At 9:00 a.m., Cesar the King of Cerroa summoned Jix as promised the day before.

The place was a small conference room in the second guest house.

In attendance were Ragaid, Secretary of the First Military Ministry, Latant, Secretary of the First Ministry of Technology, and Kirk Atkinson, SS Commander.

Also present are former Donald Callow and Jin.

Elsa is relaxing in another room. Both Jin and Erza, however, are .

"Well, Jix, as promised, let's take our time today and listen to what you have to say.

King Cesar, seated in the front, in the most senior position, spoke up.

"Yes. ...... I have only one wish, that you adopt the same type of golem as <> and eventually eliminate human soldiers."

"Hmm. I'm willing to adopt a golem with better performance, but I can't promise to eliminate human soldiers.

"......"

Jix was silently thinking about something, but then he stood up and shouted loudly.

"That's not a word I'd expect from the brave and daring King of Cerroa. I think my golem is necessary for the further expansion of my kingdom as well as for the annexation of the surrounding countries, don't you?"

What?

"Besides, my golem, as you can see, can learn your opponent's martial arts in a short time. And with the magic of <> it can be multiplied as much as you like!"

"<>?"

Jin had never heard of this magic before.

"That's right. It is possible to duplicate the control core of a golem.

<

But I will not interject here.

"O king!　Use my power!　And the annexation of the Kingdom of Egelea!

Jix's words are becoming more and more dangerous.

But Jin and Erza can't help but feel uncomfortable with his words.

"Wait, Jix! I have no intention of annexing the Kingdom of Egelea, do you?"

But it was King Cesar who seemed to feel it the most.

"But Your Majesty!　Until last year. ......"

King Cesar interrupted Jix, who had just opened his mouth, by raising his hand.

"It seems you are mistaken. Unlike King Richard before me, I have no desire to expand my kingdom. I have never wavered in my will to enrich the nation.

These words came as a bolt from the blue to Jix.

"Oh, no. ......"

His previous momentum was gone, and he collapsed into a heap, slumping into a chair.

"I see, you came here to sell yourself as the first king, didn't you?"

I finally found the answer to my question.

"......Why do you want a fight so badly?"

King Cesar asked Jix, who seemed to have lost his nerve.

"......Vengeance......, I guess."

Jix replied in a whisper.

"No,...... my family and my brother's family,...... but the village we lived in was wiped out in a conflict ten years ago. The village where we lived was wiped out in a conflict 10 years ago. It was a small village near the border with the Kingdom of Egelea."

"I see."

King Cesar nodded. 10 years ago, there had indeed been many skirmishes near the border.

"My father was sent out as a soldier and went to the battlefield. He went off to war and didn't come back.

"I didn't know that."

"I thought, if we're going to go to war, why not just use golems and not send people to fight?"

Jix looked up sharply when he said that.

"That's why!　Me and my brother!　We have been investigating the ruins!　And apprentice to an engineer!　We've been dreaming of ...... this day!

Jix's face flushed, ready to bite.

"Your Majesty!　My golem can be mass-produced!　I can overwhelm the surrounding countries!　That's why ......!"

King Cesar turns to him and says in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry for your past.

"......I sympathize with your past. But it is not my way. I do not like to fight a battle that is not necessary."

"......!"

Jix grits his teeth and clenches his fists so hard they bleed.

"Besides, the ends don't justify the means. Your methods are a bit too violent."

King Cesar produced a piece of leather paper from his pocket.

"I was a little curious, so I looked it up. It seems that not long ago, in the Kingdom of Egelea, an unusual golem was destroying the golems of the guards and hurting the rogues. ......"

"That was in the Kingdom of Egelea!　That kingdom is the enemy ......!"

Jix admits that he did it, even though King Cesar didn't say who did it.

"We're friends now. I told you.　We don't have time for wars. The world needs to change.

How can you expect it to change?

Jix was still not convinced. His excitement had not abated, and his eyes were still bloodshot.

"<>,<>," he said. And he is not the only one. There is also a group called <>. Both of them aim to lead the world to peace and a better life."

"Magecraft Meister!　Nostalgia!　What's that supposed to mean?　The (?????) technology my brother and I have acquired is much more advanced than what we have now!"

King Cesar laughed ruefully and shook his head.

"You don't understand, ...... I'm sorry."

"What is it about the Magecraft Meister?　We drew yesterday, but that was only because it was a mock battle!　If anything is possible in battle, we won't lose!

"Jix, the role of the golem is not only combat.　You saw the maidens he showed us on the first day? They do the housework and are good cooks. They are indispensable in the world to come.

But Jix was not convinced.

"No!　No!　No!　The golem's raison d'etre is combat, its very nature is to destroy and annihilate its enemies!"

King Cesar sighed.

"......... I guess we're still on the same page here. I guess there's no point in discussing this any further."

At this point, Jin (his doppelganger) spoke up.

"Isn't the engineering magic of <> a wonderful technology? Don't you think we should use it for the benefit of the people at large?

But it seems to have had the opposite effect.

"Shut up!　You don't know what you're talking about!　You don't know what it's like to have your family, your friends, and your home destroyed!"

"......"

"You, who have been blessed with everything, can't understand the despair I have felt since all my hard work has gone to waste!"

Jix was quite excited, and Jin (his doppelganger) stopped interrupting.

"...... Your Majesty, how do you do?"

Lagarde, Secretary of the First Military Ministry, and Latant, Secretary of the First Technical Ministry, were a little, or rather a lot, confused by the fact that the meeting had gone a little differently than originally planned.

"Well, we were not afraid to introduce a golem with good performance.

King Cesar muttered regretfully.

Hearing this, Jix turned to the king again,

"Your Majesty!　I ask you once again to order a mock battle with the golem of the Magecraft Meister!

"Fight, what?"

"I will show you how powerful the Phantom Golem is!　I'm sure that will change your mind!"

"Fumu......"

King Cesar looked at Jin and asked.

"<>, what do you think?　I cannot force you to do so. I leave it to your judgment."

"Yes. ......"

The old man's advice came to the ears of Jin, who had not expected such a turn of events, and based on it, he said a few words.

"......Lord Jix, that offer does not benefit me in any way."

"...... Then, what do you want?"

"If I win, I would like to know what your golem is based on."

A hint of surprise flashed across Jix's face for a moment as he heard the request, but it quickly faded.

"...... fine. But if I win, I'll take your golem apart and see what's inside.

"Sure."

Thus, Jin and Jix had a rematch.