Champion

—Golems are just tools?

At these words, several judges instinctively looked toward Wade.

Although the boy was vastly younger than them, once Wade had demonstrated knowledge and ability worthy of his seat, the judges had come to regard him as an Alchemist on their own level.

In Wade's hands, Golems displayed all manner of personalities and interests. Even those that had appeared for mere minutes before sacrificing themselves had seemed as vividly alive as real people.

Yet Modihis Graves had forged his Golems into cold tools, as though they possessed no self-awareness at all—only absolute obedience, even to the point of disregarding the harm done to themselves...

Such an Alchemy philosophy was undoubtedly at odds with that of Wade Grey, the father of Golems.

To be honest, lively Golems that resembled real people were unnerving. But puppets with the forms of living creatures and the stiffness of inanimate objects were even more chilling when they stood silently before one.

Under everyone's more-or-less covert gazes, Wade fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"Golems are just tools? That statement... isn't entirely wrong."

Graves, whose expression had been tense, seemed somewhat surprised by this. He looked at Wade with slight astonishment.

"If you haven't instilled thought into it, then a Golem is merely a sculpture built from various materials. It's no different from a shovel or a hammer."

Wade continued, "But if you grant it thought in order to improve its judgment and intelligence, then no matter how meticulously you restrict its consciousness, a faint spark will still be born in barren soil."

Graves blinked. "If a fire is born, then I'll pour more water on it. If water isn't enough, I'll cover it with sand, or shovel away all the dry grass that lets the flame burn. Wouldn't that solve