The Unfilial Heir Who Tries to Kill Me Tempts Me - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 34.

I was at a loss for words.
My companions felt the same.
The Iron Golem, stirring from deep slumber, opened its eyes slowly and gazed over us.
[Humans and Demon Race… and a young Golem, I see?]
[Chirp! Chirp!]
Golsun-i giggled brightly, rubbing her face eagerly against the Iron Golem’s leg.
Our Golsun-i certainly has a way with others.
“…Miss Charlotte Schmit, somehow this Golem feels quite different from the one we encountered before.”
“Golems take on different forms as they age, you see.”
Indeed, the Iron Golem before us bore little resemblance to the typical golem one might imagine. It resembled far more closely a human form—specifically, a warrior clad in armor. And no wonder, given that what stood before me had lived for millennia. Its intellect likely surpassed that of any ordinary person.
The sheer immensity of its frame and the sword as large as a house filled me with a humbling reverence.
I needed to keep my wits about me.
“Right. These two and I are human, she’s Demon Race, and that one there is a young Golem. I’ve come to ask you for something.”
[A request, you say? It has been a long time since a human walked clear through this Dungeon alive. And to bring a young Golem along—you are no ordinary intruder.]
The Iron Golem spoke with a measured tone.
I had the distinct feeling that if I had been a mere intruder, that massive blade would have cleaved my body in two.
Odds were it was no mere fancy.
A chill ran down my spine.
I was grateful I’d brought Golsun-i.
I wasted no time fishing the Golem Token from my pocket.
“That’s right—I’m a friend of the Golems. Not long ago, the Rock Golem Leader gave me this.”
[Ah, that is indeed… the Rock Golem Leader’s token.]
Its tone grew even more gracious.
[Then, what is it you seek? I hold in high regard your prowess in reaching this place alive. I shall hear your request gladly.]
“I need your body.”
[My body?]
I explained how I had recently tamed the flock of Griffins that had attacked the Lusiphenia Territory, and how I needed the Iron Golem’s body to forge armor for the Griffin Knights.
The Iron Golem, who had been listening quietly, burst into laughter.
[Oh, what a world. There still exist humans audacious enough to conceive of such notions. Do you not value your own life?]
I couldn’t tell if it was praise or rebuke.
While I was tilting my head at this ambiguous response, the Golem continued.
[A curious human is a fascinating thing. To be sure, with any other human I would have sent you away without hesitation, but you possess our token. How could I refuse such a request?]
The Golem removed the massive helmet it had been wearing and set it down on the floor.
Boom!
[Will this suffice?]
“…Is all this really…?”
I would have been satisfied with just a small piece.
My jaw dropped at this unexpected windfall. This was more than enough to craft armor for the entire knight order and still have plenty left over.
[What matters to a Golem is its core. With the core intact, the body can regenerate endlessly. After millennia, it is little enough to offer a guest who finds their way to my Dungeon.]
“Thank you.”
Despite its stern appearance.
It was surprisingly magnanimous.
[How amusing. A human who seeks not my Prophecy, but my flesh. How refreshing.]
Only then did I recall a detail I’d nearly forgotten.
The Iron Golem, having lived for such an age, had once served a role akin to that of a oracle to the peoples of old. It was possible only because, save for Dragons, it was one of the precious few beasts capable of living for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.
“If you should offer Prophecy, could I hear it now?”
[Hmm… do you truly need my Prophecy?]
The Golem smiled as it spoke.
Those sharp eyes, as if seeing through me entirely, made me clamp my mouth shut.
…Could it possibly know I’m a writer?
It doesn’t seem likely.
Whatever it was, pressing further felt unwise, so I wisely held my tongue.
The Iron Golem’s gaze shifted from me to fix squarely upon Caius.
[…Ah, there will come a moment when you must choose between two lives.]
Caius’s expression darkened.
“You speak to me?”
[Poor soul. To live, you must take the blood of one who holds your heart….]
The Iron Golem shook his head regretfully, then spoke in a low voice.
[Do not despair. This world will be kind to you.]
The Prophecy fit too perfectly—and knowing the whole story, I found myself at a loss for words, while Caius furrowed his brow in bewilderment, and Eden suddenly sprang to life, hopping about with infectious excitement.
“Hey, me too! My Prophecy! What about me?”
[I grow weary.]
“Hey, look at me too! Please!”
[I must return to my deep slumber. Should you have need of me, you may seek me out anytime, little human.]
“So you’re ignoring me?”
The Iron Golem dismissed Eden’s frantic protests with casual indifference and curled his massive form inward once more. The towering shape of a female warrior melted back into the jagged contours of a stone altar.
Silence settled over the Lowest Level of the Dungeon.
It was Basil who spoke first into the peculiar quiet.
“…In any case, we’ve obtained the Golem’s body. Shall we return to the Territory now?”
“Yes, we should.”
We all turned our eyes upward to the helmet the size of a house. In truth, the thing was so colossal that you could have furnished rooms inside it and lived there comfortably.
While Caius and Basil debated where to place the helmet, I sidled quietly over to Eden.
“Hey, Eden.”
“What?”
“Before we head back, set up one Teleportation Coordinate on the upper levels. I want to mine some Blacksteel Ore from time to time. My Magical Power is completely depleted—I don’t have the strength to establish the coordinates myself.”
“You’re insane….”

***

“Haaah.”
I’m absolutely exhausted.
Even after sleep, the muscle soreness won’t fade.
Right after returning with Eden’s help, I’d collapsed into my room and slept a solid ten hours straight. Two full days in the Dungeon had left my entire body screaming in protest.
[Squeak, squeak!]
“Right, Golsun-i. It was all thanks to you.”
[Squeak!]
Late afternoon.
I held Golsun-i close as she nuzzled against my arm, my thoughts wandering.
Now that I had the Iron Golem’s helmet, I’d need to have the armor forged, and I had to decide what to do with the Blacksteel Ore we’d extracted from the Dungeon….
There was so much to do, but with tension finally lifting, my entire body felt heavy with lethargy. I found myself staring blankly at dust motes dancing between the curtains of light, when my mind drifted into recollection.

[A moment will come when you must choose between the lives of two.]
[You may survive only by taking the blood of one dear to you….]

That aside.
That Iron Golem was awfully sharp.
…Could he actually know something?
Even as I recognized the impossibility of it, I remained lost in troubled contemplation for a long time.
The reason I couldn’t speak carelessly about the incident that would unfold in the Lusiphenia Territory a year from now had another dimension to it entirely.
Perhaps it was a truth that Caius could never wish to know.
Three divine treasures, the culprit of that day, Caius’s revenge.
The very thought of it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
When writing the novel, I’d only considered the protagonist’s perspective and hadn’t thought it through. But now that I existed as Charlotte in the Lusiphenia Territory, the predetermined events looked different—seen from another angle entirely.
The matter was already beyond my control, and knowing there was nothing I could do about it now made it all the sharper.
I know how this story ends.
I know every choice Caius will make once he learns the truth, and exactly how he will overcome it.
But that’s beside the point.
Responsibility is responsibility.
“I can’t rest like this.”
[Squeak?]
I can’t just lie here feeling this uneasy. I need to go think about how to have the Iron Golem’s helmet forged.
As I was heading toward the rear entrance of the Main Hall with Golsun-i, I ran into Eden ambling casually in my direction.
“Hey, contract partner. Good timing. The Lord was looking for you.”
“Caius? What for?”
“How should I know? The arrogant bastard. I’m your contract partner, not his servant. How dare he try to order me around?”
Technically, since I’m his assistant, you’re both technically under his authority.
But if I say that, he’ll just get upset again, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.
I placated the grumbling Eden and sent him off, then made my way to the Office on the second floor.
“You’ve come.”
Caius held out a finely crafted Silver Key toward me.
“I was waiting to give you this.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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