Golem Master

Very well then, let us be on our way, Master.

I have sealed off and hidden this workshop with boulders. It shall be our secret hideout.

It's very well hidden. I can't see it at all anymore. But, how are we going to find it again ourselves...?

Not to worry. I've set a golem to sense when we draw near and guide us in.

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It's nothing special for a golem keeper like me. Although as a mage, I am merely second-rate.

Now then, let us head for one of the villages said to be aiding the rebel army.

If I may, do be as quick about this as you can.

I know. Anyway, we'll have to pass through another village to get to the one we want.

Make sure you stay out of trouble there. It's mostly neutral, but it does lean pro-Ivan.

...All right, let's get in and get out quickly, before anyone notices how much you guys stand out.

...Hold it!

What do you want?

...You've got to pay the toll. If you mean to use our village as a shortcut, it's only fair.

That's ridiculous. I'm not paying that.

You're off to join the rebel army, right? You can pay the toll, or I can capture and report you. Either way, it's no fur off my snout.

Regrettably, we don't have a single ruble to our name at the moment.

And I do not wish to cause you injury if I can help it. However, if we cannot settle this peacefully...

Well, Master? What would you have us do?

...Tch, guess that's the only choice we got. C'mon, Fujimaru!

If you wish to run away, then I shall have my golems form a protective wall.

Mash, you get on top of the getaway golem.

R-right!

Persuade them, huh. I don't know...

Tell me, are your labor needs being sufficiently met?

Take a look around. What do YOU think?

Then allow me to present you with this.

Aah! What IS that!?

A moving statue of sorts, powered by magecraft. It's not the most nimble thing, but it can quite capably handle any hard labor you wish to throw at it.

...A-and you're just giving it to us? For free?

Of course not. In exchange, you will pretend you never saw us, and let us be on our way.

That way, we can reach our destination unimpeded, and all of you will gain an endless source of free labor.

...So, do we have a deal?

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...My my, that certainly took a while.

...I see that village is incapable of picking a side.

I'm surprised you could tell, human. Yeah, that's right.

That village is full of Yaga who can't make up their minds.

...What do you mean?

They continue to support Ivan the Terrible, while also making deals that obviously help the rebel army.

Places like that are inevitably seen as enemies by both sides. They end up destroyed when one invades.

Still, given their location, it is likely they are left with no other choice. They are situated far from the capital, and close to the rebel army, after all.

Can we truly blame them for living their lives the best they can with the meager options available to them?

Hmph. The trick to living a life with one foot in two camps is to throw away all you hold dear and compromise every step of the way.

While you may never enjoy a better tomorrow, at least you have the solace of knowing yesterday wasn't too bad.

If you cannot do that, but instead constantly flit back and forth, you doom yourself to destruction.

I saw it happen to my own family back when the political infighting grew especially fierce!

...Uh oh. Just thinking about it is making me nauseous...

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...I don't know too much about it myself, but I've heard that, for a mage, there are few things worse than having their family fall to ruin...

...You hit the nail on the head. That village IS flitting back and forth.

They're scrambling around trying to make ends meet and getting nowhere fast.

All that aside...

That village seemed very different from the town where you lived, Patxi.

It almost felt like something out of the Middle Ages...

True, Yaga Smolensk's buildings did appear to be a bit more modern.

That's 'cause they were made back in human times.

Then, those buildings are all over four hundred years old?

That's right. They've been patched up over the years, but no one knows how to build like that anymore.

The best we can do now is fill in any holes that show up.

...If we ever had a major earthquake, everything'd probably come tumbling down like a house of cards.

Much as I would be interested to learn more about the Yaga's civilization, I believe we should set that aside for the moment.

Right now, our most pressing concern is finding a way to make contact with the rebel army.

You're right, Avicebron. Let's see...

What if we start casually dropping words like "Servant," "Master," and "Singularity" when we talk to other Yaga!?

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Right!?

...Unfortunately, I don't believe it will be that easy.

The rank-and-file soldiers have most likely never heard of those things.

We must also not forget that there are Servants on the enemy's side as well as our own.

Merely revealing ourselves as Master and Servant may not be enough to convince the rebels of our intentions.

Quite right.

As such, we should keep things simple and merely do what we can to demonstrate our desire to join.

Tell me, Patxi, do you have any interest in joining the rebel army?

...Ivan the Terrible's been ruling this land with his Oprichniki for four hundred and fifty years now.

He's the great Tsar! He's freakin' IMMORTAL. We've been living in fear of his regime all our lives, but...

...if my only choices now are to curl up and die, or to go down fighting...I'll choose the latter. Proudly.

Hmm, I see.

Personally, I would have been satisfied if you were merely willing to pretend to join them, but this should suffice just as well.

Hey, you're the guys who got me mixed up in all this in the first place.

Ah, you have me there.

Don't worry about it.

Truth to tell, I've been pissed off for a while about how I've had to just sit back and take all this shit.

Yeah, I'm sure.

You guys're strong, and there's one of these Servant people in the rebel army too, right?

So...we might just have a fighting chance against the Tsar.

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...I suppose the right thing to do here would be to honor your wishes.

How much longer are you going to drag this interminable conversation out? If he wants to do it, let him do it.

We need to hurry and repair the Shadow Border.

The Oprichniki could be looking for us even as we speak!

In that case, why don't we let Patxi go into the village first, and meet back up with him later?

Sounds great to me. Don't worry, I'll make sure to introduce you guys.

After all, you're all I've got to hang my hat on.

Okay, just sit tight.

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Is something bothering you, Master?

Do you regret involving Patxi in this ordeal?

...This may sound harsh, but if you truly regret that decision, I believe you should have gone your separate ways back when you first met him.

But do keep in mind that, now that things have come to this, he is making decisions for himself.

If you wish to respect those decisions, then silence, as they say, is golden.

There is nothing more you can do now.

Sometimes, we decide our own fate, and sometimes, others decide it for us.

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Now, we must be patient. Rome was not built in a day, correct?

This is true for golems as well.

Uh, really? 'Cause you sure seem to have been throwing them together by the score in, like, seconds.

That is simply the nature of my magecraft.

And trust me, I did not reach this point in a day.

...It's starting to get dark.

What should we do? It MUST be okay to enter the village now, right?

Wait. Someone's coming.

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You the ones Patxi was talking about?

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Can you take your hoods off so I can see your faces?

...I'll be damned. Guess he was telling the truth.

Indeed he was. Incidentally, I will tell you now that I have no intention of removing my mask.

...Now, may we ask you something?

We have proven to you that we are not Yaga. So why are your comrades still training their firearms on us?

Easy. There's been some rumors going around lately, you see...

...and they say that Ivan the Terrible's working with a human mage now. One with a human-bodied Servant in tow!

Sorry pal, but you're not getting any mercy from us!

...Well, Master, what would you have us do?

Hmm. If that is your command, then that is what I shall do. Is that your wish as well, Mash?

...Yes. They're just trying to protect themselves, so...

I see. Then I shall instruct my golems not to kill.

That will be difficult, as my golems do not have swords, Master.

...I jest. I understand your meaning, of course, so I shall do my best to honor your request.

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Now, let me show you the most well-kept secret among the golems I command.

My fair Yaga, while I pledge to do my utmost to restrain myself, I am afraid that I cannot be held responsible should one of my golems strike you in a particularly vulnerable place.

Say your prayers.

Ghh...

Stop!

...Hello there. I take it you are the leader?

I am...and now I have seen your power for myself. You say you are here to join the rebel army?

I see. But I cannot trust you.

You all look like humans.

Of course. I would be glad to welcome you...were you not human.

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In this world, there are only two kinds of people who look like humans: mages and Servants.

And that means you are our enemy.

Huh!? Please, I promise you we're

Are you with the Tsar, or are you not?

The answer to that lies in whether you are merciful as well as strong.

...And so I shall make you a grossly unfair proposal: fight us without killing us, even as we do our best to kill you.

...I see. Well, that is certainly as unfair as you say.

If you have strength enough to kill us all, then you are no spy. There would be no point in spying on us if you could simply kill us at your leisure, after all.

But, if you are strong enough to kill us AND choose to spare our lives...

...that would prove you are merciful, and that is a kindness only humans possess. That is my offer. You may take it or leave it!

Well, Master, now what would you have us do? I will abide by whatever you decide.

Understood.

As you wish.

This will certainly be difficult, but not impossible.

Very well then, let us show her exactly why we were chosen as Heroic Spirits.

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Can you go on?

...No. I'm sorry. I can't move anymore...

I believe he should be all right after a few days' rest.

It would seem we have been thoroughly defeated. Very well, we surrender.

If you truly had been sent by Ivan the Terrible, we would clearly have no chance of victory.

...But fortunately, it seems you are not with him after all.

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Ah, do excuse me.

My name is Atalante. I wield the power of the Demonic Beast known as the Calydonian Boar.

...I see. So you are an Alter.

Essentially. But it's not so bad as you might think.

I'm guessing my Spirit Origin always had an affinity for this Demonic Beast.

This made it easy to convince the Yaga that I was on their side.

Boss...

Um... Atalante, do you...not remember us?

... ...No, I do not.

The first thing I remember is finding myself in this land. I believe it was the death throes of this very world that called me here.

The real Russiathe one from our worldhas been overwritten by a Russia from a different history.

It has been three months since I was summoned, which is as far back as my memories go... In fact, there is something I would like to ask you as well.

What is it?

...Am I doing the right thing?

Am I behaving the way a Heroic Spirit should?

That is hard to answer. I am afraid I am not at all familiar with the no doubt myriad extenuating circumstances surrounding this particular conflict.

What I can say with confidence is that, compared Russia as we know it, Ivan the Terrible seems to be a most tyrannical leader indeed.

And as such, I believe that in standing up to him, you are doing exactly what a Heroic Spirit should.

...Right. Good point. I pray that you are right.

Anyway, let's return to our stronghold. You can all treat your wounds there.

You three can come too. I'll show you the way.

Patxi... Ah, that Yaga. I had him restrained for the time being. So he really is with you?

Very well. We will bring him along too.

Four...?

He must be talking about that Yaga, Patxi.

Ah, I see... Very well, bring him along too.

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I hope Patxi's all right...

I thought I was gonna die. I thought I was gonna die.

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Luck is on your side today, Yaga.

...! H-hey... I'm alive...

Looks like you guys're okay too. Man, that was too close for comfort...

All right, we are off to the stronghold. Stay alert for shadows and familiars.

Not to worry. I'll have one of my drone golems keep watch.

Good. Now get on your bicorns and we'll be on our way!

I'll ride on one of my golems. Would you and Mash like to do the same?

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...I don't suppose I could ride on one too, could I?

By all means. It's no more trouble to make three than it is to make two.