Science/Magic

In one of the workshops of the Machine Revolutio Tower, Toby was looking at Bloed and Regina with a strange expression.

"Why do you want to see me construct a golem?"

"Of course, it's to learn about it," Bloed replied without hesitation. However, Toby became more confused when he heard his answer.

"To learn? I don't think I can teach you anything. I have seen the golems here and they are much better than anything I have ever made."

Bloed stared at Toby deeply and smiled.

"So you have not noticed, huh."

"Huh? Noticed what?"

Bloed just smiled and extended his hand. In the next instant, something appeared in the air and fell on the ground.

It was Bloed's metallic puppy, Tito.

The metallic puppy seemed startled after being taken out of the storage device. It looked at Bloed and barked happily before running all around the room.

"What do you think of this puppy?" Bloed asked Toby.

Toby frowned for a moment before smiling wryly. "It's amazing. Its movements are completely natural, and your control over it is very precise. To be honest, you are the first person besides my senior that I have seen controlling a golem so precisely."

"Do you think so? Why don't you observe more closely? Don't you think there is something strange about it?"

Toby was startled and looked at the puppy again. But no matter how much he looked, he could not find anything strange about the puppy.

Instead, it was the dark-skinned woman, that had been observing everything silently since a while ago, who spoke.

"This is…"

With a surprised expression, she waved her hand, creating an appendage of mana that grabbed the puppy and brought it towards her.

Tito was startled and barked towards the woman fiercely. However, Bloed calmed it down with a mental order.

At the same time, he observed the dark-skinned woman with narrowed eyes.

She had come with them using the excuse that she wanted to observe the tower, and Bloed allowed it because he thought he could use the facilities of the tower to make her interested in the club.

After all, his Machine Revolutio was needing powerful powerhouses urgently. And a Peak A-Rank like her was more than welcomed.

If she decided to help them during the War of Clubs, Bloed would find it much easier to keep the club's rank.

And now that he saw how she wielded mana to bring Tito towards her, he confirmed his thoughts.

Such control over mana… It was definitively first rate.

It was not something that a normal A-Rank could do.

While Bloed observed Diodora, the dark-skinned woman frowned as she looked at the puppy on her arms.

"How is it possible? It's not using mana… Moreover, it did not have a fixed shape… Wait a moment, why does it look like this golem has self-awareness? No, can something like this be called a golem? It looks like a completely different system… Could it be…"

"Miss Diodora? What do you mean?" Toby asked confused.

Diodora did not reply and instead looked at Bloed.

"Mr. Bloed, this puppy is not a golem, right? It's something completely different."

Bloed nodded.

"Great observation. You are right, it's not a golem. It's a completely different type of construct. I call it [Robot]."

"Robot…" Diodora squinted with an inscrutable expression. "So that is the reason you want to learn how to make golems from Toby. Are you planning to mix the two systems?"

Bloed stared at the dark-skinned woman with a look of admiration.

Such sharp observation skills. As he thought, this woman was far from simple.

"You are right. That is the reason. I hope Toby can teach me to construct golems and if possible use that knowledge to strengthen my robots. Then, Toby, what do you think?"

Toby's expression was blank.

Right now, he did not have the slightest idea of what was happening.

At the very least, though, he understood that the strange golems in the building were not really golems.

'… That is the reason I thought they were strange, huh.'

After thinking for a moment, he sighed and nodded with a complicated expression.

"W-Well, I think I can teach you how to build a simple golem. Do you have wood?"

Bloed nodded and took several logs of high-quality wood from his storage device. He already knew that the simplest golems were made of wood, so he had gotten it beforehand.

Toby observed the wood and finally chose one of the logs. He then took out a carving knife and started to carve the log.

"Contrary to the common belief, you can't construct golems just by piling rocks or metal. No, golems are made of several delicate pieces combined together to create a construct."

Toby explained. In just one minute, he had carved several pieces out of the log, including the torso, limbs, head, and joins. His movements were fast and precise, and the pieces he carved were incredibly detailed.

Moreover, he explained the purpose and use of each piece clearly without losing his focus!

Bloed could not help but look at the young man with different eyes. Right now, he was completely different from his usual cowardly and indecisive self.

When Toby finished carving out the pieces, he pieced them together to form a small human figure. The figure was rather crude, but it had the basic shape of a golem.

"It is the first step. Mr. Bloed, why don't you try it?"

Bloed nodded and grabbed a piece of wood. He then took a small knife out of his storage ring and started to carve.

"B-Be careful. S-Slow down, the pieces must be as perfect as pos–What!?"

"Is anything wrong?" Bloed asked in surprise.

Toby shook his head quickly and waved his hands.

"N-Nothing you can continue."

Bloed nodded and continued his work silently.

Meanwhile, Toby put on a complicated expression.

It was because Bloed's movements were even faster and more precise than his. In fact, they were so precise that they were beautiful; as though it was art.

It just a few seconds, Bloed had carved out several pieces completely identical to his. No, when he observed them closely, he realized that the quality of Bloed pieces was much better than his!

"Amazing." Diodora, who was standing beside him, could not help but mutter. "Such dexterity and precision... It's comparable to the previous leader."

Toby nodded with a wry smile. He had thought the same.

He thought he was seeing his senior when he saw Bloed work.

Just thirty seconds after he started to work, Bloed had carved out all the pieces.

"... Mr. Bloed, are you sure it's the first time you make a golem?"

"It's the first time. That is the reason I'm asking you to teach me."

"Well, you seem even better than me." Toby sighed softly before putting on a bitter smile.

'As expected, he is different…'

He had already noticed it, but Bloed was different than him.

Not just Bloed. The people that came with him were different as well.

Regina, Liu Ying, Aya, Sara, and Gina. No matter if it was in looks, personality, or talent; each one of them was someone outstanding.

As expected, he did not belong to this place.