Chapter 116. One Day, Suddenly
Caron kept his composure as he surveyed the golems encircling them. Each one exuded an aura of menace.
These golems weren't the crude constructs slapped together by amateur alchemists. Their forms were unnervingly lifelike, as if they were modeled after human figures. Their metallic bodies gleamed faintly with a greenish hue, and embedded in their chests were pristine mana stones of exceptional quality.
No human craft could create such flawless constructs.
"...And thus, Caron Leston's journey came to an abrupt and humiliating end..." Guillotine's voice echoed in Caron's mind.
"Shut up, Guillotine," Caron muttered.
"I'm just bored, you know."
One of these golems alone would be a serious threat. But there were over twenty. The odds were daunting.
They look like the ones from the lair... Caron thought, his sharp eyes darting over their formation. He gauged their chances. Defeat wasn't guaranteed, but victory was far from assured.
I could handle this without a scratch.
The real problem, however, was his comrades. He didn't trust his ability to protect them while fending off so many golems.
Fortunately, there was one oddity in the golems' behavior.
"...Why aren't they attacking us?" Caron wondered aloud.
"Good question," Leon chimed in.
The golems remained eerily still, weapons raised, but made no move to strike. If they'd intended to attack, Caron figured, they would have already unleashed a barrage of magic.
Leo leaned closer and whispered, "What if they're programmed not to initiate combat?"
"Then why don't you test that theory, Leo?" Caron replied.
"How exactly should I do that?" Leo asked.
"Try provoking them," Caron answered.
"...Me?" Leo said hesitantly.
"Who else? You're the curious one. Want me to give you a push? I'm curious too now," Caron said.
Leo sighed deeply, exasperation clear in his voice as he said, "Ha... My own mouth is the problem. Fine, watch and learn, Caron. I'm telling you, these things can't attack—"
Just as Leo took a step forward, the crystal embedded in one golem's chest flared bright red.
Swoosh!
A beam of energy shot out, hurtling straight toward him.
Clang!
Leo instinctively raised his sword, deflecting the beam at an angle. His body trembled slightly as he muttered, "T-They can attack..."
"Do you have to get hit to figure things out?" Caron quipped, shaking his head.
"Leave him be," Leon said with a smirk. "Leo has been pulling stunts like this for years."
"Leo!" Utula bellowed, laughing. "With your bangs gone, you look much more rugged! Very manly!"
Sure enough, Leo's bangs had been incinerated, leaving his forehead gleaming under the light. The deflected beam had seared them off cleanly.
Caron stared at his cousin's sweat-slicked forehead for a moment, then turned his attention back to the golems.
It was then that Guillotine's voice echoed in his mind. "It's Etyron's mana. These are the same as the ones from the lair."
"So why are Etyron's guardians here?" Caron asked, frowning.
"How should I know? You're the owner—you figure it out," Guillotine said.
The Accursed Dragon, Etyron, was a being so obscure it seemed like a myth plucked straight from ancient tales. Even for Caron, with all his knowledge from his reincarnation, the true story behind it was unfamiliar.
Etyron had earned the epithet "Accursed" for his savagery and cruelty. He had not only despised all other races, but also gained notoriety for his particularly heinous atrocities against humans. Considering the golems were created by such a vicious creature, it didn't make sense for them to not attack outright.
Something feels... off, Caron thought.
The golems, despite their power, didn't appear aggressive. Their behavior suggested they were more interested in intimidating intruders rather than eliminating them.
"There might actually be one of Etyron's hatchlings here," Guillotine remarked in Caron's mind.
"And it just happens to be hiding in Kerra's refuge, of all places," Caron replied skeptically.
"Owner, it's no coincidence. You already know that," Guillotine said.
It was time to decide: Push through the golems to continue the search, or give up. The decision, however, wasn't particularly difficult.
After a brief moment of thought, Caron turned to his comrades and said, "Listen carefully, everyone. I'll draw their attention. When I give the signal, break through in one go—"
Before he could finish, a low hum reverberated through the air.
Whoosh.
A peculiar golem stepped forward from among the ranks. Unlike the others, its metallic body glowed with a striking blue sheen. Embedded in its head was an additional mana stone, gleaming ominously.
"Leave this place. You are not permitted to be here," the golem ordered.
The air vibrated as the voice resonated—not spoken words, but mana refined into sound waves.
Caron narrowed his eyes, studying the strange golem, when Guillotine's excited voice interrupted.
"Wow, that thing's still around? Owner, that's a command unit!" Guillotine called out.
"And what exactly is a command unit?" Caron asked, tightening his grip on his sword.
"It's like a brain for the other golems. Think of it as... artificial intelligence? No, in this case, maybe draconic intelligence. It's an entity Etyron personally imbued with a semblance of self," Guillotine explained.
Guillotine seemed unusually enthusiastic, perhaps because he finally had something useful to share.
"That golem is a masterpiece of ancient magic. All the other golems are under its control," Guillotine continued.
So, it was essentially the leader of the golems. Its design, however, appeared to prioritize command functions over combat ability, as its physical armaments seemed lacking.
Caron glanced at Guillotine and asked, "So, if I destroy that one, we're good, right?"
"Not exactly. The moment you destroy it, the other golems will go berserk," Guillotine answered.
"Then what? Got any better ideas?" Caron snapped, his patience wearing thin.
Guillotine's tone turned smug, then said, "You see that gem in its head? Just stab me into it. I'm the Dragonslayer Sword, Guillotine. Watch me work miracles."
"Dragonslayer Sword" was a new name. But Caron dismissed it as just another of Guillotine's exaggerations, a routine he was all too familiar with.
"If this turns out to be nonsense, you're going back into the forge," Caron warned the sword coldly.
"...Please, no... Not the forge," Guillotine replied.
Caron let out a heavy sigh before turning his focus back to the command unit. He said firmly, "Let's end this quickly."
Drawing upon every ounce of his mana, he launched himself toward the command unit like a bolt of lightning.
The golems responded immediately.
Zing!
Beams of light erupted from their mana stones, converging on Caron in a dazzling barrage.
***
Ten minutes into the battle...
"Caron, there's smoke coming out of your head. We could use it to smoke some food. Why not make a batch of your favorite snack, jerky, while we're at it?" Leo teased.
"What did you say? Did you say that you wanted to become jerky?" Caron retorted.
"...Sorry," Leo mumbled, backing off.
The group was riding atop the shoulders of several golems as they ascended the mountain.
Guillotine's claim had turned out to be true. When Caron plunged the sword into the command unit's mana stone, something extraordinary had occurred. Guillotine had mercilessly consumed the golem's consciousness.
With the command unit subdued, control of all the golems had transferred directly to Guillotine.
Of course, it hadn't been without consequence. In the process, Caron had taken a direct hit from the golems' attacks, narrowly avoiding being melted alive. If not for his enchanted armor, Kavana, which he'd brought from Azureocean Castle, things could have ended far worse.
"Phew," Caron sighed, taking a sip of diluted Dew of the World Tree. Only then did his thirst subside, and the steam rising from his body dissipated.
"Behold, owner. This is my true power. Bask in my glory!" Guillotine proclaimed with glee.
Caron thought that although he had nearly been roasted alive, the result was undeniably satisfying.
"Guillotine, you truly are..." Caron paused.
"I'm what?" Guillotine asked curiously.
"...A demonic sword," Caron concluded.
If it had a will of its own and consumed other entities, which fit the bill of a demonic weapon perfectly. Yet, Caron had to admit that this demonic sword was far more useful than he had initially thought.
"This also wasn't part of the plan," Caron murmured, glancing back at the line of golems following them.
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Exactly twenty-two golems, each crafted with the touch of a dragon's mana, were following behind him in a line. Caron knew their power firsthand, having barely survived their onslaught earlier. If these golems were deployed against the pirates or the nagas, they would undoubtedly tip the scales in battle.
"Caron," Leon called out.
"What is it, Leon?" Caron asked.
"Anyone who heard that would think you actually had a plan," Leon answered.
"A lack of a plan is still a plan," Caron replied, grinning.
In any case, it had worked out well. With more hands—or golems—on their side, their prospects were looking up. Even if they only harvested the mana stones embedded in the golems, they'd fetch a fortune.
Or we could sell the whole batch to the Imperial Magic Tower, Caron mused.
Surely those power-hungry mages would pay a king's ransom to get their hands on a set of mana stones that were from dragon-touched golems. But that was a thought for after the mission.
"There's something up ahead," Caron announced.
Thanks to their improvised transport, reaching the summit hadn't taken long. Caron jumped lightly off a golem's shoulder and scanned the area.
The trees around them had been neatly cleared, and beyond them stood a solitary wooden house. That was undeniably a sign of habitation.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Leon asked, her gaze fixed on the house.
In response, Caron said nothing. He simply summoned Pluto and sent the spirit forward to scout. Three minutes later, the search confirmed there were no immediate threats.
"It's just a regular house. No signs of mana, and it's clean," Caron reported.
"Then Kerra Acht isn't here?" Leon asked, frowning.
"Maybe he just stepped out for a while. Let's go in and wait," Caron replied nonchalantly.
Leon muttered under her breath, "...We usually call such people thieves..."
"It's the owner's fault for leaving their house unattended," Caron quipped.
He ordered the golems to stand by outside and led the group into the house. As he'd seen earlier, there was nothing remarkable about the place. It was just a modest living room with wooden furniture and a few appropriately-sized rooms branching off.
Caron ran his hand along a wooden chair.
Spotless, he thought. There wasn't a speck of dust on his fingers. Clearly, someone had been taking care of the house.
"Hmm?" As Caron glanced around the living room, his gaze landed on an unfamiliar object.
It was a small wooden figurine sitting on the table. It was something Pluto hadn't detected during the initial scan. The figurine didn't appear to have any traps or mechanisms, but it still caught Caron's attention.
"...There's no way I could've missed this," he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
As Caron stared at the figurine suspiciously, Leo walked in behind him and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"That figurine. Pluto didn't see it earlier," Caron said, pointing at the table.
"What figurine? There's nothing there," Leo replied, sounding genuinely confused.
"It's right there. On the table," Caron insisted.
"I don't see anything. Stop trying to freak me out," Leo said.
Unconvinced, Caron summoned Pluto again and inspected the figurine through the dpirit's senses. Still, Pluto couldn't see it.
"Owner, I sense Etyron's mana coming from that figurine. It could be cursed," Guillotine warned in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
Caron smirked and unsheathed the sword.
Schiiing!
"Well, there's one way to find out," Caron said. "I'll just smash it."
When in doubt, breaking it was Caron's approach to anything suspicious. If the figurine contained a threat tied to the vile mana of the Accursed Dragon, it was better to destroy it outright.
Just as Caron raised his sword to strike, a young, trembling voice echoed through the house, saying, "...That's my treasure. My uncle made that figurine for me."
Caron turned toward the source of the voice.
Standing there was a young girl with pale green hair that shimmered in the light. She wore an adorable white dress that reached her knees. Pointed ears peeked out from her hair, marking her as an elf.
"Please don't break it. I'm begging you," the girl pleaded earnestly.
Caron didn't so much as blink as he replied, "You just made a big mistake."
"...What?" the girl exclaimed in surprise.
"If it's a treasure, you should've taken better care of it," Caron said, his tone cold and deliberate. Without hesitation, He aimed his sword at the figurine's neck.
The elf girl gasped in horror and shouted, "W-What are you doing?!"
"One wrong move, and this thing will get destroyed," Caron warned, his lips curling into a wicked smile.
"Now, tell me the truth," he demanded, his voice steady and menacing. "Are you a dragon?"