"Indeed. Jin-dono’s... Hope, was it? That golem is... quite something."
"Thank you very much."
Jin felt it was about time they stopped the fight, but no one seemed inclined to do so. They likely viewed it as a form of entertainment.
"Are you the magi they call Jin?"
A voice called out from behind him. Turning around, Jin saw Groma Tray—the technician who had created Hope's opponent—approaching them.
"I'm Jin."
"Oh, so you're the one..."
Groma stared at Jin intently.
"And who might you be?"
Eira’s voice rang out. She had apparently come down from the second floor.
"Who am I? Who are you?"
"I'm Jin's teammate."
"Teammate?"
Eira gave a firm nod. "Don't tell me you don't know what a team is? It’s a group of people working together toward a single goal. And a 'mate' is one of those people."
Groma took offense at her tone. "I know that much!"
But Eira wasn't finished. "If you know, then say so. I just wasted my breath giving you an explanation you didn't need. I can't stand a dense slowpoke who can't take a hint."
"Who are you calling a slowpoke!?"
"Well, there's no one else here, is there? Are you an idiot as well as a slowpoke?"
Eira's tongue was as sharp as ever.
"Why, you...!" Groma’s anger finally boiled over.
"Eira, leave it at that," Jin interjected.
"Ahaha, I couldn't help it. He gives such a great reaction....Sorry about that, Guro-dono."
"It's not Guro! It's Groma!"
"Right, right. Groma, was it?"
"I told you to stop."
"Fine, fine....So, what does the great Master Groma want with us?"
"I didn't have business with you! My business is with Jin."
In the background, Hope had finally shifted to the counteroffensive. The roar of the spectating soldiers was almost deafening.
"So, what is it?"
"Hurry up and spit it out, Slow-ma."
"Who do you think is the one interrupting me!?"
"Eira, that's enough."
Eira finally seemed satisfied and stepped back a bit. Jin turned to Groma with a wry smile.
"And...?"
"Ah, I've lost my momentum... Jin, did you really build that golem yourself?"
"Yes, more or less."
"Hmm..." Groma fell into a pensive silence at Jin's confirmation.
"Is something wrong?"
"...No. It's just been a long time since I've met a technician who could make me groan in admiration....By the way, where are you from? Mitsuho? Or perhaps Fusou Island?"
"Where are you from?" Jin countered.
"I'm from Fusou Island. And you?"
"...I don't remember clearly. I was caught in a teleportation accident, and when I woke up, I was in this country."
Groma frowned. "I've never heard of such a thing. I can't say it's impossible, as there are records of such accidents from the distant past, but memory loss is impossible according to the principles of teleportation."
"...You know the principles of teleportation?"
"Only the theory. It's a technology restricted to only a select few technicians."
"I see." Jin realized he had to reconsider his opinion of Groma Tray.
"In the first place, a Warp Gate is a tunnel connecting two points. Passing through one shouldn't do anything to your mind."
"In that case, perhaps I received a physical shock to my head separately from the teleportation."
"Well, I suppose that's plausible."
Just then, a massive roar erupted from the crowd. Hope had landed a clean hit on Groma’s golem.
"Hmph, I've lost, then....That's enough!" Groma commanded his golem to stop even as it tried to continue the fight.
"Hope, stand down." Jin also called a halt.
"Jin, I'll take the loss for today. However, that was just a prototype. The one I'm currently building will have several times its performance. When it's finished, I'll show you I can completely overwhelm your golem!"
With that parting shot, Groma turned on his heel and walked away.
"...Seriously, what was he even here for?"
Jin suspected Groma's claim about losing his momentum because of Eira was actually true. He got the impression that, underneath it all, Groma had genuinely wanted to talk shop.
"That was magnificent, Jin!" Paerova approached and slapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks to you, my reputation is secured."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"With this, my voice will carry more weight within the Ducal Palace."
Paerova glanced over at Pegin Vorontov, who was standing some distance away, glaring at them with pure venom. They watched Groma approach him, only for Pegin to start shouting at him with a terrifying intensity.
However, after Groma spoke a few words, Pegin's rage seemed to evaporate, replaced by a thin, mocking smile. Jin decided then and there that he would never like a man like Pegin Vorontov.
"Hmm, the joints have definitely started to rattle."
Jin was performing maintenance on the returned Hope. The intense, prolonged movement had worn down the joint sections. Since he had only used Hardening on them, it was to be expected.
"But that was amazing! At first, it looked like he was losing, but then he just kept getting stronger. That means Hope was learning, right?"
"That's right," Jin replied to Eira's question as he worked.
"Jin-san, is it rare for a golem to be able to learn?" Kachea asked. Jin hesitated on how to answer.
"I'm not sure. I've always considered it a standard feature."
Eira interjected, "That Guro guy was acting all high and mighty, but his golem couldn't learn, could it? If someone like that is considered top-class, that tells you everything you need to know about the local standards."
"Ah, that's true," Kachea agreed.
"I suspect the control core's memory region has a low capacity, or the magi-sequence of its memory system is poorly constructed."
"Incredible... you can tell all that just by looking?...I'm telling you, Jin, you're a magi far too good for this country."
"Where did that come from?"
"It's not sudden. Just... a thought." Eira fell into a pensive silence. Jin didn't push her for more information.