Cronia's Golem and the Called-Out Perseino
Murmurs rippled through the lecture hall.
Academy Magitech Building, Lecture Hall 1
This was the venue for the orientation of the first class I'd decided to attend: Understanding Magitech Engineering.
It was a massive hall, five stories high and capable of seating over a hundred students—thanks to the high enrollment cap. If this were my past life, it'd be like the atrium of a shopping mall.
And yet, even that wasn't enough; the room was overflowing with students. As expected of her.
Sunny and I claimed seats toward the front.
Back in my school days, I'd always preferred the back row—far from the teacher's prying eyes, perfect for slacking off. But this class? I was here for the professor herself. No way was I missing out on a clear view of her in the flesh.
"Huh? Sunny? Luke too?"
As I waited for her arrival, a familiar voice called from behind.
"Oh? The idiot Andre."
Turning at Sunny's voice, I spotted him right away.
"Andre? You're interested in this class too?"
"Yeah, I came for the professor's golems. They're supposed to be super rare."
He plopped down naturally in the seat beside me. We'd only known each other for two days, but he acted like we'd been buddies forever. Not quite on Amy's level, but impressive stickiness nonetheless.
Golems, huh.
Right—golems. They were practically her trademark.
Ancient golems. The symbol of her very being.
"What about you guys? Here for the golems too?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Curious about the ancient golems Professor Cronia handles."
To be precise, it was because she was one of my favorite characters in Deus ex Machina. But as I finished speaking, a stir began at the entrance.
Click-clack, click-clack.
Glancing over, I saw her stride in.
Fiery red hair that seemed ready to burst into flames, contrasted by an intellectual, career-woman vibe. The professor in charge of this class, One-Woman Army Cronia Messene.
The only mage who could wield the golems of a fallen ancient civilization. Others could manage it too, but none as flawlessly or freely as her. Only her bloodline allowed true mastery—and even among the Messene family, no one matched her talent.
Her Gift wasn't golem-related, oddly enough.
From a prestigious noble house, she was an extreme elitist. In Deus ex Machina, she'd tormented Dia—the commoner prodigy—for being a flatback. She started as a villain but reformed through Dia, becoming a fan-favorite hero.
In the crumbling academy overrun by Chaos, she was the one professor who acted the part. In the finale of Act 1, she sacrificed herself for the students, skyrocketing her popularity. Her "Last Lesson" episode? Impossible to watch dry-eyed. That's why I loved her—and why she was my most anticipated professor this semester.
And now, here she was in the real world.
Click-clack.
The hall fell silent the moment Professor Cronia took her place at the podium. No words, just her presence silencing the empire's spoiled elite. What charisma.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed audibly in the hush.
Made sense. A magitech engineer—dismissed as weak in combat—yet a war hero. Even academy students had to feel intimidated.
"Greetings, freshmen. I am Cronia Messene, your instructor for Understanding Magitech Engineering."
Her voice was stiff, mismatched with her beauty—likely from her loner personality and military background.
In her imperial general's uniform, she was... well, damn cool. Wait, does that mean I'll get to see her in action for real later?
"They asked me to teach you future leaders of the empire about magitech. 'First-years deserve a chance at it too,' they said. Hmph. Don't get your hopes up. If even one of you grasps magitech, it'd be a miracle."
A few students clenched their fists at the blatant disdain, but none dared voice complaint or protest.
About ten years ago, the barbarian hordes invaded.
Overwhelming numbers put the empire in a bind. Defending wasn't the issue, but mobilizing forces took too long. A handful of elites couldn't stem the tide.
Enter Cronia, like a comet. The sole magitech engineer who could command a golem legion single-handedly.
She rushed to the front lines alone, plugging the breach and saving the border. A breakthrough would've been catastrophic—like ancient Rome's citizens reeling when barbarians pierced their frontiers.
For the empire, even a "mere" barbarian incursion was worth a decade of life to prevent. Her feat etched her into every Kallandra mind, spurring the academy to emphasize magitech. They even recruited her as professor.
No wonder the hall was packed for day one—and no one protested her barbs. Respect, fear, awe.
Oh, right—last year, some fool freshman challenged her and got wrecked. That probably helped too.
In Deus ex Machina, oblivious commoner Dia draws her aggro with a dumb remark, leading to a duel amid this tension. Made sense now. But Dia had changed a bit, so probably no repeat. Was she even here?
"I've taught students like you for years. Not one truly understood magitech. No grasp of magic, just tinkering with mechanical servants. I hope one of you proves different. Anyway, orientation day—they want an intro to my class."
Boom.
"Holy shit!" "Is... is that an ancient golem?"
As she finished, a massive subspace rift tore open just ahead of her.
Out emerged the ancient golem: a hulking three-story frame of clockwork gears, a Spartan warrior's helm, glowing blue eyes.
Hiss.
Steam vented as it fully materialized.
Her main unit, Model Soldier—a match for a Sword Expert upper-tier. The pressure was immense up close.
"First lesson: demonstration. Witness magitech. Any volunteers to spar with my craft?"
Silence.
Not a peep from the packed hall.
"No one? Odd. There's always been takers. Are this year's freshmen all cowards?"
She frowned prettily.
Despite the taunt, no one budged.
"Hmph. Must I pick? Never thought it'd come to this. Who, then?"
Students suddenly stared elsewhere or ducked their heads, avoiding her gaze. A few held steady—probably the game's protagonists, confident in their skills.
"Disappointing. So many cowards dodging eyes. All bluster this batch? ...Hm? Blue hair. No way."
The golem's eyes flashed. Goosebumps prickled my skin—like something scanning me.
"So, the brat's little brother. Perseino! Step forward."
She stared right at me.
Me?
Out of everyone, why me?
Ah. Siren sis.
It hit me then. When Siren had trashed the academy last year, Cronia's golem legion—deployed to stop her—took heavy damage.
Who'd have thought my graduated sister would dump this on me?
"I'll show you magitech."
Cronia flashed me a sly smile.
Well... I'd planned ways to catch her eye, but this? Not how I pictured it.