Chapter 16: Not a person, but a tool

Echidna Philiaz.

Age unknown.

She belonged to Philiaz but was expelled for not aligning with the group’s ideology.

Reason for expulsion obsession with handsome faces and instant infatuation.

Black hair, disheveled, with deep dark circles as if wearing gothic makeup.

Black lips, pale skin as if she had not received a single drop of light.

And a gloomy atmosphere, typical of a witch.

If she stayed still, one might think she fell within the category of beauty, but the aura inherent to witches ruined everything.

So, if someone asked whether she looked like a witch—

“Hello, I’m Echidnaaa.”

That childish tone, completely opposite to her appearance, shattered even the characteristic atmosphere of a witch.

“Ehehe…”

She smiled as if she were a good person, but it was so forced that it was unsettling anyway.

Everything about her made it difficult for her to fit in with normal humans.

Echidna accepted without conditions upon seeing Zed.

Even so, it was necessary to explain what work she would be doing, so Perda entered the witch’s house and spoke face to face with her.

“You said you would accept without conditions, but do you know exactly what you will be doing?”

“Nope. But it doesn’t matter.”

Echidna’s dark pupils churned like a stormy sea.

“T-to be with someone so handsome, and with such a cute young lady… I-I’m happy with that… ehehehe. If you order me to, I’ll become a dog.”

The madness typical of a witch slowly began to mix into her voice.

Ruri frowned, and Zed also felt a chill and shrank back.

The only one who remained impassive was Perda.

“Echidna Philiaz. You’re making golems, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. So what?”

“Could you continue that golem production at Castle Valdrova?”

“O-of course. I can. Hehe. If you order me to, I’ll become a dog. Woof.”

She accepted one thing after another without even asking.

That attitude even surprised Perda.

‘I thought she would be a little better in the past, but this was her worst moment.’

When Perda met her later, she was already in a relatively sane state compared to now.

“Lord Perda.”

Ruri lightly nudged him and whispered.

“All this just to bring a woman who makes golems?”

“I-it can be heard from here…”

“Yes. Just golems.”

“I-I said it can be heard!”

Giant creatures made of clay or stone.

Barely capable of walking; aside from their size and durability, they were nothing more than walking corpses.

It was no coincidence that “golem” was used as an insult.

“Do you have any golem made right now?”

“Huh? Yes, I have one, but… ah, it’s not finished yet, it’s embarrassing…”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not embarrassed.”

“Ah! Then… I’ll show it to you!”

Echidna clapped her hands.

Immediately, the wardrobe burst open and something came out.

It was a wooden puppet shaped like a robust man.

Large eyes that seemed to shine like jewels, well-defined lips.

A face and body like a prince idealized by a young girl’s imagination.

Seeing the three of them staring at it, Echidna twisted her body shyly.

“Ehehe… it’s still not finished, it’s embarrassing…”

“The face needs a bit more polishing.”

“No, the doll is already finished.”

“……This?”

Zed could not hide his astonishment.

That was a finished product?

The golem creaked as it moved and stepped outside.

Then it slightly turned its head to look at Echidna.

She smiled sweetly.

Criiik— criiik—

With harsh sounds of poorly adjusted gears, the golem moved.

It took a teacup from the shelf and began to pour.

What was surprising was not only that, but that it had chosen exactly one type of tea among many.

“There are many teas on the shelf. Why did it take that one?”

“Umm… well, it works like this… ah, it’s a bit boring to explain, so I won’t say everything, mmm…”

Echidna clenched her fists and made small nervous hops.

Perda was about to answer for her.

“That is to say—”

“W-wait! I-I think I can explain.”

It took her about three minutes to organize her thoughts, sweating profusely.

Finally, Echidna spoke.

“In simple terms, it reads my mood and brings the tea I like. Today I’m in a good mood, so it brought Darjeeling.”

“The golem… does that?”

Ruri asked, incredulous.

Echidna scratched her head, embarrassed.

“Ehehe. I wanted to try making something like that. That’s why I’m creating magic.”

“Creating magic…? That means you draw the runes yourself, right?”

“Yes, yes, miss! I studied that a looooot!”

Even Ruri, who usually looked down on humans, felt admiration this time.

To create complex magic circles, one had to master the condensation of meaning—the creation of runes.

And those capable of creating runes did not even reach ten in the entire continent of Serdes.

She was not just a simple golem maker nor a gloomy witch.

She was a

‘Rune Maker.’

A witch with the power to create magic.

Ruri looked at Perda again.

Unlike before, her gaze now held admiration instead of contempt.

“How do you know people like this?”

“It was a coincidence.”

Remembering her was, naturally, due to hatred.

She was one of those people who wasted her talent almost criminally.

‘She made me spit blood from frustration.’

Echidna Philiaz had a sick obsession with extremely handsome men.

So intense that it led her to awaken the Red Circle.

However, the gloomy nature of witches and her complete lack of social skills left her in a situation where she could not even interact with men.

While others might have thought of improving their character or social skills, she reached a different conclusion.

— If I can’t get a boyfriend, can’t I create one?

Turning them into specimens or puppets like other witches did repulsed her.

With a mentality halfway between human and witch, she decided to create something similar to a human through golems.

Her obsession led her to master ritual commands and rune creation.

Thus, a Rune Maker was born.

‘Even I, when I was a grand mage, could not master rune creation—and she used it only to create a boyfriend.’

Perda felt like he could start spitting blood at any moment.

A power capable of turning the world upside down, used solely to create a boyfriend.

‘But thanks to that, I learned it wasn’t impossible to create golem soldiers capable of responding to dynamic orders.’

The homunculus, the culmination of alchemy—an artificial being capable of learning and performing tasks impossible for humans.

But it had the flaw of limited production and lack of full control.

The golem, on the other hand, could be mass-produced, but could not execute complex commands.

Echidna’s golems combined the best of both.

‘Driving the monsters out of the eastern front would not be impossible.’

It was technology as revolutionary as the magitechnology of Vernell Marquis.

“Alright, I think we’ve talked enough. I’ll give you the appointment.”

“The a-appointment?”

“You will be Valdrova’s chief researcher. There is already another chief researcher, but he is from a different field, so you won’t need to worry about each other.”

“O-oh, really?”

There is another one.

Upon hearing that, her black pupils rolled nervously and she spoke shyly.

“U-um… is he a man?”

Perda nodded.

Her face flushed, and her fingers twisted restlessly.

“He is a man.”

“U-um… is he… ha… handsome?”

Echidna’s eyes sparkled, as if that were the most important question in the world.

“He looks like an ordinary scholar with glasses.”

“Ah, is that so? Well, that’s fiiine……”

Echidna showed a slight gesture of disappointment.

Her eyes slid toward Zed.

Zed, true to his swallow nature, automatically responded with a gentle smile.

“Ehehe… ehehehe……”

The atmosphere grew murky, and Zed’s face gradually stiffened.

He wanted to step back, but there was nowhere to retreat.

“Can you leave immediately? Or do you need time to prepare?”

“No, no. I have subspace storage magic, so I can pack everything and leave right away. Hehe…….”

Subspace storage magic was fifth tier.

That meant she had at least five circles.

And also that her obsession with handsome men was tremendous.

“Perfect. Get in the carriage and depart first to Castle Valdrova.”

Zed abruptly turned his head and asked,

“Aren’t you coming with us?”

“There is still one person I must bring.”

“Then let’s go together. I’m your attendant, after all.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“No, don’t say that……”

Zed spoke with an awkward smile.

“Let’s go together. Please.”

In that please, genuine pleading could be felt.

Basically, he did not want to be left alone with that woman.

‘That cannot be.’

Perda knew.

He knew that the ultimate golem created by the future Echidna had the form of Zed Swallow.

And that the one who had made her obsess completely was Zed Swallow’s appearance.

‘So, for now, I must keep them together.’

For Echidna’s madness to calm down, Zed had to remain by her side.

What kind of future awaited Zed because of that obsession was uncertain.

And he did not care.

Let him deal with it himself.

***

In that way, Perda managed to recruit three talents.

The pioneer of magitechnology, Vernell Marquis.

The great swindler, Zed Swallow.

The rune maker, Echidna Philiaz.

And the last person remaining was—

“The Sage of Water, Helus Povidas, right?”

He was the only human among the proposed names whom Ruri knew.

In his mid-forties, a late-blooming mage.

But famous for his wisdom and sharp insight, capable of seeing through things, which earned him the title of “Sage of Water.”

He lived in a mansion built in a rural village.

An ascetic without desires, who belonged to no faction and held the belief that he must always live beside water.

“And this time how do you plan to persuade someone who wouldn’t move even for billions from the Arken Empire?”

Perda’s current record was two successes and one pending negotiation.

Since they did not know the previous target well, it was hard to predict the outcome, but this time the opponent was more predictable.

Ruri judged that even for Perda it would be difficult to persuade him.

‘He doesn’t seem like someone who can be brought in with authority or threats…….’

Curiosity gnawed at her from within.

Perda replied.

“The Sage of Water does not interest me.”

Ruri frowned.

“Then why did we come? You came all the way to the Sage of Water’s house saying you were looking for the Sage of Water, and now it turns out you don’t want to bring him?”

“What I seek has no name. So I only used the name Helus Povidas as a substitute.”

“Did you deceive me?”

Ruri looked at him with narrowed eyes and a fierce expression.

“Only halfway.”

Perda raised his gaze toward the mansion.

The windows were wide open, and the back door, used by the servants, was ajar.

Seeing that, he asked,

“Normally, when common women wash clothes, where do they do it?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

Perda looked her up and down.

An expressionless girl dressed in a maid uniform.

“After all, you are an assistant.”

“Assistants also have ranks. And I solve everything with magic. I am not some brat who goes beating clothes in a stream.”

“A stream, then. Thank you.”

Following that unintended advice, they headed toward the stream.

Just as she had said, it was not difficult to find it.

“You stupid idiot! Can’t you even do that?!”

In a place where only the murmur of water could be heard, the screams of a middle-aged woman echoed.

There stood a stout, aging woman and an extremely thin young girl.

For country folk, they were impeccably dressed.

It was obvious they were servants of a noble household.

The older woman pointed at the wet clothes of the young girl as she shouted.

“If you already beat it and wrung it out, you have to put it in! Why do I always have to tell you? Beat it! Wring it! Put it in! Understood?!”

The blonde girl nodded carefully.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake! Why do I have to educate a useless thing like this? What sin am I paying for…?”

The older servant beat her chest, frowning.

The girl showed no fear.

With empty eyes, she looked at the clothes and simply repeated what she had been ordered to do.

“Is it troublesome?”

The woman flinched and stood up abruptly.

Her eyes quickly scanned Perda, and immediately a smile spread across her face.

“Oh, sir. Forgive me. You saw something embarrassing, ha, ha. I was educating this clumsy servant and my voice got carried away……”

“That was education?”

“Of course you wouldn’t understand, noble sir. Sometimes you have to give them a proper impact so they understand. That’s why I do it like this.”

Perda’s eyes slid toward the girl.

With one hand on his chin, he murmured,

“Mmm. That does not seem like education, but mere venting. And besides, there is no need to educate that girl.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you not think your order was poorly phrased?”

The older servant blinked.

“I’m sorry, sir. I do not understand what you mean……”

“From what I saw and heard, you only ordered her to beat and wring the clothes. But you did not indicate where she should put them afterward. If you had told her, she would certainly have continued working.”

“Oh, please! Do I also have to explain such things? If she were a normal person, she would have some common sense. But she is so stupid……”

The woman glared at the girl, who continued repeating the same motion without paying attention to the conversation.

“Exactly. The problem is that you treat her as if she were a person.”

“What are you saying? Are you implying that this girl is a tool?”

“If you had treated her as a tool and not as a person, it would have been different. Do you not think it excessive to expect a tool to think for itself?”

The servant did not understand his words.

Ruri, who listened in silence, also could not fully grasp them.

“What kind of tool eats and sleeps? If she were a tool, it would be enough to throw her in a warehouse or discard her……”

“And why did you not discard her?”

“Do you think I could? She is someone the Sage of Water appreciates.”

“Mmm, is that so?”

“A stray bitch I don’t even know where they picked up.”

The servant kept spitting insults without pause.

Perda listened calmly and asked,

“If you dislike her and also cannot get rid of her, what do you think about transferring her to me?”