Ch.366Volume 27 (2)

Volume 27 of the Biography of Xenon depicts the all-out war between the human alliance and demons, where each race displays their unique characteristics and full strength on the battlefield.

Elves and magic folk make spectacular entrances through teleportation, dark elves and demon hunters execute ambushes, and beast-folk charge forward without hesitation at a single command.

Humans demonstrate their distinctive unity and tenacity, faithfully fulfilling their role as tanks.

Among all races, only humans can match the demons in numbers. If they fall, the remaining races will inevitably be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of enemies.

Finally, the dwarves. While they make excellent fighters, the most notable contribution is undoubtedly the “golem.”

A puppet with a body made of steel, modeled after humans, with an “energy core” at the center of its chest.

A tactical weapon that moves according to its user’s commands and serves various purposes with its sturdy body.

Thanks to my kindly including illustrations, readers can easily visualize them.

I also used all my imagination to describe how this weapon operates and how it’s utilized.

For example, it has anti-magic spells cast on it, giving it high magic resistance, and it primarily fights large monsters like ogres.

Most impressively, it doesn’t require someone to pilot it directly or control it with a controller—it acts with autonomous will.

The demons are visibly confused by the golems’ unprecedented performance, and golems are puppets, not living beings.

In other words, they can be mass-produced like factory products as long as there’s money, materials, and blueprints.

Let’s position dwarves as support units rather than frontline fighters. This is roughly how dwarves are portrayed in the Biography of Xenon.

Well, occasionally there are dwarves charging with a hammer in one hand and an axe in the other, but let’s consider those exceptions.

Anyway, when the golem—one of the dwarves’ greatest masterpieces—appeared, readers’ reactions grew even more enthusiastic.

[A tactical weapon embodying dwarves’ dreams and passion.]

[If a steam locomotive could be created through one dwarf’s effort and willpower, golems seem highly plausible.]

[A steel puppet moving with autonomous will. Is this possible through magic?]

People around the world, especially men, seemed the same everywhere—they lit up with excitement and discussed all sorts of things when the steel golems appeared.

Some wanted to try riding one, and others added that if actually invented, they could have countless uses.

[Could Makina be secretly producing them?]

[Since it appeared in the Biography of Xenon, there’s a high possibility.]

It would be remiss not to mention the connection here. After all, Makina has already invented Magic Engines and even an incomplete automobile.

The general consensus is that golems wouldn’t be much different.

[Makina’s position: We don’t have such things. But we are interested.]

They didn’t have them, but this brief, concise statement completely represented Makina’s position.

Dwarves are a race that inherently loves to create things. The appearance of golems stimulated their imagination in exactly the same way.

With Magic Engines already invented, why not try making golems too? They appeared in the Biography of Xenon, so it shouldn’t be impossible.

They’ll likely begin work on it soon. Not just dwarves, but other races are showing great interest as well.

It’s because of the special circumstances of war, but if golems were actually invented, they would greatly contribute to the advancement of civilization.

The value of labor is immense everywhere in the world, and unless you’re in a place like Alfheim where plants grow on their own when seeds are casually scattered, farming is essential.

Moreover, beyond farming, there’s the problem of monsters that periodically invade to plunder.

While goblins and orcs can be dealt with somehow, when it comes to ogres, one has no choice but to flee without looking back.

Ogres are impossible for ordinary soldiers to handle; only knights can barely manage them.

In such situations, having golems would ensure perfect harvests barring famine. They could even serve as scarecrows—killing two birds with one stone.

[The theory of granting autonomous will to inanimate objects is very interesting. But there’s potential for misuse.]

[Since it’s similar to necromancy, caution is necessary.]

[It ultimately requires delving into necromancy, but all wizards who studied necromancy have been banished.]

However, people seemed uncomfortable with the theory of granting autonomous will, if not with golems themselves.

As the above evaluations suggest, giving autonomous will to golems is similar to necromancy, just with a different target.

The difference is that necromancy raises corpses, betraying human ethics, while golems are inanimate objects from the beginning.

Therefore, the invention of golems was decided upon only after much deliberation. It seems to be because of its connection to necromancy.

This was something I could understand, so I let it pass. I merely made suggestions; the choices were up to others.

[Lucifer, who generated wings using demonic power. But his wings were broken by humans, the most lowly beings.]

[The scene of the fallen angel crashing to the ground was quite impressive.]

There are many highlights besides golems. Among them, the battle between Xenon, Pride, and Lucifer is probably the most impressive.

Lucifer, who received a “blessing” from Diablos and gained black wings. He proudly declares to Xenon on the ground that he will ascend to heaven like his ancestors.

Not only that, but he also mocks his ancestors who tore off their wings and came down, calling them fools who stupidly rejected the opportunity to become gods.

Lucifer was full of pride, but ironically, it was that pride that led to his defeat.

If this were a cliché, it would be an extremely common one, but since this world doesn’t have such things, it must be quite satisfying.

[Died well.]

[A fitting end for the sin of pride.]

[A being who deserved to die.]

Since Lucifer’s reputation was already at rock bottom, readers cheered at his death.

Even Alfheim sharply declared “we don’t have such a person,” showing just how terrible he was.

Thus, with Lucifer’s death, the war almost led directly to victory, but as they say, there’s always another mountain to climb—one still remained.

[Diablos emerging from an egg. The next volume will be the final showdown.]

[I can feel the conclusion approaching.]

[Greed met his end at the hands of his own creation. A regrettable exit, but it reminded us of Diablos’s cruelty.]

That would be the revival of Diablos, the fake final boss and the beginning of tragedy.

As soon as Diablos revives, all beings stop what they’re doing and look toward where the World Tree was.

Everyone focused on the war feels it—that a great evil that should never have been born has come into existence.

Afterward, Volume 27 ends with a giant hand crushing Greed like a bug.

[The Biography of Xenon is reaching its climax. What will happen afterward?]

[I wonder if there will be a next work, or if there will be a hiatus.]

Readers seemed to notice it was heading toward conclusion, as they wondered about plans after completion.

Some said there would be a next work, while others predicted a long break.

Most supported the latter. The opinion was that after a serialization of nearly 30 volumes, a rest would be needed.

Plus, with the threat of demon worshippers, they said it would be good to lay low for a while.

Amid these opinions flowing out, I was now…

“Hello, President Musk. It’s been a while.”

“Hehe. Thank you for allowing this meeting.”

I was meeting with Musk at the mansion, not the dormitory. As always, he gave me a kind smile.

After enjoying a peaceful time with Arwen in Alfheim, I briefly came to the mansion to see my mother before returning to the dormitory, and coincidentally, Musk had come to visit.

The timing was good since I could have refused the meeting if I were at the dormitory with Ariel.

Moreover, the news of my brief visit to the mansion had already been conveyed to the dormitory. In other words, my guard knights Adelia and Kate were also by my side.

They couldn’t come to Alfheim because I needed to be alone with Arwen, but that’s no longer the case. Now that the honeymoon-like period is over, I’ve returned to my regular duties.

“Here you are, young master.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I thanked Adelia as she served cookies and tea that she had prepared in advance.

Then I picked up a cookie with chocolate chips embedded throughout and took a bite.

The distinctive nuttiness of the cookie and the sweetness of the chocolate filled my mouth.

“So what brings you here today?”

I asked Musk while munching on the cookie. Normally I should finish eating before speaking, but it’s fine since it’s Musk.

He didn’t seem to mind this aspect either, as he clasped his hands together and maintained his kind smile as he began to speak.

“Well… it’s closely related to the Biography of Xenon. More precisely, it’s a distribution issue.”

“Distribution?”

“Yes.”

It seemed to be a business matter rather than an issue with the work itself. As everyone knows, I delegated all publishing-related matters long ago.

I didn’t care much if Musk skimmed off a few gold bars. I was gaining much more profit anyway.

Above all, the trust built between Musk and me couldn’t be measured in mere money. That’s why I trust him completely.

Yet he came to me directly to discuss publishing-related matters. Something must be seriously wrong.

So I swallowed the cookie and leaned my upper body slightly forward.

“What’s the problem?”

“To summarize briefly, it’s because of the demon worshippers. The printing house in the Dutchy of Bellua collapsed due to a suicide bombing by demon worshippers.”

“…”

Perhaps because the demon worshippers were mentioned, Kate, who had been casually reaching for a cookie, flinched and froze.

Eventually, she put the cookie back down and spoke in an ice-cold voice.

“…Those vermin did this?”

“Yes. Not only the printing house but there were also five casualties. I’ve already sent letters with condolence money to two of them.”

“…Luminus. Grant peace to these innocent souls.”

Kate made the sign of the cross and mourned upon hearing about the casualties, including fatalities.

I too couldn’t hide my sadness, as my heart felt heavy.

After all, victims had been created because of me. At the same time, I quickly realized why the demon worshippers had committed such an attack.

“…The Dutchy of Bellua is known as the world’s bridgehead. That means…”

“If they can’t aim for the head, they’ll cut off the arms and legs. Building a printing house isn’t a problem. But it’s unlikely that demon worshippers will just stand by and watch. Not only that, but there’s a very high probability that other branches will also be damaged.”

I could only laugh bitterly at the idea of cutting off supply lines as if this were a war.

Right now, Kate, the worst possible counter to them, is by my side, so breaking through is virtually impossible.

Last time, the incident occurred due to my carelessness, but now that I’m clearly aware, the chance of being caught off guard is practically zero.

So, as Musk said, they’ve likely changed their approach to cutting off arms and legs since they can’t aim for the head.

“That’s why I’ve come to see you, Issac. Money can buy many things, and rebuilding collapsed buildings isn’t difficult. But human lives and time cannot be bought with money.”

“…”

It’s certainly a nice statement, but I was dumbfounded as it directly related to Musk’s greed. Still, fortunately, he’s not as money-obsessed as Mr. Krabs.

“The more these incidents repeat, the more desperate the demon worshippers will become. People will also become afraid to work at printing houses.”

“I understand your point, Musk. So what’s the main proposal?”

“I’d like to make a suggestion. The content in the letter you sent me—the questions and answers.”

“What does that have to do with this? If you’re suggesting we offer Q&A sessions to people who catch many demon worshippers, I refuse.”

Demon worshippers aren’t some household pet’s name; they’re not easy targets to eliminate.

Although Kate beside me can squash them like bugs, not everyone in the world is Kate.

Besides, the Q&A is something I do purely because I want to. There’s no reason to risk lives for it.

But Musk seemed to have anticipated my answer and chuckled before giving an unexpected response.

“Haha. That’s not it. We’ve decided to offer rewards to those who catch demon worshippers. The most important thing isn’t the amount, but the reward itself.”

“The reward?”

“Yes. For example…”

After pausing briefly, he smiled and looked straight at my face before saying:

“A private audience with you, Issac, in a room with no one else?”

“…?”

While I was just blinking in confusion at this incomprehensible reward…

“Oh…”

From beside me came the sound of Kate genuinely marveling.