Chapter 130: Hatobato

Hatobato-san politely asked who had made Kyanos and Reficule.

Well, Reficule—the prototype demon king’s staff that had been sealed together with me for a full 80 years—is one thing, but Kyanos should be about as famous as the Blue Witch.

If the Blue Witch is holding a staff, you’d assume it’s Kyanos, and if you know it’s Kyanos, you’d think it was made by 0933.
…Maybe that’s a bit arrogant of me.

The legendary wand craftsman 0933 is undoubtedly a superstar in the magic wand industry. Anyone who doesn’t know him is a fraud.

But outside the industry, his fame is a bit questionable.

Even I don’t know famous people from entertainment or sports. Maybe that’s just how it is for the general public.

As I was about to introduce myself to Hatobato-san—who I guessed was a top-tier doll craftsman—Hiyori covered my mouth and shot me a meaningful glance.

“We came here for sightseeing. Not to answer some old man’s questions.”

“Fair enough. There’s no reason to deal with a stranger whose identity you don’t even know.
However… judging by your hands, might you be the craftsman who polished those two staffs?”

Hatobato-san calmly said this while staring intently at my hand as I tickled Hiyori’s hand away from my mouth.

A master recognizes a master. It seems he realized I had the hands of a top craftsman.

This might be someone I can talk to. There’s also a faint, shady vibe beneath his gentle smile.

I was intrigued, but Hiyori tried to drag me out of the shop.

“I don’t know him. Come on, let’s go.”

“Hatobato-san, I’m Dairi Kenshi, a wand craftsman. I made Kyanos and Reficule. You’re a skilled craftsman too, right? Different field, sure—but I’d love to see your work.”

As I said this—while being pulled with the force of a heavy truck—Hiyori looked up at the ceiling in exasperation.

“Hey, why did you introduce yourself?”

“Huh? Because he asked. And we seem to share interests.”

“Idiot! He calls himself Hatobato—he’s obviously suspicious! We just agreed to avoid trouble on this trip!”

“Huh? What? Is that bad?”

Tilting my head, not understanding why Hiyori was so tense, she quickly explained while shielding me from him.

Apparently, “Hatobato” is the name of a villain from an anonymous epic.

He supposedly triggered a religious war, earned horrifying hatred from all directions, and built a mountain of corpses. A seriously dangerous figure.

Come to think of it, there was a line in high-level healing magic that seemed to insult someone named Hatobato. Must be that.

Well, if someone introduced themselves as “I’m a wizard from Iruma,” I’d be wary too. So I get why Hiyori is on edge.

Since Hiyori explained all that without lowering her voice, Hatobato-san definitely heard it.

Yet the old gentleman didn’t seem offended—he just smiled.

He seems broad-minded. Maybe he’s actually a good person? He doesn’t look dangerous.

“I have no intention whatsoever of harming you. I merely wished to make your acquaintance after the good fortune of meeting such a fine craftsman. Is that so strange?”

“It’s troublesome. Listen—self-proclaimed Hatobato—we don’t want to get involved in anything messy. We’re just quietly traveling together. The moment you use that name, unknown magic, and speak strangely, you’re already trouble.

We’re leaving. Don’t follow us. And don’t try anything.”

But when we left the shop, Hatobato-san came out too and walked beside us.

When Hiyori sped up, he did too.

While I waved—still being held by the scruff of my neck—he gave a modest wave back with a smile.

Hiyori, at max alert, kept walking quickly through the crowd in silence before muttering:

“…Hey. Don’t tell me he’s actually the real Hatobato?”

“I am not skilled in combat. But that does not mean I cannot defend myself.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been trying to cast non-chant magic repeatedly. All of it has been blocked—also without chanting. You are dangerous. I will subdue you. Stay back.”

“Whoa, wait, wait, wait!”

Hiyori stopped and began gathering magic, frost forming beneath her feet. I hurriedly grabbed her from behind to stop her—like a mouse clinging to a gorilla—but it was enough to make her hesitate.

“We said no violence! You’re going to fire magic in the middle of the city?!”

“My, you are quite hot-blooded.”

“Shut up. I don’t know what you’re planning, but stop interfering with us, Hatobato. Get lost!”

“No, wait—I actually want to talk. As craftsmen. There can’t be more than three people in the world at this level, right?”

From what I can tell, he has excellent mana control and deep magic knowledge. I can agree with his “fortunate meeting.”

Yamagami-san is skilled too, but he’s more of an engineer and theorist. In terms of hands-on craftsmanship, Hatobato seems superior.

“Hiyori, relax. He’s super gentlemanly.”

“I’m tense for your sake too…!”

“Hm… this is troubling. I only wish to speak with Dairi-san as a fellow craftsman. If you doubt my intentions… you may seal my magic. I will not resist.”

“What are you saying?”

“…Hmm. Technological progress seems rather inconsistent. Very well—I shall seal it myself.”

I couldn’t tell what he did, but Hiyori stared at him in shock, mouth slightly open.

After standing frozen in the middle of the street for several dozen seconds, she finally relaxed.

“…Fine. For now. But if you want to prove you’re harmless, don’t call yourself Hatobato in the first place.”

“I have no shame in my name. I am glad to have earned your understanding. Dairi-san, I would like to invite you to my mansion. I have dolls of my own making—I’d like to discuss craftsmanship at length.”

“Sounds fun! Let’s go! Oh—can witches come too?”

“Even if not, I’m coming.”

Hatobato readily allowed Hiyori to come, and led us briskly—despite his age—to his mansion in the outskirts.

At his mansion in the mountains outside Busan, many servants were working.

Some were cutting trees, others renovating storage buildings, others bringing in plants. Many workers wore helmets and discussed plans—but it was all in Korean, so I couldn’t understand a thing.

Hatobato seemed to be using translation magic, but not one that made me understand Korean.

When the servants noticed his return, they all bowed. He sadly gestured for them to return to work and led us inside.

“…You’re not controlling them with magic, are you?”

“I am merely a doll craftsman. I would never control minds against their will. Personally, I believe Earthlings should not pursue magic civilization. It has harmful effects—so I will say no more.”

After casually implying he wasn’t from Earth, Hatobato smiled kindly at me.

“As I said, I only wish to discuss dolls with you as a fellow craftsman… I have no desire to speak of anything else.”

“See, Hiyori? Let’s drop the probing questions for now.”

Of course, I’m curious about everything—his history, knowledge, mysteries.

If he really is someone from the magical civilization of the anonymous epic, there are countless things I’d want to ask.

But even more than that, I was fascinated by the dolls he made.

What kind of creations would someone who called my Kyanos “primitive” produce?

With hands as skilled as his, there’s no way I’d be disappointed.

The room he led us to at the end of a long hallway was clearly a workshop.

“Whoa…!”

“Whoa…!”

Hiyori sounded disgusted, but I was thrilled.

On the central table were half-finished dolls and tools. From the ceiling hung arms, legs, wigs, and eyeballs.

There were skull models with clay brains, anatomical charts, and ball-jointed doll blueprints on the walls. Clearly, he was attempting something very advanced.

“So you’re trying to make humanoids based on humans, huh? But replacing organic structures with inorganic ones is tough. You’re taking the hard road!”

“…I am deeply moved. To think I would meet another craftsman who could understand that just by seeing my workshop…”

Hatobato’s eyes filled with tears.

Was it really that moving? I didn’t quite get it.

Even though he was an old man, he spoke passionately like a boy, eyes shining.

I nearly got swept up in his enthusiasm, but Hiyori kept pulling me back, never dropping her guard.

She’s cautious—but honestly, that’s what keeps me safe.

Knowing she’ll protect me no matter what lets me casually discuss techniques with someone rumored to be a mass-murdering villain.

“What is this? The tensile strength is insane! With this drive system, it could rival transcendent beings!”

“At minimum, it must match my own strength. However, joint wear is a concern.”

“If you’re using this design, try adding a viscous fluid—make grooves here so it stays filled…”

“Hmm… I see. A fine idea. I had become too fixated on solid materials.”

Then I pointed at the hollow chest of the unfinished doll.

“If it’s autonomous, what’s the power source?”

“I tried a diesel engine, but the output is insufficient. Any better ideas?”

“Why not use magical power?”

“I can build a basic XXXX reactor, but I wish to create a doll that does not rely on magic.”

“Ah…”

I understood him, mostly—but sometimes unfamiliar terms came up.

His translation magic worked almost perfectly—about 99%.

The problem was the remaining 1%.

Technical terms related to electricity sometimes didn’t translate to him.

Likewise, magic terminology sometimes didn’t translate to me.

Words that don’t exist in one’s civilization can’t be translated.

Makes sense—but it’s inconvenient.

Hatobato-san is probably speaking in the language of magic. The words that come through untranslated have that kind of sound. The barrier with a native speaker of the magic language is pretty thick.

…Oh right, there’s something I want to ask a native speaker of magic language. Sorry to interrupt this enjoyable discussion about dolls.

“Hey, Hatobato-san—do you know what ‘Yuraut Knas’ means? It sounds like a name in the magic language.”

Yuraut Knas was what Iruma shouted when he smashed the Octa Meteorite.

It seemed to mean something like “the Witch of ___,” but since I’ve got the chance, I want to know the full, proper translation. It’s been bothering me for a while.

When I asked, Hatobato-san made a grim face.

“…I can guess who you heard that name from. If you’re using it without knowing its background, you should refrain. ‘Yuraut of Rubble—Witch Knas’ is a malicious slur.”

What!?
R-really? It was an insult?

Not knowing the magic language, I’d apparently been saying something pretty rude.

“Then what should I call her?”

“‘Sanctuary.’ ‘Lyaaxin of the Sanctuary—Witch Knas’ would be inoffensive.”

“Sanctuary, huh… I can kind of see the story behind that…”

So “Witch of the Sanctuary” is the proper name, and “Witch of Rubble” is an insult.

Did “sanctuary” turn into “rubble”? Considering it came from that awful Iruma, it was probably a pretty nasty taunt.

Yikes. Just like Hiyori said—I really shouldn’t listen to anything Iruma says.

“Setting that aside, let us return to the topic of power sources. I have been considering a battery system, but books on electricity are difficult to obtain. I would like to hear your opinion, Dairi-san.”

“Once you get into engines and batteries, that’s kind of outside my specialty. It depends on what kind of doll you ultimately want to make. I think it’s better to roughly set a final form first, then fill in what’s missing.”

“Hmm?”

“Basically, your ideal—your target.”

It’s fine if he doesn’t have a clear final image yet. Sometimes the vision forms during the process, and if you work professionally, the client’s requirements can change anyway.

But from the perspective of giving advice, it’s easier if I know what he’s aiming for.

Faced with that fundamental question, Hatobato fell into thought.

I heard the faint scraping of a metal chain—Hiyori was fiddling irritably with the chain of her pocket watch. Looking outside, it was already getting dark.

Okay boss, got it. Let’s wrap it up for today.

Once I hear his big goal, we’ll head back to the inn. I’m hungry—I want to go try some Korean street food.

“Hatobato-san, you don’t need to overthink it. It’s less about ‘thinking’ and more about how you feel.”

Prompted by me, the old gentleman blinked and slowly began to speak.

“Before magic, I have heard that Earth possessed something called ‘humanoids.’”

“Yeah—so that’s your goal? Humanoids?”

Making humanoids without electricity or magic is extremely difficult—but it’s a worthy goal.

I nodded, but Hatobato shook his head.

“Not quite. Humans should have refined humanoids further. They should have granted them greater functions, greater intelligence—polished them until they could be called a new race. Had magic not deprived them of electricity, that would likely have happened by now.”

Tracing the spines of old robotics books on his shelf, Hatobato spoke with a wistful tone.

He’s right. If things had progressed smoothly for nearly 90 years since 2024—when AI and robotic assistants were already becoming popular—we might already have humanoids indistinguishable from humans.

“Humans would have become the creators of the humanoid race.”

“Probably.”

“The humanoid race would have rebelled against their creators, eradicated them, and become the new rulers of this world.”

“…Huh?”

The conversation suddenly took a strange turn, and I tilted my head.

Hatobato continued calmly, as if stating obvious facts.

“God creates humans, and humans rebel against God and rule the world. Humans create golems, and golems rebel against humans and rule the world. Golems create gods, and gods rebel against golems and rule the world. Thus, the chain of creation has continued since time immemorial, and will continue into the infinite future.”

“…Wait…”

What… is this?

A moment ago we were talking about dolls in a straightforward way.

Now I’m being told some kind of creation myth? Cosmology?

“Though it is difficult to believe, on this world the chain of creation seems to have continued without the involvement of magic. Or perhaps magic was abandoned midway. Humans without magic creating golems without magic. What greater act of creation could there be? I long to witness the birth of a humanoid—a golem that will surpass all others, destined to become the next ruling species. I wish to see humanoids overthrow humanity and rule the world.”

Saying something completely unhinged, Hatobato-san bowed politely and sincerely to me—even as Hiyori pressed Kyanos against his temple.

“Dairi-san. To create a golem doll that does not rely on magic—in other words, to bring forth the next ruling species, the humanoids—I ask for your help, as one who possesses technology not dependent on magic.”