“Aah, bugs! Someone get these bugs off me!”
“What’s going on!? There aren’t any bugs here, are there!?”
“What’s all the racket!?”
“Is this related to the strange, inexplicable incidents happening in the castle recently?”
The location was a men’s communal bath, in front of a mirror used for washing. The man causing the commotion was in a state of confusion and terror, claiming bugs were crawling all over his body.
Those who worked in the castle were expected to maintain impeccable cleanliness. The men, having worked up a sweat in the morning, were using the bath to clean themselves before heading to the cafeteria for lunch.
But then…
Rayos, who had failed multiple times to create a Harem, possessed a mirror and showed a man the illusion of bugs crawling all over his body until he went mad. It was so horrific, a child would be traumatized.
“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”
“Calm down!!!”
“Ah! Commander Hero!”
“What’s the disturbance?”
Hearing the commotion, Commander Hero, Rayos, entered the bathhouse with his clothes still on, seeking revenge on a man.
“You’ve come ♪ Time to disengage… ♪”
Rayos heard Hero’s voice and released his possession of the mirror. Hero then gave appropriate instructions: the man was taken to the infirmary, and the others were brought in for interrogation about what had happened after they dressed.
“Insects? Don’t we have Magic Tools in the bathhouse to repel bugs and prevent small animals from entering?”
“Y-yes.”
“We do.”
“But the one who started the commotion kept saying there were bugs, bugs…”
The more Hero interrogated the situation in the changing room, the more his head ached from the strange incidents he was ordered to solve by his master. His master’s unreasonable demands weren’t new, but this was a more troublesome request than troop replenishment or domestic ledger calculations.
“Ahaha, suffer, suffer…”
Seeing Hero’s distressed expression, Rayos laughed heartily, satisfied, and then phased through the wall into the women’s bath.
“… Hmm.”
A commotion had occurred in the adjacent men’s bath. In the changing room, the women who had quickly cleaned themselves were talking nervously after getting dressed. They advised the women who had come to bathe to postpone their plans. They suggested enduring the day with perfume and a clean towel, rather than bathing. Rayos pouted, his cheeks puffed out.
“I should have gotten a glimpse of the women’s naked forms first…”
He thought it was foolish to be consumed by revenge and suffer for it. Rayos decided to enjoy himself before causing any more trouble. The women complained, but they couldn’t perceive Rayos’s Astral Body or hear his voice.
Two days later.
Screams once again echoed through the castle, and the scene erupted in chaos.
“What is it this time!?”
The mirror in the men’s bath where the incident occurred had been replaced. The problem was thought to be solved.
“Ah, Commander Hero.”
“Actually…”
This new strange incident involved a man and a woman, whose work clothes had been inexplicably swapped overnight, complete with the other person’s hair. It was horrifying.
“I didn’t steal them!”
“Then why were my clothes in your closet!?”
The onlookers watching the resolution of the incident muttered amongst themselves, “What if it’s us next time?” They hastily scurried off, ordering k eyed locks for their clothing storage and sending out requests for locksmiths.
Ultimately, with no clear motive or time of the crimes for the two individuals, Hero resolved the strange incident by telling them to make up and forget about it.
“Hero, try to panic a little more, won’t you?”
Rayos’s pranks, masquerading as strange incidents, occurred frequently, stealing Hero’s breaks and sleep.
“…Fuuu~~… Again… Oops.”
His legs were unsteady, his eyelids heavy. He could fall asleep in an instant if he closed his eyes. Hero was so exhausted that he was finally in the perfect condition for Rayos to enact his revenge.
“Today is the day you maintain the Golems you devised as substitutes for soldiers, isn’t it ♪”
Rayos, manipulating the Golems gathered on the castle grounds, seemed intent on sending Hero to hell. And after eliminating his obstacle, he planned to take over the country.
“Now, let the enjoyable revenge play begin~~”
Golems continuously returned to the grounds, lining up in an orderly fashion according to their creation order. While there was no empty space, their numbers were fewer.
“Which direction were those Golems guarding?”
“Yes, the northeast. These Golems were in charge of northeast security.”
Hero and the Alchemists who helped him confirmed the damage to the Golems. The Alchemists, tasked with maintenance, began repairing the Golems according to their instructions. Since there were individual differences, even a repair of 80-90% was considered good.
The Golems had blocky heads like those of statues used in drawing class. Their bodies were rounded, and their limbs were heavily armored, spiky, and stiff. They weren’t cute, not cool either; their design was subtly peculiar.
“Oh, Gods of Creation, heal these soulless warriors who have been wounded yet fulfilled their duty.
The Alchemists recited their incantations, pleading with their respective creation gods to repair the Golems, channeling magical power into the damaged parts and cores for operation.
<...>
“Hmm? Did the eye just glow? Am I imagining things?
One of the Alchemists felt a chill down to his very bones, unaware of the tragedy that was about to unfold.
The repair and replenishment of the Golems were complete.
“Now, please give the Golems their instructions.”
“Understood. Golems! Protect this country from malice! Depart to your assigned locations as commanded by your Creator!”
<...>
At Hero’s command, the Golems began moving towards the borders.
“Hmm? What is it!?”
“Hey, why are the Golems…”
*Shh!* *DOGONNN!*
A part of the Golems, heading towards the outside of the capital, suddenly reversed direction. They raised their fists and began attacking Hero and his companions.
“AAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
The Alchemists were physically frail and inexperienced in combat. They were crushed and blown away by the hard, heavy blows of the Golems.
“Protect me!
<...>
“AAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
They were trampled by a Golem, barrier and all.
“Everyone, escape from this place—!!! Ggh, move!”
Hero, with a powerful blow, repelled a Golem that was trying to surround him and escaped before being trapped.
“Turn to dirt and return to the earth!
<...>
The Alchemists also turned one of the Golems into dirt, rendering it useless, and escaped the encirclement.
“What in the world is going on!?”
“I don’t understand what’s happening…”
Hero questioned the Alchemists about the cause of the Golems’ attack. Not receiving the answer he wanted, Hero accused them of being foreign agents. The Alchemists replied, “It’s just a possibility, but…”
“You’re saying the Alchemists’ repairs were insufficient?”
“Yes. Other than that, the only explanation I can think of at this stage is that an external party interfered with the Magic Stones used for the cores.
<...> <...>
The two of them incapacitated the approaching Golems one after another.
<...> <...>
However, the rampaging Golems only continued to increase. They were completely unable to control the situation.
<♪ ♪>
Rayos, using a Golem as a command tower, relayed orders to the Golems from the Golems’ vision until Hero’s end. He interfered with the Alchemists’ stop commands. His hacking skills were superb; his Possession Ability was unmatched.
“Where are the reinforcements—!!! Why aren’t the castle security forces coming!?”
Due to Rayos’s Possession Ability, the passage leading to the grounds was blocked, preventing anyone from rushing to reinforce them or leaving the grounds. Hero and the Alchemists, being near the center of the grounds, couldn’t realize the passage was blocked.
<...> <...>
“N-no! Don’t come!”
Hero’s possessed Magic Power was depleted. The silent Golems moved as commanded by Rayos, the controller. They grabbed Hero’s weapon-wielding arm and crushed it.
“Guaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!”
<...> <...>
Another Golem grabbed Hero’s other flailing arm and crushed it in the same way.
“Stop! Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!”
The Golems held Hero aloft and then proceeded to crush his legs one by one. His left leg was crushed with a *crunch*, and the intense pain made Hero breathless, unable to cry out.
“——————–!!!”
<...>
His right leg was also crushed with a * crunch*. Then, a Golem punched Hero in the stomach. The sound of his ribs breaking echoed strangely. Hero was the only one still alive on the grounds.
<♪ ♪>
Rayos, enjoying a prime seat as he watched Hero’s execution, contemplated whether his current plan would succeed. Rayos, the man who always failed, what was his plan?
