The robot, as Bell informed me, was formally known as Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment—or more simply, an Arti-Horse. Yor, standing right beside her, didn't miss a beat.
"And its name is Siegfried."
"Stop naming things without permission," Bell snapped, delivering a sharp smack to the back of Yor’s head.
She seemed even more aggressive than usual, likely because she’d been summoned on such short notice. Or perhaps it was because she had spent the afternoon dragging Yor around the village, bowing her head in apology to everyone. Yor had, after all, made short work of Ria and the Mountain Elves during their little scuffle. Fortunately, the "injuries" were on par with their typical training accidents, so no one was actually angry. Ria had even gone so far as to invite Yor to their next session.
I doubted Yor had actually been trying to hurt them, but I still had to set an example. I told her that her autumn test-firing session would be postponed until winter. Yor looked crushed for all of five seconds before she rallied with terrifying intensity.
"So the test-firing is moved to winter? Understood! I’ll use the extra time to increase my arsenal! I’ll have even more weapons ready to fire by then, and I’ll make sure to double the ammunition!"
Her resilience was truly something else.
The Arti-Horse, now officially dubbed Siegfried, was suspended in a specialized hangar constructed by the High Elves. It was currently located on the south side of the racetrack, though its permanent home had yet to be decided. Inside the hangar, the Mountain Elves were already busy dismantling the machine piece by piece to figure out why it had stopped working.
We already knew it wasn't a lack of fuel, primarily because Yor had already filled it up. I really wished she’d stop taking such risks. Siegfried was an ancient relic that had been left to rot in a scrap heap without any maintenance. Pouring fuel into something like that without a proper inspection was a recipe for a catastrophic explosion.
"Actually, the liquid fuel for these heavy machines is non-flammable," Yor explained.
I paused. If the fuel didn't burn, how did the engine actually run?
"Engine? Oh, the primary drive is a Nemaru-style Magic Stone Power system. The liquid fuel acts more like an activator for the magic stones. To put it simply, the fuel is just Siegfried’s dinner. And dinner doesn't explode."
It was a surprisingly helpful analogy. I had been so focused on the idea of gasoline that I’d let my own assumptions get in the way.
I had called Siegfried an antique, but apparently, its condition was remarkable. Normally, a machine left in a dump for over a millennium would have crumbled into a pile of rust, making transport impossible. Yet, this machine had survived being hauled back via airship without losing a single bolt. Bell was currently conducting an investigation into its discovery, wondering if there was some kind of lingering preservation magic involved. She’d volunteered for the task specifically to keep Yor away from the machine for a while. It was a big help, though I wasn't sure why she insisted on having Yor stick to me instead. The girl tried to sneak back into the cockpit every time I blinked.
At dinner, the meal looked familiar, but the flavor was distinct. We were eating meat from the monsters and beasts we’d hunted during the trial digging expedition.
"It’s a bit gamey, but not bad," Hakuren remarked, completely unfazed.
Rusty, however, seemed to struggle with the texture. It was definitely tougher than the rabbit meat we usually served, though the kitchen had done a good job of dicing it into manageable pieces. The children tucked in with gusto, which was a relief. Most of the haul had already been sent to Village Five, where the Adventurer Guild was busy researching edible parts and documenting the new species.
"The guild was thrilled," Yoko said as she sampled the dish. "They’ve already started the dissections and are making great progress with the records. Still... the wild taste is quite strong."
Yoko was a harsh critic, but she had a point. I asked her if we should disclose the location where we’d found these creatures.
"No," she replied firmly. "If we do that, the efforts of your trial digging will go to waste. The site should remain a secret. We're the ones being helped here, so don't worry about it. Just make sure you show your face in Village Five every now and then."
I promised to visit once the summer harvest and autumn field work were finished.
Speaking of dinner, Alfred had become a regular fixture at our table again. He was supposed to be studying in Progenitor-san’s kingdom, but lately, he’d been hitching a ride on the old vampire's teleportation magic every five days just to eat at the mansion. I was seeing him more often now than when he was attending the academy.
Apparently, the food in Progenitor-san’s country was so unpalatable he found it painful to even look at. He’d even taken up learning teleportation magic himself just to facilitate his "commute" for better meals. Seeing how happy Lu and Lupumirina were to have him home, I decided not to complain.
I looked over to see Alfred and Yor sharing a firm, enthusiastic handshake. Apparently, Alfred was deeply impressed that Yor had been the one to name Siegfried. He’d spent a good amount of time refusing to leave the cockpit himself, so they were clearly kindred spirits.
I turned back to Yor. "The Mountain Elves mentioned they had questions about the liquid fuel."
"I gave them several barrels, didn't I?" Yor asked.
"They want to know where it came from."
"It was produced at the facilities in Village Four. I kept a private stock for the village's armaments."
"And the raw materials? You aren't just pulling it out of thin air, are you?"
"Of course not. We use Sun Stones—or rather, Heat Retention Stones."
"Oh, those."
"Exactly. The fuel storehouse is practically bursting with them thanks to your arrangements. Bell and Gou go there every day just to stare at the stockpile and grin. It’s a bit creepy, don't you think?"
I laughed, glad they were happy with the supply, but then I noticed Bell standing right behind her. Before I could say a word, Bell swung. Yor gracefully dodged the blow, gave Alfred and me an elegant bow, and bolted out of the room at full speed.
Lately, it felt like my internal image of Yor had shifted from "refined secretary" to "professional troublemaker." I really hoped it was just my imagination.
"If only she didn't get involved with weapons," Bell sighed, looking like she was on the verge of a breakdown. "She’d be perfectly normal."
"There, there," I said, trying to comfort her. "No need for tears."
Meanwhile, Gou remained steadfast in his own obsession. "I just want the fuel meter to be completely full at all times."
"Exactly," Bell agreed, wiping her eyes. "If it drops below the halfway mark, I can’t even sit still."