336-334 Rent an automatic doll




 We decided to take Paffa's labor shortage solution, and we visited a place.

 It was the territory of the demon tribe, a section of the demon country.
 And it was deep in the mountains.

 But it didn't take much effort to get there.
 It's because they were able to come in a flash with shifting magic.

 In other words, has Puffa been here once?

It's nostalgic. It's just as well that it's deep in the mountains, so nothing has changed.

 The transference magic can only fly towards the transference point that has been set up in advance.
 In other words, you can only go there once you step directly into it and do the magic work of setting the transition point.

 This transition point set deep in the mountains must have been set up by Puffa.
 But what was the reason for such a thing in a place like this?

'I hope that one stays the same. Ah, there it is.

 Ahead of Puffa's progress, there was a building of some sort.
 A mansion deep in the mountains? It looks like a series of mysterious murders are going to happen?

Are you sure about this place? Aren't you in danger?

 Puffa replies to my frightened face.

"Don't worry, it's just a bunch of dolls.

 The Dollhouse Murders?
 Is that some kind of mystery novel?

 No, I'm not talking about that...?

 As Puffa walked indoors so quickly, I had no choice but to follow her, scared out of my wits.

 When I visited, I was immediately greeted by what looked like a doll.
 And lots of them.

"Woo-hii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

 I was scared as expected.
 The entrance hall was full of dolls.
 I can't even count them, not just ten or twenty, but many more.

 Moreover, all of them are broken.

 It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good idea of what's going on, because the proportions of the dolls are much more realistic than the human ones, so the fact that they are broken is even more eerie.
 Even the face shape is even scarier because it is made to look like a mannequin, which makes it even scarier.

 The head was smashed, the body and the waist were separated in tears, and so on.
 It was a horrible scene.
 What kind of tragedy had taken place here?

Standing here makes me happy.

 What makes you feel warm and fuzzy, Mr. Puffer?
 What kind of memories does this place hold? All I can see is the trail, and nothing but nightmarish memories are coming out of it.

Well, they are nightmarish memories.
Yeah?

 Here, Puffa finally told me about the tragedy of the nightmare that had occurred in this mansion and told me about it.

 Once, Prince Arowana of the Mermaid Kingdom was training as a warrior on earth.
 Puffa had accompanied him on that journey, and he had stopped at this house.

The lord who rules this area asked me to stop by. The lord who rules this area asked me to check on a strange fellow living deep in the mountains.
Weird guy?
It's a self-moving automaton created by a genius a few decades ago.

 Automatic dolls.........?

 Are there such things in this world?
 Then are there many of them lying around here too?

"Atai and the Master worked together to destroy it... I really miss it. It's a joint effort between the two of us...!

 Puffa swoons with a look of love on her face, but this isn't just a joint effort between the two of them, is it? Didn't you see Hakkai and Songgophone?

'But why would you come back to such a memorable place? Ah!

 I came to an idea.
 The problem of the labor shortage on the farm and the many automatic dolls that are lying around here.

 What if they were to be tightly knit together?

You want an automaton working on my farm?
I don't need to feed and shelter them. Wouldn't that be ideal?

 Is that why you brought me here?

But these bastards are all broken, right? If you try to use it, it won't work properly...?
We'll find and collect the ones that aren't broken. With 9,800 of them, how could we not?

 Nine thousand and eight hundred?
 That many?

"One hundred of them should be enough to make a workforce! You guys can sort it out!

 In addition to Puffa and I, there were many orcs and goblins accompanying us here.
 I guess the plan was to have them sort out some slightly damaged automatons for us to take back to the farm.

 Incidentally, one of them is Hakkai, who once traveled with Puffa, Prince of Arowana.
 Everyone worked quickly and efficiently.

But you know what? We're in the demon kingdom, right? Wouldn't you get mad at me for taking something from your territory without asking the landowner for permission?
You're a saint, but you care about the details. Don't worry about it, I've already lobbied the Demon King for permission.

 Puffa really is a woman who never fails to root around while being an outlaw.

 And thank you, Demon King, for breaking my bones.
 You can rely on your powerful friends.

Now, I'm going to find an automatic doll in good condition. I'll find one that's as good as new!
Oh, me too...!

 I can't just stand here and let everyone else work.
 I'm going to dig up some treasure from this wreckage!
 Am I missing the point?

Hey, so what do we do now? It's like a quota of one or two bodies. But be careful and don't get hurt!
""Yes."

 It wasn't just me, Puffa, and the orc goblins on the scene, there were several other people accompanying us.

 Lettuce Rate and Horcosfon, who always seemed to have time on their hands.
 The mermaid race's lamprey was also accompanying us.
 And a few elves as well. And Verena is also participating in this event in her homeland, the Demon Country.

 In fact, it's rare to find something to do outside of the farm, so I got the impression that people who like unusual things had gathered here.
 My wife, Prathi, wanted to come, but she was reluctant to stay because if I went out and she went out, there would be no one to see Junior.
 Veerle followed suit.
 I think his obsession with Junior won out over his curiosity.

If only my husband had been there at the right time, we could have come together. I wanted to reminisce about that day with you both...!

 Paffa refers to Prince Arowana as her husband, and the two are engaged to be married.

"He tries to flirt with me at every opportunity...!
No. .........The master, you know, he was concerned about the master of this mansion.

 The owner of the house?
 It looks like a rundown, abandoned house that's been uninhabited for a long time?

He was a magical researcher for the demon tribe who died decades ago. Apparently, he died of a broken heart, having failed to prove his talent. He said it was the fault of the system's administrators that they couldn't find a genius for him.

 It's like a serious Prince Arowana.

"I thought the master would be happy to know that the works left behind by that dead genius could be put to good use on the farm, at least in part. Well, if I bring these guys back to the farm and show them how they work, that will be enough to accomplish the purpose...

 It's Puffa who always puts Prince Arowana first.
 If she keeps up her momentum, the day when she becomes the new Mermaid Queen will not be far away.

 I was relieved to hear her say so.

"My lord, my lord!

 The orcs accompanying me are making some kind of noise.
 What's going on?

'It's a big one! I've unearthed a big one!

 The big one?
 What does that mean? Do you mean to say that you've found a clean, brand new, almost new automaton that is completely undamaged?

 Let's see........and then I went to see....
 When I went to take a look........I found that a really huge automaton had been unearthed.

It was a big one!

 It was an indisputably physical giant.
 It was more than three times as long as any other automaton.

 Moreover, the giant automaton had not stopped functioning like the other wreckage dolls, and it was running around with vigor.

'Dangerous! Evacuate!

 With its huge body, it's going to smash down the decaying buildings without any regret, and everyone runs away, not wanting to be buried alive.

"Pfaaaaaaah! That thing! That's an automatic doll too.
It's a strange one, though, judging by its shape. I didn't see one like that last time I was here!

 Even Puffa, who has been here before, didn't seem to know about it.
 You can't miss it because of its size, but where was it hiding?
 And why are you here now, and why are you flailing about so vigorously?

''No, this isn't the time to be thinking about it, if we don't do this, we'll be trampled down... ugh!

 ........but that wasn't going to happen.
 The friends who had heard the commotion and rushed to the scene attacked at once.......

 Starting with Holkosfon's Manakanon, Lamp Eye's Explosive Magic Pill, Verena's Extreme Magic Serials, and Hakkai's Saint Oak Fist, all of the bullets hit, and the giant automatic doll was daringly smashed.

''.........Our children are so tough.......!

 But in the end, what exactly was that giant automatic doll?