It had been a while now.
Arthur had received all sorts of gifts.
From prototype weapons and valuable resources to exclusive privileges and access to various services...
The list had finally been reduced to just three remaining gifts.
Lady Elizabeth glanced down at the holographic display before speaking.
"Next..."
"From Young Lord Miranda of House Solis."
She gestured toward the center of the banquet hall.
Immediately, several maids and butlers moved to the sides of the room.
The ambient lights gradually dimmed.
The conversations throughout the hall quieted.
Then...
A large blue holographic display suddenly activated above the center of the banquet hall.
A massive combat humanoid Mecha appeared within it.
Its imposing frame was predominantly black, white, and gold, with an unmistakably military design.
Across the holographic display...
TYPE-VANGUARD
The sight alone caused several of the younger nobles to widen their eyes.
Lady Elizabeth continued.
"This model was entirely custom-made for Young Master Arthur."
She paused briefly.
"Its outer frame was constructed using Black Star Steel and Plasma Titanium Gold Refined Alloy."
A few murmurs immediately spread through the banquet hall.
Elizabeth continued.
"But the primary structural frame..."
Her expression became slightly more serious.
"...is composed entirely of Type-Z Orichalcum."
The hall fell noticeably quieter.
For several seconds...
Nobody spoke.
Then...
The murmuring erupted.
"Type-Z Orichalcum?"
"Isn’t that only found in the core of a dying star?"
"Are you serious?"
"How much would something like that even cost?"
Several merchants and young lords stared at the holographic Mecha in shock.
Even those unfamiliar with advanced military technology understood the implication.
A Mecha constructed with such materials wasn’t simply expensive.
It was absurdly expensive.
House Solis was undoubtedly one of the wealthier Star Lord families.
But even for them...
Commissioning and constructing something of this caliber would have required an enormous amount of resources.
And yet...
They had given it away.
As a birthday gift.
To a single Young Master.
Several nobles exchanged bewildered looks.
It was almost difficult to believe.
Lady Elizabeth looked toward Arthur.
"The Type-Vanguard is now the personal property of Young Master Arthur."
A fresh wave of whispers spread throughout the banquet hall.
Arthur remained silent.
He stared at the enormous holographic Mecha.
"..."
Florain pinched the bridge of her nose.
"...That seems more like a museum piece than an actual combat unit."
Arthur glanced toward her.
She wasn’t entirely wrong.
The materials used to construct the Type-Vanguard made it practically indestructible.
Taking such a Mecha into battle was almost like going into war while wearing the combined net worth of a small noble family as armor.
It could probably survive thousands of battles before suffering any serious damage.
But that was precisely where the problem began.
Repairing it would be an absolute nightmare.
Type-Z Orichalcum, Black Star Steel, and Plasma Titanium Gold Refined Alloy weren’t materials that could simply be welded back together.
Their melting points were absurdly high.
If a critical component were damaged beyond repair...
It would have to be completely recast.
And most refineries throughout the Empire simply didn’t possess furnaces powerful enough to process materials of this caliber.
In other words...
The Type-Vanguard was almost impossibly durable.
But once something actually managed to damage it...
Repairing that damage would be an entirely different problem.
Several young lords and merchants exchanged uneasy glances.
"Wait..."
"You’re telling me that’s actually a combat unit?"
"I thought House Solis commissioned a ceremonial Mecha."
"A ceremonial Mecha made from Type-Z Orichalcum?"
"That’s not ceremonial. That’s insanity."
A merchant shook his head in disbelief.
"Do you have any idea how much Type-Z Orichalcum costs per kilogram?"
Another merchant immediately replied.
"Forget the price. Where would you even find enough of it to construct an entire frame?"
A young lord stared at the holographic Mecha.
"House Solis really went all out."
"All out?"
His companion scoffed.
"They practically threw a small fortune into a furnace and gave the result to Young Master Arthur."
A few nobles laughed nervously.
Florain folded her arms.
"Exactly."
"Even if it survives a thousand battles, what happens when something finally does damage it?"
She shook her head.
"Finding someone capable of repairing that thing would probably be harder than finding someone capable of destroying it."
Arthur continued staring at the holographic display.
"...That’s actually a good point."
Lady Elizabeth remained composed.
However...
She suddenly paused.
"There is, however..."
"...one additional detail regarding the gift."
The murmuring gradually died down.
Elizabeth continued.
"The Type-Vanguard comes with three standard years of complimentary repair services."
Silence.
Several people blinked.
"...What?"
Elizabeth calmly continued.
"House Solis has also provided complete access to the Type-Vanguard’s original blueprints and technical schematics. The data can only be accessed inside the Mecha by the Young Master’s biological signals."
The banquet hall went completely silent.
For several seconds...
Nobody seemed capable of processing what they’d just heard.
Then—
"THE BLUEPRINTS?!"
A merchant practically shouted.
"You’re telling me they gave him the schematics too?!"
Another merchant’s expression changed completely.
"That’s worth more than the Mecha itself!"
A young lord stared at the hologram in disbelief.
"Three years of repairs..."
"And the complete manufacturing specifications?"
"That’s not a gift."
"That’s a technology transfer!"
An older merchant shook his head rapidly.
"Do you understand what those schematics are worth?"
"If House Solis allowed those designs to circulate publicly, half the military-industrial sector would kill to get their hands on them."
Another noble lowered his voice.
"Not half."
"All of it."
Someone from the back of the crowd muttered,
"House Solis must really want Young Master Ashbourne’s hand in marriage."
Florain’s expression became unusually serious.
"...Now that’s interesting."
Arthur glanced toward her.
"What?"
She looked at him.
"The Mecha was already excessive."
"But giving you the blueprints?"
She shook her head.
"That’s the real gift."
Arthur looked back toward the holographic Type-Vanguard.
"...I see."
Around them, the nobles were still whispering among themselves.
Some were impressed.
Some were jealous.
And quite a few looked genuinely troubled.
Because everyone in the room had just realized something.
House Solis hadn’t merely given Arthur an incredibly powerful weapon.
They had given him the means to understand, maintain, and potentially reproduce it.
And that...
Was considerably more valuable.
Arthur suddenly heard a familiar mechanical voice inside his mind.
〘Item identified: Humanoid Combat Mecha Type-Vanguard.〙
〘Classification: Tactical-Grade Weapon.〙
〘Current Grade: Tactical.〙
〘Distance from Divine Grade: 4 Grades.〙
Arthur’s eyes widened slightly.
...Tactical Grade?
His interest immediately intensified.
He had expected the Type-Vanguard to be powerful, but seeing its actual classification was still surprising.
...Only four grades away from Divine?
That was impressive.
Very impressive.
Then Genesis’s voice echoed inside his mind.
〘Master.〙
〘Based on my analysis of the Type-Vanguard’s current structure...〙
〘If you were to enhance it to Divine Grade, there is a high probability that it would develop a self-repair function.〙
Arthur blinked.
...Self-repair?
〘Correct.〙
〘Once an item reaches Divine Grade, it may develop a form of sentience or even a true soul.〙
〘If that occurs, the Type-Vanguard would potentially be capable of autonomously repairing its own damaged components.〙
Arthur stared at the holographic Mecha.
...A Mecha with a soul?
The thought alone was strangely exciting.
Would it be capable of making decisions independently?
Arthur’s interest in the Type-Vanguard increased considerably.
...Now I really want to see what happens.
Meanwhile...
Florain suddenly sighed.
"I have a feeling things are about to get crazier from here."
Arthur looked at her.
"What makes you say that?"
Florain gently bumped her elbow against his side.
"If the sidekick just gave you a small fortune..."
She grinned.
"Imagine what the big dog is going to give you."
Arthur paused.
"...You have a point."
Florain smiled knowingly.
"Exactly."
Lady Elizabeth finally looked back toward the holographic list.
"Now..."
"For the second-to-last name..."
She paused.
Her expression suddenly became strange.
Elizabeth slowly raised her eyes.
Then...
She looked directly toward a certain young lord standing among the guests.
Her expression became noticeably more serious.
"Young Lord Celestia..."
She paused.
"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?"
The entire banquet hall seemed to quiet down.
Celestia simply smiled.
"Hardly, Lord Ashbourne."