I'm Not the Heroine-Chapter 70

Apparently, these golems were created by some ancient civilization, but no one truly knew their origin.

In the original story, they were only mentioned in passing, in a book Aswell had read.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Thanks to Master, Lati, and Kunder, I had plenty of materials to experiment with.

In particular, the resources from the Inferblaino volcano that Lati provided were essential.

The volcanic stones and other unique materials from that region allowed for infinite potential in development.

“...Of course, I need to be careful.”

I only needed about three out of ten possible features right now.

Once we finished this task for the city, I could delve into the full research, but for now, I needed to quickly solidify and produce the technology.

"Let’s start with the artificial intelligence."

I wasn’t starting with the body for a simple reason: the design of the head had to be finalized first so I could then create a body to suit it.

Otherwise, I might end up with a mismatch—like an elephant’s brain in a human body or a human brain in an elephant’s body.

Though calling it artificial intelligence was almost an overstatement.

"The minimum requirements are a visual system, a classifier, and a command storage unit."

These components needed to be in place before proceeding to the next stage.

“Vision, it just needs to detect light.”

I pulled out a copper-colored ore from my spatial pocket.

Then, using a pen, I inscribed golden letters in the air, moving the ore close to the letters.

The ore emitted a faint golden glow in response.

This was a rare ore from another kingdom that an acquaintance had given me. This would become the “eye.”

I sharpened the tip of the pen to act like a carving knife and began sculpting the ore.

‘Glad I learned gem-carving.’

Thanks to the skills I learned from Diayursil, a task that should have taken hours became relatively easy.

Her expertise wasn’t limited to gemstones alone, which proved quite helpful.

I’d likely be using her carving techniques not just for the “eyes” but for other intricate parts as well.

‘For the overall color scheme... platinum and brass should work well.’

With the general structure of the head in mind, the body’s design began to take shape naturally.

For the eyes, I based the design on the entity’s mechanical eyes.

It was simpler than the hundreds or thousands of tiny mechanisms that made up the entity’s vision, but it served its purpose.

After about three hours of sculpting and adding necessary materials, I finally completed one eye.

A shiny brass mechanical eye.

Its reflective properties made it feel almost alive.

“Now, I just need to connect the wiring and classification system...”

After scanning the mechanical eye with Master Key, I began the replication process.

There was no real need for two eyes.

“The classifier and storage unit shouldn’t be too difficult...”

For the classifier, I could repurpose an old coin-sorting magic tool, and the storage unit only required a bit of help from others.

The body wouldn’t take too long to complete, either.

“Alright, let’s get to work.”

Taking things slowly and not rushing allowed me to work more efficiently.

In half a day, I had already completed about a quarter of the entire project.

“Aswell is...”

I wondered if the others had already left.

Since I’d started working late into the night, I looked out the window and saw dawn approaching.

It was likely that everyone else had already gone.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

“...I should go too.”

Once this mechanical soldier was complete, it would need to be tested on the field.

So I might as well go check out the wall and see how repairs were going.

Not that I was lonely or wanted to see anyone, of course.

I input additional commands into Master Key, locked the door securely, and instructed the servants not to enter.

Then, riding Nightlux, who was leisurely wandering around, I headed for the wall.

Heist Wall.

That was the name of the massive wall that served as Wintergard’s landmark.

Honestly, seeing it for the first time, it didn’t feel like it belonged to this world.

If I’d ever seen Hoover Dam from below, I imagined it would look something like this.

It was that tall and imposing.

But that impression only held from a distance.

“Prepare to switch shifts!”

“Requesting supplies!”

“They’re sending more priests from the church, so just hold on a bit longer!”

The gate area was bustling with activity.

Unlike the chaos and despair of Citadel of Dusk, the scene here felt more like organized commotion with people coming and going in constant motion.

Since holding Heist Wall in the northeast was the key, the city had a much larger guard presence compared to other places.

Now that I thought about it, there hadn’t been as many guards at the southwest gate into Wintergard.

That wasn’t usual, but rather, due to last week’s unusual situation, they had likely reorganized personnel.

Holding Nightlux’s reins, I approached one of the guards.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes? Hm?”

“By any chance, do you know where As... I mean, the Hero is?”

The guard looked me over before asking.

“Are you the Hero’s servant?”

Stunned by the unexpected question, I hesitated, and the guard started rambling on his own.

“Well, considering the position the Hero is in, it makes sense he’d need an attendant.”

“No, I’m not—”

“So that’s his taste... Well, none of my business.”

Despite claiming it was none of his business, the guard continued with his strange comments.

At that moment, someone approached from behind the guard.

“The Hero is over there...”

“Louis. You’re here.”

“Hero!?”

Aswell greeted the guard with a warm smile, but I noticed something unusual in his expression.

“Oh, it seems your servant was looking for you, so I was going to show her the way...”

“I’m not his servant.”

Then Aswell walked up to me, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me close.

Thump.

“She’s my companion. A skilled mage in our party.”

“...”

I could only stand there quietly, pressed against Aswell’s side.

I wanted to pull away, but I ended up fidgeting with his sleeve instead.

“Oh, my apologies! I didn’t mean any disrespect!”

The guard quickly lowered his head, his face pale.

Nearby, others were giving him looks of disapproval.

“It’s fine.”

Aswell had already stood up for me.

Fine? That was...?

Anyway, I didn’t want the guard to receive any more reprimands, so I left the scene.

“Why are you here? You could’ve stayed back at the mansion.”

“...I was bored.”

Saying I was lonely might sound a bit strange.

As the guard left, I could have easily stepped away from Aswell, but I kept hold of his sleeve.

I... just didn’t want to let go.

Aswell didn’t seem to mind, and we walked side by side toward the room inside the wall.

“How’s the situation?”

“Rie is on the wall, overseeing and providing long-range support. Serelin and Niabella are defending below. The attacks have been more intense than the Count mentioned.”

Aria was likely focused on treating the wounded as usual.

“Have we identified the type of monsters?”

“Yeah. There are some flying monsters this time, which probably explains the wall’s height.”

Right.

In the records, it mentioned bat-like flying monsters that attacked the guards with long-range strikes and ramming attacks.

They also damaged the wall itself, causing large cracks to appear over time.

“So I thought I might be able to help with the repairs.”

“But, Louis, you’re already helping a lot. We’ll manage.”

“Thanks to everyone’s support, my work is progressing quickly. I’d like to use the spare time to help.”

My idea was to reinforce the wall.

“I did it once in Alfares, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“But the size and height are different.”

“That’s why I’ll need to get up there.”

Since I left Master Key behind, I couldn’t cast enhancement spells as easily, but I could manage.

“There are stairs and ropes outside for maintenance, so...”

Adding an extra safety mechanism to the rope would make it more secure.

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Oh, and...”

I grabbed Aswell’s sleeve as he turned to leave.

“I need a favor from you, too.”

Since the wind could sway the rope, I’d need someone to keep an eye on me and help me focus.

“Louis, if you’re really scared, you can use the stairs...”

“No, I’m... I’m fine, I’m not scared at all!”

No, this was much higher than I’d expected.

It was bad enough that I hated peppers. I thought my fear of bugs was bad enough.

But acrophobia too?!

“Eek!”

“...”

I ended up clinging to Aswell, unable to move.

Then...

“Louis, it’s okay... here, let me help...”

As Aswell gently patted my head, my fear faded away almost instantly.

“I feel... a little better now.”

“Really? That’s a relief...”

“A little, just a little. So, don’t let go of me.”

“Oh... okay.”

Even as I trembled, I leaned into Aswell’s warmth and began reinforcing the wall.

Every time a gust of wind shook the rope, Aswell’s steady presence helped me quickly overcome my fear.

“Whew...”

“You did well, Louis.”

Finally, when I finished repairing the most critical areas, I immediately let go of Aswell.

“Thank you, Aswell. I’ll... be heading back now. See you.”

And, realizing what I had done, I hurried back to the mansion, hiding my flushed face.