I Am Not the Heroine

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After finishing the wall repairs, I was able to hear from my comrades who came in late for dinner about the status of the wall.

“It was way sturdier than I expected! The flying magical creatures couldn’t even leave a scratch!”

“That’s a relief.”

“Thanks to you, the guards stationed on the castle walls have been reorganized. Now Rapirie can handle it all by herself.”

“Right. I heard the shifts have increased by one. That should give them some breathing room.”

If they’re less pressured, the guards will be able to focus more on combat, which should lead to generally good results.

It seems like taking the time to check on the wall situation was worth it.

[W-wait, I can’t let go of this hand.]

“…..”

“Lui? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Speaking of which, what about Aswel?”

“He probably went to meet the Count. By the way, I’m going to take a break now. Maybe it’s because I’ve been shooting arrows all day, but my eyes are exhausted.”

“Good job, Rapirie.”

Rapirie yawned and entered her room.

After that, Serelin and Ariya also headed to their rooms.

“Sis…”

“Nia, you should go to bed too.”

“No… I want to help you…”

Nia, who yawned even more dramatically than Rapirie, insisted on helping me.

“You don’t have to help today. I’ll call you when I need your magic, so just rest today.”

“Ugh…”

She seemed to be expressing her disappointment at feeling like she couldn’t contribute today.

Reluctantly, I took her to her room, laid her down on my lap, and let her fall asleep.

Click.

“Lui.”

“Ah.”

And as I was leaving Nia’s room, I ran into someone.

It was Aswel.

‘…Did he come to see Nia?’

Being a heroine, that would be quite possible.

Or perhaps since Nia’s room is first, the next ones would be Ariya, Serelin, Rapirie, and then mine, so he could be here to see the other heroines.

Sigh.

“What brings you here…?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to see you.”

Huh.

The moment Aswel responded, I found it hard to look directly at his face.

“Er, I see. Why?”

“First, I reported to the Count about the wall repairs and today’s defense. He was especially pleased that the wall was fixed.”

He came to tell me about the work and the Count’s reaction to it.

Feeling an inexplicable disappointment, I listened to him until the end of his explanation.

“…So, he said he would be willing to pay an appropriate price if you provide information about the repair methods or related materials and spells. Just a heads up.”

“I see. I think I’ll have to refuse that. The repair itself isn’t hard, so I’ll write a letter and send it out tomorrow morning.”

“Doing that would greatly relieve the burden on the citizens… Um, this is the official report. Now, the next part is just a personal question.”

“Yes?”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“W-what do you mean?”

Suddenly, Aswel’s hand came to rest on my forehead.

Thump! Thump!

“No, I was just worried since you were hanging from a high place earlier. I was wondering if you caught a cold or if your health wasn’t good.”

His bare hand, having even removed his gloves, pressed against my forehead.

Despite having wielded a sword for a long time, it felt surprisingly soft.

In that moment, I got lost in that warmth.

But I soon regained my wits and took a hurried step back, saying,

“I-I’m fine! If I was unwell, I would have asked Ariya for help. So you don’t have to worry about me.”

I quickly began fixing my messy bangs that had been tousled by Aswel’s touch.

But, considering that recently Rapirie, Ariya, Serelin, and Nia had all taken turns styling my hair, it didn’t feel satisfactory at all.

In the end, I slyly covered my bangs with one hand and quietly stepped back.

“…I’ll get going to do some research now. Aswel, um, sleep well.”

“….Okay. Goodnight, Lui.”

With Aswel chuckling at me, I hurried to my room.

Then, I feigned entering and secretly glanced back at Aswel.

Smiling, Aswel looked at the hand that had touched my forehead, before turning and heading toward his room.

Finally, when I heard the sound of his door closing, I shut my own door.

“…..Huh.”

What is going on with me these days?

Every time I stand in front of Aswel, I feel like my mind is wandering.

Now that I think about it, there was one thing that had been concerning me recently.

The fact that I seemed to be seeing much less of Aswel and the heroines flirting with each other right in front of me.

‘…Maybe I need to help them out a bit more.’

Sigh.

If so, the affection events will progress appropriately at the right timing, and the harem party can be completed normally.

Ah, of course, I’m not a member of the harem or anything.

Sigh.

“…..Time to do some research.”

I walked over to the gleaming Master Key and started my research again.

Right now… I really wanted to delve into research that I could do without thinking too much.

* * *

Buzz.

The computations of the Master Key concluded, and the brain of the mechanical soldier was completed early the next morning.

“Ugh…”

Since I only worked in my room without going to the wall yesterday, the air felt stuffy.

I had slept sitting at my desk and only had the food that the servants brought me, so my whole body ached.

“Uh…?”

Feeling something hanging on my body, I turned my head slightly to see a familiar cloak.

It was Aswel’s cloak.

“……”

It seemed like he had come by while I was asleep.

Honestly, I wanted to be angry about him entering a lady’s room so carelessly, but on the other hand, I felt the kindness behind it.

“……Haah.”

Wrapped in the cloak, I approached the Master Key, which had finished its computations.

It was done.

The device that would become the brain of the first mechanical soldier.

It was a device around the size of a modern melon, with an appropriate mixture of platinum and brass colors.

In the center of the device, which resembled nearly a perfect dodecahedron, was the core part, the eye.

“Now, it’s time for the body…”

The body part was not difficult.

There were already a dozen ideas floating around in my head, and practically speaking, it was only a matter of securing a space that this device would fit into, which meant there were no constraints.

So, I decided to go ahead and finish the work while I was up.

Then, I would show it to my comrades heading to the wall in the morning.

I took out a pen and opened several spaces of space.

I laid out the core materials, such as Mithril-like, Mithril, brass, platinum, and various ores.

“First, I’ll design it as a humanoid weapon and cover the core area with mithril to effectively counter the magical creatures…”

As I raised the materials into the air with the pen, I would then decompose and transform them on the summoned makeshift workbench.

Afterwards, based on the computations of the Master Key, I would give it the appropriate shape and fix it in the air to prepare for assembly.

In this way, the materials were being prepared one by one.

Now, it was the final process.

Carefully assembling the prepared pieces.

From armor the size of a human thigh to parts as small as bolts in a clock.

I used the pen to fit each piece into its proper position.

During that process, I applied lubricants or magical spells and completed the detailed processes.

Thus, piece by piece, the limbs became connected to the torso, and the mana power generator, which could be considered its heart, found its place.

I attached the device connecting the mana power generator with the head last, fitting it onto the neck.

And finally, the head.

The overall design was derived from the beings within the records.

Therefore, this mechanical soldier also lacked all facial features except for one eye.

Additionally, the face shape resembled a regular octahedron rather than a human form.

Lines met at the center from the four directions, converging at the eye.

Click.

After inserting the device into the head socket, I came down from the piles of books and magical tools that had stacked up.

“Haah…”

It’s complete.

A massive mechanical soldier standing about 2.5 meters tall.

As it was a prototype, it had a frail appearance, more like a skeleton than a fully formed body. Specifically, it appeared more emaciated, as if it had prioritized speed.

However, with its entire body made of brass and platinum, and holding a spear with a sharpened mithril tip, it looked quite intimidating.

If a mechanical creature of such size brandished a spear in a weapon-like manner…

‘…They would definitely be shocked. A lot.’

If the magical creatures had emotions similar to humans, they’d have every reason to be utterly terrified and flee.

The issue would be that the guards would probably be taken aback as well.

But I believe time will solve this factor.

Click.

Buzz.

As I activated the spell located near the heart, the power generator began absorbing not only my mana but also the surrounding mana.

As my mana began flowing into the limbs and head, the device in the head activated with the received mana.

Clank.

With the unique sound of two gears interlocking, light filled the mechanical soldier’s eye.

It was a success.

“Oh yeah…!”

I couldn’t help but let out a small cheer as I waved my hands around joyfully.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected things to go this well.

Because of that, the joy I felt was far greater than I had anticipated.

Buzz.

The inorganic gaze followed me as I bounced around.

The ‘eye’ performing its role effectively.

In addition, the spells needed for combat and daily activities were operating as intended.

I walked up to the mechanical soldier and reached out my hand.

As a result, one of the spells programmed into the head activated and made the soldier kneel.

“Identification of allies is perfect…!”

I gently stroked the head of the mechanical soldier.

“Oplite.”

The name I had predetermined for the prototype.

At the same time, a name that would collectively refer to all similar forms of mechanical soldiers.

That was Oplite.

“Hehe, hehehe.”

I hummed as I spun around Oplite.

Just like a traditional dance, Oplite’s eye moved busily after me.

‘Looks like I’m a genius after all.’

I felt high-spirited with pride for having created Oplite all by myself, without any significant assistance.

Unable to easily calm down, I ended up uttering praise for myself aloud.

“Genius Mage Lui~. Knows and creates everything in the world~.”

Hehe. Hehe.

“Genius Mage…”

“Pfft…”

“Ugh…!”

Suddenly, laughter echoed.

In an instant, I froze, my movements halting with a creak like a rusty machine as I turned my head.

It came from the direction of the door.

“Don’t laugh… Huh, I-I’ll get back at you for this, just you wait…!”

“Right…! What an insult to a comrade…! Heehee…!”

“Ugh, sister…!”

Ariya.

Serelin.

Rapirie.

Niabella.

And.

“It’s okay, Lui. Ugh, I think of you as a genius mage!”

Aswel.

“……….”

Everyone was looking at me.

Buzz.

Next to my frozen frame, I could hear the sound of Oplite’s ally identification system activating.

Ah.