Ropas was truly, utterly stunned.
He had considered the possibility that his bard friend was a young scion raised by some great family, out to see the world.
Well... that was still acceptable.
After all, toss a stone anywhere in the Reef Island training camp, and nine and a half out of every ten people it might hit would be children of the Nolant Kingdom's great nobles.
Nobles were hardly rare creatures around Kroya.
But he had never, ever expected this to be the Reef Duke himself!
He hesitated, then made the golem drop straight to its knees, saying with utmost respect, "Your Grace!"
Only this golem could withstand such a demanding maneuver. Any other golem would have broken on the spot.
"I know this identity of mine puts you under pressure." Kroya gestured for him to rise. "I'll give you a position at the Golem Administration Office, and access to golem modifications and the parts repository.
"Don't dismiss the one you're inside now as a basic Engineering Golem. With further modifications, it could even reach the level of a Diamond Golem."
The golems on Reef Island had been designed with plenty of room for upgrades, since their foundations came from the Sacred Spring Trade Guild and inspiration drawn from studying Miya's World Tree Elf body.
With added parts and inscribed magic runes, even a farming golem could instantly become a War Golem capable of firing magic missiles-a little ingenuity on Kroya's part.
If war ever reached his territory, he could modify his tens of thousands of Engineering Golems and field an army in an instant.
That was what it meant to hide soldiers among the people.
Ropas was so moved by Kroya's words that he wanted to cry, but inside a golem, the only tears he could shed would