Chapter 7 - Sleep is a Luxury
Vespa Royal Academy professor Reina, edging into a dangerously stressful age bracket these days, had started living off headache pills.
“Damn golem maniac bastard….”
Rubbing her throbbing temples, she prepared for her next lecture and let out a deep sigh. The turbulent month she'd just endured came flooding back unbidden.
From the entrance ceremony, I knew that guy was bad news.
Living long enough to see someone try smashing through the school gates on a golem—that was a first. Then at the hearing, he brazenly flashed royal identification papers and other documents, smashed up the floor a bit, grabbed a slab of slate, and bolted. And every day since, he'd been making waves.
First day—magic class, right?
The instructor was Isarina, the renowned witch with light purple hair. Students hungry for knowledge or new connections had filed into her classroom with eager faces. Only to be stunned.
The door was lying on the floor, rolling around. The cause? Its hinges were gone. Special mana-forged metal hinges, designed to reinforce the door's strength for a magic lecture hall, no less!
The grand first spell of the lesson turned out to be a simple culprit-detection charm—not some flashy illusion or fireball.
—The culprit was Aizen, sitting calmly in the classroom.
Then alchemy class.
Instructor: master alchemist Professor Rodellini. Famous enough that students interested in alchemy, or fools dreaming of turning rocks to gold for their territories, shuffled into the dimly lit room.
And they panicked. Two of the metal cauldrons prepared for the class—specially forged to withstand exotic reagents and explosions—were missing.
Rodellini, thinking she'd misplaced them, fainted at the thought of a pay dock.
—The culprit: Aizen, in his dorm, who'd flipped one cauldron over the other and was blowing something up inside.
Next, dungeon studies.
That one was unforgettable. It was her class, taught by renowned knight Professor Reina herself.
Dungeons were treasure troves of resources and loot—like vaults stuffed with gold. She'd designed the class specially, figuring it'd appeal to commoners like her or cash-strapped nobles.
Mid-lesson, two students vanished. Then a strange metallic clang echoed through. Face paling, Reina swept the dungeon in a flash.
—The culprits: Aizen and Mina, pickaxes in hand.
My head hurts.
A royal talent worth watching, sure—but this was overkill, wasn't it?
As academy students, he'd gotten punishments for each incident: things like scrubbing hallways or weeding—chores nobles would despise. And Aizen just... did them, quietly.
Nobles would've freaked out at that much....
Country boy grit, I guess. Handles it fine.
No sign of complaint from him. Clearly, those penalties were too light to count as real punishment. Another sigh escaped her, and her headache flared.
If not for those papers bundled with his royal credentials, Reina would've throttled him herself by now.
Thanks to them, the professors fixed the door, Aizen paid double compensation for the cauldrons and kept them, and that was that. They couldn't push further.
Everyone's got eyes on him.
What he'd done before enrolling? Every professor knew. The court mages' uproar, the Arclight territory golem—no one at the academy was clueless.
A rideable golem.
Honestly, even Reina was intrigued. The palace reports, seeing the real thing—you couldn't deny its potential.
Swift mobility. Build once, use till it breaks. And if just anyone could pilot it....
To her, who'd pursued the sword her whole life, it was a threat. And alluring.
No wonder the royal knights are circling.
For all her looks, Reina was one of Vespa's top knights, with ties to the palace guard. She knew how they viewed it.
Any Vespa Royal Academy professor would've known what the higher-ups thought—it came with the job.
Anyway. If those golems went practical....
Everything built up over years would change.
The biggest shake-up for guys like me. She glanced at the sword at her hip.
Thoughts swirled inevitably. But if it was natural evolution, resisting was near impossible.
And honestly, Aizen himself is worth watching.
Trouble magnet, sure—but peel back the chaos, and the kid had skills. Stellar stamina. Deft hands. Magic mastery and killer improvisation. Deep curiosity, grit, tenacity.
A diamond in the rough. Professors itching to polish him, claim him for their field.
But it all poured into golems.
Just take one normal step, you idiot!
How to turn this damn golem nut into a proper student finishing the curriculum quietly?
The moment she thought of her professorial duty—
Isarina and Rodellini burst in.
“Re-Reina! Massive metal shipments rolling in from outside the academy! Too many to block! What the hell?!”
“Reina, Professor?! They said unused warehouse sold? News to me? Christa Merchant Group just dumped a fortune—ah, mind if I snag ten percent for research funds...?”
“Arrrgh!!”
She popped headache pills like candy. Her head really hurt.
****
“You actually snagged a workshop. How?”
“If regular money won't cut it, throw more money at it.”
I nodded at Mina's words, eyes gleaming as workers stacked the metals neatly.
“Awesome. Armor plates and research stockpile incoming.”
“Part of the support deal. Rare metals as we source 'em, but it'll take time.”
Mina smirked, eyes half-lidded, then sharpened on me.
“Deliver results. Fail? Punishment.”
“I'll deliver. What kind?”
“Kraken eye-kiss.”
Blank for a beat. Then horror dawned.
Mina's lips curved. “Succeed? I kiss you. Deal?”
“One second you're dumping me in the sea, next you're all casual.”
But fair enough. She wasn't a charity case. Strict merchant, my investor—warnings about failure came with the territory.
So, respect her stake. And her nerves.
“Then time to unveil the results roadmap.”
“Already?”
Her turn to blink. I smirked back, gesturing to the Caterpillar Golem relocated to one corner of the warehouse—and the bizarre contraption beside it.
And next to that....
“So that's what you wanted the alchemy cauldrons and hinges for—stole, er, bought.”
“Perfect materials. Couldn't wait.”
Paid near double comp, kept 'em instead. Rodellini, always cash-strapped, lit up at double—said take more if wanted. Kinda scary.
Saved major time. Now I had frames and prototypes to show.
As Mina eyed the golem-magic 3D-printed bits—bone-structure arms referencing the special hinges; cannon barrel reinforced via cauldron design; the two merged cauldrons, hinged into one—
“What'd you do with this?”
“Watch.”
Dumped the weird liquid from recent alchemy class into the cauldron. Mina tilted her head.
“High-concentration mana water for alchemy.”
“Explains the reactivity. Snagged leftovers—why no bulk?”
“Needs equipment. Pricey, but straightforward with setup.”
Hence why I hadn't. Detonated the mana water.
Boom echoed inside the cauldron.
“Guts must be toast.”
“But it holds. Means we can use it. Like this.”
Pointed to the rock mockup by the Caterpillar.
Crude now, but today's star.
“Engine.”
Mina studied it intently. Glanced at the cauldron, back to the engine.
Then grinned wolfishly.
“Fun.”
Not a threat. She already saw the gears turning.
“So this 'heart' powers the bipedal—”
“Caterpillar!”
“—Caterpillar Golem.”
So casual—she'd said bipedal to troll. Investor gets a pass, though. Techies bend for funders.
While she poked around, grin widening:
“Impressive already. Add this? Game-changer.”
“Scary?”
She shook her head, still grinning fierce.
“Just reeks of cash.”
Those eyes? Pure calculations now.
Then, abrupt: “Days till?”
“Huh?”
“Reinforce that beast with your engine prototype test.”
Nodded at the Caterpillar Golem. Nailed my plan unspoken.
“Plating it in metal sheets.”
Didn't ask how she knew. Straight answer:
“No sleep? Seven days.”
“No sleep's the default?”
“Crash after it's done.”
Eyes bugged, then giggles.
“Should I stop you?”
“You love it. Cheap labor, grind hard.”
Couldn't deny—snorted a laugh.
Then: “It'll work?”
“Damn right.”
Of course.
It's my dream. No way it fails.
Dream within reach. Reason my body buzzed with energy despite sleepless nights.