Once Jin finished sharing his observations, Commander Gene Fulsort Raxeve of the 2nd Frontier Corps spoke up.
"Earlier, you mentioned that they are unsuited for wielding swords. May I ask why?"
"Well, you see, it comes down to their design format. They're built in what's known as the 'ball-joint style,' and because that lacks flexibility, I judged that they aren't particularly suited for swordsmanship that demands delicate blade work."
"I see... So you can identify their build just by looking at them, Jin-dono."
Minister of Technology Jarbee Keef voiced his admiration.
"Roughly speaking, yes. From how the exterior armor links together, or how the torso is finished. It's even more obvious once they move a little."
"I see, I see."
At this point, Madaim Luha spoke up once more.
"...So Jin-dono's golem is not of this 'ball-joint style'?"
"That's correct. It's an Adriana-style Golem, a design developed by the First Generation."
"...Hmph. In that case, would you be willing to demonstrate a comparison to show us just how much they differ?"
His tone carried a distinct undertone of lingering skepticism.
Cracking an internal wry smile, Jin readily agreed.
"Sure, that's fine by me."
"This Hope here is an Adriana-style Golem. It should serve well for an explanation....Please bring out a few units from your side for comparison."
"Very well. These three units, then."
Though they looked nearly identical on the outside, Jin could discern slight structural variations among them the moment they took five paces forward.
One was somewhat lighter, though its skeleton was correspondingly fragile.
One was powerful, but that extra bulk made it heavy and narrowed the range of motion in its joints.
One possessed the highest physical finish among the three, but its control system seemed unable to keep up.
"Now then, please bend forward."
When Hope bent forward, its palms rested flat against the ground. The three units from the Norha Principality, however, could only bend at the waist by about sixty degrees, making it no contest at all.
"Twist your upper body and look behind you."
By twisting its neck and waist in tandem, Hope rotated its body nearly 180 degrees, whereas the three Norha Principality units managed only about ninety.
Next, they tested lateral and backward bending, but in every case, the three Norha units possessed only about half of Hope's range of motion.
"...As you can see."
"I see. It appears Hope possesses flexibility comparable to—no, greater than—that of a human. But what does that have to do with combat?"
Madaim Luha still seemed unconvinced.
"In that case, shall we have them conduct a one-on-one sham fight using staves?"
"That sounds splendid."
Without the slightest hesitation, Madaim Luha accepted Jin's proposal. He procured two training staves made of sturdy wood, handing one to Hope and the other to one of the Norha Golems.
"Then we shall take this opportunity to learn from you."
Before Jin could even respond, Madaim Luha barked a combat order to his golem.
"Go!"
Charging forward with enough force to gouge the earth of the drill grounds, the Norha Golem lunged straight ahead, thrusting its staff toward Hope's chest with all its might.
However, Hope slipped the thrust by tilting its upper body to the right while unleashing a sweeping horizontal strike in return.
The Norha Golem barely managed to parry the blow, immediately pressing forward to deliver a body slam.
Yet Hope twisted its torso to dodge the charge, and as the golem stumbled from having its attack evaded, Hope delivered another sweeping strike squarely at its exposed back.
Unable to block it this time, the Norha Golem took the blow across the shoulder and crashed to the ground.
"Ohh!"
The onlookers gasped, having just witnessed Hope evade the Norha Golem's assault with minimal movement and execute an instant counterattack.
"I see. I have now witnessed a practical example of how flexibility can be applied in combat."
Commander Gene Fulsort Raxeve of the 2nd Frontier Corps bowed respectfully toward Jin.
"Guh..."
"Madaim, that is enough. Stop being so stubborn."
Gene tried to soothe the visibly frustrated Madaim Luha, but the man protested.
"...A golem's true worth lies in group combat. In a large-scale engagement, differences in flexibility would hardly—"
"Are you still going on about that?"
Minister of Military Affairs Zonata Nictes Vecchio sounded rather exasperated as well.
"Madaim is loyal to a fault, but quite the stubborn fellow..."
Commander Gene offered a wry smile as he replied to the minister of military affairs.
Seeing that the discussion was going nowhere at this rate, Jin chimed in.
"In that case, why not send several units against Hope at once?"
"...Jin-dono, are you certain?"
The minister of military affairs asked with a hint of concern, but Jin maintained a composed expression.
"Yes. After all, the goal is to make sure everyone is convinced."
It wasn't that he was looking down on them.
Judging from their movements earlier, the plain and simple truth was that Hope could handle fifty of them on its own.
Just then, Reiko piped up with a request.
"Father, would you please allow me to participate as well?"
"Oh! That would be fantastic!" exclaimed First Prince Zifola Movie de Norha.
"To witness the fighting prowess of the legendary Lady Reiko with my own eyes—what incredible fortune! By all means..."
"...Your Highness."
The minister of military affairs cut in, attempting to cool the prince's excitement.
"O-Oh, forgive me....However, my desire to see it is entirely sincere."
The prince flushed slightly with embarrassment, a reaction befitting his actual age.
"...I don't mind letting Reiko participate, but isn't that straying from our original point?"
What was supposed to be an evaluation of golem models and performance had somehow turned into an exhibition match.
"Jin-dono, we would be deeply honored if you would show us Lady Reiko in action."
"Eh..."
With even Minister of Technology Jarbee Keef making the request, Jin gave a wry smile and consented.
"Very well, then, if that will satisfy everyone....Reiko, Hope, are you ready?"
Here, Jin cast a glance toward Madaim Luha.
"Back then, it was Hanako and Hope, but this time, Reiko and Hope will be your opponents."
Jin realized that even if their forces were completely overwhelmed, that was precisely what they wanted to see anyway.
With that in mind, he gave a quiet instruction.
"Reiko, Hope, overwhelm them cleanly."
When he then added, "Feel free to send all thirty of your units at once," Madaim Luha bristled with indignation.
"Are you certain? You cannot take that back, you know."
"Yes. Back then there were twenty, but now there are thirty. It should make for a decent show," Jin stated rather bluntly.
He was beginning to want to bring this whole farce to a swift close.