Chapter 59
Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with Akion's health. He had merely fainted.
If there was a problem,
“It would be a little disappointing to use this only for making academy uniforms, wouldn't it?”
“The Saintess felt the same way, it seems. Though it would be difficult to call it ‘merely’ that… this fabric has limitless applications.”
“Then what should we use it for?”
With no one there to control them, the Mad Saintess, the Golden-Sun Saint, and the mages chanting, ‘Hey! Magi-engineering is so great!’ began running wild.
“The holy knights do wear cloaks, you know? If we inscribed multiple layers of holy defensive magic on them….”
“Use them as substitutes for shields? Hoo. That's rather….”
“Magnificent…! We might be able to use them for our battle mage corps as well.”
A magical cloak that stirred the hearts of men, perhaps.
“Since you put it that way, let me add one more thing. We could inscribe physical-enhancement magic so that even those with weak bodies could move easily, then have them wear it for rehabilitation.”
“Ah… Count Montefiora had a daughter with a weak constitution. It would also be a great help in rehabilitating soldiers and knights weakened by long stays in sickbeds.”
Or perhaps they could use it for rehabilitation, rendering Akion's concerns meaningless.
“But… could we perhaps inscribe this on armor as well?”
“Saint, do you mean…?”
“Don't tell me you mean magical armor? The project that even the researchers at headquarters abandoned during the design stage…!”
“That's right. The exoskeleton project.”
Uses so outrageous that Akion's concerns became meaningless began pouring forth.
Military exoskeletons─ or rather, exoskeleton armor.
“You abandoned that project while conducting joint research with the Imperial Mage Corps, didn't you?”
“That's right.”
Of course, this was a project so expensive that even the Holy Church, overflowing with money from tithes and donations, had been unable to undertake it alone, which was why the Imperial Mage Corps had collaborated as well.
“The cost of making a single suit of armor… Sigh.”
“It was the operating cost of an entire county, wasn't it? I remember how sad you looked then, Saint. Haha….”
But the difficulty of manufacturing it had been absurd.
It required high-quality armor that would not break even under considerable impact,
and magic circles had to be engraved into that armor,
after which another method had to be added to reinforce the armor weakened by the engraving, and so on….
They had wondered whether they could line the inside with fabric and draw the magic circles there, but the two research groups that had already tried it canceled the idea immediately because it was horrendously inefficient.
“But with this fabric…!”
What if they tried that armor with this special fabric made by Akion?
There would be no need to engrave magic circles into the armor,
and the mana circuits embedded in the fabric would activate the magic on their own,
allowing soldiers and knights who would otherwise have fallen to cross the battlefield without suffering major injuries.
And if they inscribed holy healing magic into the fabric, it would even repair itself automatically!
“But… didn't I hear that Young Master Akion dislikes his magi-engineering devices being used as weapons? I heard it was difficult to persuade him when making weapons for the Saint and Saintess… and the holy-vessel investigation device.”
“Ah.”
“Hmm.”
However, there was one warning Akion had always repeated.
‘Do not weaponize it.’
“Still, we would only use this for armor….”
“The spiral spear was possible because you eventually made a promise to Young Master Akion, wasn't it? Of course, you made the promise afterward, but if we do the same, wouldn't it be all right…?”
“Even so, if we proceed without confirming Young Master Akion's wishes─.”
The Imperial Mage Corps also held a position close to that of a government office.
As commander, Ben Montefiora had to be somewhat careful with his words and actions whenever he proceeded with one project or another.
If he made a mistake, there would inevitably be people who misunderstood and said, ‘That was the Emperor's order, right????’
In other words, the Emperor's approval was also necessary.
- Thud.
“Count Montefiora.”
“Yes, Saint.”
To Ben Montefiora, who had voiced those concerns, the Saint said….
“It is generally better to act first and ask forgiveness later.”
“…….”
“I acted first and was forgiven too, didn't I? Hehe!”
They had put forward an argument one might question whether a Saint and Saintess should make.
At that moment, Montefiora saw the intention flickering in the eyes of the Saint and Saintess.
It was none other than this….
“Let's be honest. Imagine a massive suit of armor that, through the workings of magic and engineering, made even a novice Expert knight as powerful as an Advanced Expert and made him more agile as well…!”
“Imagine it! Picture the day when the Imperial Knights and imperial soldiers wearing exoskeletons line up in that vast grand plaza and march down the capital's main avenue…!”
“Gasp.”
It was simply so damn cool that they wanted to do it before anyone found out.
Montefiora had lived as a mage for a long time, but he was still a man.
- Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Imperial Knights and imperial soldiers lined up in the grand plaza and along the capital's main avenue.
All of them wore the newly created exoskeleton armor, then marched forward with confident steps and lined up before the Emperor.
- Clang! Clang!! Attention!
Then they would raise their swords and spears high, aura gathering at their tips, and shout as one.
“For His Majesty the Emperor─!!”
“Gasp, gasp, gaaaaasp….”
Montefiora was over sixty, but he knew this much.
“Let's do it right now!!”
“Haha! I knew you were a man who could be reasoned with, Count Montefiora!”
“Hehehe, the holy knights could arm themselves in the same way…!”
It would be damn cool.
* * *
And so the three of them stormed all the way into the Emperor's office, only to hear,
“I forbid it.”
The Emperor immediately rejected the proposal.
“Your Majesty… why?!”
“Ben, my loyal mage. Think about it. Did you not report to me how difficult it would be merely to inscribe multiple magic circles onto the academy uniforms without causing interference? And do we have the time to pursue that alongside the exoskeleton project?”
“Gnnngh…!”
One reason among several was that the projects could not be pursued simultaneously.
They had not even properly begun the new academy-uniform project, and now they wanted to start yet another undertaking? That was the Emperor's complaint.
“Your Majesty, this time, researchers from the Holy Church headquarters will be joining us, so─.”
“Saint, I do not doubt your judgment, but there are proper formalities to observe between the Empire and the Church. If you use the headquarters' personnel without the Pope's approval, might it not be seen as using the Saint's authority to overpower the Church?”
The Emperor scolded the Saint, insisting that the matter had to proceed according to proper procedure.
They had not even received the Pope's unofficial opinion yet,
and if the Emperor arbitrarily declared, ‘Proceed with everything!’ no one knew what sort of controversy might erupt.
“I want the certainty that comes from reaching a clear agreement, rather than proceeding while ignoring the proper procedures.”
“Ahem.”
Put that way, even the Golden-Sun Saint, one of the Holy Church's most important elders, had no answer.
“Saintess, do you share the same view?”
“……No. Your Majesty is correct, so I have nothing more to say. I will inform the Pope first.”
Naturally, the Saintess became meek as well.
As he watched the two disappointed and dejected figures….
‘They're both old enough to know better….’
The Emperor felt an immediate urge to rub his brow.
He too was a man, but he was also called the father of the Empire.
A single word or action of his could change the lives of hundreds or thousands of imperial citizens, so he had no choice but to cling to formal approval.
And that included the Saintess, the Saint, and the commander of the Imperial Mage Corps standing before him.
But setting aside the Saintess, how could the two great elders of the Holy Church and the Imperial Mage Corps behave like this?
The Emperor wondered whether he should at least lecture them.
“I had already prepared the design for exoskeleton armor for His Majesty the Emperor….”
That was, until Ben Montefiora presented him with a truly magnificent design for a custom exoskeleton armor suit made for the Emperor.
“……Let me see it.”
“Pardon? Yes, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Theodore was a swordsman who had practiced beneath the commander of the Imperial Knights.
He had also worn armor during training. In fact, he even possessed armor made specifically for him.
Therefore, although Montefiora had hastily scribbled the design and it was difficult to imagine it properly….
- Clack, clack!
- Shing! Vwoooong!
Now that Akion had rejuvenated him and even restored his height to the 190-centimeter range, it seemed he could easily pull off the magnificent armor shown in the design.
“What color should be used for my armor?”
“What color could possibly fail to suit Your Majesty's august person? Nevertheless, I believe gold would be the color that most brilliantly proves Your Majesty's majesty.”
And it was golden armor.
For the record, dragons liked gold.
The Emperor had dragon blood flowing through him as well, though not as much as Flare.
“Hmm. Hmmm.”
At that moment, the Emperor was experiencing one of the greatest internal conflicts of his life.
Allowing it would not exactly cost much in terms of the budget.
After all, they would be using mana-circuit fabric, a product of Akion's magi-engineering.
But what if they diverted personnel to it?
The schedule would become extremely tight for the academy uniforms' release next year.
“Your Majesty, imagine it! Picture that overwhelming image of you standing on the podium, clad from head to toe in Imperial Force Armor shining more brilliantly than the sun!”
But if he wore it during next year's New Year's ceremony or his speech at the Imperial Academy's entrance ceremony…?
It would amount to threatening the nobles, but the Emperor was honestly in a position where he needed to work toward centralization.
It would also make it easy to send the political message, ‘Get on the Emperor's side,’ along with a heavy warning.
“The Empire's future generations will bow their heads before Your Majesty's majesty of their own accord─!!!”
“Hmmm.”
An expression of his fierce resolve to ensure the nation's peace and advance centralization,
while preserving his dignity and style with golden armor as well?
Honestly, that was….
“Commander, you seem excited. Calm yourself!”
“We shall discuss it once Young Master Akion awakens.”
“Pardon?”
“Your Imperial Grace is boundless, Your Majesty─!!!”
It really was incredibly cool.
The Emperor decided to let himself be swayed.
It was absolutely not because he was getting caught up in the excitement. Anyway.
* * *
A few days later,
“What do you think?”
“……….”
As soon as he awoke, Akion was summoned to the Emperor's office, where he found himself facing the design for a custom suit of armor made specifically for the Emperor.
There were also the designs created while he was asleep for something called Imperial Force Armor, the Holy Church's Saint Exo-Suit, and so on….
In short, there were even designs based on that mana-circuit fabric he had unintentionally created.
Upon seeing the exoskeleton project they wanted to pursue alongside the new academy uniforms, Akion said….
“Your Majesty. May I be so bold as to use harsh language?”
“I grant permission.”
“Have you recently experienced some sort of mental disturbance?”
He had dared to plant a blunt ‘Are you insane?’ right in the face of the Emperor of the mighty Khalid Empire.
But he had good reason to do so, because the schedule for the new academy uniforms alone was already impossibly tight.
And now they wanted to make new armor as well?
For military purposes, no less?
They wanted to do the exact thing Akion hated most?!!
“Calm yourself, Akion. I understand your concern about the dangers of this armor, but I wish to become someone skilled at repairing damage rather than causing destruction.”
Of course, the Emperor did not take offense. If anything, he was the petitioner here, eager to push the project through.
And Akion was his prospective son-in-law and a magi-engineering genius counted among the greatest in the thousand-year history of the Empire, was he not?
“The throne is close to breaking under the weight of the documents pouring in from every corner of the Empire. With the administrative machinery already screaming, you want to expand the territory and increase the land we must govern? I would only commit such recklessness when I wanted to ruin the Empire.”
That was why the Emperor intended to soothe Akion rather than pressure him.
It was only right that he build a good relationship with Akion.
Of course….
“Child. Just admit that you did it because you wanted one.”
“Ahem, Elder.”
The pillar of the Empire and great elder of the imperial family whom the Emperor had summoned because of Flare,
as well as a great dragon and….
“You are not lying, but concealing part of the truth is also a nasty prank. You little rascal, I hurried here as soon as I heard about Flare, so what do you think you're doing grilling Akion in front of me?!”
“Ahem, ahem!”
“Our tower master is doing great!!”
The Ridasid Tower Master had rushed over after hearing about Akion and was providing him with covering fire….
Even the Emperor had no choice but to become more cautious.
“Elder. To strengthen the Empire's national power─.”
“Silence─!!!”
“Gnnngh….”
“Well done, our tower master, well done─ Eek, don't pinch my cheek!”
“And Akion, no matter how much I support you, the man standing before you is the Emperor! Show him respect!”
Of course, she had also come to mediate.
To the Tower Master, this was a quarrel between her beloved disciple (not really) and her distant great-nephew. She had to mediate.
“Child. If that is truly the case, swear before me that you will not use that armor to expand the Empire's territory.”
“Ahem, I swear upon the dragon blood flowing through my body. I also swear that I will limit its use exclusively to defending the Empire.”
“Since you have sworn upon your dragon blood, I will take your word for it. Akion, if Theodore uses it for a misguided purpose rather than peace, I will personally stop him… so I hope you can set aside your concerns.”
And so she offered to act as both mediator and judge.
“Of course, if you do not wish to proceed, you can withdraw. I support you.”
“Well… if the Tower Master is watching over it, I suppose it will be all right.”
“Thank you, son-in-law!”
Akion could not really say anything more after that.
If they truly lacked the manpower, he would just have to bring in a few workshop employees and maid researchers. What else could he do?
And so the matter was settled, and they were about to launch the new parallel project when,
“What did you just call Akion?”
“Pardon? My son-in-law─.”
“Why is Akion your son-in-law? The engagement ceremony has not even been held yet, so why?”
The Tower Master suddenly went berserk.
The reason was jealousy.
- Rumble, rumble!!
“Akion is mine.”
“Pardon? Why are you angry─ Ah, Elder, please give me a moment to explain─ Guh?!”
The Emperor had happened to forget about the Tower Master's romantic feelings,
and although he hurriedly tried to explain, it was already too late.
At the age of sixty, the Emperor was subjected to an up-and-down airplane ride.
“Good heavens!! Tower Master, calm down!!”
“Your Majesty! What happened─ Aaaagh!! The dragon is angry!!”
In short, he was being shaken wildly in midair at roughly Mach 0.3.
And so, they say, the Emperor's office suffered an unexpected dragon rampage.
It was autumn.