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“Of course! But I’d like to hear your honest thoughts on how it felt to face my golem.”

Ian swallowed his questions and replied.

“It was impressive. I honestly thought there was a person inside. What level of mana stone did you use? The output seems quite significant.”

Garavan spread his hands wide, revealing his five fingers.

“Level 5. I would have liked to try Level 6, but I figured that sheer output alone wouldn’t be enough, so I gave up. Those who practice martial arts often say: mind, body, and magic. If one of these three is lacking, then it’s not perfect.”

“…Does that apply to golems as well?”

Garavan retrieved the destroyed golem with a regretful look as he used another golem.

“Why not? I can compensate for the others with my efforts. Anyway, thank you. If martial arts can be applied, I can make up for the skills through my weapons.”

“Does that mean we won’t have to spar anymore?”

“Are you saying I should destroy all my golems? I’d love to suggest a multiple vs. one match, but it would be a shame to break so many of them. Unfortunately, I’m the only one who can repair them in this fortress. I don’t want to overwork myself for a moment of satisfaction.”

“In that case, this contract is practically over.”

“It seems that way. I’m sorry for wasting your time. You’ll only break even with five gold coins, won’t you? I’ll add a little more, so don’t feel too upset.”

Ian rolled his eyes. It definitely felt like a waste of time to return empty-handed after coming all this way.

Even if he thought of it as just a short getaway, there was a way to make this time worthwhile.

“I don’t need the extra payment. I’d like to stay here for a while and learn about golems. Is that possible?”

“…Hmm, so you want to stay here? For how long?”

“It won’t be more than a month, at most.”

Garavan nodded.

“Nothing wrong with that. However, you’ll need to help if the outer gate opens.”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

While staying here, he could refine his skills and integrate the experiences and techniques he hadn’t been able to digest during recent events.

With Garavan’s permission, Ian was allowed to stay at the Helrem Fortress.

The daily routine was incredibly intense, but it was also thoroughly satisfying.

Garavan’s training proved to be immensely beneficial. He didn’t just provide theoretical knowledge; he handed Ian a medium-sized golem stored in the warehouse for practical exercises.

The thick layer of dust covering it indirectly indicated that it had been neglected for a long time, but Ian didn’t mind.

In fact, he was pleasantly surprised to be allowed to work on such a thing. It had been a long time since he had disassembled armor and repaired damaged circuits himself.

“Yaaaawn!”

Meanwhile, the actual owner of the golem was sprawled on an old sofa, yawning widely.

Ian chuckled at the sound coming from behind him and spoke without turning around.

“You seem tired.”

“Try giving lectures for hours every evening. You’ll see how tiring it is.”

“Do you think it’s easy to meet a student who learns two things when you teach them one?”

Garavan laughed, incredulous.

“Right, I’m lucky to have met such a smart student. Thanks to you, I only manage to sleep at dawn.”

“Your days and nights will soon be reversed.”

“Heh, I’m used to that. The outer gate doesn’t only open when the sun is out, you know? It opens at dawn when everyone is asleep and even during heavy rain. Guarding the fortress is quite exhausting. The lord is even busier. When you rise through the ranks, you might think it’s all glory, but the reality is very harsh. Level 6 is just the beginning. It’s a battleground among superhumans. Ah, this was pointless chatter.”

Garavan stretched as if to shake off sleep and looked at Ian.

“What I wanted to say is that I’m postponing my own duties to help you.”

“Are you trying to flaunt that? Shall I help you with that?”

“Are you?”

“I could at least keep you company. Just for a bit.”

“…I appreciate the sentiment, but this isn’t something someone like you should be doing.”

“What kind of work is it?”

“That is….”

Garavan closed his mouth. By now, it was familiar. He would act that way when he didn’t want to answer a question.

Having spent about two weeks here, Ian was convinced that Garavan was hiding something.

“…There is something.”

“Is that so?”

“By the way, student, do you have time to talk when you should be concentrating?”

“I think I’ve gotten the hang of it now after working on circuits for a few days.”

“As a teacher, it’s my duty to guide a student who has become too complacent. Let me take a look.”

Garavan hopped off the sofa and approached Ian with brisk little steps, scrutinizing the circuits Ian had worked on with a keen gaze.

While it wouldn’t be difficult to nitpick, considering he was a beginner, Ian was surprisingly meticulous and thorough.

This was indeed a situation worthy of praise.

“…Why did you carve this part deeper?”

“It’s also the most vulnerable area, and when the output increases, that’s where the force is applied the strongest. The durability here is probably higher than in other areas for that reason.”

“I don’t remember teaching you that. There’s no such content in the books, right?”

“I noticed you had already done it on the other side. I figured it out by comparing both sides.”

At Ian’s answer, Garavan shook his head.

“You’ve learned about this field before, haven’t you? Be honest. It’s understandable if you have the theory, but having such understanding in a practical setting doesn’t make sense. You must have touched golems before.”

“Wouldn’t that be too superficial?”

Not knowing the basics. Lacking fundamental terms and common knowledge.

“Well… that’s true.”

“That’s all because you learned it on the sidelines. I had a friend who was knowledgeable about this type of golem.”

“You’re not too old, are you? I’d like to meet that friend of yours. I think you’d get along well.”

Garavan gave Ian a pat on the back as if to encourage him.

“Anyway, well done. Why don’t you take a break now?”

“If it were up to me, I’d want to do that, but I don’t know when I’ll have time again if I don’t do it now. I need to learn while I have the opportunity.”

“That passion is truly admirable. You’re in the right mindset to learn. If I were a professor at the Imperial Academy, the Akashic, and you were my student, I would have taken great care of you. I’d consider making you my assistant.”

“Oh, that’s why I’m saying this, Garavan. You would have been very popular as a professor.”

“Because I’m handsome?”

Ian narrowed his eyes. How many people would really like a dwarf with a bushy beard?

Especially among students, there wouldn’t be many. The kids in that age group would place great importance on appearance.

He disregarded the ridiculous claim that he was handsome and continued speaking.

“The classes aren’t boring at all. You seem to manage the pace well. I especially like how you express the core content concisely. You should apply to Akashic later. With your current experience, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

“…Professor. A glorious position. I’ll think about it.”

“Since we’re having this casual chat, may I ask why you’re being so kind to me?”

“Hmm?”

Ian took a step back and looked up at the kneeling golem.

It had a rugged appearance, but its weightiness gave a sense of security. Especially the claw marks on its face gave it a veteran soldier’s feel.

“This golem, it was one you used before you reached your destination, wasn’t it? Is it really okay for someone like me, an outsider, to handle it so carelessly?”

“Since I gave you permission, it’s not careless. And did you just now think to ask that? It seems a bit late for such a question.”

“I had thought about it from the beginning. I thought it was unnecessary to ask, so I kept my mouth shut.”

“Hmm, doesn’t the condition tell you? There was some attachment left to keep it here, but I would have either discarded it or completely forgotten about it soon. If it’s going to be thrown away anyway, it’s better to make it useful while I can. Besides, there isn’t another mage in this Helrum Fortress who knows how to control a golem, so don’t hesitate to handle it. It wouldn’t matter if it got broken to the point of being unusable.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that?”

“Hmm?”

In response to Garavan’s questioning gaze, Ian deliberately placed his hand on the cold metal and began to channel his magical power.

Golems are similar to humans. Given that they were originally made from clay to replace humans, their basic structures must be similar.

Though it lacked a power source, which could be seen as a heart, it could perform that role instead.

He slowly infused magical power into the circuits etched inside his gloves.

Wuuuuuu….

Like blood flowing through veins. He could feel the magical power beginning to flow through the circuits he had carefully restored over the past week, and the broken magical circuits were connecting one by one, like street lamps lighting up one after another.

Guuuuuuu.

The veteran soldier that had been kneeling for a long time in this shabby place opened its eyes.

Green light seeped through the claw marks on its face, and it rose with a creaking sound.

“It seems you’ve really fixed it.”

“Wait? You made it move? The power source is now being substituted by your magical power?”

“Isn’t it impressive?”

“…Is the magical consumption okay? It’s old, so it might not be efficient.”

“I think it can move for a bit. But how do I control it?”

Garavan smiled widely.

“You’re truly a student who makes teaching enjoyable. I’ll teach you.”

***

“Wow.”

Garavan walked down the cold corridor holding a candle.

As befits a fortress, there was no trace of aesthetic sense in this place; it was exceedingly desolate.

But now he was grinning, reflecting on the events from just moments ago.

Ian.

The third son of the Berger family; the more he saw him, the more he found him to be a strange and interesting friend.

At first, when he heard Ian wanted to learn about golems, he thought it was a joke, but after watching him for a bit, he realized it was genuine.

With a frightening level of concentration, he read the books he handed him, understanding the contents, and came back with key questions.

It didn’t stop there. For every one thing he taught him, he found out two or three more.

Of course, not everything was perfect. But those were problems arising from inexperience.

‘I feel like I’m seeing Audrey.’

It was a pity that he was a warrior, not a mage. He felt as if he wanted to take him on as a disciple.

He felt that this was turning from a casual teaching session into something sincere.

Garavan reached the end of the corridor. It was a blocked-off area, but with a light gesture of his hand, magical power spread out like ripples, and soon after, another passage appeared.

This passage had a spiral staircase leading down. Each step he took echoed in his ears with whispering sounds.

-…….

Garavan hated this moment. With a frown, he felt his feet grow heavy, but he couldn’t afford to stop.

-□□□□.

At first, the murmuring voices were low, but suddenly they became clear.

A chill ran down his spine, and for a moment, Garavan felt as if his breath was taken away, but it was just the overwhelming presence of someone else.

It wasn’t a big deal. He reassured himself.

-□□□□

“I’m coming.”

-□금□, □□□.

“You’re especially impatient today.”

-□□ □례□.

“Isn’t that something you already knew when you contracted with me?”

Having reached the bottom of the staircase, he was greeted by a headless stone statue.

———-