“Sorry for the wait. Did something happen?”

Kikyou suddenly contacted Halt, so he took Tina with him and teleported to where she was.

“Pardon me for summoning you here.”

“May I ask, for what reason did you request that Halt-sama and I come together? Is something the matter?”

“Indeed. Actually —”

“Ah! Wait a sec, is it a report about the discovery of a hot spring?”

Halt noticed the steam rising behind Kikyou.

“There’s also that matter… No, rather than that —”

“Ahhh, I see. I had a hunch that I should bring a towel or something, but I ignored it. I’ll get some first and be right back, so wait a sec!!”

Halt teleported by himself back to the mansion in the magic academy.

“Ah.”

“It’s not only about the hot spring, is it?”

“Y-Yes. A subjugation team that thinks I’m a Silver Fox will be here soon.”

“Subjugation team… By the way, Kikyou-san, you didn’t call us here so that we can protect you from them, and it’s another matter entirely, isn’t it?”

“As expected of Tina-sama. Yes, you’re right. The reason I called both of you here is —”

“Aria, there it is!”

“What!?”

Kikyou also cried out in shock. She didn’t expect that Keith would reach this place in such a short span of time.

“That kimono-wearing bewitching lady. Yup, the information is right. Tails… Ah, yes, she has tails!”

Aria was checking out Kikyou through the crystal just a few steps behind Keith.

“Yes. Then, that means we’ll be subjugating Onee-san!”

Keith grasped his sword.

“Wait! The woman beside the Silver Fox isn’t a monster!!”

“Then why are they together?… Oh! N-No way, she must’ve been hypnotized!?”

“M-Maybe…”

“Then we have to help her!”

“But the fox might use her as a shield since she’s under the monster’s spell, right?”

“It’s fine! I can attack the Silver Fox without harming the woman. Aria, I’m leaving Support to you!!”

“O-Okay, got it.”

Tina seemed puzzled as she watched Keith and Aria exchange.

“Erm, pardon, but I’m not brainwashed.”

“No hypnotized person will know that they have been brainwashed!!”

Seemed like the two of them weren’t open for discussion.

“Onee-san, just wait, okay, we’ll help you right away.”

Keith dashed, solely focused on Kikyou.

However, Kikyou didn’t even bat an eye.

Tina knew that there’s no need to protect Kikyou, but disputed that, she couldn’t help but feel suspicious why the other woman wasn’t moving to defend herself. Tina then warned Keith.

“Stop.”

“—!?”

Keith’s body stiffened mid-sprint and he fell down with great force. He was still in a running stance as his body slid on the ground.

“Eh…Eeehh!?”

Keith, who stopped while still in a running posture, continued sliding until he reached Tina’s feet. She exclaimed in surprise.

“Hmm, seems like my guess is correct.”

On the other hand, Kikyou seemed pleased that her hypothesis proved to be true.

“Keith!? Y-You guys, what did you do to Keith!?”

This time, Aria was about to fire an enormous ice spear towards Kikyou.

“Tina-sama. Once again, please give your order.”

“Order?”

“Yes. Please tell the girl to rescind her magic.”

Tina didn’t understand Kikyou’s intention, she saw that Aria was gathering a significant amount of mana. It wasn’t enough to cause much damage to Kikyou, but it would surely dirty her clothes.

Thus, Tina decided to follow Kikyou’s instructions.

“Rescind your spell.”

“ — Y-Yes!!”

Aria cancelled her spell right away.

She behaved like a soldier who followed the orders of her superior.

“…..”

“….”

Keith remained in his running posture, his sword still in hand. Aria remained in her cautious stance, not moving a muscle. The situation was so baffling.

“U-Um…What’s going on here?”

“They are likely Automata created by the sage who arrived in this world a hundred years ago.”

Automata were the highest-ranking Golems. They had the appearance of humans but they surpassed even artificial magical creatures like Golems in terms of combat capability.

Golems could only use magic through pre-embedded magic circles. In contrast, Automata possessed organs called “mana furnaces’ that generated their own mana, which made it possible for them to wield magic.

Such advanced beings were now before Tina’s eyes.

“The sage from a hundred years ago… Ah! You mean Sage Kana-sama?”

“Yes. Since they followed Tina-sama’’s orders, it’s highly likely that they are such.”

Kana was a girl who had come to this world with the Hero Takato. She became a Sage in this world and fought against monsters alongside Takato.

One day, Takato fought against Guardian Hero Haruto. He lost.

Haruto commanded Takato to reduce the number of monsters in the Demon Continent where the Demon Lord resided. Takato, terrified of Haruto, obediently followed these instructions. Kana also participated in activities to reduce the monsters on the Demon Continent alongside Takato.

Sage Kana, Holy Knight Daichi, and Saintess Yuri — these three, including Hero Takato, who already reached level 300, possessed the ultimate tertiary jobs in this world. They were unrivaled in battle, except for Haruto when he activated his Guardian skill.

Well, as long as they could fight, that is.

Their overwhelming strength caused monsters on the Demon Continent to scatter and run away in all directions. Takato and his group had a hard time chasing down and slaying the fleeing monsters.

With just the four of them, the task of preventing the tens of thousands of monsters from escaping was already daunting enough.

Sage Kana activated a skill with the help of her comrades in the midst of all these. The skill allowed her to create beings with durability and combat capabilities that surpassed golems and they were called Automata. Moreover, these creatures could also use magic thanks to their magic furnaces — which were essentially ‘organs’ that generate mana. Kana used the Automata to perform support tasks for her group.

The Automata continued to live in this world even after Sage Kana returned to her original world. Unlike golems, which stop functioning when their magic ran out, Automata, much like humans, only had to engage in life-sustaining activities like eating and they would never cease to function.

By the way, Automata were programmed to unconditionally obey the commands of their creators Kana, Takato and the others, and they would also have to obey Tina and Haruto since he’s the one issuing orders to Takato.

“I see… I never thought such creatures would still be active a hundred years later.”

“They aren’t just functioning; it seems they are multiplying.”

Kikyou said as she placed her hand on Keith’s head, who was frozen on the ground in an odd posture. She was reading his mind and memories to get information.

“T-That means—”

“These creatures grow stronger and more intelligent with each generation. It appears these kids are of the third generation.”

The cheat skill Sage Kana received as a bonus for transmigration wasn’t just about creating powerful subordinates.

Automata could reproduce, raise their own offspring, and become stronger over time. Furthermore, their rate of improvement was overwhelmingly faster compared to regular humans. That was the setting they were created with.

If left to their own devices, they would become stronger on their own, eventually becoming powerful enough to defeat even dragons, the strongest of monsters.

For over a century, these beings stayed in a secluded place away from anyone’s knowledge, waiting for their master’s return.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep