The following day, I made my way to the Research Institute within the Royal Capital.
The Institute Director had contacted me, insisting on my presence. Coming from her, it was an invitation I could hardly refuse. There had likely been some sort of breakthrough in their research.
Yura accompanied me. This, too, was at the Director's request, as she had specifically asked that Yura attend. When I pressed for a reason, she simply claimed the matter concerned the girl as well.
"Demon King-sama! It is wonderful of you to come. I hope you are in good spirits today!"
The Director’s voice boomed the moment I arrived. I responded with my usual dry tone.
"Same as ever. And you?"
"Me? Why, I’m bursting with energy! My only frustration is that there are so many things I want to research and so little time to do it!"
The Director beamed at me, but her smile stood in stark contrast to her ghastly complexion. She was as pale as a corpse. Behind her glasses, her eyes were slightly out of focus. She was clearly immersing herself in her work at the expense of sleep. I had ordered her to rest, but she evidently had no intention of obeying.
In fact, I had occasionally received clandestine reports from the Research Institute Staff. According to them, the Director continued to work without pause no matter how many times they warned her. They had even resorted to using magic to force her into a deep sleep, but judging by her current state, the effects had been negligible.
I wondered if she might actually drop dead from overwork in the near future.
Perhaps the time had truly come to transform the Director into an Undead. She would likely accept the proposal with immediate enthusiasm. The immortal know no fatigue, and they are not bound by the limitations of a natural lifespan. She would be delighted.
Of course, I had no intention of doing so against her will. I also needed to consider which race would suit her best. I intended to give the matter serious consideration, perhaps alongside Luciana.
While I was lost in thought, the Director began staring intently at Yura. She approached the girl with a predatory glint in her eyes.
"Oho, so this is Yura-chan...!"
"Life-threatening danger detected—Master, requesting rescue."
Yura winced. Grabbing the edge of my sleeve, she ducked behind my back. I held out a hand to restrain the Director as she tried to circle around us.
"Do not be reckless. I believe I already informed you of what Yura is."
"The Great Spirit's Avatar, yes! My curiosity knows no bounds, I assure you, but I shall do my best to contain myself!"
The Director spoke with manic glee. I had laced my words with a hint of intimidation via a slight release of Magic Power, but she was not even remotely cowed. She possessed a formidable strength of will. In her case, her obsession with research likely overrode every other instinct. She was on the verge of losing her sanity entirely. She was a genius, albeit in a very different way than John Doe.
"Now then, this way, please. We’ll start by performing Yura-chan's Magic Power Registration. If we don't, the security Alarms will go off..."
Leading the way, the Director first registered Yura's signature using a Magic Tool. Afterward, we passed through the entrance checkpoint without incident.
"Regardless, thank you truly for the other day. The development documents from the Technomagic Kingdom you provided have been extremely useful, Demon King-sama."
"Do they seem like they will be of help?"
"Oh, they’re incredible! I believe they will lead to all sorts of inventions. I’m not joking when I say it was a literal treasure trove."
The Director spoke with a loose, giddy grin. Witnessing this, Yura subtly increased the distance between them. She seemed to have instinctively sensed a threat. Her judgment was not entirely incorrect.
Just as the Director said, I had provided the Research Institute with the weaponry and documents I had seized from the Technomagic Kingdom's Capital. There were likely a vast number of references for them to study. When I realized that this had only worsened the Director's chronic sleeplessness, I couldn't help but feel I had been a bit reckless.
Eventually, the Director came to a halt on the second basement floor. Before us stood a heavily reinforced door.
"We’re here! Right this way."
The Director unlocked it, and we followed her into the room. In the center of a wide, stark white space sat a familiar weapon. The Director pointed to it with a flourish, her voice brimming with pride.
"This is a Golem newly manufactured based on the captured models. It is Official Prototype 1 of the Demon King's Domain."
"Is this what you wanted to show me?"
"Yes! It finally took shape, so I wanted to unveil it to you first, Demon King-sama."
I walked up to the Golem. The last time I had been here, I had seen the models manufactured by the Technomagic Kingdom. This one, however, was the Institute's own development. Its general silhouette was familiar—constructed from numerous heavy parts, with the characteristic thick limbs and stout torso. On its back was the housing for the Magic Power source used for fuel.
One notable difference from the Technomagic Kingdom's models was that its exterior had been fashioned to mimic a traditional armored knight. From a distance, it looked almost like a particularly broad-shouldered dwarf.
"Please, try activating it. The Pseudo-Life has already been embedded."
"Very well."
I flowed my Magic Power into the Golem to establish a connection. I was immediately impressed. The permeation of energy was incredibly smooth, with almost no resistance. The Technomagic Kingdom's Golems had been excellent, but this was exceptional by comparison. Even when I tested its gait, I felt no issues. It moved exactly as I envisioned. It was a remarkably precise piece of machinery.
"I put a great deal of work into the control system to make it easier to operate for those who aren't Mages. I had a member of the Research Institute Staff with no Magic Aptitude pilot it, and they were able to operate it perfectly."
I nodded, impressed by her explanation. To tell the truth, Henry had struggled with Golem operation in the past. Because he lacked Magic Aptitude, he was unaccustomed to the sensation of controlling such a machine. He likely could have mastered it with enough training, but it would have taken considerable time. Until now, Golems had been weapons intended exclusively for Mages.
However, this Prototype Golem had overcome that hurdle. Now that she mentioned it, the fluidity of the controls had certainly improved. It was difficult for someone like me—who had no trouble controlling them to begin with—to notice, but someone like Henry would likely feel the change vividly.
"The Standard Armament consists of three components: a Gun, a Magic Power blade, and Defense Magic. We can add more equipment depending on the mission requirements."
"What is the operational limit?"
"If the Magic Power is filled to capacity, it should last about half a day—assuming pure movement. If we factor in the depletion from combat maneuvers, it would realistically be about a quarter of that."
The primary weakness of the Technomagic Kingdom's Golems was their short operation time. This was a significant improvement. It was just like her to pack this much performance into a single unit. The Prototype Golem had thoroughly addressed the flaws of the enemy models. She was doing excellent work.
I brought the Prototype Golem to a halt. After severing the connection, I turned to the Director.
"By the way, why did you ask for Yura?"
"Heh, heh, heh... As for that..."
The Director let out a low, confident chuckle. After a theatrical pause, she clapped her hands.
The floor nearby retracted, and a pedestal rose from the depths. What appeared was a tall, humanoid figure made of polished metal. It was clearly a Golem, yet it was fundamentally different from the prototype standing beside it. Its form was incredibly refined, as if every unnecessary component had been stripped away. Its sleek, contoured physique was nearly indistinguishable from a human’s—if anything, it was far more perfectly balanced than any living person. It was almost artistic.
"What is this...?"
I looked at the Director. She puffed out her chest, throwing both hands up with manic energy.
"It's Yura's Dedicated Golem!" she declared triumphantly.