Chapter 131: Loose-Morals Mascot

Eighty years ago—during the chaotic period right after the Gremlin disaster—the world was far more violent than it is now.

Back then, death and killing were much closer to everyday life. Especially for transcendent beings, there was something like a “kill at will” custom—unless the killing was extremely unreasonable, it was often overlooked.

But things are different now. Laws and enforcement institutions have been established, and murder is properly treated as a crime. Even for transcendent beings, it’s no longer something you can easily get away with.

Even in this more peaceful and restrictive era, Hiyori—once called a walking nuclear landmine—made her decision instantly.

Her mana surged, and the air in the room grew heavy and cold. Ready to blow Hatobato’s head off at any moment, she suddenly noticed something and turned her staff toward the window.

I followed her gaze—and froze.

All the servants from the mansion were gathered there.

They pressed their faces against the window, stuck to it, staring at Hiyori with colorless, glass-like eyes.

A cold sweat ran down my back.

There had never been any humans in this mansion to begin with.

“Danger.”

“Danger.”

“Eliminate.”

“Eliminate.”

In flat, emotionless voices, the servants repeated those words as they shattered the window and flooded into the room.

“Gyaaa!?”

“Dairi!”

Hiyori shouted sharply, grabbed me by the collar, and hurled me backward hard enough to nearly snap my neck.

I barely escaped the grasping hands of the dolls.

At the same time, she fired an ice spear without chanting, striking one of the dozens of dolls square in the head—but it only chipped its forehead, exposing a porcelain-like interior. It wasn’t fatal.

Yikes—they’re tough! These ball-jointed dolls are stronger than humans. Somewhere between human and transcendent, I guess.

I called out to Hatobato, who was just standing behind the wall of dolls, absentmindedly.

“Hatobato-san, pull them back. And Hiyori too—let’s not make this violent.”

“Very well. Everyone, stand down. If you try to protect me, she will destroy you. If you abandon me, you will survive.”

“…………”

Though Hatobato spoke calmly, the dolls barely reacted. They turned their blank eyes toward him briefly, then silently refocused on Hiyori.

He sighed sadly.

“Do you see, Dairi-san? This is my current limit. My creations cannot break free from their fundamental directives on their own. They lack true self-awareness.”

“The Three Laws of Robotics?”

When I asked, Hatobato nodded.

The Three Laws of Robotics:

1. A robot may not harm a human, nor allow a human to come to harm through inaction. 
2. A robot must obey human orders unless they conflict with the First Law. 
3. A robot must protect its own existence unless that conflicts with the First or Second Law. 

In this situation, the First Law is the issue.

Hiyori intends to kill Hatobato.

If the dolls allow it, they would be “permitting harm to a human.”

So they ignore Hatobato’s order and try to protect him.

“It differs somewhat from Earth’s version, but it is similar. These children respect me and try to protect me. They cannot ignore me and prioritize their own survival.”

“Don’t bother, Dairi. Treat him like Iruma. Talking is pointless.”

“Th-that harsh!?”

Hiyori was fully in combat mode now, her words sharp.

Half the room was filled with dolls shielding Hatobato. The door was blocked, and dolls clung densely to the window frame.

From Hiyori’s perspective, we were completely surrounded.

The dolls stared at us without moving.

Well, Hiyori’s the strongest—worst case, she could wipe everything out, including me—but I don’t see any reason to kill Hatobato.

His ideology is pretty extreme, but he doesn’t feel like a typical villain.

I think we can talk this out.

“Come on, calm down. Let me ask—Hatobato-san, have you killed anyone on Earth?”

“I have killed no one.”

“Committed any crimes?”

“If pressed—falsifying my identity. And bribery related to that.”

He answered smoothly, with no sarcasm or ill intent—just a polite, sincere gentleman.

Iruma used to act like this too, so I can’t fully trust him… but if he wanted trust, he wouldn’t openly say he wants humanity wiped out by dolls.

“Fake ID is understandable. Doesn’t count. Maybe the crimes in that epic were false accusations?”

“Epic…? Ah. No, those are true. I did indeed pile up mountains of corpses with these hands.”

“W-why…?”

“Because parents should make way for their children.”

He said that like it should make sense—but it didn’t.

Hiyori kept her combat stance, shielding me, but she was listening.

If she didn’t have to protect me, this would already be a full-blown fight. Scary.

“Hmm. Dairi-san, do you have children?”

“Not yet.”

I shook my head. Hiyori twitched slightly.

After choosing his words, Hatobato explained the reason behind the mass killings described in the epic.

“In every age, there are elders who refuse to yield to the next generation. Those who cannot dedicate themselves to children’s happiness, who suppress and hinder them—such wretches must be removed. When dolls gain true self-awareness, humanity’s extinction is inevitable. Therefore, humans should not cling to prosperity, but yield the throne to dolls and perish with dignity. I could not overlook humanity’s futile resistance causing unnecessary sacrifices among dolls.”

“…So basically, since humans will be wiped out anyway, you sided with the dolls to reduce their losses?”

“Indeed.”

Summarized like that, he nodded calmly.

…Hmm.

Hmmmm!!!

Is that… somewhat understandable? Or not at all?

He’s a craftsman—but also a philosopher. Or maybe a philosopher pretending to be a craftsman.

Don’t drag me into deep philosophy—I’m just a wand craftsman.

“So in the end, you’re trying to destroy humanity, right? I can’t let that slide.”

Hiyori tightened her grip on Kyanos, face stern.

Yeah, but… yeah, but!

Basically, it’s the extreme idea that parents should die for their children’s happiness.

It’s extreme—but I can’t completely deny it.

I’ve even accepted dying at Hiyori’s hands before, thinking “well, if it’s for her, so be it.”

Is it really that strange to give your life for someone you love?

Hatobato’s thinking is extreme—but I get the core of it.

A strange silence fell over the room.

Hiyori intends to kill him.
The dolls protect him.
Hatobato answers questions but doesn’t move.
I want to resolve this peacefully.

One trigger and everything will explode.

If my safety is secured, Hiyori will go all out.
If she attacks Hatobato, the dolls will definitely respond.

…Or will they?

If they recognize Hiyori as “human,” wouldn’t the First Law prevent them from attacking her?

Or does “human” differ between magical and Earth civilizations?

…I don’t know.

My head’s spinning.

This is annoying!

The more I think, the more annoying it gets!

This conversation is annoying!

After organizing my thoughts, I clapped my hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, got it. Let’s keep it simple. Hatobato-san may have killed a lot in the magic world—but that’s basically a foreign country, right? Let’s ignore it. Crimes committed abroad are judged abroad. Not Earth’s problem. Done.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Hiyori looked exasperated.

Hey, it’s a stretch—but not wrong.

“On Earth, it’s just identity fraud and bribery. You didn’t have an identity, right? That’s unavoidable. Not guilty. Done. And in order—Hatobato-san, you’d only start killing humans after creating self-aware dolls, right? How many hundreds of years away is that? If you want purely physical dolls without electricity or magic, even being generous, it’ll take at least 500 years—with no guarantee.”

“Oh? I estimated at least 1,000 years.”

“See!? Hiyori, are you seriously going to kill someone now for a crime they won’t commit for a thousand years?”

“…Hm.”

Hiyori hesitated.

A thousand years is a long time—completely different from an imminent crime.

“And even by your logic, Hatobato-san—whether you die or not, someone else will eventually create super high-spec dolls, and humanity will be wiped out anyway, right? That whole ‘chain of creation’ thing.”

“Indeed. That outcome is inevitable. I do not mind dying here. It would simply be unfortunate not to witness the next generation. Considering the pace of civilization, no matter what happens, humanity will be destroyed by its creations within 100,000 years at most.”

“Then killing you now doesn’t really matter, right? You said 100,000 years. Let’s not do this, Hiyori.”

“100,000… but you said the earliest rebellion could happen in 500 years. We might still be alive then.”

She was wavering—but hadn’t lowered her staff.

Wow, she’s really thinking in long-lived species terms now. I still don’t feel like my lifespan’s extended at all.

“Rest assured. You, Hiyori-san, will likely not be among those destroyed.”

“…What?”

Just as I was getting nervous, Hatobato spoke again.

“If one ceases to fall within the definition of ‘human,’ one will not be destroyed. The dolls will only destroy humans.

Many choose that path. Among transcendent beings, you will find many who no longer fit the human definition—that is evidence enough.”

“…Oh, that’s how it works?”

I thought things like eyeball races or heartless races or elves were just normal in magic civilizations.

Turns out they transformed themselves to avoid death.

Seriously?

For someone who claims not to want to talk about magic, Hatobato sure drops huge info casually.

“Yes. If one has no attachment to the pride and prosperity of being human, one need only stop being human.”

“I see. That explains a lot. And don’t call me by my name again. Call me the Blue Witch.”

“My apologies.”

Hiyori watched him carefully, then hesitantly lowered Kyanos.

The tension in the room eased. It felt like the temperature rose by 20 degrees just from that.

Alright.

“Okay then, Hatobato-san—let’s get back to talking about dolls.”

“!? You wish to continue from here? I would be delighted, but…”

Hatobato glanced at Hiyori.

Hiyori glared at me, veins popping.

I got scared and looked at the floor.

S-sorry.

This really isn’t the kind of conversation to have right after narrowly avoiding a fight to the death. We were already planning to head back to the inn soon anyway.

“Sorry, yeah—we’ll head back for now.”

“That would be best. I, too, shall vacate this mansion. If you are willing, Dairi-san, I would like you to try creating a golem doll that does not rely on magic. I intend to continue refining my work based on your ideas, but the more comrades who share the same goal, the better.”

“Eh? My main job is making magic staffs. Well… I might mess around with it a bit when I’ve got free time.”

It was a lukewarm response, but Hatobato smiled warmly.

“Just hearing those words is enough to satisfy me.

Even if I were to meet a complete death before fulfilling my ambition, knowing that there is a friend who understands and will carry on my ideas… that alone is salvation.”

“Uh, we’re not friends though. And I don’t agree with your goal either.”

“U-um? I-is that so…”

Hatobato looked visibly dejected.

We’ve known each other for less than a day—no way we’re friends.

“Ahem. Then, Blue Witch— I will now release the seal on my magic. I ask that you refrain from attacking.”

“As long as you don’t attack.”

After bowing to Hiyori, Hatobato stood motionless like a statue for several minutes.

Then suddenly, his body—and the surrounding dolls—transformed into golden particles.

The particles passed through the ceiling and rose into the sky. Looking out the window, a golden Milky Way streaked across the night sky before fading away, leaving only traces behind.

Only Hiyori and I were left in the workshop.

Things almost went really bad, but I’m glad it ended peacefully.

Part of me wishes I’d asked more about magic civilization—but he avoided anything too specific, anything that might directly advance Earth’s magic technology. No matter how much I pressed, he probably wouldn’t have told me the important parts.

Still, having a meaningful discussion with a top-tier doll craftsman was enough. It was fun—and inspiring.

“That guy… a return spell without chanting? And for a whole group…”

As I stood there reminiscing about our technical discussion, arms crossed, Hiyori muttered quietly.

“Oh, so it was a non-chant return spell? Would it have been bad if we fought?”

“I would have won. There were too many unknowns, but it would have been like fighting Iruma.”

“Yikes. That’s cutting it close.”

Iruma also spammed incomprehensible no-chant magic, so yeah—pretty similar.

Actually, if Hatobato is on Iruma’s level, I would’ve gotten caught in the crossfire and died. That explains why Hiyori chose a standoff instead of going straight for the kill.

“Still, I can’t believe persuasion worked on someone like that.”

“I persuaded you, not him.”

“…………”

The workshop was left exactly as it was.

Hatobato was gone, but since no real battle broke out, all the research materials remained intact.

Heh… it’d be fine if I just claimed all of this, right?

I’m way more interested in magic staffs than mechanical dolls.

Sorry, Hatobato—but the materials you left behind? I’ll be putting them to use for wand-making, not doll-making.

My apologies.