Chapter 180: The Age of Mecha, Boiling with Anticipation
No one would have expected that in a simple warehouse in the remote suburbs of town, there would be such a world-shocking treasure.
"Ooooooooooh!!! A mecha! It's a mecha! Hell yeah—!"
Satou Kazuma was shouting and screaming excitedly in the warehouse, running around the mecha, continuously stroking the cold, yet blood-pumping, steel shell. He shouted at the smug Aqua:
"It's a real mecha! Aqua, are you a god? You're a goddess, aren't you!"
"I was a goddess in the first place!"
Aqua huffed and retorted loudly, while at the same time, covering her mouth to deliberately provoke him. "Honestly, Kazuma. Seeing a mecha and you just start hooting and hollering, running back and forth. Are you a child? It's just too funny."
However, Kazuma was in no mood to bicker with her and was completely immersed in the excitement of seeing the mecha.
You couldn't blame him for dancing with joy and running around like a child. It was simply because the mecha before him was too shocking. Even Kobayashi was left a little speechless.
To have remodeled a mecha in another world... this was no less than a certain playboy hand-crafting an iron suit in the desert.
The mecha was black overall.
Its left knee was bent and its right knee was on the ground. Its left hand was on its hip and its right hand was on the ground. Its overall posture was that of taking a knee, and the cockpit on its chest was open.
The unpainted mecha did not give off a feeling of being simple or broken. On the contrary, it gave people a sense of primitive, heavy mystery. On top of that, the [Supreme Throne]'s large, ugly cape was gone. In its place was a streamlined, humanoid, giant mecha with a gorgeous design that reflected the light.
The gorgeous transformation from a "Demon King" to a "Knight"... its aesthetic value was far more than ten times greater than before.
When it came to aesthetics, you could always trust Aqua.
He forcibly suppressed the excitement and shock in his heart and asked, "Aqua, can you guarantee that it can intercept the Destroyer?"
"Of course! If it can be activated normally, then whether it's a Destroyer or a Ruiner or whatever, it's no problem at all!" she guaranteed, thumping her chest.
...The prerequisite was if it could be activated normally.
He suddenly remembered that back at the guild, she had muttered in a low voice that there were some small problems that hadn't been resolved. It must be that the mecha hadn't been fully tuned yet.
Since that was the case...
He looked at Kazuma, whose eyes were shining, and a sinister, wicked smile curled up on his lips.
The still-excited Kazuma suddenly shivered. He rubbed his arms, having a bad feeling that someone was plotting against him.
His excitement having faded a little, he came to Kobayashi and said happily, "Kobayashi-senpai, with this, we can definitely stop that... whatever-it's-called-Destroyer! Let's go! Let's take it to the battlefield."
"Indeed," he nodded, and said, feigning thought, "Since that's the case, then we'll have to choose a pilot."
"A pilot?"
"That's right. Since it's a mecha, someone has to pilot it, right? How about... you pilot it, Kazuma-kun?"
"Me?!"
Kazuma was shocked.
He had thought that this mecha would be piloted by him. After all, the frame that Aqua had modified was the giant mecha he had brought back. And he was more capable and experienced than him in every way, so no matter how you looked at it, he was the most suitable person.
"But it's precisely because of that that it should be you, Kazuma-kun," he said, shrugging. "I still have other Teigu, and my strength is a little higher than yours. It's no problem for me to provide cover. So between you and me, it's most appropriate for you to pilot the mecha."
"...Is that so?"
Kazuma had a feeling that something wasn't quite right.
"That's just how it is. And, didn't I promise you before that I'd let you pilot a mecha if I had the chance? Don't tell me you don't want to anymore? If that's the case, then I can do it." He took a step forward, pretending to be about to enter the mecha.
Kazuma immediately rushed up and said urgently, "Wait, wait! The Destroyer's strength is not to be underestimated! There will surely be great danger awaiting us! The slightest misstep and we'll be met with death. Since that's the case, then I'll just have to be the one to pilot the mecha! No, please, I must be the one to pilot it!"
His chest was puffed out, his appearance resolute, just like a soldier who had prepared for a heroic sacrifice.
"Kazuma, you're a complete and utter scumbag," Aqua, who knew his true nature, said with a face full of disgust. But she still waved her hand nonchalantly. "Whatever. Even if you die, I can just revive you, so you can just go ahead and die with peace of mind."
"What do you mean, 'go and die with peace of mind'?!... Wait, I think I get it. Don't tell me... you're scared that something dangerous will happen, so you're giving this chance to me?!" He had finally discovered the truth.
"Wh-what are you talking about? How could I do that? You have to believe me, Kazuma-kun."
He turned his head slightly, not daring to look him in the eye. However, this guilty appearance had completely shown that this was the case.
Kazuma immediately clutched his head and wailed, "Ahhh! I should have known! Is there ever a time when something Aqua makes doesn't have an accident? She's an idiot in the first place! I shouldn't have trusted her!"
It seemed he already regretted it.
Aqua retorted, "What do you mean, 'is there ever a time when something I make doesn't have an accident'?! I'm a goddess! A goddess! You should have a little faith in me!"
"It's precisely because you're an idiot goddess that I don't trust you!" Kazuma shot back angrily, which made the idiot goddess puff up her cheeks, her eyes watery, as if she were about to cry, and she sought comfort from him.
He scratched his head and said to Kazuma, "I'm sorry, Kazuma-kun. I forced you. Since you're not willing, then I'll pilot it."
He still understood the principle of not imposing on others what you yourself do not desire. So rather than forcing the other party to pilot it, and then having an accident and failing to stop the Destroyer, leading to the destruction of the town, it was better for him to pilot it himself.
Even if an accident really did happen, with Aqua, who could resurrect him indefinitely, around, there was nothing to be afraid of.
"...Forget it. I'll do it."
Kazuma sighed, as if resigning himself to his fate. "Just as you said, senpai, I was the one who was useless in the first place. Now that I can be of help and even be the main force, I'm pretty happy."
"At the end of the day, don't you just want to pilot the mecha?" Aqua's sharp words pierced through his excuse.
He had the same thought, and was even a little impressed. To not care about his life for the sake of piloting a mecha... he had never seen such a persistent person.
Aqua's words had hit home. Kazuma immediately blushed and argued, "T-talkative! Wanting to pilot a mecha... I did have that thought, just a little! But just a little! Really, just a little!"
"Yes, yes. So can you get in now? We don't have much time. We have to hurry to the town gate."
She waved her hand, indicating that she didn't want to listen to his arguments, and urged him to hurry up and go to his death.
Kazuma clenched his fists, looking very angry. But in the end, he held it in.
Following her instructions, he stood on the right hand of the kneeling mecha, and was then slowly lifted by its hand into the cockpit on its chest.
And then...
There was no "and then."
There was no red light from its eyes, no creaking sounds from its body, and not even the sound of steam starting up.
"Eh? It's not activating?"
He blinked, a little puzzled.
At this moment, Kazuma also shouted from inside, "Aqua! I'm in! What do I do to activate it?"
She scratched her head, also puzzled. "That's strange. Normally, my setting is that it will activate on its own when someone enters, and then you can naturally pilot it. Why didn't it activate? Did something go wrong?"
He looked at her speechlessly.
There she goes again. Always dropping the ball at the critical moment. She had created a powerful item, but for some reason, an accident had occurred.
But this was her style. He was already used to it.
But suddenly, he remembered a key problem. And that was that this mecha, which had been remodeled from the [Supreme Throne], might require a key condition to be activated.
—Royal blood.
"Aqua, don't tell me you forgot about the bloodline restriction? I'm pretty sure I told you about this long ago!"
"It's definitely not that problem! I already solved that with my purification skill! I even added a new restriction! If you're not a believer of the Axis Order, you can't activate this mecha!"
She seemed to have said something strange.
"Wait, Aqua. What did you just say?"
"I already solved the bloodline problem."
"Not that. The next sentence."
"If you're not a believer of the Axis Order, you can't activate this mecha. What's wrong? Is there a problem with that?"
She still hadn't seemed to realize the gravity of the problem.
He looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh. He was completely speechless.
And Kazuma, too. Even if he couldn't see his expression through the thick iron wall, he was sure that he was just as speechless as he was.
He couldn't help but ask, "Why? Why did you set it so that only an Axis Order believer can pilot this mecha? And what's the reason?"
"The reason? You see, this mecha is very strong. Wouldn't it be bad if it fell into the hands of other bad guys, or even the Demon King's army? So I specially set this condition so that only Axis Order believers can activate it. This way, it won't be used by bad people. How about it? Isn't that a super-smart idea!" she said excitedly.
You're a real genius.
He couldn't help but want to retort.
Kazuma was even more unable to accept it. He immediately burst out, "Why did you have to do that extra, useless thing, you idiot! The Axis Order believers are way more terrifying than the Demon King's army!"
He was right.
If that group of fanatical believers with a screw loose got their hands on this mecha, they would very likely attack the surrounding towns and force the villagers to join the church.
In a certain sense, they were indeed far more terrifying than the Demon King's army.
Even the Demon King's army would have to go out of their way to avoid them.
Hearing him say this, Aqua, on the contrary, was annoyed. She said loudly, "Why would you say that about those cute children! Besides, the Axis Order believers have nothing to do with this! No matter who it is, as long as they believe in me, they can smoothly activate this mecha... w-wait, no way, you're lying..."
She had finally discovered the truth.
He patted her shoulder and, not bearing to tell her the heavy truth, said, "Is there a possibility, and I'm just saying it's possible... that Kazuma-kun doesn't actually believe in you? Or rather, that he doesn't see you as a goddess at all?"
"What?!"
She immediately pouted, her eyes watery, as if she were about to cry in the next second.
For her, this was truly a huge blow.
In disbelief, she roared at Kazuma inside the mecha, "Why? Why! Believe in me! I'm a goddess! A goddess! Besides, you're the one who brought me to this world! You should know, right? Why don't you believe in me! You're lying! This is unbelievable!"
"Because you're always doing strange things!"
Kazuma did not indulge her at all and immediately shot back, "Just like this time! Why did you have to go and add that extra setting! How can anyone see a person like you as a goddess!"
"Kobayashi!"
She cried and pounced into his arms. In just a few seconds, she had created a flood, soaking his chest.
As expected of a man who believed in gender equality. He could even shoot back at a goddess without any courtesy.
But it was she who was in the wrong first. He didn't want to comfort her either. After all, she always dropped the ball at critical moments like this. Even the best-tempered person would get angry.
"Stop crying, Aqua. We need to think about who's going to pilot the mecha now."
Although he said that, he already had a bad feeling in his heart.
Of the five party members, Kazuma had confirmed that he couldn't activate it. Darkness was a pious believer of the Eris Order. And Aqua and Megumin... one had to break the defensive barrier, and the other had to be ready to provide support with Explosion.
So he was the only one left?
To be honest, he was very resistant, because there was no guarantee.
If you asked him if he liked this mecha, his answer would be one hundred and twenty percent "yes." But if you asked him if he was willing to pilot it to meet the enemy, he would tell you he wasn't willing at all.
This was like driving a kit car in an F1 race. Even without getting on the track, you could predict the tragic end of the car being destroyed and the person dying.
How could a model kit be compared to the real thing?
But now, with the matter being so urgent, he had no choice but to go.
Kazuma came out of the mecha and said with regret and apology, "I'm sorry, Kobayashi-senpai."
"It's not your fault, Kazuma-kun."
He shook his head.
If he hadn't met Aqua, he might have believed in the goddess, even if the Axis Order's reputation was bad. But after meeting her and knowing what kind of problem child she was, the fact that he hadn't broken off with her on the spot was already a sign of his great restraint.
He let out a long breath and still asked with uncertainty, "Aqua, are you sure there's no problem? Even if I die, you can still resurrect me, right?"
Then, without waiting for her answer, he readily stood on the mecha's right hand and was slowly absorbed into the cockpit on its chest.
Aqua puffed out her chest confidently and said:
"Absolutely no problem!"
As soon as her voice fell, the mecha, which was kneeling, suddenly let out a burst of hot steam from its whole body. At the same time, blue, light-strip-like bonds slowly climbed up from its feet until they converged on its forehead, lighting up its entire body.
The blue light strips, as if to outline the black mecha, did not clash with each other. On the contrary, they made the mecha look like an elegant and holy blue knight.
The kneeling mecha slowly stood up. Its tall, majestic body forced the two of them to look up to see its full appearance.
"Oooohhhhhh!!!"
Kazuma once again cried out excitedly.
And Aqua pointed forward and shouted, "—Aqua-go, launch!"
(End of Chapter)