Chapter 566 – A New Companion

In the end, Tauro succeeded in creating a total of seventeen dolls: fourteen large dolls modelled after the Guardian Rock Golems, two adult human-type dolls (one male and one female), and one child-like doll.

As for the fourteen Guardian Rock Golems, the joints were reinforced using the mysterious substance from the dungeon that Ragune had obtained. The same material was also used as exterior armour for the abdomen, where the “core” was located, partially covering their main weakness.

The two adult-type dolls were made entirely from this mysterious dungeon material. Not only were they extremely durable, but they were also equipped with the shockwave attack—the Guardian Rock Golem’s most powerful offensive ability—mounted in their chests. Their strength was beyond question.

And above all, the one whose level of completion exceeded even Tauro’s expectations was the child-type doll. It was an autonomous-thinking type, capable of acting and making decisions on its own even without direct orders from Tauro.

Surprisingly, the child-type doll could also share information with the other dolls. The fact that it could control them without Tauro’s direct input was a major advantage.

The thought of such a doll rebelling against humanity was chilling. However, since it remained under Tauro’s control and helped reduce the burden of operating the other dolls, it was incredibly convenient.

“You don’t have to name all of them, but why not at least give names to the adult and child dolls?”

Aeris suggested, Perhaps having already grown attached to the child-type doll.

“…You’re right. Okay then… The original fourteen will be called the ‘Rock’ series. The adult male and female will be ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve.’ And the child is… Seth … I think.”

Tauro chose simple, fitting names that were easy to remember.

“Seth … huh? Yes, I like it.”

Aeris seemed pleased with the naming.

“I agree. Sounds great. Nice to meet you, Seth . ”

Ankh held out his fist, and the child-type doll, Set, lightly bumped it with his own.

“Oh? You actually understand!”

Ankh was impressed by Set’s responsiveness.

“Haha! That’s because I sent the image to Seth .  But he’ll learn from it, so I think he’ll start thinking and acting more on his own from now on.”

“…Amazing. I’ve never seen a golem like this even in our village.”

Ragune is asroni and praises Set

“Lord Tauro, what will Seth and the others usually do?”

Zion, already fond of Seth and enjoying exchanging high-fives with him, voiced her question.

“Adam, Eve, and the Rock series will basically stay in my magic storage while we travel. As for Set, if we treat him as a puppet operating under my control, he could adventure alongside us regularly.”

“Yay! Set, I’ll teach you martial arts!”

Zion beamed at the arrival of their new little companion.

Seth mirrored her movements in response.

“In that case, I’ll teach you the spear and shield,” Ragune added eagerly, leaning forward.

“Hey, hold on. If Seth shares information with the leader, then most things will just be taught by him anyway. That kind of makes it pointless,” Ankh makes a sharp point. 

“Doesn’t that mean Seth will be able to use the same combat techniques Tauro specializes in?” Aeris asked, pulling Seth into a hug as she highlighted the implication.

“Like you and Ankh said, probably. We can share vision too, so it’s almost like there are two of me. I can also send him ahead for scouting through shared sight as originally planned. And I can have Seth operate Adam and Eve as well. There’s a lot we can do.”

Tauro spoke excitedly about the expanded possibilities.

“Then wouldn’t it be interesting to give him a bow, a short sword, or even a shield?” Ankh suggested, further expanding  the possibilities. 

“A sword might work, but we’d have to test how well a bow works. My archery skills are based on the foundation cultivated through practice, enhanced by the ‘Precision’ ability and the archery-related ability ‘Divine Archer.’ On top of that, my Behemoth Leather Armor (Modified) and Guardian Doll Round Shield (Modified) boost my strength through enhancement effects. It might be difficult for Seth to replicate that.”

Tauro’s point was reasonable.

Moreover, equipment like the dungeon-derived special weapon “Artemis’s Bow,” which allowed him to fully utilize those abilities, couldn’t be prepared for Seth so easily. so I will have to think about that as well.

“So Seth  isn’t all-powerful… Oh, right. We should test whether you can still control him over long distances,” Ragune suggested, opening a “Dimensional Corridor” to the dragon people’s village.

“Good point. Let’s try it.”

Realizing the oversight, Tauro used Spatial Transfer to teleport to the dragon people’s village.

“…Seth .  Are you still linked with Tauro?” Aeris asked.

Seth  nodded.

“Oh! It worked? The dragon people’s village should be pretty far from here. That’s incredible!” Ankh exclaimed just as Tauro returned.

“Looks like it worked! There were no problems sharing vision with Seth . ”

Tauro smiled in relief at the unexpected success.

“Maybe from now on we should think about battle strategies that include Seth .  Though his growth will be important for that,” Aeris proposed.

“That might be difficult. We share information, but when there’s something Seth  can’t judge, he leaves it to me—that’s the sense I get. For now, it’s probably best to think of Seth  as my hands and feet, and as the core operator of the other dolls.”

“Really? That’s a bit disappointing.”

Still hugging Seth  from behind, Aeris sounded dejected—clearly very fond of him.

“We’ll take our time figuring out what to do with Seth . ”

Wryly smiling at how attached everyone had become to the child-type doll, Tauro concluded the day’s experiments.