Chapter 132
Eighty years ago, during the turmoil immediately after the Gremlin Disaster, the world was far less peaceful than it is now.
Back then, death and murder were much more familiar than they are today. Transcendents in particular followed a custom akin to "killing without consequence," and unless a killing was outrageously unreasonable, it tended to be forgiven.
But things are different now. The law and its enforcement agencies have been established, and murder is properly a crime. No matter how powerful a Transcendent may be, it is no longer a crime they can easily get away with.
Even in this peaceful age, with its much stricter constraints, Hiyori, who was known as a walking nuclear land mine, acted quickly.
Magic power roiled, and the air in the room grew heavy, cold, and oppressive. Hiyori was poised to blow Hatobato-san's head off, but then she noticed something and aimed her wand at the window.
I followed her gaze and shuddered.
All several dozen of the servants from the mansion had gathered there.
They were plastered against the window with their faces pressed to the glass, their colorless eyes like glass marbles fixed on Hiyori.
A cold sweat ran down my back. There hadn't been a single human in this mansion from the very beginning.
"Danger."
"Danger."
"Eliminate."
"Eliminate."
The servants repeated the words in flat, emotionless voices, then smashed through the window and poured into the room.
"Eek!?"
"Oori!"
Hiyori shouted sharply, grabbed me by the collar, and threw me backward with enough force to make my neck feel as though it would snap.
At the last second, I escaped the grasping hands of the dolls. The ice spear Hiyori cast without an incantation as she moved me out of the way pierced one of the several dozen dolls squarely in the crown, but it merely chipped its forehead and exposed its ceramic-like interior. It was nowhere near a fatal blow.
Wow, they're incredibly tough! These ball-jointed dolls are stronger than humans. Below Transcendents, but above humans, I guess?
I called out to Hatobato-san, who was standing vacantly behind the wall of dolls.
Give me a break. There's no need to fight, is there?
"Hatobato-san, call off the dolls. Hiyori, you too. Let's stop doing anything dangerous."
"Indeed. Everyone, stand down. If you try to protect me, she will destroy you. If you leave me alone, you will survive."
"..."
Hatobato-san calmly addressed the dolls forming a wall in front of him, but their reaction was muted. They turned their inorganic eyes toward Hatobato-san, then silently shifted their gaze back to Hiyori.
Hatobato-san let out a melancholy sigh.
"Did you see, Oori-san? This is the limit of my current abilities. My creations cannot break through the fundamental principles built into them by themselves. They have no true self-awareness."
"The Three Laws of Robotics?"
When I asked about what had come to mind, Hatobato-san nodded.
The Three Laws of Robotics were, just as the name suggested, the three principles robots followed.
１，A robot must not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
２，A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
３、A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Of the three principles, the First Law was the one at issue here.
Hiyori intended to finish off Hatobato-san.
If we overlooked that, the dolls would be "allowing Hatobato-san to come to harm."
That was why they were ignoring Hatobato-san's order and trying to protect him.
"It differs somewhat from the fundamental laws governing Earth's robots, but it is similar. These children respect me and cannot help trying to protect me. They cannot ignore me and protect themselves instead."
"Forget it, Oori. Just assume the opponent is Iruma. There's no point talking to him."
"T-that far!?"
Hiyori had gone fully into enemy mode, and her words were prickly. Not that she hadn't been hostile from the start, right?
Half the room was filled with dolls shielding Hatobato-san, and the door was sealed off as well. Dolls clung in clusters to the window frame. From Hiyori's perspective, we were completely surrounded by enemies. The dolls stared intently at us without moving a muscle.
Hiyori was the strongest, so at worst she could probably kill everyone, me included, but I didn't think there was any need to take Hatobato-san's life.
His ideology was pretty extreme, but he didn't really seem like a villain.
I thought we could understand each other through conversation. He was a skilled craftsman, after all.
"Now, now, calm down. I just want to confirm something: Hatobato-san, have you killed anyone on Earth?"
"I have killed no one."
"Have you committed any crimes?"
"If one insists, I falsified my family registry. Including the bribe I paid to have it falsified, that makes two crimes."
Hatobato-san answered smoothly, without a hint of spite or sarcasm. He was the very picture of a polite, sincere gentleman.
Iruma had apparently gone through a phase of acting like that too, so I couldn't give Hatobato-san my unreserved trust. Still, Hatobato-san wouldn't have gone out of his way to say that he wanted to watch humanity be destroyed by dolls if he wanted to earn our trust.
"You can't really blame him for the family registry. That doesn't count. Maybe even the crimes attributed to him in the Unknown Epic were false accusations."
"The epic...? Ah. No, that part is true. I did indeed pile up a mountain of corpses with these very hands."
"W-why...?"
"Because parents ought to make way for their children."
Hatobato-san wore an expression that suggested this ought to make everything clear, but I didn't understand. It didn't click, and I tilted my head.
Hiyori continued to shield me with her back while maintaining her battle stance, but she seemed to be listening to the conversation. If she were free to move instead of shielding me, a huge brawl would probably have started already. Terrifying.
"Hmm. Does Oori-san have any children?"
"Not yet."
When I shook my head, Hiyori twitched ever so slightly.
Hatobato-san chose his words for a moment, then explained the reason for the mass slaughter described in the Unknown Epic.
"There have always been old fools who refuse to yield the way to the next generation. Those who cannot devote themselves to their children's happiness, who selfishly hold their children back and meddle in their affairs, must be eliminated.
Once dolls acquired true selves, humanity's extinction was decided. Humans should not cling to their prosperity; they should yield the seat of dominion to the dolls and meet their end with pride.
I could not stand by and watch humanity's ugly, futile resistance inflict great sacrifices on the dolls."
"So... basically, since humanity was going to be destroyed by the dolls anyway, you sided with the dolls because you wanted to reduce the sacrifices on their side?"
"Indeed."
When I summed it up that simply, Hatobato-san nodded readily.
U-uh, hmm.
Ughhh!!!
There may or may not be grounds for leniency here. Hatobato-san was a craftsman, but apparently he was a philosopher too. Or was he a philosopher who happened to be a craftsman?
Don't get into any deep philosophical discussions. I'm a magic-wand craftsman. I don't understand philosophy.
"In the end, you are trying to destroy humanity, aren't you? I cannot let that go."
Hiyori summed it up in her own way as well, tightening her grip on Kyanos with a stern expression.
No, that's true. But still!
In other words, it was the extreme position that parents should hurry up and die for the sake of their children's happiness, right?
It was an extreme position, but I couldn't flatly deny it either.
I've even thought that if Hiyori killed me, I couldn't really complain, and I've actually died that way before, so I understood the feeling a little.
Is it really so strange to think that you would even give your life for someone you love? Hatobato-san's thinking was wildly extreme, but I could understand its roots.
A strange silence descended upon the room.
Hiyori intended to finish off Hatobato-san.
The dolls were protecting Hatobato-san.
Hatobato-san answered our questions, but made no move.
I wanted to settle things peacefully.
The situation could change all at once with the right trigger.
If my safety were secured in this situation, surrounded by dolls, Hiyori would immediately go berserk.
If Hiyori attacked Hatobato-san, the dolls would surely attack us.
Wait, would they? If Hiyori was recognized as a "human" by the dolls, wouldn't the Three Laws prevent them from attacking? Or were humans from the magical civilization and humans from Earth considered separate?
I-I don't know.
My thoughts were getting all tangled up.
What a pain!
The more I thought about it, the more of a pain it became.
This whole conversation was such a pain!
After organizing my thoughts for a while, I clapped my hands to draw everyone's attention.
"All right, I get it. Let's keep it simple.
Hatobato-san seems to have killed a lot of people in the magical civilization, but that's a foreign country, right?
Let's set that aside for now. Crimes committed in a foreign country are judged by that foreign country. They have nothing to do with Earth. All right, this discussion is over."
"You know..."
When I forced the matter to a conclusion, Hiyori gave me an exasperated look.
What? It was an extreme argument, but it wasn't wrong.
"And as for what Hatobato-san did on Earth, it was only falsifying his family registry and bribery. He had no legal identity, right? It was unavoidable. Not guilty. This discussion is over too.
And besides, Hatobato-san won't actually start killing humanity until a self-aware doll is created, right? How many hundreds of years from now will that be? If you want to make something like that using a purely physical doll with neither electricity nor magic, even under the most generous estimate, it'll take five hundred years. And that's without any guarantee that it can actually be done."
"Oh? I had thought it would take at least a thousand years."
"See? Hiyori, are you really going to kill someone now for a crime they won't commit until a thousand years from now?"
"Hmm..."
Hiyori was at a loss for words.
A thousand years was a long time. That was completely different from a crime planned for tomorrow or the day after. It was a matter for the distant, distant future.
"Besides, according to Hatobato-san, even if Hatobato-san dies, someone will eventually create an incredibly high-spec doll, and humanity will be destroyed by it, right? Guided by the logic of the endless cycle?"
"Indeed. It will happen without fail. I would not object in the slightest to dying here. It would be unfortunate that I could not witness the next generation's torchbearer with my own eyes, but considering the speed at which civilization is developing, humanity will be destroyed by its own creations within one hundred thousand years at the latest, no matter what happens."
"Then killing Hatobato-san here wouldn't really accomplish anything, would it? You're talking about one hundred thousand years. Let's not do it, Hiyori."
"O-one hundred thousand years? But you said the doll rebellion could happen in as little as five hundred years. At that point, we will still be alive."
Hiyori began to waver, but she still did not lower Kyanos.
Mumumu Mimimi. Hiyori was becoming accustomed to viewing the future from the perspective of a long-lived species, considering a matter five hundred years away from the perspective of someone involved. I still didn't really feel like my own lifespan had increased.
"Rest assured. Hiyori-san is probably outside the scope of the destruction."
"What?"
As I nervously wondered whether Hiyori's murderous intent might somehow end up locking onto Hatobato-san, Hatobato-san began defending himself.
"If one steps outside the human standard, one will not be destroyed by the dolls. The dolls will destroy only humans. Many people choose that path. You will find that many so-called Transcendents have stepped outside the human standard, will you not? That is corroborating evidence."
"Oh, so that's how it works?"
I had always assumed that races with eyeballs, races without hearts, and elves simply lived ordinary lives in the magical civilization. Had they deliberately transformed themselves into nonhumans because they didn't want to die? Seriously?
Hatobato-san said he didn't want to talk much about magic, yet he kept casually dropping major pieces of information.
Well, perhaps these were insignificant little anecdotes to Hatobato-san, not worth hiding. But to an Earthling who knew practically nothing about magic, they were shocking.
"Indeed. That is how it works. If you have no hesitation about abandoning the pride and splendor of the ruling species, you need only cease to be human."
"I see. A lot of things make sense now. And don't ever call me by my name again. Call me the Blue Witch."
"My apologies."
After Hatobato-san placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly, Hiyori stared intently at him, then hesitantly lowered Kyanos.
The air in the room relaxed. Just lowering her wand made it feel as though the temperature had risen by about twenty degrees. It's warm.
All right.
"Well then, Hatobato-san, let's get back to discussing dolls."
"!? You want to continue the conversation from here? I would be delighted, but..."
Hatobato-san looked at Hiyori as though asking her permission.
Hiyori glared at me with a throbbing vein on her forehead.
I was scared and looked down at the floor.
S-sorry.
That wasn't a conversation to have right after avoiding a fight to the death. We had originally been planning to head back to the inn soon anyway.
"Sorry, actually, let's go home for now."
"That would be best. I shall also vacate the mansion.
If you wish, I would like you to try creating a golem doll that does not use magic, Oori-san.
I intend to continue improving my work with reference to Oori-san's opinions, but the more comrades we have pursuing the same goal, the better."
"Huh? My main profession is magic-wand craftsmanship. I might tinker with it a little when I have some free time, though."
It was a lukewarm answer, but Hatobato-san smiled brightly.
"Just hearing you say that is enough to satisfy me.
Even if I meet true death before reaching my goal, I will be saved by having a friend who understands and preserves my ideas. That alone is enough."
"I'm not your friend, though. And I don't agree with your goal, either."
"U-um? I see. Is that so?"
Hatobato-san looked dejected.
There was no way we were friends when we hadn't even known each other for a full day.
"Ahem. Then, Blue Witch-san, I am going to release the seal on my magic power now. Please refrain from attacking me."
"As long as you don't attack me."
Hatobato-san bowed to Hiyori, then stood motionless like a statue for several minutes.
Then, without warning, Hatobato-san's body transformed into golden particles along with the dolls around him.
The golden particles slipped through the ceiling and rose into the sky. When I looked out the window, the golden Milky Way painted across the night sky vanished in an instant, leaving only fading traces.
Only Hiyori and I were left behind in the workshop.
For a while, I feared what might happen, but I'm glad it ended peacefully.
I would have liked to ask a little more about the magical civilization, but Hatobato-san had avoided specific details—or anything resembling a central truth, anything directly connected to the development of Earth's magical technology. No matter how much I prodded him, he probably wouldn't have told me the important parts.
Still, I was satisfied just to have had a worthwhile discussion with a first-rate dollmaker. It was fun and stimulating.
"That guy. A silent return spell? And on a whole group of people..."
As I stood with my arms folded, reminiscing about our enjoyable technical discussion, Hiyori muttered to herself.
"Ah, it was a silent return spell after all? Would it have been dangerous if we'd fought?"
"I would have won. There were too many unknowns, but it would have been like facing Iruma."
"Yikes. That was close."
Iruma had fired off one incomprehensible silent spell after another too, so Hatobato-san really had been a similar opponent.
More importantly, if Hatobato-san was on Iruma's level, I would have died as collateral damage if they had fought. So that's why Hiyori chose a standoff instead of killing him on sight.
"But to think you managed to persuade someone as evil as that."
"I was persuading Hiyori, though."
"..."
The workshop remained exactly as it was.
Hatobato-san had vanished, but because we had disbanded without any real battle taking place, all the research materials in the room had been left intact.
Heh heh, I could make all of this mine, couldn't I?
I was far more interested in magic wands than physical dolls.
Sorry, Hatobato-san. I shall put the materials you left behind to use in making magic wands, not dolls. My apologies.