Beyond the dust created by the metal entrance door, the intruders revealed themselves inside the command room.
Thomas narrowed his eyes towards the entrance.
"It's my first time seeing this in person, Thomas."
It was Theo Lyn Waldeurk.
Beside him stood a servant, a fellow student from the same faculty, and an unknown man.
Thomas widened his eyes and stared at the intruders.
'How did they find this place?'
No, the fact that they knew his name, which he had kept strictly confidential, meant they knew everything they needed to know.
'How much do they know?'
Thomas opened his mouth to gauge Theo.
"An unexpected visitor. I was in contact with a subordinate."
"A subordinate...? Is that who this was?"
Theo pointed with his finger at Jang Woohee's hand, which held the subordinate's head.
"I tried to talk peacefully, but he just started screaming. So, I killed him."
Thomas glanced at the subordinate's head for a moment.
"Did you also kill Maitri like this, Theo Lyn Waldeurk?"
"Yes. If I hadn't killed him, I wouldn't be standing here right now. A contractor of a demon."
"..."
Thomas quickly thought things over.
Not overreacting to the mention of demons...
'He is a pragmatist like me. I think we can communicate.'
Thomas raised his hands.
"I am a pacifist. I want to talk."
"It's too late for talking now. Your subordinate blew that chance."
As Theo crossed his arms, Amy and Jang Woohee rushed out.
They aggressively subdued Thomas, breaking his right arm and hitting him in the stomach.
Then, they forced him to kneel in Theo's direction.
"Kuh, Guuh!"
Thomas groaned, battered and bruised in an instant.
Even amidst the pain, his mind raced.
He barely lifted his head to look up at Theo.
'They're not after my life. If that were their goal, they would have gone for my neck immediately.'
He wasn't sure what it was, but it meant they wanted something from him.
Thomas swallowed hard.
Theo looked down at Thomas calmly and spoke.
"I'm going to start asking questions now. If the answers don't satisfy me or if they're slow, be prepared for the consequences."
Thomas didn't respond. He just silently looked up at Theo.
Theo's lips curled up slightly.
At the same time, Amy stomped on Thomas's thigh.
"Kuh, Guh!"
Theo looked down at Thomas calmly.
"Slow to answer. Be ready for greater consequences next time."
Amy pulled a dagger from the sheath strapped to her thigh and held it in her hand. The blade gleamed menacingly, sharp enough to smoothly cut through a wrist or ankle.
Thomas answered.
"Ask your question, Theo Lyn Waldeurk."
"Finally ready to answer, I see. Then let's get to the question. How many robots are left?"
Thomas's eyes widened, not expecting such a direct question right off the bat.
"That... that is."
"Slow to answer."
Swoosh.
Amy immediately sprang into action, severing Thomas's right wrist.
Thomas screamed, but Theo, unfazed, continued,
"Just because your wrist is severed doesn't mean this question session is over, Thomas. If it were me, I'd rather answer properly and survive. No point for bravery in a dead man."
"Kuh, Kuh... Kuhuk... Do you know what a wrist means to an inventor, Theo Lyn Waldeurk? How am I supposed to continue my research with this hand..."
There was a 'substitute body' they had attached to Oswald before, but it wasn't suitable for an inventor who required delicate manual dexterity like Thomas.
Thomas needed precise hand movements more than strength.
Theo pointed to Taylor standing beside him.
"Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. This person here is Taylor, a skilled healer."
"Hahaha. No need to praise me so much. Ah, of course, I have the skills to reattach a severed wrist seamlessly, assuming it's done quickly. If it's late, I can still attach it, but there's a high likelihood of functional impairment."
Thomas hurriedly answered.
"A total of 3 units. There are about 900 entities left! Exactly 901 entities."
Theo nodded.
"You could've answered well from the start. Why hesitate and make us see unnecessary blood? Now, next question, Thomas. Where is the controller that can operate the robots?"
"That... it's over there!"
Thomas quickly answered, preempted by Amy's movement.
Theo frowned and kicked Thomas in the abdomen.
Thomas was sent flying into a wall.
"Kuh, Kuh... Kuek!"
"Don't answer vaguely. Where is 'over there'?"
Thomas rolled on the floor, gasping for air. With each breath, he spat out blood.
"Huff, Huff, Huff...! Left, the left side! It's the switch attached to the left wall of the command control room."
Theo looked towards the left wall. There was a switch that required a password to open.
'There's a trap that activates if the wrong password is entered here.'
Standing in front of the switch, Theo said,
"Amy. If he gives the wrong password, cut his throat immediately."
"Understood, Young Master."
Amy climbed onto Thomas's back, pressing a dagger to his throat.
Theo spoke, "Thomas, what's the password?"
"1557... it is."
"Surprisingly simple password."
Beep, beep-beep-beep-beep──
Theo entered the password. The cover surrounding the switch disappeared.
Theo brought his finger to the switch.
"What happens to the robots if I press this?"
"All units cease their current activities and return to a designated standby location to wait indefinitely."
"Simple enough. Is this the only switch? Are there others for issuing different commands?"
"There's only this one switch in the command control room. Other switches are distributed across various research labs. Only Maitri, myself, and my subordinates knew the passwords to those switches. Now, I guess I'm the only one left who knows."
"I see."
Beep.
Theo pressed the switch.
"Lead us to the other labs. The lives of other personnel will be spared, as long as they cooperate like you. Taylor, please reattach Thomas's wrist."
"Understood."
Taylor picked up Thomas's severed wrist and, holding it to the cut surface, recited a healing spell.
Thomas's wrist reattached instantly.
Thomas flexed his hand. It felt normal and moved as it should.
"Then let's move on immediately."
Amy stood behind Thomas, pointing a dagger at his neck.
Jang Woohee also positioned herself near Thomas, dagger drawn.
With Thomas as their hostage, Theo and his group visited each lab.
Each lab was staffed with numerous researchers.
Seeing their leader Thomas taken hostage, they initially showed resistance.
However,
─Maitri has died at his hands. The same one who took down Oswald before.
Thomas convinced them, and they quickly surrendered.
A few resisted, but Jang Woohee and Taylor swiftly took care of them, cutting their throats.
Since the researchers all had negligible combat abilities, no one else resisted after that.
Theo took out a long rope from his [Subspace Bag] and securely tied up the researchers.
In total, about 50 researchers were bound with ropes.
After securing all the researchers, Theo pointed at the switch and asked.
The password was 2019.
"Thomas, does pressing this button cause all the robots to self-destruct?"
"Yes. All but the very first one of the remaining 900 units will destroy their own heads."
"Why doesn't the first unit self-destruct?"
"It's a failure. Its capabilities surpass all other robots, but it rejects the command system. That's why we've restrained it to prevent it from moving."
"I see."
Theo pressed the switch.
Crack─
Crackle──
All the robots in the lab's holding area destroyed their own heads.
The bodies of the head-destroyed robots collapsed.
...all but one.
Theo's gaze shifted to the corner.
'Is that the first robot?'
There, a robot with its arms, legs, and neck bound by magical sealing bands was visible.
'Chilling, to say the least.'
The first robot's appearance was unlike the others, almost indistinguishable from a human.
It resembled a girl around thirteen or fourteen years old, even wearing clothes.
Due to the mechanical fragments visible where it was bound by the sealing bands, it was clear it was a robot.
'In a world without guns, to have such cutting-edge robots...'
Theo shook his head in disbelief as he approached the robot.
Thomas saw this and warned,
"Do not approach, Theo Lyn Waldeurk!"
"Why is that?"
"All the robots are merely minor copies of this entity. It's so advanced that it has developed its own will. It means I cannot guarantee safety!"
True to his words, the first robot began to squirm as Theo approached.
It exuded a strength that set it apart from the other robots.
Swoosh.
Theo drew his [Demon Sword] and slashed the robot's neck.
"Cutting off the head should stop it from moving, just like the others."
Theo continued to swing his sword, severing the robot's arms and legs.
Two arms, two legs, torso, head.
The first robot was cut into a total of six parts. Even as they were severed, each part twitched on its own.
'If it's such an exceptional item, it should be put to good use. I'll have to bring it to Sonya.'
She would likely be able to restore it.
Theo stored the remnants of the robot in his [Subspace Bag].
