The First Saintess (1)
Gandharva Royal Palace. In a lavishly decorated grand chamber, Prince Rial lounged leisurely upon his bed. Nearby, women wearing bracelets engraved with numbers chatted among themselves or tidied the surroundings, while the two women who had commanded the defensive lines that afternoon sat comfortably, delivering their reports.
“So in short, both sides held the line without much trouble?”
“The mixed lizards themselves aren’t particularly difficult monsters to stop. The details, however, differ.”
The woman in charge of the chimera front spoke quietly. “Chimeras are, as expected, beasts. Once released toward the enemy, they fight on their own afterward.”
“Golems, on the other hand, require pilots. They can utilize terrain and coordinate with infantry. In practice, with only three golems supported by mages, they successfully held the battlefield.”
“Which side do you consider superior?”
““The golems.””
Both the chimera and golem commanders answered in unison.
“At first glance, chimeras seem easier to handle, but that simply means releasing them and waiting until the battle ends. Their tactical flexibility is severely limited.”
“Golems become complete allies when piloted by our own forces. Depending on the situation, we could even treat them as moving walls and advance slowly. That’s entirely possible.”
“Though the desert favored the chimeras, the golems are still undergoing continuous technological development, so the assessment could shift again.”
“Interesting. My other wives evaluated that the chimeras held a slight edge in combat power.”
Rial remarked while observing his ‘wives.’ The chimera commander nodded.
“The chimeras did claim more kills in raw numbers. But you said the difference was marginal, didn’t you? In the end, it’s about the same.”
“War isn’t something one fights alone, after all.”
At the golem commander’s words, Rial nodded.
“Individual ability matters, of course. But the larger the scale, the less it means. Even if someone could single-handedly face hundreds or thousands, once the battle grows beyond ten thousand, no matter how strong, they cannot turn the tide alone. No matter how powerful, a person has limits to their stamina and will eventually exhaust themselves.”
“Of course, if there exists an outstanding individual worthy of being called a hero, any commander would want to recruit and utilize them to the fullest. But even comparing one hero to a hundred soldiers, plenty of commanders would hesitate.”
“I’d choose the hero.”
“A hundred soldiers, if properly disciplined, will follow orders and handle most situations. Besides, a hero might even aim for your back.”
“With a hundred, I’d pick the hero too, but at the thousand scale, I’d honestly hesitate.”
The surrounding women began voicing their own thoughts, finding the unexpected topic of discussion rather intriguing. As the golem commander had said, even with just a hundred soldiers, some commanders would already debate whether to use a hero or a regular army.
“And golems are essentially the tool that allows a hundred such soldiers to become a single hero.”
An existence that, when controlled by people, becomes a force not to be underestimated even with a single unit. For commanders, there was no more ideal military asset.
“Rather than most heroes, I’d prefer soldiers who can pilot golems. Ah, should we make an exception for that person? From the Saras Order…”
“The White Paladin of Saras? A figure from legend. A hero who, blessed by the goddess, single-handedly held back a great demonic army for an entire week. Er… wasn’t the Order originally founded to honor him? Wait, does that mean he was a real person?”
“Speaking of the Order, I heard the First Saintess is trying to make contact with Baron Aclight.”
“Stop her. I will not tolerate the Order exercising military power in any form.”
Rial spoke firmly to a woman dressed like an assassin. Then, raising his cup, he continued.
“I’ve heard your opinions. As expected, we’re all of the same mind.”
“Yes.”
Golems were superior to chimeras. Rial and his wives shared the same view.
“What about Abathus? Abandoning a patron so easily would not earn us good favor.”
“Honestly, if it weren’t for the golems, maintaining the relationship would have been worthwhile. After all, they’re at the very center of Vespia’s noble houses…”
“We should give them a chance. Even if golems are better, since chimeras exist as a decent alternative, Baron Aclight is being forced onto the stage whether he likes it or not.”
Rial spoke quietly. At this point, Abathus’s value was merely bait to draw Eisen in—nothing more.
“In noble politics, it’s common to help when useful and turn away when no longer needed.”
While no one denied this, Rial smiled gently.
“Still, since they did provide assistance, I won’t cast them aside too coldly.”
“As if. You?”
The woman with the number 1 engraved on her bracelet laughed as she sat beside Rial. Despite the scar on her face, she carried herself with dignity. Rial smiled at her and accepted the cup she offered, then spoke as if suddenly remembering.
“Come to think of it, does Baron Aclight have a fiancée? Someone of his caliber wouldn’t be left alone. Which of the three is it?”
“I’ll investigate.”
Amid the women chattering about whether to send a suitable woman if he had none, or whether they would discard him like Abathus once he became useless, Prince Rial grinned and gazed at the sky. A familiar explosion echoed from afar, but it did not disturb the prince’s rest.
****
The golem department dormitory had once again seen someone ejected today.
“Who just went flying?”
“Ray. She said she thought of an improvement for the levitation device, messed with it, and got launched. The knight department students went to fetch her.”
Though it was evening, the alchemy rioters were burning with even greater enthusiasm. The cause was the battle that had continued from morning until afternoon. The achievements demonstrated by the golems had been a valuable reward for them, becoming the spark that ignited their motivation.
-“Did you see that? The Cyclops we modified grinding those monsters to dust!”
-“We didn’t build them, but we did modify them to fight better, so we deserve some credit too!”
The hands maintaining the Cyclops and Knight units were filled with joy. The aspirations of the alchemy students, long suppressed by hunger and poverty, were beginning to raise their heads. Meanwhile, the knight and magic department students had gathered together for discussion.
-“Should we buy a Cyclops?”
-“At this rate, it feels like they’ll replace all of us. If we’re going to lose anyway, maybe switching sides would be better.”
-“No. There will still be cases requiring small-scale operations, so knights themselves won’t disappear. Demand will simply decrease. That’s why I’m switching.”
-“Mages probably won’t be immediately unemployed, but at least in combat roles, they’ll be pushed out?”
As the students discussed, they began incorporating golems into their visions of the future. Closing his eyes and spreading his hands, Eisen savored the sounds.
“This is paradise.”
The world was accepting golems and beginning to shape its future around them. Imagining the mecha-filled life that would unfold in the near future instantly lifted his mood.
“Lord Eisen, it’s fine to be impressed, but shouldn’t we discuss our next plans?”
“Let him enjoy it.”
At Noel and Mina’s voices, he returned to reality. Professor Reina continued with a bewildered expression.
“…Anyway, this case, separate from the Phoenix Count’s family, marks the first time golems have played a major role on the front lines. Honestly, even as a knight, I find the division of roles impeccable.”
Professor Reina seemed to approve of the impromptu tactic where some golems were deployed forward, support units provided covering fire from behind, and mages launched large-scale attacks. She had apparently already added this tactic to the ever-expanding manual.
Professor Rodelini chuckled beside her.
“Don’t be surprised. I’m preparing something that will make mages unnecessary as well.”
“Oh my, should I start looking for a new job?”
Professor Iserina spoke with a hint of nervousness beneath her joking tone, while Professor Rodelini merely shrugged, her nose seemingly raised a little higher. Watching this with a smile, Noel spoke quietly.
“I heard the chimeras also achieved considerable results. At least on the surface, it’s a draw. But apparently, two chimeras were trampled to death in this battle.”
“I thought that might happen.”
Though his reply was somewhat arrogant, the fact remained. Neither the others nor Noel herself realized it, but he had seen chimeras by chance. Given their skeletal structure, there was a possibility their own bones could break under their strength. The ones trampled to death were likely those whose bones had fractured from being unable to withstand their own power.
It was a result of reckless assembly without careful craftsmanship, but unfortunately, he had neither the reason nor the ability to offer advice to the other side. After all, it was Abathus who used life magic, not him.
“Considering the dead chimeras, even if the results are similar, this is essentially our victory!”
Erica cried out with a hint of exhilaration. The Phoenix family bore a grudge against the Abathus family, so no one scolded her for it. Mina simply tried to lighten the atmosphere slightly.
“At this rate, we should see good results.”
“Indeed.”
Given the many complicated circumstances involved, the gains from victory would be substantial. Abathus would surely struggle as well. But there was no need for concern.
-Boom!!
-“Power pack, sir!! Please find it for meee!!”
-“Alright! Next, I’ll give it a try! Behold! My great improvement…!”
With the alchemy rioters who were still excitedly conducting research and getting launched, even greater results were certain to come.
“Then I should head over there soon.”
They had won. There was no need to dwell on that fact repeatedly. What was needed were golems and research. What would be needed even more were golems and research.
“You should rest at least for today…”
“I appreciate the concern, but I need to improve the levitation device design and adjust it for mass production as soon as possible.”
He answered Noel’s worried words calmly. At this pace, he felt like something would be achieved today. Steeling his resolve to push a little harder, he was about to head energetically toward the research area when—
“Pardon me. Baron Aclight, are you present?”
“Hmm?”
The man managing the dormitory approached. It was unusual for someone from Gandharva to seek him out so precisely, so he felt puzzled.
“What is it?”
The others were also slowly gathering. Amid the sound of Mina clicking her tongue as if sensing something ominous, the servant bowed respectfully and answered.
“The First Saintess of the Saras Order is requesting a moment of your time.”