“Then your next option is monsters. That said, you can’t breed them without permission, and they’re not exactly docile. Merchants stay well clear of labyrinths with monsters, and you wouldn’t want one of the villagers to get injured.”
Yeah. That all rang true. As the labyrinth manager, I’d feel absolutely awful if one of the monsters I brought in harmed one of the merchants or villagers.
“Just making the labyrinth good at luring and repelling intruders is hard enough, but when you consider it’s supposed to have a positive effect on the surrounding community as well, things get so complicated. How am I going to set up trash mobs for this place?”
Suzu and I were both stumped.
“Kousaka, since it was my error that caused all this hassle, could I ask you to let me handle providing the beasts for your labyrinth?”
Karumi interrupted our reverie with a surprising offer. Incidentally, Karumi, this isn’t a onetime thing, the way you’re making it sound. Your screwups are pretty much the source of all my misfortune. But I couldn’t very well say that to my superior, so I put on a fake smile and seethed inside like a good adult.
“Any help you can offer would be great, of course, but how exactly are you going to do that?”
“I know of one excellent option which is commonly used in fully functional labyrinths. Let’s see... a dozen of these two-meter-tall humanoid battle golems should do. They follow orders meticulously, incur no maintenance at all, and are incredibly easy to use. I’ll pay for them myself, of course, so you can rest easy on that front.”
Honestly, golems would be perfect. I’d seen them for sale on Tundra, and I knew they would provide what I needed, but the price was so high that I had dismissed them out of hand.
“I’d be grateful, but are you sure?”
“Yes. Let me do my part to make this right.”
The price of golems varied depending on quality, but even the cheapest one cost about as much as a used car.
“Could you show me what type of golem you’d like?”
I opened the labyrinth manager window and navigated to the Tundra catalog, where I pulled up the battle golem page and sorted by price.
Autonomous Patrol and Battle Humanoid Golem (Garta) == 600,000 DL
Seller: Manager, Labyrinth #89
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Reviewer: Manager, Labyrinth #32
- Works even in harsh desert terrain, and its durability is amazing!
Even though there’s sandstorms all the time, these babies never fail me. Like the name says, they’re good at patrolling, but they’re not that strong, so I’d recommend against using them for anything heavy-duty. The quality is about what you’d expect from the price. Don’t expect them to do much aside from keeping watch.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Reviewer: Manager, Labyrinth #201
- These are heavy golems, so don’t try to use them in marshland.
When I took them out on patrol, they sank into the swamp, and it took me forever to get them out. Seems like I can’t use them around most of my place. I’ve got them standing guard in front of my treasure warehouse, but I kinda doubt they’d even deter an intruder.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Reviewer: Manager, Labyrinth #13
- Pretty well made and reliable, but there’s no heart in them!
The price is reasonable, and they perform okay, but that’s it. If they were gonna make humanoid golems, you’d think they’d have gone to the trouble to make it so the golems could walk properly, instead of only in a perfectly straight line! Plus, those hideous rods they call arms and legs are just unsightly. This thing sucks!
“That won’t do at all.”
Karumi slid her finger across the screen, flipping pages in the catalog.
“Ah, here we are. This is what I had in mind.”
She stopped many pages after the one I’d shown her.
Autonomous Armor-Type Golem Soldier (Big D, Mark II) == 4,800,000 DL
Seller: Manager, Labyrinth #477
Rating: ★★★★☆
Reviewer: Manager, Labyrinth #552
- Just like the price, you have to see them to believe them.
They can fight barehanded, but they’re preprogrammed to be able to handle any weapon you give them as well. They’re poetry in motion. Those smooth moves are out of this world. The only problem is that high price tag. With humanoid golems like these, you’ll just keep wanting more of them, but they’ll put a huge strain on your finances.
Rating: ★★★★★
Reviewer: Manager, Labyrinth #16
- Very efficient.
They obey orders perfectly, especially combat orders, and the way they carry them out is a sight to behold. Their maintenance needs are minimal, and they’ll likely keep doing exactly what you tell them to until they stop working. Everyday use? Look, don’t buy a high-end battle golem if you want a robo-maid.
“Shall I buy a dozen?”
Forget a used car, each of these was like buying a brand new luxury sports car. I knew Karumi was the Great Dark Lord’s daughter, but she had to be filthy rich.
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Lucky! Battle golems are sturdy, and they don’t get tired or need refueling. What’s more, if you give them a directive not to kill, they can reliably take down human invaders without killing them in the process, even if they have to rough ’em up a bit. Hey, come on, let me have just one of ’em!”
“Not a chance. Karumi, you’re really going to buy these for me?”
“Of course. Leave everything to me.”
Karumi gave me a dazzling smile. Hmm. Perhaps Karumi was the type of woman who liked it when people relied on her? Nah, I was probably overthinking it.