<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family, Chapter 121>
“So, Miss Rosaria, why did you come see me?”
“Do you realize that we haven’t properly greeted each other?”
“Instead, I want to ask you. Were we ever close enough to exchange pleasantries?”
“Annoying. You’re different from the person I spoke with earlier. That’s unfair! You should be nice to me too. I even gave you Victor’s design plans.”
“You gave the design plans?”
“Because of me, you’re going to make Alpha gears, right? If it weren’t for me, would you have thought of that?”
“Did you lose your memory by any chance? Did I ask for them? They were forcibly taken from you when you tried something funny.”
“Is that important?”
“Hmph…”
A sigh escapes me.
What kind of selective amnesia is this? Not worth talking about.
“Hey, get to the point.”
“I have a lot to say. I’ve got plenty of things to tell you…”
“That’s bothersome.”
Sipping my coffee, I blurted out curtly.
“Main. Point.”
“…You’re such a nasty person.”
“You have nothing to say, I guess. I’m leaving.”
“Hold on! Just a minute.”
Rosaria grabs my hand as I rise. Then she lets out a deep sigh.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Favor? Not some kind of deal, right?”
“Please. And this isn’t a personal favor of mine.”
“Oh, come on. You’re not joking, are you? Hey! Do Americans always beat around the bush like this? Just say it. Whether it’s a favor or a deal, just speak up!”
Swallowing her saliva, Rosaria said with determination.
“Lord Gigant wishes to see you.”
“What, isn’t He seeing me right now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you know? Ah… you don’t.”
“Don’t joke around. I’m serious.”
“Huh, sorry about that. So, Gigant wants to see me? C’mon, did you really wait all this time just to say this?”
“What? Are you serious? These are Lord Gigant’s words. Lord Gigant’s words! Do you realize how big of a deal this is?”
Rosaria grabs her head, muttering like a paranoid patient, “You don’t know. You don’t know how terrifying Lord Gigant is.”
If this loopy kid is this scared, it makes me curious. What kind of manipulation has that guy Gigant done to make her this way?
“Alright, I’m getting more curious now. I was wondering about that guy Gigant anyway.”
“Gigant? He’s a Guardian Spirit. Show some respect.”
“What’s to respect? For someone with a voyeuristic hobby of watching people like a pervert. Ah, in this case, is he a monster? Anyway…”
I raised my second cup of coffee, nodding.
“Do you know a lot about Gigant?”
“Probably.”
“Alright, I’ll ask the questions and you answer.”
“Will you meet Lord Gigant if I answer them?”
“If it gets interesting…”
“Alright then, ask away.”
“Alright.”
I snapped my fingers.
A hexagram hovered in mid-air, slicing through the space where—
A silver full plate armor appeared.
The Alpha Gear, Rose Knight.
“First question. Is it certain that this ‘Alpha Gear’ was created by Gigant?”
Early evening. The time when day transitions into night.
The sunset fades beyond the horizon.
Rosaria, lying in the hotel bathtub, was reminiscing about her conversation with Park Ki-hyuk that morning. The first question was bizarre.
“Is it certain Lord Gigant created the Alpha Gear?”
That was such a basic question anyone would know from elementary school. Just a quick internet search would yield that information; surely Park Ki-hyuk didn’t ask just to hear it.
So, I asked for the hidden meaning behind the question.
And out of nowhere, he asks:
“Hmm. It seems like you don’t know anything.”
“Then, the second question. Do you know ‘why’ it was made?”
Wait, why did the question shift to “why”? What the hell?!
That’s when Rosaria’s patience snapped. She felt like she was being toyed with, and it irritated her.
So, she just bluntly explained what she knew:
After the East-West Civil War, America’s economic order collapsed, plunging the world into chaos. In response, the Guardian Spirits established the ‘World Balance Treaty.’ Simultaneously, as a form of repentance, Red Dragon and Gigant, who had been responsible for the East-West Civil War, actively restored the damages they caused.
It was then that the technologies later named ‘Alpha Gear’ and ‘Artificial Spirits’ were transferred.
Despite Rosaria’s sincere explanation within her limited knowledge,
Park Ki-hyuk’s response was this:
“You really don’t know, do you.”
Shithead!
How dare he still complain even after I gave him the answer?!
While irritated, she couldn’t help but wonder:
What exactly was Park Ki-hyuk fishing for with his questions? Why would he say the answers given were wrong? Could there really be some secret I don’t know about? Secrets of the world that were hidden from me?
Rosaria listened eagerly with a racing heart for the next question.
Upon hearing it, she was sure.
This b*stard is just messing with me.
“Final question. Have you ever seen Gigant use magic?”
“Are you joking?”
Magic use? Of course! Well, isn’t that question bizarre in itself? Could Lord Gigant possibly not use magic?
“For real? Are you serious?”
Rosaria was the chief designer of Gear School.
Naturally, she was taught by Lord Gigant. Even the current Victor that represents her was gifted by Lord Gigant.
“Right? He taught you magic too?”
…Actually, the more she thought about it, it might have been her mechanical master who taught her magic, not Lord Gigant…
Afterward, more baffling questions followed.
“Huh, there needs to be some understanding before asking. So… hey, what’s this ‘brooch’ you have? The one embedded with ruby. Is it the Academy emblem? Students from Gears School must have those, right? Hmph… These aren’t Guardian Spirits, these are creepy bastards.”
“Alright, that’s enough. Go. Why should I go with you? Was that your answer? Is this supposed to be an answer when you don’t even know anything? If you have a brain, maybe find out on your own. Just go already.”
His words were all over the place. The content was jumbled. Too much mumbling.
I can’t make sense of it no matter how many times I revisit it.
Even if Rosaria’s bloodline was about ‘destruction’ and ‘assembly,’ she couldn’t assemble something so chaotic into something meaningful.
“I don’t know. It hurts my head.”
I need a break.
Giving up on thinking, her head submerged in water.
Gurgle…
Bubbles of empty air floated to the water’s surface.
And at that very moment.
Behind the descending darkness moved a group of silhouettes.
Neon signs flickering in the night street.
A man scans the surroundings.
The janitor dressed in cleaning uniform.
He looks utterly exhausted. Despite wanting to quit this X-like job tomorrow, he bears it for his family.
Seeing the trash can, the janitor spits and takes a deep sigh before heading down the alley.
From the opposite alley, a tousle-haired woman leans against the wall, strong despite men trying to hit on her as evidenced by her flipping them off.
Her face radiates confidence.
Lighting a cigarette, she looks around before disappearing into the alley.
A man in a suit, tired from the day, enters the alley unsteadily, heavily drunk.
A woman in revealing clothing, after taking a call, reapplies her makeup and enters the alley.
An alluring bartender winks at a woman walking out the door, lights a cigarette after watching her leave, and enters the alley.
Thus, the people enter a random alley in New York.
The homeless, suspicious men, couples who look like lovers—people from all walks of life enter the alley, swallowed by the thick darkness.
As they walk deeper into the alley, the deeper shadows fall on their faces, the more the emotions on their faces fade.
The fatigue from the janitor’s face who looked like he was about to collapse any moment,
The confidence from the woman’s face who laughed proudly,
The charm from the man who flirted with women,
Human emotions naturally supposed to exist gradually vanish, turning them into dolls.
Were they even human to begin with?
The people, now completely doll-like, stopped somewhere in the alley.
In front of them was a homeless man. The homeless man who was sleeping like he was dead suddenly sat up, moved the blanket, and opened the manhole cover.
They disappeared into the manhole below.
A short while later, they emerged at the basement of ‘Saturn Hotel.’
Changing into the prepared uniforms in the laundry management room, the people now dressed as hotel staff began making their way up the stairs with one goal in mind.
Park Ki-hyuk.
The person who summoned “her” here today.
Finally arriving at Park Ki-hyuk’s room.
Ding-dong! Click!
Without anyone touching it, the electronic lock opened. The people rushed in in perfect unison.
They removed the bats they prepared.
While not intending to k*ll, they must exact a price for Ki-hyuk’s insolent remarks.
With the clear finger marks indicating they were gripping the bat handles tightly, they swung down towards the lump sticking out from the bed.
Pssh~
Psshhh!
“…?!”
With the tearing of the blanket, feathers float around.
And at that moment, a voice sounds from behind.
“You’re far too slow. I was wondering when you’d show up.”
“…?”
The humans turned their heads all at once, and before their astonished eyes stood…
A giant of a man sitting with his arms crossed on the window frame.
Their target. Park Ki-hyuk.
Ki-hyuk clicked his tongue disdainfully and said,
“Gigant, no, no.”
Shaking his head with a mocking grin, he said,
“Weirdo, this suits you.”
‘Gigant’s puppets’ all rushed in.
*
We must ponder.
Why are homunculi forbidden?
During the imperial era, the Holy Kingdom viewed the creation of homunculi as a blasphemous act violating divine sanctity.
Elves called it “a failed artifact of human greed,” while dwarves labeled it “something that should not exist.”
But consider this:
Theoretically speaking, these homunculi — created humans, that is — seem remarkably useful.
For one, they can replace the labor humans find difficult or undesirable.
Modern humans who understand automation devices can easily grasp the benefit of this.
So why are homunculi still forbidden?
Because their creation is absolutely ‘impossible.’
Honestly, do you think I haven’t tried creating homunculi?
As I mentioned before, human rights in the empire are far below the current standards. While there are places resembling decent penitentiaries here, in the empire, what they call “prisons” are just a few buildings standing alone.
So, what happens to the many prisoners?
Especially the heinous criminals beyond redemption?
They are sent to the mage towers.
For use in ‘research.’
During my time, the emperor was obsessed with ‘immortality,’ leading to an extreme escalation of this practice.
This wasn’t a joke — even I, a Demon Lord, suggested a ‘Human Experimentation Regulation Act.’
Anyway, within such an environment, I’ve seen countless cases:
Taking the soul out of one human and inserting another, or creating a perfect body into which a living soul is placed, and so on.
After observing all possible cases and conducting thorough research, I reached a conclusion:
It’s impossible.
It lies beyond what humans are allowed to achieve.
If all the Empire’s wizards and myself, in the seven mage towers, came to the same conclusion, then it should indeed be impossible.
Yet, consider this: how many died during the process to reach this conclusion?
Just from what I’ve witnessed, I can’t begin to count.
Such a research area causes catastrophic damages and yet no fruits.
Even more infuriatingly? Theoretically, it could be possible.
Isn’t it like this: “I’m different. I can do it”… Those mages blinded by their reputation.
This temptation of creating homunculi stirs the innate ‘desire’ of humanity.
Whispering in the ear like a devil’s voice: “You can become a god.”
Wizards are beings who search for the truth within the path of magic.
But finding no truth whatsoever, facing an endless dead-end? Worse still, taking a route that corrupts the world? That’s not a wizard then.
It’s a murderer.
Thus, the wizards who either experienced these situations firsthand or learned from knowledge have universally classified it as ‘forbidden.’
Kicking the man holding me around the waist — a human, no, a ‘doll’ — with my knee.
Kwajik!
The doll breaks.
In the destroyed room, various broken remains of dolls lay scattered chaotically.
Out of those, I grabbed a relatively intact face.
“Creep. Come out.”
With an eerie creak, the eye rotates.
Uuuuung—
The remains start to vibrate, lifted by the Mana, including the hands, feet, bone fragments, and what appears to be some gear components.
The mouth of the head I was holding moves abnormally.
“You’re fascinating.”
The instant the voice resonated,
It clumps together.
Sticky, lumping together like clay finding its place,
Limbs sprout, feet form, a body is constructed, clothes appear.
And thus, the body walks toward me, taking back the face I was holding and attaching it to his own head.
Then the face transforms.
Short hair grows into luscious curls.
Pale skin turns into a healthy bronze color.
Thus, the completed being finally sat before me.
“Hi there? I’m Gigant. Nice to meet you!”
The Guardian Spirit, Gigant.
One of the balancers of this world.
