542 『Gold』 and 『White』 

Standing atop the castle walls, Her Majesty the Queen slowly began to play Stella’s flute. 

Thanks to the non-attribute magic [Speaker] I had cast, the sound should have reached the people of the royal capital gathered before the castle gates. 

The news that Regalia Stella’s Flute, thought lost over a century ago, had been discovered in the royal castle and returned to Her Majesty’s hands spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the ears of Refan Kingdom’s lords. 

As a result, the fence-sitting lords who had declared neutrality all rushed to swear loyalty to Her Majesty, leaving the opposing faction with no chance of victory. 

By the way, Duke Bluesson, their former leader, apparently stomped in frustration in his prison cell upon hearing that the flute had been found in the royal castle. 

Well, I’d be pissed too if I’d missed my chance to get my hands on a Regalia. 

Had the Regalia fallen into the Duke’s hands, Her Majesty might’ve been the one thrown into prison. 

…Though if that had happened, I probably would’ve just helped her flee to another country or something. 

At any rate, the civil war in Refan Kingdom was now as good as over. 

"Your Majesty. Truly, thank you for everything this time." 

The one who bowed his head wasn’t Her Majesty, but her son, the Prince of this country. 

His dull blond hair and appearance suggested he was in his late twenties. Tall and well-built, he gave off the air of a warrior. 

In fact, he had led the army to retake the royal capital from Duke Bluesson. 

…Though in a way, I kinda stole his moment to shine. 

"See, Tou-sama is amazing, right?! Frank-ojichan!" 

"Indeed. Just as Steph said." 

Prince Frank replied with a wry smile as Steph puffed out her chest triumphantly. 

Calling a prince "ojichan" feels a bit off, but since Steph’s technically royalty too, maybe she just acts naturally without overthinking it. 

"With this, Refan Kingdom should finally find peace." 

"There’s still some trouble left, but I intend to resolve it before Frank ascends the throne." 

As Sue sipped her tea and spoke, Her Majesty responded, causing Prince Frank to make a slightly awkward face. 

Turns out, this Prince could barely play the flute. By the time he was born, the Regalia had already been lost, so lacking flute skills hadn’t been an issue for succession. 

Her Majesty had also been born after the Regalia’s disappearance, but since her grandfather was still around to inherit, she had been rigorously trained in flute-playing. 

But now that the Regalia had been recovered, the Prince would have to perform before the people upon his coronation. 

If his playing was unbearable, it could reignite unrest in the barely stabilized kingdom—so now, he was stuck practicing the flute from dawn till dusk. 

Traditions sure are rough… 

"Personally, I would like to join the World Alliance. However, until the country stabilizes, it will be difficult for us to formally commit." 

"Of course. We’re not here to demand anything. The goal is simply to share information, stay informed, and let each nation decide for itself. Just listening is enough for now. Participation is entirely up to each country, so please don’t worry." 

The World Alliance was, in essence, a glorified gossip circle. Nations discussed problems, settled disputes through dialogue, and sometimes called for mediation. 

…Though I often end up solving things with brute force. Not without proper compensation, of course. 

At any rate, I gave Her Majesty and Prince Frank a rundown on the "Apostles of the Evil God" currently lurking across the world. 

"Towns and cities near coastlines should be on high alert. If things seem dire, it’s better to abandon the settlement and flee." 

"A giant golem… capable of destroying entire towns…?" 

The One-Eyed Golem, believed to be the creation of the Apostles, had already attacked Rea Kingdom, just across the sea from Refan Kingdom. 

And with Refan Kingdom’s territory being 70% coastal, caution was paramount. 

I provided them with dozens of Gate Mirrors for internal communication and mass-produced smartphones to contact us. 

Whether it’ll be enough is uncertain, but at least they’ll have a lifeline. Response and recovery efforts can be faster this way. 

Her Majesty agreed to attend the next World Conference. Though the kingdom wasn’t stable enough for major contributions, simply listening to global discussions would be valuable. 

Refan Kingdom was now secure. 

Now, for the remaining issue— 

◇ ◇ ◇ 

"To cut to the chase, this unit is undoubtedly the 『Gold』 Crown. But it’s in a league of its own compared to past Crowns. You could even call it a different entity." 

In Babylon’s "Laboratory," the Doctor—holding an aromatic pipe between his lips—gazed at the 『Gold』 Crown, Gold, lying on the workbench as he spoke. 

"Complex engraved magic covers nearly every part of its internals. We’ve deciphered some, but several spell formulas remain incomprehensible—we don’t even know their purpose. It’s like attaching a toothbrush to a shoe…" 

A toothbrush on a shoe? What’s the point of that? 

A genius golem engineer wouldn’t do something so pointless. No wonder the Doctor’s stumped. 

But genius and madness are two sides of the same coin… I mused silently, eyeing the Doctor. 

"Performance-wise, it’s on par with previous Crowns. But the Q-Crystal, which governs control and golem skills, has a unique structure." 

Engineer Elka, seated nearby, pointed at her own head. The Q-Crystal, essentially a golem’s brain, governed control, core behavioral principles, and skill activation. 

Frankly, as long as this is intact, you could even revive the golem in a new body—though compatibility issues would pile up. 

"The Q-Crystal bears traces of its creator’s quirks. Based on that, there’s no doubt this unit was made by Chrome Lanches… but…" 

Professor stroked his long white beard thoughtfully as he muttered to himself. 

"There are parts of the Q-Crystal that can't be analyzed. It’s probably related to this unit’s Golem Skill, but it’s completely concealed. What you, Touya-kun, would call a 'black box.'" 

"But Gold himself said he doesn’t have a Crown Skill, right?" 

"A Crown Skill, you mean? Crown Skills are abilities that require a price. That doesn’t mean he has no other skills. Even Norn’s Black [Crown]’s Crown Skills are only time manipulation and interference with parallel worlds—but even without a cost, he can still pull weapons from another space like your [Storage], right, Touya-kun?" 

I see. So, Crown Skills and the Golem Skills of ancient Legacy units are different things.  

"In short, there’s no ability that requires a price, right? Nothing that would burden Steph—" 

"I don’t think so. Ah, well… unless this guy’s hidden Golem Skill is something like [Self-Destruct], then we might get caught in the blast." 

That’s terrifying! 

"It ain’t gonna be [Self-Destruct]. This fella’s a Golem, after all. Direct harm to its Contractor Master is forbidden." 

At the Professor’s words, I let out a relieved sigh. Jeez, don’t scare me like that. 

"The real issue is that this Golem has no past data logs. If we had those, we could’ve figured out the finer details." 

"Probably got reset when Steph-kun activated it… A huge chunk of data was wiped clean. Wonder what was in there?" 

"Might’ve been Chrome Lanches’ research notes. This one might’ve been his assistant or somethin’. What a waste…" 

"Sigh…" The three of us exhaled in unison. Huh? Did my kid do something wrong? 

"Uh… so, in short, as long as she got a Master Contract with Gold, there shouldn’t be any problems… right?" 

"As far as we know, yeah. If we’re talkin’ danger, even Kuon-kun’s Silva is risky. It’s all about how you use it." 

Well, I guess that’s true. As long as nothing’s demanded as a ‘price,’ it should be fine. 

Steph’s worried too, so I should probably return Gold to her soon. 

…Wait. When Steph and Kuon return to the future, will they take Silva and Gold with them? Not that I’d mind if they did. 

If that happens, the future versions of us would already know about it… so no issues there. 

"According to Silva, the ‘Gold’ Crown was made using magical creatures as a base, just like Silva. But I can’t tell where any magical creatures were used in this one." 

"The term ‘magical creature’ covers a wide range—from gargoyles and mimics to slimes. In a way, Golems themselves could be considered magical creatures. If magic gives something life, then it’s a magical creature." 

A Golem’s Q-Crystal is engraved with its behavioral principles, thought patterns, and unit control via magic. If that’s what gives it life, then I guess a Golem counts as a magical creature too. Is it the same as the Golems in this world? 

"In Silva’s case, a pseudo-personality was embedded into a sword’s body. Maybe something similar was added to Gold?" 

"From what I saw with [Analyze], there wasn’t any such addition. But I couldn’t parse the material of this gaudy gold body. I think it’s Orichalcum mixed with something." 

The doctor crossed his arms and tilted his head. Wait, this shiny gold thing is Orichalcum? I figured it wasn’t pure gold, but still. 

Technically, it seems to be an alloy of Orichalcum and something else. 

"Maybe they mixed slime into the Orichalcum?" 

"Slime into Orichalcum? Don’t be ridiculous. ………Wait. There is such a thing as Metal Slimes. If an Orichalcum Slime existed…" 

The words I’d said as a joke made the Professor fall deep into thought. Crap. When she gets like this, it’s gonna take a while. 

"By the way, where’s Kuon?" 

I couldn’t see that girl—the type who’d probably obsess over gold—anywhere. Where’d she go? 

"Ah, Kuon-chan is in the ‘Hangar’ with Monika and the others, working on adjustments for ‘Vall Albus.’" 

Oh, Vall Albus—that thing? Albus’ exclusive Over Gear, the ‘White’ version. The Professor and the others have been keeping it a secret, and they still haven’t shown it to me yet. So stingy. 

"Perfect timing. Let’s make this Vall Albus’ grand unveiling for you, Touya-kun. Go ahead and call Yumina-kun and Albus too." 

Oh? So, I’m finally getting to see it this time. Must mean it’s nearly complete. 

The reason he told me to call Yumina is probably because she’s Albus’ Master (provisional, but still). 

Just like how Norn’s Leonor works, Yumina will be the one piloting Vall Albus or whatever, so it’s better to show her now. 

When I called Yumina and Albus, Kuon ended up tagging along for some reason. 

Well, ‘tagging along’ isn’t quite right—more like she was dragged here hand in hand. 

"I was actually planning to work on the diorama I was asked to make today…" 

"You have to take breaks sometimes! Staring at tiny things all the time will ruin your eyes!" 

After the other kings saw the diorama of Brundhilde Castle that Kuon made, they all started begging, ‘Make one for me too!’ So now, whenever she has free time, Kuon locks herself in her room, working on dioramas nonstop. 

Thanks to that, Alice has started complaining to me that Kuon won’t play with her anymore. 

Yumina’s right, though—holing up in her room all the time isn’t good for her. We can’t have her turning into a shut-in. 

With Kuon in tow (looking reluctant), we headed to Babylon’s ‘Hangar.’ 

"Speaking of which, Kuon, have you ever seen Vall Albus, that Over Gear, in the future?" 

"Yes. I’ve even ridden in it a few times." 

Huh? Aren’t Over Gears supposed to be exclusive units? 

Maybe Yumina let her ride along. A single kid could probably fit in the cockpit. 

We arrived at the ‘Hangar,’ but instead of being led to the usual garage where the Frame Gears were stored, we were taken down a different passageway. Wasn’t this area unused? 

When the Professor opened the garage door and I saw what was stored inside, the words slipped right out of my mouth. 

"…A spaceship!?" 

There was no other way to describe the thing lying before my eyes. 

It was massive. Babylon’s ‘Hangar’ had space-time magic applied to it, making it larger on the inside than it appeared—but even so, this thing was on a whole other level. How many hundreds of meters long is it? I doubt it’s a full kilometer, but still, it’s way too big. 

I think even that ‘Galaxy-class’ spaceship from that American sci-fi TV show wasn’t even 700 meters. This might be even bigger than that. 

The machine’s color was a gleaming pure white. Looking closer—it’s a whale. A pure white whale Over Gear! 

"This is the Super Dreadnought Over Gear, Vall Albus. Capable of flight and submersion, it can carry and deploy multiple Frame Gears. Equipped with various armaments, it’s an all-purpose battleship capable of handling any situation." 

This thing can fly? Well, Babylon floats in the sky, so I guess that’s not too crazy. 

"Originally, I wanted it to transform into a Frame Gear even larger than Orthros Overlord, but that would’ve put too much strain on the frame and reduced durability, so I scrapped the idea." 

A Frame Gear hundreds of meters tall walking around would just be a nuisance… It’d wreck the environment. If it ever fell over, the damage would be insane. 

"I heard it was an underwater Over Gear, but it can fly too…" 

Yumina stared up at the pure-white machine, mouth slightly agape. If something this huge started flying around, wouldn’t it cause a massive uproar? 

"Don’t worry, we’re using concealment magic like Babylon’s. Though we’d have to disable it during combat." 

Apparently, you can’t attack while enveloped in a concealment magic field. Does that mean we won’t be found as long as we don’t initiate combat? 

"Speaking of which, does this thing run on G-Cubes?" 

"Nah, the Vaal Albus is equipped with a spirit reactor. After analyzing the one Kuhn-kun got from the Rare Kingdom’s treasury, we improved it and installed it. It borrows tiny amounts of spirit energy from nearby spirits, amplifies it dozens of times using the same method as Babylon’s Tower, and uses that as its power source. Sure, it’s got G-Cubes too, but those are more like backups." 

From spirits? So, this thing runs on spirit energy? 

Spirit energy is far more potent than mana, which is derived from magitons. The difference is obvious if you compare regular fire magic to spirit magic, which borrows power from fire spirits. 

If you wanna move something this ridiculously huge freely, you’d probably need that kind of power. 

"Let me show you inside. This way." 

Following the Professor’s lead, I climbed down the ramp from the whale’s belly and stepped inside. 

Surprisingly, the interior was bright, illuminated by magilight stones scattered around. I’d expected it to look all mechanical, like a spaceship, but instead, it was more like a luxury hotel. The lobby-like area had carpets, potted plants, and even a magilight chandelier. 

"Hop on this."  

"Is this a teleportation circle?" 

"It’s a big place. Walking would take forever, right? This’ll get us to the bridge in a flash." 

A magic circle was set up in a corner of the hallway. Once we all stepped onto it, the Professor channeled mana into the wall beside it. 

In an instant, the scenery changed—no shock, no fuss, just a smooth teleportation. 

The new location was nothing like the luxury hotel from before. This time, it was exactly what you’d expect. 

Namely, the bridge of a spaceship.  

A massive monitor dominated the front, with a slightly elevated seat (probably for the captain?) in the center. More control panels were set up at the front-left and front-right, and the entire perimeter was lined with consoles emitting a faint glow. 

…Wait a sec, isn’t this just a mishmash of spaceship bridges from the anime and sci-fi movies I showed the Professor? 

"Oh? Otou-sama, Yumina-hahasama… even Kuon? Is it time for the unveiling already?" 

Kuhn, seated in the captain’s chair, turned to face us, peering over. The chair was so big I hadn’t even noticed her from behind. 

"Final checks?" 

"All done. Just some fine-tuning during operation. Ah, right—shall we call Yumina-hahasama?" 

"Yeah. Let’s call this a test run. Alright, Yumina-kun, take that seat there. Albus, you sit in the one below." 

Looking closer, there was a small seat just beneath the captain’s chair. As Albus sat down, Engineer Elka plugged a few connectors directly into its back. 

Kuhn stepped down from the captain’s seat, and Yumina took her place. The moment she did, a semi-transparent visor descended from the headrest, completely covering her head. 

"Well? Everything working?" 

"Wh—!? I-It’s amazing! I can perceive multiple viewpoints at the same time, separate from my own vision!" 

"The cameras installed all over the Vaal Albus are linked to Yumina-kun through Albus. You should be able to connect those feeds to the main monitor." 

The moment the Professor said that, the giant screen flickered to life, displaying the massive shutter of the "hangar" visible from Vaal Albus’s front. 

"Hmm, visuals seem fine." 

"Ether lines are stable too." 

"Yumina-chan, could you activate the spirit reactor? Just give Albus the command." 

Guided by Engineer Elka and the others stationed at the surrounding consoles, Yumina spoke to Albus. 

"Um… Albus, spirit reactor… activate?" 

[Acknowledged. Spirit reactor, activating.] 

With a quiet mechanical hum (Fwoooon…), consoles all over the bridge lit up. 

A slight vibration (Zzun…) shook the deck, and the image on the monitor slowly descended—the Vaal Albus was rising. 

"Concealment magic activated, field deployed. Monica, open the shutter." 

[Roger that, ze!] 

The voice of Monica, the "hangar’s" caretaker, rang out as the shutter ahead began lifting. 

Beyond it stretched a cloudless blue sky and the Melisia mountain range, straddling the borders of both Belfast and Regulus. 

"Alright, Albus, minimal speed ahead… Oh, right, it won’t accept commands unless they come from Yumina-kun." 

"Uh, Albus, minimal speed ahead." 

[Acknowledged. Minimal speed ahead.] 

Following Yumina’s order, the white whale Vaal Albus slowly began advancing into the ocean of the sky.