episode_0123

Going back to a certain point was blocked, but that wasn’t a huge problem for me.

It was painful that the treasure was stolen and that I couldn’t confirm the identity of the human wearing the black robe, but it didn’t mean that anyone had died, and I didn’t have any desire to turn back time.

So, before I meet that guy again and my way back is blocked, I needed to do some more checking to make sure.

For example, going around the Imperial Library and checking the contents of the books more closely.

It was the same when I went there a few years ago, and it is still the same now, a place that even a princess cannot easily enter.

But I’ve already been in there.

Even in the game, I had already entered it several times so I knew which parts were vulnerable, and I actually went in and out a few times to figure out the internal structure.

… … It was much harder to get in than it was a few years ago when I used to come and go.

I thought as I crawled through the gap where the cylinder noise was loud.

To be more precise, I had a hard time crawling like this, lying flat on my stomach. It wasn’t impossible, but—

In the subculture, whenever the big characters would say things that made the metaphorical characters jealous, they would say things like their shoulders were hunched, or they felt anxious because they couldn’t see their feet when going down the stairs, and surprisingly, I found myself sympathizing with those words in many ways.

Even when wearing a school uniform, it was extremely difficult to run around if I didn’t keep my chest as close to the inside as possible.

“… … Sigh.”

I stopped crawling and took a deep breath.

Overhead, huge gears turned and hydraulic cylinders moved steadily, emitting the sound of well-oiled machinery. Fortunately, there were no steam-belching machines here.

The ‘Golden Library’ was hidden deep in the palace, or in other words, deep underground. Normally, there was no way down. You had to take the elevator, and the entrance to the elevator was inside a room protected by a thick steel door, and there were countless guards both outside and inside the room.

Even when Alice and Leo infiltrated the palace, I decided not to go that way.

It was a bit strange that characters who normally face four to six heavily armed soldiers at once were able to avoid enemies just because there were only a few of them… … Well, in a world where bullets can penetrate a person, in actual combat, you can survive several times with a potion or recovery magic.

Anyway, that’s why those two people chose this maintenance route.

Even inside the palace, there are interpretation and differential engines. Unlike CPUs that use semiconductors, in order to create a machine that behaves a little bit like a ‘computer’, a huge engine that runs on steam engines like this was needed. And inside it, numerous large and small gears, rakes, and hydraulic cylinders constantly turn to display information on a ‘screen-like thing’.

Naturally, since there are so many parts, there are also many places where things can break down. There are countless parts, some as large as a person, and some as small as the smallest gear in a wristwatch, so if it is to last, it has to be repaired periodically.

And of course, there is an entrance to go around and fix it.

Of course, the entrance was guarded by people—

As expected, there is no way to get to the library by entering ‘normally’. You have to find a space where people can’t enter, like here.

Alice and Leo were barely able to enter because they had already read the palace blueprints.

I already knew the way.

… … If I could turn back time, I might just pass through that entrance… … .

As I spent several years talking to people working in the palace, I found myself… … well, writing was a bit difficult.

It’s fortunate that there is at least this method.

*

At first, I thought it was just a dungeon, but when I actually entered, it was exactly the same as in my memories, which was surprising. It was such a complicated place that I got lost several times and had to go back in time to get in.

Yes, it’s a dungeon.

That’s why I brought a gun.

While thinking about this and that, I pushed the gun forward and kept moving forward. Still, I think I gained some muscle mass from living here and now, so I moved slowly and steadily, so it seemed like I could go.

“Ugh.”

I crawled out, groaning and struggling—

Kick kick kick.

It sounded like poorly oiled machinery was moving.

There was a noise of gears moving, which was strange for an animal’s footsteps.

I stood up with the loaded gun in my hand and looked ahead.

Although it was dark, it was not without light. The room was dimly lit thanks to the faintly glowing magic stone.

A man wearing armor was walking around the room.

One hand had a sword attached to it instead of a hand, and the other had a short gun attached to it.

But there were no legs. It looked like the waist was cut off and was stuck to the pole.

Of course, since it was a machine in itself, it didn’t feel particularly cruel.

The iron bar below was fixed in a long gap in the floor, like a moving target in a shooting range. The sound of gears turning was coming from inside it.

It will follow me, moving based on the lines drawn here and there on the floor.

… … It was difficult for people to stay inside at all times, so there were security devices placed here and there.

Of course, he is infinitely more stupid than humans.

I just raised my gun and aimed it at one of the moving things.

I know it’s a weakness. In the game, you would hit until your HP runs out and then finally hit the weak point, but this wasn’t a game.

bang!

At the same time as that sound, the cold air that cleanly pierced the iron plate on his back made his waist lean forward. Even in the midst of all this, the iron bar continued to move steadily, and the machine that had stopped moving changed its posture as it swayed as the iron bar moved.

Fortunately, it seemed that the security equipment had not been changed.

But as soon as it was confirmed that the Han-gi had stopped working, the bodies of the remaining two machines turned towards me.

Right first, then left.

good.

again!

*

Before the right side could turn, I immediately turned my arm and shot.

Their frontal armor is not penetrable by normal rifles. If possible, it is better to take care of these two first, then the next one.

I rolled on the floor as I watched the remaining Han Ki turn towards me.

The machine turned around and fired its gun. There was a dull thud, and numerous shotgun shells struck the ground where I was, creating sparks.

Seriously, it’s a good thing the gears are moving.

In a world without cameras that could view images in real time or motion detection sensors such as lasers, physical impact was the only way for machines to understand the situation.

The floor of the room was also densely packed with tiny switches, and except for the place where the manager got off, the entire place was a danger zone. If you stepped on the wrong spot, the machine would shoot a bullet straight in your direction.

Figuring out which gears are rolling in the machine, figuring out which direction the impact is coming from… … all of that doesn’t happen at once. After all, it’s something you figure out after the gears are rolling.

Tukang, tukang, I ran around diligently, centering on the machine that was shooting at the place I was several times.

The sight of the machine coming towards me via the fastest rail was honestly a little creepy, but it’s not like I’ve never dealt with it before.

Tukan!

It fired a shot, and then turned towards me with a tiny gap—if I had just a little more time, the machine could have shot me.

Bang! Bang!

But I was a little faster because I thought about it in advance and started to turn.

I turned to the side of the machine and immediately shot it twice in the side. Knock knock, it seemed like a few parts had gone out and its back wouldn’t turn.

I went straight back to the machine and fired one last shot.

Only after the most important part of the back was gone did the machine lower its body. All three machines were following me at a certain interval because of the iron bar that was still constantly moving towards me from the floor.

Without any time to waste, I headed straight for the next passage. The switch on the floor not only woke up the machines, but also alerted them that there was an intruder outside.

In fact, in normal circumstances, even if you find out the information, you will lose all means of escape.

Not me, though.