Am I going to be scrapped today, taken apart to study?! Haha…What an ironic end… We keep walking through the city, to meet up with Seline, who is a Magical Researcher. She seems to have an interest in things she’s never seen so Emma thought she would surprise her by taking me to her. I just hope I won’t become a research specimen.

As we walk Emma tells me a bit more about Seline, “She and I have been friends since we’ve been young, she later became a Court Mage for the Sytran Empire and is now working from Lunach to research new magical techniques and devices, she will freak out when she sees you, I guarantee it!” That calmed me down a bit, if she’s a researcher like me we might just hit it off and become fast friends!

When we arrive where Seline supposedly lives, my optimism wanes a little, a set of stairs leads down to a dark, dank cellar. What the hell’s this?! This looks like the entrance to a dinky little Indy Music venue, but even more seedy! When we get to the bottom of the stairs and knock on her door, Emma yells out, “Selene I’m back from my herb-gathering quest!” Suddenly a quiet click can be heard from the door, but it doesn’t open, looks like someone unlocked it remotely, and Emma just lets herself in!

And on the inside, this place looks even seedier! Someone as reputable as a court mage owns this place? There are various vails and devices strewn all over the place and desks filled to the brim with all kinds of things greet us when we walk in. As I enter, I hear a voice call out to Emma from another room, “Jeez, Emma what took you so long? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“Well, I kind of did. I got captured by a pack of goblins, but I was saved! I brought my savior back with me today, I think you might be interested in him!”, Emma peeks back at me, urging me to say something. “Uhh, sorry for the intrusion,” after speaking my part, I start to hear a pair of footsteps rushing to the entrance to greet us.

As she rounds the corner I get my first look at her, she is small! Seline has long black hair that goes down to her hips and she looks so thin that even a strong gust of wind could take her away. She is wearing a slightly oversized robe that goes down to her knees. Her face looks very young, almost like she’s just a kid, but from her presence, I can guess that she’s already an adult. Emma looks so much more grown-up in comparison, I’m surprised by how different they both look.

When Seline finally stops in front of us, her eyes dart to Emma first, after seeing her alive and well they dart over to me and shoot wide open. She backs off half a step and looks up at me perplexed, “W-What the hell are you?!” I answer matter-of-factly, “Uh, a golem.” “No, you aren’t, you don’t look anything like one, Emma did you seriously let some kind of monster into town?!” Seline looks at Emma with wide-open eyes.

“W-What?! N-No, I didn’t! Andy is a golem and he saved my life from the goblins! He said his master is a Summoner called Motus, but that he died and now he is traveling the world and helping people!” Emma tells my entire made-up story to Seline, who looks horrified at me. Seline counters back immediately, “Golems can’t live on without a person to supply them with Mana, so Andy certainly isn’t a golem! Andy did you really save Emma from some goblins and if you did, then what are you?!”

Now I’m getting tense! She’s a court mage, she’s got to be strong, is she going to kill me?! I decide to tell them just a small bit “All right, you got me, I’m not a golem. Sorry, I lied to you Emma, I just knew that you would’ve been terrified of me if I didn’t say I was something harmless…” I get back a small step, “But I’m not some evil monster, ok?! I did save Emma! And I was a human once too, it's just that now I’m just stuck in this stupid body! I have no intention of hurting anyone.”

Emma looks at me disappointed after I tell her I lied to her, but when I get to the part about being a human she looks at me surprised, “Then, what happened to you that got you into this state?!” I answer quickly, “Weellll, I can’t say, unfortunately. The only thing I know is I was working on one of these,” I point to myself, “then my Laboratory caught on fire and I woke up in the forest close to you and saved you.” I don’t know how sensitive being from another world is, so I’ll just keep that part quiet for now.

Seline finally calms down a little bit and gives in with a sigh, “All right, you seem nice enough, for now, come inside. But if you’re up to anything, I’ll kill you with my own two hands, you got that?” Jesus, it’s like I can feel the nonexistent skin on my back crawling “Y-Yes ma’am!” Seline guides me back to a small room with a Table and two bench seats on each side, she starts talking as she sits down, “Now, you brought Andy here to let me look at him, so I’m going to do just that. Just stand still over there Andy. [Mana Monocle]!”

Ohh, she activated some kind of Magic Device, cool! I stand still at the table’s end as Seline inspects me with a puzzled look. “Hmm, this is weird, this thing here says you have no MP…” I answer back flatly, “Uhh, yeah, I don’t, should I?” Seline removes the monocle from her face and states, “Obviously, every living thing has Mana inside them, even stones and metals possess small amounts. Things that live need Mana, how are you alive?”

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“Uhh, life finds a way?” I shrug. “It doesn’t, I did some tests on life without Mana in the past and they all failed, what did you do? Tell me!” she scoots closer to me, looking up with expectant eyes. I look away Should I just tell them I’m an Otherworldler? I mean in books and stuff they’re always not that rare right?! I decide to hold off for now and simply say, “I’d love to tell you, but I don’t know what I did myself. Sorry…”

Seline looks away with a hand on her chin, clearly theorizing in her head, then she turns around and asks me, “Wait, you said you were working on this body in a laboratory, right? Then how and why did you appear in the middle of the forest?” She starts pacing around the room and before I can even get an answer ready, she quickly turns her head and asks the golden question, “Wait, are you an Earthling?! Oh my god! Please tell me you’re an Earthling!”

Goddammit…I told them too much, well let’s just go out with it I slump my shoulders, “Yeah…I think I might be, but how do you even know about Earth and another world?” She sits back on down on the bench and says, “I knew it! We get your kind every 25 years or so. But to think that I’d be one of the first people to meet the Earthling this time around, I’m blessed!” I stop her there, “Wait, so people from the earth make their way into this world every 25 years or so, how do they get here, and what happens to them?” because I sure as hell am not going to be fighting some sort of demon lord!

“Hmm, usually they say that they simply woke up here or they got transported here, most of the time they get recruited to work for different Kingdom, die trying to survive by themselves, or simply hide being an Earthling. Some keep their old appearances and simply get transported, and others get reincarnated into a new body. Some lose their memories, some don’t. It’s a real mixed bag, I think you’re the first case I’ve heard about where you got reincarnated into something from Earth!”

As the day goes on me and Seline share a lot more info. I also finally tell her what I am and the basics of what robots are, in return she explains to me some of the more intricate Details of the video game system this world runs on.

It seems like I am not human by this system’s standards because my system screen looks different from the ones both Emma and Seline have. Another thing I noticed is that I don’t have a class system, Seline told me that that means the system sees me as a monster and not as a Humanoid Race. Discrimination I Say! For example, other Humanoid races like Elves and Dwarves have a class system just like humans that monsters and lower beings don’t get. This class system allows one to get [Arts] by training that boosts certain aspects of one’s abilities dramatically.

Monsters do not get classes, instead having a large variety of race-specific moves that give them an edge as they level up naturally. The other upside monsters have is, they can evolve, humanoid races don’t. Monsters can also gain [Arts], but they gain them via special evolutions and continual level-up. Like a goblin that uses a sword a lot, evolving into a swordfighter goblin. Wait, robots can evolve? How does that work? Damn, now I kind of want to level up and evolve…

From the explanation given to me by Seline, I get the impression that humanoid races are severely underpowered. I mean monsters get stronger simply by existing and leveling up, while humans are forced to train themselves, attain a class, and level up simultaneously. Well, then again, maybe being a monster is all right…

As it slowly becomes Afternoon, I finally realize I need a place to stay so I quickly ask Seline, “By the way Seline, I still need a place to stay, would you allow me to stay here for a little while? In return, I can tell you some more interesting Earthling things that might advance your research. Sounds like a good deal?”

Seline looks at me with a grin, “All right, I’ll allow it.” “Oh, but could I tell people that I’m a golem made by you, that way I can still walk around town?” I ask. Seline squints at me, “Well, I think any mage with a bit of a brain will realize you aren’t, but we can try,” she turns around and quickly turns back again, “Oh, you could try and accompany Emma for some more quests, that would give me a bit more confidence in her safety.”

Emma shoots up from her slumped seating position, “Ohh, yes! Andy, let us go on some more quests! With you around these quests are always such a breeze!” “And I can level up a bit more and train my skill! Great Idea!”, I smack my hands together in a eureka moment, and only a hollow Thump reverberates.

As Afternoon turns into Evening, Emma excuses herself and leaves for the day, leaving me in Seline’s care. Seline shows me around my temporary new home and we chat a bit more. I learn a bit more about Seline’s status as a court mage, it seems as an official mage of the country as long as there isn’t a war or any other catastrophe, she will stay in Lunach for about half the year and spend the rest near or at the capital. Must be nice to simply be able to laze around all day and do what you want…

Seline shows me some of the stuff she’s been working on, like a certain device that I still don’t understand after what felt like an hour-long explanation. Maybe our employment sectors are a bit too different… The evening eventually turns into night and Seline decides to go to sleep, for now, I simply play the guard dog. Tomorrow I’ll be going adventuring with Emma, I can’t wait!

Just as I start relaxing, I hear the front door click open very faintly. I make my way over to the front door, only to see a man in what can only be described as a cowboy outfit sneak his way inside.