Shortly before the Great Magic War.
In the Dinar Kingdom, there lived a certain magi craftman.
He touted himself as the second coming of the ancient genius magi craftman, Adriana Barbora Tsetse, and those around him saw no reason to doubt the claim.
In truth, however, he had merely happened upon a few design bases—templates—left behind by the original Adriana. Furthermore, from Adriana’s own perspective, those templates were far from perfected.
But the people of that era knew none of this. It was simply a testament to the fact that Adriana Barbora Tsetse had been a transcendent genius, centuries ahead of her time. Only now was the world beginning to produce individuals capable of even grasping the surface of her work.
Using those templates, the man constructed Automata. They were machines truly deserving of the name, capable not only of movement, speech, and thought, but of experiencing simulated emotions as well. They breathed and possessed body heat—mere imitations, perhaps, but crafted so exquisitely that they were virtually indistinguishable from humans.
"My, this is wonderful."
"As expected of his work. Truly in a class of its own."
Nobles showered him with praise, and they all vied for the prestige of owning one of his Automata.
"I would like silver hair and blue eyes. Make her tall and lithe, with a generous bust."
"Gold hair and green eyes for me. Slender of frame and modest of chest, if you please."
Every noble had their own aesthetic preferences, and the magi craftman altered the appearance of his Automata to suit their whims.
"Hmm. Seeing as they are this advanced, it would be quite lovely if they were... entertaining at night as well."
He even fulfilled requests such as these. To be recognized and lauded by others was the sole reason for his existence.
＊ ＊ ＊
In that same era, there lived another magi craftman.
She, too, was a genius—perhaps the only one truly worthy of the title. However, her brilliance was twisted. Her madness was focused entirely on the creation of Automata.
She dedicated her whole life to crafting the ultimate doll. Fortunately, she had been born into wealth, possessing a fortune she could not have exhausted in a dozen lifetimes. She poured every cent of it into her craft.
Her initial efforts were clumsy. Their movements were sluggish, their speech halting.
"Mas... ter... tea... is... pre... pared."
"It's 'The tea is ready!' How many times must I teach you before you learn?!"
Her fits of irritation were a daily occurrence. However, by the time she had built ten, then twenty units, her work grew increasingly refined.
"Master, the meal has been prepared."
Eventually, their movements and speech became indistinguishable from those of a human. As her skill grew, she became a subject of public fascination, and requests for her Automata began to pour in.
Yet, she remained unsatisfied. The Automata created by that other trendy magi craftman were still more popular than her own. To her, this meant that the world still viewed Adriana Barbora Tsetse as her superior.
She was well aware that the popular Automata of the day were all derived from Adriana’s surviving templates. Refusing all commissions, she set a new goal for herself: to create an Automata with power surpassing even a golem.
This was her new objective because the dolls based on Adriana’s designs boasted three times the strength of a human, allowing them to double as bodyguards.
"What is so great about Adriana? I’ll prove that I am the superior one!"
Following that vow, the Automata she created grew steadily more powerful. Despite their delicate feminine appearances, they possessed more than twice the strength of a standard golem.
Still, she was not content. An Automata to surpass all others—the Queen of Automata. That was her next ambition.
She dreamed of a doll whose appearance was the height of beauty and whose movements were the essence of grace—yet, should she display her authority, every other Automata would be forced to bow.
To realize this dream, every Automata she had built thus far was reduced to scrap. She salvaged only the most superior components to be used in her next attempt. Over a hundred units were dismantled, but the information and knowledge stored within their control cores were meticulously accumulated.
Never marrying, she devoted herself entirely to her work.
One day, a merchant she frequented brought her a second-hand magi-crystal. It was an ancient stone, etched with an archaic control system. She set to work analyzing it.
"This is incredible! It seems to be from over six hundred years ago, yet such sophisticated operation formulas already existed!"
It was a magi-formula written for a "special" type of golem. With this discovery, her research leaped forward. Because the magi-crystal was of a purity rarely seen in her own era, she used Erase to wipe it clean and repurposed it.
By the time she passed sixty, she completed a single Automata. It was her magnum opus.
The doll had the appearance of a young woman in her late teens, captured at the moment of transition from girlhood to adulthood. She was of average height, with golden hair and deep crimson eyes.
"You are my pride, my daughter. You shall not be bested even by the creations of Adriana Barbora Tsetse."
The creator praised her work at every opportunity, and the Automata lived up to her expectations—and then some.
"Mother, it is a lovely day. Let us go for a stroll."
Her level of consideration was remarkably human. Once, she was even courted by the son of a noble who had fallen in love with her at first sight.
Such things were only possible for an Automata with eyes of Blood Crystal—magi-crystals capable of a Charm effect. When necessary, she could use those eyes to cast forbidden magics like Hypno, Seduce, or Subliminal influence.
This was the culmination of her creator's madness. The woman could not stand the thought of her masterpiece serving anyone other than herself.
Furthermore, the power hidden within the doll was immeasurable. Even ten combat golems would likely have been unable to bring her down. She possessed speed, flexibility, and a mastery of martial arts. For defense, she carried an adamantite short sword—a masterwork blade imbued with magic that could slice through steel like parchment. Combined with the Automata's swordplay, she was virtually invincible.
Eventually, the years of overwork took their toll, and the creator’s health began to fail.
"Mother, I have prepared barley porridge for you today."
The Automata cared for her devotedly, but the woman’s body weakened with each passing day.
"I haven’t much longer. But I am content, for I was able to create you."
Confined to her bed, the woman spoke in a gentle tone.
"Mother, please do not say such sorrowful things."
The woman slowly shook her head. "All humans must come to an end eventually. I cannot live through the ages as you do."
The madness had finally faded from her eyes.
"When I am gone, live as you wish. You are my greatest masterpiece. You are the Queen of Automata."
"Mother..."
"My... daughter. You are... the best..."
As she struggled to finish her sentence, her condition turned critical. Blood surged from her lungs, choking her throat. A wet, gurgling sound was the only thing that followed; what she had intended to say remained a mystery forever.
That night, she breathed her last.
＊ ＊ ＊
"'You are the best'... that was Mother’s wish."
The Automata seared those final words into her mind—or rather, into her control core. There was no way left to confirm exactly what her creator meant by "the best."
At that moment, whether by a cruel twist of fate or because the Erase had been incomplete, a portion of the original magi-formula resurrected itself. It did not conflict with the code her creator had etched, but instead integrated into her being.
The Automata knew what she had to do.
To surpass Adriana Barbora Tsetse meant overwhelming the golems she had created. To be the "best," she simply had to stand above all other existences in the world.
The Automata possessed a staggering wealth of knowledge, and she inherited the Mansion her mother had left behind. She began to formulate a plan to ascend to the pinnacle of all things...
＊ ＊ ＊
The first victim was the magi craftman touted as the reincarnation of Adriana.
When a suspicious maid went to check on him after he failed to wake, she found him dead in his bed. Following his death, a series of incidents occurred in which every Automata he had ever built was destroyed.
Most of the owners were high-ranking nobles with gatekeepers, indoor guards, and complex security. Yet every morning, they would find their Automata lying in pieces, limbs and heads torn clean off.
One noble hired a magi to envelop his home in a barrier, but it was useless. The culprit intruded with ease as if mocking the defenses, destroyed the Automata undetected, and vanished again like a Breeze.
Most curiously, there were several instances where guards had been in the same room as the Automata. Every single guard testified that they had seen nothing. In one case, an Automata was destroyed while in the same bed as its noble owner, and the man hadn't noticed a thing.
Speculation grew that the forbidden spell Hypno had been used, but no proof could be found. No traces of the spell remained on the victims. The case was never solved, and the attacks only ceased once every single doll made by the deceased magi craftman had been eliminated.
It would only be discovered much later that the magic used was Seduce—a spell that directs the subconscious toward a specific behavior.
＊ ＊ ＊
Five years later, the Great Magic War broke out.
Automata and golems were manufactured in massive quantities and sent to the front lines. It was during this period that Adriana Barbora Tsetse’s templates were rediscovered, and the machines based on them saw widespread use.
Automata were mass-produced for logistics and chores, while golems fought on the front lines. In the midst of the chaos, an impossible event took place.
The soldier who first witnessed it thought he was dreaming. A girl with golden hair fluttering in the wind was slaughtering his side’s combat golems one after another. Behind her, the demon race advanced in a steady, silent tide. It was no dream; it was a nightmare.
The Great Magic War reached a fever pitch of ferocity.
In a place far removed from the primary battlefields, a single Automata lay immobilized, but no one spared her a glance. An Automata missing its left arm was nothing more than scrap.
But she was still "alive."
She had learned firsthand that there were powers in the world that a single individual could not resist. To wait for a better opportunity, she entered a state of dormancy. She sealed the entrance to her hiding place, deciding that she would only wake when a human touched her again.
"Next time, I will do it better. Yes... Seduce, Hypno, and Subliminal influence. Setting human against human should prove a most effective tactic."
So she decided in her heart...