C334: Getting Help from an Automaton

I decided to go along with Puffer’s plan to solve the labor shortage and visited a certain place within the Demon Kingdom, the demon race’s territory.

We’re deep in the mountains, but it didn’t take much effort to get here since we teleported.
Does this mean Puffer has been here before?

“Ah, this brings back memories. Nothing much has changed around here.”

One can only teleport to a place that has a waypoint.
In other words, you can’t go somewhere unless you’ve been there yourself and set up a waypoint.

She must have set up this waypoint deep in the mountains.
But what for?

“I hope that remains unchanged too… Ah, there it is.”

A building lies at the end of Puffer’s path.
A mansion in the mountain recesses?! It feels like a series of mysterious murders is about to take place there!

“Are you sure this place isn’t dangerous?!”

Puffer replies, “Don’t worry, it’s just a bunch of discarded dolls.”

The Doll Mansion Murder Case?!
That sounds like a probable mystery novel title!

Wait, no, that’s not what we’re talking about!

Puffer walked with brisk steps that I could only follow behind her, scared.

There, we were immediately greeted by what looked like dolls.
And a lot of them.

“Eeeeeeeeek!”

Of course, I’d be terrified.
The entrance hall is full of dolls.
Not just ten or twenty, but many more; too many to count.

And every single one of them is broken.

The dolls are spherical-jointed and have proportions more realistic than those of humans, which makes their broken appearance even more disturbing.
Even their mannequin faces look realistic.

Their heads are smashed, their body and waist tearing apart.
It’s a gruesome sight to behold.
Just what kind of tragedy took place here?!

“How nostalgic… standing here makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.”

Does it now, Puffer?!
What memories did you leave here? I bet the traces only generate nightmarish memories, though!

“Well, they are nightmarish memories.”
“I knew it!”

Puffer told me about the tragic happenings in this mansion.

Once, Prince Arowana of the Mermaid Kingdom went on a pilgrimage.
Puffer accompanied him on his journey and stopped by this mansion along the way.

“We were asked by the feudal lord of this area. There was a peculiar fellow living deep in the mountains, and he wanted us to take a look at him.”
“A peculiar fellow?”
“It turned out to be an automaton, a self-powered doll created by a genius decades ago.”

An automaton…

So, such a thing exists in this world?
Then why are there so many of them lying around?

“Hun and I worked together to destroy them… It’s all so nostalgic. It was a joint effort between the two of us!”

Puffer swoons with a dreamy look on her face, but that wasn’t just a joint effort between the two of them, was it? Weren’t Hakkai and Songokufon there too?

“But why did you come back to the place of such memories? …Ah!”

I just realized something.
The shortage of labor on the farm and the many automatons lying around.

What if there’s a solid connection between the two?

“Are you going to make those automatons work on the farm?!”
“They don’t need to eat or sleep. What’s a more ideal workforce than that?”

Is that why you brought me here?!

“But they’re all…broken. I don’t think they could be of any use…”
“We’ll find one that’s not that broken and retrieve it. There are about 9,800 of them out here, so surely some are salvageable.”

Did you just say 9,800?!

“A hundred of them should be enough to provide a workforce, right? Sort ‘em out, you guys!”

In addition to Puffer and me, many orcs and goblins accompany us.
I’m guessing they’re going to sort out the slightly damaged automatons and bring them back to the farm.

Incidentally, one of them is Hakkai, Prince Arowana and Puffer’s former travel companion.
They did their work quickly and efficiently.

“But isn’t this within the Demon Kingdom’s territory? Don’t you think the higher-up would be upset if we took something without asking him?”
“Oh, don’t you worry about the smaller details, I’ve already briefed the Demon King about it and got his permission.”

Puffer really is a woman who never misses a chance to do some BTS maneuvering while acting like an outlaw.

And thank you, Demon King, for taking pains.
He’s such a reliable friend.

“Now, let’s find an automaton in good condition. One that’s almost good as new!”
“Oh, me too!”

I can’t just stand around and let everyone else do the work.
I’m going to unearth some treasures from this wreckage too!
Huh? That’s not the point?

“All right, how about this? Let’s keep the quota to two per head. Just be careful and not to injure yourself.”
“OKAYY!”

In addition to me, Puffer, the orcs, and goblins, other people are present at the scene:

Letasreit and Horkosfon, who always seem to be free.
Lampeye, the mermaid.
And a few elves. Belena is also here because this is an activity in her homeland, the Demon Kingdom.

In fact, it’s not often that we get to do something outside the farm, so everyone was curious.
My wife, Platy, wanted to come, but she was forced to stay because no one would watch over Junior if we were both out.
Veil also stayed behind.
Her obsession with Junior won over her curiosity.

“If Hun had the time, he could have come here and reminisced about that day with me!”

The ‘Hun’ Puffer is referring to is Prince Arowana, whom she had vowed to marry.

“Geez, you just want to flirt at every chance you get.”
“That’s not it. He was very concerned about this mansion’s owner.”

The owner?
It looks like a run-down house abandoned for years to me.

“It was a demon researcher who died decades ago. He died despondent, his talent unrecognized. Arowana said it was the statesmen’s fault for neglecting such a talented asset…”

That sounds so like him, knowing how earnest he is.

“I’m sure he’d be happy to know that some of the work left behind by the genius can be put to good use on the farm. Well, if we just bring them back with us and show them how to work, I’m sure they can do the job just fine…”

She always puts Prince Arowana first.
It’s not hard to see why it won’t be long before she becomes the new Mermaid Queen with this kind of spirit.

Amidst my reassuring thoughts…

“My Lord, My Lord!”

The orcs are making a fuss over there.
What’s wrong?

“We’ve unearthed a big one!”

A big one?
What does that mean? Are you saying you’ve found a brand-new automaton?

I’ll see it for myself.
And so I went… and found a really big automaton.

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge!!!”

It’s unquestionably physically huge, more than three times bigger than the others.
And to make matters worse, the giant automaton hasn’t stopped functioning like its companions and is still rampaging.

“Watch ouuuuuuuuut! Fall baaaaaaaack!”

As its huge body amply smashes the decaying abandoned house, we all run as we can’t bear to be buried alive.

“Puffer!!! Is that! Is that an automaton too?!”
“It definitely is from its build, but it’s weird! I don’t remember seeing that here last time!”

Even Puffer doesn’t seem familiar with it.
It’s impossible to miss it given its size, so where the hell has it been hiding this whole time?!
And why is it showing up now, running amok?!

“No, this isn’t the time to be analyzing, I’m going to get trampleeeeeeeeeed!!!”

…or so I thought, but it didn’t turn out that way.
Our friends who heard the commotion rushed to the scene and attacked at once.

Horkosfon’s mana cannon, Lampeye’s explosive potions, Belena’s intense magic barrage, and Hakkai’s Saint Orc fist all hit the giant automaton, crushing it without a second thought.

“…Darn, those guys are strong.”

But what exactly was that giant automaton?