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Ian rubbed his eyelids, feeling the weight of exhaustion. Dior, standing in front of him, noticed this and cautiously asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“…Hoo, seriously. Are you really going to bring that?”

The red suit was fine. Even from an outsider’s perspective, not just as family, Dior matched the red color well.

But the flashy, multicolored bouquet was an exception.

“How much did you spend?”

Dior grinned and held up two fingers. Two. It had to be gold coins. Was he out of his mind?

“Giving a whole bouquet, not just a single flower, to someone you’re meeting for the first time? That’ll go over well.”

“Tsk tsk, that’s because you don’t understand, you novice.”

“?”

“Listen up, though it might sound annoying. When someone as handsome as me gives a bouquet, it’s not a burden, it’s a gesture of affection.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You don’t even know what she looks like.”

“She’s pretty, right? Talented too, right? And she has a good heart, right? You said she’s someone who knows how to sacrifice herself. Are you telling me you lied?”

“No, I didn’t lie. But you’re really going for it just based on that?”

“As long as she doesn’t hate me, sure. That’s how it works, right? The bold win the heart of a great lover. Do you have a problem with that?”

…Fine. This is part of romance, and it’ll become a memory. Besides, he doesn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

As the activation of the warp gate was announced, Ian let out a resigned sigh and stepped onto the magic circle.

Wuuuuung!

When he opened his eyes again, they had arrived in the city of Judith. Without hesitation, they headed straight to the Green Tower to find Audrey.

Despite not arranging a prior appointment, they were able to schedule a meeting without much delay.

While drinking in a pleasant lounge on one of the tower’s middle floors, Ian spotted a woman with neatly tied teal hair approaching, her footsteps light.

She glanced around before brightening up, waving her hand, and naturally pulling out a chair to sit down.

“Ian! It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“No, not so well.”

Audrey smiled, as if she found this amusing.

“In situations like this, you’re supposed to say you’ve been doing fine, even if it’s not true. Who’s this beside you? You two look so alike! Are you brothers?”

“Do we really look alike?”

“Very much!”

“He’s my second brother.”

“Oh? Really?”

As Ian nodded, Audrey’s eyes widened in surprise, and she was about to stand when Dior also stood up and presented the bouquet first.

“I’m Dior Berger. This is for you, a gift.”

“…Oh, this? Did you bring this just for me?”

“Yes. I heard I’d be meeting a very charming person, and I thought it’d be rude to come empty-handed.”

Audrey, awkwardly holding the bouquet, glanced at Dior with a flustered expression but soon broke into a wide smile.

She seemed like she might not appreciate it, but from the way her eyes curved into a smile, she clearly didn’t mind.

“Thank you. Are you sure I can really accept this?”

“Will you accept it?”

“Of course! Hmmm, I was actually thinking of getting some plants for my room since it’s been feeling a bit barren, but I guess I can use this for now.”

The two of them continued chatting, though the conversation wasn’t of much importance.

They exchanged flattery, commenting on how handsome he was or how much of an honor it was to meet, but the first impression wasn’t so bad.

It was clear just by looking that Dior was interested in Audrey.

Ian had expected him to behave rudely, as he often did with others, but it was surprising to see how polite he could be.

Finally, Audrey brought up the main subject.

“Did you come because of my request, Dior?”

“Yes. The request was quite intriguing. You want to train a golem with combat data from knights….”

Ian squinted, sipping his drink through a paper straw as he listened quietly.

“It seems like you want to create a golem specialized for close combat. Is that correct?”

“Wow~ You’re spot on! I’m sure you already know, but most of the golems in circulation today are designed to fight large magical creatures, essentially functioning as strategic weapons.”

“They also have built-in wide-area magic for sweeping away smaller creatures, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Well, that’s only for those at the jewel level. Realistically, with maintenance and repair costs, you’d be lucky to see those in a fortress. For most standard castles, platinum is the best they can manage, and even those are rare. Plus, they’re weak against magical beasts.”

Audrey frowned as she spoke, likely recalling the time they encountered the purebred werewolf, Bloodclaw, in the ruins.

It was obvious. At that time, the platinum-class golems didn’t contribute much to the battle. Even if they had engaged, they wouldn’t have lasted beyond a single exchange.

“I want to create a golem that can fight not just magical creatures but even magical beasts. And I will make it happen.”

“That won’t be easy.”

“I know. Even senior mages more talented than me couldn’t achieve it. But times have changed. The development of magical engineering is so advanced that it’s almost blinding. Ironically, thanks to that, we’ve succeeded in miniaturizing golems and lowering production costs. If I can show tangible results, getting full support from the tower won’t be an issue. This is just part of the process to get there. It may start small, but it’ll end grand!”

“Hmm.”

“So here’s the question! Besides securing materials and power sources to improve a golem’s performance, what’s even more important?”

“…The user?”

Dior thought for a moment before answering, but Audrey shook her head.

“That’s not wrong, but it’s not the answer I’m looking for. The correct answer is artificial intelligence. What defines a golem’s grade is its ability to make autonomous decisions. If it can only act based on pre-programmed instructions, it won’t be able to respond to variables.”

The conversation was becoming increasingly technical. Audrey, clutching the bouquet, continued her explanation with bright, shining eyes.

“To give it that decision-making ability, we need to feed the AI a lot of data. It’s like how humans gain experience and grow.”

“There are already high-performance AIs, aren’t there? Is there no way to acquire those?”

“Well, that… Those are classified as top-secret even within the Empire, so there’s no way a mere mage like me could get access. And even if I did, it would take ages to break through the security codes.”

“I see.”

“For me, spending time to accumulate experience is the best option. So, will you help me?”

Dior, who had been unable to take his eyes off Audrey the entire time, finally turned to Ian for his opinion.

“What do you think?”

Ian was surprised. He had expected Dior, given his clear interest in Audrey, to impulsively agree on his own.

Still, Ian had no intention of opposing the idea. In fact, he was quite interested in the golem Audrey was trying to create.

It might not fully replace knights, but it could certainly help supplement their numbers.

“Of course. That’s why we came, isn’t it?”

“I knew you’d agree!”

Audrey smiled, her eyes curving as she covered her mouth with the bouquet. Then, in a confident voice, she added,

“Shall we go, then?”

Following Audrey, who was holding the bouquet, they moved to an adjacent building.

The Green Tower of Judith, known as one of the “Three Fingers,” had two auxiliary buildings on either side, the left one being the experimental wing.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were all reinforced with multiple layers of protective magic, making the place stable and unaffected by most shocks.

“Who’s going to accept the request? I wasn’t expecting both of you, so I’m a bit embarrassed to say, but I’m afraid the budget I prepared might be insufficient.”

“Give it to Ian. But, I’ll handle the actual work.”

Dior stepped forward and said that.

In the blink of an eye, the red suit he was wearing transformed into crimson armor.

The Armament Ring—an artifact that allowed for the replacement of worn clothing with armor.

Audrey’s eyes sparkled as she summoned six golems and asked, “You’re familiar with the request, right?”

“To withstand the golem’s attacks, hold out, and then counterattack. Is there anything more?”

“I’ve set a timer.”

Beep—

“When you hear this sound, aim for the vital points marked in red. I’ve programmed it so that if those areas are hit, the golems will stop functioning. Are you ready? Then, let’s begin.”

Underneath the sturdy armor, intricately crafted components began to interlock, and the golems powered up.

Even their running posture showed no awkwardness, and the way they raised their shields and swung their swords felt natural.

As Dior dodged, the golems smoothly followed up with movements, demonstrating remarkable fluidity.

‘They definitely surpass the level of ordinary soldiers.’

The only shortcoming was their combat technique. The sword strikes were straightforward and predictable—basic, textbook movements. There wasn’t any deep or profound insight embedded in their actions. Yet, this was more than enough to deal with monsters.

Beep!

Up until now, Dior had focused on evading and defending. Now, he went on the offensive.

It was clear he could have ended things quickly, but instead, he deliberately allowed the golems to continue learning. He was extending Audrey a favor, and she likely knew it too.

Ian watched the golems carefully.

‘Not bad.’

It was only a matter of time before the golems improved. Their swordsmanship would become more refined, and their ability to analyze opponents’ weaknesses would increase. Since they didn’t feel pain, their capacity for sustaining combat would be unparalleled. Unlike humans, they wouldn’t be affected by emotions. If mass-produced with enough resources, and pushed forward in overwhelming numbers…

‘The strain on the defense lines where soldiers are worn down could be significantly reduced.’

Even if that didn’t happen, they could be used as training instructors for soldiers and knights.

‘There’s no way others haven’t seen what I’m seeing.’

Surely the Green Mage Tower knew this as well. They were likely letting it develop quietly until the fruits were ready. When that time came, they’d make their full investment.

Ian thought of sharing this information with Verdan.

Even though the history of these smaller golems was short and their limitations seemed apparent, that didn’t mean they were useless. If a few issues could be fixed, their utility would be limitless.

‘…No, that’s not it.’

Ian chuckled softly to himself.

‘This was already decided.’

There was no way the Mage Tower wasn’t aware that Audrey had asked the Berger family for assistance. It was clearly stated in the request—she wanted the golems to learn combat experience from a knight.

Clang!

Ian could see the golems learning Dior’s swordsmanship. Although they weren’t using Bane of Evil, parts of the family’s sword techniques were gradually being absorbed.

Verdan surely knew this. There was no way they’d send him here without considering it. The collaboration had already begun.

‘That’s why they said it didn’t matter who they sent.’

Ian let out a small laugh.

Thinking back to before his return, when only large golems were in action, the development of smaller golems might have hinged on Audrey’s involvement.

It seemed that choosing not to abandon her back then, when they encountered the Pureblood Werewolf, the Bloodfang, at the ruins, had been a very wise decision.

‘I’m glad we’re not wasting time.’

Tangible progress—it was faint, but even Ian could see it now.

———-