Duke Sterling was waiting here. That was the information Sidney had received.
So when he pushed open the door, he froze.
The first thing he saw was not Duke Sterling's familiar face, but a mass of mechanical components.
He no longer looked like a Machine Priest who had undergone only simple mechanical modifications. Instead, he was completely encased in steel, as though wearing a heavy suit of cold armor.
This suit of steel armor made him much larger than an ordinary person. The cabin was already cramped, and he alone occupied nearly half of it. Who knew how he had squeezed through the door?
Exposed hydraulic lines were visible everywhere, and interlocking gears at his joints gave off a low hum. His chest was a solid armor plate, rising and falling slightly in a steady rhythm, as though simulating breathing.
Even the place where his face should have been was covered by a metal mask studded with sensors. Only two cold, dim blue lights shone from the eye area, sweeping coldly over Sidney in the doorway.
"Duke Sterling, what is this...?"
"This is the frontline, after all. I could only come in this heavy-duty form. Come to think of it, this should be the first time we have met Your Highness in this state."
Duke Sterling's tone was warm, without the slightest mechanical stiffness in his voice. With his eyes closed, one would have thought a kindly old man stood before him.
Yet Sidney narrowed his eyes.
This was hardly the duke's first visit to the frontline.
The Sterling Family had never had a tradition of its head personally taking part in combat. Sidney had met him at the frontline before. When had he ever worn such cumbersome armor?
The Sterling Family's Path, [Indomitability], was rather unusual. A considerable portion