Chapter 618: Ex Machina (5)

An artifact-grade crafting tool.

The moment Lennok mentioned that name, Narcissa remained silent, no longer reacting.

“Generally, artifact-grade items with such unique functions are difficult to obtain or create.”

Lennok nodded, observing the silent Narcissa.

“At least, I suspect it was equipment used by a Meister-level artisan for a very specialized process.”

“What was the artisan’s personality?”

Narcissa asked, seemingly without thought.

“Tell me what kind of personality you think the artisan who made this artifact might have had.”

Lennok tilted his head at Narcissa’s sudden, off-topic question.

“It’s difficult to speculate on a person’s personality based solely on a single object; there’s bound to be some leaps of logic…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“……”

Lennok couldn’t understand why Narcissa was curious about such a thing, but relaying his speculation, gleaned through the pendant, wasn’t difficult.

Lennok silently toyed with the artifact, now back in its pendant form, thinking, then slowly opened his mouth.

“I’d say they were likely an extremely sensitive and neurotic individual.”

“…Why?”

“The very concept and principles used in this automatic crafting tool suggest it.”

Lennok said, setting the pendant down.

“The microscopic particle alteration of mana that rarely occurs when parts are manufactured at different times. The very idea of applying that principle to create an artifact is incredibly unusual. Such cases are extremely rare among the artifacts I’ve seen.”

“……”

“An obsession bordering on paranoia. A compulsion for precision. Beyond that, I suspect they had a perverse tendency to perfectly control everything within their grasp and revel in the process itself.”

The faint alteration of mana across different timelines.

This was a concept so difficult and profound that Lennok himself only learned of it while researching Kaiser’s pocket watch. In a way, it was an incredibly obscure idea to delve into.

If anything, it was one of the many trial-and-error attempts by high-level wizards to approach the concept of time through mana.

And not only did this artisan persistently delve into such a concept to create an artifact of this size, but they also used parts manufactured at different times during the process.

And even after crafting the pendant, they left no record whatsoever, making repairs incredibly difficult.

“Almost every design structure left within the pendant doesn’t seem to belong to a person of sound mi…”

Lennok stopped there, cleared his throat, and rephrased his words appropriately.

“Perhaps they were an individual who embodied the spirit of an artisan more than anyone else.”

At that moment, Mouser, who had been silently watching until now, spoke.

“…It’s Master’s.”

“Mouser.”

Narcissa glared at him sharply.

“Watch your mouth.”

“Why now?”

Mouser shrugged, unconcerned, and continued.

“That pendant. The woman herself, not some other client, directly requested its repair from the artisans.”

“……”

Only then did Lennok realize why Narcissa had brought this pendant, and he looked at her with a flustered expression.

Indeed, upon reflection, it would be unthinkable for her to arbitrarily use another client’s item to test Lennok’s abilities.

It was only natural that she would use her own belongings, for which she herself could bear the responsibility and consequences.

But he never imagined that Narcissa would not only entrust him with the pendant but also wish to hear about her master from Lennok’s own lips.

Mouser’s thoughts were not far off, as he scoffed at Narcissa, his face completely sobered from the alcohol.

“Hmph, hmph, you served that eccentric old man like a father your whole life, but you’re still curious about other people’s opinions, aren’t you?”

Seeing Narcissa remain silent, Mouser continued.

“That man was a lunatic, interested in nothing but his own advancement until the day he died. He saw even the artisans who became his apprentices as expendable tools to be ground up and discarded.”

“……”

“You must have known when you were old enough to inherit the workshop. You just pretended not to know to hold onto that position. Isn’t that right?”

In the chilling silence that filled the workshop, Lennok set down the pendant, massaged his temples, and asked.

“Master Mouser. Who are you talking about right now?”

“Didn’t I say we both served the same master in this workshop?”

Mouser burst into hearty laughter.

“There was an old man once revered as the greatest blacksmith in Machina, called the Furnace General.”

“……”

“He’s long gone from this world now, but his apprentices still remain throughout Machina, openly flaunting their influence.”

Furnace General. A grand epithet that, literally, only the greatest blacksmith in Machina could possibly earn.

It was ironic that both Mouser and Narcissa had operated as his apprentices, yet were now completely estranged.

And that Narcissa, who seemed to have inherited his legacy, had come to Lennok with a pendant he made, questioning him about it.

But as Lennok pondered this contradiction, Narcissa seemed to snap out of it, picking up the pendant and standing abruptly.

“…It was merely part of an assessment to establish a standard.”

Narcissa said with a stern expression, glancing down at Lennok and nodding.

“However, I cannot deny that an outsider’s assessment of the Furnace General, someone who knows nothing of him, was more accurate than I anticipated.”

“……”

“I’ve thought of another task within this city that I can entrust to you.”

With those words, Narcissa abruptly turned her back and strode out of the workshop without hesitation.

Lennok watched her, resting his chin slightly on his hand, then belatedly realized the meaning of her words and asked.

“So, has the new workshop location been decided?”

“……”

Narcissa turned back to Lennok with a slightly displeased look, letting out a small snort.

“I’ll see you in the Upper Workshop District.”

Creak!!

Immediately following Narcissa’s departure, the soldiers escorting her also turned and left.

Mouser let out a silent sigh of relief, and Lennok watched him, smiling faintly.

The last soldier remaining in the workshop hesitated slightly, then removed her helmet.

The moment Lennok realized it was the female soldier who had previously asked him to check the counterweight of her pistol, he tilted his head slightly.

“…You’re?”

“I knew you’d do well.”

She smiled, waved her hand, then quickly put her helmet back on and followed her unit.

Mouser looked at Lennok, dumbfounded, and said.

“You’re quite talented. You haven’t been in Machina long, and already…”

“No, she was a client who visited the workshop last time.”

Lennok quickly waved his hand.

“After all, a person running a business shouldn’t have personal conversations with customers, right…?”

At that, Lennok suddenly stopped, as if realizing something, and Mouser, as if catching him in the act, slammed a bottle of liquor down in front of Lennok.

“Alright, alright. Even if it’s been over twenty years since I’ve dated anyone, listening to someone’s woes over a drink isn’t a difficult task.”

Mouser, his face softened, leaned back against the workbench and nodded.

“Tonight, let’s talk all night about that woman.”

“No, that’s not it…”

The advice Lennok had given the female soldier when she first visited the workshop was in a realm that could not be definitively called purely private.

The act of intentionally replacing the counterweight of a pistol with a new one to ruin the sensation of zeroing the scope.

Hadn’t he directly advised her that such a thing happening meant someone by her side wished for her bullets to miss?

And now, the person that very soldier was escorting happened to be Narcissa, who had just visited Lennok’s workshop.

Upon reaching that realization, Lennok set the offered drink on the workbench and stood up abruptly.

“It seems I’ll have to warn them again.”

“W-warn? What warning?”

“I once told them that the person they were escorting might be in a dangerous situation.”

Ignoring ominous premonitions usually comes with a heavy price.

Lennok had no intention of foolishly letting go of a potential danger under the assumption that his prediction was wrong.

Grabbing his coat from the workshop wall, Lennok quickly replied.

“And if Master Narcissa falls into danger, there’s no better time than right now, as they’re on patrol in the middle of this workshop district street, otherwise—”

Bang!!

A gunshot so powerful it pierced through the workshop’s soundproofing.

Mouser, finally understanding what Lennok was saying, stood up abruptly, his face stiff.

Mouser, clutching a hammer from the workbench, scrambled out of the workshop.

Lennok quickly grabbed a pistol from near the workbench and followed him out immediately.

“Hah, hah…!!”

Pushing through the dense crowd that had gathered in the middle of the street, drawn by the gunshot,

Mouser’s complexion turned bitter as he peered past the soldiers, who had turned sharply aggressive, aiming their guns in one direction.

“Nar-Narcissa…!!”

Narcissa lay bleeding, fallen, with one soldier collapsed, embracing her.

And in front of the two, another soldier, with a venomous expression, turned to face them.

“Don’t come any closer!!”

The assassin, aiming a gun at the fallen Narcissa and the soldier, sharply yelled at the other soldiers.

“These two aren’t dead yet. If you come any closer, I’ll kill Narcissa immediately…!!”

Lennok, grasping the situation, immediately drew upon his mana.

[Automatic Firing Algorithm ver.5.0]

Lennok’s hand moved at an unseen speed, pulling the trigger, and three bullets, fired in an instant, plunged through the ranks.

The moment the bullets, imbued with over eight types of shooting assistance magic including aim correction, trajectory adjustment, and penetration enhancement, twisted along impossible trajectories and pierced the assassin’s body.

Thwip!!

The assassin’s body exploded where it stood, and something that burst from within quickly began to flee down the street.

“Ly… Lyman!!”

Mouser, startled, turned to look at Lennok, but Lennok paid him no mind, stepping immediately in front of the soldiers.

“Please step aside so I can assess the injured.”

“……”

The soldiers said nothing, but seeing Lennok’s calm demeanor and recognizing his face, they slowly made way.

Lennok immediately approached Narcissa and the soldier collapsed embracing her, checking their condition.

‘Dangerous.’

They were barely clinging to life, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they went into shock from blood loss alone.

Lennok wasted no time, pulling out a hemostatic agent from his pocket and applying it, then forcibly injected painkillers into both their necks.

‘I need to forcibly numb their senses to minimize the shock as much as possible.’

Presumably, the soldier Lennok had just suppressed with his shots had attempted to assassinate Narcissa, and another soldier, realizing this, had embraced Narcissa to protect her, resulting in both being harmed.

Lennok’s expression momentarily turned cold when he realized the unconscious soldier with Narcissa was the same woman who had previously entrusted him with her pistol’s maintenance.

But Lennok soon stood up quietly, showing no outward emotion.

The commotion had evidently spread far, as an ambulance, sirens wailing, approached from down the street.

Having finished the basic emergency treatment, Lennok finally looked behind him.

Mouser, sweating profusely, approached belatedly.

“Mouser, the emergency treatment is done. What about your end?”

“Missed him. He was incredibly fast.”

Mouser shook his head.

“We need to call the Enforcers. If they find out something like this happened to an Ex Machina committee member, they’ll undoubtedly…”

“It’ll be too late once the Enforcers are called.”

Lennok said, recalling the figure that had fled from behind the exploded assassin’s body.

“I’ll have to pursue him before things get drawn out.”

“How?”

Mouser asked back.

“Considering that speed, he must have already escaped the street. He might even have reached the district barriers…!!”

Lennok stopped listening to Mouser, stood up abruptly, and headed for the rooftop of the adjacent building.

Mouser looked back and forth between the fallen Narcissa and Lennok, then grit his teeth and followed Lennok up. The moment he reached the rooftop…

Lennok pulled out a long rifle from his coat, unfolded its stand, and inserted a magazine.

Mouser, finally realizing Lennok’s intent, gaped and stammered.

“Are you… insane? Sniping an assassin fleeing in the middle of the street?”

“Wasn’t it for moments like this that I repeatedly researched and modified firearms?”

Clack!!

The moment he finished loading and infused mana, the rifle’s form inverted, transforming into the shape of a long fox.

[Hostile Target Recognition Imbued: Automatic Guidance Tracking Intelligence Activated]

“The opponent almost certainly took one of my bullets just before fleeing.”

The rifle’s muzzle, now transformed into a fox’s head, tilted its head, looking back at Lennok.

“If he was hit once, at this point, I can almost certainly pursue him.”

Lennok’s residual mana remained in the magic bullet that had successfully hit its target.

Using Davi’s computational abilities to adjust the location and speed of that mana, a 3D coordinate was materialized.

Using Lennok’s spatial magic as a medium, he could follow that coordinate almost precisely.

[Leap Coordinate Targeted Shot.]

[Shift.]

As Lennok pulled the trigger, his body became a flash of light and vanished from the spot.

Whoosh!!

The world went black instantly, followed by a spatial shift right after the coordinate designation.

But Lennok, having successfully tracked the assassin’s location, stopped the moment he saw the figure directly in front of him.

“……”

The assassin stood with his back to Lennok.

In front of him, a colossal statue of a two-headed, eight-armed deity exuded overwhelming presence, looking down upon him.