Volume 9 - Chapter 27 – Side Story 11: The Madness of a Certain Puppet (2/2)
That was characteristic of an Automata who had eyes made out of a Magi Crystal with the [Charm] effect, the ‘Blood Crystal’.
If it so felt like, it could also use those eyes to cast the forbidden spells [Hypno], [Seduce] and [Subliminal].
That was solely because of the woman’s madness. As she didn’t deem acceptable that the Automata she built herself would serve people other than her.
In addition, the strength hidden beneath its surface was unfathomable. Probably even if ten battle-type golems attacked it they wouldn’t be able to defeat the Automata.
It had not just strength, but speed, flexibility, and knew martial arts. In addition to all that, it had an Adamantite short sword for self-defense.
Bestowed with magic, the excellent sword could even comfortably cut right through steel. Coupled with the sword techniques of the Automata wielding it, the Automata was nearly invincible.
On the other hand, maybe because she had worked too hard ever since she was young, she gradually lost her healthiness.
“Mother, today I’ve made gruel out of barley for you.”
The Automata gallantly cared for her, but her physique was weakening day by day.
“I’m no longer young. But having managed to build you is enough.”
The woman who had already become unable to get up from her bed said with a soft voice.
“Mother, please don’t talk about sad things like that.”
The Automata said, but the woman slowly shook her head.
“Humans are beings who all meet their end in due time. We can’t live as long as your like.”
Madness no longer dwelled in her eyes.
“Once I’m gone, live as you’d like. You are my masterwork. You are the queen of Automata.”
“Mother…”
“My… daughter. You are the best…”
Once she had spoken that much, there was a sudden change in her state. Blood came out of her lungs and blocked her throat.
Making nothing more than gurgling sounds, the question of how she would’ve continued became an eternal mystery.
That was the night she passed away.
＊ ＊ ＊
“‘You are the best’… That is Mother’s wish.”
The Automata burned those words into its memory, no, its Control Core. She had said ‘the best’, but there was no longer any way of knowing just what she had meant by that.
At that moment, maybe because of the fickle finger of fate, maybe because the [Erase] had been imperfect, a part of the Magi Formula that was supposed to have been erased was restored.
The contents of it uneventfully overlapped with the Magi Formula the woman had written, and then they spontaneously united.
What the Automata ought to do.
It should win against Adrianna Balbora Ceci, in other words overpower all the golems she had made.
To become the best meant to ‘rise above everything that existed’ in this world.
The Automata had vast amounts on information. It also had the mansion the woman had left behind.
The Automata began working out a plan on how to rise to the top of all creation…
＊ ＊ ＊
Her first victim was the Magi Craftsman said to be Adrianna Balbora Ceci’s second coming.
A maid who had become suspicious of her master who didn’t wake up no matter how much time passed went to check on him and found him dead in his bed.
After that there was an incident where all the Automata he had handled were destroyed one after another.
As their owners had been mostly nobles, their mansions had gatekeepers and inside there were guards and security personnel.
Despite that before they knew it, one morning the Automata were found scattered about with their limbs and heads torn off.
More than one noble hired magi to place a barrier to cover their houses, all for nothing. As if ridiculing such measures the culprit easily infiltrated the houses, destroyed the Automata without anyone noticing, and then once again were gone like the wind.
What was mysterious was that despite there having been guards in the same room as the Automata, in countless cases before they knew it the guards found the Automata destroyed.
The guards testified that none of them had seen the culprit’s figure. There was even a case where an Automata in the same bed as the noble who owned it was destroyed without the noble in question noticing.
There were guesses that it might’ve been caused by the forbidden curse [Hypno] but there was no evidence of it. This was because no traces of [Hypno] having been used on the supposed victims were found.
The incident went unsolved and continued until all the Automata the dead Magi Craftsman had built were destroyed.
Much later it was established that a magic called [Seduce], which could turn one’s focus towards a specific action, was used.
＊ ＊ ＊
Five years after that, the Great Magic War broke out.
Many Automata and golems were made.
All of them were sent out to the battlefield.
It was a time when Templates left behind by Adrianna Balbora Ceci were rediscovered, then Automata and Golems based on them were built and greatly flourished.
Automata were mass produced and they performed chores in the front lines. Of course, golems fought at the forefront.
In the middle of it all, a mysterious incident occurred.
At first the soldier who witnessed it thought it was a dream.
This was because a girl with fluttering golden hair slaughtered their army of battle-type golems one after another.
Behind her the devil race gradually pushed on. Even if it was a dream, it was a nightmare.
The Great Magic War was fiercely settled.
In a location far away from the site of a bloody battle, one Automata had ceased moving but there was no one to pay attention to it.
The Automata who had lost its left arm was already just like scrap.
But the Automata was still ‘alive’.
It knew with its own body that she could not resist the power by herself.
Waiting for the next chance, the Automata went into hibernation.
It decided on the rule that it would next wake up when a human touched her, then sealed the entrance.
“Let’s be more successful next time. Yes, with [Seduce], [Hypno] and [Subliminal]. It should be better to set humans against humans.”
That’s how she made up her mind…