The Mech Touch

Despite their lack of confidence, the five Tovar mech designers managed to do a decent job at fabricating the prototype.

The Deliverer mech they managed to produce appeared just as ornate and holy as Ves intended. Its spiritual foundation exuded a sense of certainty and holiness. He had already invested Ylvaine's spiritual fragment as its design spirit.

Ves became intrigued by the reaction of others towards the prototype.

The Tovars, who carefully fabricated the mech over three days, had mixed feelings over the mech.

On one hand, they were proud of their craftsmanship and content with how well the prototype turned out to be. The mech possessed only a small amount of flaws that they managed to correct afterwards.

Miles Tovar had been the biggest contributor. As a former independent mech designer and one who possessed a lot of practical experience, he immediately took charge and ordered his cousins around.

One the other hand, the Tovars were abhorred that they built an openly religious mech.

None of them were religious. To Brighters, faith was a primitive and outdated artifact of the past that just wouldn't die for some reason.

Ves actually agreed, but his perspective and knowledge was wider. He had become exposed to some of the deeper truths of reality, so he wasn't troubled by working on Ylvainan mechs.

Gloriana wasn't troubled either. She already believed in a religion that shared many overlaps with the Ylvainan Faith.

Though the contradictions between different faiths often resulted in some very acrimonious disagreements, Gloriana wasn't the type of person to care about the differences.

She exhibited a lot of grace and tolerance towards the Deliverer. Of course, part of it was because of Ves. How could she withhold her support for her boyfriend?

If Ves believed in something, Gloriana believed in it as well. The only caveat was that she often interpreted something through her own lens.

Ves figured out that this was Gloriana's way of coping with difficult contradictions.

Therefore, Gloriana tended to view the Ylvainan Faith as a flawed offshoot of hexism.

"This mech would have been a lot better if it revolved around hexism." She pouted a bit. "While I admit that Prophet Ylvaine is a good fortune teller, our Hexers also birthed powerful talents!"

If the Ylvainan test pilots were present, they would have become scandalized by her words!

Ves slapped her side. "Watch what you are saying! Don't ruin this project for me. Try to do your best to show due respect for the Ylvainans and their faith. If you can't do that, then stay quiet or head back to the Cloud Estate."

"..I'm sorry."

Once he verified that the prototype was ready to be tested, he ordered some subordinates to send it off to one of the testing grounds.

"Let's go meet with the Ylvainans." He spoke and left the workshop.

Once he brought Gloriana upstairs to his office, Leland came up to meet him to discuss the guests.

"You've been stirring quite a lot of confusion, Ves." The spy sardonically smiled. "Staying low is not your thing, it seems."

Ves could only shrug in response. "I can't help it. The Ylvainans are taking me way too seriously."

"You should see the news from the Ylvaine Protectorate. It's full of praises for your Holy Soldier. More and more Ylvainans have converted to the cult of the Bright Martyr."

"Don't joke around!"

"Okay, I was exaggerating a bit. That doesn't mean my point is invalid. You've managed to attract a disturbing amount of respect for a foreign state."

"What does the government have to do with my fans?"

"For better or worse, you are able to influence our foreign policy." Leland grimly stated. "I don't know how you've done it, but your Holy Soldiers have managed to raise the morale of the Ylvainans to stratospheric levels!"

"This was because of the Holy Soldier's faint connection to Ylvaine's spiritual fragment. While the Holy Soldiers weren't as potent as the Transcendent Messengers in this area, they still offered many Ylvainans a lot of spiritual comfort.

Something like spiritual comfort was extremely precious in these trying times. It was reminiscent of how stubbornly the Ylvainan exiles clung to their lives and faith during their flight to the galactic rim.

"What do you want me to do, then? While my influence among the lower ranks of the Protectorate is considerable, the higher ups won't allow the so-called 'Bright Martyr' to take over."

"That view of yours is outdated, by the way."

"It is?" Ves puzzlingly frowned.

"Have you spent any time observing the reaction of the Ylvainans to your mech?"

"Not exactly."

"Well, you should. Every Holy Soldier is a relic to the Ylvainans. To the higher ups, the Holy Soldiers have unquestionably saved the Protectorate so far. This kind of appreciation along with all of the trends taking place has started to gnaw at the leadership of the state."

All of this sounded plausible. As long as the Ylvainans began to buy into his myth, they would surely treat him like a real Martyred Follower!

"It sounds as if I can just go there and pick up a crown to place over my head."

Leland chuckled. "If only. Just because they are beginning to acknowledge you as the Bright Martyr doesn't mean you have absolute say in how the state is run. Only Prophet Ylvaine has enjoyed this privilege. Since you don't have the title of prophet, then you should stop entertaining these delusions."

"Is there anything else I should take note of concerning the Ylvainans?"

"Plenty. What the Bright Republic currently needs is a strong Ylvaine Protectorate that can fend for itself. So long as the Protectorate remains standing, our flank will remain secure."

"I think the Ylvainans already have that covered. Is that all you have to say?"

"It's not that the government has thought of taking advantage of your high status within the Protectorate. It's just that exerting too much influence will inevitably invite some backlash. A state can never be taken over by a single person. That said, you can still gain some advantages if you carefully leverage your status. You just have to avoid being greedy."

Ves found it rather suspicious that Leland placed so much emphasis on this relationship, especially during these times.

"What's the deal, here? I'm getting mixed messages here. On one hand, you're trying to say that I have a lot of influence. On the other hand, you state that my influence is limited."

"Forget it." Leland shook his head. "Let's address something else. I believe you are encountering some friction with certain groups within the government."

Ves scowled. "Yeah. Some people want me to move to Bentheim for my own 'protection'! Hah! As if Bentheim is safe! Only a single sandman fleet invaded the Cloudy Curtain System so far. As for the Bentheim System? I've long stopped counting!"

"Most of those who recommend you to relocate to a more secure site are only looking out for the state. Losing you will severely impact the Bright Republic."

"I've heard all of that before. Is there a point to this, Leland?"

"Let's just say we've handled the situation."

By we, Leland meant Flashlight, probaby.

"It's that simple?"

"Of course not." The spy ruefully smiled. "It is more accurate to say that we have suppressed calls. It helps that the Light Hounds have been fairly successful in hunting down the sandman admirals that are hiding in the asteroid belt. No other sandman fleet has invaded Cloudy Curtain, so the risk level of this star system is very low."

"Bentheim will fall before Cloudy Curtain does."

"That's true. In any case, I can promise you that the government won't insist on relocation any longer. To be honest, most of these proposals come from well-meaning officials, so it didn't require much effort on our part to get them to back down."

"What about those who are more opposed?"

"They can't be silenced, but be assured that they won't be able to influence this matter either."

Leland gave enough assurances that Flashlight would keep protecting the LMC in the dark.

After a bit more talking, Leland left the office, leaving Ves with a bunch of topics to think about.

"I can go over them later. First, I have to meet with the test pilots!"

He ordered Gavin to allow a trio of disciplined Kronon mech pilots to enter his office.

The three marched up to the desk in lockstep and offered Ves a very precise salute!

"Honorable Bright Martyr! We are at your disposal!"

Ves gestured for them to sit down. Two extra chairs emerged from the floor to accommodate them all. "Please introduce yourselves."

The left-most mech pilot started first.

"I am Sergeant Jezebel Kronon." The only woman spoke. She looked to be in her thirties and exuded the toughness expected of a blooded elite. "I have been fighting against the sandmen for months with the Holy Soldier you've provided to our people."

Ves lit up at that. "I thought you were a marksman specialist? How come you piloted a cheap Holy Soldier?"

A sense of fanaticism entered her eyes. "The moment I laid my eyes on the Holy Soldier, I never wanted to pilot anything else! While its performance is not comparable to a proper military marksman mech, it is still a great machine in the right hands! Against simple, inflexible opponents like the sandmen, it's enough to land some blows!"

"I.. see."

"Our people have started to pray daily inside and outside of the mech. While most people can only pray in front of a Holy Soldier, it is a great privilege for mech pilots like myself to come into touch with our mechs!"

"My mechs aren't designed to be altars.."

"They are much better than the boring altars we have prayed to all our lives! If it was up to me, every Ylvainan church or cathedral ought to enshrine a Holy Soldier to allow everyone to witness the splendor of your machines!"

The more Jezebel Kronon gushed, the more Ves started to become nervous.

Though he was no stranger to fans, the female Kronon was disturbingly enthralled with the Holy Soldier!

"If only I can stay with my Holy Soldier forever." She sighed. "It's okay, though. As soon as the Curins paid a visit to me and offered me to test one of your future products, I dropped everything!"

After Jezebel paused, Ves immediately turned to the man sitting next to her to stop her running mouth.

"Sergeant Edward Klesser. It is an honor to meet you. I will endeavor to assist you for the remainder of my stay here."

"You're not a Kronon."

"Not every mech pilot wants to dedicate their entire lives to fighting." Klesser responded. "I was a reservist before the Sand War broke out. Now, the Kronons have called up every able mech pilot."

"Do you resent that?"

"Absolutely no! Defending our people and faith is an important responsibility! In our long history, our faith has endured many threats and challenges! I cannot stand by when our state is at risk of annihilation!"

Apparently, Edward was an idealist. He possessed the typical Curin-like mindset of a grounded citizen. The only difference was that he did not hesitate to answer the call of duty when his services were required.

The man reminded him of a Larkinson in some ways.

Ves turned to the final Kronon.

"My name is Lieutenant Dominic Kronon. I'm a trueblood Kronon and the leader of our small delegation. I have received orders to stand by your side unless you dismiss us. If necessary, we are willing to serve you and fight on your behalf during the Sand War and beyond!"

"What? Our contact didn't say anything about this, lieutenant!"

"These are our orders, Bright Martyr." The lieutenant withdrew a data pad from her uniform coat and placed it on the desk.

Ves picked it up and began to skim through the orders.

It turned out that Dominic wasn't exaggerating. As long as Ves wanted to, he could treat the Kronons as his own subordinates!

He wasn't sure whether he should be pleased with this gift.