Griffins were creatures that valued cleanliness, and Kiteclaw, now covered in a thick layer of ash from the shockwave, was suffering in silence.
When it saw the water element Midir condensed splashing toward it, the griffin made no move to dodge. Instead, it naturally lifted its large head and closed its golden eyes, beginning to enjoy the rinse.
As the water washed over it, Kiteclaw’s soot-stained feathers gradually regained their original luster and color. Sensing Midir’s care and affection, it gently shook its head and let out a pleasant cry.
While Midir was busy washing Kiteclaw, a roar accompanied by rolling waves of heat rushed toward him. The metal giant, carrying a visibly excited Blake in its hand, slowly landed outside the city walls.
Standing at full height, the giant was eight or nine meters tall—its chest was level with the top of Loka’s walls. Blake hopped lightly onto the battlements and shouted excitedly to Midir.
“Mr. Midir, we did it! Look at this! This iron giant is Mr. Stark’s invention! I finally got to see the real thing today!”
Amidst the clanking of metal, a cover on the giant’s chest flipped open. The small figure of Ronald Ironheart emerged, carrying a metal suitcase. He climbed out of the giant’s body, stepped onto its shoulder, and leaped onto the wall.
“If possible, I would prefer you call it the Universal Mana-Driven Humanoid Aerial Support Power Armor Mark XXIII,” Ronald said as he walked over, reciting the giant’s long name to the two of them.
Hearing the long string of words, Midir felt a slight headache coming on. Beside him, however, Blake was nodding repeatedly, his eyes practically sparkling.
“Don’t you think that name is a bit too long? If it were me, I’d just call it Giant No. 23 or Iron Man No. 23 and be done with it.”
Midir looked at the dust-covered giant and spoke with a hint of helplessness, though he could understand why Blake was so thrilled.
Setting aside the somewhat gaudy red-and-black livery—which was a bit much for a battlefield—the armor’s design was incredibly sleek. There wasn't a single part that felt out of place; every inch of it exuded a mechanical beauty full of power.
For most men, an armor that combined power, speed, and aesthetics was undoubtedly extremely attractive.
Seeing Midir also casting an appreciative glance at the Mark XXIII, Ronald tilted his head back proudly.
“Well, we have so many inventions back home. To better distinguish between them, the names just naturally got longer and longer. I don't really mind, though.”
“Anyway, let’s stop discussing the name. Aila mentioned you’re good at researching these things, and she specifically asked me to save a few samples for you. Take a look and see if these will work.”
Midir shook his head and pointed to a corner of the wall, where Ronald saw a pile of monster corpses frozen in blocks of ice.
To account for individual differences, Midir had specifically preserved two of each type of monster he had encountered.
With a casual wave of his hand, the dozen or so blocks of black-tinged ice rose several centimeters off the ground under his control and floated over to them.
“Hmm... very good. You even flash-froze them. I thought I’d be lucky to get a few severed limbs! However, I’ll need a quiet place to study these things.”
Ronald carefully examined the piled monster corpses and nodded in satisfaction.
By now, the garrison had recovered from the aftermath of the explosion and was returning to the walls.
Some were carefully observing the Mark XXIII outside the wall, while others stood at a distance with a hint of awe. Most, however, gathered around the three of them, and Blake was soon recognized.
“Is that... Young Master Blake? Thank heavens! Our stand here wasn't in vain after all!”
Although Blake hadn't had time to clean the dust off himself, the captain of the garrison recognized him by his half-plate armor—which bore the Rowena crest—and his brown hair. He shouted out in pleasant surprise.
“That’s right. Oh? You recognize me? That makes things easier. Hurry up and find a quiet place for Mr. Ronald here, and help him move these ice blocks. Also, send a few people down to check on the reinforcement unit and guide them on the best way to enter the city.”
Seeing that the captain recognized him, Blake didn't waste any time and immediately issued several commands.
“Yes, Young Master Blake!”
The captain gave a respectful salute and immediately began organizing the surrounding soldiers to act in an orderly fashion.
Before leaving with the soldiers, Ronald looked at Midir, who was still rinsing Kiteclaw, and pointed at the towering iron giant outside the city.
“By the way, mind giving this one a wash too? Given my height, it’ll take quite some effort to clean it myself. Consider it payment for the analysis I’m about to do for you.”
Just as Midir was hesitating over whether to refuse, Blake spoke up excitedly.
“No problem! Mr. Ronald, we’ll take care of it. I guarantee the Mark XXIII will look brand new by the time you get back.”
Watching Ronald’s departing figure, Midir patted Blake’s shoulder, somewhat speechless.
“In that case, you take some men and do the scrubbing. I’ll just handle the water. Since I’m already washing Kiteclaw, one more won't make a difference.”
With that, he condensed another stream of water element, soaking the Mark XXIII thoroughly, and tossed over several pieces of cotton cloth from his storage space.
Blake had no complaints. He turned and called over a few of the more agile soldiers. Together, they leaped from the wall with the cloths and began meticulously wiping down the giant’s body.
Watching the jubilant Blake, Midir shrugged and continued using the water element to rinse Kiteclaw’s beautiful feathers.
...
A long while later, after a thorough cleaning, Aila reappeared before Midir. Her face was washed clean, and she gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance. She looked completely refreshed, having returned to her usual appearance.
By the time Ferdinand and his soot-covered reinforcement unit arrived outside Loka’s gates, the sky had already begun to darken. They had no choice but to station themselves in Loka for the night and make further plans the next day.
Thanks to the extraordinary performance of Midir and the mages, not a single person in the ten-thousand-strong force had been killed.
Though there were plenty of unlucky souls coughing up blood from the shockwave or injured by falling rocks and trees, in a battle of this scale, such casualties were practically negligible.
Having successfully survived the crisis, Loka warmly hosted the reinforcements, throwing a grand bonfire party in the central square.
The City Lord led a group of officials and nobles, surrounding the leaders of the reinforcements and constantly offering toasts. Midir, who disliked such social obligations, had long since used the excuse of being a lightweight to slip away from the crowd and return to the wall alone.
Upon reaching the wall, Midir happened to run into Ronald Ironheart, who had just finished his research. The two of them, though not very well acquainted, began to chat idly on the wall beside the giant.
“I’ve already notified Aila and the others. I’ll explain the research results once they arrive.”
Ronald’s furrowed brow and heavy expression betrayed a sense of worry. Clearly, the results of his research were not as optimistic as hoped.
“We can talk about that later, then. Let’s talk about something else. Like this Mark XXIII here—did you build it?”
Midir sat down against the wall next to Ronald. Seeing his slightly grim expression, he changed the subject.
“Me? Of course not. I don't have the skill to build something this big on my own yet. The main structure was built by my uncle, but I handled the final tuning and equipment adjustments myself. For instance, the propulsion system and the color... great, isn't it?”
Seeing Midir ask about the origins of the Mark XXIII, Ronald’s spirits lifted, and he began to explain in detail.
As the conversation deepened, time slipped away. Just then, Aila arrived in a hurry, accompanied by Blake and Rosal. They carried a lingering scent of alcohol, having clearly just escaped from a lively drinking table.
“Hey, looks like you guys were having a good time!” Midir joked with a smile.
Rate on N.U.
