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“M-Mr. Arnitta… what is this!?”
“A large golem with a transformation mechanism. A passion project, made with no regard for cost. It’s gathered a bit of dust, though.”

The giant lying dormant in the massive warehouse was larger than a ten-ton truck.

And that was just lying down—if it stood up, it would be even more incredible. And it could transform, too. It was just like the giant robots I dreamed about as a kid—right here in front of me.

“By the way, I’ve never even test-run it. We’ll be flying completely blind. But, on paper, it should be able to cross a desert with no problem.”
“If it’s on paper, then it’s fine! I can’t do math, so I trust those who can!”
“Gwahaha! That’s the spirit! If the structure’s sound, it’ll work out somehow!!”
“Wait, wait, wait! You mad engineer!!”
“Oh, Mr. Mintark.”

Mr. Mintark came rushing down the stairs after us, panting. He looked very angry. I wondered what had gotten him so worked up.

“Are you out of your mind, trying to move a giant golem like this with no testing!? Are all you magitech people completely insane!? You can’t just skip validation and experimentation!!”
“What did you say!? There’s no time! If we sit around preparing, the culprit will escape beyond our reach!”
“Which is exactly why, you fool! If you want to go blow yourself up, do it alone—but don’t drag Lady Momose down with you!!”
“Grgh… nngh…”
“The goal of magitech is to better people’s lives—to bring the convenience of magecraft to as many as possible, isn’t it? What do you think will happen if this thing breaks down in the middle of the desert? You know the answer to that!”

Mr. Mintark’s furious scolding, veins bulging on his forehead, was absolutely on point. The excitement we’d felt at the sight of the giant golem quickly cooled. Mr. Arnitta opened his mouth a few times, looking for a retort, but in the end, he hung his head without saying a word.

“…I’m sorry. I got carried away, wanting to avenge my grandkids. Letting the deadline pressure me into cutting corners was the height of foolishness.”
“As long as you understand. No harm done, after all. Lady Momose, I apologize for putting your life at risk.”
“N-no, not at all! I was just as eager, honestly…”

The chance to ride in a giant robot… well, I had gotten a little—no, very excited. I wasn’t really in any position to blame Mr. Arnitta, so Mr. Mintark’s apology only made my guilt sting that much more.

“Hmm, now that I’ve calmed down, I realize there are a lot of things I need to reassess. If I just had more hands, none of this would be a problem…”
“I-I’ll help! If it’s heavy lifting, just leave it to me!”

I didn’t know much about magitech, but even I could tell that maintaining a robot of this size would be impossible for one person. But there was no one else around to lend a hand. If we didn’t pitch in—even just a little—it could take days before we caught up to Master.

“Hmph! Have your skills dulled while you sat around posturing as leader? No matter—I suppose I’ll lend you a hand!”
“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! Is picking a fight the only way you know how to start a conversation with me!?”
“Now, now, now! Thank you, Mr. Mintark! But… are you familiar with magitech too?”
“Magitech is originally derived from magecraft. Any wizard worth their salt should be able to contribute, at least to some degree.”

Now that I thought about it, Master had known quite a bit about golems too. Maybe it was wizards who originally developed the know-how to build them. If that was the case, Mr. Mintark would definitely be more useful than I could be. I’d just focus on the physical labor on my end.

“Even so, there are only three of us. No way we can finish this in a day or two.”
“We can’t force Lady Momose to shoulder all the hard labor either. We could use a man’s strength here.”
“A man’s strength… Oh! In that case—”

✦✧✦✧✦

“I am William Chussé!!”
“And I am William Banssé!!”
““We are the proud followers of Thuru, summoned by the mighty Momose Kaguya herself!!””
“I asked Mr. Runira to let me borrow them—here’s your extra manpower!”
“The sight alone is exhausting…”

Mr. Arnitta stared at the two posing Thuru followers as if he were looking at a piping hot stew in the middle of summer.

Just as you’d expect, they were hulking, musclebound Thuru believers. When it came to physical labor, you couldn’t ask for better reinforcements.

“We’ve heard the tale! First, a moment of silence for those who’ve departed to Valhalla!!”
“And to the elder who fights for the comrades who went before him—we offer our respect!!”
“Oho, loud and sweaty, but at least they make sense! I’m counting on you, Chussé, Banssé!”
““Yes, sir!!””
“Good, looks like things are working out on this end.”

I’d been a little worried that mixing magic and magitech might cause some problems, but they hit it off faster than I expected. Maybe it was because Mr. Arnitta was just as ripped as the Thuru followers. Muscles probably understand each other on some primal level.

“Well, well… never thought I’d see the day all three districts came together…”
“When you’re in a pinch, it doesn’t matter whether it’s magic, magecraft, or magitech. As long as we’ve got the manpower, we’re good. But how are things looking on your side?”
“Ah, well. First, we’ll need to compare Arnitta’s blueprints against our knowledge to determine what needs doing.”
“Hmm… maybe we should divide up the brainwork too. Is there any chance we could borrow some students from the academy?”

If wizards could understand golems, then surely student wizards could too. They didn’t need Mr. Mintark’s level of skill or knowledge—even someone who could handle simpler tasks would help lighten the load.

“St-students, you say? Surely that’s a bit much…”
“But if it’s just you and Mr. Mintark, I feel like the workload will be overwhelming. It doesn’t cost anything to ask! I’ll go check with Stell and the others real quick!”
“P-please make absolutely sure they’re properly equipped to avoid injury!”
“Will do!!”

Next stop after the Magic District: the Magecraft District. With my legs and stamina, I could still keep running all day. If it didn’t work out, I’d just come up with another plan. Better to act than stand around fretting.

“Wait for me, Master, Daigorou! I’ll catch up to you in no time!”

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“…Hm?”

I could’ve sworn I just heard Momo’s voice from somewhere. I looked around, but of course there was no sign of anyone like her. Maybe I was just hearing things from the heat.

“What’s wrong, silver-hair girl? If you’re feeling the heat, have some water.”
“No, it’s nothing. And besides, we can’t afford to waste precious water so easily.”
“Ahaha, no need to be so modest! After all the help you gave us, that’s a small price to pay.”

The one talking to me, rocking slightly in the cart as he held the reins of the camel pulling our load, was one of the turban-wearing merchants.

On the road to Regulus, I had given them a hand when they were in a tight spot, and now they were giving me a ride as thanks.

“Man, when those camels got stung by the venom scorpions, I thought we were done for. You really saved us, Lady Laika.”
“You were transporting herbs that were urgently needed, that’s all. If you want the recipe, I’ll sell it to you—just be more careful next time.”
“Bring that deal up with our leader later. You’re really something. Where’d you pick up all that knowledge?”
“There used to be this fool who soaked scorpions in booze and drank it down like a shot… Never mind. Anyway, is that Regulus over there?”
“Hm? Oh yeah, there it is! Still just as crazy a sight as ever.”

Beyond the sweltering sands, shimmering under the heat haze, a shape began to emerge—something clearly man-made among the endless dunes.

Even from this distance, it was easy to tell the city was enormous. But more than anything, what struck me was how unnaturally *lush* it looked amidst the desolate desert.

“…It’s like a massive oasis.”

Regulus—its true nature was that of a vast floating city in the middle of the sands.