The Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinarts lay bathed in twilight.
Deep within a certain grove, Loki walked along a narrow path between the trees, with Cherubim following slightly behind and to his side, its gleaming eyes fixed on its master.
Ahead of them, some tables and chairs were arranged on the lawn, seemingly for students to rest.
"Loki."
Seeing his arrival, a young girl stood up from her seat, her long hair swaying in the breeze.
The setting sun had sunk below the horizon, and the pure moonlight shone upon her white dress, making it glow faintly, like another moon had descended into the woods.
"You came?" the girl said softly, her slender shoulders trembling slightly.
"...I was the one who asked to meet, after all."
Loki stepped forward slowly, but as his gaze reached her face, he abruptly looked away.
"Don't just stand there. Sit down." He took off his half-length cloak and draped it over the girl's shoulders.
"Loki... you really are kind." The girl stroked the cloak and offered a faint smile.
"...Seeing you shiver non-stop in front of me is just annoying," Loki said offhandedly, sitting down beside her. "...I never asked for your name."
The girl was taken aback for a moment, then smiled self-deprecatingly. "I am the Mark 5 Maschinensoldat."
"That's not a human's name."
"You should have realized, I'm an automaton."
"You're human," Loki immediately retorted, his tone firm and decisive.
"..."
"I'll tell you a secret." Loki looked at the girl beside him. "You probably know already, but my heart is made of machinery."
He looked up at the bright moon in the sky, leaning back in his chair. "If I admit you're just a doll, then I must be one too."
A gentle breeze swept between them, carrying strands of the girl's hair to brush lightly against Loki's face.
After a moment, the girl spoke softly, almost whispering, as if sharing a secret. "Sophia."
"Sophia."
Loki murmured the name. The corners of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly upwards before quickly settling back into a neutral line.
Sophia nodded slightly, and then, silence fell between them.
She stole a glance at Loki's face. Dozens of seconds later, she spoke again, her tone pleading. "Um... Loki, I have a request."
"A request?"
"Mmm..." Sophia lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly. "I... hate war. I... really hate seeing people die... or having to kill others myself."
Tears welled up and fell, dripping onto her lap.
Loki instinctively reached out his hand... but pulled it back midway.
He didn't understand. What was the right thing to do now? He clenched his fist in frustration, irritated by his own helplessness.
"So..."
The girl, her head still bowed, spoke quietly. Her tears had stopped falling.
"Please... kill me."
"—?!" Loki's heart skipped a beat.
"I... actually, I used to be human. Until a year ago."
"...You still are now."
"Yes. Because Loki says I'm human, so..."
Sophia lifted her face, a soft, beautiful smile, like a white rose, blooming upon it.
"Rather than dying on a battlefield, or in some laboratory... I'd rather die as a human, by Loki's hand."
Her eyes held a plea, a heartbreaking look that Loki couldn't coldly refuse. He could only reply evasively.
"...I understand. But..."
Pouring all his gentleness into the words, he spoke clumsily, roughly.
"That's a matter for the future. If a war breaks out someday, and you find yourself on the battlefield..."
"It's a promise, then."
"Fine."
Sophia's hand gently touched Loki's. The boy grabbed that hand and held it tightly, almost squeezing it.
Behind them, a starling perched on a branch, tilting its head.
Then, with a soft flutter of wings, it flew off into the night sky.
--+--
"I heard you're planning to drop down a rank."
The young man with honey-blond hair sat across from Loki, his tone stating a fact.
"The Night Party's executive branch has poor information security, it seems."
"Heh..." Rosenberg waved a hand dismissively. "Nursery Rhyme has caught quite a few people's attention lately."
Loki crossed his arms and turned his face slightly away, controlling himself not to look at the petite knight standing behind the young man opposite him.
"So... you too can't resist the allure of that giant that can appear at any moment?"
"..."
Rosenberg propped his cheek on his hand and slid an envelope across the table. It bore the Divine Works insignia.
"We want you to probe Nursery Rhyme's capabilities. And if possible..." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and drew a sharp line across his own neck with his other hand.
"Attacking the puppeteer directly would get you disqualified."
"Perish the thought." Rosenberg shrugged. "I'm merely suggesting you target her automaton."
A strange light flickered in his eyes. "Naturally, we can offer you assistance."
A knight automaton by the door took a step forward.
"...Father... that man agreed to your terms?"
"We didn't expect him to be quite so... progressive either."
Rosenberg showed a mocking smile. "It just so happens our technology shares some similarities with yours."
He pointed lightly at Loki's chest and said quietly, "Human experimentation."
"Mysterious research, the pursuit of truth, the advancement of science—that is the path humanity should take. Magicians must contribute to this."
"Fine words. But that man who nearly became a Demon King is just a fool swept up by the tide of 'progress'," Rosenberg said.
Aren't you all much the same?
Loki's gaze slowly shifted to the petite knight behind Rosenberg.
Divine Works, Germany, this very academy... all the magicians wanted to create humans.
Everyone wanted to be one step ahead, to obtain god-like technology.
After all, what it represented was... a weapon.
The nation that obtained the peerless weapon would reign over the next millennium.
Silence spread through the room. Rosenberg waited patiently.
A few seconds later, Loki spoke slowly.
"...Fine."
"Pleasure doing business." Rosenberg's lips curled into a smile as he leaned back in his chair.
"However..."
"Hmm?"
"Change the automaton."
Loki looked past Rosenberg at the petite knight, whose small frame and large tower shield stood in stark contrast to the burly builds of the other knights.
"...Why?"
"My Cherubim is offense-oriented. Judging by that shield... she's a defensive type."
"..." Rosenberg looked suspiciously at Loki, then folded his arms.
After a long pause, he spoke slowly.
"Alright."
--+--
"Cherubim, Revolve!"
["I am ready."]
Heat surged, the air wavered, and a violent storm gathered around Cherubim's body.
The black-haired doll's body was incredibly hard. Cherubim couldn't stop Sigmund's 'Cursed Sword', and Nursery Rhyme hadn't even used her own automaton yet.
In an instant, Cherubim transformed into a massive sword nearly as tall as a man.
"Then I'll just knock the 'Spear' out of the sky first!"
Loki raised his right hand and swung it down sharply.
The greatsword, as if wielded by a giant, began to spin continuously, closing in on Sigmund.
The dragon beat its wings, its speed in flight mode allowing it to easily evade the greatsword's slashes. Yaya and Raishin stepped forward simultaneously; defense was their duty.
The petite knight charged forward, blocking them from entering the main fray.
Yaya leaped into the air, launching a flying kick, but the knight intercepted it with ease.
Seizing the opportunity, Raishin threw a punch at the knight, but the latter simply stood firm and took the hit head-on.
A chilling cold spread, coating the emerald green lawn with a layer of white frost.
A mist of ice suddenly materialized around the knight. Yaya and Raishin hastily jumped back. Instantly, the moisture in the air condensed solid.
The knight's movements became sluggish, the molecular motion of its body nearly grinding to a halt.
Irori released a fierce wave of freezing air, her frosty gaze fixed on the petite knight.
The next moment, the greatsword came down on the turf beside the knight. The ground split open where Cherubim struck, and the scorching hot wind eroded the domain of cold surrounding the knight.
The knight took the chance to break free from the icy mist, but the armor on its foot was left behind, frozen in place.
A pale, smooth sole now pressed against the grass. Seemingly tickled by the sensation of the blades beneath her foot, the cute, petite toes curled involuntarily a few times.
Cherubim wrenched itself free from the ground and flew up again, only to be immediately caught in the dragon's claw.
"Sigmund!"
Sigmund swung the massive sword, hurling it towards the knight, while simultaneously gathering light in its maw.
The greatsword slammed heavily towards the knight. The latter simply stood its ground, catching the thrown colossal blade with ease.
A defense-specialized automaton?
Charlotte pondered silently. Night Party duels forbade direct attacks on the puppeteer, so she didn't need to be as cautious about her immediate surroundings as she had been during the previous fight with Alice.
The dragon's jaw dropped, releasing a beam of light that shot towards both the knight and the greatsword.
However, the knight opposite them simply gripped the greatsword and traced a graceful arc along the ground, deftly evading the attack.
"Such speed is really a nuisance."
Charlotte folded her arms, her eyes glancing slightly towards Alice standing behind her.
The black-haired girl stood further back, her hands clasped calmly in front of her waist, looking completely at ease.
A pebble clattered near the girl. Her eyes narrowed open for a split second, then immediately closed again.
For some reason, she seemed a bit tense. The figure of the Night Party executive branch president was also notably absent from the spectator stands.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city of Liverpool, a black-haired girl was slowly approaching the entrance of a certain orphanage.
A blue robin on her shoulder chirped cheerfully, sounding both happy and excited.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.