It was the evening of a relaxing autumn day.
I was rolling around in a room floored with tatami mats. I wasn't wearing my usual clothes, but a men’s yukata. I had asked Zabuton to make it for me, and I quite liked it because of how loose and comfortable it felt. If I had a TV here, I’d probably be watching it with a cold beer in hand.
While I was lost in those idle thoughts, Zabuton’s Children arrived. Apparently, they were going to perform a play for me on top of a short-legged table. I straightened my posture and settled in to watch. It was a silent performance, but their bold movements made the story easy to follow. A red-haired spiderling played the heroine, and the story followed her struggle to survive alongside her friends.
I wondered if they had come up with the original script themselves. It was impressive. Beside me, the Sake Slime was watching the show while pouring sake from a barrel into a cup. I almost asked for a drink myself, but I stopped. I needed to focus on the hard work the spiderlings were putting into their performance. Drinking would have to wait until they were finished.
The story lasted less than ten minutes, but it was quite entertaining. If I had to grade it, I’d give them a hundred out of a hundred, naturally. It was great. I decided I should let everyone else see it next time.
Just as I was feeling satisfied and about to ask the Sake Slime for a drink, I noticed Aegis the phoenix chick and the eagle standing by at the edge of the room. It seemed there was a second act. I decided to keep watching. The sake would have to wait a little longer.
I never expected Kuro, Yuki, and even Ol the Orthrus to make an appearance in the third act. It was a genuine surprise. And to think the first act had been foreshadowing! The way they pulled off a massive payoff in the third act was incredible. I really shouldn't underestimate them.
I felt like I had to make sure I wasn't outdone by them. No, I didn't mean I was going to perform a play. I just meant that I needed to keep working hard. Incidentally, the Sake Slime managed to drink all the sake before the third act was even over.
The autumn harvest was fast approaching. As I was looking out at the fields, Versa came to see me during the day, which was rare. She wanted to borrow the Devil Statue Sample I had made for the Prada Art Museum. Since it wasn't something I needed to hide, I agreed, though it took me a moment to remember where I’d put it. I had a feeling I’d seen it recently...
I went back into the mansion to search for it. Ah, there it was. I’d tucked it away in the storage room. The reason I’d seen it recently was because of the spiderlings’ play—Aegis had been using it as a prop.
I handed the Devil Statue Sample to Versa. I asked what she planned to do with it, and she explained that since it contained a soul, she wanted to transfer it into a humanoid form. I didn't quite understand the process, but I asked what kind of form would be best. Apparently, the statue would choose for itself.
I followed the statue Versa was carrying as it led us out of the mansion. We headed south, but I realized where we were going. It was the hangar for the Artie Horse—the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment.
I asked if she really intended to use the Artie Horse, but she simply told me that the statue was the one choosing, so there was nothing she could do about it. Fortunately—if you could call it that—the statue chose Unit No. 1, Siegfried, which was non-functional. I wasn't sure if it was truly okay, but when I asked what would happen, Versa admitted she didn't know.
She really didn't know, huh? I asked if there was a chance the machine might move on its own. She said it was possible. That was a problem; I couldn't have it going on a rampage. Seeing my resistance, Versa snapped her fingers. Countless thick chains burst from the ground and bound Siegfried tight. Oh! Versa was actually doing something that looked like magic.
While I was standing there impressed, I had to stop her before she began. I told her to wait a moment. Yor was incredibly attached to Siegfried. If Versa did something and broke it without permission, it would be a huge headache later. Versa pointed out that it was already broken since it didn't move, but I insisted on getting Yor first.
Luckily, the Great Tree Dungeon was close. I managed to bring Yor back in less than ten minutes. She resisted the idea fiercely at first, but Versa managed to persuade her. It was impressive to see Yor back down without even being threatened. I wondered if Versa had suggested that Siegfried might actually move. Hadn't she told me she didn't know what would happen? Maybe it was just a matter of possibility.
Regardless, if Yor was convinced, I wouldn't stand in the way. I apologized for stopping them and told Versa to proceed. She began chanting an incantation, and the Devil Statue Sample floated into the air. The moment it made contact with Siegfried, a blinding light filled the area. My eyes stung so badly I couldn't keep them open.
The light only lasted for an instant. When I managed to pry my eyes open, Siegfried was still there, unchanged and bound by the chains. The Devil Statue Sample had fallen to the ground, but it wasn't broken.
I wondered if that was it, but it seemed I was wrong. Siegfried began to vibrate minutely. The shaking grew more intense until something that looked like blood and flesh began to overflow from the machine's joints. What on earth was that?
The blood and flesh moved as if they had a will of their own, attempting to envelop Siegfried. However, they were hampered by the thick chains Versa had summoned. The muscle and gore tried to solidify several times but failed. After a few attempts, the mass stopped moving and turned its attention toward Versa. It looked as if it were asking if she would remove the chains.
My intuition was right. Versa flatly refused. After a few more violent attempts to break free, the blood and flesh began to recede back into Siegfried like a film being played in reverse. The machine's vibrations slowed and then stopped completely.
Despite that, Versa didn't lower her guard, and the chains remained in place. As for Yor... she had fainted while still standing. It probably happened right around the time the meat started oozing out of the joints. Since it’s dangerous to faint while standing, I carried her a short distance away and laid her down.
By the time I got back, Siegfried was thrashing about, trying to break out of the hangar. It really wasn't over. The hangar’s mounting brackets had been snapped, and the only thing keeping the machine inside was Versa’s chains.
Versa looked at me and asked if she should just crush it. I wanted to say no, but the rampaging was getting out of hand. Yor was still unconscious. If she were awake, she’d be screaming for us to stop.
While I was hesitating, that same mass of blood and flesh appeared near Siegfried’s head and began to form a shape. It looked like a box... and then something extended from it. My instincts screamed at me: A cannon?!
I rushed toward Siegfried and swung my hoe. I could have thrown a spear, but the angle was bad. A spear might have flown past and hit the racetrack, the fields, or the mansion. I had to praise myself for having the presence of mind to make that judgment.
My swing tilled Siegfried’s right leg, instantly turning it back into soil. Having lost its support, the machine collapsed inside the hangar. I swung again. The chest and head were tilled, returning to the earth. Just as I was about to follow up with another strike, Siegfried stopped moving. The pilot hatch hissed open, and something flew out.
A naked woman? She was huge—over three meters tall with massive horns. For a moment, I thought she was a Minotaur, but her build was much too slender for that. Her hair was black... no, was it blonde? Or white?
Wait, I couldn't quite perceive her correctly. One moment she looked like a three-meter-tall adult woman, and the next, she looked like a small child with tiny horns. That child was now clinging to Versa, using her as a shield to hide from me.
I asked what was going on. Versa explained that her existence wasn't stable yet. Since she had no name and no Authority, she was harmless in this state. I asked about Siegfried, and she assured me the machine wouldn't rampage anymore. Versa snapped her fingers, and the heavy chains vanished. I suppose that meant the crisis was over.
I had no intention of hurting a child, regardless of how she looked. I asked Versa if she could take care of her. Versa made a face of pure disgust, but she eventually sighed and agreed, saying it couldn't be helped. That was a relief. I told her to let me know if she needed anything.
She asked for extremely bitter food. I wasn't sure why she needed that, but I promised I'd try my best to find some.
I turned back to see what I should do with the remains of Siegfried, but the machine had vanished. The parts I had tilled into soil remained, but everything else was gone. Versa pointed at the small child, indicating it was her doing.
I sighed. I had no idea how I was going to explain this to Yor when she finally woke up. It was a development I probably should have seen coming.