Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Unable to sleep and feeling suffocated in the room, Dion quietly slipped out of his own bed. He walked downstairs into the grand lobby and stepped outside the mansion, taking in the dim surroundings of the front yard. Before him lay the ruined village, its houses now softly illuminated by the light of their new inhabitants, alongside the river meandering through his lands. Looking up, he gazed at the massive moon hanging in the night sky, surrounded by a sea of twinkling stars.

”This place definitely needs a staff of maids... On top of that... we need proper irrigation and crops so we don’t have to rely purely on hunting or making trips to other towns... Let me check the shed,” Dion thought to himself.

He strolled over to the side of the mansion and spotted a wooden shed sitting way in the back. Carrying a single oil lantern, he headed straight for it. Creak. Dion pushed open the door, which looked like it hadn’t been opened in ages. Cough! A cloud of dust billowed out, but inside, a treasure trove of old equipment remained intact.

Rust-covered sickles hung along the walls, a long scythe rested in the corner as if it had never been moved, and several hoes, large shovels, and pitchforks sat tucked inside a battered barrel that hadn’t seen the light of day in years. A small hand trowel rested on a weathered wooden workbench, alongside various other neglected tools.

”Hmm... alright, let’s get to work,” Dion said.

”Recall.”

Dion summoned his holographic display. Without hesitation, he tapped YES to activate his Mechanical Crafter and Gunner SSSS-rank persona.

[”Tinker... tinker... tinker... I can build everything.”]

A whirlwind of black shadows erupted, enveloping Dion’s body. As the vortex dissipated, Dion emerged wearing black chainmail over a lightweight yet durable leather protective shirt. Leather shooting gloves reached up to his wrists, paired with heavy leather pants and a utility belt packed with specialized gear. He wore sturdy black leather boots, a pair of long-barreled revolvers holstered at his hips, and a heavy rifle strapped across his back. His eyes glowed a vibrant crimson as a holographic menu expanded before his face:

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Name : Dion von Oswald.

Persona Class : Mechanical Crafter and Gunner. [change]

Rank : SSSS

Time limit : 12 hours (11:59:56 counting down)

Weapon : Phantom Magic dual gun and rifle.

Armor : Phantom gunner armor.

Passive : Shooting mastery, nimble, eagle eye, fast thinking, faint presence.

Active : Focus shot, gatling barrage, summon army, heavy blast.

Special : Building barricade, craft mechanical golem, craft weapon, craft survival kit

Given : Goddess Hestalia Blessing.

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Using transform mode ? [Yes] [No]

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Dion smirked, then tapped his special skill: Craft Mechanical Golem. A new holographic window layered over the previous one:

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Craft Mechanical Golem:

1. Worker golem : 50 scrap iron or steel [Craft?] [yes] [no]

2. Soldier golem : 100 scrap iron or steel, 10 worker golem [Craft?] [yes] [no]

3. Marksman golem : 150 scrap iron or steel, 10 soldier golem [Craft?] [yes] [no]

4. Cavalry and horse golem : 500 scrap iron or steel, 10 soldier golem, 5 marksman golem [Craft?] [yes] [no]

5. Giant automated golem : 5,000 scrap iron or steel, 50 all element magic crystal [Craft?] [yes] [no]

6. Airship golem : 100,000 scrap iron or steel, 200 all element crystal, 1,000 soldier golem, 100 cavalry golem, 1 giant automated golem [Craft?] [yes] [no]

7. Titan war golem : 1,000,000 scrap iron or steel, 10,000 all element crystal, 100,000 soldier golem, 100,000 marksman golem, 1 airship golem [Craft?] [yes] [no]

8. ???

9. ???

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”Hmm... let’s start with Worker Golems first... the rest will be easy. But do I have enough material? Let me check real quick,” Dion thought to himself.

Dion scouted around the shed, tallying up the inventory of scrap metal stored inside. Gathering all the metallic debris into the center of the room, he sat cross-legged on the floor and began sorting through what was still usable. Once sorted, he accumulated 150 pieces of unusable scrap metal alongside about 20 intact, functional tools. Stashing the functional tools back inside a barrel, he extended his palm toward the pile of metal in the center of the shed.

”Craft Worker Golem. Quantity: three. Execute,” he commanded.

A massive magic circle materialized in the center of the room. The pile of scrap metal sank into the glowing array, and moments later, three stout golems emerged. Standing at half of Dion’s height, they featured round torsos, round heads, long arms, and short yet sturdy legs, all constructed entirely from pure iron. Numbers ranging from 1 to 3 were engraved on their foreheads, corresponding to their order of creation.

”Alright... now I need you guys to scour the surrounding village for as much scrap iron and steel as you can find. Anything made of iron or steel, bring it straight back here. Move fast,” Dion instructed.

The three golems immediately snapped a crisp military salute, bringing their hands to their foreheads before bustling out of the shed. Dion sat waiting patiently, browsing through his holographic menu to check what weapons and survival gear he could craft next, while outlining a task list for his new workforce.

When the golems returned hauling various metallic odds and ends, Dion had them sort through the loot. They had scavenged iron bowls, metal buckets, and rusted plowshares left behind by former villagers in the abandoned homes.

With all the metal gathered and categorized, Dion began crafting additional golems. As each unit materialized, he untiringly assigned them individual duties one by one without showing a trace of fatigue.

***

The following morning, back in Dion’s bedroom,

”Ugh...” Luna groaned, fluttering her eyes open. ”Uuugh...” Her head throbbed with a nasty hangover from the night’s festivities. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up in bed and glanced over at Sheila and Mei. She then spotted Gina flying past the window before perching comfortably on the sofa, but Dion was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes snapped wide open.

”Wait... where’s Dion?” Luna asked.

”Ow... my head...” Mei groaned, waking up and stretching on the mattress while clutching her forehead.

”Uhh...”

Sheila slowly dragged herself awake, sitting up on the bed while still half-asleep, her eyes heavy and unfocused. After blinking a few times and scanning the room, she blinked again.

”Huh... where’d Dion go?” Sheila asked.

”That’s what I’m trying to figure out!” Luna replied.

”Dion’s... missing?” Mei murmured, sitting up slowly.

Still looking a disheveled mess, the three girls looked around, trying to piece together the previous night. But suddenly, blam! the door swung wide open. All three snapped their heads toward the doorway; even Gina fluttered up to inspect the entrance.

Their foggy morning brains instantly snapped into high alert at the sight before them. Three short, round iron golems, boasting the numbers 4, 7, and 9 proudly on their foreheads, marched into the room carrying a generous spread of piping hot food. They set the dishes down on the table, turned around with total indifference without so much as a second glance, and exited the room, pulling the door shut behind them.

”Huh?!”

All three girls rubbed their eyes in unison, convinced they were hallucinating from sleep deprivation. However, the rich aroma of warm soup and leftover roasted meat sitting on the table dragged them right back to reality. They traded completely bewildered looks.

”What on earth was that?!” all three blurted out together.

Meanwhile, Gina casually flew over to the table and began happily digging into a piece of roasted meat, completely unbothered by the metallic intruders that had just served breakfast.

They immediately rushed to the window and looked outside, their eyes widening in shock. Countless golems were bustling about all over the place: some were weeding the front yard, some were fixing the fence, others were sweeping the main driveway, and a few were even strolling through the village searching for scrap iron or steel while lending the locals a helping hand. The three girls stood there utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe what they were seeing.

”What in the world is going on here?!” Luna asked, a look of utter confusion painted across her face.

”Have those things been here the entire time you’ve been staying here, Sheila?” Mei asked.

”No... this is the first time I’ve ever seen creatures like that, too,” Sheila replied, completely stumped.

”Ugh... where on earth is Dion?!” Luna whined.

”Let’s go find him,” Sheila suggested.

They decided to head outside and search for Dion until they found him. As soon as they stepped out of the bedroom, they flinched in surprise at the sight of four golems, bearing the numbers 11, 12, 15, and 17, cleaning up the house like a team of maids doing morning chores.

The girls slowly shuffled past the golems. Naturally, the golems turned their heads for a brief second, making the trio freeze in their tracks. But after taking a quick look, the golems casually offered a crisp military salute and went right back to work. The girls breathed a collective sigh of relief, though they were left more baffled than ever.

Finally, they headed downstairs and sprinted out of the mansion. Once outside, they spotted a few more golems walking toward the side of the estate and decided to follow them. Peeking from around the corner of the wall, they watched the golems head inside the wooden shed.

”That’s weird... that shed is just full of old tools... why are they going in there?” Sheila asked, clearly familiar with the estate layout after exploring the area for a year.

”No idea. Let’s go check it out,” Luna urged.

”Yeah... but stay on your toes,” Mei warned, getting into a full combat stance.

They all dashed toward the shed, spotting a few golems coming out and shutting the door behind them. The girls ducked into the tall wild grass, waiting for the constructs to pass by. Once the coast was clear, they ran up to the small shed and threw the door open.

”Snore... snore... snore...”

Hearing soft snoring from inside, Luna, Mei, and Sheila froze in shock. There lay Dion, sprawled out on his back on the floor, covered in dirt and smudges. He was back in his normal clothes from the night before, as his persona had clearly deactivated the moment he fell asleep. He was snoring right beside a mountain of piled-up scrap metal.

Looking down at Dion’s peaceful sleeping face and the faint smirk resting on his lips, Luna, Mei, and Sheila couldn’t help but smile, realizing he had pulled an all-nighter putting everything together. They quietly approached him to carry him back inside the house.