In March 3457, seven years ago, the Golem Party was held in Asunt, the capital of the Kingdom of Egerea, to celebrate the birthday of the Third Prince, Ernest.
During the event, the anti-social organization known as the Unifilar launched a terrorist attack to demonstrate their power. They seized control of nearly every golem present—both those being unveiled and those belonging to the castle—in a bid to overthrow the state.
However, their ambitions were crushed by the efforts of two golems that resisted their control, Lotte and the Black Knight, and a single automaton named Reiko.
The dignitaries of the Kingdom of Egerea, the guard knights, the soldiers, and the magi craftsmen of that time all looked upon Lotte, the Black Knight, and Reiko with a mixture of gratitude and awe. And it is said that more than a few among them harbored a secret ambition to one day create a golem that surpassed those three.
The magi craftsman Audrey "Red" Hanks was one such individual.
She was a technician with striking features and vivid red hair tied back in a ponytail. She had been attending the Golem Party with her mentor and uncle, Gladia Hampton, when the terror attack struck.
At the time, she was a twelve-year-old novice. Not understanding what was happening and fearing for her life, she had been trembling and weeping when she was saved by Reiko’s intervention. She watched as Reiko swung a mace Jin had hastily constructed, literally blowing the berserk golems away.
That overwhelming power and the unbelievable sight were seared into her mind forever.
Audrey grew to admire Reiko’s strength and dedicated herself to her craft. Now nineteen, she served as a Royal Magi Craftsman for the Kingdom of Egerea and had been granted the court name "Red." Though she held no formal title of nobility, she was accorded the treatment of a noble.
"Dolly, is that your new golem?"
Dolly was Audrey’s nickname. The man asking was her senior colleague, Gregory Bradley. With short-cropped brown hair and gray eyes, he was also a Royal Magi Craftsman.
"Yes, it is," Audrey replied curtly.
Today, she had come to the training grounds to conduct performance tests on her latest creation.
"Hmm. I can't tell what makes it different from your previous work... why do you insist on such small-class models, anyway?" Gregory asked, sounding perplexed.
"I suppose... because I want to capitalize on the advantages of being small."
"And what advantages are those?"
"Concentration of force and efficiency."
Even in a world governed by magic, physical laws remained absolute. The reason a petite, lightweight figure like Reiko could blow away massive golems was largely due to her applying force from the bottom up.
If one applies force from the top down, the body tends to lift; however, when striking from below, the reactive force pushes the user into the ground, functioning as a stabilizing component force that allows them to stand firm.
Of course, that was not the only factor. Reiko’s ability to stand her ground against giant opponents also relied on boot soles that maximized friction and the use of a force generator. Furthermore, before her force generator had been installed, she had used earth-attribute magic to fix her feet to the soil—though even someone as skilled as Audrey "Red" Hanks had not realized that part.
"...And that's why," Audrey finished her explanation.
"I see. That makes sense in its own way."
Of course, there were downsides to small designs. A smaller muscle cross-section meant a lower limit on output, and a thinner skeleton resulted in lower overall structural integrity. Their size also made them more difficult to manufacture. These were the negative points that immediately came to Gregory's mind.
However, these were not insurmountable problems; they were simply matters left to the creator's judgment. And Audrey had resolved almost all of them.
"Well, fine. You're going to run the new model's tests now?"
"Yes."
"Mind if I watch?"
"Do as you please."
Her response was blunt, but that was simply Audrey’s nature. She was not particularly skilled at socializing.
"No. 28, show me your run."
"Understood."
The golem known as No. 28 began to run across the training grounds. Its initial pace was roughly that of a jogging human.
"Good... Now, faster!"
Seeing that the movements were free of any hesitation or stagnation, Audrey ordered it to accelerate.
"Oh!" Gregory let out an involuntary shout.
No. 28’s speed climbed rapidly. Kicking up clouds of dust as it dashed across the grounds, it reached an estimated speed of nearly 200 kilometers per hour.
"That's fast," Gregory remarked.
But Audrey still looked dissatisfied. "I think I could make it even faster if I refined the running form and the shape of the soles."
In her mind, she could still see Reiko at the Golem Party. Back then, Reiko had moved at a speed the eye could barely track, scattering powerful golems like they were nothing.
"Cough, cough... No. 28, that's enough. Return."
The dust cloud kicked up by the run was becoming unbearable, so Audrey ended the speed test.
"Next, we test power. Lift those weights."
"Understood."
The weights used for power testing were not barbells, but solid blocks of metal. No. 28 lifted a 200-kilogram block with ease.
"Impressive."
Seeing the child-sized No. 28 perform such a feat was a surreal sight, but Audrey’s face remained stern. No. 28 then lifted 300 kilograms.
"Th-That's incredible."
Even among adult-type golems, only about half could lift 300 kilograms. No. 28’s performance was truly exceptional.
But Audrey pushed it further. It lifted 400 kilograms. Then 500. It successfully held the 500-kilogram block, though the paving stones beneath its feet began to crack.
At 550 kilograms, it failed on the first attempt. After adjusting its grip and trying three more times, it finally managed to lift the weight on the fourth try.
At 600 kilograms, it could not lift the block at all.
"To lift 550 kilograms at that size is a marvel!" Gregory praised her without reservation.
But Audrey merely said, "I’m not satisfied yet. If I become satisfied, then I’ve reached my limit."
She moved immediately to the next test: a mock battle against ten combat golems.
"Commence!"
At her command, ten golems armed with rods instead of swords set upon No. 28.
This was where another advantage of being "small" proved its worth. Because the target was so small, it was difficult to hit. Furthermore, fighting something at waist-height resulted in poor visibility, making it difficult to both attack and defend.
No. 28 understood this perfectly, delivering upward punches from a low posture.
"Whoa!"
Gregory gasped in admiration. A combat golem was sent flying by No. 28’s punch. It happened three times in rapid succession. The golems were launched over five meters into the air, falling to the ground and remaining still. They weren't broken; in these mock battles, units were programmed to withdraw if they sustained damage above a certain threshold.
"Hmm. Still not enough."
Gregory was stunned to hear Audrey’s quiet mutter. No. 28 was undoubtedly one of the highest-performing golems in the Kingdom of Egerea, yet she was still not content.
But the standard Audrey aimed for was Reiko—the peerless automata who could blow away a dozen golems with a single swing. Audrey believed that if Reiko were in this same mock battle, she would have sent all ten flying ten meters into the air in an instant.
She was right. Though that would have been Reiko at only twenty percent output.
"I might have reached the limit of these materials. I'll have to change them," Audrey muttered with a frown, watching No. 28 as it defeated the tenth combat golem.