, Mattheus, the soldiers, the Black Knight Noir, and the SPs, Sage and Cosmos.
The battle did not last long.
The SP golems were custom-made by Jin. Even though they were Donald's creations, the unnumbered golems were no match for them. This only further highlighted Elena's exceptional strength.
Noir also played an active role, and Mattheus's subordinates fought hard. In less than five minutes, the ten golems fell silent. However, Donald and Golem 457 had already vanished.
"What on earth was that?" Mattheus asked as things finally calmed down.
"They were from the Unifilar. They came to kill me."
"That is why I warned you to stay at the supply base instead of an inn like this," Mattheus grumbled.
"No, well, that place... you know, Major Fritz is there, right?" Reinhard trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
"...Well, I understand how you feel. I'm not fond of him either. But listen, you can't do anything if you're dead."
"I suppose you're right..."
Reinhard felt he had no choice but to follow his friend's advice for now.
Then, he noticed that the manacam he had received from Jin was broken. He slumped, visibly depressed. Mattheus, not knowing the true reason for his gloom, patted him on the shoulder with a knowing, sympathetic look.