Chapter 147

Chapter 147

The students blinked their eyes repeatedly, unable to believe what they were seeing.

It was only natural that they had already distanced themselves far from the golem.

Only Roan remained in his place.

‘Distancing oneself from a professor one meets for the first time is a wise decision.’

Roan did not think too badly of that behavior either.

Clank— Hiss—

The golem turned back to the students, spewing smoke as it said:

“Humans. Know too little. About Sacred Combat. Teach. From the beginning.”

The students were even more terrified by the tone that sounded as if it would fire beams of holy power or shoot its fists at any moment.

— I-It’s a golem rebellion!!!

— He’s definitely going to lock us up somewhere and only let us give orders to our spiritual beasts!

Since a giant Mithril Golem spoke like that, it was understandable for the students to be scared.

Roan tried to reassure his friends who had quickly run away, not deviating a single bit from his expectations.

“It’s fine. The professor is a safe golem.”

Saying he would teach from the beginning naturally meant he would simply teach.

Rather, because he was a golem, he couldn’t use violence, confinement, or torture that wasn’t in his algorithm, making him even safer.

……Though Roan also agreed that it did not look like that at all.

In any case.

Demona shivered and shouted.

“R-Roan, of course you would be fine!”

— Wicronon only speaks the truth!

The other students also agreed with Demona’s words.

“…….”

Hmm, it seemed it would take too much time to clear up the misunderstanding right away.

Roan just gave up and turned his attention to the golem.

……Originally, making students listen to the class was the professor’s job, not a fellow student’s.

“From today. Students. Will learn. About the Sacred Combat algorithm. Of Sacred Combat Artificial Intelligence—Alphard Googol.”

— A golem without blood or tears is really the professor?

Alphard continued.

“Alphard. Googol. Will teach. Students. Sacred Combat. Teach. Safe— ly.”

The nuance on the word ‘safe’ was subtly different.

‘How scared must the students have been for the artificial intelligence to speak like that.’

Fortunately, it was effective; at the mention of teaching safely, one student hesitantly asked.

— Th-Then you won’t lock us up? And you won’t beat us or fire holy magic at us?

“Confinement without judicial process. Violates Imperial law. Sacred Combat Artificial Intelligence—Alphard Googol. Does not use preemptive violence.”

— You won’t force us to give only the same orders to our spiritual beasts either?

“Sacred Combat is. Science. Unscientific repetitive training. Is not done.”

— H-He actually seems like a decent person?

At the highly normal answers, the students’ gaze shifted from alertness to mere suspicion.

No blood or tears, but is he a good golem nonetheless?

However, even after that, the students did not approach within a certain distance of Alphard.

Hiss—

Perhaps thinking they were too far to conduct the class, Alphard spewed steam, took a step forward, and said:

“Sacred Combat Artificial Intelligence—Alphard Googol. Is very safe. You may. Approach.”

One of the students hesitated and said:

— Th-That’s not it, Professor Alphard.

“What is it.”

— That…… if we accidentally touch the Professor, won’t we have to pay repair costs? If even a scratch is made…… we have no money.

— We might have to sell our family names!

“…….”

Alphard could not say anything for a moment.

However, it soon stretched out its hand and said:

“It’s fine. Sacred Combat Artificial Intelligence—Alphard is not easily. Damaged. The body. Is also insured.”

— Phew.

— He’s a good golem.

Only then did the students let out sighs of relief and approach Alphard.

The students treated Alphard as if he were a luxury foreign car.

“But Professor Uli might claim damages.”

And Alphard was indeed a luxury foreign car.

— Hieek—!!

When Roan spoke as if to himself, the students were startled again.

“Glance, but why Professor Uli?”

“Hmm? Because Professor Uli made him, of course.”

— Gaspppp───!!!

The students were even more astonished than when they heard Uli might claim damages.

“Why are you like that?”

“P-Professor Uli was such an amazing person?”

““…….””

Roan and Alphard were lost for words at the same time.

***

Sacred Combat Artificial Intelligence Mithril Golem, Alphard Googol.

Alphard’s nickname was ‘The Greatest Successful Failure of All Time’, and the story behind it was as follows.

About twenty years ago, the current Holy Emperor, who like all citizens of the Empire was crazy about Sacred Combat, had this thought:

‘If we make a golem that plays Sacred Combat, won’t lonely people be able to play Sacred Combat to their heart’s content?’

A world where the entire Empire enjoys Sacred Combat in one mind and spirit, with no one left out!

What else could this be but a policy to practice the teachings of Lord Hiloa with all one’s heart and soul?

……Though it was questionable whether Hiloa would think the same way.

In any case, the Holy Emperor visited Professor Uli of Acherandir, who was considered the best in the Empire in numerous fields, including golem and artificial intelligence creation, and made a request.

— Professor Uli. I would like you to make a golem for Sacred Combat for the lonely people of the Empire.

— Yes, Your Majesty. How much will the commission fee be?

— ……Well, in accordance with the teachings of Lord Hiloa—

— Since I will make an amazing fellow, how much will you pay for the commission?

……Uli was consistent then and now.

Although the Holy Emperor thought of not making it because it was annoying, he recalled Hiloa’s teachings and temporarily left the commission.

Uli completed the Holy Emperor’s request in just six months and even named it Alphard Googol.

— ……You made it already?

— Yes, the Imperial Palace Sacred Combat players are currently testing it.

The Holy Emperor suspected that the money-crazed professor had taken the money and run while preparing to drain the Empire’s pillars for manufacturing costs.

But while Uli loved money excessively, he was not a creator who sold his conscience regarding manufacturing.

No, rather.

— ……All the Imperial Palace Sacred Combat players lost? Without exception?

— Yes……. Even this year’s Sacred Combat League Champion, Ikedol, won only once and then lost six times in a row.

Uli had made the Sacred Combat golem too well.

The spiritual beasts trained directly by Alphard rose to the position of the Empire’s best in an instant, regardless of weight class.

It was impossible to lower performance to implement artificial intelligence.

If this went on, the lonely people would clearly fall into further despair.

……In fact, the Empire’s financial situation was too poor to make another one.

Upon receiving this report, the Holy Emperor ordered decisively:

— Ban it. Return the golem to Acherandir. The Holy Spirit will use it as a professor or something.

— Yes.

For that reason, Alphard Googol had been serving as a Sacred Combat professor at Acherandir for twenty years.

For reference, his salary was the highest-grade holy power source.

“……Well, he has roughly this kind of story.”

Roan explained this story very briefly.

Zzzt—

The students, who sat gathered together listening to Roan’s storytelling, cried out with touched expressions.

— Poor Professor Alphard!

— Only being used by Professor Uli…….

— We will protect you!

— Let’s play a game of Sacred Combat later!

‘Who is protecting whom?’

Roan could not hide his dumbfoundedness.

As said earlier, Alphard was practically no different from a war weapon in specs.

……No, even actual war weapons were not made to that degree.

Uli, worried that Alphard made of solid Mithril might be stolen, had perfectly equipped him with defensive combat abilities.

His pure combat power was easily above a professor’s level.

As a result of Roan challenging him to a fight just for fun during a discarded playthrough in the past, he had witnessed a monster whose every attack failed to work, whose punches crushed the ground one by one, and whose holy magic blanketed the sky.

Anyway, Alphard seemed quite touched by the students’ words.

“Thank you. Students. Student Roan Darc. Especially. Thank you.”

……To Roan’s knowledge, this was indeed equivalent to being extremely happy.

“Don’t mention it.”

Roan brushed it off.

“With Darc. Once more. Want to play Sacred Combat. The greatest rival. Of Sacred Combat Artificial Intelligence—Alphard Googol.”

“?”

However, the next words could not be brushed off like that.

‘Alphard played Sacred Combat with a Darc too?’

Alphard’s recorded Sacred Combat matches were against the Imperial Palace Sacred Combat players and the champion of the time, Ikedol.

But Ikedol was not of the Darc family, and neither were the Imperial Palace players.

‘Then who did he play against?’

While deducing the opponent, Roan worried if the students would harbor suspicions at Alphard’s words.

— Th-The Professor says he played against Darc!

— Professor, hold back! Roan’s Yongyong-i is a cheat!

— Spiky must be banned immediately too!

Naturally, there was no way they would suspect.

“Professor, even if it’s you, you won’t stand a chance against Roan, who is armed with cheat spiritual beasts!”

……Since even Hector was in that state, it was only natural.

Roan set aside his worries about the students and fell into thought for a moment.

‘Well, twenty years ago was before the destruction, so they might have played once.’

Vulkan did say that Darc was one of the four major Sacred Combat families at the time.

“Students. Now. Class. Will begin.”

Anyway, after a bit of commotion, Professor Alphard’s class began.

Professor Alphard first dominated the students’ spirits by changing the terrain of the training ground.

Rumble───!!!

— I knew it! It’s a golem rebellion!

— The Archdemon and the golem tricked us!

— I-It must be a hellish free-for-all training!

A few students drew their weapons and scanned the surroundings with tense expressions.

Within the wide training ground, several puddles were dug, and soon they were filled with water.

Billow—

The water warmed up and steam rose, looking exactly like a bathhouse.

When the students and spiritual beasts were flustered by the suddenly created terrain, Alphard said:

“First. Spiritual beasts must. Be kept clean. Health is. Combat power.”

The students were even more flustered than when a bathhouse appeared in the middle of a perfectly fine training ground.

— W-We even had to manage our spiritual beasts?

— If you just leave them alone, don’t they grow on their own?

— What a hassle…….

Roan glared at the students with a contemptuous look.

‘Look at these pieces of trash.’

Undoubtedly, those noble students must have been washed by servants every day until they enrolled in Acherandir.

At least the commoners or students from weak noble families were nodding.

It was astonishing that they had only now realized they had to wash their spiritual beasts.

Alphard wove dried grass with holy magic to make something like a comb, and then distributed them to the students.

“With a probability of. 73.3 percent. Spiritual beasts. Prefer to be washed. With grass rather than a comb. Also. Spiritual beasts washed well. Are over 30 percent stronger. Than those that are not. According to statistics.”

— Ooooh…….

The students admired the scientific analysis characteristic of an artificial intelligence.

Although they didn’t quite understand, didn’t it mean they would become stronger if washed?

Upon hearing Alphard’s words, the students each tried to force their spiritual beasts into the tub.

“Eongeong! Silsil! Become strong! Quickly get into that hot tub!”

Sob sob sob—

Slither—

Hector was the same.

Hector struggled to put his sacred spirit beasts into the steaming tub.

Even though he was told to bathe them for cleanliness, he seemed to think of it as training to build heat resistance.

‘He’s lost his mind at the mention of getting stronger.’