Chapter 92 - Episode 8: "Limbs Are Rolling Around Everywhere..."
Good day to you. I am Violia Nico Fortesia.
No humans to vote for Carol? Then it is a simple matter.
If there are no humans, we shall simply create them.
And so, I shall create humans. I shall create humans indeed.
"...I believe it takes about ten months to create a human."
"I am not going to create a human in such a literal, honest way!"
Besides, a human born after ten months would be a baby who cannot even vote on their own!
"Listen well! What we need right now is 'monster blood' and 'human shells'!"
"If we have monster blood, we can generate as many votes as we want! But to cast those votes, a 'non-slave human' needs to go to the polling station!"
"In other words, that is the 'human shell'."
"Exactly!"
The point is, even a monster can vote as long as they have a human appearance! What we need are monsters that can pretend to be human! That is what it comes down to!
"Then... you mean monsters that use illusion magic? I've heard that some types of ghosts can disguise themselves as humans."
"Ghosts won't do. They are translucent. The answer is... this!"
I point to Chesta's left arm and say:
"We shall mass-produce golems!"
"Eh... Golems? Is that okay? Won't it be a disaster if we're caught later?"
"As long as we aren't caught on the spot, there will be no way to investigate 'who came to vote at that time' after the fact."
"Ah... I see. That's true..."
"But is there anyone who can make golems?"
"I have someone in mind."
And so, with one and a half weeks remaining!
We decided to create human... shaped golems!
Once the decision was made, we moved immediately!
I had Doran, Keeb, and Giovan go monster hunting. Their job was to hunt monsters with blood—and since there was no need to capture them alive as long as we collected the blood, it was a simple task they could put their full effort into.
...I expect Giovan to contribute in ways like filling bottles with blood, even if he cannot fight. No, wait, he did take a gun with him, so he might actually be of some use in combat. Yes.
I asked Onii-sama to start making golems immediately.
...However, I wondered if even Onii-sama could create a golem that looked perfectly human...
But I have high expectations for Onii-sama. Yes. Since we eventually need to mass-produce them, as long as he can make human-shaped golem bases that can be disguised with clothes or masks...
"Violia! Look! At this!"
"Oh, is it done already? ...This is..."
Onii-sama immediately showed me what he had finished.
It was some kind of mud-like slime thing wriggling and squirming.
"I failed."
"...Well, such things happen."
This... perhaps I should not expect too much from Onii-sama...
...And so.
Chesta and I acted separately.
Yes. I am having Onii-sama try his hand at golem-making just in case, but this is our main lead.
We are visiting a professional doll maker.
"Rugel—you alive in there?"
The door Chesta opened without hesitation belonged to a worn-out shop in a corner of Elsemarin's back alleys. Outside the shop, a sign hung simply saying 'Lunette Doll Shop'.
Yes. While this is a doll shop on the surface, behind the scenes, it is said they sell golems and prosthetic limbs using golem technology.
"Ah—was the interior like this? I have no memory of it at all."
"You said you were a regular here, did you not?"
"No, whenever I come here, I'm usually high or getting high, so my memory is fuzzy..."
...Is this shop going to be alright?
Just to be sure. Just to be sure, I saw Chesta's prosthetic left arm and thought that a shop capable of making such a limb must have solid skills in golem-making, which is why I came here...
Given that he is an acquaintance of Chesta, perhaps I should have reconsidered...?
"What's the matter, Chesta-kun? This is rare."
Eventually, an elderly man emerged from the back of the shop. He was small and appeared gentle, with a look that made one forget this was a back alley in Elsemarin.
However, his gaze was sharp, confirming that he was indeed someone who ran a shop in Elsemarin's back alleys. Well, a person who is merely gentle could not survive here.
"...Oh? And who is this young lady?"
"Violia. My pal."
He made me his 'pal' without permission. How regrettable.
"I am Violia Nico Fortesia. It is a pleasure to meet you, Rugel Lunette-sama."
Being treated as Chesta's pal is regrettable, but I am not so foolish as to dither about it here. I offered a greeting with a bow.
Then, Rugel-sama made a face as if trying to remember something... and then, it seemed to click.
"Ah, Violia... the young lady of House Fortesia. Yes, I've heard the rumors."
Despite looking so gentle, the fact that he can smile and offer his hand even after hearing 'the rumors' about me... as expected of someone running a shop in the back alleys of Elsemarin...
"...So, what brings you here today? Is something wrong with Chesta-kun's arm?"
"Nah, the arm's in good shape. The one with business today is Violia. I'm just the guide."
"Yes. I apologize for the sudden request, but I would like you to create some golems for me."
I immediately stated my business.
The deadline is one week. I want as many golems as possible made by then. They don't need to be capable of combat. They don't need to last long. However, they must be golems that can be mistaken for humans at a glance.
...Hearing those conditions, Rugel-sama made a slightly troubled face and groaned.
"That's quite difficult. As many as possible in one week... how many are you hoping for?"
"About 2,000, I should think."
"2,000!? That's... hmm, then I'm sorry, but I can't take the job. Even if I made five a day, that's only thirty-five. 2,000 is simply impossible."
...Well, since it was an expected answer, I am not that disappointed.
"Then twenty will suffice. I shall manage the rest with changes of clothes."
Using the twenty provided here along with whatever golems Onii-sama can manage, and then using changes of clothes to get by...
"Hm? Changes of clothes?"
As I was thinking, Rugel-sama made a puzzled face.
However, that face... was not one of suspicion, but one of interest.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me what you're using the golems for? I might be able to come up with a good idea."
...And so, the story was told. Not by me, but by Chesta.
I had hesitated slightly about speaking, but Chesta didn't hesitate at all and started talking right away! This man! What did he intend to do if I had no intention of speaking!?
...But well, I suppose the result was for the best.
"I see. So, you don't need 2,000 golems at once, but rather a total of 2,000 golem visits."
"Yes. It is enough if we can deceive the soldiers' eyes. I intended to reuse a single golem by dressing it up to look like a different person."
"I see. In addition to that, they aren't for combat, and they don't even need to make complex movements or judgments. Yes. In that case, I think I can do it."
Oh. You can? That is a bit unexpected.
"Let's make about twenty golem bases, and instead, we'll make numerous parts."
"Parts?"
As I tilted my head, Rugel-sama went into the back of the shop... and brought out about three arms.
...Arms. They were very much arms...
"These are golem parts. I just grabbed two suitable ones from my stock. Good work, aren't they?"
"Yes. I could hardly believe they were artificial."
Seeing three arms that looked as if they had been severed from humans placed on the table gave me an indescribable feeling...
"And, let's add two leg parts as well."
Legs were added to the pile. A grotesque table of arms and legs was complete.
"...With this, there are four combinations of limbs. If we have two sets of eyes, the combinations become eight. If we have two noses, sixteen. If we have two hair parts, thirty-two."
"The more interchangeable parts there are, the more varied the golems can be. Even with just five types—limbs, head, eyes, and hair—if you have ten parts for each, you can make 100,000 different golems. If we're just thinking about appearance, it would be better to increase the heads, hair, and maybe the eyes and noses. Well, I'll handle that while considering the balance..."
...That is true. I was only thinking of combinations of clothes and wigs, but if the golem's body itself can be reassembled, that would be even better.
"What do you think, Violia-san? If that works for you, I can take the job."
"Yes. Please, I would like to request that."
It will take some effort to reassemble them, but it's not as if we could send hundreds of golems through one after another anyway. It might be just right.
"By the way, how much will the fee be?"
I really should have asked first, but it slipped my mind.
But well, since I've already told him our entire purpose, it's too late to worry about him taking advantage of me. Money is no object.
"Watch out, Violia, this guy charges a lot. Even I struggled to pay for this arm. ...Well, in my case, I just run out of money because I'm buying drugs."
...As expected, a druggie's perspective is something else.
"Well, I'll take what's fair. ...How about this much?"
The amount presented was seven red gold coins. Chesta's eyes nearly popped out as he went "Whoa," but it is well within the acceptable range. In fact, I thought he might take even more advantage of me. He is quite conscientious.
"Yes. That is perfectly fine. I shall give you three coins as a down payment now. I will provide the rest upon delivery of the golems. Is that acceptable?"
I have seven red gold coins in my purse, so I can pay immediately. For now, I took out three coins and placed them on the table.
"Are you sure about giving me that much as a down payment? I'm grateful, but it makes me a bit worried."
"As for me, I would be fine with paying all seven red gold coins right now."
When I said that, Rugel-sama gave a wry smile and accepted the three red gold coins.
With this, the deal is successfully concluded!
"Well then, I'll get to work right away."
With a grunt, Rugel-sama stood up and headed toward the back of the shop.
...I wonder what a golem workshop is like. I am a bit curious.
"Rugel-sama. If it is not a bother, might I observe? I have an interest in doll magic."
When I made the request, not expecting much, Rugel-sama looked a bit surprised, but after looking at me intently, he seemed to accept it.
"I see. You can use magic too, can't you, Violia-san? Very well. Feel free to observe. ...It might not be very interesting, so sorry about that."
Oh. Permission was granted surprisingly easily. How lucky.
...And so, I was able to visit the golem craftsman's workshop.
The inside of the workshop was... how should I put it... grotesque.
"There are many unorganized parts. Sorry it's so cluttered."
"No..."
Limbs, eyeballs, hair... all sorts of human body parts that were indistinguishable from the real thing were on shelves and workbenches. At a glance, it looked like the scene of a dismemberment murder.
Since they are for dolls, there wasn't a single drop of blood, but that somehow made it even more eerie... I cannot quite describe it.
"The ones I'm making this time will be golems where you can patch together as many parts as you like. They won't be very sturdy, but for just voting, it shouldn't be a problem."
Rugel-sama brought over a part that would be the torso of a human and showed me the cross-sections of the limbs.
Magic stones were embedded there. I suppose the doll magic is infused here, and then the magic is completed by reacting to the 'marks' placed on the parts.
"Also, with this way of making golems, I don't think they'll be able to follow complex orders. You might need to keep operating them constantly. Well, anyone who can use a bit of magic should be able to operate them, but if you're worried, you should try it once, Violia-san."
"I would certainly like to try it once."
In that case, for the operation of the golems on the day, there's me, Onii-sama, and Keeb, and maybe even Giovan could do it. I shall have them try.
Doran is ridiculously good at body reinforcement magic, but I don't know if he can use doll magic.
Chesta doesn't seem like he can use magic...
...
...Oh.
Come to think of it... how could I have been so careless as to not notice until now?
Chesta cannot use magic, can he?
But... the fact that he is moving that prosthetic arm... just what does that mean?