Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Black Feather Hawk
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Olbern's Golem. After examining the Wolf Queen, I couldn't help but smile.
The internal design of the core followed a familiar yet terribly sloppy form.
'She's imitating the Turtle Golem.'
The core's small internal space was packed tight without a single inch wasted, a testament to how much thought and effort she'd poured into it. Unable to dismantle the once-completed design, she'd layered on attempts and experiments atop it.
Still, she hadn't just blindly copied it. She'd taken what was needed and clumsily filled in the gaps herself where something was lacking.
Unlike the Turtle Golem, which relied on its own mana circle for self-sustaining power, the Wolf Queen was a standard rechargeable golem. In other words, she'd needed to design it with mana consumption efficiency in mind.
Olbern's vision for the Wolf Queen was fully captured within the core. The moment the mana circle began to rotate, I immediately started revisions.
With the mana circle handling power generation, I removed the storage space. No need to worry about mana drain meant simplifying the structure entirely. That simple tweak alone expanded the core's internal space in an instant.
'It already has a completed body, so no need for self-repair functions... For burst acceleration, thrusters on the soles of the feet should work... That way, it can breathe fire from its mouth too...'
The Wolf Queen wasn't designed for combat. Olbern had apparently started with that intent, but the core was far too small. No way to build a powerful golem with a core this size. Heavy cargo transport was out of the question too, naturally.
Of course, as a specialized magic tool called a golem, it would have some baseline combat capability. But the role that suited this one best was mobility leveraging its swift speed. In a pinch, it needed to be fast enough for Olbern to ride it and escape without getting caught.
'Better if the mana usage isn't obvious, but capacity's the issue. Lower the output a bit to free up some margin...'
The core's small size meant the work didn't take long. About an hour, give or take. The moment I saw it, I realized she'd done a pretty good job. A highly satisfactory result.
Clank-
The instant I activated the mana circle designed inside the core, ambient mana was drawn into the Wolf Queen's core, and a large-dog-sized iron wolf rose from its spot. Lacking autonomous thinking, golems required user commands even for the smallest movements.
I mentally issued light commands to the Wolf Queen.
Walking and running, jumping in place, burst acceleration using its internal thrusters. Finally, it even breathed fire from its mouth. Of course, not being a combat organ, it wasn't a powerful blaze. Just enough to make a campfire—that was the Wolf Queen's limit.
Thud-!
Right on cue, it seemed the disciples who'd gone on errands were returning. Along with the heavy footfalls of the Turtle Golem, their mana signatures registered within the Gentle Wind barrier.
The three disciples had stuffed the Turtle Golem's interior full of cargo. Changes of clothes, food, furniture, and other daily necessities kept pouring out. Naturally, hauling the heavy loads was Simo's job.
I, along with Durel and Olbern, focused on lighter items like bread and jerky. After transporting most of the cargo that way.
Durel handed over a slip of paper and set several small boxes down on the deck.
"Here's the list of purchased items and the amounts spent. These are goods picked up from the magitech workshop on commission... And these are for artifacts to craft separately."
"Hm..."
I skimmed the slip Durel gave me and frowned. Expenditures were hefty, yet the cabin's supplies were still sparse. The money I'd given them for the errand was our entire fortune, so now we truly needed to work to earn more.
I stepped over to inspect the magitech workshop's items.
"The magitech workshop handed these over? I figured they'd summon us."
"Once I showed them the sword you crafted, Master, they didn't hesitate. And thanks to Olbern, things went smoothly."
I turned at Durel's reply. Worn out from moving cargo, Olbern was slumped over, panting. Even exhausted, she straightened up and pretended to be fine the moment she felt my gaze. She had no idea yet what had happened to her golem.
I pointed to the Wolf Queen, curled up in a corner.
"Olbern. Go check that out."
"Pardon? That's... the Wolf Queen!"
Olbern jolted upright at my words. She rushed over, examined the core, and let out a scream laced with shock.
"Th-this...!"
As a mage who'd researched golems, she'd instantly grasped the changes upon inspecting the core. Olbern hopped in place before clutching the golem's core to her chest and dashing madly across the deck.
"Looks like you tuned up Olbern's golem, Master. She's thrilled."
"Didn't expect her to be this happy."
"No one wouldn't be happy receiving a gift from you, Master. I'd react the same."
As I chatted lightly with Durel, Simo's cargo hauling wrapped up. Finally, it lumbered onto the deck with a large box on its back and set it down.
"Hoo...! That's the last one!"
"Good work."
I approached Simo and peered inside the box. Filling the rectangular wooden crate were round, purple-tinged fruits. Drawn by their sweet aroma, I grabbed one and bit in. Tart yet sweet juice flooded my mouth.
"You all rest up. You'll have to head back once the artifacts are done."
I told the disciples to take a break and checked the slip again. Below the purchase list, small writing detailed additional requests.
'Steel plates with flame runes... On the collar, sever from wind...'
The fine print was the magitech workshop's requirements. The handwriting looked like Durel's, probably jotted down on the spot with Olbern's help.
The more times I engraved runes, the faster I got. Repetition of the same action was boosting my rune engraving spell proficiency.
The magitech workshop's commissions and the artifacts for our own sale finished up just as dusk began to fall. The whole process took less than five hours.
Once I announced the work was done, the disciples, who'd been spending their personal time, came rushing over. Olbern, mounted on the Wolf Queen, inspected the completed items in undisguised awe.
"All this... without missing a single one, and so meticulously...!"
"Olbern. How fast is Master's work pace, exactly?"
Olbern paused at Simo's question. She hopped down from the Wolf Queen and scrutinized the items in the boxes.
"Engraving mages vary wildly in speed, so it's hard to put into words... But considering the magitech workshop gave three days' leeway, this is insanely fast. Each item requires adjusting rune sizes and engraving intensities differently, which usually takes ages..."
"Anyway. Point is, Master's amazing."
"This goes beyond amazing... At this speed... with zero failures. If you entered the magitech workshop's contest, you'd win hands down. This is, this is..."
'Embarrassing.'
But it didn't feel bad. Praise from my own disciple, no less. Hearing the awe and surprise in her voice somehow lifted my spirits. As Olbern examined the items, her gaze turned to me.
Her demeanor was utterly deferential, her eyes brimming with deep respect.
I cleared my throat and spoke.
"Enough chatter. Get going. We need to hustle to arrive before sundown. Durel, take this."
With that, I handed over a small slip from my pocket. A rough list of needed materials I'd jotted while finishing the artifacts. Durel skimmed it and replied.
"You need more cores, I see. I'll get the cheapest ones available. Oh, and what about clothes for you, Master...?"
"My clothes..."
Durel's question made me think of my luggage. My changes of clothes amounted to a few seasonal outfits in my bag and some underwear. Now that we'd set up living quarters here, I definitely needed more.
"Handle that first. I'll shop for mine tomorrow."
"Understood. We'll be quick."
Leaving just the disciples felt too uneasy; my feet wouldn't move. Maybe after crafting one more combat golem to guard the Black Feather Hawk and the three of them.
Selling these completed artifacts should net some decent cores.
"Seniors! I'm riding the Wolf Queen! Let's go already!"
Clatter-clatter-
Olbern, astride the Wolf Queen, leaped from the Black Feather Hawk. On the ground, she circled the Turtle Golem repeatedly on her mount. Eager to test the reborn Wolf Queen's performance, but we couldn't depart on her whim just yet.
The Turtle Golem started moving only after Simo had loaded all the completed artifacts.
Thud-!
With heavy footfalls, the Turtle Golem advanced toward the sunset glow. Trailing behind was the little steel wolf, scampering eagerly.