Chapter 13: Guidebook and Inn

Chapter 13:
Guidebook and Inn

 

WE TOOK SEVERAL BREAKS for the horses to eat and rest as we continued northward. The green scenery from the back of the wagon continued to slowly flow by. Soon, it was midday.

By then, I was a bit bored, so I took out a book from my bag: the Illustrated Guide to Golems. The golems in the fields had reminded me I now owned this book. With so much free time in the wagon, why not spend some of it on reading? I also had Edible Wild Grass, but I wasn’t in urgent need of any grass-gnawing. Golems were far more important.

“This book has quite handsome binding…” Had it really been all right for the bookstore grandma to give me such a discount? It hadn’t clicked when I was paying, but if this was originally worth six silver coins and I paid only one and copper change, then it was the equivalent of having the price of a sixty-thousand-yen book dropped to ten thousand. I had done something outrageous.

“Oh? Is that the book you bought yesterday?” Mr. Chotos asked.

“Yes. It’s on golems. Listen, I got this for about one silver coin, but…could that possibly have turned a profit?”

“What? One silver coin?! That’s unheard of. An academic book like that should be far more expensive. If that’s all you paid, that store’s definitely in the red.”

“Ugh, I thought so. I have grievously wronged the bookstore grandma.”

Had she accidentally given me the wrong price? Although I hadn’t realized it at the time, I might have acted as a swindler who took advantage of the elderly. For a man who took pride in his cultured nature, this was an unforgivable act. I was drowning in the seas of my guilty conscience.

But Mr. Chotos seemed to be thinking something different. He was smiling. “Ah, I see. You bought that book from Old Dancy’s shop, huh? No wonder she gave you such a good price. You should be grateful and accept it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Her grandson was seriously injured by Dazu’s group last month. Luckily, they left him his life, but it was a terrible thing. Seeing as you beat Dazu so thoroughly, she must’ve wanted to express her gratitude.”

So that was what was going on. Even though I had been given a rare gift, everything still came back to that illegal act of violence against the punk gang. I felt a little ashamed. But if this gift had brightened the grandma’s mood, I supposed everything was okay.

However, given this new knowledge, I now understood the debt collectors had been misbehaving all over Tibar. This Paisley Company had hired those guys to do those things, which in turn made them responsible for more brutality than I had already imagined.

Frankly, I was getting nervous. Why did Mr. Chotos have to go and borrow from that company, of all places? There was a limit to mere stupidity.

Or should I say, mister, I don’t know how exactly you’re misunderstanding this, but the one who tossed out that big muscle-meatball wasn’t me, it was Gol.

“Looks like you helped out the bookstore grandma…” I said as I rubbed Gol’s head. “Good for you, Gol.”

Gol was delighted, but slightly confused at the same time. I suspected she didn’t know the reason for the rubs. Her flustered movements just gave me that impression.

Again? When are you going to start listening to other people?

“In any case, if that’s what happened, I shall indulge in the grandma’s kindness and gratefully read this book.” I sprawled on the soft blanket spread out for us and flipped open the cover.

This Illustrated Guide to Golems, if I were to compare it to something from my original world, felt like an illustrated textbook for junior high to high school students. I didn’t really know how widely books were distributed in this world, but there appeared to be some degree of difficulty involved in reading this one.

It might be out of this less-informed-than-a-kindergartener’s league, but that can’t be helped. Let’s work hard to understand it.

Fortunately, when I flipped through the pages, my translation ability didn’t corrupt any words. The descriptions were probably about the illustrations, so I didn’t think there would be any references to spells that weren’t in the book, for which I was relieved.

I flipped back to the beginning, but this time, I took my time going through it. I had plenty to spare.

Mmhm, mmhm, very interesting… I see. It seems there are two classes of golems: light and heavy.

Heavy-class golems ranged from three to six meters tall, like tank-level huge. Most were for military use, but a portion did engineering work. Meanwhile, over 90 percent of the golems in this world were light-class. From what I’d seen, Gol was most likely a light-class golem.

Were the “light” and “heavy” classes determined by weight? Or were they based on height, or even horsepower?

“Hey, mister, about the class distinction for golems, on what basis—”

I raised my head to ask a question, but it seemed Mr. Chotos was snoring sloppily on the blanket. Teru was also snoring, though much more cutely. Their stomachs had just been filled with lunch.

“These two sure do sleep a bunch…” They didn’t resemble each other at all, yet you if you studied their habits, their blood relation was clear.

The only ones left awake in the lightly swaying wagon were me and Gol. I sprawled out on the blanket reading the book, and Gol laid beside me so we could look at the book together.

“Are you interested in the illustrated guide, too?”

Gol drew her face closer and looked very satisfied, her cheek rubbing against my shoulder.

“You really do like rubbing your cheek against my shoulder, huh? Are you thinking this should be some kind of new trend?”

Gol looked at me with her pleased, sparkling crimson eyes. She was in a wonderful mood. In that case, I wanted her to do whatever she wanted and enjoy this pleasant journey. I let my partner do all the rubbing she desired while I dropped my gaze back to the illustrated guide.

Um, where was I again…? Ah, that’s right. The part describing the class distinction between golems.

According to the guidebook, light- and heavy-class golems were further divided into subcategories. In other words, my Gol was known as a “shrine golem” while the ones I saw in the fields were “farming golems,” and there were plenty of others.

Ultimately, I believed the difference between light- and heavy-class golems could be likened to the difference between small- and large-breed dogs. For example, a shrine golem would be a Shiba Inu, while a farming golem would be a Golden Retriever.

This dog analogy really is great for golems.

In any case, the different kinds of golems made them seem like all sorts of fun. Gol had fought with the other golems in the shrine, but I hoped that one day she could make friends with the other children.

“Still, this book is much simpler to read than I anticipated…” Each description of a golem was accompanied by a simple illustration. It really was easy to parse. Just as expected of a book recommended by the gracious bookstore grandma. The next time I met another golem, I might even be able to distinguish its type.

The next page I turned to had an illustration of the most common type of heavy-class golem employed by the military: a shield golem. Thick, sturdy armor covered their faces, and they were practically invincible when assembled in formation. They were amazing.

The illustration depicted a tough golem with T-shaped face armor and L-shaped arm armor. If any single word could describe this guy’s appearance, it would definitely be “shield.” That armor was probably made of the same special stone the shrine golems’ breastplates had been crafted from, since they had a similar thickness. The shrine golems’ breastplates were slightly thicker, though.

On the following page was the “crossbow golem.” The illustration showed a bulky golem with a large ballista in place of their right arm. The description said they were capable of long-distance attacks with their ballista, which also made them a unique type of heavy-class golem. The power behind their massive stone arrows could easily pierce a castle wall. How terrifying.

But while this crossbow golem had destructive power, it had a short range and an accuracy problem. As such, they couldn’t be used in a castle siege or as crowd control unless multiple golems were lined up for a barrage.

Well, if they had range, people could have asked them to exterminate those monkeys from afar. Just went to show the world didn’t always work out so tidily.

“There also seem to be quite a lot of heavy-class types like the ‘hammer golem’ and ‘war-elephant golem’… I guess most of the golems of this class really are used by the military.”

On the other hand, there was quite a diversity of uses for light-class golems. They served in manufacturing and care, though they could also be used for combat. The type Gol was often presumed to be, the “shrine golem,” had several pages dedicated to it.

It appeared that shrine golems were considered a special type. They originally weren’t seen much in public, since their main purpose was to protect religious institutions. Even their creation process was kept secret by these religious groups. But since they were uniformly beautiful and graceful, they had many imitations, though the materials used for these mimics’ differed from the ones employed by the churches and generally had lower performance capabilities.

Additionally, shrine golems were considered a type of “ancient golem.” These ancient types were based on golems excavated from old ruins, so a subset of their functions had yet to be discovered.

Huh, so are they like some kind of OOPArts? Well, at the very least those ladies’ breasts were out of place, in a way.

I continued to leisurely page through the guidebook as the wagon rocked. “This book is so interesting that I just can’t stop.”

There were so, so many different golems. It was almost like a fashion magazine… No, if I had to be precise, it felt closer to reading an automobile catalog.

Ah, this “crying golem” was truly interesting. It appeared to be a golem used by an ethnic minority somewhere to hunt, but they also produced extremely terrifying sounds from their mouths. When hunting, they would use their voice to corner prey…almost like a hunting dog.

Okay, I was convinced. Golems really were dogs.

“Oh? What’s this golem? It looks cool.”

I had found an illustration of a golem that looked like the gallant, strong, armored knight I had first imagined and failed to create. It was another kind of ancient golem. The illustrated guide called it an “armored demon gol—”

Bleurgh.

“Urgh…”

I suddenly felt sick and I fell on the book. Yeah, so… It was totally my bad reading a book for a long time inside a rocking vehicle, and I was now completely wagon-sick.

 

***

 

“Hey, Nemaki, we’ll be arriving soon.”

“Ugghh…”

I rose to Mr. Chotos’s dulcet tones: the worst kind of awakening.

I felt thoroughly horrible on account of the motion sickness and nausea. In this weakened state, Gol had desperately nursed me, and I had ended up falling asleep on her lap. Presently, Teru was also sleeping on Mr. Chotos’s lap.

Gol’s definitely treating me the same way that man treats his daughter. Hmph, guess that’s to be expected for a Sorcerer King more lowly than a kindergartener…

My heart was soaked by my tears of despair, but I forced myself up and looked out at the scene in front of the wagon beyond the driver’s seat. “Ooh…”

The city of Zibil spread out just beyond the field. It really was fairly large. Its skyline was similar to Tibar’s, but the gray walls encompassing its entirety gave a grander impression. Size-wise, it was also multiple levels above Tibar, with plenty of two-story buildings.

But that stone wall was particularly splendid. Tibar’s earthen walls were so weak that they would have been instantly penetrated by a few of those monkeys’ killer rugby balls. However, two or three layers of this city’s thick stone walls just might have withstood a monkey attack.

I paled at that thought. “H-how could this be? When did I start using monkeys as a measure of defensive capability…?”

I was deeply troubled by the scars that living in the monkey-filled wasteland had left on my fragile and delicate heart, but in spite of my trauma, the wagon continued at a leisurely pace until we reached the entrance of Zibil.

Several wagons lined up at the entrance, with our wagon at the end. I assumed there was some kind of procedure required to enter Zibil. It wouldn’t be as easy as passing through Tibar’s entrance. I wondered if this was due to the city’s size. No, it might have been more accurate to say the difference was in the city’s fundamental nature. Tibar was a rest stop and had developed around the road running right through its center, whereas Zibil was less of a transportation mecca.

Soon, our wagon’s turn arrived. The grandpa and Mr. Chotos handled the formalities with the gatekeepers at the station.

Ah, Mr. Chotos paid the gatekeeper. Is it all right that I’m not chipping in? I don’t mind splitting the cost. As I watched, I overheard Mr. Chotos explaining that the two passengers in the wagon were his children. I’m his son now?! How humiliating!

“Hmph…” I looked away. Well, I’ll forgive you for today. I can be lenient.

After we safely finished the inspection, our wagon passed through the gate and entered the urban townscape of Zibil. It sure was lively inside the gates. There were far more people here than in Tibar.

It was nearly evening, but despite it being far past the height of the work day, a ton of people were running about. I wondered where they were going.

The four of us disembarked on the stone-paved road just beyond the gate. We said our thanks to the old driver, and he headed off on his way. Teru’s energetic and gracious thanks made the driver break out into a broad smile. No way could Mr. Chotos or I pull off such a charming stunt.

Hey, Gol. Don’t keep staring at me, go properly thank the grandpa. I squished Gol’s cheeks between my hands and made her face the driver. Since Gol never resisted my actions, she smoothly turned. However, when I let go, her face swung back to my direction. Her crimson eyes never left my face.

Are you a boomerang? Hey, you can’t do that. You have to properly thank the man. I once again squished Gol’s cheeks and turned her face to him. But the moment I released her, her head swung right back to me. “Argh, how stubborn.”

Squish. Swing.

Squish. Swing. Squish.

After repeating this scuffle with Gol several times, I suddenly noticed Mr. Chotos was once more looking at me with great pity. I cried in my heart.

After parting ways with the old driver, we walked down the street. “There sure are a lot of people in the city, huh?” I said.

“Yeah, this place is big for Sadie territory,” said Mr. Chotos. “But there’s a lot of dubious merchants who like to set up shop in these densely packed places, so you have to be careful.”

“Hmm… So are we heading to the Paisley Company now?” I asked.

Mr. Chotos shook his head. “It’s too late today. The counter’s been closed already, so we’ll head to the Company tomorrow.”

Ah, then I suppose it keeps similar business hours to a bank. “Then where are we staying tonight?” I asked.

“Hmm, I’ve come to this city many times. I know an inn with good food. Let’s stay there,” Mr. Chotos replied with a bright smile.

“Heh. How much will it cost?”

“Hm, I believe one room was one silver coin.”

Oh, one silver coin is it?

“He he. Such a price’ll let you stay at a decent inn,” I declared, full of confidence. How about that, Mister? I know prices now!

“Why do you sound like you’re bragging? You remember I was the one who taught you local market prices, yes?”

“Hmph. I don’t cling to the past.”

Mr. Chotos sighed. “Nemaki, as long as you don’t speak, you’ll be received as a skilled, dignified golem wielder. In the future, I think it might be better if you kept your mouth shut in front of everyone but me.”

“Oh yeah? What are you saying, you damn barcode? Are you trying to pick a fight? Fine. I accept your challenge.”

“Hey! Like I said, don’t call my amazing haircut a—a ‘bahcode’ or any other strange, weird name like that!”

“Listen, you! No matter what you do, you can’t keep running away from your true self!”

While Mr. Chotos and I descended into an ugly, noisy argument, Teru looked up with a delighted smile. Gol, meanwhile, continued quietly walking just behind me.

The gray streets of Zibil were slowly dyed amber by the sunset, and four shadows stretched long and close over the cobblestones.

 

***

 

We arrived at the inn just a bit before sunset. A horseshoe emblem was drawn on the wooden signboard hanging over the entrance. It seemed this inn had originally been built for traveling merchants and peddlers, as there was a row of roofed spaces for parking wagons. It felt like a kind of motel, so for someone not from this world, it was utterly intriguing. It was also Teru’s first time in an inn, and she shared my fascination.

We had dinner in the bar attached to the inn before being shown to our room. Mr. Chotos’s judgment was good, at least in this regard. The meal was delicious and the inn had a rather clean, pleasant feeling. We also decided to share one room between the four of us since the bill was per room, which made it the better option financially.

For this party formation, two beds in one room was just right. Firstly, Mr. Chotos and Teru obviously had to sleep together. It wasn’t a particularly large bed and would have been terrible to sleep on every day, but it was fine for just one night. And even if this parent-child duo was unable to get a good night’s rest, they would probably be fast asleep in the wagon when we headed back.

I’m sorry to say, but the other bed was for me alone. As for Gol, I intended to make a special bed for her on the floor.

“Just a moment, Gol. I’ll set up a wonderful bed for you.” Before we went to our room, I had asked to borrow several layers of thick, soft blankets from the innkeeper. These I now spread near my bed. Finally, I prepared a comforter. With this, I completed a fluffy bed for a golem.

I knew how to do this from my experiences in dog-ownership. No matter how precious you find your partner, or how close you are…you cannot let them sleep in your bed. Although this may seem heartless at first glance, it’s an essential line to draw in order to ensure humans and dogs can happily coexist.

To tell you the truth, though, I only stopped my dog from getting on my bed when I went to sleep. Otherwise, I usually let him wander freely. This wasn’t great for discipline. I mean, look, it started with my cat. He frequently stayed in my room, and he wouldn’t listen to anything I said. He definitely slept on my bed without my permission. And if the cat was on my bed, how could I refuse the dog? That was too sad.

My partner in this world, Gol, really wanted to get on my bed, and she tried to do so every time we had one. I knew she was innocent and I had great sympathy, but at night I had to harden my heart and put her back on the blanket on the floor. This was a habit I had strictly observed since our time in the basin hideout.

“Hey, Nemaki, it’s about time we sleep, so I’ll turn off the lights.” Mr. Chotos called from the other bed.

“Oh, okay.”

“G’night, Mr. Nemaki.”

“Mmhm, good night, Teru.”

Mr. Chotos covered the mana tool providing light to our room with a cloth and the world dimmed. The light that leaked out from the cloth was only as bright as a miniature light bulb.

This was that same strange lighting device that operated on a timer mechanism. They were mana tools with the Lightning attribute and reproduced a beginner Lightning spell, so once you imbued mana into one, it would remain lit for a predetermined amount of time. In other words, there was no switch that could automatically turn it off. As such, you needed to use a cloth to adjust its brightness.

This inn provided covering cloths of various thicknesses. As a matter of fact, several such cloths had been left in the bedroom where I was staying at Mr. Chotos’s house. However, I hadn’t known what they were, and I had just used them to wipe down Gol.

That meant the piece of cloth that Gol was suddenly holding that first night was one of these adjustment cloths. While I had been engrossed in my investigation of the lighting device, she had carefully picked out the softest one and secretly wet it in the kitchen sink. Her obsession with being wiped down was fearsome.

Finally, the room’s light turned off. Gol was acting well-behaved in the makeshift bed, so I closed my eyes and sank into the fairly soft bed of this fairly decent inn. My consciousness gradually faded into a gentle slumber.

Just then, I thought I heard a faint creak, but it was so quiet that no one else would have noticed. It might have been my imagination, but I felt like something warm slipped beneath my blanket. I felt like this warm, soft thing often pushed against me in my daily life. I wasn’t the least bit wary of something so familiar and gentle.

More importantly, the snuggles of this blanket-intruder didn’t feel at all uncomfortable. Their actions were natural and dexterous, as if they did this every day.

In any case, by the time it happened, I wasn’t conscious enough to protest.