The atmosphere in the corridor took another sudden turn.
Carmilla couldn't help but sigh and rub her forehead.
Claudia, meanwhile, smiled as she rested her hand on the Lux at her waist.
Even Roy was stunned.
Are you okay?
I'm literally threatening you right now, and you're saying you like me?
And looking happy about it?
Are you some kind of masochist?
"Mmm-hmm, in this year's Festa, you're indeed the first opponent to greet us—even if it was a threat. But I... feel somewhat pleased."
"Idiot, do you need to go back to the factory for repairs?"
Alde extended his massive arm, dramatically pretending to wipe away tears.
Rimcy expressionlessly aimed her cannon at his head while giving Roy a meaningful glance, recording his current expression in her database.
"It's almost time for the match, so let's end our conversation here!"
Ernesta let out a mischievous giggle, her eyes narrowing like a cat that had just stolen a snack.
"I look forward to talking with you again. That's all for now—goodbye!"
Without waiting for a response, she strode off down the corridor, completely ignoring Carmilla and the two automatons behind her, her demeanor as willful as ever.
Roy was utterly baffled, but seeing that it was time, he had no choice but to set aside his confusion and follow Claudia toward the stage.
Meanwhile, Alde and Rimcy dashed at incredible speed toward the opposite corridor, while Ernesta and Carmilla exited toward the spectator stands.
"What do you think of that Roy guy?" Carmilla caught up with Ernesta and asked as they walked side by side.
"He's so cool!"
Ernesta answered without hesitation, her face beaming.
"...I wasn't talking about his looks."
"Neither was I!" Ernesta gave Carmilla a strange look.
"But he greeted Alde and Rimcy! Don't you think that's super cool?"
"Why?"
Carmilla's face scrunched up in bewilderment, completely unable to follow her logic.
Is this what they call a once-in-a-century genius?
"It's simple, Carmilla. Would you ever threaten a weapon?"
"No one would do that, right?"
"Exactly! No one threatens weapons. That means Roy doesn't see Alde and Rimcy as mere tools—he treats them as equals."
Ernesta wagged her finger playfully, skipping toward the end of the corridor.
Her ample chest bounced along with her movements, though there was no one around to appreciate the sight.
"He's so interesting! I really want to talk to him again! His perspective on automatons must be completely different from those humans who see Alde and the others as either weapons or threats to their status!"
Watching Ernesta's cheerful back as she exited the corridor, Carmilla finally understood.
Ernesta was obsessed with gaining equal status for self-aware automatons—a goal she hoped to achieve by winning the Festa. That's why she was so sensitive to how others treated Alde and Rimcy, while Carmilla, who had different priorities, hadn't noticed.
"I hope that Roy really is someone who can understand Ernesta..."
Camilla couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy as she thought this.
So far, no one had acknowledged Ernesta's wishes, no one was willing to support her ideas, and no one understood her aspirations.
Although Camilla had been her partner for several years, their goals differed. She too couldn't comprehend Ernesta's desire to grant artificial beings the same status as humans. While their relationship was close, their hearts remained distant.
She worried whether her friend might withdraw into herself due to this lack of understanding, or even take extreme measures. She genuinely hoped someone in this world would appear who could truly understand her dear friend.
...
"Bwahahaha! The moment has finally come! Boy named Roy, don't think I'll go easy on you just because you've amused me!"
On stage, Alde crossed his arms like a human, his towering two-meter frame radiating immense pressure.
"It's kinda weird how easily satisfied you are..."
Roy's expression twisted slightly as he muttered this sarcastic remark, yet the fighting spirit in his eyes never wavered.
"Bring it on. I promised I wouldn't shred your core!"
Meanwhile, Rimcy silently faced off against Claudia. The two exchanged no words, only locking gazes with razor-sharp intensity.
Massive defensive barriers rose around the stage, separating it from the spectator stands.
With all risk of injury eliminated, the audience's excitement reached its peak. Roars erupted from all directions as countless spectators flushed with anticipation, unable to wait for the championship-level match to begin.
On stage, the tension was palpable enough to spark at any moment.
"First semifinal match—begin!"
The school emblems before both humans and mechanized fighters glowed red simultaneously, signaling the start.
"Hahaha! As always, I'll let you make the first move!"
Alde remained motionless, only his foolhardy voice booming across the arena.
"One minute! You get one full minute to attack however you want! During this time, no matter what you throw at me, I won't retaliate!"
"This idiot's doing it again!"
Rimcy, who'd been about to draw her massive firearm, halted at his reckless declaration, letting out a very human groan of exasperation.
"You dare issue a one-minute declaration against an opponent like me?"
Roy narrowed his eyes as if provoked, his demeanor exuding a dangerous edge.
In all six of their previous matches, these automatons had begun with this same one-minute declaration—allowing their opponents free attacks while only defending, then commencing their own assault once the minute elapsed.
Without exception, none of the opposing teams had breached their defenses. After exhausting themselves in futile assaults, each team had been swiftly defeated when Alde and Rimcy finally attacked.
Their victories had been spectacularly entertaining. Unlike other teams' quick victories, their matches fully showcased conflict, domination, and arrogance—pure spectacle.
But now, facing an opponent like him, they still dared issue this challenge?
Roy glanced down at the holster at his waist containing activation devices—one of which housed the Sword of the Black Furnace.
As the purest of the Luxs, an Orga Lux, the Sword of the Black Furnace—along with the other colored magic swords—possesses immense power. It can effortlessly scorch the ground, turning the earth into a crucible filled with molten lava. Only another Orga Lux of the same purity can withstand such an attack; mere defensive barriers can be shattered with a single strike.
"No matter! Come at me with all you've got! My defensive barrier is absolutely unbreakable!"
Alde proudly raised his head, fully embodying what it meant to be arrogant.
Roy grinned, as if amused by the display.
"Oh? Then I'll just have to prove you wrong!"
***
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