Inside a dorm room at Elinia Academy.
Crunch, crunch.
The robot held mana stones in both hands and munched on them eagerly.
Theo watched this with a disgusted look on his face.
'Wow, it's eating a ton.'
The robot non-stop devoured an enormous amount of mana stones.
The amount was so large that even Theo, who usually wouldn't blink at the cost, was surprised.
'You definitely can't operate this without a significant amount of capital.'
Just one of these costs so much to maintain, what about hundreds or thousands?
It made sense now why Robert had repeatedly raised taxes in his territory, to funnel money into [Ford Company].
Creak—
A woman entered as the door opened.
"Wow, amazing. It's really munching on the mana stones like they're rice cakes?"
"Did you bring what I asked for, Aisha?"
"Yes, here."
Aisha handed Theo a bundle of mana stones. She had gotten them from Taylor.
Aisha patted the robot's head.
"Wow... it really feels like touching a person. Sonya must be a genius."
"One of the greatest geniuses of our time, across all ages. In terms of invention, she is comparable to the continent's last Archmage, Odius Hannibal."
Aisha fiddled with a communication crystal she took out.
"Well, considering she whipped this up as a hobby..."
The communication crystal in Aisha's hand was an extra one Sonya had made and given to Theo as a gift.
Theo had re-gifted it to people who were helping him.
Aisha suddenly asked something that came to her mind.
"So, Theo. How long are you planning to stay in my room?"
"Between three days to a week at most. I'll try not to go out much."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Taylor had said it would take about three days to a week to find a place for Theo to stay.
Aisha sighed.
"Wow..."
"Is there a problem? It's fine to stay with an outsider in the Hero Department dorms. The room is big enough."
Theo had barged into Aisha's room right after receiving the robot from Sonya.
The main reason was that Theo's room was too small to accommodate the robot, and the men's dormitory didn't allow co-ed stays.
Aisha asked with eager eyes.
"But... why my room? Piel, Jang Woohee, and Neike have rooms the same size as mine."
Theo answered without hesitation.
"Aisha, it's you I need."
"Uh, well..."
Aisha was at a loss for words, her face turning as red as a beet. She finally managed to speak.
"So... that's it. A clear reason, nice. Anyway, let me know if you need anything."
"If you have no other plans, talk a lot with this robot. It's like a blank slate right now."
Theo had chosen Aisha's room out of many because he needed the robot to undergo socialization training.
Although the robot's gender doesn't really matter, it has the appearance of a thirteen-year-old girl.
Among the teenage girls Theo knows, Aisha is by far the most sociable.
To be precise, he couldn't entrust the blank-slate robot to any of the others.
Piel, the thoughtless delusion fanatic.
Jang Woohee, whom he seriously wonders if she even speaks ten sentences a day.
And then there's Siena...
Just thinking about it gave Theo a headache.
Anyway, the robot looks exactly like a human. If it also has social skills, then anyone with a bit of insight would mistake it for a human.
'Making the robot appear human could bring many advantages during missions.'
It would be a great strategy for striking the enemy unexpectedly.
Aisha nodded at Theo.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Hmm... Okay. I have nothing else to do, so I might as well play with it."
"Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll be back soon."
Aisha asked with wide eyes.
"Huh? Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
"I've received an urgent message. I won't be long."
Theo, holding the vibrating communication crystal, hurried out of the room.
"Oh dear..."
Aisha watched Theo leave, then turned to the robot.
"Hey, what's your name? I'm Aisha Waldeurk."
The robot finished chewing on the mana stone and responded.
"I don't have a name."
"Really? Not even a nickname or anything you were called for a short while?"
"I do."
"Oh, what is it?"
"Robot."
"Anything else? 'Robot' doesn't quite suit your face."
"I do."
"Ooh~ Really? Can you tell me what it is?"
A flood of words spilled out of the robot's mouth.
"Disaster. The worst. Monster. Great Demon..."
Aisha quickly covered the robot's mouth.
"Stop, stop! I'm sorry I asked!"
"?"
The robot looked puzzled, tilting its head at Aisha.
Aisha took a deep breath inwardly.
'Just like Theo said, it really is a blank slate. It has no sense of good or bad. It talks back to everyone, too.'
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})In that case...
Aisha, with determination, walked over to her desk drawer.
She then pulled out a sketchbook and colored pencils from a drawer that was even locked.
Aisha approached the robot with these items.
"Let's do some coloring together, shall we?"
Coloring had been one of Aisha's hobbies since childhood. Filling in a sketchbook with colors was not only mentally healing but also fun.
'Most importantly, it's a chance to have a conversation in a warm and friendly atmosphere!'
Perhaps the robot might start to think more positively too?
As she thought this, Aisha handed the colored pencils to the robot.
Snap.
The robot immediately broke the colored pencils in half.
"This. Has. No. Killing. Power. Give me. Another. Weapon."
Aisha was stunned.
Inside the student council room.
Theo and Isabella, sitting across from each other on the sofa, were having a conversation.
"Senior, is there no way to revert the Practitioners back to their original state?"
"Hmm, there's something more important than that."
"What might that be?"
"Let's say we do manage to revert the Practitioners back. Then, we'd be forever enemies with the higher-ups of the Order."
Isabella said this and looked at Theo.
'The top brass wouldn't leave anyone who saw the transformed Practitioners alone.'
The Practitioners were both the pride and the shameful secret of the Order.
The [Release] used by the Practitioners is the result of transplanting angelic cellular tissue into humans.
Naturally, the outcome of transplanting powerful angelic cells into frail human bodies was not good.
The weak human body and mind become a ticking time bomb, liable to explode at any moment.
That's why the Order's top brass colloquially referred to the Practitioners as 'sacrificial units.'
It implies they are sacrifices in the name of upholding the Order's justice.
Despite the tragic end, humans in the [Release] state can temporarily exert power comparable to that of a demon contractor.
Isabella continued speaking.
"The Practitioners have been exposed to demonic energy and that accelerated [Release], right? If that's the case, the top brass have already assigned the next candidates to become Practitioners. They experimented with you and the Practitioners. The reason, I'm not sure."
Isabella went on.
"So, unfortunately, it's correct to dispose of the current Practitioners. And Theo, you should falsely report to the Order that 'after the fight with Fyat, we went to the Great Demon's Shrine, but all the Practitioners were already dead.' That's how to protect yourself. Do you understand?"
Theo nodded.
Isabella was relieved.
'Yes, that settles it.'
Isabella didn't want to put Theo in danger.
The top brass of the Order was teeming with monsters.
They aren't there because of their merits.
They were people on the boundary between humans and monsters.
But Theo responded differently from what Isabella had hoped.
"I understand, but... I don't want to do that."
"Why be stubborn about it? This is all for your own good. It's already tough dealing with the [Turning White] guys, do you want to make enemies of the Order too?"
Theo shook his head.
"No. I plan to make a deal with the top brass of the Order."
Isabella frowned and spoke.
"Do you think they will agree to your terms? Even though you've raised the Order's name, they're more concerned with covering up their own shame. They'd get rid of someone like you in a heartbeat to cover up the huge disgrace that is the true nature of the Practitioners."
"I'll just have to become someone they absolutely can't afford to lose."
"How exactly? You're already remarkable. How much more can you do in a short time? Are you planning to pull out the Holy Sword or something?"
The Holy Sword.
Over 200 years ago, the hero Ryuk used it to slay hundreds of demons. It's a divine artifact of the Renimid faith.
After Ryuk returned it, it has been stuck in the middle of the Order's headquarters cathedral.
Many strong individuals from across the continent have attempted to pull out the Holy Sword since Ryuk, but none have succeeded.
Theo's eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
