Chapter 65

Fernan knew that demons could not leave behind a corpse in the middle world.

And he learned it in the worst possible way.

“……”

How much would it have been worth if he had dismantled the corpse of that massive serpent?

The black scales, though unsettling, were so tough that not even Aint or Luina could scratch them without concentrated aura.

The gleaming golden eyes, as well as its blood, could have been sold for exorbitant prices as highly sought-after magical materials for mages.

The fangs were so sharp that few legendary swords could compare, and the bones were excellent materials for crafting top-grade armor.

And that wasn’t all—its flesh, soaked in demonic energy, if purified, could have been sold as medicinal tonic.

After all, soup made from a demon-bred serpent was a delicacy anyone would go mad for.

But the most precious jewel was the heart.

The immense energy and mana the serpent contained all originated from that heart, which could be considered equivalent to a dragon’s heart—the best tonic or source of energy possible.

‘If I had managed to purify it and use it to reinforce Wooden’s core…’

It would not have been easy, but perhaps Wooden could have made another great evolutionary leap.

A corpse that could literally be used down to the bones. And yet, all those dreams, all that wealth, vanished in an instant.

So much suffering, and absolutely nothing remained.

“Aaah…”

Fernan collapsed powerlessly, without realizing it.

“We did it! We won! We really won!”

Aint’s enthusiastic voice rang from afar.

“We defeated the demon!”

Luina’s excited voice came from very close by.

“It was all thanks to you, Fernan. If it weren’t for your golem, none of this would have been possible…”

Success, relief, euphoria, joy, shock, happiness.

Her flushed face reflected a complex mix of emotions.

“Did you cry?”

“I didn’t cry.”

“Are you hurt? You don’t seem to have any visible injuries…”

“…You don’t know a damn thing, Luina.”

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

Fernan didn’t bother to explain. Even if he did, Luina wouldn’t understand.

“Senior!”

A swift figure grabbed his hand tightly. It was Aint.

“We won! It was thanks to you!”

“It wasn’t thanks to me, it was thanks to you. You were the one who cut the demon’s neck.”

“No! If it weren’t for your golem, we never would’ve been able to corner it to the end!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, but let go of my hand first.”

And stop sticking your face so close, please.

“What exactly happened to the demon?”

“It’s dead. Since demons don’t belong in the middle world, their bodies disintegrate into dust.”

Although, that wasn’t entirely true.

The others didn’t notice, but part of the demon was absorbed by Aint’s sword.

— It’s one of the abilities housed in the sword. It absorbs part of the demonic power and transfers it to its wielder.

The more demons he defeated, the stronger he became. That was how the First Emperor was.

— Don’t tell anyone. You never know when or to whom it might slip out. It’s always best to hide at least 10% of your strength, even from your best friend.

That was a knightly virtue, according to Gardner.

“And the barrier is slowly dissipating.”

“The barrier?”

“Yes. The moment the demon was summoned, it created a barrier that sealed off the whole area.”

No wonder. Despite the chaos, no one had arrived.

‘Was it like this in the original timeline too?’

Perhaps, right after Aint and Luina arrived, Andromalius had raised the barrier.

“Then, now the real trouble begins.”

With such a disaster, the academy would soon find out about the demonic incident.

There would be an uproar, and Fernan, Luina, Aint, along with the other two present, would be subject to thorough interrogations.

“So just stick to telling what happened today. Don’t say you already knew about the corrupted beforehand.”

“Understood.”

“We know.”

Admitting they knew about the corrupted wouldn’t bring them anything good, no matter how they justified it.

They also agreed on a few more details. Fortunately, both followed Fernan’s suggestion without objection.

The surprising part was that not only Luina, with whom trust had already been built, but even Aint accepted it without issue.

‘Seems like hunting the demon has strengthened our bonds.’

Not bad.

“By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask for a while—what’s that?”

Once everything had calmed down, Luina pointed to Fernan’s shoulder.

Something small, about 10 cm, was moving there.

“It’s Wooden.”

A black knight the size of an action figure.

“Wooden?”

“Is that real?”

“Yes. That giant golem you two were so grateful for.”

— Guh?

Wooden tilted his head curiously and waved.

“…A giant golem can just shrink like that?”

“…And it’s not even linked to you right now, is it, senior?”

“I told you—it’s an ego golem.”

“Ego? It has its own consciousness?”

“Obviously. Wooden, say hello.”

— Guh!

Wooden extended his tiny little hand. Luina and Aint were left dumbfounded again.

“…I’ve never seen a golem like this.”

“Because it’s never existed before, and I doubt it will ever exist again.”

“Don’t tell me you lied and actually had it linked this whole time, senior.”

“No, Aint.”

The answer didn’t come from Fernan.

“Pass me a potion too, please, senior. I think I’m going to die.”

It was Aria, with a small hole in her side.

“You show up right after it’s all over and claim you were resting?”

“I was fighting with everything I had and passed out! That’s not resting!”

Fernan tossed her a potion.

“What do you mean no? You knew about the golem?”

“Of course. I’m the one who gave it its ego.”

“You gave it?”

“Yes.”

Aria nodded.

“It’s a spirit, you know?”

***
A little earlier.

Time rewinds to shortly before.

When Aria had been freed from the demonic energy by the Saint, and together they confirmed the World Tree’s corruption.

“By any chance, are you good with spirit magic?”

“Is that like asking a monkey if it knows how to climb trees?”

“If you help me, I’ll introduce you to someone else.”

“To whom?”

Aria asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Fernan took something out of his subspace.

It was a radiant gem, the size of a human head.

No, not just a simple gem.

“…A core?”

Dozens, hundreds of engravings covered its surface, so complex Aria couldn’t fully comprehend them.

“What is this? Who made it? What materials did they use? I’ve never seen anything like it!… I can even feel the power of the World Tree. Don’t tell me you used the fragment you took… Did you use it on this?”

“Yes.”

“Good heavens… And what the hell do you plan to do with this?”

Though Aria was also a mage, fascination with the unknown overtook her strongly.

She couldn’t fully comprehend that core, but she could glimpse how extraordinary it was.

“It’s a golem core.”

“…A golem? You’re going to put a core of this level into a simple golem? Are you throwing money away or what?”

“What did you say?”

“Isn’t it? Using this as a golem core is a monumental waste.”

It was a logical conclusion, given that golems still had many limitations.

But Fernan’s golem was something completely different.

“Then you’ll make sure it’s not a waste.”

“…Me? And how am I supposed to do that?”

Aria stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Spirits.”

Beings that exist as pure souls.

“I plan to insert a spirit here and create a golem with ego.”

“You’re insane!?”

Aria shouted without a shred of hesitation.

“I’m insane?”

“Asking an elf to lock a spirit away is normal to you? And with an obedience engraving on top of that! That’s what’s used to enslave summoned creatures!”

“Is that strange?”

“Of course it is! Spirits are free beings. They are never bound to anything. That’s impossible! Wait, can a soul even be contained in the first place?”

“Yes. Because it’s made of mithril. Mithril can contain not only mana, but also souls.”

Gardner was living proof of that, so there was no reason to doubt it.

“…Mithril? You used real mithril?”

While Aria murmured in shock, Fernan made her an offer.

“Not even then? What if I said I’d introduce you to a member of the electors’ house?”

“…That’s…”

“And not just anyone. A direct descendant, with a high chance of inheriting the title.”

“…Only if I act as intermediary.”

Aria, resigned, began drawing a magic circle.

“Intermediary?”

“Yes. The persuasion is up to you. If a spirit doesn’t agree to enter willingly, I won’t force it. I’d never support locking one away by force.”

“Of course.”

And she added one more thing.

“Not from the five great elements. The kings would never allow it.”

“Then?”

“One from the Middle World. Since they’re not affiliated with any king, it’ll benefit you more if this works.”

“The other spirits are affiliated with kings?”

“Think of them as their vassals.”

In that case, Aria was right.

Fernan didn’t want a golem that might change loyalties if circumstances shifted. He wanted something that would obey him completely.

“And fortunately, there’s a suitable spirit. Normally you wouldn’t be able to link with it, but thanks to you mixing in branches from the World Tree…”

The World Tree was the mother of all trees. Which meant—

— Kkuying?

Forest spirits couldn’t resist.

A small green spirit appeared, its eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Alright. Your turn now, Fernan.”

“Understood.”

Without another word, Fernan opened his subspace.

“…Is that the golem?”

Seeing the colossal figure emerge from the forest, Aria was left speechless.

She wasn’t the only one. The forest spirit, equally shocked, began circling around the golem.

“If you enter there, that body can be yours.”

— Wing?

The curious spirit slowly approached and stared intently at Fernan.

“As a spirit, you’ve never had a real body, have you? But if you form a contract with me, that can change.”

“Do you think it’ll accept, with that obedience engraving included?”

“Silence. Forest spirit, imagine it. That gigantic body, moving at your will…”

— Kkuying! Kkung…!

“It says just thinking about it excites it. But it also says it hates feeling restrained and detests being anyone’s subordinate. As expected.”

Of course. Fernan wasn’t fazed.

“Think carefully, spirit. Yes, there’s an obedience engraving. But it won’t last long.”

— Kkung?

“How long does a human live? At best a hundred years. With magic, maybe two hundred. But that’s nothing compared to a spirit’s eternity.”

It only had to endure that “instant.”

“When I die, you’ll be free. You’ll be able to control that body as your own, with no one to give you orders.”

— Kkuiiiing!?

The spirit’s eyes widened.

“Also, that body can change size. You’ll be able to move in small form whenever you want.”

That sealed the deal.

The forest spirit dove straight toward the core but couldn’t enter.

“Aria!”

“…Huh? Why can’t it?”

“Make the contract.”

“…Think carefully. This is a prison!”

— Kkuying!

“What do you mean two hundred years is nothing!? Even so…!”

“Don’t interfere with a fair deal, Aria.”

“…Haah. Fine.”

With Aria’s help, Fernan signed a contract with the forest spirit. Once it was completed, the spirit entered the core.

Fernan opened the golem’s chest and inserted the core.

Wuuuuuung!

The golem’s eyes lit up red.

Kugugugu.

The massive golem rose on its own, with will of its own.

It clenched and unclenched its fist once, twice. Then began moving its limbs.

“Congratulations. You have a real body now, Wooden.”

— Kkuying?

Perhaps thanks to the contract, no interpreter was needed anymore.

“Wooden? That’ll be your name from now on.”

It didn’t hold any special meaning. It was a forest spirit, so he chose that name.

Thus was born the colossal ego golem, Wooden.

***

“…So a forest spirit is inside that thing.”

“So basically, you sold out a spirit for contacts, Aria?”

— That’s right.

— And this is supposed to be an elf?

Aint looked utterly disgusted.

“…Are you really an elf?”

“I was just the intermediary! It was the spirit’s choice, not mine!”

Aria protested indignantly, but no one believed her.

When the commotion settled for a moment—

“By the way, where’s Verian?”

A few minutes later, they found Verian unconscious in a corner of the battlefield.

And shortly after, the barrier completely vanished.