Pinocchio (3)

The future city Nidavellir is divided into two areas – the outskirts and the center.

“Oh! Old Man Geppetto. Going in again? You’re really something. While others are still studying the outskirts’ technology, you’ve already mastered everything up to the inside.”

“Not at all. I haven’t even mastered all the technology in the outskirts yet.”

“Haha, too much modesty becomes deception. By the way… who are they?”

“They’re adventurers helping with this expedition. As for their abilities… well, I believe they’re exactly as they appear.”

“…I see.”

The city guard didn’t even bother asking to check adventurer qualifications in the face of Titan’s overwhelming presence.

This is truly convenient.

We’re mere beginners, yet we appear to be veteran warriors.

While there wouldn’t have been any issues here anyway since the lord, Geppetto, himself was leading us, things might be different in other territories.

I hope Titan maintains his intimidating presence going forward.

He better not try to be friendly and show a softer side.

“Follow me. Though it’s fine now, it gets more dangerous the deeper we go, so try to avoid combat whenever possible.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I have no intention of confronting the trial head-on either.

The goal is simply to arrange a meeting between Pinocchio and Geppetto.

What happens after that is for them to resolve. Of course, we should plan for things going wrong… but when that happens, we can just run away with all our might.

This expedition includes me, Titan, and Linea, excluding Geppetto.

Originally, I planned to leave Linea behind too, but…

“I’ve received combat training too. Because I’m nobility. It’s not strange for nobility to receive combat training. Because I’m nobility. So I won’t hold anyone back.”

Unlike her usual attempts to hide her strength, she made such an enthusiastic appeal that I decided to let her come along.

As Linea said, she won’t hold us back.

When it comes to physical abilities, she’s actually stronger than me.

Of course, she might not compare to Titan, but her agility and senses are likely to surpass his.

Even if she just acts as a scout… no, even if she just looks after Geppetto, that gives us more flexibility.

While Titan’s combat sense is extraordinary, it’s not good to make him handle everything alone.

“Hey, what’s that? Is it an enemy? Or can we ignore it?”

Just then, Linea points to a mechanical device that appeared around the corner of an alley.

Unlike the toys wandering the outskirts, this one had a massive form.

Even just being rammed by its body could injure an ordinary person.

“That’s a cleaning machine. It goes around sweeping up gears and parts scattered on the ground.”

“Then we can ignore it, right?”

“No.”

While Linea smiles brightly, I realized its value.

There’s a reason for the technology gap between Nidavellir’s inside and outside.

It’s because <The Future Drawer>, focused on endless development and self-evolution, keeps pushing things it no longer needs toward the outside.

The craftsmen here pick up what they need from that waste.

How could they ignore something made with such incredible technology that’s now considered trash?

“You said the craftsmen in the outskirts still can’t make parts, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Geppetto had said.

While they could make gears, moving to precise parts was still somewhat beyond them.

Which means…

“Then isn’t this essentially a treasure vault?”

“It is, but there’s no need…”

This isn’t about ‘need’.

In any case, these nobles and lords don’t understand the value of money.

“Titan, break it. Don’t completely destroy it, just tear off its limbs.”

“Why should I do that?”

“If we capture this one, the quality and quantity of food on your table will double for a while.”

“A clear reason indeed.”

Titan’s meals are as extraordinary as his appearance.

While Linea has plenty of funds right now, I can’t keep borrowing from her.

His and my meals will often need to be covered by selling loot obtained from hunting grounds.

Though we’re staying at Geppetto’s mansion now, that’s only temporary.

Titan must have realized the importance of food during our carriage journey, so he can’t help but be enthusiastic.

Ting!

Titan threw a dagger first.

Though the swift and stealthy dagger flew toward the cleaning machine’s joint, it bounced off with a metallic sound.

“Hmph!”

Without panicking, Titan immediately threw the spear on his back and this time pierced through the joint.

Skillfully, he managed to pierce both a front leg and back leg of the four-legged machine simultaneously.

Thud!

As the machine fell to the ground with restricted movement, Titan crushed what appeared to be its head as if confirming the kill.

“Not much of an opponent, but tougher than expected.”

Crunch!

Despite saying that, Titan proceeded to break each remaining joint with his bare hands.

With this, the cleaning machine fell silent, keeping its internal treasures intact.

“Let’s hang it in a corner nearby. We can’t carry it around right now.”

“Mm.”

Titan threw the cleaning machine between the alleys. Being thorough, he chose an alley that would be too tight for similar cleaning machines to enter, apparently concerned about them approaching.

“So, what do you think?”

“Best to avoid confrontation when possible.”

“Yes, let’s act accordingly.”

For Titan, direct experience is better than a hundred explanations. If he’s experienced and felt something himself, he’ll be cautious even without me saying anything.

A reminder that what we’re dealing with is a trial.

An objective indicator.

That’s important for Titan.

“Black fox. Report if you spot any more of these things.”

“My name is Linea…”

“Right, sure. Black fox.”

Titan absolutely refuses to call Linea by her name. He’s drawing his own line in his own way.

We’ll resolve that part gradually.

Once again, we delved deeper into Nidavellir’s center.

“There’s a small mechanical device standing behind an alley 7 meters ahead. Should we avoid it? Or break through?”

At Linea’s question, everyone’s gaze turns to Geppetto.

We’ll leave overall judgment to him. We’ve already decided to avoid combat as a basic principle.

We only actively engage in combat when there’s a reason to do so.

“We’ll have to break through. We’ve already tried every other path, so there’s no choice but to force our way through now.”

Fair point.

We’ve been going around trying to avoid combat as much as possible, but we can’t reach the center if we keep avoiding everything.

As soon as the decision was made, Titan moved nimbly through the alley.

“It’s a combat unit, Lost!”

Following a beat behind Titan, I determined my response method based on those words as I entered the alley.

The first thing I saw was the gun barrel.

And around it, skin-like covering and grotesque muscles, with ammunition belts hanging down like hair.

A clumsy imitation.

Just biological features haphazardly patched together.

But dangerous.

Judging by the shape of the ammunition belts, it appears to be a vicious mechanical device capable of rapid fire.

Fortunately, since Titan passed through first, its head was turned in his direction.

Before the head turns back this way.

I approach the mechanical device at full speed while keeping my body as low as possible.

A dangerous combat unit equipped with what’s called a machine gun.

According to Geppetto, what makes machine guns dangerous is that unlike regular guns, they can fire bullets continuously.

Whirrrr-

The head turns toward me. The moment its empty eyes spot me, they turn red.

Click.

Along with the sound of loading, the ammunition belts hanging like hair retracted slightly inward.

At this rate, the timing will be slightly late.

I thrust my drawn sword toward what appears to be the joint where the gun barrel is attached.

Crack!

A red substance like blood spreads. Though different from real blood. The smell of oil and metal was overwhelming.

For a moment I feel discomfort at the sensation similar to stabbing a child’s neck.

“Hah!”

I realized the attack was too shallow.

Though I intended to pierce straight through, I was blocked by tough muscle.

It seems true that the machines’ durability increases the deeper we go.

But it did get stuck.

That’s enough for now.

Ratatatatat!

I twist the sword to redirect the gun barrel that started spewing fire toward the sky.

Simultaneously, I bend my arm as if pulling my extended hand, using that recoil to close in on the mechanical device.

I’ve entered point-blank range.

I immediately draw my prepared dagger and pin the part where the hair-like ammunition belts connect to the body, as if plastering them against it.

It’s heavy. Even though my run-up was short, I stabbed with all my might yet it didn’t budge an inch.

Click! Click!

The gun barrel that had been continuously spewing fire completely stops, making only loading sounds as if unable to feed ammunition.

What appear to be hands sprout from the machine, five or six of them, and one tries to pull out the jammed ammunition belt while another grabs a different belt.

“Titan!”

Immediately, Titan who had passed through the alley earlier comes running low to the ground with his hammer shouldered.

“Hrrrgh!”

Bang!

Titan’s hammer completely shatters the part with the gun barrel attached – the part that looked like a head.

Like before, liquid resembling blood sprays out and bits of flesh and machine parts scatter between.

An incredibly unpleasant sight.

But we have to completely destroy it like this to feel safe.

From the start, Titan is our only means of destroying these machines at this point.

I could handle it too if I used techniques like holy magic, but if I respond like that every time, I won’t be able to hold out when it really matters.

That’s why I’ve had Titan use his raw strength to destroy the machines.

They’re troublesome opponents. Though they’re merely mobile security equivalent to patrols, we can’t let our guard down.

“Hah… Hrrrgh!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Titan’s muscles swell for an instant before he immediately unleashes that immense power, hammering the machine’s remains.

Blood and flesh and metal fly.

When we encountered a similar unit before, we treated it like a normal creature and just crushed its head, but it kept attacking by swinging its limbs.

It was a more horrific sight than even most undead.

After the thunderous sounds continued for a while.

When it finally grew quiet, I asked the now-motionless Titan.

“Is it over?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, we took down the mechanical device without any casualties this time too.

A quick decisive victory.

This was possible because Linea’s senses were even better than Titan’s.

If she hadn’t properly performed her scouting role, we would have learned the hard way.

Though Titan has excellent senses too, it’s impossible to gauge the size of stationary targets.

It was thanks to Linea’s good hearing allowing her to calculate approximate numbers and sizes based on the meshing of gears.

She’s smart as expected of a doctor.

“Lost.”

Titan, who had completely shattered the machine to ensure it couldn’t possibly move again, speaks quietly.

“…No, let’s go for now.”

“Just say it. Whether it’s certain or not, it’s better than keeping it bottled up and bleeding later.”

“…Alright.”

I know that people who deflect conversation like this end up causing trouble.

Information needs to be shared no matter what.

Even if it’s not certain, there’s nothing wrong with keeping it open as a possibility.

“Pinocchio, was it? The master of this trial.”

“Yes.”

“Did you say he wants to become human?”

“That’s right.”

“Even looking like this?”

Titan points again at the mechanical device he had completely shattered.

A clumsy imitation. So crude it would be inappropriate to call it biological even before human.

“The closer we get to the center, the more lifelike they’ll become.”

We haven’t even made it halfway yet.

And considering Pinocchio’s ultimate goal is to become human, this surely isn’t his final form.

It can’t help but be crude.

“That’s not what I’m asking about.”

“…”

“Look.”

Titan points to the remains of the destroyed mechanical device.

While some parts were smashed beyond recognition, quite a few parts still maintained forms that were easily identifiable.

And what Titan pointed to was one of them. A vicious blade reminiscent of shark teeth was visible.

“I saw it right before destroying it.”

Titan narrowed his eyes as he stared at the blade.

“This thing tried to cut me. No, more accurately, it tried to tear me apart.”

“That’s a chilling assumption.”

“Lost. Does someone who wants to become human need this much combat power?”

At Titan’s words, I too examine the blade’s form carefully.

“Of course, the stronger the means of self-defense the better. But Lost. In your view, does this weapon look like a means of self-defense?”

“…No, it doesn’t.”

Just looking at the weapon’s form makes that clear.

With this shape, its cutting power would inevitably be reduced.

Then why this form?

Could it be that it wasn’t actually made as a weapon but for some other purpose?

It wouldn’t be useless as a saw. Though there isn’t even a blade of grass left here now, let alone trees…

It’s not impossible if we assume there used to be some in the past.

But Titan said it swung that weapon at him.

Whatever its intended purpose, it was used as a weapon.

By a mechanical device that, unlike Pinocchio, has no will of its own. At this point, I too can’t help but doubt.

“This isn’t for self-defense but a weapon meant to inflict pain on opponents.”

Whether Pinocchio’s goal is really to become human.

“This is clear ‘malice.'”