In the infirmary, the man who had lost consciousness finally came around and attempted to sit up.
"Doctor, is it all right for the patient to move?" the hired caregiver asked the healer, looking concerned.
"He should be fine now," the healer replied in a somewhat dismissive tone. The caregiver offered a hand, helping the man sit up.
"Um, may I ask your name?" the caregiver inquired as the man settled himself on the edge of the bed.
"I am... Ga... Garik. Garik Ash."
"Mr. Garik, then. Well, take care of yourself."
The caregiver recorded the name in the infirmary's log and allowed the man calling himself Garik to leave without further delay.
Garik stopped suddenly and turned back to ask a question. "Ah, what happened to my carriage? And my cargo?"
"Oh, the carriage has been moved to the edge of the parking lot. Some of the cargo overturned, but it has been loaded back up."
"What!" Garik’s face turned pale. "The contents! Are the contents safe!?"
"Well? You're asking the wrong person..."
"...I see." As soon as the caregiver answered, Garik dashed toward the parking lot.
"...It was safe..." After checking the cargo, Garik let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Part of the armor is damaged, but this much shouldn't be a problem. Still, I wonder what happened to the fragments."
Garik hesitated, wondering whether he should search for the missing pieces or fulfill his original objective.
"...The objective takes priority."
Just then, the two security guards who had assisted him earlier spotted Garik and approached.
"Hey there, feeling better now?"
"Eh? Oh, yes. It seems I've caused you some trouble..." Garik didn't recognize the guards' faces, but he surmised they were either the ones who had carried him to the infirmary or the ones who had moved his carriage.
"No, that’s fine. However, our primary duty is guarding this Gonpetition venue, you see. We'd like to inspect your cargo." They explained that they needed to ensure no dangerous materials were being brought in.
"Oh, certainly. Go ahead." Garik nodded with a friendly smile and pointed to the armor first. "As you can see, this is armor. It has a special structure that makes it incredibly lightweight. However, the downside is that it’s somewhat fragile because of that..."
"Hmm, I see. It’s a bit chipped; likely from the accident earlier." The guard nodded, accepting Garik's explanation. "And what about these barrels?" He pointed to the barrels that had produced a heavy, dull thud when tapped earlier.
"Ah, I'm not sure if you're familiar with it, but that is mercury."
General awareness regarding the dangers of mercury was still virtually nonexistent in this world. Consequently, the guard was satisfied with the answer.
"Ho, mercury, is it? Then are you... Sorry, could you tell me your name?"
"Ah, yes. My name is Garik. Garik Ash."
"I see. Then, Mr. Garik, are you an alchemist?"
Mercury was a liquid metal well-known for its use in alchemy.
"Yes, that is correct," Garik nodded.
"I see. That explains it. Mercury is quite heavy, isn't it?"
"Yes. It's lighter than gold, but heavier than iron, copper, or lead."
"Hmm... If you don't mind, could you tell me what you plan to use that mercury for?"
Garik looked slightly troubled by the question. "That's a bit difficult... For an alchemist, revealing one's methods is a matter of life and death."
"I-I see. My apologies for prying."
Garik gave a thin smile. "No, it's quite all right."
After exchanging a few more words, Garik parted from the guards and headed toward the Gonpetition venue.
"I'd like to watch the Gonpetition."
"Only the final match is left. You're quite the enthusiast," the attendant noted.
Garik only offered a wry smile in response. He paid the entrance fee of 200 Toll and headed to the standing-room section at the very back; the seats were already completely full. Although he was watching from the rear, a large magi-screen was positioned for clear viewing, so it wasn't an issue.
"...I made it in time."
Slightly before that, Vivienne and Lucol were already in the spectator stands.
"To think only the final match is left. They could have at least given us a half-price discount," Lucol grumbled.
However, Vivienne was focused on the golem about to fight in the finals and didn't bother responding. Her gaze was fixed intently on No. 41, Phantom.
[And now, the excitement of the Gonpetition finally reaches its climax! We have come to the final match!]
The final mock battle was about to begin.
[No. 40, Mr. Donald Callow's Alte Krieger, versus No. 41, Mr. Jix's Phantom! This is a clash between the first and second place in cumulative points thus far!]
[The very last match, the big one. I'm looking forward to it.]
The arena, which had been slightly damaged in the previous bouts, took about ten minutes to repair. Finally, the final match was underway. This time, both combatants were using longswords, held in a single hand.
[Commentator Tolf, what is your take on this?]
[Well, I believe this is the result of seeking more speed than a greatsword provides while maintaining more reach than a short sword.]
Jin, who was watching the match through his Doppel, shared that assessment.
"They likely both chose the size that would allow them to maximize their performance."
"But Jin-nii, why isn't Phantom using dual-wielding... a two-sword style?"
At Elsa's simple question, Jin fell into thought. "Hmm, let's see... I'm completely outside my expertise when it comes to martial arts, so this might be off the mark." With that preamble, Jin offered his perspective. "I think you can swing two swords if it's just 'forms,' but when it comes to an actual fight, I have my doubts."
"What do you mean?"
"In other words, assuming Phantom's control core has the processing capacity of two average golems, it would be possible to use a two-sword style if that capacity were split between controlling the left and right arms. However, Alte Krieger is a true warrior. You probably can't win without giving it your absolute all. In such a situation, it might be better... to concentrate the control core's processing capacity into a single sword."
[It is as My Lord says. At the very least, within my own control architecture, concentrating on a single task results in a twenty to thirty percent increase in efficiency compared to splitting resources and coordinating them.]
Laojun supported Jin's theory.
"I expect the efficiency increases because you don't need processing time for the act of 'coordinating' the limbs," Jin added.
In other words, because the unit didn't have to 'worry' about its limbs interfering with one another, it achieved better results by concentrating on a single blade. Jin had no idea if this applied to human swordsmen like Miyamoto Musashi; this was strictly a discussion regarding the motion control of golems.
"Oh, it's finally starting."
Jin and the others focused their attention on the magi-screen.