Crank offered a few caveats.
Dedicated waiting area to be used as a base, to be treated as friendly as possible for friendliness, to immediately mend torn combat uniforms and armaments, to prepare extra weapons such as longswords and axes,
“And Gustaf will write to me once a month. It doesn’t matter if it’s a trivial daily life.”
“I mean you?”
“Yes, being in touch with someone broadens your cognitive abilities. Good for you who are just starting out on a mission.”
Gustav nodded.
Crank left an address and went back. And when the automaton arrived, the village men hurriedly began preparing to leave for work.
Arriving at about the halfway point between Physio and Nivera, Crank woke up the automaton Mera that had been loaded onto the wagon.
Ching-!
Opening her eyes, Mera looked around and opened her mouth after looking at the crank.
“hello. Have you seen my master? This is Captain Carrera of the pirate ship Black Mud.”
“The pirate ship was sunk. Your master was taken by the guards to pay for his crimes,”
Mera, who was silent for a while and looked at the crank, asked again.
“We need an accurate confirmation of Captain Carrera’s course of action.”
Carrot, who was sitting next to him wearing a cloth, slightly peeks out his face in case he sees it as soon as he wakes up.
“Hello Mera. I am Carrot.”
“Nice to meet you. Carrot, I am Mera. There is no reason to fight now.”
“so do i.”
Crank asked.
“How is your body? I put the fallen neck back together.”
Mera, who was trying to move her arms and legs, raised her head.
“There is no signal coming from my left leg. Signal cut, inoperable.”
“As expected, resplicing nerve wires is difficult, let’s go back.”
Crank drove the wagon back to Nivera. Mera was made to wear a cloth over herself in case anyone recognized her.
Mera, who stopped by the guards and learned about the fact that the pirate captain Carrera was actually imprisoned, nodded.
“We have no choice but to admit the loss of ownership. With no further instructions from the Master, I must return to being a janitor.”
“That’s what I mean. Won’t you come with us?”
Mera looks down at Carrot. Carrot puts her hand on her waist and smiles sharply.
“Isn’t it too sad to disintegrate now? Wouldn’t you like to receive love and appreciation from people while hearing the name of a doll of a goddess? Don’t you want to protect humans?”
If it was an automaton that could not twist and interpret the three principles and lacked experience and knowledge, this appeasement would not work.
Automaton veterans are manifested when a lot of experience and knowledge are accumulated and the self is awakened.
just like humans,
Mera, who had been watching Carrot quietly, looked up at the crank this time.
“That’s right. I also want to protect humans. I want to receive gratitude and love from them.”
That is the meaning of my existence,
“Then I will be your temporary master. take it.”
Crank placed a gold coin in Mera’s hand.
“That money is your ransom. You will need it someday when you have a soul. This is an obvious deal. I bribed the automaton Mera, who had to return as a janitor, from himself with a gold coin. You can return the gold coins and leave whenever you want.”
“I accept. It was a good deal. I am yours.”
A twisted tentative contract was established as the interests of each other matched.
Mera holds out her hand. Crank took that hand, thinking that he was the one with a lot of experience.
“Give me a new name. master.”
After thinking for a moment, Crank opened his mouth.
“Venus. She is said to be the goddess of love in a certain myth.”
“nice to meet you! Venus! Welcome to our family!”
Venus looks down at the gold coin, which is her ransom and will be needed when a soul is born.
“Nice to meet you. What shall I do now?”
Southern winter hunting is also entering the middle. And on New Year’s Day, January 1st, Nivera was full of holiday atmosphere.
People excitedly exchanged gifts with their relatives and exchanged good wishes.
In the meantime, an interesting plan was also prepared. In order to lead the New Year’s festive atmosphere, the Nibera Chamber of Commerce proposed a street parade of celebrities who have graced the year.
“Happy New Year to the people of Nivera! Oh ha ha!”
It first started with a march of steam ladies who led refugees from a pioneer village. When the sun went down and it was neither day nor night, lanterns were lit all over the street and many people gathered on the roadside to see the legendary figure finally gathered in one place.
“But I’m a bit shy after all!”
The adventurers I was with at the time blushed while walking among the cheering villagers.
Carrot is walking in the front, waving her hand, followed by Arietta, Lotte, Creamy, Buddy, and Lori standing side by side. The three automatons, which were used in haste in the pioneer village, have been remodeled for combat and are walking together.
“wow! It is a doll of the goddess!”
“Steam Lady!”
“There’s even a female knight with a steam cloak!”
In the meantime, people’s eyes widened when they saw Crank, who was one head taller than the average person.
“Wow, a giant. Giant, how big is it?”
“How in the world can a person grow that big? Would it be two meters?”
Crank, who had been walking indifferently, muttered, trying hard to ignore the people’s gaze.
“I’m also a bit shy.”
After the march, the lord came out to them, who had gathered in front of the plaza, and gave a congratulatory speech, then called the adventurers to the stage and gave them small medals.
For the automaton, instead of a medal, a metal plate with the pseudonym Steam Lady and name written on it was hung from the combat uniform.
Carrot received the same. However, Carrot’s had a different text underneath it instead of a name.
-Steam Lady, a small doll in the mist sent by the goddess of the earth.
Ariete received something similar.
-Steam Lady, a female knight wearing a steam cloak.
When the adventurers and automatons on the podium greeted each other, thunderous applause erupted.
In this midwinter, which was decorating the side of a harsh and difficult life, the hearts of the southerners were briefly heated by their actions. This event was a small reward for that.
Some southern adventurers were jealous or envious of it, but when they saw the faces of the northern adventurers who seemed to die of shame, they just laughed it off.
After all, it’s true that they saved people,
After the event was over, after having a simple dinner, Crank returned to his lodgings in the warehouse and lay down on the cot.
“···I’m tired.”
“But it was fun! hahahaha! Be the first to receive the medal!”
Ariete also said while looking at the plate hanging from her chest.
“Heroes are needed. Because it helps boost people’s morale.”
“It’s a northern adventurer, so it’ll be a little bitter.”
These were the words of Hershey, who had been sitting with him before he knew it.
“Why are you here?”
“Oh, I want to give you this. Mr. Crank, wake up. The Nivera Adventurers Guild sent an official letter of cooperation.”
“what?”
As Crank gets up, Hirsch, who was sitting on the bed, holds out a piece of paper.
“I heard that the elders are required to attend?”
It was a request from Panther’s party who was out to restore the pioneer village. As soon as they arrived, they set up an outpost and started rebuilding the town while keeping the monsters in check.
“I have to go. There is nothing wrong with showing off to that person.”
“Oh, yes. We feel too.”
“Oh oh! Are the Cherry Boys going too?”
“yes. Wouldn’t it be a little easier to get ahead if you take this opportunity to keep a close eye on the big adventurers?”
After speaking, Hush returned to their seats. Crank, who had been looking at the request document for a long time, murmured.
“We leave at noon tomorrow. There really is no time to rest.”
“shopping-! I want to go see the assault spear at the weapon store!”
Ariete jumped up. Crank carries a heavy bag of money.
“Buy four. If you have the equipment you need, buy it too.”
“Oh, really!?”
Crank muttered as he continued to look at the official document.
“Lotte, Carrot, go with me. Venus has trouble with her legs, so wait, prepare the necessary armaments. I don’t mind spending all that money.”
The automatons stood up. Then he raised his helmet and turned his head to see Eris sitting quietly.
“Would you like to go with me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“No, shopping.”
“Sure! shopping!”
Snorting, Eris jumped up. Crank held out the money bag to her as well.
“We also need some food and emergency potions. please.”
“I have that much money. Keep it.”
“Eris, if you save money, it will make your eyes happy, but your heart will rot. Moreover, we are adventurers, so we must always be fully prepared.”
perfect preparation,
Everyone, including Eris, listened to Crank’s remarks and thought it was the same. And I had no doubt that after sending everyone away, Crank would do something else by himself.
But when the girls returned from shopping, Crank crawled into his sleeping bag on the camp bed and quietly snored.
“Sniff…!”
“Ah, I must have been tired. Master said that dealing with people is more difficult than staying up all night for a few days?”
I felt a little pathetic, but I decided to eat it comfortably thinking that that was also a person after all.
And the next day at noon, the adventurers who applied for the guards of the pioneer village rode on the automatic armored vehicle supported by the guards and drove for about an hour and a half to the pioneer village at that time.
“wow-! We’re back!”
Carrot, who was on the roof of an automatic armored vehicle, raises both arms and screams. The traces of the destroyed pioneer village were intact, but an outpost was built with a fence made of thick logs in the center.
When I went inside, a small village was formed and people came out and welcomed me.
“Come, come! Heroes of the day!”
“Ah! stop teasing me You don’t know how embarrassed I was at a festival yesterday!”
At the words of the northern adventurers, the southern adventurers giggled.
“Thank you for your support. Everyone has a family.”
“We are in a situation where we earn a living in the south in winter. What can I do?”
From noble mtl dot com
While Crank and the adventurers gathered and took over, Carrot went up to look at the log fence and was surprised to see the plain on the other side.
“and! Are those all monsters?!”
The corpses of monsters that could not be collected were lined up in the wide plain.
“The waves skip through here once. This outpost is like a breakwater.”
“Captain Panther!”
A lump of armor in a long coat with a helmet appeared next to Carrot.
“Long time no see. hmm? What is that on the cheek?”
Ehehehe, smiled and touched the bandage on his cheek, said Carrot.
“I tore it apart while beating the pirates. are you okay. Because the owner will repair it again.”
“You met a good owner.”
Carrot said, putting her hands on her waist and sticking out her stomach and chest.
“I am an automaton loved by everyone. Ahem!”
Panther, who has lived most of his life seeing only misery, laughed at this cute automaton’s remarks.
Carrot asked as his laughter died down.
“If this was to serve as a breakwater, it should have been built for battle rather than a pioneer village, right?”
“It was like that at first. It took too much money, so while I was waiting for the lords’ answer, some swindler took it away.”
“aha.”
Carrot nodded after learning the general situation, and Panther raised his arm and pointed to the surroundings.
“When spring arrives and monsters decrease, construction begins. I’m going to build a thick concrete wall from there to there. A winter fortress for intercepting monsters will be built.”
“Is that Captain Panther going to be the village chief?”
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to spend the rest of your life here. Because those refugees have to be accommodated again. Whenever there is a good town, people always gather.”
Carrot raised her arms and shouted.
“Then I’ll see you every winter!”
“I am grateful that the goddess doll is looking for me.”
Kirik…!
Unlocking his neck, he took off his helmet. An old man with gray hair and a mustache of the same color is smiling kindly.
“The wind is warm. Spring this year seems to come early.”
“Ooooh! Romance Gray! cool!”
Carrot, who opened her eyes wide and put her hands on her cheeks, opened her mouth vertically and screamed. The panther smiled happily and smiled as if she were looking at her granddaughter.