EP.79 The Manual Must Be Thorough
Tirkanjaka's lips parted, then stopped. The golem, though of course its expression couldn't be seen, waited for Tirkanjaka's reaction as if slightly anticipating it.
After being unable to continue speaking for a while, Tirkanjaka slowly asked back.
"...What did you say?"
"He is a criminal with no qualifications whatsoever, and he entered this place to pay for his crimes. He was arrested in Amitengrad on charges of fraud and gambling, and under the fair and swift sentence of the military tribunal judge, he was sentenced to the Tantalus forced labor. Contrary to what you knew, he is not an instructor of the Military Nation!"
"Then. Does that mean his actions... have nothing to do with your nation?"
"Affirmative. Whatever he did while covering this institution's eyes, it is not the true intention of the Military Nation. It was the impulsive action of a mere mad criminal!"
Did they say he was a criminal? He had quite the impression of someone who suited a uniform well.
Though she heard a truly unexpected fact, Tirkanjaka felt no regret over it. This was because Tirkanjaka herself was once something beyond a criminal who had shaken the world.
Even hearing that the other party had deceived her, she didn't feel bad.
Rather than that, she was simply, happy.
"So it is true."
"Affirmative. It is the truth without a single inch of falsehood."
"Then, calling me a trainee was..."
"A scheme to slightly increase his survival rate by impersonating the Military Nation."
"Then, he was forcibly thrown into this place without any obligation, you say?"
"He had the obligation to perform forced labor. However, it is doubtful whether such a criminal was interested in forced labor other than making his own meals."
It was the same even hearing the disparaging words. Tirkanjaka found herself getting more and more excited.
Simply.
Purely.
Out of goodwill.
Risking his life, he had reclaimed her heart for her. Because she had learned this.
"Hehe."
Feeling sorry enough to make her chest tighten, while simultaneously joy races along her blood vessels. Making a full circle from her heart to her lungs creating an exclamation of joy, then following her choking throat it reached her head.
Her face becomes warm for a moment. Warmth is vitality, and vitality is movement. The corners of her mouth, which used to be stiff, softly stretched out.
"Hehe, ahaha."
"...What is so funny?"
Tirkanjaka smiled joyfully, then withdrew it all at once and spoke.
"Then, even if he disappears, there would be no problem or regret for the nation called the Military Nation."
"Affirmative."
"Good. There should be no problem even if I take him in."
"Affirmative...?"
"So it wasn't the Military Nation's grace. Moreover, you said he was an orphan, so he is a body bound to nothing. There's no reason for me to pay his ransom separately."
"...?"
When the golem, sensing something strange, expressed its doubt. Tirkanjaka asked abruptly.
"However, I have one question."
With a fully relaxed face, elegantly resting her chin on her hand, Tirkanjaka stared intently at the golem and asked.
"Weren't the two of you together even when Finlay fell? Affectionately being carried on his back as if you had become siblings."
"Siblings! Negative, absolutely negative! This institution does not acknowledge such a fellow as an older brother!"
At the spasmodic rebuttal, Tirkanjaka blinked.
"It's just an expression, regardless, didn't you also owe your situation to his back? If so, why did he suddenly tie you up? There must be some reason."
"...That is."
When the golem tried to avoid answering, Tirkanjaka persistently pressed him.
"It's a problem that would end if we asked him. Confess honestly. If you won't answer even such a question, what would I trust to have a conversation with you?"
In reality, he had become a fool and couldn't answer anything, so the only being that could answer this question was the golem. However, the golem, who had been tied up and confined here, did not know that fact.
At Tirkanjaka's assertion, the golem answered obediently.
"He attempted to extract from this institution the method to escape the Abyssal Pit."
"Oh."
It seemed the previous talk of letting Finlay go was just a bluff. Tirkanjaka put one more interesting fact into her memory.
"This institution gave him a stern warning regarding such behavior, but he harbored dissatisfaction and committed an act of rebellion. He damaged this unit's speaker, and confined me here so that this institution could not monitor the inside of Tantalus."
"Is that all? Simply because he harbored dissatisfaction, he tied you up when you were getting along fine until now?"
Leisurely pressing. The golem showed signs of hesitation, but soon realizing it was meaningless, answered honestly.
"...The Military Nation always prepares replacements for every part."
"Replacements. It seems you're not just talking about objects."
"Affirmative. Until now, considering the special nature of the Abyssal Pit and the cooperative attitude of him as a laborer, we made no special preparations. However, now that we have confirmed he has the will of a reactionary..."
From the Military Nation's standpoint, he was a litmus test. If there was danger lurking inside, it was a kind of test paper that turned red on its own to warn.
Litmus had lived long enough. Now the Military Nation would not hesitate to dispatch manpower to this Abyssal Pit.
If Litmus happened to show subversive movements, there was rather no reason to delay.
"I see. He noticed the signs and decided to become enemies with you."
Tirkanjaka, who now roughly understood the flow of the situation, nodded leisurely. The golem urgently continued speaking.
"Until now, someone without qualifications must have disturbed your mind, but such things will not happen in the future. That fellow's impulsive action was also unexpected from the Military Nation's standpoint."
Words made up to save face.
Rather, from Tirkanjaka's standpoint, it was a welcome thing. She had only gained grace and felt a great sense of debt to the Military Nation, but wasn't the other side taking care of it on their own?
"Do as you please. I won't care even if something else comes here. Instead."
Rather, she was grateful that they sent him as a laborer.
Tirkanjaka glanced toward the dining table as if she had accidentally discovered a treasure.
"What you have thrown away, I will be sure to pick up."
"...? All items in Tantalus are assets of the home country. If you wish to transfer or purchase them, you must obtain permission from the management authorities."
"How truly troublesome."
"It seems the story about his identity didn't give you much interest."
"That can't be. I was quite surprised too. I was just quietly listening because there were many stories I didn't know well."
Someone being a criminal was a story that had nothing to do with Tirkanjaka at all. Though if it were Shei, a different reaction might have been shown.
Perhaps, was telling Shei not to go to the dining hall because of that? Tirkanjaka muttered quietly to herself.
The golem, whose story kept going off track, regained the flow again.
"...I will change the question. Please brief me on what happened during the four days this unit was restrained. Especially, focus on the vampire intruder."
It wasn't difficult. Tirkanjaka explained simply.
Excluding the unnecessary fact that she had been manipulated.
"Finlay tried to persuade me, and I was intrigued and half gave in. But didn't the children hold me back? I agonized over it for quite a while and changed my mind, then Finlay fiercely criticized them and they fought, didn't they? Finlay, who had poured out all his strength, died just like that."
"Is that all?"
Of course it wasn't all. But there was no need to say more than that.
Tirkanjaka showed a deliberately angry expression.
"My mouth hurts. What more do I need to explain? Doesn't the fact that I remain here explain it?"
"Confirmed."
The golem's acceptance was quick. That was probably not because it fully trusted Tirkanjaka's words, but because the fact that she was still here at this point was the most important information itself.
Though it was a golem that kept its principles so stiffly, perhaps because it hadn't fully cooled its indignation yet, it emphasized one more thing.
"For your sake in cooperating obediently, I will warn you once more. Do not trust that man. He is a pest of the Military Nation who engages in fraud and gambling."
The answer "It's already too late" rose up to her throat, but Tirkanjaka barely swallowed it and answered vaguely.
"I will keep that in mind. Ah, this is a different story."
The past is the past. Whether he was a criminal, or what Finlay was after, what did it matter?
Tirkanjaka decided to ask a slightly more important question. A question that might have a much greater impact in the future.
"By the way, do you know how to cook with the remaining ingredients?"
The golem nodded.
"Affirmative. This institution is a Military Nation signalman, and knows 99 Military Nation special recipes that can be made with canned beans."
"Oh my. How impressive."
"Negative. It is ordinary. Signalmen often perform long-term missions in isolated spaces, and due to their nature, it is simply because they are in a position where they easily come into contact with such information."
Though it said so, an unhidden pride could be felt in its tone. The golem even proposed one step ahead.
"Please take this unit out of this cabinet. Since errors can occur with just words, I will show you a demonstration by a skilled instructor directly."
"Alright."
Tirkanjaka waved her hand. Darkness flowed and grabbed the golem's entire body.
Just as Tirkanjaka was about to take out the golem, she suddenly thought of him sitting there.
If the golem, who disliked him, saw that appearance, she didn't know what reaction would come out.
Tirkanjaka waved her hand again, and the pitch-black darkness that came from her hand bloomed like fog and covered his appearance. Since it was darkness that blocked light, the golem's eyes would not be able to see through it.
"Dangerous!"
Because of that, the control over the golem became negligent and she almost dropped it. It was because the Blood Manipulation Art was not as natural as before.
The golem, which held onto the darkness and endured, raised its head and scolded the vampire.
"Please handle with care. This unit is in danger if it receives any more damage beyond this."
It was a naturally sayable word, asking to handle with care in the future since she almost dropped it.
It was definitely a word that would have worked on him, but unfortunately, it couldn't elicit any empathy from Tirkanjaka, who stood aside from the times.
"Why should I handle a golem so preciously? If there are few advantages of a golem, it's that it's sturdy, and just because of dropping it..."
Tirkanjaka was not a person who would let being scolded by a mere golem slide.
To her, who didn't properly know any other than primitive mud golems, a golem was an object that was premised on breaking. Moreover, when even humans could be handled like dolls, how dare a golem talk back.
Perhaps sensing a sense of crisis from those words, the golem urgently added.
"This individual is a Sync type. This unit is currently severely damaged, and if the frame's distortion grows any larger, synchronization will become impossible. Also, since it is controlled by synchronizing with this institution's body, if it receives a shock, that pain will affect the main body."
"One of the other few advantages of a golem is the operator's safety, and even that is gone? Then why use such a golem?"
A cold gaze was directed at the golem.
The Military Nation's latest Sync type golem had to prove its value in front of a vampire from 12 centuries ago.
"Look."
The golem clicked its fingers differently from each other. Tirkanjaka watched the golem showing off with a fascinated face.
The golem, having gotten into the swing of it, spun its arm in a large circle as if stretching. Compared to a real human, the range of motion was much narrower, but for a golem, it was a very detailed movement.
"If you don't sync, you can't control it naturally from this far away. The sensitivity can be adjusted, but that part happens to be broken."
"How amazing. Then, is your main body moving the same way as the golem right now?"
"Affirmative. If you don't take the same action as the golem, the sync is released, so it's dangerous if it receives too strong a shock."
Tirkanjaka, who was nodding while looking at the latest toy, suddenly asked.
"Even when you were in that unsightly position with your legs spread earlier?"
The golem's movement stopped abruptly.
"...Aff...irmative..."
The voice heard over the speaker was trembling.
The act of tearing the golem's legs apart was a torment with clear mischievousness.
The person beyond the golem had to tear their legs in place in order to synchronize with the golem.
"It must have been painful, why did you keep synchronizing?"
"Not continuously. I released it when sleeping or eating, or when there was other business. And."
Regarding that question, the golem answered without a single hesitation.
"Observing Tantalus and reporting its contents. Because that is this institution's duty."
Tirkanjaka didn't ask any more. Because she understood with just that. Therefore, she decided to let the golem's rudeness slide.
The golem, whose value of existence was acknowledged, finally gained the leeway to turn its eyes. The golem looked around and said.
"Visibility is not secured. The dining hall seems strangely dark."
"How can it be bright when I am here."
That alone could make one nod was because she was Tirkanjaka. The golem also accepted it without any particular doubt.
"Confirmed. First, to the warehouse."