Emperor of Steel

Luke’s party had come out of the Northern Command office and visited a supply unit which was nearby.

When the list had been signed by the Count, the nice looking unit head had loaded the supply unit into the trailer.

“Why don’t you just change into your Empire military uniform right here? If you are dressed in plain clothes, you’ll just look like any other spoiled noble.” Said the supply unit head.

‘Hmm, he definitely isn’t saying anything wrong.’, thought Luke

Luke decided to accept the advice of the supply unit head.

In order to hurry up and hold onto the Torlot Fortress which was known to be a mess, it was necessary to make a strong impression from the very beginning.

Luke went to the dressing room and returned wearing a dark blue empire military uniform. Philip and Erwin too upon getting insisted changed into the uniform.

The two were private escorts, hence they didn’t have to wear the emperor’s military uniform, however, they just obeyed the orders of Luke.

Erwin wore a hooded wizard coat with a uniform color.

However, soon a small disturbance had occurred.

“That, that wizard is an elf!”

The supply unit head’s eyes went wide as he saw Erwin’s ears stick out from her hair.

“So what? You think that she is a mole of the Volga?” Asked Luke.

“No, I wasn’t implying it like that…”

“Do not worry, she has been working in our estate for a very long time.” Luke said.

When Luke confidently stood up, the supply unit’s head went silent.

It was a part of the concern, it wasn’t like the nobles didn’t have any other race beings as their family workers.

In the case of spies, nobles who would recruit dwarfs from the mines or the suits who were taken for the training would be dragged into the intelligence department of the Imperial office and will be investigated.

Once the trailer was made ready, Luke hit his palm with his fist looking for something that had to be on the list.

“Uhmm, there need to be magic stones which have reached the end of their life, right?” Asked Luke.

“That is why I sent someone over to the Gigant shop, but where are you going to use it?” Asked the head.

“I heard that if the magic stone is grinded and mixed with the gunpowder, it would explode in higher range. It will be useful to protect the fortress.” Replied Luke.

“Hmm, that information that you got seems like gold.” Responded the head.

The supply head’s unit handed over a bunch of magic stones that were reaching the end of their life.

They were the kind of products which wouldn’t sell for enough money, so he thought that it would be better to use them by making an acquaintance of a noble.

Luke, packed the dead magic stones and left for Torlot Fortress.

The horseman who had been driving the carriage until then, after dropping them in a safe distance, had returned back to the estate in the wagon, while Luke was moving in the trailer.

“Lord, are you going to regenerate the magic stones like you did in the past?” Asked Philip.

And Luke nodded as an answer.

No matter how much he tried to make sense, the condition of the fortress seemed to be worse than his imagination.

Which was why he planned to use the dead magic stones by regenerating them and placing them into the Gigants or to build a defense circle.

“You regenerate the magic stone?”

Erwin asked with a doubtful look.

“Yes, there is something like that. You’ll be surprised to see that.” Responded Philip.

When Erwin smiled a little as Philip was talking to her like she didn’t know how to do it and there was Luke who was lost in his thoughts.

‘Yes. This time I can use ‘that’.’

The warrior class Gigant Achilles which had been captured in the last battle.

He personally put it into the bracelet subspace where he stored his golems.

At the time of capture, the ore was completely discharged, but even then, the Gigant was intact and it was moving with no problem.

Luke stopped the trailer in a secluded place and pulled out Achilles out of the bracelet.

And when unexpectedly; the Warrior class Gigant, Achilles popped out from the sky, and Philip’s mouth went wide.

“No way, this is!” Stuttered Luke.

“I captured it and kept it with me, it invaded the lordship during the war. And this is the subspace bracelet that the Devil King used…”

Luke’s explanation wasn’t heard by Philip, who had been shocked and screamed at Luke.

“Why didn’t you say this any sooner?!”

“That, because it is an artifact related to the Devil King…”

“If you had the artifact like the subspace of the Devil King, or any other thing, you should have spoken much earlier! Then I could have brought my cutie-pie ‘Marina’ too!”

“…”

Philip had gotten very attached to the Sting II that Luke had brought for him after giving it a female name.

However, as Luke was leaving for the military service he had no choice but to leave Marina behind.

Perhaps Marina was being used and moved by the other riders back in the estate.

‘You… you should have said earlier, my sweetie Marina wouldn’t have to suffer and burn in the hands of the others.’

Seeing Philip almost in tears, Erwin couldn’t help making fun of him.

“That doesn’t seem very different from any other Gigant.”

“Why you wizard! It isn’t anything like the other ones!? Basically, the rider and the Gigant are one body! The more the Gigant is used with the same rider, the combat efficiency improves! That isn’t some abused dog or cow that multiple people touch!”

After seeing Philip agitated, Luke’s words went dry.

The words from Philip, an expert in Gigant seemed very reasonable.

However, it was getting hard to see Philip troubled as he was still screaming.

“Kuaaaah! Marina-yah! This oppa* should have brought you along!”

“Why don’t you just throw away that idiot?”

Luke just shook his head at the words of Erwin.

Although he was a bit pathetic and frivolous at times, Philip was an expert rider. He was also a great instructor when it came to Gigant control.

There was no way Luke would leave someone who taught him such important facts.

“Marina… kuk!”

“Let’s get to work.” Said Luke.

Luke silenced Philip who was mourning for his Gigant and put the Achilles in the trailer and set off for Torlot.

*Oppa- a form of endearment that girls usually use with men they are close with.