Chapter 173 : The Ultimate Doll (2)

While Bihen was fighting a fierce battle in front of the control unit building.

Bolero and Noser were waiting for a signal from inside the fortress, riding in a small space prepared near Kustos’s head.

“This is quite a spectacle. It feels like walking on the sky.”

Noser muttered.

The world spread out beneath his feet was simply amazing.

“Indeed. It’s no different from a moving watchtower.”

The two men’s voices were as excited as a boy’s.

Noser peeked his head out of the railing and shivered.

It was a dizzying height.

“By the way, isn’t it strange? The fog is so thick on that side that I can’t see inside at all.”

Bolero repeatedly put on and took off binoculars shaped like a masquerade mask, staring at the fortress.

His eyes narrowed.

Beyond the hazy fog, only faint figures flickered from time to time.

“It’s the work of Homunculi. They’re the ones who make these strange mechanical dolls, so what’s a little fog to them?”

“Hmm, indeed. Come to think of it, this Kustos fellow is also quite eerie the more I think about it. It’s horrifying to imagine these things being deployed in a real war. Was that Deiron fellow really planning to use automata as weapons to fight against the Imperial Capital?”

Noser bit his lip.

He was a man whose eyes changed when the topic of the Imperial Capital came up.

“That’s why we can’t just leave these suspicious things alone. I’m planning to uproot everything about that Deiron fellow this time.”

Bolero grinned. Noser frowned.

“What is it? That smile.”

“Isn’t it funny.”

“What is.”

“The Imperial Capital was the one who neglected Deiron, but now they’re talking about uprooting him.”

Bolero’s expression turned serious.

“The Imperial Capital Knight Order has interfered in all sorts of things under the pretext of protecting the order of the Kingdom. But why did they turn a blind eye to the reality of the southern fiefdom’s people falling into misery? You’re not going to pretend you didn’t know, are you?”

“Hey, Bolero. In this situation, you and I…….”

“Yes, yes. Of course. Who am I to question such things? What I really want to say is, Bihen Benkou, who executed Deiron, an extremely wicked foe who threatened the Imperial Capital with his mere existence and was called one of the best swordsmen in the history of the Kingdom, is now a mere prisoner—that’s what I’m saying. That’s what’s funny.”

Bolero nonchalantly twirled the end of his mustache with his finger.

He smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Noser, whose face was flushed red.

Noser fixed his expression and cleared his throat.

“……Stop teasing me.”

“Haha, teasing you? You’re going too far.”

“Don’t be sarcastic when you know everything. Where in the world are there prisoners as free as you guys.”

“Ahem. Well, that’s true.”

“The time will come soon when I will have a serious talk with you guys.”

Bolero shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

He acted that way on the outside, but inwardly he reaffirmed his trust in Noser.

“I will report all of your contributions to His Majesty the King without omission. Do I look like someone who would neglect such things? Hey, that’s disappointing.”

“Of course.”

It was then.

Pshuuuuu—!

A blue streak of light shot up into the sky above the Grimlok fortress.

The color was so vivid that it felt like the fog had lifted.

“It’s a signal flare!”

It was a prearranged signal with Panika.

Once he had seized control of the control unit and disabled the defense spell circuit, he was to signal the location of the lord’s mansion with a signal flare.

Now, the two of them would head there and destroy the Machine Heart, the lifeline of all the automata, and at the same time, Bihen and Panika would retrieve Manuan’s diary from his mansion.

“Hoo. That’s amazing. It looks like someone splattered paint in the air.”

Bolero repeatedly exclaimed in admiration with the binoculars to his eyes.

The trace of the signal flare remained in the air like a mark.

“Alright. Now, let’s see. What did he say I should press to go down?”

Noser fumbled with the wooden board next to the railing.

It was confusing because there were many small pictures that looked like magic symbols.

“How long will it take to go down and run all the way there?”

“Then what, are you suggesting we jump from here?”

“Of course.”

Noser blinked.

Bolero was serious.

“……Alright. I’ll respect your preference. If you’re lucky, we can meet again at the assembly point.”

The moment Noser turned away, Bolero suddenly slung him over his shoulder and put his foot on the railing.

“Please, for goodness sake, stop joking around, Bolero.”

“You’re getting a good view thanks to me, Sir Noser.”

Kwang—!

·

·

·

Kung—!

Bolero landed with Noser slung over his shoulder.

He carefully put Noser down as if he were handling a child.

Stagger.

Noser couldn't even scream.

It was truly in the blink of an eye.

His face was pale, and he staggered as if he were about to collapse.

“……Hmm?”

Bolero touched his damp neck.

Something felt strange, so he brought his hand to his nose, and his face instantly contorted.

‘Damn it, that guy again…….’

Just as he was about to say something.

“……!”

Bolero’s eyes widened.

His arms and legs also stiffened.

“Th-these are……”

The shock was twice as great as when he first saw Kustos.

It wasn't just one.

Lumps of iron that walked on two legs like humans were scattered all over the place.

“Bo-Bolero! Look here!”

Noser called out in an urgent voice. He had already drawn his sword.

Where he was pointing, a group of rabbits was running in a line, but upon closer inspection, their faces were human.

“Demonic beast……? No, it’s a little different from a demonic beast. What is that?”

“It’s not just them. Everything I see is a bunch of strange things.”

All sorts of strange individuals caught his eye.

The important thing was that they all ignored Bolero and Noser as if they didn't exist and passed by them.

They all seemed busy, as if they were evacuating somewhere in a hurry.

“Let’s ignore them for now. They’re not what’s important right now.”

Noser nodded his head as if he agreed.

The two men lifted their eyes.

The distance to the destination was quite far by rough estimation.

Still, if they put their minds to it and ran, they would reach it in no time.

“The problem is…….”

It was the automata.

Lumps of iron with glistening red lights were loitering all over the streets.

“……They seem like lost wild beasts.”

“Didn’t Panika say? Their command system has disappeared, so they must be in confusion.”

“Then, it would be best to break through at once.”

The two men looked at each other and tilted their chins.

As if by agreement, they simultaneously looked ahead and then kicked off the ground.

Their figures, running and alternating between the buildings and the ground, were as fast as a ray of light.

They had gone quite far like that.

Kkiiik—!

Bolero and Noser stopped at almost the same time.

Dust rose from the ground pushed by their front feet.

A huge shadow that blocked their path slowly rose.

Every time it moved, the plate armor twisted and the sound of iron echoed.

“Now, of all things, the mechanical dolls are even imitating knights.”

The other automata showed signs of wandering as if they had lost their minds, but the knight automata that blocked their path were different.

Their lights were clear, as if they had accurately recognized the intruders.

“It seems they won’t let us pass peacefully.”

Bolero stepped forward.

He cracked his neck from side to side.

“The destination is right in front of us. I’ll block them here, so Sir Noser, please go to the lord’s mansion and destroy that Machine Heart or whatever it is.”

“Alright.”

Noser bent his knees slightly.

He intended to leap over the formation of knight automata.

Then, as if reading their minds, the Legions closed their ranks tightly.

Pak—!

Noser’s figure soared up.

The Legions’ reactions were varied.

Some individuals prepared to jump and immediately chase after him, while others took out lances and assumed a javelin-throwing stance.

Kwang—! Kwa—kang!

Noser flinched for a moment at the explosion that erupted from behind.

However, he soon moved on. The belief that Bolero would not succumb to such lumps of iron supported his steps.

The noise of the fierce battle quickly faded away.

Before long, Noser had reached his destination, the lord’s mansion.

The mark left by Panika was still floating above the roof.

‘Are there no guards?’

Come to think of it, the atmosphere of Grimlok was generally like that.

There were many traces of people having lived there, but the presence of the living could not be felt.

Only a cold, fishy smell of iron filled the air.

‘Hmm.’

Noser looked up at the huge mansion from the bottom of the stairs.

The collapsed stone walls and charred pillars remained like a skeleton.

Above his head, an unknown mechanical device floated in the red sky, buzzing.

It seemed as if it were performing the mansion’s guard duty alone.

Noser caught his breath and thought.

This place was closer to a secret base than a mansion.

Kkiiik—

He pushed open the heavy door and entered.

The inside was quite different from what he had expected. Red marble covered everything from the floor to the walls and the arched ceiling.

Candlesticks were set up between the rows of pillars, and small lights burned quietly at their tips.

Jeobeok—

His footsteps echoed.

The air was cold and heavy.

After taking a few steps, Noser stopped.

“…….”

There was a statue in front of him.

It was in the shape of a saint with outstretched arms, but there was a sense of unease.

Upon closer inspection, the human form was somehow distorted.

Giiiing—

On the statue’s chest, where the heart would be, something like a red jewel glittered.

It vibrated minutely like a pulse and emitted light.

‘That’s it. The Machine Heart.’

Noser knew instinctively.

It was the moment he took another step.

Wuuuuuuu——

The space vibrated.

As if an invisible device had been turned on by the step he had just taken, a chorus burst out from the air.

A low, solemn chorus filled the chapel.

The melody was majestic, but at the same time, it was ominous and eerie.

Noser turned his eyes.

The long pews on both sides.

Those who had been sitting in the darkness revealed themselves one by one.

At first, he was surprised, thinking they were people, but upon closer inspection, they were automata modeled after people.

Their mouths were tightly closed.

But from their closed lips, a sound like glossolalia flowed out ceaselessly.

Voices that seemed like prayers or incantations overlapped and echoed.

Creak, creak.

Just then, a nearby automaton walked towards Noser, who was standing in the middle.

It was a mechanical doll with the features of a middle-aged woman.

Noser shrugged his shoulders.

“Ah, excuse me.”

“Where are you going?”

The automaton asked bluntly.

Noser felt a strange sense of welcome, but it was not the time for idle talk.

As he ignored her and tried to approach the statue—

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

Noser stopped again as if he had no choice and sighed through his nose.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to worship with you. Besides, I’m an atheist in the first place. I’m a person who is loyal to His Majesty the King, who brings me wealth and honor, rather than a god I can’t even see. If that’s your answer, then—.”

The moment he turned his body again and tried to head towards the statue.

“You think a mere king can save humans?!”

The face of the middle-aged woman automaton melted down.

Noser frowned.

“You and the king will drown in the blood of God, hand in hand! You won’t be saved! Forgive your sins now! Quickly—!”

Noser’s sword split the head of the middle-aged woman automaton in one blow.

Deolkeok—

At that moment.

Red lights lit up simultaneously from the eyes of the shadows sitting in a row on the pews.

It was a violent scene that seemed to suffocate him.

“……I thought it would be easy.”

Noser readjusted his grip on the sword.