I passed on the information I heard from Ende to the guild master, Relisha-san, and she moved quickly.
　She contacted the Guildmaster in charge of the Rhodomere Federation and lobbied me to see if I could somehow meet with the Governor of all the Rhodomere states, Volk Raziel.
　Even though it was a small country, the king's offer and the names of the countries lined up as allies may have had an effect, but to be honest, the fact that the governor of all the provinces agreed to meet with me right away was a great help.
　As soon as I received the call from the guild, I, along with King Belfast and Emperor Regulus, who had heard about the situation, rode to Rhodomea with my guards as representatives of the 'East-West Alliance'....

''What do you mean we're not evacuating! It could happen again, just like it did with Euron!
No, it doesn't mean that we won't evacuate. It's not that we won't evacuate, it's just that we want to assess the situation correctly and then make a national announcement.

　A man sat in front of me in a chair in the reception room, and in front of me sat the same way.
　He was stocky, with chestnut hair, droopy eyes, and a stocky build, with a beard that stretched from his chin to his brow.
　He wore a jacket with an expensive design and trousers and shoes that were also expensive.
　This man is Volk Raziel. He is the governor of the central province here and the leader of the country, the governor of all the provinces.
　Elected by the governors of the seven provinces, this man is quite a confident man, and he was not surprised and calm when he heard of Freys' attack.

''Where did you get that information from in the first place?''
I can't tell you much about it, but I have an associate. He told me that...
A contributor, sir? Can he be trusted? With all due respect, isn't that somewhat of a problem to take it at face value?

　Sure, Ende is an unidentified guy. But that guy is actually hostile to Fraise. I guess it's not such a simple scheme, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but he's not the enemy 'at the moment'.........................haz.

''To be honest, there is a difference of opinion among the other state governors. Some say we must evacuate the area immediately, others say it's unnecessary, and still others say we must defeat the enemy ourselves. I can't make a decision right away.

　Why are you taking so long? Why don't they just evacuate the building while they're doing that? Our people's lives are at stake. I was just starting to get irritated when Emperor Regulus interrupted me.

''You said that the governor of all the provinces will be defeated now, but do you mean that knowing the power of the Freys?
The crystal demon known as Frazeez has appeared in our country as well. Moreover, based on the information from your battle in Euron, we have taken some countermeasures. It's not that we don't have a way to fight them.

　Well, I heard a rumor that Frase had appeared in Rhodomere, too. Have you been thinking of ways to counter it since then? But how to counter the Frays...? What are you doing?

Yes. Let's have them look at it in person. It's quicker that way.

　With a thin smile, the Governor led us out of the Royal Palace. Rhodomeer's architectural style is similar to that of St. Petersburg, Russia, with its Baroque style. As Piotr I brought European culture with him, Rhodomea seems to have developed its own unique way of incorporating other cultures.
　Led by the governor and the Rhodomean guards, we were led to the square behind the royal palace. And there was a thing standing there. When I saw it, I was speechless. The reason is that the object there was familiar to me.

"Wood Golem...

　There was a tree golem there, which seemed to be twice the size of a frame gear, a tree golem that was twice the size of a frame gear. It was too big to be an ordinary golem. This is the same improved breed as the one controlled by the Rivet Tribe in that great sea of trees.
　The only difference is that its exterior is covered in thick armor-like armor plates all over the place. It looks like a warrior in armor.

I'm not sure why there's a wood golem here! It's dangerous!
Don't worry. That golem is in complete control. It accepts no orders but those of us. He has no need to be violent.

　His Majesty's bodyguard, Knight Commander Gaspar-san, raises his voice, but the Governor flips the golem's leg as if it's nothing to worry about.
　His Majesty the King of Belfast also looks up at the armed golem and frowns.

''But this size........ Originally the Wood Golem shouldn't be ten meters long. Why is this........''
It's a giant animal. It's a breed that has been bred using a special poison. It's a technique that the Rivet tribe of the Great Sea of Trees has successfully developed.
"Ho! His Majesty the Duke of Brunhild is indeed a very famous man. Did you know him?

　As I answered His Majesty the King's question, someone approached me from behind.
　When I turned around, I saw a short, short, overweight man before forty standing there. He was wearing a lab coat and nervously fixing the position of the glasses he wore.
　The hair on his head is quite lonely, but there's a bland smile of confidence on his greasy face.

''........Governor, how is this one?''
Ah, Dr. Edgar Bowman, the young master magician of Lord Mare. He is the father of this Wood Golem.

　Young? For all intents and purposes, he's a balding old man....

'Excuse me, but how old is Dr. Bowman?'
Me? I turned 24 this year, so what?

　24! You're not a mackerel! You're getting old! Err.........
　When I looked next to them, I saw the king, the emperor, and their majesties, who seemed to have the same impression as I did, rolling their eyes. Right!

''This guy's base is indeed based on the improved Wood Golem seed of the Rivet Tribe. I added my knowledge to that seed that I obtained through the dark route to further improve it, and this piece was finally completed. I used Mithril for the armor plate, and it had a particularly fire-attribute magic resistance. During the growth process, I fused the Collar of Enslavement to make it completely obedient to orders. The core, which is its weakness, is covered by multiple layers of strong shells, and of course it has the ability to regenerate. As an added bonus, it can be mass-produced at low cost, and we've already completed dozens of armed golems. Even though they're the Freys, this army of golems of mine doesn't have an ounce of hope. Do you have any questions?

　Perpera and Dr. Bohman, a wizard doctor, proudly talk about their golem. How can they talk so much........ Why does this race talk so fast when explaining what they know?
　But is it still the one used by the Rivet tribe? I don't know what route it flowed through, but it's something that left me with a nasty one.
　If you have a strange power, you're more likely to act stupidly. I don't think Kore, who was defeated by us, is going to be able to stand up to the Flames, no matter how much we improve it.
　It might be able to deal with lower level species. But it would be tough to deal with an intermediate breed. This is the only way to get rid of the lasers that the manta ray mold emits.

You're a doctor of magical engineering, so your specialty is magical artifact research?
'How. I am studying the legacy of the ancient Parthenos. I'm currently studying the grimoire left by Deborah Elks. I've been using the results of my research in creating this golem.
Deborah Elks...

　Is it the Meister, the magician from the ancient civilization who made the "Sounding Needle of Domination" during the Dragon King Riot? Dr. Babylon had been saying a lot of shit about him. It seems that this young Bowman made this device based on the grimoire that Dr. Elks left behind.

I've got a hunch that His Majesty's Titan Soldier is also the work of Deborah Elks. I believe that only a genius like her could have created such a work...
'Oh, that's not true. The frame gear is the work of a Dr. Regina Babylon.
'Dr. Babylon...? I've never heard of him, but ... who is he mentioned in any of the books?
Uh..... Well, let's just call it a secret.

　As I grudgingly misrepresent myself, Bowman gives me a dissatisfied look. It seems that he's really fascinated by the Deborah Elks.

But Viceroy. "But, Viceroy, will these armed golems be enough to stop Freys from attacking us? We have seen with our own eyes the battle against the Freys on Euron. I don't think we should be too sure of ourselves.

　The eyebrows of the Governor of the entire province twitched at the Emperor's words. However, it wasn't the Governor who reacted strongly to those words, it was Bowman.

It was not the governor, but Bowman, who reacted strongly to the words. Your Majesty, do you think that this armed golem, the best of my technology, can't compare to the Freys? With all due respect, I didn't expect you to realize that this guy is better than the Brünnhilde Titan Soldier...
You....!

　At the somewhat ridiculous words, Gaspar-san, the Emperor's bodyguard, unintentionally put his hand on the hilt of his sword. His Majesty the Emperor softly stopped him, and the Governor of the whole province interrupted him.

The governor of all the provinces interrupted him, "Bowman, keep your mouth shut. "Bowman, keep your mouth shut," he said. 'I'm sorry, Your Majesty. But I can understand what he's saying. Is there something disturbing about this golem?

　The words are polite, but the Governor's eyes have a somewhat challenging color to them. Come to think of it, I've heard that one of the reasons Regulus and Rhodomeer don't get along is because Rhodomeer was founded as an independent entity from Regulus. But I heard that was nearly 200 years ago. Do they still have some kind of feud?

It's something to worry about, you know. I just wondered if we can really fight to protect our people with puppets who don't have our lives in their hands.
Huh. So you're saying that Brunhild's human-controlled Titan soldiers are better than these armed golems?

　Huh? It's kind of provocative for the Emperor, too. Well, it's not hard to see why.
　This Dr. Bowman or something like that seems to have absolute confidence in his armed golem. He's been giving His Majesty the Emperor an irritated look from a while ago. That attitude towards the monarch of a country, this guy is an idiot.
　On the contrary, Mr. Gaspar glared at that idiot. Well, as a vassal, that attitude is unacceptable. Wordlessly, Regulus's guards and Lordmare's guards are glaring at each other. There's something bad about the atmosphere. This is what happens when this golem idiot doesn't read the air.
　Has he been flattered as a genius genius in this country and has become a tentmaker?
　Honestly, I feel like this golem is a mishmash of riveting species and "collar of enslavement" and all that, to say the least. But the fact that he calls it his own work is a bit of a problem.

Fuyao-dono. Wouldn't it be better to show off the power of the frame gear here?
...won't it get you in trouble?

　The King of Belfast next to me, who has whispered to me in a whisper, looks at the camps of Lord Mare and Regulus, who are glaring at each other quietly in front of me and replies.

If it's a problem, it's already there. Then you might as well correct your laxity in your perception of Freys?

　You may or may not have a point. Surely, you can't say "We have this golem. We don't need any help," and then they do the damage without a proper evacuation.
　Let them know that they're useless with a golem like that.

The Gate.

　A shifting formation opens in the air, and the gray frame gear, the heavy knight 《Chevalier》 falls from within it.
　Thump! And echoing the earth, a heavy knight landed in the square.
　The sudden appearance of the giant soldier made the Rhodomeer's people look on in amazement.

''This is the mass-produced frame gear, the Heavy Knight [Chevalier]. In terms of performance, it's the lowest of all the frame gears in our country, and its only feature is that it's easy to operate.
This is....

　Everyone in the Lordmare looks up at the heavy knight. In terms of size, the armed golem is much larger than the armed golem. I have the impression that the golem is going to be blown away by a single blow from the golem. I could see the edges of Bowman's mouth fished up, as if he felt the same way. You laughed, didn't you?

''Let's have a mock battle between this heavy knight and your golem. And we'd like to know how well that golem performs against the Frays, too. Viceroy, do you mind?
Oh. No, this one's all right. How do you like it, Mr. Bowman?
It's interesting. It's interesting, because I'm wondering how much power this Frame Gear thing has, too. Then I'll go get it ready.

　With a confident smile on his face, Boman smiled confidently as he raked his glasses back on, told the guards something, and walked towards the golem.
　It was decided that the mock battle would take place in ten minutes, and the Governor was away from us, chatting with Borman about something.

It's a very good idea to have a good time. Nicola, can we go?
Yes, sir. No problem.

　Our deputy commander who followed the escort, Nicola-san, wouldn't be able to lose. Just when I thought that, a voice emanated from an unexpected place.

''Your Majesty, Your Majesty. I'm not going to be the only one who can do that.
Mr. Gaspar?

　The black-armored, weeping, one-eyed imperial knight commander stepped forward in front of me.

I will never be late to that wooden boy. I will never fail to win with the pride of the empire.

　When I looked, the other imperial knights were also staring at me with serious eyes. I guess Bowman's attitude earlier must have been very annoying.
　Glancing at the Emperor's Majesty, he nodded widely. Well, Gaspar-san's level would be enough to win, though. It's not that this battle is not a battle of Brunhild. As far as the East-West Alliance is concerned, there's no problem with Gaspar-san leaving.

I understand. Then I'll be counting on you. Are you equipped with a spear?
Yes. So, please.

　Open the 'Gate' and transfer the spear for the frame gear from the 'Hangar'.
　In the meantime, I'll tell Gaspar-san about the location of the Wood Golem's nucleus and its properties. It may be improved, so you can just keep it in mind.
　Now, let's get started. I can see Bowman smiling thinly as he looks at Gaspar-san, who is getting into the heavy knight.
　Now, how long will that smile last?