The Strongest Drone

Suddenly a violent wind blew and the horses that were pulling carriages neighed in surprise.

A thin tornado rising up straight into the sky and stirring up sand into the air was raging while producing intense winds and noise right in front of the caster, who was floating in the air in a lotus position

Looking at that dreadful wind, the caster murmured.

「…D-Did I overdo it?」

As the caster muttered that, while watching the tornado lose its momentum, a shadow appeared from inside the pillar of wind.

The black object that now became visible had the same appearance as earlier.

The drone not only was floating at the same place as before but didn't sustain even a single scratch, caused the caster to open his eyes wide is shock.

「Eh, what does this mean?」

While the caster was mumbling in a daze, the drone slowly turned on the spot and started gradually ascending.

Seeing it, the caster opened his mouth again.

「…What is that?」

As the caster just kept staring blankly, probably having no will to chase after it, the soldiers on the ground called out to him.

「Practitioner-dono! We will attack as well! Take distance!」

「Heh?」

An arrow flies past the practitioner as he give a half-hearted reply while looking down. Hearing the sharp sound of an arrow cutting through the air near him, the practitioner bent backward in surprise.

As if being sucked in the arrow went to the drone but was repelled some inches away from it.

Seeing round white ripples spread around the drone, it became evident that it was protected by some kind of a sphere.

「Shoot! Even magic arrows are fine!」

As the practitioner was looking in bewilderment at the fading white ripples, the voice signaling the next attack for soldiers reached his ears.

「W-wait! Wait a moment!」

The practitioner's objection didn't make it in time, and a few arrows, with wind or fire or ice coiling around their arrowheads, were shot.

With terrifying accuracy, the arrows flew towards the drone and displayed various effects just before they hit.

The fire flared up, the wind blew violently and lastly, it was encased in ice.

Before long a lump of ice one meter in diameter, shrouded in wind and clad in sparks of fire, was floating in the air.

That scene that looked just like a battle caused a huge commotion among the citizens.

「Ah, that was close.」

Uttered the practitioner as he moved away just in time, and as if those words were the signal, cracks started to appear on the surface of the ice lump.

And following a remarkably loud shattering noise, the ice crumbled into small pieces revealing the undamaged drone.

「I-Impossible?!」

One of the soldiers raised such a voice.

The practitioner, the soldiers, and the citizens, all were staring at the drone with their mouths gaping in astonishment while it was floating up, this time without any interruptions.

[Taiki]

Confirming that the image on the screen finally returned to normal I turn around to look at Ayla.

「Well, that surprised me. I will go outside for a bit to check it out.」

There was the fact that it withstood flames, tornadoes, and ice, but most importantly I didn't know what was the principle distant view camera uses to project the scenery from outside, so I wanted to confirm that as well.

Thinking so I spoke, but Ayla nodded with a somewhat strange excitement.

「C-Can I go as well?」

「Eh? I'm going to only check the camera?」

「I want to see what is that thing called camera!」

Looks like it's curiosity. Ayla was strangely cheerful after the problem with the Azul Kingdom cleared up. Probably she had a lot of things on her mind that she was unable to bring them up until now.

「…I hope it's something interesting.」

Muttering so, I give a sidelong glance to A1 that was standing silently. It would be funny if it was something like a portable A1, small enough to fit on the palm, but I might be disappointed if it turns out to be something like a simple digital camera.

No, it's ought to be something like a huge crystal or a camera fitting for a magical world, if so then I will be entertained as well.

While inflating imagination with all sorts of various ideas I step outside the castle, bringing Ayla and A1 along, then I see the figure of Mea approaching us.

「Taiki-sama! Something is heading over here!」

「Something?」

Tilting my head to Mea's words I look in the direction she's pointing. Then I saw a black and round object flying our way.

It most likely is the distant view camera that I commanded to display the main gate of the castle.

「Mea, it's probably okay.」

When I declared that, Mea looked back at that object in relief.

However, this rules out the possibility of a huge crystal. Too bad.

With everyone watching attentively, the distant view camera stops at the point where it would give a panoramic view of the main gate to the castle.

「Is that Taiki-sama's flying golem that was projecting the image of the surface?」

「Flying golem!」

Mea reacted to Ayla's question. With sparkling eyes, Mea looks up at the distant view camera.

「No, I guess it's a drone. But it's really great that it didn't break even after being struck by fire and winds. A real drone would break in one shot.」

As I say that while looking up at the black object, the drone, the two exchange glances and tilt their heads.

Although it looks like a hollow frame of a UFO, it's quite cool.

「I feel like there were a lot of distant view cameras… Then, if we segmented the screen and made full use of it, would a whole bunch of such drones be flying around?」

I think that for an uninformed person that would be a frightening sight.

「Ehm, is this drone thing not a golem?」

「Well, they might be similar, but… How should I put it?」

I rack my brains unable to answer Ayla's question.

I think they are also called unmanned aircraft or robot plane, and I don't think they would understand if I say that it's a mechanism.

「Let's just say that this mechanism is a variant of golems…..」

「Mechanism.」

「Mechanism?」

No, I cannot explain more than that myself.

I almost blurt out such words without thinking.