Chapter 46

(=ↀωↀ=) <I also wrote this in the comments—

The UBM (Ultra Beast Mark) has five levels:

Super > Mythic > Ancient Legend > Legend > Anecdote.

(￣(エ)￣) <But [Galdorand] was in an incomplete state, so the Anecdote level is actually stronger, Kuma.

【Holy Knight】Ray Sterling

The children who were underground were all awake by the time we arrived, likely because we had defeated the [Great Necromancer]. At first, the children were afraid and cried, thinking we were thieves, but they seemed to believe us after Nemesis and Queco calmed them down. By the way, the boy named Rody, whom we were asked to rescue, was the one who scratched my neck. He doesn't seem to remember being controlled, so there's no need to mention it.

When we tried to lead the children back to the surface, Yugo was suspiciously looking at some documents on the desk in the [Great Necromancer]'s laboratory.

"Research on grudges, [Grudge Crystal]... but it's not just that. This is research on creating [Fresh Golems] powered by grudges. Huh, it's just like that prototype. It seems that even in a different place, there are people who think the same way. But to create this with just one person... he's a terrifying individual."

He said this and put the documents in his item box.

"Yugo, what is that?"

"Yeah, it's the research report of the centaur [Great Necromancer], Maze, who was based here. It had the same concept as the robot we were researching in our clan, so I decided to take it as a souvenir."

"Robot? What does that have to do with grudges?"

"Well, I'll explain on the way."

Yugo said this and left the laboratory, so we followed him.

Now, there's one problem here.

Some of the children, weakened from being asleep for a long time, were having trouble walking.

We decided to have those children ride on Silver or be carried by Yugo and me...

"Wan wan o! Wan wan o!"

Yeah, they're really messing with my dog ears.

"Next! Next is meee!"

"It's me!"

Wow, my dog ears are so popular.

Even the relatively energetic children are asking to be carried because of the dog ears.

"Quite a hit, huh?"

"...It's good to be of some use."

These ears, the penguin said they would disappear before sunset, but the effect lasts longer. It must be evening by now.

"Strange. When Ray, who doesn't have the [Riding] skill, first got on, he fell off, but now he can carry a child without falling."

Nemesis is currently in human form to carry the children. She is holding Silver's reins, who can walk like a pony even with two people on him, but it's concerning that they don't fall off. The children don't seem to have the [Riding] skill, so it's a bit puzzling, but maybe it's different when you lead them by the reins.

"So, continue the story about grudges and robots."

"Yeah. My clan is a production clan, but we are mainly producing [Majingear] now. The official mass-produced model of the Dryfo, [Marshal II], was originally an item we created."

"That's impressive..."

You created that robot from scratch.

"After the completion of [Marshal II], we also advanced the development of new models, variations, and additional armaments. Recently, a plan to integrate other technologies has been proposed. One of these is the development of a machine powered by the grudges of the dead."

"Sounds like a bad idea. Why would you want to create such a thing?"

"Because Dryfo's mechanical technology, including [Majingear], was based on the consumption of MP. If this could be replaced with grudges, long-term combat actions and the use of powerful armaments would become easier. That's the concept of grudge power."

"...So, how do you use grudges as power?"

"Huh. Ray has already seen the answer."

"Earlier?"

What are you talking about?

"It's the magic skill called [Deadly Mixer] that the [Great Necromancer] used last."

"Oh, that."

That was incredibly powerful.

If I hadn't defended with [Counter Absorption], I would have been obliterated along with the fortress. It was even more powerful than Figaro's chains. However, unlike that time, Nemesis had evolved to the second stage, and [Counter Absorption] had been enhanced, so I barely managed to defend.

"That skill converts grudges into destructive power, i.e., physical energy, and smashes it. The technicians thought that to use grudges as power, this could be done on a smaller scale and more delicately. The [Living Armor], which is animated by the souls of the dead, is a close example."

[Living Armor]... like the wandering armor in a famous domestic RPG?

"If it works well, it might be possible to create a weapon that can absorb grudges from the battlefield and operate semi-permanently. That's why we sought the cooperation of a famous necromancer-type [Master] to research grudge power."

Yugo paused there.

I also got a vague idea.

"Did it fail?"

"Exactly. The grudge-powered prototype was difficult to control and frequently went out of control, making it a failed product. I helped with the dismantling and disposal. I was leveling up as a [Mechanic] at the time."

"So, the same thing was in the [Great Necromancer]... Maze's research report?"

"Not exactly the same. The [Triangle of Wisdom] was trying to create a mechanical weapon, but this is a [Fresh Golem]."

A [Fresh Golem] is a golem made by stitching together the bodies of humans and animals. It's a common sight in more grotesque RPGs. Come to think of it... there were [Zombies] and [Skeletons], but no [Fresh Golems].

"But if the [Great Necromancer] was researching grudge power, why didn't he use it? It sounds powerful."

"Because he couldn't control it."

"What?"

"The problem with the grudge power concept is that it absorbs grudges from the surroundings. This is the bottleneck."

Yugo said this and changed the child on his back to a piggyback ride. Then, with both hands free, he raised both index fingers.

"When a [Necromancer] uses grudges as power for [Living Armor] or [Fresh Golems], it's usually one grudge or soul per body."

He then spread his right hand to indicate five or many.

"But grudge power absorbs grudges from the surroundings, one after another, from different organisms."

After hearing this, I got a vague idea.

"Which means it can't control which grudge to follow, right?"

"Exactly. At least, that's what happened with our clan's experimental machine. They tried to control it with rituals or programs, but it didn't go well."

It's like trying to control one character in an action game with dozens of people operating the controller simultaneously.

"And in the end, it went out of control and acted on the collective will of those grudges."

"Collective will?"

"In short, the expansion of grudges. It attacks other grudge-powered machines or undead and assimilates them. Then, it reacts to the grudges... 'negative emotions' of living beings and attacks them. Finally, it goes berserk and wreaks havoc."

...That's terrible.

"Thus, this plan failed. While it's possible to gather and release multiple grudges with skills like [Deadly Mixer], it's extremely difficult to control and coordinate them."

"I see."

Just then, we finished climbing the stairs from the underground and returned to the surface... and...

All of us—Yugo, Nemesis, Queco, and the children—shivered as we returned to the surface. We had been feeling a faint vibration and hearing some kind of noise from outside. Or perhaps it wasn't a noise.

It was a chorus of laments, cries, sobs, and shouts, all negative sounds. It was clear that something abnormal was happening.

"...Hey, Yugo."

I spoke, feeling a solid chill, not just a bad feeling.

"What is it?"

"If the grudge power can't be controlled... what happens if it's used without control?"

"...Huh, it's obvious, isn't it?"

A shadow of something—something huge—was swaying in the sunset that was shining through the large door leading outside the fortress.

"It absorbs grudges from the surroundings and turns them into power, reacting to 'negative emotions' and killing living beings indiscriminately, absorbing more grudges from them."

The monstrous roar and the vibration of the rampaging giant thing were transmitted.

"It repeats this cycle forever... a monster born with a semi-permanent engine, running amok."

Outside the fortress, there was a huge something—a monstrous creature made of stitched-together human corpses.

◇

Outside the large door, I could see the legs of a monstrous creature made of stitched-together human corpses. As I saw its entire body, I became half-convinced of what it was.

The name [Grudge Centaur Gouzmeiz] and the unique mark of UBM were displayed above it. The more I looked at the undead, the more it seemed to defy reason.

A bull's head, a centaur's silhouette, and the "parts" that made up its body, including familiar dead faces.

From all the dead faces, countless negative words—or sounds that couldn't even be called words—were emitted.

And from the dead faces, I realized that most of them were members of the Gouzmeiz Bandit Gang, defeated by Yugo and [Marshal II]. Upon closer inspection, I could see the faces of the people I had seen in Gideon.

I was convinced that this was made entirely of the corpses of the Gouzmeiz Bandit Gang.

"...I see, it's almost exactly as the completion image shows."

Yugo took out the documents he had put in his item box and read them. There was indeed a picture of an undead with a bull's head and a centaur's silhouette, with countless dead faces.

"...So, he planned to use all the members of the Gouzmeiz Bandit Gang as sacrifices to create this when he died?"

"Or perhaps he intended to use nearby corpses, but it just so happened that the bandit gang's corpses were available. In any case, the bull's head was definitely the material."

The design was from a bull's head.

‘‘‘FGSFSDWSSDSDEWDASAAAAAA―――!!’’’

The huge undead—[Gouzmeiz]—let out a wordless roar as it relentlessly smashed something.

The roar and the violent outburst made the children with us cry out in terror. However, Queco was hugging the children to protect them, saying, "Don't be afraid."

"That is..."

What [Gouzmeiz] was destroying was Yugo's [Marshal II].

It was already heavily damaged, but now it was unrecognizable.

Still, [Gouzme