***
In Raiel Leventia’s eyes, a horde of goblins, monsters that seemed to exist only in old stories, came into view.
The sheer number, which felt like a small hill was moving, was truly terrifying.
In contrast, the able-bodied men of Leventia facing them numbered just over sixty.
And even then, half of them were young men who had rushed over without even armor, holding spears or pitchforks.
“Are these all the soldiers?”
“There might be goblins trying to circle around, so we couldn't leave the village completely empty…”
The adjutant, who trailed off, glanced at Lord Raiel Leventia’s expression and quickly added,
“This is how many we could gather in a hurry. If we hold out for a bit, more will arrive as they get ready!”
“…”
Even with the adjutant’s words, his troubled heart did not ease.
Reinforcements from other territories were out of the question; at best, a few more residents might arrive.
But with untrained people, it would be a relief if they didn't flee, and against that number of goblins, it would only add to the casualties.
‘No matter how weakly goblins were depicted in old texts… if there are hundreds of them, it could be a little dangerous.’
He had thought he could finish the rest of his life in peace, but to think he would experience something like this.
As that thought occurred to him, memories of all the harsh words he had said to his son came to mind.
If I had known it would come to this.
I could have let him do what he wanted a little more freely.
“Kiek! Kii-ek!”
“Kyaaaaaaak!!”
The goblins, which had been slowly approaching from a distance, all started to run at once.
“Damn it! They’re coming!”
“Raise your shields! Hold your position no matter what! Do not retreat!”
The goblin army charged, kicking up a cloud of pale dust.
Moreover, the ones at the very front of the horde boasted a size nearly that of an adult man.
“Mother…”
“Ah, ahh… O Lord, please take my soul under your grace.”
“Damn it! If I knew this would happen, I would have spent all my money before dying!”
Just then, as each of them was mulling over their last words.
-Vwoom.
A strange ringing in their ears echoed all around.
And just as they felt a strange wind.
Something appeared in the sky.
“What… is that?”
A black chunk of scrap metal, smashed up and in a complete mess, fell into the center of the goblin horde.
“A black suit of armor?”
The moment someone looked up at the sky and said that.
Kukwakwakwang!!
With a roar as if a meteor had fallen, the area where the goblins were gathered exploded.
Along with the soaring dust, dozens of goblins were swept away in a single blow.
And from the center of that explosion, the prototype spoke.
[Remaining operational time: 13 seconds.]
“I know!”
Raniel, wearing the prototype, leaped high and brought his sword down several meters away.
Kukwakwakwang!!
“Kieeeeeeek!”
“Kiek! Keck!”
Amidst the scattering dust, Raniel calculated calmly.
‘The high-mass blade’s body is limited to two meters.’
Which meant that with one swing, cutting down three or four goblins was the limit.
‘But if I lower the blade’s cutting power to the minimum and raise the mass compression to the extreme…!’
The reason the high-mass blade could be the prototype’s main weapon despite being a simple sword was, as expected, its ‘mass.’
It could theoretically form a mass close to infinite, and it could land a physical attack of several tens of tons.
At that level, even if it was just a melee weapon, it became capable of smashing through everything, be it magic circuits or barriers, with sheer physical force.
Therefore, every single sword strike Raniel swung tore the earth apart like a multi-ton mass bomb, and the goblins lost their lives just by being caught in the aftermath.
“Kieeeek!”
“Kyak! Kyahaak!”
[Remaining operational time: 7 seconds.]
Although he could only operate at 8% of its normal output, 8% of a machine that could break through the atmosphere was no different from divine speed by their standards.
[5 seconds.]
Therefore, every second, a sword strike that tore apart a radius of over ten meters fell, along with a leap of several meters.
[3 seconds.]
Kukwakwakwang!!
[2 seconds.]
“Kyahahak! Hak!”
“Kyak! Kyak!”
[1 second.]
And finally, the moment all of the powered suit’s remaining aether was depleted.
[Remaining aether 0.7%. Halting operation.]
Not a single goblin was left standing on the ground.
“Ah, ahh…”
Those who had been watching the scene from afar let out sounds that could be either shock or awe.
Some among them fell over in surprise, and others shed tears and clasped their hands together.
“Thank you, nameless warrior in black armor!”
“The guardian deity of Leventia!”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
<><><>
After dealing with the monsters, my head cleared up a bit.
I had no idea where such a large horde of goblins had come from, but it was a relief that I could defeat them without any damage to the village.
However, separate from the fact that I had won, my satisfaction level was not very high.
Although I had literally annihilated the goblins, it was a level of performance far removed from the prototype I had originally intended to create.
To waste unnecessary time on something like goblins.
The thought that I needed to repair this thing as soon as possible deepened.
Just as I was thinking about the current battle and about to leave the battlefield.
[Master.]
“What.”
[The aether engine readings… are strange.]
“What do you mean?”
[The aether engine readings… are, are getting higher?]
No, there’s almost no energy source left, and the operation has ended, so why are the engine readings going up?!
[10%, 25%… 135%!!]
What the hell?
Suddenly, the engine output began to skyrocket.
[Stabilization is required! It is recommended that you immediately store the main body in the Dimensional Hangar!]
‘You don’t have to tell me, I know!’
“Oh, guardian deity of Leventia! Where are you!”
“Sir Black Knight! Sir Black Knight!”
“I think it was around here? Damn it, I can’t see well because of the dust!”
“Find him quickly! We must bring him to our village and ‘worship’ him!”
To make matters worse, the villagers and soldiers who had been far away were now approaching.
The moment I saw that, all sorts of troublesome scenes unfolded in my mind.
And the conclusion was also reached.
Run.
“Leaving the scene! As fast as possible!”
[Pardon? But the engine is overloading…!]
“We can just enter the Dimensional Hangar as soon as we get out of here!”
[Understood, Master!]
And so, being mindful of the approaching people, I moved the prototype as it was and left the scene.
And as soon as I arrived at the secret workshop, I put the prototype into the Dimensional Hangar.
“What’s the current status?!”
[Yes! It rose to 174%, but after being stored in the Dimensional Hangar, the readings are stabilizing again.]
Fortunately, the engine's inexplicable surge seemed to have stabilized after being stored in the Dimensional Hangar.
‘I have no idea what the cause is. Do you know?’
[I don’t know?]
Haa, I already have a lot of things to worry about, and now there’s one more.
[Master.]
“What now?! Don’t tell me there’s another problem?”
[It’s not so much a problem, but about that surplus output. An aether crystal was created during the stabilization process.]
“What?!”
Startled, I checked, and sure enough, an aether crystal, albeit a very small amount, had been formed.
‘Why in the world?’
An aether crystal was a metal rarely found in spaces full of aether. It didn't contain aether itself, but its aether conductivity was high, and it was a decisively, damnably sturdy substance.
“Can you figure out why this was created?”
[I’m not certain, but in the recent situation, the only factor that could be the cause is hunting monsters….]
Hunting monsters caused the engine to overload, and an aether crystal was created?
“This phenomenon didn't happen when we caught monsters on Earth, did it?”
[That is correct.]
It was a clear anomaly.
Various reasons and causes came to mind, but nothing that felt like a definite answer.
“Let’s move on for now.”
[Isn’t this a bit of a problem to just move on from?]
“What’s the point of worrying about something with no answer? And I have a countermeasure of sorts.”
[A countermeasure?]
“I just need to make you sturdier.”
If it couldn't withstand the overload, I just had to make it so it could.
Verification would come after that.
Well, it might take some time, but I have to play it safe.
And so, with a strange, lingering feeling, I returned to the mansion.
<><><>
[By the way, Master, why did you hide your identity earlier?]
“Well, that’s because of your existence.”
[Me?]
In fact, it had been that way since the design phase on Earth, and I was convinced of it while slaughtering the goblins in this world.
The prototype’s performance was, in a word, on a transcendent level.
“If a powerful weapon of war like you became publicly known, what do you think would happen?”
In the first place, even before the prototype was developed, I had been in danger of being kidnapped countless times on Earth.
In this industry, especially in weapons manufacturing, kidnapping, confinement, and threats were very common.
“It probably wouldn’t be some random people. Even the people of our village would probably push me to the forefront, saying ‘Let’s make Leventia great!’ and suggest we invade the next village, or cause a commotion about catching a dragon to make money.”
[Are there dragons in this world?]
“If there are, I’m saying. If there are.”
Anyway, it wasn't that the villagers were bad; it was just how humans were.
In any case, the moment the prototype’s identity was revealed, it was a foregone conclusion that I would get caught up in all sorts of troublesome matters.
“In the first place, if I had intended to reveal you openly, I would have repaired you in my workshop instead of the secret one.”
[As expected of you, Master! You had already taken that into account!]
Anyway, the first activation after the prototype’s repair was successfully (?) completed, and I even got a small reward in the form of an aether crystal, so it seemed like everything was wrapping up nicely.
Until my father came to my room.
“Raniel.”
“…Father?”
“Open the door for a moment. I have something to say.”
My father, who should have been busy cleaning up the goblin corpses and sending the villagers back to their homes, had come to my room.
I tilted my head in confusion but opened the door.
“The black armor you were wearing earlier, is that also that ‘mana engineering’ thing?”
As soon as I opened the door, that was my father’s first remark.
In that moment, I wondered if I should first correct ‘mana engineering’ to ‘magical engineering,’ but I held back.
Instead, I calmly asked back with a look of complete ignorance.
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s no need to feign ignorance. I already know what I’m talking about, and I’m not here to interrogate you.”
I considered playing dumb a little longer, but seeing my father’s expression, I didn't feel like it.
My father had a look in his eyes as if he had already reached a conclusion.
“…How did you know?”
“The swordsmanship you were wielding, that was what I taught you.”
My father’s expression as he said that looked truly complicated.
I had nothing to say in response, so I just stood there quietly, and my father also just looked out the window in silence.
I wonder how much time passed before my father suddenly spoke.
“I won’t ask why you didn’t reveal that armor to me. I can roughly guess.”
“…”
“However, there is one thing I want to ask.”
Once again, my father fell silent, and only after a long while did he quietly begin to speak.
“Son.”
“Yes?”
“Do you like magical engineering?”
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.
“Well, yes.”
“Then do it.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m telling you to do what you want to do.”
As he said that, my father handed me an academy recommendation letter bearing his signature and seal.
“This is…”
“I believe the entrance exam period has not yet passed. If you prepare well from now on…”
“That’s not it, the ink is a little faded. Did you happen to sign this a long time ago…”
“A-ahem! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“You were planning to give it to me all along, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it because of what you’d said until now, and you thought now was your chance to give it to me…”
“Ahem, I told you, I don't know what you’re talking about!”
My father turned his back completely.
I looked at his back and grinned.
“Magical engineering is useful, isn’t it?”
“You won’t be getting beaten up anywhere, that’s for sure. And I have one thing to correct.”
“…”
“What I said about you not even knowing the basics of the Leventia style, I retract that.”
In that moment, I couldn't see my father’s face, but I felt like I could grasp his expression as if it were in my hand.
“You did know the basics after all.”
<><><>
[ Sniff. So this is what a conversation between father and son is like.]
The prototype, which had become a little serious during the attack, quickly returned to its usual self.
However, I had grown somewhat used to its way of speaking now, so the sense of incongruity wasn't as strong as before.
“What nonsense are you on about now? What did my father and I even talk about?”
[Oh, come on, don’t be shy.]
“I really think the AI is broken. I need to take a look at it.”
[I’m going to be cooped up in the hangar for a while! I’m not coming out! I’m in NEET mode!]
As if it could come out of the hangar anyway, because of the charging.
Because the prototype had declared itself a NEET, I also just wanted to rest at home.
The territory’s affairs, the research, right now I just wanted to throw it all aw—.
“Ah, right. You finished scanning the surroundings with the sensors, right?”
[Of course! Instead of goblins, it’s just swarming with rats!]
Swarming, she says.
It was better than goblins, but I would have to pick a day and incinerate them at some point.
Ah, and there was something else to do.
“Can you predict how much of the functions can be restored if we use the aether crystal we got for the engine repairs?”
[We might be able to use the boosters?]
Well, that was satisfactory enough.
With the already short operational time, being able to save on travel time was a big deal.
After settling everything, I checked the recommendation letter I had received from my father.
<Letter of Recommendation for the Imperial Academy’s Department of Magical Engineering.>
At the bottom of the letter was my father’s seal, but there was a peculiar mark.
Normally, there should have been just a single sword, but next to it, the shape of a gear, symbolizing magical engineering, was crudely drawn.
This old man.
And so, after fending off the goblin attack, receiving my father’s acknowledgment and the academy recommendation letter, peaceful times passed.
I waited for the academy entrance exam date, continuing my research and the prototype’s repairs as before. (I also exterminated the rats in the sewer.)
My father, in preparation for monster attacks, gathered his private soldiers and began more intensive training.
And so, as time flowed and the academy exam date approached.
A very strange thing happened.
“Raniel! Look at this!”
“Get that sweaty, hideous energy away from me!”
It was the news that Linia, the maid, had suddenly acquired aura.
The number of academy recommendation letters had become +1.