Chapter 16: Chapter 16
Chapter 16. A Tool, Not a Person
Echidna Phyliaz.
Age: Unknown.
Although she belonged to the Phyliaz, she was expelled by her sisters because her ideals did not align with theirs.
Reason for expulsion: A hopeless pretty-face addict who falls in love at first sight.
Her messy black hair, dark circles that made it seem as though she wore gothic makeup.
Black lips, skin so pale it looked as though it had never received a single drop of light.
And the gloomy aura typical of a Witch.
If she stayed still, one might think she was beautiful enough to use the beauty trick.
But the unique atmosphere of a Witch ruined everything.
So if someone asked whether she looked like a Witch—
"Hello. I’m Echidna."
Her childlike way of speaking completely shattered even that stereotypical Witch-like atmosphere.
"Hehe..."
She smiled as if she were a kind-hearted person, but it was so awkward that even the smile itself felt eerie.
Everything about her made it difficult for her to fit in with ordinary people.
She had accepted Zed’s offer without any conditions.
However, since she still needed to know what kind of work it was, Ferda entered the Witch’s House to meet her in person.
"You agreed without hesitation, but do you actually know what the job is?"
"Nope. But that’s okay."
Echidna’s dark pupils rippled like a stormy sea.
"I-I... I’m just so happy that I get to be with such handsome people... and such a cute young lady... Hehehe... If you order me to, I’ll become your dog."
The madness unique to Witches gradually seeped into her voice.
Luri frowned, and even Zed instinctively shrank back in discomfort.
Only Ferda remained completely calm.
"Echidna Phyliaz. You’re currently making Golems, aren’t you?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. I am. Why?"
"Would you be willing to continue that Golem production at Valdrova Castle?"
"O-Of course! That’s absolutely possible. Hehe. If you order me to, I’ll become your dog. Woof woof."
She accepted without even asking a single question.
Even Ferda found this behavior unbelievable.
’I thought she’d be at least a little better in the past... but this was when she was at her worst.’
By the time Ferda had first come to know her, she had already recovered considerably.
Back then, she had been an absolute disaster.
"Lord Ferda."
Luri lightly poked him in the side.
"You went out of your way to save someone who’s nothing more than a woman who makes Golems?"
"U-Um... I can hear you, you know?"
"Yeah. She’s just someone who makes Golems."
"I-I said I can hear you..."
A gigantic creature made from mud or stone.
At best, it could only perform simple movements like walking.
Aside from its size and durability, it was practically a corpse.
There was a reason people used "You’re like a Golem" as an insult.
"Do you have one of your Golems here?"
"Huh? I-I do, but... Ah, it’s still unfinished, so it’s kind of embarrassing..."
"That doesn’t matter. I’m not the one who’s embarrassed."
"Ah! Then... I’ll show you!"
Echidna clapped her hands.
The wardrobe doors suddenly burst open, and something jumped out.
It was a wooden doll carved in the shape of a well-built man.
Its large eyes sparkled as if jewels would pour out of them, and its lips were finely sculpted.
Its face and physique looked as though a little child had imagined the perfect prince.
Watching the three silently stare at it, Echidna shyly twisted her body.
"Hehe... It’s still unfinished, so it’s embarrassing..."
"The face still needs a bit more work."
"No? The doll itself is already finished."
"...This?"
Zed couldn’t hide his astonishment.
That’s... complete?
The Golem creaked as it walked outside.
It briefly glanced at Echidna.
She smiled warmly.
Creak... Creak...
The wooden Golem moved with the sound of stiff joints grinding together.
Then it took some tea from the cabinet and began preparing it.
What was truly surprising was that it had accurately selected a single specific tea among many.
"There are countless kinds of tea in that cabinet. Why did it choose that one?"
"Um... W-Well, the way it works is... Ah, it’s kind of boring to explain in detail, so... um... hmm..."
Echidna tightly clasped both hands while nervously stomping her feet.
Thinking he should explain it himself, Ferda opened his mouth.
"In other words—"
"W-Wait! I-I think I can explain it!"
It took her nearly three minutes just to organize her thoughts.
Cold sweat poured down her face.
Finally, after sorting everything out, Echidna spoke.
"To put it simply... it watches my mood and brings me the tea I like the most. Since I’m in a good mood today, it brought Darjeeling."
"The Golem... does that?"
Luri asked in disbelief.
Echidna scratched her head shyly.
"Ehehe... I always wanted to make something like that. So... I’m creating the magic for it."
"Creating magic... So that means you’re drawing your own Runes?"
"Yep! That’s right, little miss! I studied that reeeally hard!"
Even Luri, who had always looked down on humans, couldn’t help but feel genuine admiration.
To create an intricate Magic Circle, one first had to master the process of condensing its meaning—
Rune Making.
Across the entire Cerdes Continent, fewer than ten people possessed the skill to create Runes.
She was not merely a Golem creator or a gloomy Witch.
A Rune Maker.
A Witch possessing the power to create magic itself.
Luri turned to look at Ferda again.
Unlike before, when her gaze had been filled with contempt, this time it was full of admiration.
"How do you even know people like this?"
"We simply happened to cross paths."
The reason he remembered her was naturally born from resentment.
She was one of the people wasting extraordinary talent to an almost criminal degree.
’She made me cough up blood.’
Echidna Phyliaz had an extremely serious obsession with handsome men.
To what extent?
That obsession had ultimately led her to the Red Circle.
However, because of the gloomy nature unique to Witches and her terrible social skills, she eventually reached the point where she couldn’t even approach men anymore.
Unlike others who believed she should simply improve her personality or social skills, Echidna had reached a completely different conclusion.
"If I can’t date one... then why don’t I just make a boyfriend?"
Unlike other Witches, turning men into taxidermy or puppets felt unpleasant to her.
Instead, with a mindset somewhere between that of a human and a Witch, she decided to create something human-like through Golems.
Her efforts eventually led her to master spell command systems and Rune creation.
That was how she became a Rune Maker.
’Even I, a former Grand Mage, couldn’t master Rune Making... and she used it just to make herself a boyfriend.’
Even now, Ferda felt as though he were about to cough up blood.
She had developed a power capable of overturning the entire world...
Just to make herself a boyfriend.
’But thanks to that, I realized that Golem soldiers capable of responding to dynamic command systems weren’t impossible.’
Homunculi.
Artificial lifeforms considered the pinnacle of alchemy.
They could learn through experience, perform their own work, and even accomplish tasks beyond human capability.
However, they could only be produced in limited numbers and could never be perfectly controlled like humans.
On the other hand, Golems could be mass-produced but were incapable of carrying out complicated movements or complex commands.
Echidna’s Golems perfectly combined the strengths of both.
’Driving the Monsters away from the far eastern front won’t be impossible.’
This technology could become just as revolutionary as the Magitech Engineering led by Vernel Marquis.
"Then I believe our discussion is finished. I’ll prepare your letter of appointment."
"A-An appointment letter?"
"As Valdrova’s Chief Researcher. There’s already another Chief Researcher, but your fields are completely different, so neither of you will have to worry about the other."
"A-Ah... Is that so?"
There’s already another one?
Upon hearing that, her black eyes rolled slightly before she shyly asked,
"Um... is... is it a man?"
Ferda nodded.
Her flushed face.
Her fingers fidgeting together.
"Yes. A man."
"Um... is he... handsome?"
Echidna’s eyes sparkled as though this were the single most important question.
"He looks like an ordinary Scholar wearing glasses."
"Ah... I see. Well... I guess that’s fine..."
Echidna looked slightly disappointed.
Then her eyes drifted toward Zed.
Being a natural flirt, Zed instinctively smiled back.
"Hehehe... Hehehehe..."
The sinister atmosphere made Zed’s face gradually stiffen.
He wanted to back away.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere to retreat.
"Can you leave immediately? Or do you need time to prepare?"
"Nope. I have Spatial Storage Magic, so I can pack everything away and leave right now. Hehe..."
Spatial Storage Magic was Fifth-Tier Magic.
Which meant she had already reached at least the Fifth Circle.
And it also meant her obsession with handsome men was absolutely terrifying.
"Excellent. Then take the carriage and head to Valdrova Castle ahead of us."
Zed quickly turned his head.
"Aren’t you coming with us?"
"There’s still one more person I need to recruit."
"Then let’s go together. I’m your attendant, after all."
"There’s no need."
"No, come on..."
Zed forced an awkward smile.
"Please... come with us."
The desperation in that single word—
Please.
It clearly meant:
Please don’t leave me alone with that woman.
’That won’t do.’
Ferda already knew.
The completed Golem that the future Echidna would eventually create...
Bore the appearance of Zed Swallow.
The reason she had become hopelessly devoted to him...
Was Zed Swallow’s face.
’So for the time being... I need to keep them together.’
The only way to calm Echidna’s madness was to keep Zed by her side.
As for what kind of future awaited Zed because of that obsession...
Ferda neither knew...
Nor cared.
He’d figure it out himself.
***
Thus, Ferda successfully recruited three talented individuals.
The pioneer of Magitech Engineering, Vernel Marquis.
The Master Thief, Zed Swallow.
The Rune Maker, Echidna Phyliaz.
And the last person remaining was—
"The Sage of Water, Hellus Fovidas."
Among all the people mentioned previously, he was the only human Luri actually knew.
He had become a Mage rather late in life, in his mid-forties.
However, thanks to his exceptional wisdom and keen insight that allowed him to see through the essence of things, he had earned the title Sage of Water.
He lived alone in a mansion he had built in a rural village.
Believing that one should always remain close to water, he rejected all affiliations and lived a life free of worldly desires.
"So how do you intend to persuade someone who refused even unimaginable wealth from the Arken Empire?"
So far, Ferda’s recruitment record stood at two successes and one pending case.
She hadn’t known the previous candidates well enough to predict the outcome.
But this time, she knew enough to make a reasonable judgment.
Luri believed someone like Ferda would have a difficult time persuading him.
’He doesn’t seem like the type who’d rely on authority or intimidation to force someone into joining...’
She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of ingenious idea he had in mind.
Ferda answered simply.
"I’m not interested in the Sage of Water."
Luri frowned.
"Then why are we here? You specifically wrote ’Sage of Water’, came all the way to the Sage of Water’s residence, and now you’re saying you’re not here to recruit him?"
"The one I’m looking for has no name. I merely used the name Hellus Fovidas as a substitute."
"Were you deceiving me?"
Luri narrowed her eyes and glared at him with a venomous expression.
"Only halfway."
Ferda casually looked up at the mansion.
The windows stood wide open.
The back door used by the servants had been left slightly ajar.
As he observed the scene, he asked,
"Where do ordinary village women usually wash their laundry?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
Ferda slowly looked her up and down.
He saw the expressionless girl dressed in a Maid outfit.
"Well, you’re an Attendant, aren’t you?"
"There are ranks among attendants. Besides, I solve everything with magic. I’m not some little girl pounding clothes by the stream."
"So, the stream. Thank you."
Following Luri’s unintended advice, he headed toward the stream.
Just as she had said, it wasn’t difficult to find.
"You stupid idiot! You can’t even do something this simple?!"
In a place where only the gentle sound of flowing water could normally be heard, the harsh voice of a middle-aged woman rang out.
There stood an overweight middle-aged woman and an emaciated young girl.
Their clothing was far too neat for ordinary villagers.
It was obvious they were servants of a noble household.
The overweight woman repeatedly jabbed her finger at the girl’s laundry as she shouted.
"After you beat the clothes and wring them out, you’re supposed to put them away! Why do I have to tell you every single time?! Beat them! Wring them! Put them away! Got it?!"
The blonde-haired girl quietly nodded.
"Ugh... I can’t believe I’m stuck teaching someone this stupid! What kind of heavenly punishment have I suffered... Ugh!"
The middle-aged Attendant beat her own chest in frustration.
The young girl showed no sign of fear.
She simply stared with empty eyes before silently repeating the task she’d been ordered to do.
"Is she causing you trouble?"
The middle-aged Attendant flinched and hurriedly stood up.
Her eyes quickly swept over Ferda before a smile spread across her face.
"Oh my, sir. My deepest apologies. You’ve witnessed something quite unpleasant. Hahaha. I was simply teaching one of our rather slow attendants and accidentally raised my voice..."
"Was that really teaching?"
"Of course, a noble like yourself wouldn’t understand. Sometimes you have to shock someone like this before they finally get it. That’s why I have to do it."
Ferda’s gaze drifted toward the young girl.
Resting his hand against his chin, he quietly said,
"Hmm... That looked less like teaching and more like venting your frustration. Besides, I don’t think that child needs to be taught at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Has it never occurred to you that perhaps your instructions were the problem?"
The middle-aged Attendant blinked.
"Forgive me, sir. I don’t quite understand..."
"From what I’ve observed, you repeatedly instructed her to beat the laundry and wring it out. But you never told her where to put it afterward. If you had simply told her that, I’m certain she would have continued working correctly."
"Oh, come now. Do I really have to explain every tiny detail? If she’s human, she should have enough common sense to figure things out herself. But she’s hopelessly dull..."
The middle-aged Attendant shot the girl another glare.
The girl paid no attention to their conversation.
She simply continued kneading the laundry in silence.
"Exactly. Your mistake is assuming she’s a person."
"What do you mean? Are you saying this child is some kind of tool?"
"If you had treated what you were handling not as a human, but as a tool, things would have turned out differently. Isn’t it unreasonable to expect a tool to think for itself?"
The Attendant looked completely unable to understand what he meant.
Luri, who had quietly listened to everything, also failed to grasp Ferda’s point.
"What kind of tool eats and sleeps? If it were a tool, you’d just throw it into storage or discard it..."
"Then why haven’t you thrown her away?"
"As if it were that easy. She’s someone the Sage of Water treasures."
"Hmm... Is that so?"
"I don’t know where he picked up this little stray mutt."
The Attendant continued cursing the girl without pause.
Ferda listened calmly before asking,
"If you dislike her that much and find it difficult to get rid of her... how about transferring her to me?"
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