There were several large windows lining the walls, showing the smog-filled skyline of Isengard’s capital. At the far end of the room was a rusty, steel throne. It didn’t look very regal at all.
Atop the throne sat an old man. He looked over at us with a smile on his face. It was clear at a glance that both of his arms had been completely replaced by mechanical ones. Though, I’d initially thought he’d only replaced one.
There was no mistaking it. This was the man himself. The witch-king of Isengard, Gibram Thine Isengard.
◇ ◇ ◇
The old man, who I assumed to be the witch-king, sat on his throne. He grinned down at us. His brass mechanical arms whirred faintly, like electrical motors. The sound was so very faint that the average human would be unlikely to hear it.
He looked like he had to be at least seventy years old. He wore a monocle over one of his eyes, and his withered hair was brushed back. I could see his teeth, or at least what remained of them, they were all gold.
He definitely gave off the vibe of a stereotypical creepy old man... But I also knew I couldn’t underestimate him. He was old, which meant he had a lot of experience, and probably a lot of wisdom.
“The witch-king, I presume?”
“Correct. At least, that’s what they call me. For what is witchcraft if not a craft? It’s true that I care little for true magic, but the technological applications have always come naturally to me... And what should a master of that craft be called? The witch-king was originally a name granted to he who had proven himself a master of magitechnology, but none have come close to my capabilities, so I’ve held the title since I was but a prince.”
Huh... So it’s not what the king is normally called? Didn’t expect it to be an ability-based title. I don’t really like the way he’s looking at me from behind that monocle, though... He’s staring me down like I’m some kind of rare item.
“So, Mochizuki Touya... what brings you to my fine land?”
“Wait, how do you know my name?” His words caught me by surprise.
There were few people in this world who knew me by name, and as far as I knew, none of those people had ties to Isengard.
The old man grinned wide and let out a dry laugh when he saw my confusion.
“Isengard has a nice little information network itself. Not quite as sophisticated as the Black Cats, but still rather good. I know that you placed a curse upon the former leader of Papillon and that you halted a conflict between Triharan and Primula. And of course, I’m also aware that you used several gigantic Gollems to defeat those strange, metallic creatures that appeared within my borders... I suppose I should thank you for that.”
He let out another laugh after he finished talking. I could feel the condescension seeping from his words... It wasn’t like I’d killed the mutants for his sake or anything, they just happened to appear in his territory.
“A most proficient mage, and an owner of many giant Gollems... Tell me, boy... Which ancient ruin granted you access to this bountiful strength, hm?”
He narrowed his eyes, staring at me up and down. He was a little off the mark in some places, but that made sense. I didn’t expect him to know I was from another world.
“I’d always seen such witchery and magic as beneath me... Something that was simply a catalyst for technology, but... Perhaps I had underestimated it. I’d even decided to erect a magical barrier around my workshop, but it seems you saw through that as well.”
“Actually, that kinda worked. It ended up blocking my spell that I use to track things, so I had to directly storm the castle and find you the old-fashioned way.”
To be honest, it hadn’t really stalled us all that much though. It was a little annoying that this world had magic, even if it was inferior to the magic of the regular world... If the Reverse World didn’t have magic at all, things would’ve been a lot easier for me. Then again, it was possible that if the Reverse World had no capability for magic then I wouldn’t be able to use it either.
It was highly possible that the regular world and the Reverse World both had similar beginnings to their civilizations.
“So, then. Why are you here?”
“I’ll be blunt. I want you to leave the Gardio Empire alone.”
“Have Gardio hand the Emerald Ruin to us, and we will cease hostilities. We’ve asked for the ruin several times in the past, you know... But they always skirted around the issue. That’s why I really had no option but to take it by force.”
The ancient ruins of the Reverse World were basically full of loot waiting to be found, they weren’t things countries could just pass off to others with no consideration. But personally, I felt that the emperor of Gardio probably didn’t want to hand over any more of the land that was once the birthright of his son, Lucrecion.
“What’s in the Emerald Ruin, anyway? Some really strong Gollem?”
“...A strong Gollem? Mm... You aren’t quite wrong, I suppose. Tell me, what do you know of the Great Gollem War?”
The witch-king leaned back, as his grin twisted into a broader smirk.
“...Do you mean that ancient conflict that almost destroyed the whole world? The Gollems that were used in the war are still asleep today, right? You guys call them legacy Gollems.”
“Hoho... Seems you aren’t a dullard. But you aren’t correct entirely, actually. It’s the Gollems that specifically weren’t used in the war that we dig up nowadays. Most of the ancient ruins across the world are remnants of factories, hospitals, research facilities, and so on. That’s why the Gollems we find there are usually in such good condition.”
The witch-king reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar. He reached out his index finger, which transformed into a blade, and cut the tip off. He then lit the cigar with a small flame that came from his thumb. That arm of his seemed pretty useful to me, it certainly wasn’t short on gimmicky uses.
The witch-king continued to talk as he puffed away on his cigar.
“So, as the Great War continued, a bunch of countries started working on superweapons that could put an end to the conflict. One country created a series of giant artillery cannons. One country created a floating fortress that remains lost in the sky. Another country developed a bomb that could obliterate an entire city in a single blast. But all these weapons were only spoken of in texts, and I took them to be mere folk stories... After all, nothing of the sort had ever been found in any of the ruins we’d uncovered... Until...”
“What...?”
The witch-king grinned madly.
“Until I found one. A weapon of mass destruction, one created as a last-ditch effort by an ancient nation. The ultimate culmination of ancient magitechnological prowess! I call it the Hecatoncheir, the hundred-handed one!”
The... What? Wait, but if he already has one of those things then why did he even want the Emerald Ruin?
“Ahaha... You know, it’s rare that I have guests. Where are my manners? Let me properly treat you to an audience.”
The old man let out a dry laugh as he pushed a button on his throne. I suddenly heard creaking and whirring, and the very room began moving downward like a massive elevator.
“Th-The room is sinking, it is!”
“T-Touya? What is this?”
The elevator-like room continued to sink until a loud thud rang out and we finally stopped. I couldn’t say for sure, but it felt like we were underground.
“Just what is this?!”
We were in the middle of a vast area so wide that I couldn’t even make out anything in the distance. It was barely even lit up... The place looked like some kind of secret underground factory. I saw a few worker Gollems milling around in the area. But in front of us stood the most peculiar thing of all. It had a few spotlights centered on it. A massive, black metal structure accentuated with brass highlights.
“...Is that a Gollem?”
It certainly looked like a Gollem’s head... But it was far too big for me to accurately tell. If it was a Gollem’s
head, then it’d have to be a pretty goddamn big Gollem. It seemed like everything from the neck-down was buried in the ground, which meant the body hadn’t been properly excavated.
Regardless, it was the biggest Gollem I had ever seen. The lighting was still poor, so I couldn’t properly make it out. If I’d activated my divinity and focused it around my eyes then I’d have been able to get a better look, but the sheer scale of the thing made me forget I could do that.
The head looked almost demonic, with two curved horns jutting from the sides. There were also several spherical attachments on either side. Given the horizontal lines in the middle of each sphere, I could only assume it was a row of closed eyes. There was also a single large sphere right in the middle of the forehead, in the stereotypical position of a psychic’s third eye.
“...That’s Hecatoncheir?”
“Correct. Isengard has long protected this weapon, but over time the people forgot it was even buried down here. The nation developed as it slept below, abandoned by its protectors. If I hadn’t uncovered it, it likely would have slept forever.”
It was a grisly remnant of the Great War, something that could’ve destroyed the world... I had no idea such a thing was buried beneath Isengard. It was kind of like an Upper Construct Phrase, but it was far rougher due to its artificial nature. It was a weapon designed to blindly murder all in its path.
“All Gollems have the G-Cube at their core and the Q-Crystal to compose their brain. But the Q-Crystal slot for Hecatoncheir was left incomplete. It needed a replacement. For over thirty years I tried to awaken it with various Gollem Q-Crystals, but only recently did I find my answer.”
The witch-king walked over toward Hecatoncheir’s head and slid two of his machine fingers into a console nearby. Several beeping sounds rang out as the spheres lining the enormous Gollem head began to slowly open.
“What the...”
Each of the eye-like openings were actually hemisphere windows, and inside each were brain-like structures connected to tubes. All except the main eye in the middle was open. They were all floating within an emerald-green liquid, like preserved brains you might find in a medical laboratory.
They weren’t exactly biological brains, just crystal structures carved into an angular brain-like shape. There were even circuits carved into them, resembling the wrinkles one might find in an animal’s brain. These were the Q-Crystals, the data centers of a Gollem.
Even though I knew they were man-made, I was still grossed out looking at them through the glass.
“Fifty Q-Crystals. That’s how many we have lining its head right now. They aren’t normal, either. They’re all exceptionally high-grade Q-Crystals taken from legacy Gollems. But even after that, we still need to be sure it’s under our control, which brings us to the last piece...”
Even though the room was dimly lit, I could still make out the witch-king’s sinister smile.
“Gollems are powered through light and magic. Those two factors combine within a Gollem’s internal reactor, granting it the ability to move and think. But to move a Gollem of this size, we’d need unfathomable amounts of magical power. It was around ten years ago that I learned an artifact with that amount of magical power was within the Lowe territory.”
“Ten years ago... Then you orchestrated the invasion of Lowe to get your hands on that artifact?!”
“Correct. It was all to find that last piece. Well, we also managed to cannibalize the Q-Crystals from the beast emperor Gollems we defeated. They’re inside Hecatoncheir’s head right now! But I digress... The artifact I sought was not located within the Azure Ruin.”
That made sense. Since he only knew it was in Lowe’s territory, there was no guarantee it’d be in those particular ruins. And as it happened, the Emerald Ruin was discovered around the same time... Which probably meant the artifact he needed was in there, and he’d do anything to get it.
“So what do you want to do with it once you trigger it? Take over the world?”
“Pfft. Don’t be stupid, boy. I am doing this for myself. To prove that I have taken magitechnology to its utter apex. I wish to show the world that I have gone beyond even the ancient civilizations! I cannot allow the fools of this world to waste such beautiful technology anymore! All of the ancient secrets are mine to wield, do you understand? Mine to know, and pull apart! Who cares about conflict and war? All I want is to push science to the absolute limit! All who get in my way can die for all I care!”
Though the light was low, I could see glints of madness in his eyes. I knew that he’d stop at nothing to pursue his goals.
“Nia was right... You’re crazy.”
“Khahaha! All humans are crazy in some way, it’s just how we’re wired! Most aren’t even aware of their own neuroses, and think they’re sane! You say that I’m crazy, me?! But from my perspective, you’re the insane ones! You, who seek to impede magitechnological progress!”
The old man started cackling like an idiot. I could feel another wave of condescension coming from him. My grandpa always told me to respect my elders, but I didn’t really think this guy was the kind of person I could afford to respect on any level.
“...Guess you’re beyond negotiating, huh? Sorry, old man... But I’ll be turning that tacky old thing into scrap metal. It’s way too dangerous to leave unchecked.”
“Khaha! You think I’d let you do that?! Why do you think I brought you into my secret lab?! Why do you think I’ve been monologuing this entire time?!”
“What?”
All of a sudden, a glass cylinder shot up from the ground and fell down from the ceiling until I was completely sealed in a clear tube. All the strength began draining from my body. I felt like I was going to vomit. The sensation was so intense that I fell to my knees and started gasping for air.
Gh... M-My magic...?! He’s draining my magic?!
“Touya!”
“Darling?! Yae, Hilde! Get him out of there!”
“Yes, Leen-dono!”
“We’re on it!”
Yae and Hilde charged sent their blades dancing through the air, slicing the cylinder around me to ribbons.
Even though I’d only been affected for a few seconds, I’d lost roughly forty percent of my entire mana pool. If I was an ordinary person, I’d have been drained instantly and probably died. Given that it was enough to make me feel woozy, it must’ve been some seriously scary tech.
“Guhuhu... Khahahaha! Thanks for your generous donation, friend! This is more than enough to fire up the reactor! Khaaahahaha!”
“You...”
Even though my head was still reeling, I understood what the old man had done. He’d expected me to come see him. He was aiming for my magic power from the start... And had used me to activate the Gollem.
After all, he didn’t need the artifact if he had a living conduit of magic like me. I was basically a human sparkplug!
“You wretch!”
Yae leaped forward to the witch-king and, in the blink of an eye, sliced off his right arm at the elbow. Just as Hilde prepared to follow up with her own attack, something grotesque happened.
The witch-king’s face split open horizontally, and his jaw extended by at least twenty centimeters. The muzzle of a gun then poked out past his golden teeth and fired several rounds in our direction.
“What the...? [Shield]!”
The rain of bullets was soaked up by the sudden appearance of an invisible barrier. I watched in horror as the old man stood up. His entire back split apart, revealing several extendable arms that were tipped with sharp blades.
“T-Touya-dono?! D-Did he replace his entire body with mechanical parts, did he?!”
“No! That’s not it at all! He’s a Gollem! He was a humanoid Gollem this entire time!”
How could I have not noticed? He was never a human to begin with, he was a humanoid-type Gollem like Ruby, Saph, and Emerl... Elluka had mentioned that humanoid Gollems that looked identical to human beings were rare, but definitely existed... And now I
knew that this guy was one of them. Yae and Hilde began frantically slashing apart the arms as they came jabbing toward us. Fortunately, humanoid Gollems didn’t have much in the way of combat strength, because their design was more oriented around deceiving people through disguise. Even though it had weapons, that was never the primary focus of its design.
“Guh!”
“Hyah!”
Yae’s katana gleamed as it sliced off the witch-king’s head, and Hilde followed that attack up by cleaving its body in half entirely. Various mechanical parts spilled out of its inside, and the thing that once was the witch-king fell to the ground.
“...What could this mean?”
Yumina stared down at the witch-king’s remains in disbelief. ...Was he a Gollem his entire life? Did he get assassinated and replaced at some point? But then, who was controlling him? This raises way too many questions.
As I mulled over the situation, a rumbling began to permeate the ground and walls. Everything in the underground factory began to shake. At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but then I realized the truth.
“Khakhahaha! Amazing... Wonderful...! I can feel the power coursing through my entire body! Ohh... With this... I’ve truly become transhuman, ohh... This is incredible!”
The witch-king’s voice rang out through the entire area, but I couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from.
“T-Touya-dono! Over there!”
Yae pointed toward the gigantic Gollem head. The large eye-like window in the middle of Hecatoncheir’s forehead had opened, and I looked in utter disgusted shock as I realized what was inside.
Floating inside the emerald-green liquid, much like the Q-Crystals I’d seen through the other hemispherical windows... was a human brain.
◇ ◇ ◇
“...Then you’re the witch-king?”
“Correct! That humanoid Gollem over there was a mere doll I used for the sake of appearances. Ten years ago I had my brain transferred to the Hecatoncheir, and fled the shackles of humanity!”
I was equally appalled and amazed by what I was hearing. The brain within Hecatoncheir’s forehead jostled and shuddered as it spoke through the machine.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 16 (Premium) Page 10