Reiko faced the giant golem, Goliath, and first of all, she looked at the opponent's movement.

This is not the first time she has faced a huge opponent. Siamese Dragon, Sandworm, Hecaton Cail, Death Sea Serpent, and Gigarth.

Compared to them, the opponent in front of me was inferior.

"But you can't be too careful, can you?

That is the knowledge I got from Jin. Reiko reminds herself not to let her guard down, no matter who the opponent is.

Goliaths are fast, but only a few times faster than humans. Reiko can be hundreds of times faster.

When Goliath stepped into Reiko to crush her, Reiko instantly moved backward with her foot, avoiding the foot with a margin of safety.

She then kicked him in the backside of the left knee joint, where her weight was on. She did what is called a with only one leg.

Goliath's weight-bearing knee shattered and he was knocked down. He reached out his left hand to strike the ground to prevent himself from falling down.

Reiko was waiting for him.

She held his left arm, pulled it and twisted it.

This was a throwing technique that he could not use even if he had remembered it. With the perfect amount of force, Goliath fell cleanly to the ground.

The earth rumbles and dust rises.

"Oh, wow!"

"Wow! ......"

There was a sigh from the audience.

"Is that really a ?"

Marquis Gehlen Theodoric von Eisen, who was standing by the Empress, couldn't help but admire the performance.

This technique is the secret of the knights of the Shoro Empire. It is a throwing technique used to defeat an opponent without a sword when he has lost it.

He would avoid the thrusting sword, hold the opponent's arm, twist his body, and if possible, lock onto the enemy's elbow or shoulder joint and throw him as he fell down.

It looked like an application of the same technique.

"Gehlen, what is the <>?"

the question came from the female emperor who was sitting on the other side of the Prime Minister. The marquis explained briefly.

"It is a technique that uses the opponent's power, and if you make a mistake, you will destroy yourself. That's what that automaton ...... Leco did. No, I'm interested in when he learned that technique, but more than that, I'm amazed that he knows how to use it.

"Oh, oh?　Your Majesty, that!

Prime Minister Jung Fowls exclaimed in surprise. At the same time, the audience cheered.

Reiko had gotten under Goliath's body and lifted him up before he could get up. With her small body.

Reiko lifts up the 6 meter tall Goliath, who is 1.3 meters tall. In a sense, it was a surrealistic scene.

Goliath, however, is not just sitting there. He moves his body and stretches out his arms to grab Reiko.

But a moment before she can catch him, Reiko throws Goliath high into the air.

Goliath must have weighed about 4 tons, and Reiko has the physical strength to throw it more than 30 meters high.

"......"

Both Viscount Georg Randall and Marcus Grinwald were stunned at the impossible sight.

Reiko evacuates from the Goliath's fall. Then, according to the law of gravity, Goliath fell to the ground and hit the ground.

There was a roar and the entire arena shook. The ground was perforated by a crater more than 10 meters in diameter.

At the bottom of the crater, Goliath was motionless. A closer look revealed that the joint at his waist was bent and damaged.

When Goliath did not move after several minutes of waiting, Reiko walked briskly to Christoph Bardet von Tharnat, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic and Technology, who was acting as the referee.

"I think we're done here, don't you?"

Reiko's words brought Christoph back to himself,

"That's it!　It's over!　The winner, Jin Nido and his automata, Reiko!"

As the declaration rang out, the quiet crowd came to life, clapping and cheering enthusiastically.

"Great!" "Great!"

"That's great!" "That's great!"

"Cute!　Reiko!

Reiko bowed in response to the cheers, and the applause seemed to increase even more.

"You have a wonderful automaton, Jin-dono."

While the site was being cleaned up, the winners were being interviewed.

"Is there some secret to such a cute little automaton that makes it so strong?

"No, it's just that I worked very hard on it.

Jin casually replied.

There is no secret. It was your father who made me. That's all that matters.

Reiko also praised Jin.

At this point, the excitement of the audience finally cooled down. Some of them felt threatened by Reiko's immeasurable power.

At the same time, they were considering Reiko's intelligence and concluded that it was better to be friends with her than to mess with Jin.

And no one knows that it was the best choice for them.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Well, now that all the competitions are over," said the MC, who was succeeded by the Empress Gerhard Hilde von Rubies-Scholo.

The MC declares the end of the competition and is succeeded by the Empress Gerhard Hilde von Rubies-Shawlo, who makes the closing declaration.

"Although there were some problems, it seems that this year's technology exposition will end with a great success," she said. I would like to thank all the participants, visitors, and committee members.

These brief words were met with thunderous applause from the audience.

Jin also applauded. I dislike lengthy speeches, but I welcome the brief words of the female emperor.

"After a short break, we will award the prizes for the best speakers.

* * * *

"No way. ...... No way, no way, no way!　Can you believe it?　This is not possible!"

Viscount Georg Randall, on the other hand, was screaming in disbelief at what he had seen.

"But it's true. Father, tell Jin ...... that you are the best in the world. It was a mistake to compete with him.

But even Erza's words were not heeded by Viscount Georg Randall.

"Shut up!　You don't know what you're talking about! I've been compared to my superior brother since I was a child. I'm not even an heir, and I've finally reached my current position. Just when I was aiming for the next step, he showed up. Why!　Why are you interfering!"

"...... Jin, you're not standing in my way. He's just a single person who sees you as an enemy. Jin-kun is very kind to his friends and comrades. But he's harsh to those who oppose him. Such a man."

Georg heard those words and looked at Erza with bloodshot eyes.

"......You ...... can't be talking about that guy ......."

"?"

"I won't allow it!　You are to marry into a high nobility for my advancement!　Otherwise there's no point in me recognizing you after you were born to such a woman."

"Father, what about your promise if Jin-kun wins this competition?"

Erza was shocked to hear these shocking words from the man she considered to be her real father and whom she adored in her own way.

I don't care what you promised!　You are to live as a tool for my career!"

Georg, his eyes bloodshot, his face red, his mouth frothing, reaches out to take Erza out of the arena. At that moment, something shatters inside Erza.

"Barrier."

The key word activates the absolute barrier of the guard ring.

Georg's hand is blocked by the invisible barrier.

"What the hell!　Erza!　Are you defying me?

"......"

But Erza turns her head and does not reply. Her eyes are filled with tears.

Viscount Georg Randall, seeing that his hands would not work, struck the barrier with the sword at his waist, but the absolute barrier of the guard ring did not budge.

The absolute barrier of the guard ring that Jin had created withstood even advanced magic, and had withstood the blows of Reiko in the past. There was no way that a human attack could do anything about it.

"Oh no, it's too much trouble!　Puppeteers, prepare magic!

The puppet soldier was an automaton that had been watching Erza.

The automaton soldier raised his staff in his hand. The wand was filled with fire magic.

The surrounding spectators had long since fled, but using such a wand here would have been a big deal.

"Uncle!　Please don't!"

Reinhardt, who had been stunned by the turn of events, desperately tried to stop him, but the excited Georg could not hear him.

In the nick of time, it was Edgar who took the wands to activate the magic from the two automata.

"You ......!　You are a wooden doll made by Erza!　Don't interfere!　Puppet soldier, destroy him!"

On command, the two puppet soldiers attacked Edgar furiously.

Edgar ducks a fist from one of the puppeteers. Edgar dives into the pocket of one of the puppeteers and throws at it.

"That's a back throw!

This is a technique used by the knights of the Shoro Empire. It is one of the self-defense techniques that the old man has recently taught to all Golems and automata related to Horai Island, just in case.

Edgar, too, was given knowledge by transinfo while he was in Horaijima, as a disciple of Jin.

The puppet soldier was thrown without any restraint and slammed to the ground and stopped moving with all its limbs scattered.

Edgar then went toward the other puppet soldier.

Edgar dodges a kick and scoops up the axial leg of one of the puppet soldiers.

Edgar takes the raised leg of the puppet soldier, who falls on his back, and pushes him further up.

Naturally, the head of the puppet soldier hit the ground with a great force. The head was crushed and did not get up.

"What ......?

Elsa's father could not believe what he was seeing. An automaton, who looked like a boy, was fighting a battle puppet soldier, and they were more than evenly matched.

But the commotion was so great that no one else could have known about it, and the soldiers dispatched by the emperor came to the scene.

Viscount!　What are you doing?

You're in the audience!

Then something happened to the Viscount.

"Ugh!　......Ugh............!"

Suddenly he began to suffer, and then he lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

"...... father?"

Uncle?

Viscount?

Command!

His men rushed to him. They know first aid on the battlefield.

"Lie down quietly!　......

Pulse is weak. Gently!

They did not pay any attention to Elsa, but left quickly with Viscount Georg Randall in their arms. The soldiers dispatched by the Empress also follow to keep an eye on them.

The remaining Elsa and Reinhardt were left in a daze at the quick ending.

"Yes, yes, we must inform Jin!　Edgar, keep Erza safe!"

With that, Reinhardt ran off to inform Jin.

"...... father......"

The remaining Erza was stunned. What had happened to her sturdy father? She had been despairing of her father just a few minutes ago, and now she was worried.

"...... might not work this time..."

?

I turned around at the sound of that voice and saw Marcus Grinwald standing behind Elsa. There was no one in that area of the auditorium anymore.

Seeing Elsa's alarmed look, Marcus showed his palms and said a mysterious line.

I'm not going to hurt you, don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to you, you can rest assured of that.

"My role?"

Yes, your role is done. ......... to measure the strength of the humans.

Humans?

Erza wonders if she is not a human being.

"......Oh, that was a slip of the tongue. Well, Miss Elsa, I'm going to leave you now. It's a relief to finally not have to put on a show.

"...... play?"

"Hmmm, Jin-kun and your automata have done a lot of things just to find out how good they are. I didn't think you'd be able to unilaterally overrun Goliath, but we've got enough information."

Who are you?

Who are you?　Take a guess. Give my regards to Mr. Jin. I'd like to be friends with a good magecraftsman like him. You're a good one, though.

With that, Marcus glanced at Edgar, who was standing there protecting Elsa, and turned away.

Marcus looked as if he was going to walk away, but then he stopped and muttered as if he remembered something.

"Oh yes, please give my regards to the Marquis. I am sorry for everything.

And this time, he walked away.

Amidst the clamor at the end of the expo, Erza's Secret Service (SP), Maron and Plum, had seen and heard the whole thing, and informed the old man of Horai Island in real time.

The old man then ordered one of the 5th column (Quinta), Regulus 50, a ranger, to follow them.

"Erza!"

Then came Jin. She had rushed in after the speech at the end of the competition with the news from Reinhardt.

"Jin ......"

Erza released the barrier and jumped into Jin's chest. As soon as she felt relief, all the anxiety she had been feeling came pouring out of her, and she began to cry uncontrollably.

"Jin, my brother ......"

"What's wrong?　What's wrong?"

Jin could do nothing but hold Erza in his arms as she sobbed.