Nathaniel raised his face with a sharp gaze. "Yes, sir. I will take this opportunity."
Lance patted that man's shoulder. "Good. You won't regret this."
"You can enter through the back." Cecil smiled again at Trish's little brother.
Nathaniel moved behind the powered armor, took a deep breath, then entered it. Cecil and Lance closed the back of the armor, triggering mechanical sounds that indicated that some of its parts had tightened by themselves.
Not long after, the crystal on the armor's chest lit up.
"This armor activates automatically if someone is in it." Lance explained. "You can start at any time. Began by walking to the center of the testing area."
"Alright, sir." Nathaniel looked at his hands, then started walking.
"Is this just my feeling?" Cecil studied Nathaniel. "His movements are better than when Trish used our first prototype. I'm not talking about when she fell many times back then. But when we figure it out. When there is no more delay in the prototype's leg joints."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Lance nodded. When Nathaniel was in the middle of the training area, he raised his voice to Trish's brother. "Make some fighting moves, champ!"
"Yes, sir!" After saying that, he threw some fists into the air.
His movements reminded Lance of Trish. It flowed without a hitch.
"It seems like you made the right decision to give him a chance," Cecil commented.
"Yeah, we expect candidates will need to adapt when they first wear the armor. But he mastered it on his first attempt. This shows his extraordinary abilities."
Lance recalled that time when he had just graduated from high school. At that time, he was indeed one of the smartest people in his school. No one doubted he could join the greatest engineering university.
But that's when reality hit him. Intelligence alone is not enough. He failed to enroll at the university three times in a row because of interview tests. Even now, he was clueless of what was wrong with his answers back then.
Some said that wealthy people who blocked his path with their influence. But he could never confirm that.
But he didn't give up. He sent his various mechs designs to them. In his last attempt, he handed his blueprints directly to the university chairman.
In the end, he could enroll in his dream university. Without that opportunity, he wouldn't receive lessons from top professors. It might hinder his career.
"Can't sleep, Trish?" Lance smiled at the female warrior who came to him.
Trish smiled back. "Yeah, I've done various things so I can sleep. From drinking tea that I don't like to being naked, but all my efforts failed. So I took a walk and discovered you guys were doing a test run."
"I see." Lance decided not to respond to the naked part. He refocused on Nathaniel, who was now doing a combination of kicks.
"That movement…." Trish gasped. "No way."
Seeing Trish, Nathaniel stopped his movements and waved. "Hi, sis."
"Nat!!??" The little sister widened her eyes. "Why did you in that f*cking armor?"
The little brother shrugged.
"Now use that, champ." Lance pointed at a larger than a usual sword in the test's corner area.
"Alright, sir!" Nathaniel ran to get the weapon, returned to the center of the area, then made attacking movements with it.
Trish squeezed his head. "What the..."
With just one look, Lance knew that Nathaniel's movements were sharper and more precise than when he wasn't wearing that powered armor.
"He is a warrior in the heart." Lance smiled. "His body has always been a hindrance, but I think it's training his brain instead. It's like you are wearing heavy weights on your body when training. And when you release those weights, your movements become lighter and more powerful."
Nathaniel became more intense in doing those movements.
Trish shed tears. In a hoarse voice, she said. "Thanks, boss. Thank you for giving him the opportunity."
Lance patted the female warrior's shoulder. "He will surpass you in no time."
Just as Lance finished speaking, Nathaniel's sword slipped from his hand during his swing. The sword flew and hit an item box near to Lance and the others.
Everyone was silent, imagining what would happen if the giant sword hit them.
Nathaniel looked at his palms, then spoke to Cecil. "Can you adjust this armor's grip? I don't feel it enough when I hold the sword too tightly, but when I reduce the tightness of my grip, I... Ah, I hope what I said makes sense."
"C-certainly." Cecil opened his toolbox on the floor.
Lance thought about extra safety in this area.
Trish took a deep breath but smiled. "Aah, we joined the military instead. What will our dad say? He hated the royal military, but we never knew the exact reason."
"Hey, Trish! Can you do this!?" Nathaniel did a somersault backward in the air.
The big sister put her hands on her waist. "You're getting cocky now, huh? Wait till I kick your avocado-shaped ass again."
"What's an avocado?" Eve, who had remained silent, asked.
"No idea." Trish shrugged. "That's the fruit my dad told me about. He used to travel to various countries. I use that word because it sounded unique. Hear it... A-vo-ca-dooo."
Lance tried not to think about the absurd chatter.