Translator: yAmi
"My greatest apologies, Master. The precious gatling cannon was destroyed."
As soon as the debriefing began, Fem, who had finished bringing in the new prisoner, the priestess of the Scarlet Shield, bowed to me. She seemed sincerely apologetic, but to tell the truth, I didn't really care much.
"Well, you don't have to be so nervous. I'm the one who asked you to do the operational test against A-ranked adventurers."
"But..."
"First of all, the mission I entrusted you with defending the lighting facility and capturing of the intruders went well. I'm satisfied with that. Is that not enough for you?"
"Saying it like that is…unfair."
Fem looked unconvinced. Hmm, there's really no need to worry about it.
"And... What does it matter? It's just a toy or two. It's just a prototype of a prototype that I made as a little break from my research."
"That’s some crazy ‘toy’, hmm?"
The one who interrupted me, with his mouth twitching, was Due. All the other members of the Opus series were gathered here in my personal workshop. It has become tacit that after a big mission, we would usually have a review meeting here.
He shrugged his shoulders and continued.
"If a weapon like that makes its way to the world, it could wipe out one or two of the four major powers. To be holding on to such a ‘toy’..."
"Speaking of that, the Gatling cannon and other firearms are currently only available as specialised equipment for Fem. And even though she is the only one who can handle them, the data from her battles do not look promising...... I think our master's decision is justified."
It was Uni who gave a long explanation. As she said, a firearm with such a complex mechanism would be too much for the slave weapons mass production department, which was busy researching small arms. It would be impossible to make them without the help of either me, Uni, or Seis, who were skilled in alchemy. I am planning to simplify the process so that even mass-produced types can make them, but that was not my current top priority. After all, my main goal is to achieve immortality, and researching on powerful weapons was just a way to protect myself until that comes to fruition. Or maybe, just a way to relax.
"More like, normal punches would have been waaaaay stronger. It pales in power when compared to lil’ Fem's body herself. If regular forces were to use them, it wouldn’t be possible unless they are all made from mithril."
"Wahaha...when it comes to the legendary mithril, Oubeniel-kun and everybody are losing face."
Charl laughed dryly at Seis's analysis. Due and the St. Gallen folks have overestimated the value of mithril.
"Speaking of which...In actuality, if we had unlimited resources, we can use orichalcus as much as we want, but for now, we have to make do with mithril..."
"We have been mining those as raw materials and the materials for Alkaest, which is the topic at hand, can now be obtained steadily from the monsters breeding in the Trees of Darkness. I'm still pretty amazed at the current situation we are in."
"Drei is surprisingly hard-headed, huh. Common sense is something that is rewritten every day."
"In this case, I think Oubeniel-kun is the one that lacks common sense."
The vampire with the uncommon sexual habits was saying something, but I chose to ignore it.
"Well, I've seen the data, and it has enough firepower to nail that heavy armoured warrior. If we keep improving the materials used and brushing up on the design, there will come a day when it becomes a weapon that is more reassuring than simply just punching. Until then, as I said before, you can think of it as a toy."
I emphasised once again. Fem finally started to look up.
"Reply. Yes. Master's will is my will."
Yes, yes, it's good to be honest.
Research is a process of trial and error. We cannot be discouraged by temporary unfavourable results. We reflect on the mistakes and flaws and prepare for the next time. In that sense, it's me who should be reflecting on the fact that we were doing live practice before simulations.
"I am surprised, though. I didn't know Fem had a passionate side to her. I thought you were more of the type who thought of fighting and stuff as work."
What Charl was referring to was the battle with that party. I had been watching the battle unfolding in real time using my surveillance magic equipment, and I too was amazed at how much emotion she showed during the battle.
After all, Fem was a golem. By nature, they did not possess any feelings of happiness or annoyance.
However, she was equipped with the Orichalcos Brain, which was created to mimic the human brain. If it could reproduce human thoughts, it's no wonder that emotions were created. Still, I didn't know that she was so competitive either.
Fem spoke with a small bow.
"I'm proud to say. I was created to fight. So it is only natural for me to be sincere in my fights. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Hmm? Is that what it is?"
"And......because I never had a chance to make amends for my previous mistake."
She must be referring to the attack on the elf village last year, when she was half destroyed by the highest level spell used by the target. That was truly shocking. I hadn't expected to find a mage from an unknown village who could break through the magic resistance of the orichalcon.
Even I, who had just sent them off without a care in the world, was horrified. It must have been a serious trauma for Fem. At that time, she had just started operating and was not showing much emotion, so the other Opuses and I around her did not even notice. After that, she continued to work as a liaison when I was at the royal capital, and also guarded the lighting facilities where no one usually came. It's no wonder that she was so determined to fight the next battle that she developed the desire to fight like a battle junkie.
"......Master. It seems the current arrangement for Fem is inadequate."
"So you feel the same way, Uni?"
Fem's mission now put her in a long, long period of inactivity but her emotions were making it unmanageable. It's a good thing that this time it was transferred to her fighting spirit, but if more stress were to cause a problem, we would be in trouble. We will need to make improvements as soon as possible.
"There is no need to use emotion-equipped golems to guard the innermost regions. In normal times, we should deploy normal golems that specialize in defensive combat, and use the Opus series only when a tricky intruder appears."
It was a very reasonable opinion, typical of Uni. The idea that Fem, a high-end orichalcum golem, would have to be restrained to guard a place that was rarely visited was absurd when you think about it. If the only purpose was to repel intruders, then something designed for that purpose should suffice.
Or rather, she was too overspecified for this security mission, as she carried heavy weapons and had more power than a siege weapon. Realise that earlier, me.
"Question. Am I not useful?"
Fem's voice sounded a little nervous at the thought that she was going to be relieved of her duties at this point.
She is really specialised in combat. She couldn’t help with research like Uni, Charl, or Seis, nor was she suited for undercover missions like Drei. She wasn’t even human, so she could not be entrusted with frontline work like Due. If she was removed from her security duties, then she would truly be out of job.
On the other hand, if there were fewer and fewer opportunities for combat, that would weaken her identity. It was a problem. This was also the negative side effect of the loyalty that I inserted, so I could not just go through with it like somebody else’s problem.
Ah. There is something I could do.
"Don't be so downhearted. Don't feel too bad, it's just that I haven't been able to get you the right job. So I'm going to assign you a new mission that suits you better......"
"Really? Really?"
"Yup. The details have to be worked out while consulting with everybody, so I can’t assign the mission right away."
"......I'm sure it's just another crappy mission anyway."
Due butted it unnecessarily.
That's rude. I'm pretty sure I've thought of a way to use Fem's abilities to help the world.
Well, it would be clear after I explained it.
"With the latest mission, the Scarlet Shield, the most prominent party in the western frontier, was eliminated. So, if monsters started making an offensive in the west, it would be a big deal, right?"
"Yeah, and WE were the ones that are causing it."
"Due, listen. Our master is expressing his profound wisdom."
Nice follow-up, Drei. But it's a little embarrassing for her to call it profound wisdom when I’ve only just struck on the idea.
Well, let's leave it at that.
"That's why we have to do something about it. The Doldran Margrave who rules there is also a member of my faction. I don't like the idea of that place being destroyed. We've discussed how to deal with that beforehand, though."
"I believe you were planning on experimenting with a new version of the ‘product’?"
