The summer harvest began in the Village of the Great Tree.
Except for those assigned to security, childcare, or the care of the cows, horses, goats, and chickens, every resident shifted their focus to the harvest as their top priority.
I left the daikon fields to Draim. I also entrusted the potato fields to Zabuton and her children.
The Trial Digging Team was excused from the harvest; I told them to concentrate on extracting the necessary minerals from the ore they had brought back. I gave Gatto the same instructions.
I appreciated Alfred’s offer to help, but I told him it was perfectly fine for him to return to the Progenitor-san's kingdom.
As for Yor... I really wanted her to go back to her post as the Hot Spring Area Teleportation Gatekeeper. When it came to the actual harvest, the Arachne were far more useful than she was.
"I believe that if I refuse to work simply because I’m not yet useful, I can never expect to grow," Yor argued.
It was a wonderful attitude to have. I just hoped she wasn't trying to overcompensate for another blunder. "You haven't gone and done something else, have you?" I asked.
"I’ve caused so much trouble lately, I’m just trying to pay it back through labor," she replied.
In that case, I would have preferred her to concentrate on her job as a gatekeeper, but I decided to respect her desire to help. "Alright. Then I’ll ask you to handle the transport of the harvested crops."
The people in the fields would place the harvest into crates or boxes, and her job was to carry those containers to the wagons waiting beside the fields and load them up.
"I'll do my best!" she declared.
"Good. I don’t mind a few mistakes as long as you’re trying your hardest. Just don’t forget that you are handling food," I cautioned.
"Yes, sir!"
The harvest proceeded smoothly without any major issues and was finished in about ten days. Soon, the village welcomed the arrival of autumn, and I spent my days working the soil to prepare for the autumn harvest.
Once the general field work was settled, I finally found a bit of free time. Well, not much, considering I had been summoned by Yoko in Village Five and Miyo in Shashato City.
My current interest, however, was the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment—the Artie Horse.
Once they had finished assisting with the harvest, the Mountain Elves set to work dismantling Siegfried. The machine currently hung in its hangar, its head and limbs removed, lying in various pieces. Yor had shed tears at the sight, claiming she couldn't bear to see it like that, yet she seemed perfectly happy to answer the Mountain Elves' technical questions. If she was fine with it, then I was too.
Bell had never personally operated a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment, but she possessed a wealth of knowledge about them. As I suspected, the machines were from the same era as Bell and her people. I decided to ask Bell for more details. I chose her over Yor because I felt that if I asked the dwarf, I’d only get warped, weapon-obsessed information. It wasn't that I didn't trust Yor; I just didn't trust her to be objective.
"Very well, Village Head," Bell began. "I can tell you what I know."
"I’d appreciate it."
"The Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment was a manned machine intended for a variety of applications. It was primarily used by those with low magic power to compensate for their physical limitations."
"I see."
"They were quite active at construction and civil engineering sites where tasks would have been too difficult for human hands. A few were even utilized by the military."
"They certainly look strong," I noted.
"No, they didn't really fight. Their primary role was position construction."
"Wait, really?"
"They could be deployed as soldiers, but it is difficult to call them effective in that role."
"Why is that?"
"Given their size, they do possess a certain level of raw strength. However, punching and kicking were merely emergency measures; the machines weren't designed for that."
"They weren't?"
"The hands have too many delicate parts, and the legs have inherent balance issues."
So, if it punched something, it would likely break its own hands and lose the ability to hold tools. If it kicked, there was a high probability of it falling over and sustaining massive damage.
"Precisely," Bell confirmed. "Therefore, if a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment was forced to fight, it was fundamental that it carry a weapon. Its strength depended entirely on what it was holding."
"But given its size, wouldn't it be convenient to be able to carry all sorts of heavy weapons?"
"If a weapon is powerful enough to be effective when held by a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment, it would be just as powerful if you simply installed it as a fixed turret at a defensive position..."
"Ah... I see your point."
"There are almost no weapons that require the use of a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment to operate. Only simple bludgeoning tools like clubs or hammers. Even if you gave a machine a ranged weapon, the maintenance and ammunition resupply usually proved more troublesome than it was worth."
"Now wait a second. It has hands, right? It should be able to resupply its own ammo. I don’t see why that would be such a hassle."
"Resupplying ammunition for ranged weapons requires extreme care. Do you know why?"
"Because of the risk of an explosion, I assume."
"Exactly. And yet, you would entrust that task to a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment?"
"Well... it can hold the weapon and pull a trigger, right?"
"Firing and resupplying are two completely different tasks, Village Head. Firing only requires aiming and pressing a switch. Resupplying involves engaging the safety device, removing the protective covers, and slotting the ammunition into the correct position. There are several delicate steps. If you tried to simplify it—say, by using a quick-change magazine—someone still has to fill that magazine."
I could easily imagine that the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment wasn't the one painstakingly loading individual bullets into a clip.
"Furthermore," Bell continued, "because of their size, they are easy targets for the enemy. They also cannot be properly maintained without a dedicated hangar."
"So, they’re just impractical as soldiers."
"To be blunt, putting legs on a weapon system is cheaper and far more effective."
"I guess that makes sense..."
"Besides, the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment had a powerful rival for military roles."
"A rival?"
"Golems. They are obedient and strong. They don't need to be unnecessarily large, they can act independently depending on the situation, and above all, they are low-cost."
I had to admit, golems sounded much more practical.
"On the other hand," Bell said, "a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment is expensive to manufacture and maintain. Furthermore, you need a veteran pilot to get any real performance out of it. Sending one to the battlefield is simply inefficient. They belong in the rear, building fortifications. Golems require constant, detailed instructions, but since there is a person inside the machine, they can handle complex architectural tasks on the fly."
"That makes sense."
"Based on all this, I would suggest that you don't need to place too much importance on the machine. If you were only doing this for Yor's sake, you could probably just wash your hands of the project."
"Ah, well, it’s not just that. The technology inside is quite interesting. And as you said, it’s well-suited for construction and civil engineering."
"If you say so... I won't press the matter further."
"Thank you, Bell."
"Of course. As a side note... regarding the era when these machines were in their prime..."
"Yes?"
"While they were ineffective as soldiers, for some reason, a certain group of people was strangely captivated by them."
"People like Yor, then?"
"They obsessively sought to increase the machine's performance, or went out of their way to pilot them despite having more than enough magic power to fight on their own. They even held arenas for gladiatorial combat between machines. They even developed weapons exclusive to Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment. It’s quite difficult to comprehend, but many records of them being used on the battlefield actually exist. If we search, we might even find some of those specialized weapons."
"Really?"
"But please remember: no matter how you look at it, it’s a hobbyist's pursuit. It will never be cost-effective. They are money pits. If you let Yor operate it the way she wants, your funds will disappear before you know it."
"I... I understand. I’ll be careful."
"That said, I wouldn't mind seeing one of these machines active again for old time's sake. I hope we can find the right parts and weapons to get it moving properly."
"Me too. Though even if we find something, the condition it’s in will be the real issue... By the way, did you discover anything about why Siegfried was so well-preserved?"
"I’ve summarized the results of my inquiries and formed a hypothesis."
"What is it?"
"I believe the Wing Demon Crystals nearby played a part."
"The crystals?"
"Yes. It’s possible that being surrounded by ore containing Wing Demon Crystals prevented the machine from degrading."
"If that’s true, then the value of those crystals is going to skyrocket."
"Indeed. However, I’ve never heard of Wing Demon Crystals having such an effect, so it’s only a theory. There might be some other cause at the discovery site."
"Then we definitely need to research the Wing Demon Crystals and conduct a follow-up survey of the site."
"Regarding the research, I’m already consulting with Lu-sama," Bell replied.
"Good. As for the site investigation... do you think you could go?"
"Are you sure?"
"I was planning to fly the airship somewhere as part of an independent operation test, and the discovery site seems like the perfect destination. Yor has been badgering me to take her back there, saying there might be more parts. Unfortunately, I have to be in Village Five and Shashato City for a while."
"So... you want me to take Yor and see if there are any other parts for the machine."
"Please."
Bell sighed. "...Village Head, you really are sweet on Yor."
"Am I? I didn't think I was being that lenient."
"No, you definitely are."
"Well... I’m pretty sure I’m sweet on you too, Bell."
"I suppose that’s true. Very well. I’m curious about the cause of the preservation myself, so I will go."
"I appreciate it. I’m counting on you."