kscans

Chapter 242 - Interlude: The Unbreakable Armor

Side: None

Somewhere in Saitama Prefecture. A short distance from the former headquarters of Turohorse.

The area, originally a sparsely populated mountain region, was now almost completely deserted due to the discovery of their Private Dungeon.

Underneath a Self-Defense Force base, built on the pretext of monitoring and managing that dungeon.

In a wide, unfinished concrete space, a single golem was walking.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say one person and one golem.

"Tajima unit, walking stably."

"Vitals normal. No abnormalities in the wearer."

"Joint range of motion is as expected."

Researchers in white coats, SDF personnel in camouflage, and black-clad figures who looked like they were about to go on a witch hunt.

A diverse group of people worked intently in front of computers and specialized gauges.

The golem, the focus of all their attention, had a peculiar shape.

To put it simply, 'a drum barrel with arms and legs' would be the most apt description.

There was no neck between the head and torso; they were a single iron cylinder. The lower body was visible, but it was clad in what looked like thick iron pants, with almost no discernible division from the torso.

The human arms protruding from the drum-like torso were covered in a special fiber akin to a spacesuit, and steel arms ran parallel to them, fixed in place.

The human hands gripped handles on the steel forearms, and the iron fingers moved in sync with the wearer's fingers further ahead.

The legs were in a similar state, the only difference being that they had pedals instead of grips.

From behind, a box as large as a human torso was attached to the drum-shaped body, connected to the steel limbs by what looked like metal bones.

The whole thing was about two meters tall and one meter twenty centimeters wide. The machine's weight, including the improved Magi Battery on its back, was ninety kilograms.

It was a squat, and to put it bluntly, ungainly golem. To some, it might just look like a poorly made mascot costume.

However, the face of the wearer peeking through the small window on the torso was dead serious, and the eyes of those watching him walk were filled with hope.

"We will now begin the exercise test. Second Lieutenant Tajima, please proceed at a light jog."

'Roger.'

Answering through the speaker, the SDF officer named Tajima began to move at a faster pace than before.

His stride made him faster than a normal person, but his trained body would likely be quicker on its own.

Moving at that speed, he headed for a designated area.

Waiting for him was various training equipment. Dumbbells, barbells. A punching bag, a jump rope, and so on. Several lines of tape were also on the floor.

"Alright, please start with the dumbbells."

'Yes, sir!'

Second Lieutenant Tajima, answering cheerfully, began to use the training equipment one after another.

The golem he wore demonstrated strength far beyond human capabilities. He lifted a 600-kilogram barbell with ease and destroyed the punching bag in just a few hits.

On the other hand, its agility was severely lacking. He couldn't successfully jump rope even once and nearly fell over during the side-step drill.

The SDF personnel and the men in black reacted with a mix of joy and concern. Once a certain amount of data had been collected, an SDF officer with a radio called out to Tajima.

"Second Lieutenant Tajima, thank you for your hard work. Please proceed to the firing range."

'Roger that!'

His voice showed no signs of fatigue, but several streams of sweat were running down Second Lieutenant Tajima's cheeks.

He piloted the golem into a concrete box-like room located in the corner of the large space.

Inside, gauges and cameras were set up behind bulletproof glass, where SDF personnel and the men in black were on standby.

And on the other side, beyond the bulletproof glass, was a table with various firearms and a target set up twenty-five meters away.

Second Lieutenant Tajima stood by the table, looking down at the guns through the window.

"We will now begin the firing experiment. Please start with the pistol on the far right."

'Roger!'

As instructed, he tried to pick up the pistol.

But the steel fingers fumbled, knocking the pistol's grip away. The thickness and length of the fingers were comparable to a gloved adult male's, so size wasn't the issue.

On his second attempt, he managed to grab it, and though he fumbled a bit, he loaded the magazine and pulled the slide to chamber a round.

With his forearms and shins now longer than usual, Second Lieutenant Tajima's stance was somewhat awkward as he aimed the pistol.

'Firing!'

After announcing, he pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out. The bullet accurately hit the center of the target.

The subsequent shots also landed near the center. This drew breaths of admiration from both the shooter and those measuring.

Part of it was his own skill, but more than that, the golem's body was extremely stable. It shrugged off the gun's recoil, and its posture never wavered.

He emptied the magazine and loaded the next one that was placed nearby. He was a fraction of a second faster than before.

After using all the prepared ammunition, he switched firearms one after another.

An assault rifle. A light machine gun. And a heavy machine gun.

As expected, the heavy machine gun had more recoil and its accuracy dropped, but it was proven that firing from a standing position was possible.

This result inevitably raised the spirits of the personnel and the men in black watching from behind the bulletproof glass.

"Amazing… At this rate, he might be able to consistently hit a target 300 meters away in the next outdoor experiment."

"With everything but the heavy machine gun, yeah. Well, 25 meters is more than enough for combat inside a dungeon. I'm more concerned about the difficulty he had with loading the belt-fed magazine."

"Then there's the matter of close-quarters combat! Agile movements are difficult, so we need to keep that in mind…"

While the white-coated and black-clad groups were engrossed in conversation, an SDF officer spoke into a microphone to Tajima.

"The test is complete. Second Lieutenant Tajima, thank you for your hard work. Please move to the designated area and remove the golem suit."

'Roger. Thank you very much.'

After removing the magazine and confirming the chamber was empty, Second Lieutenant Tajima returned the gun to the table and bowed through the bulletproof glass. He then exited the room, followed an attendant to the opposite corner, and sat the machine down on a bench.

SDF personnel began removing the fasteners with screwdrivers and wrenches, and in about a minute, Second Lieutenant Tajima was freed, clad in a bodysuit.

Though he was sweating, he didn't look particularly tired. He accepted a towel and a drink from another officer and began talking with the researchers in their white coats.

The black-clad men… the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club, gathered around the golem, whose drum-like torso was opened front and back, and began their inspection.

General Marui and Director Akasaka were watching the scene.

"It seems to be going smoothly."

"Yes. There are many issues, but its performance has improved dramatically compared to before. The improvement in controllability is especially astounding."

A smile he couldn't hide crept onto General Marui's face as he adjusted his glasses. It was rare to see the man with the squarish face form a curve with his lips.

"There are currently no health problems for the wearer. There are restrictions—a trained body, and a height between 166 and 173 centimeters—but it no longer breaks bones or joints with a single use like before."

"I should think not," a man in black interjected.

The name tag hanging from his neck read only 'Chairman', and the photo section, which still showed him in his hood, served no purpose as identification.

This was more a measure to distinguish him from the other club members.

"Truly impressive, Alchemy Enthusiasts Club. To think the needle of technology could advance this far."

"The result of our efforts… that, of course, but the influence of 'that book' is also significant."

As Director Akasaka smiled pleasantly, the Chairman's eyes gleamed under his hood.

"That was likely just a small portion of a vast collection of materials, selected and compiled by an alchemist, wasn't it? A very clear and excellent resource. Without it, we would not have made such progress in this short time."

The materials they had seen, excerpts from Yagawa Kyouta's book on Arcane Gear, were, frankly, not new knowledge to the club.

But they were more than enough to achieve understanding.

The alchemy performed by them, the skill users, was like intuitively getting the answer '2', whereas that resource showed '1 + 1 = 2'. That was the difference.

They had been able to do the math without the formula, but now, the formula had been presented. This allowed them to 'apply' it.

"I see. I'm wary of being indebted to 'the Professor', but it seems to have been worth it."

"Indeed. However… if we could read more of that material, not just a limited selection, but all of it… no, even just twenty more pages. We could expect further improvements to the golem. No, we will make them."

The Chairman of the club, Police Superintendent Honda, was an incorrigible pervert and a self-centered man.

However, he was also a man who had hidden his true nature to climb the ranks of the police organization. As such, he was normally very skilled at negotiations. Above all, he was a sharp man. Except when his fetishes exploded.

And right now, he was unable to control himself.

"Connect me to the Professor. No, give me or the Vice-Chairman the right to meet with her. If you do, I will surely…!"

"That is not possible. The knowledge held by her, by the Invisible Ninjas, is vast. But if we become too indebted, our future—"

"You don't understand anything!"

The Chairman grabbed Director Akasaka by the collar and roared.

"With that knowledge, we should be able to create our long-desired homunculus wives!!"

Yes, the Chairman's fetishes were exploding. In real time.

A stir went through the other club members. Noticing this out of the corner of his eye, Director Akasaka continued without changing his expression.

"Hahaha. For now, please focus on the golem for the Self-Defense Force, Chairman."

"What are you saying! Our ideal homunculus wives can fight, too!"

"That's right! My mama, no, my Ma, is super strong and smart, but she's only sweet to me!"

"See, even our Kojima-kun says so!"

General Marui wondered, 'Who's Kojima?', but decided to ignore it.

The club members were divided into those wearing hoods and those not, and Kojima (29, single) was one of the former. He was completely indistinguishable.

"And she looks like an elementary schooler, but she speaks like a noja-loli! A Ma with a mature air who looks good in a kimono with a kiseru pipe!"

"Alright, Kojima-kun, that's enough! Get back!"

"My flat-chested, legal loli Ma is the strongest!"

"Someone shut that guy up! It's a matter of the club's dignity! I told you not to say that outside!"

"MAAAM!!"

As Kojima, or rather, the pervert, was dragged away by other perverts, Director Akasaka calmly continued the conversation.

For the record, General Marui had also become quite used to them recently. Whether this tolerance would be useful in his future life remained to be seen.

"I see. If you could provide them as a fighting force, that would certainly be reassuring."

"Right?! So, make an appointment with the Professor immediately—"

"By the way."

With a broad smile, Director Akasaka continued.

"How long would it take to create these ideal homunculi of yours?"

Slowly, the Chairman and the others all averted their eyes from him.

The gazes of the researchers and SDF personnel looking at the club members were cold. Although some looked at them with the eyes of comrades.

"A-a few years? Maybe?"

"Japan will be destroyed by then, Chairman. For now, please focus on this."

"We'll do it in parallel! We'll definitely do it properly! So, please?! Please!!"

General Marui thought, 'He's like an elementary schooler who wants to go play while ignoring his summer homework.'

Feeling sorry for all the elementary schoolers in the country, he silently apologized.

"What is it! Do you want to see me throw a tantrum! Very well! Gaze your fill upon a man in his fifties lying on the ground and throwing a fit!"

"Chairman."

"Hmph! Whatever you say is useless! I can't be stopped! Not by anyone but the Professor!"

"I'm starting to feel like hearing my daughter's voice, so may I make a call?"

"Alright, everyone! Back to work! The future of Japan rests on our shoulders!"

The Chairman remembered. The killing intent he had seen on that cliff, something no normal human should ever display.

And next to her, the barbarians who were smiling, but whose eyes were not.

"…He's the same as ever, isn't he? Or rather, the whole Alchemy Enthusiasts Club is."

General Marui turned his gaze to the golem sitting on the bench.

Director Akasaka nodded and turned to look as well.

"Yes. But their skill and passion are genuine."

"That passion is headed in a rather incorrigible direction, though."

"It doesn't matter, does it? Everyone here is working for their own selfish desires."

To the grim-faced General Marui, Director Akasaka remained smiling.

"Loyalty to the country, guilt for the deceased, money, honor. And lust. But that's normal. Where there are desires, there are people."

"Are you a believer in the theory that man is inherently evil?"

"I wonder. I believe there is neither good nor evil at the core of humanity, and certainly no hierarchy when it comes to desire. As long as we can all face the same direction, that is enough. At least, that is what I believe."

"…That's reasonable."

A fearless smile appeared on General Marui's face.

"While upholding humanity as much as possible… I will do whatever it takes to protect this country. That is my job."

"Yes. Let us do our best together."

The two laughed together, postponing a future where they might one day stand in opposition.

Their positions might force them to cross words one day… but now was not that time.

For the sake of protecting their country, they would continue to smile.

"By the way."

"What is it?"

Director Akasaka turned to General Marui as if he had just remembered something.

"Does that wearable golem have a name?"

"Ah, that. Of course it does. It would be inconvenient without one, and it's a matter of the troops' morale."

General Marui narrowed his eyes behind his square glasses, watching as Second Lieutenant Tajima suited up again for the next experiment.

An 'imperfect homunculus' was installed in the crown of that golem as its core, and he was 'instructing' the movement of its limbs from within its belly.

By repeating experiments like this, they would not only get a clearer path to mass production and improvement, but it should also lead to the golem's learning.

"Unbreakable armor. An immortal shield. With those wishes in mind, we call that machine this."

The bolts were tightened, the fixtures secured. The warrior clad in the golem stood up.

"Kongō. That is the golem's name."