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The purchased Arkecius was transported to my home by the seller using a large steam vehicle from the bazaar.

After moving Arkecius into the warehouse my father had cleared, I used the rust-removing chemical that Mother compounded for me to polish it, and the seemingly decayed machine looked considerably cleaner.

There seemed to have been a time when a small subordinate unit was kept in the warehouse, as various tools were still there, covered in dust.

Considering my Leafa memories had no mention of it, there might have been some military involvement, but more importantly, a normal kid would probably be delighted seeing all these tools.

“Thank you for storing it, Father. With this, not only repairs but also remodeling seems possible.”
“…Remodeling?”

In response to my statement, my father looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. The power system of this unit is outdated, so I thought it would be convenient to install liquid aether and operate it with a standard magic furnace. What do you think?”

Subordinate units and mecha soldiers were equipped with a magic furnace, a device that amplified magical power. In modern subordinate units and mecha soldiers, this magical power amplifier enhanced the rider’s aether, allowing the operation of large machines. However, the specifications of the antique Arkecius were somewhat different.

This machine operated using quite old technology—a suction device called a manastratum furnace that drew in mana from the air and converted it into aether. Upon inspecting Arkecius, unfortunately, the manastratum furnace had deteriorated with age and was no longer usable. As initially planned, it was decided to change the specifications to the same magic furnace as the current units. However, given my current child’s body, it would be challenging to operate Arkecius for an extended period using my own aether. Therefore, I thought of covering the shortfall with a widely used liquid aether.

“…Right. Aligning it with the same specifications as the current mecha would make it more durable, and if you’re going to ride it, the physical burden would be less. Don’t worry about fuel efficiency. Your dad will buy as much as you need.”

Father carefully considered my thoughts and nodded approvingly.

“I appreciate it, Father.”

Being so affirmative of my ideas probably stemmed from the fact that he had spent a lot of time away from home, and wanted to do something for the family. Since I couldn’t do much as a child in this regard, I’ll gladly accept his kindness. Also, when it came to remodeling, there were a few more requests I needed to make to my father.

“…And if possible—I was wondering if I could see the mecha unit at your workplace, Father. I think it would be helpful for future reference. What do you think?”

While it might involve military secrets and could be challenging, I didn’t explicitly mention that and instead waited for my father’s reaction.

“Hmm…”

Father rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, then shifted his gaze outside the warehouse.

“Well, if you’re okay with Daddy’s unit, I’ll try to arrange a visit. Although, I wouldn’t be able to show it to you in action. Is that fine with you?”
“Yes, that would be enough.”

While I would have liked to touch it, I understand that letting a child ride in a military mecha unit was out of the question, so I showed some discretion in my request.

“And, since we have accumulated a lot of scrapped mech parts, if I contact the mechanic, I might be able to arrange something. It would be a good idea to list what you need.”

Father nodded with a smile at my response and offered a suggestion that I hadn’t even hoped for.

“Thank you, Father!”

It seemed that I would have the opportunity to talk to the mechanic as well, so I was looking forward to visiting Father’s workplace. Interacting with Father like this brought a different set of insights and perspectives compared to my interactions with Mother.