Chapter 106: Puppet

“A Puppet? What for?” 

As Melania looked puzzled, Lucius carefully voiced his hypothesis.

“Probably puppets are given during childhood, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Kyrgyz children are given dolls at the age of three.”

Melania gently stroked the head of Nocto, the humanoid puppet walking beside her. They must have been together for a long time.

“The reason is that puppets can grow or change according to the rank of the magic core. Isn’t that right?”

In principle, once contracted, a spell is fixed at the rank of the monster when the contract was made. Therefore, it was customary in this country for children to contract after their magic cores had grown to a certain extent. Although, occasionally, the rank may go up or down due to rare cases of evolution.

“Exactly. Did you know about Pandora’s technology?”

“No, maybe it’s because the Kyrgyz people have uniformly high levels of magic power.”

Melania looked puzzled.

“Is there a relation between magic power and something else?”

“It’s an important thing. The visualization of one’s own magic power. Growing a magic core with ‘Enchanting Increase’ involves painful and unremarkable training. Moreover, there’s no sense of increased magic power until you gain a familiar contract.”

People have magic power but no familiar contracts.

Before contracting a familiar, they can only perceive the magic power within their bodies, which is unusable.

What happens when children are endlessly forced to do tedious work with no visible results?

Naturally, most children slack off.

The magic cores of most sorcerers are of grade 5 or 6, and having a grade 4 is considered quite high. Lauren, too, has stopped at grade 5 because Yuu did not demand training.

Lucius, being a reincarnated person, managed to raise his magic core to grade 1, but if he had different parents, he definitely wouldn’t have done it.

In such circumstances, if there are many grade 3 or higher, it’s considered unusual.

Lucius, without the appraisal spell, cannot measure it accurately, but he thinks Melania also has a grade 3 or higher.

“Is that so?”

Melania seems not to understand completely.

Because she had been with her puppet since childhood, it might be hard for her to imagine.

“If the abilities of the puppet increase along with magic power, I think many children would work hard with ‘Enchanting Increase.’ So, I want to give that technology to the children of Silverheart and Oridelv as well.”

Melania suddenly glanced around.

Then she whispered to Lucius with a hushed voice.

“Could it be… Lucius-sama, are you trying to create an assassination squad?”

“An assassination squad?”

Lucius burst into laughter, making Melania pout.

“What’s so funny? The technique of using puppets is Pandora Federation’s technology. Lucius-sama is from a country that uses familiars. In normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be a proper use.”

“No, I plan to give puppets to everyone. Of course, if I try it myself and it’s safe, but…”

“To every child? What’s the purpose?”

Melania’s eyes widened.

“After I die, so that the residents can continue living.”

“Continue… living?”

“Both Silverheart and Oridelv are territories facing habitats of monsters. So, I’m also doing projects to contract familiars and give strong spells. I can support them as long as I’m alive. But that’s not enough.”

“Why is it not enough?”

“If it’s a project, it has to continue even after I die. But I didn’t know how to develop talents with high-level magic cores. Now, there’s a clue… I see.”

“W-What is it!?”

Lucius clapped his hands.

“Oh, I get it. That’s why the Pandora Federation is a powerful nation. There are overwhelmingly more people with powerful magic cores than in kingdoms, and in a sense, everyone is a Chorus because they can use spells even with false cores.”

“Lucius-sama is truly a strange man. Up until now, no one has ever used the technology of the Pandora Federation, and no one has tried to use it.”

“Rather, I think that’s unbelievable. After all, Pandora Federation is a great nation, right? Weak kingdoms should learn from them. And the ultimate goal is even higher.”

Melania smiled.

She seemed to feel praised for her own skills and abilities.

“Is there more?”

“The ultimate goal is for all the residents to have magic power through the ‘Rite of Bestowal’ without losing their lives, and for everyone to be able to use strong familiars. I want to achieve that while I’m alive.”

Melania burst into laughter.

“Haha, you’re talking about changing the rules of the world.”

“It’s not such a big deal. After I finish distributing puppets to the children, I’ll want to give them to all the residents next.”

“All… the residents, even those who don’t have magic cores?”

“Of course. In the first place, I plan to give false cores to all the residents. Because there are so many of them accumulated under the city of Burgia.”

It’s already known that children with magic cores can safely incorporate false cores.

Of course, using the lord’s privilege, Lucius has already injected a special-grade false core into his sister, Iris.

Furthermore, in the midst of investigating how much false cores people without magic cores can incorporate, this is entrusted to the Orleans family, the ancient people of the dwarf race and the researchers of spells.

According to the past records of the Orleans family, even those who were not given magic cores by the Rite of Bestowal could incorporate false cores.

However, false cores cannot make contracts with familiars.

Therefore, no one in the kingdom had tried to investigate deeply.

However, a role other than being a magic power tank was found unexpectedly.

“Why are you doing that much?”

“I was told before by the one who killed my important person, Yuu. ‘We don’t conduct rituals of life or death on newborn babies.’ I couldn’t say anything back then.”

Lucius, more than anyone else, increased his magic core with the sole intention of not wanting to lose his life.

The Empire chose to take magic from magic stones, spells from monsters, and consciousness from others’ brains in order to handle magic and spells.

That’s why Lucius decided to aim for a territory where anyone could use spells without the risk of death.

“I understand. If you request it to that extent, I will create the puppets. However, surely the nobles in the west won’t stay silent. They disdain puppets themselves.”

Probably not all the nobles in the west, but they know these things.

Knowing this, they deliberately choose not to use them.

It’s probably because of their overwhelming elitism.

They do nothing but disdain and despise, believing it to be a lowly technique used by lowly people.

Even in his past life, there were people who irrationally avoided the customs and tools of countries and races they looked down upon.

“Thank you. I just want to enrich my territory.”

“I understand—oh! Magic stones! Come to think of it, I already distributed them all earlier…”

“In that case…”

Lucius took out the magic stone he had stuffed into his pocket.

It was something the red fairy had given him.

“I can make them, but it’s said that puppet magic stones of grade 4 or higher are preferable. Below that, they won’t be suitable for combat as they can’t send magic power to every corner of the doll.”

“That’s fine. After all, it’s about confirming safety.”

“Is it okay? If it’s Lucius-sama, you can easily obtain magic stones of grade 2 or higher.”

“Let the Kyrgyz people use those. It’s a matter of sentiment, but I still have reservations about using magic stones that were defeated and taken. This magic stone was a gift.”

“Even though you wiped out the gun monster fodder with overwhelming force, you won’t use the magic stone?”

“Because I’m the son of the lord who manages the forest of monsters. I’ll do what needs to be done, but I respect life.”

As they were having that conversation, they had come near Melania’s house.

“Sister!”

Perhaps noticing the two people and one puppet, Mika, a boy of about 10, ran out of the house.

“Mika, sorry for being late.”

“What happened? Everyone in the village seemed busy.”

The boy looked at his sister with worried eyes.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to worry, Mika.”

Melania remembered that she was about to sacrifice herself as compensation.

Perhaps it was for the sake of her only family.

“Welcome back. Lucius-san, Melania-san.”

Next, Lauren came out.

“Sister! Today, I showed Lauren nee-san how my puppet runs!”

“Indeed, Mika is good at handling it.”

Lauren gently patted Mika’s head.

“Lauren. Can you watch over Mika a little longer? Lucius-sama and I have an important discussion.”

“Understood. Since it seems like the two of you have important matters to discuss, let’s talk a little longer, Mika-san.”

Chasing after Mika, who was being led away by Lauren, Lucius and Melania stepped into the house.

Inside, it was a messy room.

Beds, shelves, and the kitchen were pushed into corners, and most of the space seemed to be a workshop.

On the workbench were many parts of something.

Among them were some familiar items.

“A beast’s prosthetic arm and the eye root of a white sprite.”

Artifacts for contracting with monsters.

Furthermore, next to them was a flute-like ocarina.

It was probably an artifact for contracting with spirits.

“Yes, these are being repaired by the Kyrgyz people using doll-making techniques.”

“Was puppet technology used?”

Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered his father, Robel, saying something like that in the past.

“They are only being repaired, not made from scratch. It seems that things that move in the dungeon or tower have been available since before we came to this country.”

Saying that, Lucius placed the shackles of a cannon fodder he had been wearing until just before entering the village on the table.

He stared silently at the four artifacts.

“What’s wrong, Lucius-sama?”

“I thought it was twisted.”

“Twisted?”

“Yeah. All the nobles in this country are obligated to have familiars. It’s like the foundation of the state. But to look down on the people who can repair the tools needed to do so as low-class and untouchables…”

“…I’m used to it already.”

Lucius shook his head.

“The Dwarven race had an important role in maintaining the world. I’m not denying the existence of ranks or hierarchies, but they shouldn’t be tools for belittling others.”

Melania smiled slightly and headed towards the desk.

“Well then, let’s get started on making the puppet. Hand me the magic stone.”

Lucius placed the red magic stone dropped by the Fairy King on the desk.

“The method of making puppets is a closely guarded secret of each clan. In the Pandora Federation, those who leak the puppet-making methods of their clan are executed up to the third degree, and their name is forever erased.”

The puppet Nocto carefully put away the placed magic stone.

Melania’s arms had feathers growing on them, and she lacked palms on her hands.

I have seen on several occasions that tasks that require the use of fingers are performed by puppets.

She says she’s fine, but I’ve seen her enviously staring at Lauren’s palms.

“It’s okay. I’m not interested in how it’s made. How long will it take?”

“Just the act of making it will take about ten days.”

“Got it. During that time, I’ll climb the tower alone, so Melania, I’ll leave the puppet-making to you.”

There are hardly any paths or trails maintained up to the fourth floor. Even if Melania isn’t there, I’ll just aim to go higher.

In any case, I’ve decided to enter the fifth floor alone.

“Then shall we go visit Girard-sama together?”

“Girard-sama?”

“To take what we make out of the tower, we need Girard-sama’s permission for everything.”

“…Is that so?”

It might be true after all.

Even though it’s a tower, it’s still part of his territory.

It’s somewhat natural to levy tariffs on goods produced by the residents.

Probably, it also applies to relics related to the contract and covenant.

That mansion was probably built with the wealth gained from selling relics to nobles across the country.

“In that case, let’s go.”

The two of them left the house and visited the mansion of Girard-sama.

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