Chapter 153
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Ego Golem
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Branch of the World Tree.
The root of the special Itarium left by the first emperor.
Mithril.
Adamant.
And a forest spirit.
These five elements came together to create a miraculous result.
It forged a stronger bond between the golem and the spirit.
It hardened the golem's body.
It enlarged the golem's heart.
And it even granted new power.
The result was that.
Spreading its roots and branches to replenish mana and repair its broken body.
- *Kkoong!*
It used its roots and branches as its own limbs.
At Wooden's will, the stems swarmed over Rahnas and the demonic beasts.
—!
Rahnas swung its sword. Blades of demonic energy sliced through the stems.
But more grew back and stretched out than the creature could cut down.
“Go, Wooden. You can do whatever you want.”
- *Kkoong!*
In an instant, they immobilized the demonic beasts and engulfed Rahnas.
Having undergone a growth akin to evolution, Wooden let out a joyous cry at being able to use its full power for the first time.
Wooden gripped its sword and charged.
Or rather, just as it was about to.
*Craaaack—*
The sound of something shattering was heard.
“W-what? The barrier...? Don't tell me Rahnas was defeated? This quickly?”
The Vile Breed's face turned pale. Half of the few remaining pages in the book had burned away.
“Impossible...!”
A scream-like cry.
What descended next was an extreme chill, as if to freeze the entire cavern.
*Thud—*
Something fell before the Vile Breed. It was ice. A head. The head of Rahnas, frozen like a statue.
“It was a pathetic barrier. Quite troublesome, but not unbreakable.”
*Tap.* The mage who had killed Rahnas descended.
“Professor!”
“Pernyan Fallenberg, it seems there's a lot we need to talk about.”
Her gaze was fixed not on the Vile Breed, nor on Pernyan, but on Wooden, who had stopped, caught in the middle.
“Damn it, how? Who the hell are you!”
“I'd like to ask you the same question. How did you manage to deceive my senses and kidnap Pernyan?”
Even while battling Rahnas, Rosalia's senses had covered the entire underground area.
Besides, even without Rosalia, there were many skilled knights and priests of the Dragon God Cult there.
She couldn't understand how they had deceived them all and executed a perfect kidnapping.
“You think I'm going to tell you?”
The Vile Breed placed its palm on the nearly finished book.
“That book is a grimoire, Professor! We must take it.”
“A grimoire?”
“Don't be ridiculous! How dare you trash lay your hands on it!”
Blades of wind flew at Rosalia but were blocked by a transparent wall of ice.
*Crack—*
The Vile Breed's hand froze. The book slipped from its owner's grasp and fell. Just before it hit the ground, Rosalia caught it.
“Let go! How dare a filthy human touch that book!”
“If you asked a hundred people, all hundred would give the same answer. That you look filthier than I do.”
The chill that froze the Vile Breed's hands didn't stop, sealing its mouth as well.
Rosalia opened the book.
“...”
But there was nothing written in it. No matter how many pages she turned, it was filled only with blank white paper.
“Pernyan, are you sure this is a grimoire? There's nothing written here.”
“What? That can't be...?”
Just moments ago, the Vile Breed had used that book as a magical medium. The clearest proof was how it had glowed and emanated demonic energy.
“You saw it glow when that thing put its hand on it, didn't you?”
“Indeed. That makes it all the more strange.”
Why was it different now?
Rosalia melted the ice sealing the Vile Breed's mouth.
“I said let go, you son of a...!”
“First.”
She cut the Vile Breed off.
“Stop that filthy demonic beast. Or I'll rip this book to shreds.”
“S-Stop! Rahnas! I said stop!”
The axe of Rahnas, which had come right up to Rosalia's head, stopped.
“How curious.”
And she didn't miss the momentary flash of light from the book in the brief instant the Vile Breed gave its command.
“A grimoire with nothing written in it, from which I can feel nothing.”
“Put it down now. You'll regret it if you tear it.”
“Regret what, exactly?”
“If you mess with that, you'll die. If you give it back to me now...”
“You'll let me live? My, I'm so honored I don't know what to do with myself.”
*Riiiiip—*
Rosalia tore the book.
“N-No...!”
Demonic energy began to surge from between the torn pages.
But perhaps because only a few pages were left, it was intense but not massive.
The demonic energy couldn't overcome the chill and froze in its torn state.
“Do you have any idea what you've just done!”
At that moment, the Vile Breed shattered the ice binding it and threw a punch. And just like that.
“I tore a book.”
Every part of its body except its face froze. The fist was stopped right in front of Rosalia's nose.
“And now I've frozen an insolent Vile Breed.”
“Shut up!”
The Vile Breed opened its mouth. Condensed demonic energy spewed forth.
———!
But it was ground away and extinguished by Rosalia's staff.
Rahnas and the other demonic beasts, following their master's will, aimed for her back, but Wooden was faster.
Extended branches hindered their movements, and its greatsword struck their necks. Wooden collided with Rahnas, and they tumbled together.
No one could touch Rosalia.
“Damn it all! If I die, I'm taking you with me!”
The Vile Breed's body began to swell.
A wall of rock enveloped it, and a layer of ice was added on top.
But.
————!
The explosion was on a different level from before. It shattered everything and formed a massive crater.
The remaining demonic beasts were all swept away. The only survivors were Pernyan, who had been at a distance from the start; Rosalia, who had layered her defensive barriers; and Wooden, who was just naturally sturdy.
“Are you all right, Professor?!”
“The book burned. It disappeared the moment the Vile Breed exploded.”
What in the world was that book?
“I couldn't feel any magical properties from it, yet it contained immense demonic energy.”
“I suspect it's an artifact made by the Vile Breeds. How are you?”
“Your quick reaction made things much easier.”
It was Pernyan who had raised the wall of rock. He was aware that the Vile Breeds would self-destruct if cornered.
“How about you?”
“I'm fine, thanks to you.”
Wooden had handled most of the fighting, and though there were dangerous moments, he had no major injuries.
“What happened upstairs?”
“I don't know. I came looking for you as soon as I killed Rahnas.”
She put a cigarette to her lips. Pernyan lit it for her.
“But how did you get here so quickly?”
“Did you think I would lose?”
“Of course not. But I didn't expect you to win so quickly.”
No matter how famous Rosalia was as the next Archmage, Rahnas was by no means an easy opponent.
He hadn't doubted her victory, but he hadn't expected her help to arrive so soon.
“It's thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me?”
“To be precise, it's thanks to your gift. That box.”
There was only one box Pernyan had given Professor Rosalia. The one that had held the Egg of a Saint Bird for a thousand years.
“Don't tell me?”
“The magic circles engraved on it surpassed my expectations. I gained a small enlightenment while studying them all night.”
It was all the more significant because the engraved magic circles were of the ice element.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks to that, I saved you from a crisis, so I've paid you back for it proper—”
At that moment, Rosalia's gaze fell upon Wooden, who was staring blankly in their direction.
“...Perhaps it wasn't a crisis after all. What in the world is that?”
- *Kkoong!*
The answer came not from Pernyan, but from Wooden.
* * *
Not. Happy.
Wooden was angry.
For the first time, Pernyan had lifted its restrictions. The freedom to rampage as it pleased.
It was a chance to finally use the swordsmanship it had learned. Of course, it had used some of it.
But just as it was about to reach its peak, a killjoy appeared.
The person who froze its opponent and ended the situation.
“...What in the world is that?”
It didn't like it.
So it answered abruptly when she pointed at it. It felt it had to inform her of its greatness to feel a bit better.
- *Kkoong kkoong!*
Golem! Great!
But the other person didn't understand Wooden's words. Instead, Pernyan's explanation followed.
“...So it's a golem that moves without being controlled. What is it made of to fight on par with Rahnas?”
- *Kkoooo! Kkoo!*
Adamant! Mithril! Best metals!
Wooden mentioned the ores its master often spoke of.
- *Kkoong!*
Not on par. Overwhelming!
And it asserted its combat prowess. It wasn't wrong. It had held the upper hand the entire time.
“...Did that thing just express itself? How can a golem do that? Wasn't it an auto-golem?”
- *Kkoo, kkoo!*
Just. That thing. Comparison. Insult!
Wooden also knew what an auto-golem was, having heard about them. To be compared to those dolls that only move on command.
It was an insult.
“You know of auto-golems?”
“I know about Professor Harkon's research. I heard you met with him and discussed an investment, so I naturally assumed it was one of those...”
- *Geueueu, geuing!*
Wooden! Ego Golem! Irreplaceable!
Wooden proudly thumped its chest.
Seeing the other person's surprised face, its anger seemed to subside a little.
“...A spirit. A forest spirit, at that. A spirit willingly entering a golem. I don't know if I'm seeing this correctly.”
- *Kkoong kkoong! Geuing!*
Good body! A small sacrifice!
Today made it even clearer. That Pernyan hadn't lied.
Wooden was satisfied that this body would be its own in just two hundred years.
It shrank in size and returned to its original position.
“...It shrank?”
The mage's eyes widened again. Seeing her drop what was in her mouth, Wooden felt scornful.
- *Geuing? Kkoong!*
Surprised, by just, this much?
It was pathetic. Compared to the wonders of this body, this was just a fraction.
It had a pleasant thought that if it showed everything, her eyes might just pop out.
*Ahem.* With its soaring sense of superiority, its anger had long since vanished.
“By the way, is this by any chance the necklace you started wearing one day?”
“Yes, it is.”
“To think I had such an artifact right under my nose and didn't recognize it. I still have a long way to go.”
The mage let out a dry laugh.
“Mithril and adamant? The kind of crazy spending only a Fallenberg can afford. With that kind of money, you should have invested more in my research.”
“Didn't I give you a lot?”
“No matter how much there is, it's never enough for magical research. That's why even the Dragon God Cult is...”
Their conversation continued, and Wooden, tired, hung itself on the necklace.
- *Kkoong...*
Sleepy.
Perhaps because it had repaired its broken body, the mana in its core was nearly depleted. Drowsiness washed over it.
“...But aren't you going to announce it? A golem like this would turn the entire magical world upside down.”
- *Kkoong...*
*Still, like a true mage, she knows the value of this body.*
With that budding feeling of goodwill, Wooden closed its eyes and fell asleep.