Osian and the knights personally inspected the gifts that Shaloni had brought. The first thing that caught their eye was the silver armor, which they had used before. These were improved versions of the prototype suits they had seen earlier, redesigned to suit each knight.
"Ooooh!"
The knights' eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of those magnificent silver bodies. It might seem inappropriate for knights, who should be training their bodies and skills, to be so attached to such tools, but Osian thought the opposite.
A good body and good skills are important, but how much better would it be to use good tools as well?
They say a master calligrapher doesn't choose his brush, and a master swordsman doesn't choose his sword.
Osian had personally experienced how easily ordinary swords break in the heat of battle.
'If nothing else, good armor and weapons are essential.'
The knights were excitedly claiming their steam suits, saying "This one's mine, that one's yours!" They looked like children receiving Christmas presents. Of course, they were different in that they were muscle-bound men with superhuman strength.
Still, seeing them so genuinely happy made Shaloni, who was giving the gifts, feel quite proud.
"Take a look at this as well."What Shaloni introduced next was an automaton made exclusively for David. Since Ronald and Reginald MK2 were destroyed in the previous battle with the Giant, this was custom-made by Antique Gear.
"I can't believe it, such an expensive custom automaton."
David ran his trembling hands over the newly gifted automaton. Although he had quit being a fixer to become a knight, his years of experience as a fixer hadn't disappeared. Above all, David had always been attached to automatons, so he easily recognized the true value of this item.
"That's not all."
Soon after, with a vrooming sound, a vehicle stopped in front of David. Seeing it, David's face became ecstatic, like a devout believer welcoming an angel descended from heaven.
With a slight exaggeration, he looked like he might burst into tears if someone just tapped him with a finger.
"Ah, I thought it was gone forever."
"It's identical to the type of vehicle from that day, but it's been more meticulously modified. We've improved both safety and durability. The only drawback is that the fuel efficiency is absolutely terrible, but we at Antique Gear can support that expense free of charge."
Being a car that uses ether water as fuel, the price of gas—no, ether water—would naturally be enormous. But Shaloni declared that she would support even that expense. It was truly an exceptional treatment.
David was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears.
Although one member, David, received particularly large benefits, no one complained about it.
David was the only one here who had awakened Moonlight, and he had a record of defeating a Giant alone. Even if Shaloni hadn't given him a separate gift, he would have received something similar from Don Quixote.
And no matter how expensive ether water might be, it was nothing compared to the rights that Antique Gear had gained this time.
The fight between two giants who had been competing to knock each other down for decades had finally come to an end.
It wasn't a K.O. where one side completely collapsed, but it was clear that Battle Trench's power and funds would be absorbed by Antique Gear.
Considering the financial benefits that could be gained from this, it wouldn't be a waste to pour any amount of money into this side. Rather, if possible, they would want to invest even more money.
'Because that's how we can build a better relationship with them.'
Nothing is more certain than giving gifts to capture someone's heart. Moreover, whether intentionally or not, Shaloni had now officially become involved in Antique Gear's internal succession battle.
She had already been under scrutiny due to her outstanding abilities. Now that she had officially entered the succession battle, the reaction of her older siblings who had been running ahead was obvious. Shaloni would need to increase her allies, even if it was just one person, considering what was to come.
"What about me?!"
It was then that Lupona, who had been secretly watching from the top of the building like a stray cat, appeared with a spectacular landing.
She must have been so envious of the other knights receiving gifts that she cast aside her usual pride and actively asked Shaloni.
Shaloni was slightly surprised at Lupona's sudden appearance, but soon smiled and nodded. Of course, Shaloni had prepared a gift for her as well. She had been wondering when to visit her separately, so she was actually grateful that Lupona had come to her first.
"Of course, it's ready."
When an automaton worker opened a large box, a motorcycle inside was revealed. It was the special bike that Lupona had ridden during the District 38 battle. Naturally, it only looked the same as before, but it had been improved to fix the previously lacking parts.
"Wow! Wow wow wow!"
Lupona jumped up and down like a child receiving a gift and climbed onto the bike. Although she clearly wanted to ride it right away, she had enough discretion to just get a feel for it at the moment.
Asmer also looked at his newly gifted suit with satisfaction. Everyone had received gifts, but the only one who hadn't was Osian.
"As for what gift to give to Sir Osian."
Shaloni had thought hard about it but realized that there was nothing they could offer him.
A steam suit? Osian could wear armor even sturdier than the suit. Then how about giving him the latest vehicle like David and Lupona? That would be useless too. Osian could summon a Warhorse. And she knew the power of the Warhorse well from reports.
Didn't it break down the front gate of Battle Trench's secret laboratory by ramming into it? That alone was enough to show how amazing the warhorse that Osian could summon was.
And giving him an automaton didn't seem like something Osian would properly use. Since Shaloni believed that a gift the recipient wouldn't use was meaningless, she felt quite conflicted.
She had given satisfactory gifts to the others but not to Osian, which gave her a strange sense of guilt.
"You don't need to worry about it too much. If the others have received good gifts, that's enough for me."
For Osian, it was actually better to leave a debt this way. That way, he could use it effectively later when help was needed.
Just then, new visitors arrived. Shaloni looked at them, bowed her head to Osian, and withdrew from the scene.
"I'll be going now. Enjoy your conversation."
After Shaloni left, there were two newly arrived people, Don Quixote and Neo.
"You're here."
"I came to say thank you and goodbye."
Unlike usual, Don Quixote was showing his bare face.
He was wearing a suit instead of armor, pristine white gloves instead of gauntlets, and even elegant shoes instead of gaiters.
Neo, who came with him, was dressed like an ordinary person except for the metal mask on his face.
He had come not as Don Quixote, but as Alonso.
"A farewell?"
"Yes. Too many things have happened in this city."
Battle Trench, which could be considered the root cause, would no longer be able to exert power over them. But that didn't mean the danger was completely gone.
There are already many piranha-like entities baring their teeth after hearing the news of District 38. And it wouldn't be difficult for them to become aware of Neo's existence while surveying the situation.
Rather than risk that, it was better to leave the city of Tirna for a while.
"Now that I have some free time, I plan to travel around the world."
"That's not a bad idea."
Don Quixote had wanted to see the world with Neo for some time. That was because he wanted Neo to see the wide world that he had only encountered in books.
"Thinking about it now, I feel like it might be much too late."
Don Quixote finally had a heart-to-heart conversation with Neo about everything. And then he realized. Why hadn't he tried this easy solution until now?
His past worries now seemed foolish. It would be a lie to say he didn't regret the wasted time.
"It's still not too late."
"Even seeing me like this?"
"For a knight, the age of the body is just a number. With the Starlight you possess, you can still move forward."
These weren't just empty words. Don Quixote had grasped Starlight in his hands, and that power still remained inside his body.
Don Quixote himself vaguely felt it. After realizing the Starlight, the minor illnesses he had been having completely disappeared. In fact, his body was becoming healthier than it had been a few years ago.
"Is that so? Is this a new beginning then?"
"It's not even a new beginning. There was never an end."
Don Quixote burst into laughter at Osian's words.
"Hahaha. Maybe so. I used to feel considerable loss at the end of a story. Most chivalric novels ended that way. Adventures eventually come to an end, and every story has a conclusion. Every time I closed a book, I always thought, 'Is this how I'll end too?'"
Only now did he realize that it was just the end of the story as a novel. The story doesn't end just because the book is closed. The characters who walk through that story will continue to face new events and live on. Just like himself now.
"There's no such thing as the end of a story. In the end, everything is just a process."
Osian nodded in agreement. Yes. Their story doesn't end here either. It will continue from now on. All of this is a process. It's one flow, and even if it ends, it's only replaced by a new flow.
After all, the world is a vast, continuously flowing torrent. It differs depending on how long and far you flow within it.
So there's no complete ending in the world. There's only a process called an ending. So you shouldn't stop and be relieved just because you've grasped a star. You should continue, continue moving forward as long as your feet allow.
Neo stepped forward.
"Friend. Thank you so much. Not just you. I'm grateful to all the other friends too."
Neo extended his hand to Osian and Osian took it. Although it was a gloved hand, he felt that the steel within it was strangely warm.
The touch of the hand was actually different. It seemed that Neo had transferred his consciousness to a new automaton, just as he had taken over the body of the previous Giant.
A newer model that resembled a human.
"Have a good trip."
Osian said, shaking Neo's hand.
"When you return, let's meet again."
There was no need to say goodbye as if they would never see each other again just because they were going far away. They would meet again within the flowing process anyway.
Osian's farewell completely relieved Don Quixote and Neo of the burden they had been carrying.
Don Quixote took off the fedora he was wearing, placed it against his chest, and bowed his head to Osian.
It was the most respectful greeting he could offer.
Osian quietly watched as the two departed after exchanging greetings.
There was no need to worry because the starlight would guide their path.
Although Battle Trench had ended, the incident itself wasn't completely over. The steam suit company, which was the fundamental reason why Battle Trench had to get involved with artificial intelligence, remained.
They had developed technology to transplant human brains into suits, truly making the suit and human become one.
This technology, which made giant suits react faster and more smoothly than before, was enough to instill a sense of caution in other companies.
And what's more problematic was that the company had joined hands with Dead Dagger, one of the dangerous external organizations. Dead Dagger is an organization that trains thief-class assassins. They were already causing all sorts of trouble in this city.
Although it wasn't intentional, Osian had become involved in their fight. As a result, Osian became an enemy of Dead Dagger.
"Help me."
Malina of the Blood Brotherhood appeared before Osian and said. The face of this woman, who had boasted that she would confront Dead Dagger, looked somewhat desperate.
"Big sister is in danger."
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