I’m Just an Ordinary Human

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What I’m about to create is somewhat akin to generating a life.

To be exact, it must have the essential function of independent judgment.

‘It doesn’t have to be exactly like a real brain.’

A mechanism that mobilizes various means to attack the source until magic is detected and eradicated.

First, I began to sketch out the design based on that.

“Masterkey. Please create a parallel design.”

Bzzzzz.

And such a mechanism would require at least five or more units.

Well, I didn’t need to worry about the mass production aspect since both Masterkey and I were involved.

What I solely needed to focus on was the design of the brain, or rather the artificial intelligence.

Honestly, it felt a bit strange to be discussing artificial intelligence in a fantasy world.

Yet, it wasn’t entirely unusual when you think about the existence of golems somewhere in this world.

They say golems were created by some ultra-ancient civilization, but no one really knows the truth about them.

In the original work, they were only mentioned as a brief line from a book read by Aswel.

“Oops!”

Fortunately, thanks to my mentor, Rati, and Kunder, I had plenty of materials to experiment with.

Especially, the special products from the Infer-Blaino volcano that Rati provided were crucial.

Since there were tons of materials that only appear in that unique terrain, there was endless potential for development.

“…Of course, I should exercise some restraint.”

Out of a hundred possibilities, only about three are needed right now.

Once the requests in this city are resolved, I can proceed with my research at my leisure, so until then, I should rapidly and decisively establish the technology for production.

“First, the artificial intelligence.”

The reason I’m not starting with the mechanism is simple.

The shape of the head needs to be defined before I can create a suitable body for it.

Otherwise, it could end up being a human body with an elephant brain, or an elephant body with a human brain.

That’s why I prioritized the artificial intelligence, though it honestly feels embarrassing to call it that.

“The minimum requirements are a visual device, a classifier, and a storage for command spells.”

Once those are in place, I can move on to the next stage.

“Vision means sensing light.”

From the space, I took out a copper-colored ore.

Then, I etched golden letters in the air with a pen and brought the ore close to the text.

As a result, the ore reacted, emitting a faint golden glow.

This ore was sourced from another kingdom through an acquaintance, and it would become the ‘eyes.’

I sharpened the tip of the pen like a carving knife and began to craft the ore.

‘I’m glad I learned jewelry crafting skills.’

Thanks to what I learned from Diayurshil, I could breeze through what would have otherwise taken a long time.

Her crafting skills weren’t limited to just jewelry, which made it possible.

Indeed, I’d likely need to use detailed tools like this one for more intricate tasks beyond just the device representing ‘eyes.’

‘Considering the overall color… platinum and brass should work well.’

As the structure of the head began to form in my mind, the design of the body naturally followed.

When sculpting the ore into an eye, I took references from various existing eyes.

Unlike the eyes woven from hundreds or thousands of small devices, this was much simpler.

While shaping the ore into an eye, I added necessary materials in between and modified them as I worked.

After about three hours of labor, I finally created one eye.

A shiny brass mechanical eye.

Naturally, due to its sparkling quality, it gave off a sense of vibrancy.

“Now, if I make the connecting lines and the classification device…”

For now, I scanned the mechanical eye with Masterkey and proceeded with the mass production work.

There was no need for two eyes, after all.

“The classification device and storage shouldn’t be that difficult…”

The classification device could be repurposed from a previously made coin-sorting magical tool, and the spell storage could simply involve asking someone for help.

The remaining part is the body, which shouldn’t take too long either.

“Oops.”

Maybe because I wasn’t feeling rushed and was thinking leisurely, the work time drastically decreased.

Less than half a day had passed, and I’ve already completed a quarter of the whole task.

“Aswel…”

I wondered if my other colleagues had already gone out.

Since the work began late at night, looking out the window, I noticed dawn breaking.

There was a good chance everyone else had already left.

“…Should I go as well?”

After all, once this mechanical soldier is completed, I would need to head that way.

So it might be good to visit, both to leave my mark and to help repair the wall.

“…”

Absolutely not, it wasn’t because I was feeling lonely or wanting to see someone.

I entered additional commands into Masterkey, securely locked the door, and instructed the servants not to enter.

Then, leisurely, I hopped onto Nightlux and headed towards the wall.

*

Haist Wall.

It was the name of the enormous wall, a hallmark of Winterguard.

Honestly, when I first saw it, it didn’t feel like a creation of this world’s technology.

Though I hadn’t been there personally, I imagined it might look something like viewing the Hoover Dam in the U.S. from below.

It was that tall and exuded a solid presence.

But that was only the view from a distance.

“Get ready for the shift!”

“Requesting supplies!”

“I hear additional priests from the church are coming, hold on a bit!”

The gates below were utter chaos.

However, it wasn’t filled with the panic and cries like during the twilight of the fortress, but rather an uproar generated naturally by the many people coming and going.

Perhaps because securing the northeastern Haist Wall was essential, there were several times more security personnel stationed than in other cities.

Come to think of it, the southwestern gate into Winterguard didn’t have nearly as many guards.

That was likely due to the irregular situation that had arisen about a week ago, which warranted a reorganization of personnel.

As I walked around holding onto the reins of Nightlux, I approached a guard.

“Excuse me.”

“Uh? Hmm?”

“Could you tell me where As… no, the Hero is?”

The guard looked me up and down and asked.

“Are you perhaps the Hero’s attendant?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I stood there shocked while the guard began rambling.

“Well, I suppose it makes sense considering the Hero is in a tough spot and would need some serving.”

“No.”

“Still, I didn’t realize you had this kind of taste… well, that’s not my place to comment.”

Despite saying it wasn’t his place, the guard continued on with strange remarks.

At that moment, someone approached behind him.

“The Hero is that way…”

“Rui. You’ve arrived.”

“Gasp! Hero!”

With a gentle smile, Aswel greeted the guard.

But for some reason, I noticed that smile was different from usual.

“Oh, it seems the Hero’s attendant is looking for him, so I thought I’d guide you…”

“I’m not an attendant.”

Then Aswel approached me, gripping my shoulder and pulling me along.

Thump.

“He’s my companion. A talented mage in our party.”

“…”

I had to just stand there, squished in Aswel’s embrace, unable to say a word.

I wanted to escape but failed, fiddling awkwardly with Aswel’s sleeve instead.

“Oh, oh! I’m so sorry! My apologies!!”

The guard turned pale and quickly bowed his head.

Nearby, others were chastising the guard with expressions that screamed ‘Did you mess up?’

“It’s okay.”

Thanks to that, Aswel didn’t fail to defend me.

Huh? Thanks to that?

Anyway, the guard wanted to avoid further criticism and left the spot.

“Why are you here? You could have just stayed at the mansion.”

“…I was bored.”

Saying I was lonely might feel a bit awkward.

After all, I wasn’t a bunny or anything.

As I naturally flowed out of Aswel’s embrace after parting with the guard, I still held onto his sleeve.

I simply didn’t want to let go.

Since Aswel didn’t reject me either, I quietly walked alongside him until we entered a room inside the wall.

“What’s the current situation?”

“Rie is providing surveillance and long-range support from the top of the wall, while Serelin and Niabella are holding the defenses below. The enemy’s assault has been fierce, even more so than what the Count indicated.”

Aria would probably still be focused on healing the injured.

“Have the types of Demons been identified?”

“Yeah. This time, there are flying-type Demons too. That’s probably why they built the wall so high.”

Right.

The flying-type Demons resembling bats were said to attack the guards from afar, sometimes headbutting them.

Not only that, but they continually inflicted damage on the wall itself, leading to noticeable cracks appearing all over later on.

“So I came hoping to help out in some way.”

“But Rui, you’re already providing us with great support as is. We’re okay.”

“Thanks to everyone’s consideration, the work is speeding up. I want to make use of the extra time.”

The help I was thinking of was to reinforce the wall.

“I did it once during the Alphares incident, so it’s not that difficult.”

“But the size and height are different.”

“Which is why I’ll need to go up to a certain height to do it.”

In addition, since I left Masterkey behind, using a pen with less influence didn’t allow for easy spellcasting.

“Well, there are stairs, and there’s a rope for outdoor repair work, but…”

It would be more certain to use the rope with additional devices attached.

“Then I’ll tell you to prepare.”

“Oh and.”

I grabbed the hem of Aswel’s clothes as he turned to leave.

“I have one request of you, Aswel.”

Since the rope might sway in the wind, I needed someone to assist me while I focused on my work.

.

.

.

“Rui, Rui? If it’s too scary, just take the stairs…”

“No, hhic, it’s not that scary hhic!”

No, it was way too high here than I expected.

Didn’t it end with just disliking bell peppers?

Wasn’t it just an aversion to bugs?

Could it be that I also had a fear of heights!

“Hyayak.”

“Hic…”

I found myself trembling and clutching onto Aswel, caught in a dilemma of what to do.

Then.

“Rui, it’s okay… just…”

As Aswel gently stroked my head and comforted me, I felt the fear dissipate in an instant.

“…I-I feel a little better.”

“Really? That’s a relief…”

“A little, just a little. So, um, don’t let go of this hand.”

“Uh, okay…”

While trembling, I began to rely on Aswel’s warmth wrapped around my waist and started the wall reinforcement work.

Although strong winds blew and the devices wobbled, each time, I could quickly overcome my fear thanks to Aswel’s assistance.

“Phew…”

“Good job, Rui.”

Finally, when I had resolved all the rather large issues and made it back to the ground, I shot away from Aswel at record speed.

“Th-th-thank you, Aswel. I’ll just be going now. Bye.”

And then I hurriedly fled back to the mansion, concealing the realization of what I had just done.