Chapter 303

Don Quixote asked in disbelief.

"How? Surely Rocinante's search didn't detect anyone."

"If no living being was detected, there's only one possibility left."

Not a living being, perhaps an automaton made entirely of machinery.

"That..."

Even the brazen Don Quixote seemed surprised. He hadn't thought they could find it this easily.

It would take at least a week to search this area and its surroundings thoroughly. If other uninvited guests intervened during that time, the automaton might hear the commotion and flee. To be honest, the chances of finding it were extremely slim.

But to find it like this. No, rather, it came to them on its own. They couldn't have been luckier.

It would be a lie to say they didn't feel uneasy. Everyone silently stared at the automaton.

Just as they were thinking this.

"It's moving."

As Osian murmured softly, the automaton took a step. Was it planning to come down this heap of scrap metal to approach them?

Just as everyone showed reactions mixed with equal parts anticipation and tension.

-Crash!

The automaton slipped and fell.

-Bang! Crash! Rumble!

It didn't stop at just falling once. Like a boulder rolled down a hillside, the automaton began bouncing and tumbling down the ridge of scrap metal.

-Bang! Crash! Thud!

After rolling down continuously, the automaton finally stopped with its head buried in the yellow soil.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The three people couldn't say a word. Even having emotions like tension and anticipation felt foolish.

The automaton that had collapsed on the ground soon lifted its head up.

"Oops. I tried to make a cool entrance but messed up!"

Under the hood, what could be seen were yellow eyes that looked like lenses. The automaton scratched the back of its head awkwardly.

Osian and David silently observed the automaton.

It wasn't simply playing recorded human voices. All its words and actions were those that could only be displayed by something capable of thinking for itself.

"Are you really an automaton?"

"Me?"

The automaton pointed at itself in response to Osian's question. The hand briefly visible through the rags was entirely mechanical.

"I might be. People who've seen me called me an automaton! I like that. It sounds cool, doesn't it?"

"Cool?"

That wasn't something an automaton would say. How could a machine know what's cool? But this automaton clearly said so. Its voice, and the emotion in it, pleaded that this was the truth.

The automaton flipped back the worn hood covering its head. The face it had been hiding was revealed.

Beside him, David muttered quietly.

"It really is an automaton."

The automaton resembled what people commonly called a tin toy. With round lens eyes and a thick, creaky jaw. Judging by appearance alone, it was truly an old-type automaton, with a cheap look that wouldn't even be used for household purposes.

It didn't seem dangerous at all, and in some ways, it looked clumsy and cute.

'But what's inside is the essence of future technology that modern science cannot explain.'

Artificial intelligence is a technology that hasn't been fully implemented even in Tirna. Why it dwelled in such an outdated automaton remains a mystery.

'I even doubt whether it was born from science in the first place.'

Regardless, having confirmed it was a real automaton, Don Quixote murmured in a trembling voice.

"Oh. It's true. Truly, we meet like this."

When Don Quixote spoke with a voice full of emotion, the automaton's gaze turned to him.

"Wow. What a splendid knight. What brings you here?"

"I, I... No, I... came to meet you."

Don Quixote took a moment to compose himself, then spoke in his formal knight's manner.

"You came to meet me? Wow, that makes me really happy. To think that such a splendid knight would think of me. Today is going to be the best day ever!"

The automaton clenched its right fist and stretched its hand toward the sky saying, "Yay!" while Osian watched the scene, wondering what to do.

'Finding the automaton is good, but how do we take it outside?'

It might have been easier if they had to capture a fleeing automaton and forcibly take it away, but its blatant appearance made the situation rather awkward.

Moreover, far from being hostile to humans, it was approaching people as friendly as a country dog wagging its tail. It seemed possible to persuade it with just words.

"Sir Osian. What should we do?"

"Let's just watch for now."

Above all, there was Don Quixote. His reaction to the automaton clearly contained some emotion.

But would they have time to verify all that? Just as Osian was pondering, the automaton looked at him and asked.

"Friends. Since we've met by fate, would you like to come to my home?"

At this sudden invitation, Osian and David couldn't help but look at each other.

"This way! I recommend moving carefully as the ground is unstable."

The place where the three people headed, accepting the automaton's invitation, was a hidden passage in the crevice of the mountain-like heap of scrap metal.

It was so cunningly hidden in the gaps between irregularly piled scraps that it couldn't even be recognized as a passage.

'No wonder we couldn't have found this place even after searching for days.'

It was perfectly understandable why the automaton hadn't been discovered by looters. Even now, as they followed the passage down, the path was already confusing.

A truly irregular maze of steel. Even if someone discovered this passage, taking a wrong step would result in getting lost. It meant being isolated alone in a place where no one would come to the rescue.

Osian's gaze turned toward the automaton's back.

"Here, turn left!"

Was it excited about inviting guests? There was no hostility in its appearance as it guided them with an excited voice.

After moving for some time, the irregular passage soon changed into a neat corridor.

"This is..."

"The form of an old building remains."

Don Quixote answered the surprised David.

"The Return of Firewas powerful, but it seems it couldn't completely destroy the underground structures."

The automaton opened a door in one of the corridors. Beyond the door stretched pitch-black darkness. As their eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, they could see it was a huge cavity.

"Now. Everyone grab this rope and come down slowly. I'll go first! Yahoo!"

The automaton grabbed a wire prepared beside the door and slid down, disappearing below. Osian and David followed suit.

After descending for quite some time, their feet finally touched the ground.

Looking up, the height of the structure standing in the darkness seemed dizzying. It was hard to believe that such a tall structure was built in this vast underground space.

"By the way, can Sir Don Quixote follow? If he's coming, he'll have to leave Rocinante behind."

Rocinante couldn't come down that wire.

"That won't be necessary."

David looked up as he heard Osian's murmur. The brass-colored horse and knight could be seen falling toward this place.

"No, what is..."

No matter how sturdy Rocinante was, it would surely break if it fell from that height. Osian thought the same. But Don Quixote had his reasons for doing this.

-Screech!

Before Rocinante touched the ground, an enormous amount of steam burst out from underneath. The steam not only reduced the falling speed but even made them float in the air.

-Thud.

"Wow! That's cool!"

The automaton clapped its hands at Don Quixote's stylish landing. When the tin robot applauded, it made the sound of metal colliding.

"This place is desolate in a different way."

Don Quixote looked up at the sky. Except for the faint light coming through the cracks, everything around was dark.

The remains of buildings stood like tombstones throughout the vast underground cavity whose breadth was difficult to estimate. Who would have thought there would be such an area underground? How massive did they intend to make it?

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. Nice to meet you. I'm Neo!"

The automaton introduced itself as Neo.

Osian asked Neo.

"Is that a name you gave yourself?"

"It's a name I've had since I opened my eyes. Or is it a memory? I don't know who gave it to me. But who cares? I like it!"

"Very positive, aren't you."

"Thanks for the compliment, friend!"

It was a slightly sarcastic remark, but Neo took it as a sincere compliment. By now, the group had arrived at Neo's dwelling.

Among the numerous tombstone-like buildings, it was notably small. Inside were various items Neo had brought while living there for a long time.

"Feel free to stay as if it's your own home. Of course, this is an abandoned area, so it's nobody's home."

Osian looked at the items piled on the floor. Among them was something that caught his eye.

"Books."

They were old and worn-out books. But there was no dust on them. It meant they had been read until recently.

The title was faintly visible: [The Romantic Knight Don Quixote].

"That's my favorite story! The tale of a romantic knight. Do you know it?"

"That 's a famous old story."

"I like the part about reaching for the stars the most. That's one of my dreams! Meeting a real knight. And today, I met friends and fulfilled my dream!"

Neo spread his arms wide. There was a reason why he invited people he had never seen before to his home. To see a knight who until now had only existed in stories.

"Then it's strange. If you wanted to meet a knight, there's no reason for you to live alone in a place like this."

"Me?"

Neo pointed at himself and tilted his head.

"I have thought about going outside. I read in books that there are all sorts of wonderful and mysterious places in this world. But I couldn't leave right away."

"Why?"

"If I leave alone, my friend left behind here would be lonely."

"Friend left behind?"

Could there be another automaton with the same artificial intelligence? Perhaps seeing the expectation in everyone's eyes, Neo spoke in a cheerful voice.

"Ah! While we're on the subject, let me introduce you to my friend! Let's go see together! I'm sure my friend will like it too!"

Following Neo's guidance, the group left the dwelling and headed toward another building. That building looked much larger and sturdier than the others. Despite the passage of time, even though its appearance had faded, its solidity was palpable.

"Here!"

Neo entered through a half-destroyed door. Just as Don Quixote and David were about to follow.

Osian stopped in his tracks and stared inside. His gaze narrowed sharply.

"Sir Osian? What's wrong?"

"Sir. Is there a problem?"

When Osian showed a reaction, David and Don Quixote asked. Osian didn't answer. Instead, he simply stared in the direction where Neo had disappeared.

"...I hope it's just a misconception."

Osian muttered softly and moved forward.

The inside of the building was presumed to be some kind of research facility. What they researched is unknown. Since it was an area abandoned after the Return of Fire, there wouldn't be any traces from that time.

Osian asked Neo, who was leading the way.

"Who is this friend of yours?"

"I don't know the name! They never told me!"

"Never told you?"

"I guess they're a shy friend! I've tried talking to them many times, but they never answered properly."

"Are you sure they're a friend?"

As he felt when they first met, Neo had a very strange personality. Should he call it pure? Or immature? In some sense, he was similar to Don Quixote.

'Besides, that gentleman has been unusually quiet.'

Until now, Don Quixote had been enthusiastically reciting chivalry. But since meeting Neo, he had noticeably reduced his speech. He was just quietly listening to Neo's chatter.

"Here! My friend is here!"

The place Neo guided them to was what could be called the innermost part of the research facility. Facilities rusted and worn out over the years were clearly visible even in the darkness.

Neo's eyes changed like searchlights, illuminating the surroundings. Rocinante also contributed to brightening the area with a soft light.

The surrounding facilities came into view at once and Osian could see it.

At what could be called the center of this area. Inside what appeared to be some kind of giant test tube, was a gray flower. Unlike ordinary flowers, it was huge, withered, and twisted, a strangely shaped flower.

"Friend! I'm here! Did you have a good day today?"

The moment he saw it, Osian unconsciously put his hand on his sword.

"Step back from there immediately!"

"Huh?"

Just as Neo was about to ask what that meant, the flower, which had been still until now, raised its head and stared at them.