127. Magistia Kingdom 2

Shiro and the others are at the Great Library in this town, Magiwesuto. They’re here to investigate the periodic outbreaks of miasma and search for records on virus development.

"Shiro, check this out," Shestia said, holding up a book.

"What’s this? A description of magic arrays for microbes? Huh?"

"Senior, I found this," Kotone said, holding two books.

"...Possibility of micro magic arrays? And this one, virology? You two are good at finding资料. I’m starting to think you’d be better off searching alone," Shiro said. He’d been looking through books too, but hadn’t found anything yet.

"I’m good at finding books. Not for nothing do I have a high core count," Shestia said, smugly.

She could glance at the shelves and instantly recognize titles and infer content.

"I like books too, so I’m good at finding them," Kotone said.

Kotone also had a high core count, so she could do the same—though she’d actually learned the method from Shestia.

"...Yeah, you two are impressive..."

Shiro muttered, a hint of envy creeping in.

"According to the materials you two found, research into merging microbes—no, viruses—with magic was conducted before the great accident. It was still in the experimental stage at the time, but what happened after that isn’t recorded. Still, it’s likely it worked to some extent. That progress was lost in the massive explosion. And the viruses themselves probably didn’t vanish—they were scattered by the blast and have been growing ever since."

Shiro said, voicing his thoughts.

"So... was that technology created by the ancient demon tribe?" Shestia asked.

"No, the thing is, this document has a prototype spell circle in it—some parts look suspiciously like the Hero Summoning circle. You know how people’s writing habits show through in their descriptions."

"Hero Summoning? Doesn't really concern us, does it? Besides, this book's from hundreds of years ago," Kotone said.

"Yeah, but if this was written by the same person who drew the Hero Summoning Rune Array—or if it's based on the same template..."

Shiro said that, a faint sense of dread creeping in.

◇

"Golem?" Shiro said.

Shiro and the others were summoned by King Philis and gathered in the office.

Ah. To the north of this country lies a range of high mountains, and beyond that, even higher peaks stretch out. That’s where the golems reside.

"Golems... huh. Wait— I've never actually seen one before?"

"Shiro, there aren't any stone golems like the ones you always see in fantasy novels around here."

"Wait, really? Why's that?"

"Come on. I don't know."

"…Well, that’s the thing—there are settlements up in those high mountain regions," Philis said. And then,

I've run into them a few times before—ever since, we've kept in loose contact. The Northern Mountains are rich in ore veins, making them a major mining region. In truth, those golems are the greatest asset in mining operations. They're just incredibly strong, that's all.

"Ah, I see. That’s one of the sources powering this town’s modern industrialization," Shiro said.

"Fair enough. The thing is, I've been getting requests for help from those golems lately."

"Help?"

"Yeah, apparently their power source is running low. Incidentally, they call it 'electricity.'"

"Electricity? Wait, a golem... is that a robot?" Shiro said, surprised.

"I don't know what this 'robot' is, but our nation's technology can't handle it. So I thought I'd ask you, Shiro, to take a look."

"Huh, got it. I'm curious about how that golem and electricity are connected. Let me go check it out."

Shiro accepted the request.

If you found it interesting, please consider rating, bookmarking, or leaving a comment—it really helps!