Capital City Kankkunen
Schreiber Castle
Your Majesty,
this is my grandchild, Ernesti Echevalier.
I am honored to meet you.
The reports said he was a boy.
Yes, I am a boy.
Did he inherit his fearlessness from you, Raul?
Thank you, Your Majesty.
He does seem quite composed for a boy who's not even in his teens yet.
Your words honor me.
There's a reason I've brought you here today.
I couldn't think of the proper way to reward you
for your success.
Your Majesty, Ernie is still a child.
He doesn't need a reward...
Child or no, I cannot fail to reward someone who defeats a behemoth.
I'll just come out and ask: what do you want?
What do I want?
He can't be asking me this out of the goodness of his heart.
I should assume the king is testing me.
Should I say I don't need a reward,
or ask for something?
If I ask for something, what should I ask for?
I could just come out and ask for the latest model of Silhouette Knight.
No, no.
This is the chance of a lifetime!
I want to ask for something incredibly difficult,
something I'll never have another chance to get!
Then I ask for this.
What I want most right now is knowledge.
I want to know how to create the heart of a Silhouette Knight, the Ether Reactor!
D-Do you know what you're asking for?
That's one of the country's greatest treasures and best-kept secrets!
You can't just—
Silence, Dixgard.
You're correct to assume that none but I could grant that wish of yours.
But what will you do when you've learned the mysteries of the Ether Reactor?
Okay, this is it!
I'm learning to be a Knight Runner at Laihiala,
but my ultimate goal is to acquire my own unique Silhouette Knight.
If you'd asked for that instead of the reactor,
your wish may have been granted.
No, that's not what I meant.
I want to make my very own Silhouette Knight, with my own hands!
You want to make a Silhouette Knight from scratch?
Indeed!
And why is this so important to you?
Because...
It's my hobby!
How ridiculous!
Of all the possible answers, you say it's your "hobby"?
Your Majesty, I'll give my grandson a stern talking-to,
so please be merciful.
Very well.
Consider your wish granted.
Your Majesty!
But slaying a mere behemoth is not enough to justify access to our nation's greatest treasure.
Show me proof that you can make good use of the Ether Reactor's manufacturing method.
And how should I do that?
You merely need to create the body of a Silhouette Knight.
If your work is sufficiently impressive to satisfy me,
I will grant your wish!
Yes, Your Majesty!
The next day, the Marquis of Selati invited his children back from Laihiala.
Chapter 3:
I'm so happy to see you again, Father.
It seems you're all doing well.
So what did you summon us here for?
Stephania told me that you're friends of Ernesti Echevalier.
Yes, I suppose.
His Majesty seems to have taken quite a liking to him.
If Ernesti is successful in any way,
please let me know.
I want to be the first to tell His Majesty.
Is that going to benefit Ernie?
Of course.
But you needn't inform him of this.
I can't let it interfere with his task.
Hey, give me a hand.
What're you doin', you moron?
Anybody who's slacking off is gonna get a kick in the ass!
What is this?
This thing's Crystal Tissue was replaced just last month.
What did you do to wreck it in a single night like this?
It's so beautiful.
Even broken mechs are beautiful in their own way.
The form collapses and only the wreckage remains.
This is true, refined beauty!
It's beautiful.
And that ambivalent guilty sensation when you realize that
you were responsible for its destruction...
What?
I'm sorry, boss!
No, I mean, David.
Wait!
Let's hear more about that ambiviwhatsit.
I'm sorry, can you say that again?
Okay.
I said that I copied out the scripts from the Magius Engine,
did the calculations myself,
and used that to operate the Silhouette Knight.
Let's just say, hypothetically, that you did.
What's that have to do with the way the Guair fell apart?
Acting as a stand-in for the Magius Engine allows you to remove all its limiters.
I took all the mana in the mech and used it to attack.
And as a result, it couldn't maintain the enhancement magic that holds it together.
Is that correct, Guair's Knight Runner?
Yes... he's right.
Dietrich really surprised me, you know!
That last attack on the behemoth...
Without his help, it would've been impossible!
It was wonderful!
No, I didn't do anything.
What are you talking about?
Let's be very proud of this!
Let's sing the praises of the Guair!
I see...
You're right.
Let's get back on topic.
So you're saying that if you're using your full strength,
you'll destroy any Silhouette Knight that exists?
It's likely that I'd destroy any that currently exists, yes.
You idiot!
How the hell are we supposed to deal with that?
I've got the perfect idea!
So this is... crystal tissue?
This should increase its structural integrity and energy output.
I call it Strand-Type Crystal Tissue!
I see.
We only swapped out 30% of the muscle and it worked great.
Even if each individual fiber is weak,
they'll become stronger if you weave them together.
And compared to laying them out in a straight line,
this allows them expand and contract over a greater distance,
which leads to greater energy output.
Great.
Let's put them in all the units currently under repair.
Then why don't we make one more minor alteration to the humanoid shape?
Okay, lay it on me, silver-haired boy.
Boss...
There you are.
Hello there.
Ernesti, what are you doing here?
Chasing my dreams.
Your dreams?
Helvi, about the Trandorkis...
Yeah, it's a mess, isn't it?
The boss will fix it all up to where it was before.
Actually, he can make it stronger and faster than before.
Really?
Yes,
but we need your help.
Help?
Silhouette Knights only have two arms, right?
When I saw this, I was wondering about how they use their Silhouette Arms.
In order for one to use magic for long-range attacks,
it needs to hold its rod in its hand.
In other words,
I think it's inefficient to have to switch between sword and rod.
But for an experienced Knight Runner, that's a simple matter.
Right!
But I want to make the simple matters even simpler!
Why not add another two arms here?
Silver-haired boy, the Silhouette Knights were originally based on human beings.
That's part of the reason we're capable of operating them.
Sure, we can put arms on the back,
but how are you going to move them?
We're not putting real arms there.
You just need something to hold the rod and fire it.
What we actually need is a simpler design.
For convenience, let's call the rod the back arms are holding the "back weapon."
We'll use a dedicated script to control the movement of the sub-arm and the back weapon.
We'll also add an aiming function.
All the Knight Runner has to do is aim and fire at the right time.
It's simpler than I thought.
With some training,
I bet I could use the sword and the rod at the same time.
They may look human,
but they're actually tools. Machines.
If there's some function we want them to have,
don't you think we should change their form to create it?
Who the hell are you, anyway?
How come you keep trying to make all these things I've never seen or even heard of?
What are you talking about?
I'm making them because they don't exist!
If they existed, I wouldn't need to make them.
Hey, Ernie.
What?
If you add those things, Silhouette Knights will get even stronger, right?
Yes, of course.
Then knowing you, you're going to fight the demon beasts again, right?
Th-That's true.
A Knight Runner's job is to protect people from the demon beasts.
Is there anything Addy and I can do to help you?
Ernie!
Teach us how to fight in a Silhouette Knight!
I don't want you ever going to fight on your own again!
We want to fight, too!
We don't want to be left behind like we were with the behemoth!
Of course!
And I've come up with the perfect plan, too!
Can you really do this, Ernie?
May I have permission, principal?
The majority of our Silhouette Knights are being repaired right now.
The creation or major overhaul of a Silhouette Knight requires
complicated processes and lots of parts,
as well as a long construction period.
If I want a simpler way to make a new Silhouette Knight,
there's only one way.
That's right. Make it smaller!
The biggest benefit of this new machine
is that it's far simpler and easier to make than a Silhouette Knight.
I'd like Batson to take the lead
and have the middle school students help.
Us?
And so Ernie came up with several new plans,
and began to get the whole school involved.
The new Crystal Tissue is safe,
but the underlying frame's blown out.
I forgot to think about that!
We're gonna have to reconsider the whole mechanical balance.
We're counting on you, boss!
Okay, time to go train!
Hey, take it easy!
It's so cold, so hard... It's wonderful!
All Ernie will look at is big, hard, cold things!
How does it feel to pilot the Silhouette Gear, Edgar?
You can tell, can't you?
I see!
Looks like you're having lots of fun!
Hey, Ernesti,
these Silhouette Gears aren't bad.
But the controls are complicated,
and they drain too much mana.
There's no way using these will serve as a replacement for Silhouette Knight training.
You think so?
One, two! One, two!
Hup!
They're unique.
Is there no way you can at least put a Magius Engine it?
That would make it simpler to control.
Pathetic, Edgar!
You're the top knight,
and you're just giving up this easily?
You're working hard, huh?
Of course.
Mana control is an absolute necessity for a Knight Runner.
No amount of training is wasted!
Hey, want to go play tag?
Sure!
Dietrich has changed.
After much research, failure, and improvements,
a modified Silhouette Knight with the Strand-Type Crystal Tissue and back weapons
was finally ready for its test run!
Helvi, all set?
First, stand up.
It stood up!
This is really gonna work!
Okay, try walking.
Slowly!
Okay, stop!
How's it feel?
It's a rough ride, just like you'd think.
It's got too much power,
so it's hard to even make it work.
Let's do some tuning later.
Our big goal today is to check those.
I didn't realize you could use Silhouette Gears like that.
Just goes to show they aren't just toys.
Deploying Silhouette Arms.
Displaying reticle.
Aiming...
Fire.
It's pretty accurate, huh?
Test fire complete.
Retracting sub-arms.
Looking good!
They're happy over something like that?
Isn't it more amazing if you just used the magic yourself?
We can increase the firepower anytime we want.
What's important today is that a new Silhouette Knight has taken its first step.
That's the happiest news of all.
I don't really understand, but congratulations!
I'm so happy for you, Ernie!
What's your take on the new equipment, Dietrich?
Hmm... It won't just help with long-range combat,
but close-range combat as well.
It's wonderful.
It's one thing if we're up against a demon beast,
but eventually we may have to face it.
That's right.
Maybe we'll begin with me knocking you flat.
With this new power, even the strongest Knight Runner at the school is no match for me.
Sounds scary.
Just you wait!
Jeez... it's just a mock battle,
but they're acting like it's a party.
Don't tell me you're quitting now!
Helvi, Edgar, you're both ready, right?
We will now finish the trial run of the new unit
by pitting the Trandorkis, now known as the Telestale, against the Earlcumber.
Both of you, bow!
To your positions!
It's not the capabilities of the machine that decide the victory.
It's the skill of the Knight Runner!
We get to fight together again, huh?
Let's go, Trandorkis—no, Telestale!
Begin!
She's not taking advantage of her strength at long range?
Let's start by saying hello!
So this is the power of the Strand-Type?
I didn't know anything like it existed!
But ever since I met Ernesti,
I've gotten used to throwing away what I know!
That's Edgar for you.
A normal pilot would've lost during that first charge.
Helvi's doing a great job with the new machine, too.
Well, she's a Test Runner for a reason.
Helvi's pushing really hard, isn't she?
I think she's trying to take advantage of her superior energy output.
And the control system tuning isn't done yet,
so she'll be at a disadvantage if she tries to fight with precision.
Strength or skill...
So that's what this fight is about?
A magical strike at close range...
That's too hard to deal with!
I don't like to gamble,
but it would be no fun to just let you push me into a corner!
He's coming straight at me?
That's just like you, Edgar!
I'll fight you with all I've got!
There!
He stopped the attack with his blade?
He crushed the sub-arm?
Now you've done it.
I won't let you keep doing this!
Get ready, Telestale!
You're mine, Edgar!
She's out of mana!
Thanks to your help,
the new Telestale has passed its trials.
Next, we deal with the decreased fuel efficiency caused by the increased output.
Well, anyway...
Cheers!
Go cheer up Helvi.
Me?
Hey, Ernie.
Yes?
This is amazing, right?
Won't the king praise you for this?
I bet!
You made a Silhouette Knight.
No, there's a long way to go.
The Telestale is "finished," but it's nowhere near done.
There's more?
The path of the Silhouette Knight
isn't trod in a day!
So it's not complete, then?
Then let's watch this awhile longer.
By this time,
a tiny thorn had already embedded itself in the Laihiala Academy of Knight Runners.
But nobody, even Ernesti,
had noticed.
Next Time: "Light & Shadow!"
Chapter 4:
Machiavellianism is calling me!