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“…Ohhh! A Löwe is already here to greet us, forsooth!”
“It’s not greeting you. It’s just in standby posture.”

Isaac, visibly thrilled upon entering the hangar, was quickly met with a deadpan remark from Romeo, who couldn’t help but poke fun at him. Inside, Mecha Soldiers and Subordinate Units were lined up in every available space.

At the front stood rows of Löwe, sixth-generation Mecha Soldiers. Each was in standby mode, sitting with one knee up, arranged in an orderly fashion. The sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

“As expected of the Empire’s current mainstay, the Löwe. The sheer presence it exudes is on another level.”

Even just seeing them in their standby posture was enough to tell how skilled their pilots must be.

“I witnessed the university division students compete in the Zersteller last year, and I must say, it was practically on par with the professional leagues, forsooth. A military academy of such prestige naturally produces talent that pales not in comparison to pro-level pilots, it does.”

Isaac and Romeo, thoroughly impressed, made their way deeper into the hangar.

Come to think of it, the university division held their matches in the Colosseum as well. It might be a good idea to attend one and get a feel for the atmosphere of the real competition. I should check the schedule later.

“Haaah… To think we would get to use a Löwe… It is almost too much to bear, it is!”
“Calm down, Isaac. Those are university division property. See the management tags?”

Romeo gave Isaac’s knee a firm smack, snapping him out of his excitement. Isaac’s fox ears drooped, and he dramatically clutched his head, wailing.

“How could I let myself be deceived…? A false hope, forsooth…!”
“Now, now. The high school division’s inventory is over here.”

With that, the Professor led us further into the hangar.

Deeper inside, we found the Legions used in the previous class, as well as several units of a model called Iris-Flago, three of them lined up in a row.

The Iris-Flago was a distinctive unit, its head shaped like a wide-brimmed hat. Its limbs were slender, with a buckler seamlessly integrated into its left arm. Most striking were the four decorative cloth-like extensions trailing from the thrusters on its back.

Judging by its delicate limbs, the Iris-Flago was clearly categorized as a light Mecha Soldier.

“Like the Legion, the Flago was a machine used during the war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom 200 years ago—the Third Holy-Imperial War. My biggest point of interest is, of course, its acceleration performance, forsooth!”
“That’s thanks to the four large thruster units—two on the back and two on the waist.”
“Indeed! And let us not overlook the fact that its armor has been thinned to the absolute limit for weight reduction! It is said that the Flago’s instantaneous acceleration is three times that of the Legion, forsooth!”

Isaac and Romeo went on explaining, despite no one asking them to. Since my knowledge of history was limited to what was taught in textbooks and what I had picked up in my previous life, their commentary was actually quite informative.

Summing up their points, the Iris-Flago was a machine excelling in mobility and charge attacks. At a glance, it seemed like a good match for Hom, but I had my doubts. The Flago’s limbs were too thin—so lightweight that they probably couldn’t withstand heavy impacts. If Hom operated it using her own physical sense, she might end up destroying the machine before even taking down an opponent.

With that in mind, I couldn’t see the Flago being suitable for Hom’s close-combat fighting style.

“…It seems a poor match for Lady Hom, forsooth.”
“The Flago is built to take advantage of its speed, excelling in thrusting attacks with a slender sword-like weapon.”

Taking another look at the machine based on Romeo’s explanation, I noticed the slim sword mounted at its waist. It seemed like a unit that would pair well with Vannabelle.

For now, despite some concerns, using a Legion as the base for Hom’s dedicated machine seemed like the best choice.

“Professor, for now, I’d like to secure one Legion—”
“Ah! I almost forgot something important.”

Just as I was about to request a Legion, the Professor clapped his forehead and looked up.

“The machines Leafa can use are over here. Fully operational units cannot be used for personal purposes, so what I can provide is, well… junk.”

Saying that, the Professor led us to a section at the edge of the hangar where scrap parts were stored.

Stacks of Legion parts, relatively well-organized despite being damaged, lay piled up. Some pieces looked rusted from age, but I could spot a few in decent condition deeper in the pile.

Additionally, there were spare Löwe parts, such as joint components and bundles of magi-compressed muscle fibers, neatly arranged. These were likely salvaged from damaged units used in the university division’s league matches.

What caught me off guard was the presence of Subordinate Unit parts, which weren’t normally stored here. They had probably been retrieved from units operating within Canalford Academy. If necessary, these could even be used to repair Arkecius in case of damage.

Even though it was labeled as “junk,” everything was well-organized and seemed usable. With this much available, there was a real possibility of assembling a working Mecha Soldier.

Thinking that, I turned toward the Mecha Soldiers haphazardly left in a collapsed standby posture—only to lay eyes on a machine I really didn’t want to see.

“That’s a Geist Armor, forsooth—”
“We’re not using this machine. No need for an explanation.”

This unit had been used by the organization that engaged in the illegal trade of homunculi. Just looking at it left a bad taste in my mouth. Hom surely wouldn’t want to pilot it either.

Right next to it, several Legion units were stacked together. I could probably choose a decent one from this lot to use as a base model. The bigger issue was finding a machine for Alfe.

As I walked through the hangar, I gazed up at the massive Mecha Soldiers, inspecting them one by one. That was when I spotted a unit that was unlike any I had seen before.

It had the appearance of a jester wearing a hat, with devilish wings sprouting from its back. In its hands, it gripped a large scythe, giving it an ominous presence.

“…What is this unit?”
“This is the Lemures Screamer, forsooth. More commonly known as Lemures, it is a sixth-generation Magic Soldier employed even by the Imperial Army.”
“A sixth-generation Mecha Soldier in the Magic Armament category?! Even if it’s junk, I can’t believe we found one here!”

Magic Soldiers were a special class of Mecha Soldiers designed specifically for spellcasting. Unlike standard models, they boasted exceptionally high ether output, allowing them to use a vast array of magic. While its eerie appearance could be modified through customization, its functions seemed to align well with what I was looking for.

“This might work as a base for Alfe’s unit.”
“That, forsooth, is a matter of some doubt.”

Isaac voiced his skepticism in response to my murmur.

“Why’s that?”
“As a Magic Soldier, Lemures’ performance is not lacking, forsooth. It possesses sufficient magical combat capabilities. However… it suffers from an excess of ambition, forsooth.”
“…You’re saying it tries to do too much?”

If that was the case, we could simply remove unnecessary functions. But I decided to hear him out further.

“Simply put, most Magic Soldiers are specialized for magic, which means they often have weaknesses in close combat and armor. But this unit was designed to overcome those flaws and become an all-purpose Magic Soldier.”
“As expected of Sir Romeo, a most precise explanation, forsooth. To elaborate further, the wing-like structures on its back function as variable armor. It can fold them around itself to protect the unit. Additionally, its primary weapon—the large scythe—serves a dual purpose: it acts as an aether-amplifying staff while also functioning as a melee weapon with its scythe blade, forsooth.”

I see. Now I understood why Isaac had described it as too ambitious. Just from a brief explanation, it was clear this machine was packed with features. As it was now, there was no way Alfe—who had little experience piloting Mecha Soldiers—could handle it.

“Piloting this unit requires exceptional skill. Its overloaded design makes the controls overly complex, to the point where even seasoned pilots struggle with it.”
“…I get it now.”

At times like this, having Isaac and Romeo, who were well-versed in Mecha Soldiers, was a huge help.

“The Imperial Army did attempt to find pilots compatible with the unit,” the Professor chimed in. “But… well, when the controls are this complicated, you can guess what happened, right?”
“They crashed it by accident…”

Hearing the Professor’s suggestive remark, I looked up at the unit once more. One of its wing-like structures—resembling a demon’s wings—was broken and left dangling loosely.

“So, that means we can repair and customize it¹, right, Professor?”
“Exactly. As always, you catch on quickly.”

It was a problematic unit, no doubt. But as a sixth-generation Mecha Soldier, it would significantly boost the evaluation score in the Mecha Soldier assessment. If we could fix its flaws, it could serve as Alfe’s machine.

“Then, for Hom and Alfe’s Mecha Soldiers, we’ll use a Legion and Lemures as the base units.”
“W-Wait a second, Leafa! Sure, you might be able to repair it, but Lemures is notoriously difficult to pilot!”
“Indeed, forsooth! If it were up to me, I would go with a Legion—”
“Lemures is the best choice. If Alfe is going to be the pilot, she absolutely needs the capabilities of a Magic Soldier.”

I had already made up my mind. And I had the technical skills and knowledge to make it happen.

“B-But what about the time—”
“Of course, I’ll modify it so that Alfe can pilot it without any issues. It’ll take effort, but I’ll have to start by dismantling and rebuilding it from the ground up.”
“L-Leafa, are you insane—?!!”
“You’re kidding, right!?”

Isaac and Romeo practically screamed in disbelief, while the Professor burst out laughing.

“Hahaha. Well, this is getting quite interesting. I suppose I shall lend a hand as well.”
“Wait, what!?”

The three of us spoke in unison at the unexpected offer.

“Wouldn’t you agree that it’s a rare opportunity to witness firsthand the skill of someone who revived a relic like Arkecius, which was practically scrap²?”

Well, if I were in the Professor’s position, I would probably think the same way.

“T-Then, I shall assist as well, forsooth!”
“Me too! I want in!”

Good grief. I had intended to do this alone, but now I had unexpected allies. It seemed everyone here had a strong passion for Mecha Soldiers and magic tools.

Iris-Flago

The Iris Corporation developed this light Mecha Soldier during the Third Holy-Empire War in the 600s of the Holy Flower era.

The Iris-Flago is the forerunner of the Flago-series Mecha Soldiers that followed and served as the company’s flagship model. It was developed by the in-house team known as Insigne, which incorporated the latest Iris Corporation technology at the time.

The core concept behind the unit is to balance mobility and defense.

The Iris-Flago’s design is based on a prototype internally referred to as “Ossa Alba.” Its armor is stripped down to the bare minimum required to maintain structural integrity, drastically reducing its weight. As a result, its overall mass is significantly lower than that of an average light Mecha Soldier.

The unit is equipped with a total of four jet propulsion systems—two on the back and two on the waist. However, these are relatively low-output. Despite this, the Iris-Flago boasts exceptional mobility due to its extreme weight reduction.

While this design approach successfully achieves the intended mobility, it renders the unit’s defensive capabilities alarmingly weak. To counteract this, the development team meticulously calculated an optimal armor configuration that enhanced the unit’s durability without significantly increasing its weight. Their calculations resulted in an armor layout that effectively covers all critical areas in battle. Additionally, the armor was manufactured using a proprietary, top-secret process, granting it exceptional durability.

The weight savings achieved through extreme lightening also allow for ornamental embellishments. Decorative elements were incorporated into the head, knees, and even the toes. Among these, the unit’s most distinctive feature is the four ribbon-like structures extending from its jet propulsion system. These ribbons flutter elegantly in combat, resembling wings and creating a strikingly graceful impression.

Lemures Screamer

The Arcadia Empire military developed this mass-produced Magic Soldier, which began operation in the 818th year of the Holy Flower era.

The unit uses a light Mecha Soldier frame for its internal skeleton and features thin armor, directing the output of its magic furnace towards its spellcasting capacity. As a result, it maintains agility but is fragile and weak, making direct combat not recommended.

The early production models emit a high-pitched sound from the unit during spellcasting, earning it the nickname “Screamer.”

The Empire military equipped this unit with ambitious new features, aiming to make it a versatile Magic Soldier. One such feature is the movable armor known as the Guard Robe, which is mounted on the back in a wing-like shape. When deployed, it wraps around the unit like a robe, offering protection from attacks. Additionally, the unit’s main weapon, a large scythe, also functions as a magic staff, allowing it to perform some degree of close-quarters combat.

However, the addition of these mechanisms complicates the unit’s operation, making it a machine that only skilled operators can handle. The Empire military is currently seeking individuals who can operate this unit, deploying it to various training institutions to select qualified pilots.

1. Robinxen: Here begins the custom content robots!
2. Robinxen: This world really does not treat kids like kids, at all.

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