#10. Welcome to the World of Automatons
“That’s… Perez.”
Standing at the entrance to Perez, I swallowed hard.
This was the same path I had once fled down in a frantic escape, but now I was returning by my own will.
Even on our way here today, we went through numerous hardships.
We endured multiple attacks from automatons. Since it was impossible to destroy all their cores, we had no choice but to narrowly evade them.
Fortunately, there weren’t many combat automatons outside Perez. However, I had heard that inside Perez, combat automatons created by Princess Eva to defend the capital were scattered throughout the city.
Could we really move through Perez without being detected?
As we stood before the city, fear crept over me.
A chill ran down my spine, and an ominous feeling settled in my gut.
It was the primal instinct of a human sensing danger.
“Do you think we can win…?”
“Seraphina, let’s think positively! Haha, worst case scenario, we just die, right? Besides, the princess values you, so at least you’ll survive—”
“Ugh! How can you joke about something like that?”
Still, Aurora’s joke helped ease some of the tension, and we finally stepped into Perez.
And then, as the scene before us unfolded, our mouths fell open.
“A…!”
Of course, we had witnessed many strange sights before, but—
Perez was different.
This city held no signs of life.
At least, in the places we had passed before, there were occasional people peeking through windows, checking the situation outside, fighting automatons, or at the very least, showing signs of suffering.
But here, in this city, there was neither pain nor despair—nothing at all.
It was a ghost town, void of any existence.
“What is this…?”
Was there anyone still living in this city?
But every window in sight was boarded up with wooden planks or covered in some way, making it impossible to see inside any of the houses.
With no signs of life around us, even our own breathing felt unnervingly loud. We lowered our voices and whispered among ourselves.
“We should first assess the situation in this city. Checking in on the houses individually might be a good idea. People will want to know if their families are safe.”
Raffaelo said this, and I nodded firmly.
“I’m really worried about my father. I need to find him first.”
Would he really still be at home? Or had everyone already fled the city?
Just then, Simone and Raffaelo suddenly stiffened, their eyes locking onto something in the distance.
Their faces were tense.
“We need to hide. Now.”
“What?”
Before I could understand what was happening, they pulled us along, and we quickly took cover behind a cathedral.
Looking back at where we had just stood, we saw combat automatons armed with guns swarming the area.
“Abandoned motorcycle detected.”
The automatons had gathered around the motorcycle we had ridden to Perez.
“Human warmth detected. Estimated departure: five minutes ago.”
“Initiating pursuit. Initiating pursuit.”
Hearing those words sent a chill down my spine. If we weren’t careful, we were going to be discovered.
As we panicked, unsure of where to run, Aurora quietly lifted the cover of a sewer entrance. Without hesitation, we followed her lead and climbed down.
“Let’s move quickly before they find us!”
Thankfully, there were no automatons in the sewers. We endured the unbearable stench and followed the tunnel, making our way forward.
Eventually, we emerged in a place where no automatons could be sensed.
“Combat automatons with guns… this is going to be tough to deal with.”
“So that’s why no one’s outside…”
In the other cities we passed through, people at least tried to resist the automatons.
But here, perhaps because the automatons were exceptionally powerful, it seemed the people had given up and simply hidden inside their homes.
Was my father safe?
After all, he was the only family Seraphina had left…
“For now, let’s move as quietly as possible. The closest place to check is…”
“M-my house! The Viviana Count’s estate is nearby!”
And so, we decided to head toward the Viviana estate.
As we moved in complete silence, someone suddenly burst out of a small house nearby.
“Marquess Monteverdi!”
Ah—so there were still people left in this city!
The man rushed toward Simone, his face full of urgency.
“Where have you been all this time? Perez has…”
“I’ve returned to fix this.”
Listening to their conversation, it seemed the man was a bureaucrat who had worked in the council.
“Can you explain what has happened in Perez during this time?”
“Oh… this place has become a living hell. When the automatons first rebelled, people tried to fight back. But after so many lost their lives, everyone eventually surrendered and hid inside their homes. Even the military is unable to intervene.”
“I see. What about the royal family?”
“That’s the strangest part. The royal family has completely shut itself off without issuing any statements. Because of that, there’s a growing rumor that even the royals have fallen. The palace staff haven’t been seen outside in weeks.”
In reality, the royal family hadn’t fallen—they were the very ones responsible for this disaster.
“So, are all the remaining people just staying inside their homes?”
“Yes. As you’ve seen, with automatons roaming outside, it’s safer to stay hidden. If someone gets spotted by them…”
The man shuddered as if recalling something horrifying.
“If they deem a person useless by their standards, they turn them into an energy source for the automatons.”
“An energy source? What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly that! They dismantle human bodies and use them as fuel. The automatons are running on human lives!”
Using people as an energy source—how could such a thing even be possible?
The roles between humans and automatons had been completely reversed.
“How do they determine if someone is ‘useless’?”
“They seem to conduct intelligence tests.”
“Intelligence tests?”
“Yes. Because of that, many uneducated commoners and children have lost their lives.”
No way… this wasn’t some zombie apocalypse novel, so how did things end up like this?
Once again, I felt a deep sense of injustice about being reincarnated into this world. Maybe it would have been better to just stick to the original novel’s plot and become a villainess instead.
After finishing our conversation with the bureaucrat, we made our way to the Viviana Count’s estate. The man repeatedly begged us to do something and fix this situation.
Fortunately, we managed to avoid detection by the automatons and safely arrived at the front of the Viviana estate.
“Ah…”
The estate’s iron gates and walls were now wrapped in barbed wire, and all the elegant windows had been boarded up.
The once-glorious Viviana estate I remembered from when I first arrived in this world was nowhere to be seen.
For some reason, looking at it filled me with sorrow. I couldn’t believe both the Viviana estate and Perez had fallen into such ruin.
But I pushed those feelings aside and moved toward the back of the estate.
Clearing away some overgrown grass, I found a small hole in the wall.
“This was my secret passageway.”
“What? Seraphina, you must have been quite the troublemaker, huh?”
Raffaelo teased me with an amused tone, but I simply smiled faintly and shook my head.
“This was a hole Aurora made.”
“…….”
“Hehe.”
“…You dug a hole into someone else’s house?”
Everyone turned to stare at Aurora in disbelief. Even the usually stoic Ghieuspe had an expression of sheer incredulity.
Regardless, we successfully slipped into the Viviana estate through the hole. After crossing the garden, I stood in front of the entrance and knocked on the door.
“Father! It’s me, Seraphina!”
I knocked several times, but there was no response.
“Could it be… no one’s home?”
Just as anxiety started creeping in, fearing something strange had invaded the mansion, a voice called out from beyond the door.
“Young Lady?”
“Mary?”
It was the voice of Mary, the human maid who had taken care of Seraphina.
“Is it really you, Young Lady?”
“Yes, it’s me! I’ve returned!”
However, the door didn’t open immediately. It seemed she was hesitant, unsure if I was truly Seraphina Viviana.
“Can you prove it’s really you?”
What would the original Seraphina Viviana say? …Ah.
“Should I talk about my favorite subject, Plato? Plato divided the human soul into three parts: reason, spirit, and desire. Reason governs the soul, seeking the best outcomes overall, granting us decisiveness and a conscience. Spirit fosters ambition and drive, while—”
“Enough. Just come in.”
The door swung open, and Mary finally let me inside. Seeing her again after so long filled me with relief, and I pulled her into a hug.
“Mary, you’re safe….”
“Yes. But who are the people behind you?”
“Oh, they’re my guests.”
The interior of the mansion was dark and eerie. The windows had been reinforced with wooden boards and heavy curtains, blocking out any light.
There were dim lamps lit here and there, but even those seemed to be kept low, likely out of fear of drawing the automatons’ attention.
The remaining household staff inside the mansion looked at me in shock.
“Young Lady!”
“You made it back safely…!”
“Yes. Where’s my father?”
“The Count is in his room right now.”
The butler, holding my belongings, spoke with a grim expression.
“Would you like to see him?”
A strange sense of foreboding settled over me.
“…Is he very sick?”
“It’s because of Abigail….”
“Abigail? What do you mean?”
Did something happen to my father because of that automaton maid who once worked in this house?
“The Count used magic to subdue the automaton maids in the mansion, but in the process, he was injured.”
The moment I heard those words, I left my companions on the first floor and rushed upstairs, gripping the hem of my dress tightly.
I burst into my father’s bedroom.
He was lying in bed, covered with a blanket.
“Dad!”
As soon as I called out to him, his eyes, which had been closed in exhaustion, suddenly widened.
“Seraphina!”
“Are you alright?”
Perhaps it was because I had called him ‘Dad’—a title I hadn’t used since childhood—or maybe it was simply because I had returned so unexpectedly.
Either way, my father looked utterly shocked.
“You’ve come back, Seraphina…!”
“Yes, Dad! I made it back safely!”
“You left so suddenly… Do you know how much I worried? Not even a single letter….”
Well, I had been too busy moving from place to place to send letters. And after that, Perez became too contaminated for any letters to be delivered.
Feeling guilty that my father had been so worried, I lowered my head.
“But Dad, are you really unwell?”
“It’s nothing serious. I just hurt my back a little.”
Even as he said that, he winced and clutched his waist in pain. I looked at him with concern.
“When did it start hurting?”
“It’s really nothing….”
“Dad, please tell me the truth.”
At my insistence, he hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
“The automaton maids, led by Abigail, tried to take the servants away to use them as an energy source. I fought to save everyone, and in the process, I was injured…. The physician treated my wounds, but it’s still difficult for me to move around….”
“Dad….”
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Even though I wasn’t the real Seraphina Viviana, I couldn’t remain indifferent to the deep affection he showed me. I reached out and held his hand.
“Seraphina, I actually wished you wouldn’t come back.”
