Shining Gold (5)
If this had been a line from a novel, one’s heart would have fluttered in eager anticipation of the plot twists to follow. But because it was reality, the heart could only pound for an entirely different reason.
“Please spare me.”
The instant he regained consciousness after fainting, Ermoten slammed his forehead to the floor without a shred of hesitation. It was a feat of mental agility he could proudly call the fastest of his life.
“No. When did I ever say I was going to kill you?”
Serpina had moved beyond surprise at the utterly decisive motion and now found herself completely dumbfounded. She was well aware of the classic trope between dragons and dwarves. During the war she had occasionally encountered other dragons who liked to brag about how they had once fleeced dwarves out of their gold. But that had never been her style. Besides, Ermoten wasn’t even from that generation. The true tyranny of dragons was something his great-great-grandfather had likely never witnessed. Yet here he was, reacting like this. Being saddled with a false accusation for something she had never done left a rather sour taste in her mouth.
Deciding to finish her business quickly and leave, Serpina cut straight to the point.
“Make me a golem. I’ll handle the magic myself, so just build the body. Sturdiness is what matters; I don’t care what it looks like. Oh, but it shouldn’t stand out too much. You’re with the Alliance, so you understand what I mean, right?”
“Huh? Y-yes…”
Ermoten mentally sorted through what he had just heard. It wasn’t all that different from his usual work, so the request was easy enough to process. In short: a sturdy golem that wouldn’t draw attention. When summarized, the demand was almost laughably simple. There was, however, one problem.
“Why… why are you asking a researcher like me?”
Naturally, a materials researcher did not build golems. This had nothing to do with Ermoten’s seniority; the only golem-related item in the entire laboratory was the three-stage transforming robot vacuum they had purchased recently.
“That’s for you to figure out.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t dwarves have some kind of guild meeting or something? Just put the word out and find someone who can make it.”
“Even if you suddenly tell me to—” Ermoten caught himself. “N-never mind! I’ll look into it right away!”
It wasn’t as if he had no one in mind. But handing a fellow dwarf over to a dragon felt strangely like betrayal. If other dwarves ended up suffering the same dragon-reality-shock he had just experienced, it would be a disaster.
Narel, who had been quietly watching the conflicted dwarf, spoke up from the side.
“We’re not asking you to do it for free. Since this is an urgent request, would this amount be acceptable?”
She tapped a number into her smartphone and held it out. Ermoten’s eyes widened like saucers.
“I-is this serious?”
“Oh. Is it not enough? I’m not familiar with the going rates in this field, so if it’s insufficient…”
“No! It’s more than enough!”
Ermoten’s mind spun at top speed. This was an opportunity he could not afford to miss. Feeling like he was selling out his own kind to a dragon? That was one way to see it. But at this level of compensation, it was less betrayal and more like making a valuable introduction.
“I know an excellent artisan! Please, come this way!”
Ermoten respectfully guided Serpina and Narel to the workshop of the craftsman he knew.
The workshop owner jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of her father.
“Dad?! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the lab right now?”
“Everyone else has already fled, so they’ll probably assume I ran off too. But that’s not what’s important right now, daughter.”
“Then what is?”
“Dad brought guests. Come in!”
“Why are you inviting people into my workspace? …Huh?”
The moment the woman following behind Ermoten stepped inside, the daughter’s heart slammed against her ribs. It was a feeling she had never experienced before… Her eyes flew wide open. Ermoten gave her head a light smack—by dwarf standards.
- Smack!
“Ow! Why did you hit me?!”
“I had to do something or you weren’t going to calm down.”
Only then did the daughter realize she had nearly fainted moments earlier. Even if she hadn’t passed out, she probably would have been trembling in full-blown panic.
“But still—how am I supposed to calm down?! My body’s reacting on its own!”
“Look at this.”
“What is it? A number? One, ten, hundred, thousand… Hmm, what does this number mean?”
“It’s the commission fee these clients are offering.”
“…Gasp!”
The power of capital was absolute. Even the primal fear etched into every dwarf’s bones bowed before it. The daughter’s expression flipped in an instant. Any trace of trembling vanished as she greeted her guests with a radiant smile.
“Hello! My name is Erma! What sort of commission brings you to my workshop today?”
Serpina was almost impressed by the lightning-fast attitude shift. Still, good was good. She decided to let it pass.
“I need a golem built. You’re the artisan, right? Make me something that can serve as a golem body.”
“…Pardon?”
Erma’s face mirrored the exact same puzzled look her father had worn earlier. She gestured at the doll parts scattered across the workshop.
“But we’re a doll workshop?”
Erma was a doll artisan—specifically, she specialized in ball-jointed dolls. Thanks to a dwarf’s legendary dexterity and craftsmanship, her dolls were renowned throughout the industry for their durability and impressive range of motion. Still, the word “golem” usually conjured images of something crude and massive. The two concepts seemed completely incompatible. Or so she thought.
Serpina answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“That’s even better. A doll will attract less suspicion.”
Between an eccentric sculpture that looked like it belonged in a building lobby and a ball-jointed doll, which would seem more out of place inside a private home? Obviously the former. Ball-jointed dolls might not be everyday items, but they weren’t inherently suspicious either.
“Hmm… I see. If the client says it’s fine, then it’s fine. In that case, shall we discuss the details? What size did you have in mind? Should we use standard urethane for the material, or would you prefer magical composites? What head mold would you like? Will you handle the face-up yourself, or…”
“Ah, stop, stop.”
Serpina raised a hand, cutting off the endless barrage of questions. The flood of technical terms was impossible to follow.
“Just handle it however you think is best. The only thing you need to remember is that it’s going to become a golem.”
“That’s actually the hardest request of all…”
Erma sighed inwardly. Had anyone else given such a vague order, she would have politely told them to look elsewhere. But the number she had seen earlier was far too tempting. Not to mention the identity of the client.
“Then at minimum, please tell me the size. Standard sizes are around twenty-six or forty-three centimeters. Since you want it to function as a golem, I’d recommend at least seventy centimeters to make it practical.”
“Why so small? Make it over a meter tall.”
“U-um… It is a custom order, so it’s possible, but it won’t be compatible with any of our other products.”
“We can worry about that later.”
After asking a few more questions, Erma’s expression grew subtly complex. At the same time, her heart raced with excitement. Time was short, but with this level of payment it was as if there were no budget constraints at all. The thought of being able to freely use materials she had previously avoided because they were too expensive and unprofitable made every other concern feel trivial.
After receiving Erma’s promise to deliver the finished doll in person, Serpina left the workshop.
Four days later.
Erma arrived at Serpina’s house with deep dark circles under her eyes and noticeably sunken cheeks. Strapped to her back was a wooden box shaped like a small cylinder.
“It’s… complete…”
“Are you all right?”
It was rare for even Serpina to ask such a question. Erma gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Those were the most intense four days of my life… But I enjoyed every second. If I ever get the chance, I’d love to take more time and make another one properly. Where should I place the doll?”
“Set it in the living room. I’ll be applying the magic there.”
“Understood… Up we go.”
Erma readjusted the box on her back and stepped inside. Her height, which looked suspiciously close to the 140-centimeter mark, made her seem on the verge of toppling over, yet she staggered with surprising skill all the way to the living room and gently set the box down.
After wiping away her sweat, she pulled a canteen from her waist and took a long drink. Naturally, it was filled with beer.
“Khaa… Ah. I’m sorry. It was automatic.”
Serpina paid the behavior no mind. She opened the lid of the box and inspected the doll. It was slightly larger than the one-meter height she had requested. She considered that a pleasant bonus; a bigger guardian would surely protect the house more effectively. The doll’s appearance, which she hadn’t held high hopes for, easily earned a passing grade. As expected, when you wanted something well-made, you asked a dwarf.
“…Hik! For some reason I just got chills…”
During the four days Erma had spent crafting the doll, Serpina had prepared a series of spells. She began with the most basic golem creation magic, then layered on every defensive enchantment she could think of to protect the house. Thanks to the doll’s generous size, she even managed to add several miscellaneous household chore spells on top of everything else.
And the moment the final enchantment was completed, the doll’s eyes opened.