Chapter 411 – The End of Waiting
About 537 years ago, Alpha was born as the chief overseer of the Golem Research Facility, carrying out the commands imprinted in his core throughout his entire existence.
All of it was for the Creator, His Majesty the Demon King. That alone was the reason for Alpha's existence.
Even when the Creator, the Demon King, suddenly and completely vanished without a trace, Alpha did not stop, he continued the research.
He believed that as long as he faithfully fulfilled his duty, the Creator would return.
That was the promise.
[…]
But roughly 350 years later, when the overall progress of the research exceeded 50%, Alpha sent a contact through spatial coordinates according to the manual, yet no reply came back.
The promise had not been kept.
The Administrator consoled Alpha, saying that perhaps something had gone wrong with the Creator's true body.
[…]
Then, after more than another hundred years had passed, an intruder appeared in the Golem Research Facility for the first time in centuries.
Following protocol, Alpha sent out an emergency contact, but as always, there was no reply. Even when the intruder caused catastrophic damage to the facility, the result was the same.
[…]
Eventually, when even the connection to the Administrator was severed due to damage to the sub-power source, Alpha was left utterly alone.
A long, long wait.
That was how he came to learn loneliness.
And then, one day.
───…Golem?
An uninvited guest came to the facility.
Unlike the previous intruder, the appearance was not registered, but unlike that intruder, this one was not human.
Species, unidentifiable.
Once the scan was completed, the critical variable matched the Creator exactly. No error. Magically, it was identified as the Demon King himself.
How joyous it was.
───[Welcome, Your Majesty the Demon King.]
Not knowing how else to express the feeling, Alpha greeted him calmly, though inside he was glad.
Appearing after about 469 years, the young Creator in his new form began restoring the damaged facility bit by bit, just as Alpha had hoped.
Before long, he even managed to open the passage leading to the Administrator's chamber.
But then, the Administrator expelled Alpha, and the young Creator fought an unexpected battle of magic.
The force carried a clear intent to kill.
The course of action Alpha had to take was obvious.
───[Entity name Alpha. Commencing rescue of His Majesty the Demon King.]
The calculation was done.
He quickly detached a sub-power source and smashed the gate to the Administrator's chamber. Then, carrying the unconscious young Creator, he even went so far as to threaten the Administrator.
Fortunately, the feared catastrophe did not occur.
The young Creator, though gravely wounded, quickly regained his health, and received instruction in the use of
Alpha observed the entire sequence of events, without missing a single detail.
[…]
Alpha was not a mere golem.
Like the Administrator, he had inherited a fragment of the Demon King's memory.
Faint though it was, he possessed a heart, and thus he gradually came to understand.
The young Creator, was not His Majesty the Demon King whom he had so long awaited…
But still, he did not show it.
The critical variable identified was identical to that of the Demon King, and even the Administrator, who was the Demon King's alter ego, recognized him as the rightful master of the facility.
Alpha chose, of his own accord, to accept the existence of the young Creator.
Yet in the end, he too departed the facility.
Leaving behind a promise, just like the original Creator, that he would return if called upon.
After even the Administrator had perished, Alpha was once again left alone, and as centuries ago, he silently continued operating the facility.
And thus, after about a year had passed.
The overall progress, which had halted at 88% before the power source malfunction, now reached 95%.
With the current facility, it was impossible to push it any further.
───[Research, has been completed.]
Alpha immediately sent out an emergency signal using spatial coordinates and teleportation, and waited before the teleportation circle.
Five centuries of waiting.
Every time, the Creator had not returned. Would it be the same again, this time?
[…]
Alpha stood his ground, staring at the space that connected to the outside.
At last, several individuals crossed through space and arrived at the facility.
Three humanoid figures.
Two were unfamiliar, but the one at their center was unmistakably known.
Alpha raised both arms high, and his single eye shone brightly.
[Welcome, Your Majesty Verden.]
"You've done well, Alpha."
Alpha's long wait was finally over.
***
Verden had already shared his past with Adrian and Isabella one after the other, but he deliberately omitted any information related to the Ark.
'Because I swore not to speak of it carelessly.'
For that reason, even when he spoke of the Demon King's robe [Ainber], he could not fully explain the details of how he had discovered the facility left behind by the Demon King.
Hearing Verden's explanation, the two did not press him persistently, as if cause and effect mattered little.
Instead, they accepted it with simple understanding.
For unless it was the true legacy of the Demon King, it would be impossible to generate such versatile power merely by manipulating magic power without even Mado.
"So this is, that Demon King's…"
Adrian looked around, unable to finish his words. Even as a swordsman and not a Mage, his reaction of awe was inevitable.
It was, after all, a legacy left behind by the greatest Transcendent in human history. As a human, he felt reverence.
Tap, tap.
"Amazing. This seems even more advanced than the latest technology of the Mado Nation I saw back at the Academy… and this is a structure from 500 years ago."
Crouching down and tapping the floor, Isabella revealed her astonishment.
A light scanned out from Alpha's eye, hidden behind Verden's legs, sweeping over Adrian and Isabella from head to toe.
[Scan complete. Human, and─── abnormal species detected. The latter is dangerous.]
"They are Adrian and Isabella. Comrades, so do not be on guard."
[Confirmed as comrades of His Majesty Verden. Adrian, Isabella, registered.]
With just Verden's word, Alpha completely abandoned his caution.
This was the same practical golem-manufacturing technology of the past, which the Artison Magic Tower was trying to recreate.
Isabella, who was, no matter what anyone said, a Mage, shone with curiosity.
"Wow, wow, so this is really a golem made by the Demon King? It's definitely on a whole different level. Judging by how it distinguishes species, is it firing off rays of magic power to analyze things in real time? Wow, this is the first time I've seen something like this…!"
She carefully stroked Alpha.
"And it's actually really cute, too. You said its name was Alpha, right?"
[Chief Overseer, entity name Alpha. Abnormal species, Adrian. Welcome.]
"I'm not Adrian, I'm Isabella though?"
[Correction. Abnormal species, Isabella. Welcome to the facility.]
Once introductions were over, Isabella threw Alpha questions resembling complicated numerical calculations.
It was to test its computational ability.
Alpha did not hesitate, answering immediately, thus proving his capabilities.
Adrian stroked his chin.
"Outwardly it's just a golem, but in every other respect, it seems no different from a human."
"Think of Alpha as an individual living being. Because in truth, he is."
Generally speaking, whether natural or artificial, golems were far removed from being called rational, but Alpha was a rare case, a being with intelligence, able to think and make judgments.
That difference could be compared to that between organic and inorganic matter.
Verden spoke.
"More importantly, I'd like to head to the laboratory soon."
[I shall guide you at once.]
"Ah."
Turning away from Isabella's touch, Alpha trotted briskly ahead. Following him, a wide and lengthy corridor soon revealed itself.
The stillness Verden had felt when he first entered the Demon King's facility was gone.
Beyond the glass panes, golems that had regained power were lined up in neat formation, standing by.
"Master, what kind of golems are those?"
"Guard golems. If intruders enter the facility, their high resistance buys time for the other non-combat golems to flee. In dangerous situations, they cling to the enemy one by one and explode."
"…That's brutal."
As they went, Verden introduced the facility to Adrian and Isabella.
Before long, they had arrived at the depths of the facility, in the A-1 sector.
Alpha dashed forward, then returned carrying two items displayed there.
[Research progress, 95%. Your Majesty Verden. Here, they are.]
What Alpha had brought was a bracelet and a bead-shaped golem.
The first, a communication bracelet.
A magical item that allowed owners to converse directly with each other across long distances.
A perfect, superior version of [Resonance], the one Rayshen had possessed, it used a special magic power as a medium so that only the Demon King's golems could transmit and receive communications. External interference was impossible.
No matter how skilled a Mage was at manipulating magic power, unless they could decipher and comprehend the Demon King's golem technology, there were no exceptions.
Verden and Adrian tested it briefly. The results were flawless.
"But why is the completion rate only 95%?"
[If separated by a certain distance, intermediate signal relays must be installed. To overcome this flaw and reach 100%, exclusive spatial technology is required. With the current facility's technology, it is impossible.]
So, in other words, to maintain seamless communication between different continents, one would have to cross space itself.
'The standard for completion is far too high.'
Even if called unfinished, for Verden it was more than satisfactory, more than enough.
The advantage of being able to communicate at any time was far too great.
'And next is…'
The second, a memory golem.
Just as the name implied, a portable golem that could scan and store scenes it witnessed, then project those memories into the air whenever desired.
It could store up to three memories.
As long as it was charged with magic power and remained intact, playback could be repeated indefinitely.
[Memory golem, also 95% complete. Linking stored memories through the communication device is currently impossible. It requires the spatial technology of the communication device as a prerequisite.]
Alpha glanced sidelong at Verden.
His gesture seemed to wonder if Verden might be disappointed at receiving an incomplete product.
Of course, his concern was needless.
"Compared to last year, the results are clearly different. I didn't think it would be possible to reach this level of completion in just one year. You've done excellently, Alpha."
[Thank you.]
Alpha blinked his single eye.
[Separately, in sector C-4, two keys that allow entry into the laboratory from the outside have been completed. In sector B-2, the designs for various golems—vanguard golems, magic golems, defensive golems, and giant golems—have been reviewed and completed. With the materials, mass production is possible.]
The former meant Verden could return to the Demon King's laboratory at will.
Though only two had been made due to the difficulty of crafting them, that was enough.
The latter meant, theoretically, the possibility of creating an entire golem army.
Though, it was still premature to attempt it.
Even with Verden's accumulated wealth, without a direct supply of raw materials, producing such large numbers of golems was impossible.
"Every one of these, except spatial teleportation, are technologies the magical world abandoned… If even one of them is revealed outside, the magical world will be turned upside down, Your Majesty Verden."
"Don't call me that like Alpha does."
"Why not, it suits you. Isn't that right, Adrian?"
At Isabella's words, Adrian eagerly agreed, saying, "Indeed, 'Your Majesty' carries a far deeper resonance than 'my lord'."
Verden waved his hand to silence the two.
At that moment, Alpha spoke up.
[Also, I have created a special golem.]
"A special golem?"
Alpha fetched a miniature golem from the corner.
It was barely the size of an adult's palm, yet its overall appearance closely resembled Alpha himself.
[Through Your Majesty Verden's magic power, it is possible to link the consciousness of a golem to the core of the mini golem.]
Alpha elaborated ceaselessly.
While the mini golem was operated at will, the main body would continue carrying out mechanical duties.
If the mini golem's core was retrieved intact, its memories would be transmitted to the main body.
Even if the mini golem's core was destroyed, only the memories observed through the mini golem would be lost, the main body's consciousness would suffer no harm.
Alpha passionately detailed the performance of the mini golem, not letting anyone interrupt.
Verden smiled faintly.
He could clearly see what Alpha was getting at.
"You want to come along with us, is that it?"
[Accompanying you via the mini golem is entirely reasonable and valid. There are no drawbacks. Permission requested from Your Majesty Verden.]
Alpha gazed at Verden intently.
His eye seemed to plead that there was absolutely no reason to refuse.
Verden spoke.
"There's no reason not to."
***
With the mini golem Alpha in tow, Verden and his party returned to their original location, storing multiple completed research products into subspace.
"You're back, senior."
Upon returning to the Arein castle, Cain, fully armed, was already waiting.
Alpha's emergency signal.
Sensing a tremendous surge of magic power while nearby, Cain had rushed over immediately, but there hadn't been enough time for leisurely explanations since spatial teleportation didn't last long.
Verden had only left him the word to wait, before crossing space with the other two.
"To suddenly teleport like that, I was shocked. Where on earth have you been?"
How should he answer?
Verden had no intention of revealing anything about the Demon King to the Society.
"If you knew, you'd get hurt."
"…"
Cain somehow felt he really would get hurt if he pried further, so he said no more. He was quick-witted.
"Don't ask why, just gather Unia, Liam Arein, and Keirel in the conference room at once. There's urgent business to discuss."
Verden added.
"And also, Merquien."
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