Chapter 79: GM’s Meister (4)

“I greet the master of Rudera, Lord GM.”

The dwarf girl, Ollun, knelt gracefully, paying her respects.

The enormous throne was obscured by a shroud of light, making it impossible to see what sat atop it. 

But the overwhelming presence emanating from beyond told Ollun that GM was indeed there.

“Is it that she hopes for a favor…?”

Albus, seated upon the throne, rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

Carthesia, who had arranged this meeting with the dwarf girl, had asked him to look after Ollun. 

He had heard her story:

“She lost both her hands in an accident while creating Rudera, didn’t she…?”

It was a tragic tale of a natural disaster triggered by the energy released during the making of Rudera, stealing ten years of her life.

“These hands are not just any hands. They are the pride of a Meister, everything to me. With the divine light of the great GM, I was able to reclaim my pride.”

Ollun offered her prayer of gratitude with a bright face, as if giving testimony of her faith. 

Yet, deep inside, Albus felt a pang of discomfort.

A story he had never known until now.

Even if it was an indirect accident, even if it was something he hadn’t done personally, it still stemmed from his own deeds, and that left Albus feeling uneasy.

“No.”

“……?”

The voice of a god resonated from high above the throne, causing Ollun to halt.

“You deserved to be healed.”

“……!”

Albus found it uncomfortable to witness Ollun weeping with gratitude.

“Is there something you wish for?”

He wasn’t sure if he could compensate for those ten years, but if he could repay her even a little…

“This body has already been healed! To ask for more would be far too much!”

“Then let it be this.”

Ding.

As Albus manipulated the command window, a system notification appeared in front of Ollun.

“Become my Meister.”

— Class: GM’s Meister acquired.

“I shall grant you a reward.”

“Will this be alright?”

As Ollun left his domain, Albus muttered to himself.

When he asked her what she wanted, hoping to grant her a favor, Ollun had expressed an interest in learning about robots, GM’s special creations.

Albus realized she was referring to the robots he had built to serve as event staff on the sixth layer.

He had only crafted those science fiction-themed robots to give off the feeling of NPCs from a game he remembered from a past life. 

But to the dwarves, just the sight of them sparked inspiration and made them want to study these fantastical beings.

To grant her request, Albus immediately generated several robots and handed them over to her under the guise of soldiers to protect the divine craftsman.

Ollun tried to refuse repeatedly, saying the healing of her hands was already too much, but Albus’s persistent offer left her no choice but to accept and depart.

He wasn’t sure if this would be a sufficient compensation for the lost decade, but he hoped it would satisfy her.

“But if I just created the robots simply with GM’s authority, would their internal structures be properly implemented?”

Yet Albus didn’t fully understand the capabilities of the dwarves.

So he had no idea what kind of astonishing creations might be born when Ollun, the greatest talent in dwarven history, was given a glimpse of SF technology.

“This is it!”

Meanwhile, Ollun, who had received several robots from Albus, returned to reality and began sketching her designs based on the information she had gleaned from the robots.

“Is it complete?”

Carthesia, who was leaning against a wall on one side of the room with her arms crossed, asked her.

“Yes! Oh, Carthesia. GM is truly a god.”

“A god…?”

“Thank you, Carthesia. Thanks to you, I was able to meet the great GM! How could I ever repay this grace…!”

Ollun’s words were just an expression of her faith in GM, but they sounded different to Carthesia.

“Looks like my first project after returning will be one of GM’s robots.”

Ollun turned to Carthesia and asked,

“Would you like to join me?”

Carthesia, contemplating, pushed herself off the wall.

“Do you intend to create the robots used by GM?”

Ollun shook her head.

“No. I believe I can manage to create them, but that intelligence…”

She tapped her temple with her index finger.

“I cannot create that intelligence. That part belongs to the realm of gods.”

“A god… Indeed, he is…”

“Exactly! GM is a great and ingenious god!”

The two women spoke of GM, uttering the same word but thinking very different thoughts.

“In any case, I intend to use the robot’s technology to build a rideable robot.”

“A rideable one?”

“Yes. If I can’t create intelligence, then the pilot will have it. Like a wizard controlling a golem from above.”

Just from her brief study of the robots Albus had given her, Ollun had come up with countless ideas.

The moment she came into direct contact with SF culture, her imagination had soared.

“Then! Let’s get to work right away!”

A week after [The Day of the Second Miracle]

“Hyah!”

After days of hard riding, the Saintess Eclesia arrived at the entrance to the Dwarven Underground City.

“Halt! Identify yourself!”

A guard’s voice came from the communication station near the cave at the entrance, but she quickly revealed her identity as the Saintess and was allowed entry.

The goodwill between Deus, the deity of the Holy Kingdom, and Pythe, the god of the dwarves, had worked in her favor.

Upon entering the underground city, the Saintess headed straight to Ollun’s home.

‘At this point, Ollun should have been disheartened by her crippled hands and withdrawn from the world, I think.’

She recalled the comrade who had fought alongside her against GM in her past life.

‘But when GM revealed his true colors and darkness descended upon the continent, she had risen to the forefront, uniting the dwarves as their chief Meister to join the resistance.’

Ollun had been the most steadfast and righteous of allies.

If she told her what GM had done in the previous life, she would surely join her.

With that thought, the Saintess reached Ollun’s mansion.

After passing the dwarf servant at the entrance and greeting the master and his wife, she made her way to the back garden where Ollun was currently conducting research.

‘Researching? That’s odd. I heard she had given up on research at this point due to her injury.’

Feeling something was amiss, the Saintess stepped into the garden.

Shuuuu.

She heard something fly swiftly through the air.

Then,

Bang!

Something landed right in front of her.

Startled by the sudden situation, the Saintess quickly put up a divine shield.

In front of her, a metallic figure in human form slowly rose.

Whirr.

The face of the metal man opened up.

Inside, she saw the face of a long-unseen friend.

“Ollun?”

“…Do you know me?”

Ollun removed the helmet of her adamantium suit. 

Her golden hair fluttered as it was freed.

An armor of a completely unfamiliar, shocking design.

Eclesia’s expression gradually hardened.

She had never seen such armor during the war in her past life.

And this… looked strangely similar.

To GM’s…

“Robot?”

“Oh! You know about robots?”

Ollun smiled brightly, having heard Eclesia’s muttering.

“May I ask who you are? It’s been quite some time since I last saw a human.”

“…I am Eclesia, though unworthy, a Saintess serving Deus.”

‘Why is a robot-like suit of armor here?’

It was a robot design she had seen countless times as GM’s minions in the past war.

There shouldn’t be a robot-like suit of armor here, at this time…

A servant of GM should not have emerged beyond Rudera…!

“Ah! So, you are the Saintess! It is a pleasure to meet you!”

Ollun extended her hand to Eclesia, who shook it.

“May I ask why you have come looking for me?”

“That is…”

A flood of thoughts raced through Eclesia’s mind.

Could it be that GM has already made his move?

Has he already reached out to her?

Should she give up on persuading her?

No.

Even if that were the case, righteous and good-hearted Ollun would surely understand the truth and stand with me.

Having resolved herself, the Saintess began to recount the story of the previous cycle.

As she listened, Ollun’s eyes grew cold.

“A gift?”

Albus picked up the large box placed in front of his dormitory door.

“Is this from Carthesia?”

He had heard through communication that she and Ollun had created something and would send it as a gift, but they hadn’t said what it was.

They’d insisted he receive it himself to find out.

With a bit of excitement, Albus brought the box into his room.

When he opened it, he found—

“…What is this?”

Inside was a suit of metal armor, straight out of a movie.