LGHTNOVELBOOK Ch 16 - Not a Person, but a Tool
**Chapter 16. Not a Person, but a Tool**
Echidna Philiaz.
Age: Unknown.
Though originally part of Philiaz, she was expelled by her sisters for ideological differences.
Reason for expulsion: Obsessed with good-looking guys and falls in love at first sight way too easily.
She had messy black hair, dark circles that made her look like she wore goth makeup, black lipstick, and skin so pale it seemed like it had never seen sunlight.
She gave off the typical eerie vibe of a witch.
If she just stayed still, you might think she could pass as a beauty, but that witch-like aura ruined everything.
So, does she seem like a stereotypical witch?
“Hi there! I’m Echidnaaa~!”
Her childlike speech completely shattered any witchy atmosphere she might’ve had.
“Ehehe…”
She smiled as if trying to seem friendly, but it came across so awkward that it only added to her creepy vibe.
Everything about her made it difficult for her to fit in with normal people.
When she saw Jed, she agreed to everything without hesitation.
But they still needed to explain the work to her, so Ferda entered her witch’s hut to speak with her face-to-face.
“You agreed to everything without even knowing what the job is about, huh?”
“Nope, but it doesn’t matter.”
Echidna’s dark pupils rippled like the surface of a stormy sea.
“B-Because getting to be around such handsome men and a cute young lady makes me so, so happy… Ehehehe. I’ll be your dog if you want!”
Her voice gradually took on the manic energy typical of witches.
Ruri frowned, and even Jed felt uneasy, shrinking back a little.
The only one who remained calm was Ferda.
“Echidna Philiaz. You make golems, right?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, I do. But why?”
“Would you be able to carry out your golem production at Balderova Castle for us?”
“O-Of course I can. Sure, sure, sure! Hehe. I’ll be your dog. Woof woof!”
She kept agreeing enthusiastically without asking a single question.
Even Ferda found her excessive compliance unsettling.
‘I thought she’d be a bit better in the past, but she’s even worse at this point.’
When Ferda first met her, she had at least been more collected than this—now she was a complete mess.
“Ferda-nim,” Ruri said, poking his side with her elbow.
“Did you really go through all this trouble to find a golem-making nutjob?”
“Uhm… I can hear you, you know?”
“Yes, just a golem maker,” Ferda replied matter-of-factly.
“I said I can hear you!”
A golem: a giant construct made of mud or rocks. It can barely move beyond simple walking, and aside from its durability and size, it’s practically a corpse.
The phrase “you’re as useless as a golem” wasn’t coined for no reason.
“Do you have any golems you’ve made right now?”
“Huh? Oh, well, I do, but… it’s not quite finished, so it’s a bit embarrassing to show…”
“That doesn’t matter. I won’t be embarrassed for you.”
“A-Ah, in that case… I’ll show you!”
Echidna clapped her hands.
Suddenly, a wardrobe swung open, and something popped out from inside—a wooden puppet shaped like a muscular man.
It had huge, glittering eyes that looked like they could shoot out beams of light, sharp lips, and a body that seemed like something a child would imagine a prince to have.
Seeing the trio’s silent stare, Echidna squirmed in embarrassment.
“Ehehe… It’s not done yet, so it’s kinda embarrassing…”
“I guess you’ll need to touch up the face a bit,” Ferda said.
“No, the doll itself is finished.”
“…This is finished?”
Jed couldn’t hide his disbelief.
That thing was supposed to be complete?
The golem creaked as it stepped outside and slowly turned its wooden face to glance at Echidna.
She smiled sweetly at it.
*Creaaak, creaaak.*
The wooden golem moved stiffly as it walked toward the cupboard and began making tea.
The surprising part? It didn’t just grab any random item—it picked out the exact thing it needed from the cupboard.
“There are a ton of teas in the cupboard. Why’d it grab that one specifically?”
“Well, you see, how it works is… um, uh, oh, this is a boring explanation, so I’ll just—uh, wait, um…”
Echidna fidgeted nervously, clenching her fists and stomping her feet as she struggled to find her words.
Seeing this, Ferda opened his mouth to explain for her, but—
“Wait, hold on. I think I’ve got this!”
It took her three minutes just to gather her thoughts, all while sweating profusely.
Finally, she managed to say:
“In simple terms, the golem reads my mood and picks the tea I like! Since I’m in a good mood today, it picked Darjeeling.”
“…The golem…?”
Ruri asked in disbelief.
Echidna scratched the back of her head, looking bashful.
“Ehehe. I’ve always wanted to make something like this. So I’ve been working on creating new magic!”
“Creating new magic… So that means you’re drawing runes yourself?”
“Yup, that’s right, little lady! I studied *sooo* much for it!”
Even Ruri, who usually looked down on humans, couldn’t help but feel a tinge of admiration this time.
To craft a proper magic circle, one had to condense its meaning into symbols, a process called *rune-making.*
And the number of rune-makers across the entire Serdes continent didn’t even reach ten—it was a craft for true masters.
Echidna wasn’t just some gloomy witch or a simple golem maker.
She was a *rune maker,* a witch who wielded the power to create magic itself.
Ruri glanced back at Ferda.
Unlike the disdain she initially had, there was now a sense of awe in her gaze.
“How do you even know people like this?”
“I just happened to meet them,” Ferda replied.
Of course, the reason she had stuck in his memory was fueled by annoyance and frustration.
She was one of those people who wasted her incredible talent.
‘I almost coughed up blood over her.’
Echidna Philiaz had an obsession with handsome men that was borderline insane.
To the point where that obsession had led her to the Red Circle.
But her eerie witchiness and abysmal social skills had left her in such a bad place that she couldn’t even meet any men.
Instead of improving her personality or overcoming her witch-like aura, she had come to a ridiculous conclusion:
*If I can’t date someone, I’ll just make my own boyfriend.*
Unlike other witches who would taxidermy their targets or turn them into puppets, Echidna, with her half-human, half-witch way of thinking, decided to create human-like beings with golems.
Her efforts led her to master command magic and rune-making, earning her the title of rune-maker.
‘Even as an archmage, I couldn’t master rune-making, but she learned it… just to make a boyfriend.’
Ferda felt like coughing up blood just thinking about it.
She had developed a world-changing skill, only to use it for something as trivial as creating a boyfriend.
‘Still, thanks to her, I realized that creating golem soldiers capable of responding to flexible command structures isn’t impossible.’
The pinnacle of alchemy: artificial beings, or homunculi.
While they could learn tasks and handle areas where humans couldn’t perform, they had limitations, such as limited production and a lack of complete control.
Meanwhile, golems could be mass-produced but lacked the ability to execute complex movements or commands.
Echidna’s golems, however, combined the strengths of both, creating something entirely new.
‘It won’t be impossible to drive out the monsters on the eastern front with these.’
Her methods could revolutionize magical engineering, rivaling even the achievements of Marquis Vernell.
“Well, it seems everything’s settled. Let me give you your appointment letter.”
“A-Appointment letter?”
“You’ll be Balderova’s chief researcher. There’s already another chief researcher, but you two work in different fields, so there shouldn’t be any conflict.”
“Oh, I see!”
At the mention of another person, her dark eyes shifted nervously before she shyly asked:
“Uh… Is it a man?”
Ferda nodded.
Her flushed face and fidgeting fingers betrayed her excitement.
“A man,” he confirmed.
“Uh… Is he… good-looking?”
Echidna’s eyes sparkled as if this was the most important question of all.
“He’s an ordinary scholar with glasses.”
“Oh, I see. Well, that’s fine… I guess.”
Echidna looked disappointed as her gaze flicked over to Jed.
Being a natural flirt, Jed reflexively flashed her a polite smile.
“Ehehe, ehehehe…”
That creepy vibe of hers made Jed’s face stiffen more and more.
He wanted to back away, but there was nowhere to retreat.
“Can you leave right away? Or do you need time to prepare?”
“Nope! Thanks to my spatial storage magic, I can just pack everything and go right now. Hehe…”
Spatial storage magic was a 5th-tier spell.
This meant she was at least a 5th-circle mage.
And that her obsession with handsome men was no joke.
“Perfect. Take the carriage and head to Balderova Castle with the others.”
Jed turned his head sharply and asked, “Aren’t you coming with us?”
“There’s one more person I need to recruit.”
“Then I’ll go with you. I’m your attendant, after all.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“No, seriously… let me come along.”
Jed smiled awkwardly, clearly desperate.
“Please. Let me go with you.”
The way he said *please* carried so much emotion.
It was obvious he was begging Ferda not to leave him alone with *that woman*.
‘No way in hell.’
Ferda knew the truth.
The future version of Echidna would eventually create a completed golem.
And that golem would take the form of Jed Swallow.
What made Echidna fall so hopelessly in love was none other than Jed Swallow’s looks.
‘That’s why I have to keep them together for now.’
To tone down Echidna’s obsession, Jed had to stick around.
What the consequences of that obsession might bring to Jed’s future was unclear.
And honestly, Ferda didn’t care.
He’d deal with it on his own.
—
And so, Ferda successfully recruited three key talents.
The pioneer of magical engineering, Marquis Vernell.
The infamous thief, Jed Swallow.
The rune-maker, Echidna Philiaz.
And the last remaining individual was…
“The Sage of Water, Helus Povidas.”
Among the previously mentioned names, Helus was the only one Ruri was familiar with.
In his mid-40s, Helus was a late-blooming mage.
However, his sharp intelligence and insight earned him the title of *Sage of Water* because he could see through anything with his wisdom.
He lived in a rural village in a mansion he’d built for himself, following a philosophy of detachment and neutrality.
He refused to associate with any faction, firmly holding to his belief that he must always remain near water.
“This is the man who refused even a fortune from the Arken Empire. So how do you plan to convince someone like that?”
At this point, Ferda’s recruitment record stood at 2 successes and 1 pending.
This time, since they already knew about Helus, it seemed easier to predict what might happen.
Ruri, however, was skeptical that Ferda could convince him.
‘He’s not the type to respond to authority or threats… I’m curious what sort of wild idea Ferda has this time.’
She couldn’t help but feel intrigued.
Ferda responded calmly, “The Sage of Water isn’t my target.”
Ruri frowned.
“Then why are we here? You even wrote *Sage of Water* on the recruitment list and came all the way to his house, only to say he’s not your target?”
“The name I’m looking for isn’t listed. I just used *Helus Povidas* as a placeholder.”
“So you tricked me?”
Ruri narrowed her eyes, glaring at him with a venomous expression.
“Only half.”
Ferda glanced up at the mansion.
The windows were wide open, and the servants’ backdoor was slightly ajar.
As he observed, Ferda asked, “Where do ordinary village women usually do laundry?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
Ferda gave her a once-over, scanning her from head to toe.
There stood a girl in a maid’s outfit, her face blank as usual.
“You’re a maid, aren’t you?”
“Maid work has its levels. I solve everything with magic—I’m not some kid banging laundry against a rock in a stream.”
“The stream, huh. Thanks for the tip.”
Taking her *non-advice*, Ferda headed for the stream.
As Ruri had unintentionally suggested, it wasn’t hard to find.
“You useless little idiot! You can’t even do this properly!?”
The sound of water flowing quietly was interrupted by the sharp voice of a middle-aged woman shouting insults.
At the stream, a plump middle-aged woman and a skinny girl stood together.
Both were dressed far too neatly for typical villagers, making it obvious they served a noble family.
The middle-aged woman poked at the girl’s laundry with her finger, yelling furiously.
“If you beat the laundry and wring it out, you’re supposed to put it in the basket! Why do I have to tell you every single time? Beat it! Wring it! Put it away! Got it!?”
The blonde-haired girl timidly nodded her head.
“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m stuck teaching a fool like you! What did I do to deserve this kind of punishment… ugh!”
The older maid clutched her chest dramatically and grimaced.
The girl, however, didn’t look frightened.
With empty eyes, she simply stared at the laundry, quietly continuing to do as she was told.
“A troublemaker, huh?”
The older maid jumped in surprise and stood up when she heard the voice.
Her sharp eyes quickly scanned Ferda before she forced a smile onto her face.
“Oh my, my Lord! My apologies for showing you such an unsightly scene. Haha. I was just raising my voice a little while teaching this dull servant of ours…”
“Was that teaching?”
“Of course, my Lord. You wouldn’t understand, but you have to shock someone like this for them to get it. That’s the only way they’ll learn.”
Ferda glanced at the girl.
Propping his chin on his hand, he let out a small hum.
“Hmm. That didn’t look like teaching to me. It just looked like you were venting your frustrations. Besides, I don’t see why this kid even needs to be taught.”
“What… what do you mean by that?”
“Don’t you think your instructions might be the problem?”
The older maid blinked in confusion.
“Pardon me, my Lord, but I don’t quite understand…”
“From what I saw and heard, you told her to beat and wring out the laundry. But you didn’t explain where to put it afterward. If you’d just told her that, she would’ve done the job without issue.”
“Oh, do I really have to explain every little thing? A person should have some common sense and learn how to use it! But this girl is just so stupid…”
The maid shot a glare at the girl, who continued to knead the laundry as if the conversation didn’t concern her.
“Exactly. Your problem is that you see her as a person.”
“Excuse me? Are you saying she’s not a person but a tool or something?”
“If you thought of her as a tool rather than a person, things would’ve been different. Expecting a tool to think on its own is asking too much, don’t you think?”
The maid looked confused, clearly not understanding what Ferda meant.
Even Ruri, who had been listening quietly, didn’t seem to grasp his words.
“What kind of tool eats and sleeps? If she’s a tool, she should be thrown in the shed or tossed out entirely…”
“Then why haven’t you thrown her out?”
“Do you think that’s possible? She’s someone the Sage of Water cares about.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Who knows where he picked up this stray mutt of a girl…”
The older maid continued to grumble and curse non-stop.
Ferda listened calmly before finally asking, “If you dislike her that much but can’t get rid of her, why don’t you just hand her over to me?”