932 - - 26-42 Refusal
Jin and the others followed the male automata into the building.
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"Not a speck of dust on the floor.
Saki says, impressed.
Jin looks around and observes the structure. Reiko was looking around.
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"Here. Come in."
The group was led to a room at the end of the corridor.
The door was opened by an automaton.
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"...... Welcome, visitors."
At the far end of the room, a skinny old man was lying on a large bed.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jin Nido. This is Elsa, Saki, Hannah, Goose and Reiko.
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I see. I'm ...... Clauden. I'm the administrator here at Battagliaf.
"The administrator ...... is like the mayor of the town?"
Jin asked quickly at the unfamiliar word.
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"It's not the chief ....... I am the only person in this town."
"What?
"What?
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Clauden's statement caused everyone to shout in surprise.
"Why?"
Jin asked. That was all they could do but ask, and the others must have felt the same way.
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"Because of ....... The only thing I can say is that it's the result of a declining population."
"Why did the population of ...... decrease?"
Let's try a different way of asking the question, Goose.
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"Because ...... people have lost their energy, I guess."
"What do you mean?"
Now Saki asks. But Clauden turned to the automaton standing next to him, motioned lazily, and closed his eyes.
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"...... Fedeli, give him a brief history of this town."
"Yes, father."
Fedeli...... Fedeli 479 began to speak slowly.
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"This town was founded about 1500 years ago. At that time it was not a town but a village.
"About 1200 years ago, there was a turning point.
"The first was the Golem, a cheap labor force.
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The golem was powered by the free magical element (ether) in the atmosphere. It was economical in the end.
"By about 1,000 years ago, each family owned one or more golems."
To summarize the explanation that follows, it seems that eventually people stopped working because of cheap labor, and the birth rate also declined.
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"......"
Jin and his group were at a loss for words when they learned of one of the ways in which the golem society had ended up, but Jin opened his mouth when he remembered the purpose of his visit to this town.
"Please tell me something about <
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Hearing this name, Clauden opened his closed eyes again.
"<
His voice was filled with vindictiveness, unlike his previous voice.
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"You ...... are investigating the devil, are you connected to the devil? Get ...... out of here!"
"Wait a minute!"
The panicked Jin stopped him, but that didn't stop Clauden.
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He had not reacted this way earlier when he had called Fedeli and Barigal <
"Fedeli, Barrigal, get these guys out of ......."
Yes, Father.
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Yes, Father.
The two automatons, under Clauden's command, come toward Jin and the others.
Now get out!
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Please leave!
Jin had no choice but to give up, knowing that nothing he could say would make a difference.
"Okay, I'll leave."
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With that, he turned around. He went out, following the corridor in the opposite direction from where he came in.
"What?
What the hell?
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Dozens of golems had gathered there, surrounding the car.
No, not just surrounding. They were beating and destroying it.
"Stop! What are you doing?
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Jin shouted, but half of the golems heard his voice and looked at him.
"It seems that your brothers have sensed your father's emotion and have gone berserk. I can't stop them now."
Fedeli 479, a female automaton, announced in a voice devoid of emotion: "What have we done?
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What have we done?
But Goose's voice did not reach him. Half of the golems continued to beat up the car, and the other half came at Jin and the others.
"They don't seem to have much of an ego. Their movements are primitive.
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"Jin, this is no time to be so patient!"
Goose is slouching.
"Uh, Fedeli, and Barrigal, right? ...... can you stop the golem?"
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Jin, who has regained his composure, asks the two automata.
"Impossible. They have only simple brains. That's why once they start something, they won't stop until they finish it. You'll have to protect yourself."
While he was explaining, fifteen golems approached.
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"Is that your answer? ......"
Barrigal's words were met with a look of disappointment on Jin's face.
"Well then, I'll do as I please. Don't ...... hold a grudge, okay?"
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Jin glanced at Reiko's face. Reiko knew what he was going to say and kicked the ground.
"What?
Barrigal's surprised voice echoed.
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Jin stared at the scene in front of him, wondering in a strange way if these guys could be surprised too.
One by one, the golems that had attacked Jin and the others were blown away. It was Reiko's work, of course.
For the current Reiko, a thousand primitive Golems are no threat.
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"Hey, hey, ......."
Goose shouted in disgust. His mouth is gaping open.
After all, Reiko, a girl automata, is literally laying waste to a golem several times her size.
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When Reiko thrusts out her small fist, the golem breaks apart and scatters, and when Reiko lifts her slender leg, the golem is blown up to a height of over 20 meters.
And all this was done in a matter of seconds.
The fifteen golems that had targeted Jin and the others were rendered inoperable in about six seconds.
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Goose is so stunned that he can hardly say anything, while Erza, Saki, and Hannah just laugh at him.
Of course, they are thinking about the fate of the golems that challenged Reiko.
Reiko, having cleared the Golem that came toward Jin and the others, started to eliminate the Golem that was attacking the car.
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Of course, the car is covered by a barrier, which cannot be broken by a golem's blow even if it takes hundreds of years.
The same is true of the barrier that covers Jin and the others, but just because there is no danger does not mean that Reiko will not get angry.
"Get away from your father's work!"
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Reiko, unable to hide her annoyance at the Golem, which continued to hit the Barrier relentlessly, not understanding its futility, grabbed one of them by the leg and threw it away with all her might.
She did so with 20 percent of the force that Jin usually allows her, but the golem still flew away from her into the street.
Reiko was at least considerate enough not to hit the building.
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Poof, all eighteen golems were sent about 100 meters away, and they did not move at all.
"What will you do?"
Reiko asked Fedeli 479 and Barrigal 243, who were just looking at Reiko's work in disbelief.
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"If you interfere with your father, I will do the same to you, won't I?"
But what did they say?
"You ...... monster!
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"I see...
"I see. Then, let's have her stay still for a while.
Reiko fires her <
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Magic Canceller is a magic tool originally designed to prevent "Aether Stampede".
By forcibly converting mana back into free magic element (ether), it can neutralize most magic.
The two bodies were rendered inoperable by the wave, and fell down on the ground.
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Reiko also activates
Now, for the time being, these two will not be able to move.
"Well, there's nothing we can do. Let's get out of town."
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Dragging the still-uncaring Goose into the car, Jin and the others left the town of Battaghtaluf.
The barrier that covered the town could be removed with a magic canceller.