Tyrkanzyaka’s lips parted, then stopped. Though its face betrayed nothing, the golem waited for her reaction with an air of anticipation.

For a long while, she could not find her voice. At last, she slowly asked:

"... What did you say?"

『He is a criminal with no qualifications whatsoever, sent here to pay for his crimes. He was arrested in Amitengrad on charges of fraud and gambling, and a military magistrate sentenced him to hard labor in Tantalus in a fair and swift ruling. Contrary to what you believed, he is not an Instructor of the Military State!』

"Then... you mean his actions have nothing to do with your nation?"

『Affirmative. Whatever he did while keeping me in the dark, it did not reflect the Military State’s intentions. It was merely a deranged criminal acting on his own!』

A criminal, was he? His uniform had suited him rather well.

It was a truly unexpected revelation, but Tyrkanzyaka bore him no ill will for it. After all, she herself had once been something far beyond a criminal who sent the world into an uproar.

Even hearing that he had deceived her did not upset her.

Rather, she was simply happy.

"You are certain of this."

『Affirmative. It is the truth, without a single falsehood.』

"Then, when he called me a trainee..."

『It was a ploy to improve his chances of survival, however slightly, by posing as a representative of the Military State.』

"Then you are saying he was forcibly cast into this place, with no duties to fulfill?"

『He did have a duty to perform hard labor. Though I question whether a criminal like him had any interest in labor beyond preparing his own meals.』

Even these disparaging remarks made no difference. Tyrkanzyaka found herself growing ever more elated.

Because now she knew.

He had risked his life to restore her heart simply, purely, out of kindness.

"Hehe."

Guilt squeezed her chest, yet joy raced through her veins at the same time. It made a circuit from her heart to her lungs, producing a joyful gasp, then rose along her quivering throat to her head.

Her face grew warm for a moment. Warmth was vitality, and vitality was movement. The corners of her mouth, once so stiff, relaxed into a gentle smile.

"Hehe, ahaha."

『... What is so amusing?』

Tyrkanzyaka smiled happily, then wiped the smile from her face all at once and spoke.

"Then if he were to disappear, this Military State of yours would suffer no difficulties and feel no regret."

『Affirmative.』

"Good. Then there should be no problem if I take him in."

『Affirmative...?』

"So I did not have the Military State to thank for that. And he said he was an orphan, which means he is bound to nothing. There is no reason for me to pay for his release, either."

『...?』

As the golem voiced its confusion, sensing something amiss, Tyrkanzyaka sprang a question on it.

"However, there is one thing I wonder."

Looking utterly at ease, she propped her chin elegantly on her hand and regarded the golem steadily.

"When Finlay first fell here, were the two of you not together? You were riding so cozily on his back, like brother and sister."

『Brother and sister?! Negative! Absolutely negative! I refuse to acknowledge that wretch as my big brother!』

Tyrkanzyaka blinked at the vehement denial.

"It was a figure of speech. Regardless, did you not avail yourself of his back? Why, then, did he suddenly tie you up? Surely there was a reason."

『... That is...』

When the golem tried to evade the question, Tyrkanzyaka pressed relentlessly.

"I need only ask him to settle the matter. Speak honestly. If you will not answer even such a question, on what trust can we continue this exchange?"

In truth, he had been reduced to a mindless state and could answer nothing, leaving the golem the only one who could answer her question. But the golem, which had been trapped here in its bindings, knew nothing of that.

Faced with Tyrkanzyaka’s argument, it answered without resistance.

『He attempted to extract a way out of the bottomless pit from me.』

"Oh?"

Apparently, his earlier offer to let Finlay leave had been a bluff. Tyrkanzyaka filed away another interesting fact.

『I issued a stern warning against such conduct, but he resented it and committed an act of treason. He damaged this unit’s speaker, then confined it here to prevent me from monitoring the interior of Tantalus.』

"Is that all? He tied you up merely out of resentment, when you had been getting along so well?"

Her questioning remained unhurried. The golem seemed hesitant, but soon realized there was no point and answered honestly.

『... The Military State always prepares replacements for every component.』

"Replacements. You do not seem to mean objects alone."

『Affirmative. Until now, given the unusual nature of the bottomless pit and his cooperative attitude as a laborer, we had made no particular preparations. However, now that we have confirmed his intention to engage in subversion...』

From the Military State’s perspective, he was litmus paper. A test strip that would turn red to warn them if danger lurked within.

The litmus had lived long enough. Now the Military State would no longer hesitate to dispatch personnel into the bottomless pit.

And if that litmus happened to show signs of subversion, there was all the less reason to delay.

"Ah, I see. He caught wind of it and decided to make enemies of you."

Now that she roughly understood the course of events, Tyrkanzyaka nodded leisurely. The golem hastily continued.

『An unqualified individual may have disturbed your peace until now, but it will not happen again. His erratic behavior was unexpected even to the Military State.』

Excuses to evade responsibility.

To Tyrkanzyaka, however, this was welcome news. Having received nothing but kindness, she had felt deeply indebted to the Military State as well. Now they were clearing that debt away themselves.

"Do as you please. I shall not concern myself with whatever else comes here. In return..."

If anything, she was simply grateful that they had sent him here as a laborer.

Tyrkanzyaka glanced toward the dining table as though she had stumbled upon a treasure.

"What you have discarded, I shall be sure to claim."

『...? All items in Tantalus are assets of the Military State. If you wish to have an item transferred to you or to purchase it, you must obtain permission from the administrative authorities.』

"How very tiresome."

『It appears the revelation of his identity has made little impression on you.』

"Not at all. I was quite surprised myself. I merely listened in silence because there was so much I did not know."

Whether someone was a criminal meant nothing at all to Tyrkanzyaka. Shei, perhaps, might react differently.

Could that be why he had told Shei not to go to the dining hall? Tyrkanzyaka quietly wondered to herself.

As the conversation kept straying, the golem steered it back on course.

『... I will change the question. Please brief me on what occurred during the four days this unit was restrained. Focus particularly on the vampire intruder.』

That was easy enough. Tyrkanzyaka gave a brief explanation.

Leaving out the unnecessary detail that she had been controlled.

"Finlay tried to persuade me, and I found his proposal tempting enough to be half convinced. But then the children insisted on stopping me. After considerable deliberation, I changed my mind. Finlay began denouncing them furiously, and they fought. Having expended all his strength, Finlay died."

『Is that everything?』

Of course it was not. But there was no need to tell it any more.

Tyrkanzyaka feigned irritation.

"I tire of talking. What more must I explain? Does the fact that I remain here not speak for itself?"

『Confirmed.』

The golem accepted this quickly. Probably not because it trusted her account completely, but because her continued presence was the most important piece of information at the moment.

Yet for all its rigid adherence to principles, it apparently had not cooled its indignation entirely. It added an emphatic warning.

『In consideration of your willing cooperation, I will warn you once more. Do not trust that man. He is a pest upon the Military State who habitually engages in fraud and gambling.』

The words "It is already too late" rose to her throat, but Tyrkanzyaka barely managed to swallow them and gave a noncommittal reply.

"I shall be the judge of that. Ah, on another matter..."

The past was the past. Whether he was a criminal, whatever Finlay had been after—what did any of it matter?

Tyrkanzyaka decided to ask a somewhat more important question now. One that might have a far greater impact on the future.

"Would you happen to know how to cook with the ingredients we have left?"

The golem nodded.

『Affirmative. I am a Military State communications officer, and I know ninety-nine Military State specialty recipes that can be prepared with canned beans.』

"Oh. How impressive."

『Negative. It is unremarkable. Communications officers frequently undertake prolonged assignments in isolated locations, and the nature of our work places us in a position to encounter such information readily. That is all.』

Despite those words, undisguised pride colored its tone. The golem even took the initiative to make an offer.

『Please take this unit down from the cupboard. Verbal instructions alone may lead to errors, so I will personally provide a skilled assistant instructor’s demonstration.』

"Very well."

Tyrkanzyaka waved her hand. Darkness flowed out and wrapped around the golem’s entire body.

As she was about to lift it out, her thoughts suddenly turned to the man seated at the table.

There was no telling how the golem, which held him in such low regard, might react to seeing him in that state.

She waved her hand, and pitch-black darkness billowed from it like mist, concealing him. Since this darkness blocked light itself, the golem’s eyes would be unable to see through it.

『Danger!』

In doing so, she neglected her control of the golem and nearly dropped it. Her blood manipulation no longer came as naturally as before.

Clinging to the darkness, the golem raised its head to stare at the vampire and reproached her.

『Please handle this unit with care. Any further damage would put it in danger.』

Having nearly been dropped, it was asking to be handled more carefully in the future—a perfectly reasonable request, in a sense.

It certainly would have worked on him. Unfortunately, it elicited no sympathy whatsoever from Tyrkanzyaka, who stood out of step with the times.

"Why must a golem be treated so delicately? Durability is one of its few advantages, yet you fuss over a mere fall."

Tyrkanzyaka was not someone who would meekly accept a scolding from a mere golem.

Her knowledge extended little beyond primitive clay golems, so to her, a golem was something made to be broken. She could manipulate even human beings like dolls; how dared a golem talk back?

Perhaps sensing danger in her words, the golem hastily added:

『This unit is a synchronized type. It is currently severely damaged, and any further warping of its frame will render synchronization impossible. Furthermore, I operate it by synchronizing it with my own body, so the pain from any impact will affect my real body.』

"Another of a golem’s few advantages is the operator’s safety, and you lack even that? Why use such a golem, then?"

A cold gaze settled on the golem.

The Military State’s state-of-the-art synchronized-type golem had to prove its worth before a vampire from twelve centuries ago.

『Observe.』

The golem flexed its fingers one at a time, each in a different way. Tyrkanzyaka watched its little performance with fascination.

While it was at it, the golem swung its arm in a wide circle as though stretching. Its range of motion was far narrower than a real human’s, but for a golem, the movements were remarkably precise.

『Without synchronization, I could not control it so naturally from such a great distance. The sensitivity is adjustable, but that particular component happens to be broken.』

"How curious. Then is your real body making the very same movements as the golem now?"

『Affirmative. Synchronization breaks if I do not assume the same posture as the golem, which makes excessively strong impacts dangerous.』

Nodding as she studied this latest toy, Tyrkanzyaka suddenly asked:

"Even when you were sprawled so disgracefully with your legs apart earlier?"

The golem froze.

『... Affir...mative...』

The voice coming through the speaker trembled.

Forcing the golem’s legs apart had been an act of harassment with a distinctly mischievous intent.

To synchronize with it, the person on the other end had been forced to do the splits wherever they were as well.

"It must have hurt. Why go to the trouble of remaining synchronized?"

『Not continuously. I disconnected when sleeping, eating, or attending to other duties. And...』

The golem answered her question without a moment’s hesitation.

『To observe Tantalus and report my findings. That is my duty.』

Tyrkanzyaka asked no more. That alone was enough for her to understand. She therefore decided to overlook the golem’s impertinence as well.

With its worth acknowledged, the golem finally had the leisure to look elsewhere. It glanced around and spoke.

『Visibility is obstructed. The dining hall appears to have grown strangely dark.』

"How could it be bright with me here?"

Those words alone could make someone nod in acceptance because she was Tyrkanzyaka. The golem, too, accepted them without particular suspicion.

『Understood. To the storeroom first.』