Chapter 225 Problem (1)
Artificial Golem technology was once lost in the past.
A few years ago, the Artison Magic Tower succeeded in partially restoring it, producing small forms of Golems, which was considered a great achievement.
But a speaking Artificial Golem?
On top of that.
'Did it just say, Demon King...?'
Verden slowly turned his head.
He looked around carefully, but there were only the two of them in this space. And the eye of the one-eyed Golem was fixed directly on Verden, with no one else standing in front of it.
There was not the slightest possibility of mistaking another person.
What could this mean?
Amount of magic power, nature of magic power, tier limit.
Judging by these critical variables, the one-eyed Golem seemed to be implying that they were identical to the Demon King's...
'But what does it mean that species recognition is impossible?'
The grave of the 9th-tier Transcendent, the Demon King.
With a name that grand, he had expected the grave to be full of traps, trials to be overcome, a dangerous journey to seize the legacy left behind by the Demon King.
A fitting ordeal for what the Ark had categorized as an "ancient trial".
Yet, a talking Golem, and one that mistook Verden for the Demon King?
One after another, things were turning out entirely different from what he had expected.
'No, wait, is this even really a grave in the first place?'
The more he thought about it, the more tangled his mind became.
When Verden remained silent, the one-eyed Golem tilted its head.
[Demon King, Your Majesty. No response. Is there a problem?]
His focus returned to reality.
The one-eyed Golem's misconception still persisted. What should he do? Should he explore this grave as the Demon King, or as Verden?
After a moment of consideration, he chose the former.
He did not consider himself skilled in acting, but this was not the first time he had faced such a situation. If he were exposed midway, he could simply switch to the latter course of action.
Verden spoke.
"No, there is no problem."
[No problem. Response confirmed. Identification ended.]
The one-eyed Golem's eye, which had been glowing green, turned back to blue.
[General Manager, designation Alpha. Executing manager directives. In the absence of the Demon King, there have been 3 unauthorized intrusions and 3 facility intrusions. A total of 6 cases. All have now been resolved. In addition, 3 facility issues have occurred.]
"...Facility issues?"
[Unable to self-repair. Connection with facility manager severed due to functional paralysis. Requesting assistance from the Demon King. If you accept, I will guide you.]
Apparently, what was needed was the Demon King's power—or rather, Verden's.
Still, in this unknown place, encountering unknown problems... it was disorienting, but at the same time, his curiosity as a Mage was piqued.
This was, after all, a relic related to the Demon King, something he had only ever read of in history books.
Verden nodded.
"I accept."
[Acceptance confirmed. I will first guide you to the Situation Room.]
The one-eyed Golem, Alpha, began leading the way with short, quick steps.
Because its stride was so small, its pace wasn't fast. Just slightly slower than a human's normal walking speed.
Verden grasped Orient.
With a minimum of suspicion still lingering in his mind, he followed Alpha into the corridor.
***
The Demon King's grave was silent.
Only the footsteps of Verden and Alpha echoed. Before them stretched a long, wide corridor, with doors installed at intervals not too close together.
The small number of doors suggested that the chambers within must be large. Some of the walls had glass windows, allowing a clear view inside. He glanced in as they passed.
'...So it's not just one or two Golems.'
There were rows of Golems, each in forms different from Alpha.
Yet, none of them moved. As if their power sources had been lost, no trace of magic power could be sensed. Only the light of magic-stone lamps illuminated the surroundings.
'What on earth is this place?'
His doubts grew deeper.
Everything here deviated from the knowledge and common sense he had accumulated until now. The alien atmosphere was thick, giving him a strong sense of déjà vu.
Yes, this didn't feel like a grave at all───
[We have arrived, Demon King, Your Majesty.]
Alpha approached a certain door.
At once, magic power reacted, and the interior revealed itself.
Inside the circular device-fitted space, numerous carved magic stones were set in place, and at the center of the circle was a chair capable of rotating 360 degrees.
'So this is the Situation Room.'
It was an astonishing structure.
As he gazed around with interest, Alpha stared at him beside the chair.
It seemed to be urging him to sit.
It didn't feel like a trap.
A sweep with mana detection showed it to be nothing more than a finely crafted metal chair.
He cautiously sat down.
[There are currently 3 records of unauthorized intruders awaiting confirmation. Would you like to view the records?]
"Records?"
Did it mean documents?
When he accepted, Alpha moved its arm toward the device. In that instant, one of the magic stones above flared, and a scene was projected into the air.
Verden's hired relic exploration party.
They were being slaughtered by the various magic traps inside the grave.
The Seekers, broken and destroyed.
In the chaos, a magic circle activated beneath Hans Deikel as he tried to flee.
The next scene showed Raivan Crusoe, caught in a spatial teleportation trap with his companions, being crushed to pieces by a colossal Golem inside a maze.
Their remains were neatly disposed of as the floor opened up beneath them.
This was no illusion.
It was the memory of the past itself.
Verden stiffened at the realization.
"How could this...."
To record and replay someone's memory?
It was reminiscent of the Magus's magic,
'The concept itself isn't unfamiliar.'
In the magical world encompassing the magic towers, the Magocracy, and magic cities, countless Mages had speculated about storing and transferring memories, and attempts had been made to realize it.
But they had failed spectacularly.
Despite consuming vast budgets, not a single result was achieved. The idea remained in records only, buried and forgotten.
'And yet here it is, before my eyes, perfected.'
Impossible as it seemed.
A possibility flashed across Verden's mind.
[Demon King, Your Majesty, would you like to view the remaining 2 records as well?]
"...I will view them."
Two memories appeared one after another in his eyes.
One was a scene of a relic exploration party, dressed much like the Seekers, being annihilated, and the other was of a giant serpent that had slipped in through an open door, erased without a trace.
Moments later, the projection ended.
The glow of the magic stone that had stored the records subsided.
In Verden's blue eyes, which had been staring into empty air, a sense of certainty began to take root. He thought it impossible, yet the reality before his eyes told the opposite.
There was no choice but to confirm it.
[Playback ended. If there are no issues, I will guide you to the facility problems.]
"...Alpha, I have one question."
[Listening.]
A heavy tension descended.
His heart pounded. After steadying his breath, Verden asked in a low voice.
"When, was the last time I came here?"
Alpha replied instantly.
[467 years, 11 months, 23 days, 4 hours, 38 minutes, and 17 seconds ago.]
The Demon King had vanished from the world about 500 years ago.
So the historical records said, though in the present magical world it was accepted as fact that he had died 500 years ago.
At that time, it was difficult to estimate his age. Even the Magocracy, which the Demon King himself had founded, acknowledged this unofficially.
'Yet Alpha's answer directly denies that.'
Verden rose from his seat.
He stepped forward, laying a hand on the device. The chill of metal seeped into his skin. That sensation lent weight to the hypothesis forming in his mind.
The alien atmosphere.
The déjà vu he had felt in the corridor now made sense.
'This is no grave.'
This is.
'The Demon King's laboratory.'
***
The Demon King's life or death was now uncertain.
Even if he was a Transcendent, it was hard to believe he had survived across centuries... yet, because it was the Demon King, who could say for sure.
He had been the most extraordinary figure among all the transcendent Mages in history.
But more pressing was this laboratory.
"How long has it been since this place was established?"
[535 years, 8 months, 11 days, 14 hours, 28 minutes, and 29 seconds have passed.]
It had been built during the Demon King's lifetime.
But why here, on the western continent, instead of the eastern continent where the Magocracy stood? And why had it been left abandoned for more than 400 years? What was the laboratory's purpose?
Nothing but unanswered questions.
'No, now is not the time for speculation.'
No answer would come from that.
What mattered now was to inspect the laboratory directly. To gain whatever information he could.
'Truths not recorded in history, and unknown magical technologies.'
Verden was determined to uncover them.
As a Mage, he had to know what the vanished Demon King had been pursuing.
What he needed to do was clear.
"Alpha, guide me to the facility problems."
[Confirmed. I will guide you to the 'Golem Production' facility.]
Once again, Alpha took the lead.
They passed through the door of the Situation Room, and went deeper into the corridors. After some time, they arrived at their destination. Within a strange machine, a Golem lay dormant.
"...Is this Golem the problem?"
[Approximately 6 years ago, internal shock caused damage to its magic circle and loss of power. As a result, the laboratory and the First Power Room, the First Power Room and the Second Power Room, and the Second Power Room and the Administrator's Room are in complete isolation. To resolve the facility issues, this 'Repair Golem' is required.]
Internal shock?
"Does that mean there was an intruder?"
[Damage occurred during 2 of the 3 facility intrusions. In one case, an intruder in the Second Power Room damaged the power source. In the most recent case, an intruder in the First Power Room is presumed to have destroyed the magic circle.]
Three cases of facility intrusion.
And three relics that had lost their light. Which meant, the intruders must have been members of the Ark.
Why they had done so, he could not know unless he asked them directly.
"What became of the intruders?"
[Two intruders were killed by the Administrator. The intruder trapped in the First Power Room is missing.]
So the members of the Ark had been slain.
For them to challenge an ancient trial, they could not have been ordinary. Yet to be killed here—was that simply because the overseer of the Demon King's laboratory was of a wholly different order?
It could well be that the overseer was a massive Golem, its body forged mostly from the highest-grade metals. If such a thing existed, even Verden would find it troublesome.
Then, Alpha spoke.
[Explaining facility restoration plan. Complete the Repair Golem, then forcibly open and close the powerless door. Resolve issues in the First Power Room. Restore the power source of the Second Power Room. Reestablish contact with the Administrator.]
Its small arm pointed to the slumbering Golem.
[This Repair Golem is incomplete. Its body is finished. Solution proposed. Completion of its dedicated magic circle, and high-purity magic power are required. The Demon King's assistance is needed.]
Purity of magic power would not be an issue.
Guardian Elf Karans himself had acknowledged it.
The next step was Golem production...
"Where did you put the Golem production records?"
This was, without doubt, a laboratory.
Naturally, related documents must remain. Verden's expectation was correct.
[Golem data is stored in Sector B-4.]
But,
[Currently, due to lack of power, it is in complete isolation.]
"...."
For a moment, he considered destroying the door, but quickly shook his head.
The Demon King's laboratory was built with the construction technology of the Magocracy. It inherently had strong resistance to magic, and even at a glance, its physical durability seemed extraordinary.
Breaking through might succeed, but it would inevitably affect the entire laboratory.
In the end, he would gain no information.
Moreover, Verden had no experience in Golem production. It felt daunting, but not hopeless. According to Alpha, all he needed to handle directly was the magic circle engraved in the Golem.
And Verden was one of the world's foremost specialists in magic circles.
"...Let's begin at once."
[Long live the Demon King!]
Alpha raised both arms high.
Whether it was an emotional or mechanical reaction, he could not tell.
'In any case.'
Artificial Golems required specialized magic circles.
And the Repair Golem's circle was even more complex and intricate. Perhaps it had been crafted by the Demon King himself.
Still, Verden did not believe he would fail.
A magic circle of a design he had never before encountered.
Verden's blue eyes gleamed, as he slowly began his analysis.