Ch.127Golem (4)

“What kind of son of a bitch…”

I stared at my spilled tea.

It was something pleasant to drink, containing something like jam, honey, and tea leaves.

It was a delicacy, a treat that even Lorian and I, who didn’t need to eat, would drink without complaint.

But now it was spilled, soaking into the dirt.

The cast iron cup that had been in my hand was now just a handle, the rest having been knocked away and was rolling on the ground.

What had sent my cup flying was…

‘…an iron ball?’

It was the kind of iron ball you’d expect to see in some battle manga disguised as a horse racing story.

It also reminded me of something I’d seen when managing Isla’s belongings.

‘Siege iron ball. Rarely used. Heavy and difficult to handle.’

That’s what Isla had said. This looked similar to that.

The difference was that this iron ball was even larger than what Isla had described as heavy and difficult to use.

It didn’t feel like something meant to be thrown.

I suddenly thought that it wasn’t meant as a weapon. It hadn’t triggered my mourner’s intuition that automatically detects surprise attacks, and my “Combat Ready” ring that automatically equips armor hadn’t alerted me to a combat situation.

There was no hostility. Was it some trick to attack while avoiding hostility?

I didn’t know.

All experiments to determine the extent of what counted as a surprise attack had failed.

The game system that would make such judgments didn’t seem to properly exist in this world, or if it did, it had no intention of informing me, so I couldn’t tell what counted as a surprise attack and what didn’t.

However.

“…Lorian.”

“Wait, no. Don’t do it.”

“Missile ready…!”

“I said no!”

Lorian was horrified, but her response was too slow. In an instant, I reached out and grabbed her waist, lifting her onto my shoulder.

My target was the direction from which the iron ball had come. As my eyes, filled with murderous intent, cut through the air, darkness came into view.

It was because my eyes had adjusted to the light. But I would see soon. My eyes never miss an enemy.

Even if there was no hostility, anyone who messed with my food deserved to die.

That’s what the Lorian Missile MK3 was for.

If MK1 required regeneration after casting due to Lorian’s neck fracture, especially the blood-drinking process needed for regeneration…

And if MK2 couldn’t prevent long-term damage caused by the formation of openings in Lorian after casting…

Then MK3 was the ultimate technique that compensated for all of that.

There was the minor issue of Lorian’s morale drop, but that wasn’t a problem.

I pulled back my arm, feeling Lorian wrap herself in blood armor on my hand.

Whoever you are, try to dodge if you can.

But my Lorian Missile MK3 was never fired at the enemy. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, what I saw was completely different from what I expected.

To be specific, while I had said “What kind of son of a bitch,” I never expected to actually see a dog.

I stood there dumbfounded with Lorian in my arms, staring at one entity and one animal emerging from the darkness.

A large dog that came up to my knees, wagging its tail vigorously while looking at us with its tongue hanging out.

And behind the large dog, staring blankly at us was…

“A golem?”

Only then did the golem raise its arm in greeting.

*

In the world I used to live in, there were people called “eoljukah,” which might not exist in this world.

It means “I’d rather freeze to death than give up iced drinks,” referring to people who drink iced americanos even in winter.

Of course, I lived on allowance from my sister, and even when I worked part-time later, I didn’t usually buy coffee, so I didn’t drink americanos.

But like many Koreans, I preferred cold things to warm things in winter.

I liked cold water from the refrigerator and cold beverages.

Drinking things warm? Drinking things hot?

I didn’t particularly like it. The fact that I gulped down the warm tea Isla served me after coming to this land was partly because Isla gave it to me, but also because tea is better warm than cold.

Setting all that aside, I didn’t like the fact that I had to drink hot water now.

I sipped the hot water in the broken cast iron cup with a disgruntled look. It’s hot. It feels unpleasant.

If it were cold, it would have been refreshing, but being hot just made me angry. My expression twisted, but I couldn’t express my anger.

That’s because the dog lying next to me shifted, placed its front paw on my knee, and started snoring.

This guy is so damn cute.

As if knowing it was too cute to harm, the dog showed no signs of wariness from the moment it first appeared.

It did so despite the golem, who might be its owner or an automatic walking robot, being wary of us.

The dog smacked its lips and exhaled. I gently rubbed its fur and looked at the golem.

“Why did you do that?”

“I apologize. This unit could not find a more suitable form of entertainment for the protection subject.”

It was the same explanation I’d heard several times already. I knew the answer when I asked, so I could have stopped asking, but my emotions wouldn’t allow it.

I still felt conflicted when I looked at the stain of my tea remaining on the ground.

So I asked six times repeatedly, but the answer never changed.

That was because my interlocutor was a golem.

Golem. An imitated being, an artificial human manufactured for a specific purpose.

Unlike Valterok, they don’t have self-awareness or reason, and usually they’re just robots with basic intelligence like this one.

Even its way of speaking showed this.

It referred to itself as “this unit” and the dog as the “protection subject.”

Playing with a ball was “entertainment.”

In short, it had thrown the ball because there was no other way to play with the dog, and unfortunately, it had hit my teacup.

It hadn’t targeted me in the first place, there was no hostility, and it hadn’t even been aware of my presence, so it wasn’t a surprise attack or combat.

That’s why nothing had activated, and while I wore a sour expression, I couldn’t blame the dog.

I could only scold this robot walking device.

“What are you doing out here?”

“I was dispatched for the protection subject’s regular entertainment.”

“You came out for a walk? At this late hour, in this dangerous forest?”

“The subject unit has been coated with a scent that wild animals dislike. The forest has been determined to be safe as no travelers, adventurers, or dangerous individuals including cannibals have been detected.”

Is that really true? I didn’t smell anything special. Considering that my sense of smell is superior to most wild animals, something felt off.

For some reason, something felt suspicious.

Since our destination was nearby, I thought that perhaps this golem might be related to our destination.

Of course, it might not be.

But even if it wasn’t, it was a subject for long-term investigation.

A magician wealthy enough to command a golem probably wouldn’t cherish a dog so much.

But who knows? In fact, maybe the dog only looks cute, fluffy, and large to my eyes, and in reality, it’s something with four legs walking around with a brain?

Most magicians I knew were that kind of bunch.

The Protection School were stubborn old fogies.

The Destruction School were excessively anti-establishment lunatics.

The Construction School were essentially madmen no different from the Research School.

The War School was relatively sane, but they needed to have high-level magicians. They were closer to warriors than pure magicians.

The Anti-Magic School were black knights, and the Research School were black magicians. Neither was normal.

Even the schools I didn’t specifically mention couldn’t be called normal.

I knew I should follow the golem, if only for investigation.

“Is that so? Well, given the rudeness you committed…”

I dangled the broken handle of the cast iron cup.

“I’d like to demand compensation from your master. Could you guide me there?”

“…Request confirmed. Please negotiate detailed requests with my master.”

As I smiled slyly, the golem stood up first. The dog that had been leaning against my leg opened its eyes at the clanking sound and followed the golem. Watching them get up first, I kicked dirt over the campfire.

“Go ahead. I’ll follow.”

The golem walked without answering, and the dog followed behind, wagging its tail.

Hmm, it certainly looks like just a cute, nice dog.

But thinking I should be suspicious of everything, I stared at it intently until Lorian elbowed me in the side.

Oh, has she already found something?

When I turned my head, I saw a sulky face.

“Aren’t you going to apologize to me?”

“For what?”

“…Hmph.”

“What is it?”

“Never mind.”

Lorian walked past me.

Why is she acting like that?

The female heart remained difficult for me to understand, despite being an authority on sister studies.

I watched Lorian walking away before following her.

*

The golem walked steadily. Even when the large dog grew tired and clung to the golem’s legs, the golem picked it up and continued walking.

Carrying a dog that looked to weigh at least 20kg effortlessly without showing any signs of fatigue, I wondered if technology in some areas might be better here than in modern society.

Was it thanks to magic?

When I see things like black magicians, magic seems like the root of all evil, but seeing things like this makes it seem okay.

I also wondered what kind of power source it used. Unless it ran on food like humans, it must have some power source.

But there was no chance to ask, as the golem kept walking steadily toward the destination without giving me a chance to speak.

And it wasn’t just any destination.

We were gradually approaching the location Melody had asked us to investigate thoroughly.

“Lorian.”

“I think we’re right.”

Slowly, some enormous structure was coming into view.

It was a unique terrain that looked like a mountain of soil and sharp crystal fragments substituted for the heap of rice in what’s commonly called a heaping bowl.

The towering formation rose like a great mountain, with steep angles and no gentle slopes, as if discouraging anyone from climbing it. Between the cracks, blue-glowing minerals jutted out like swords piercing the sky.

It was also our destination. The place where two shapeshifters were supposedly staying, a potential exploration site that might require subjugation.

Lorian and I made eye contact and nodded, and as we watched the dog jump down from the golem’s arms and run ahead, we faced the massive village situated beside the mountain.

At the entrance to the village were countless golems.

All looking identical but dressed in different clothes.

As the excited dog, finished with its walk, circled around them, their crystal-cut eyes stared at us.