Does the Assassin Girl Dream of the Mana Doll?

That Doll, It’s Dangerous

“You can eat?” Letty asked curiously, placing her backpack on the ground and rummaging through it. She pulled out some preserved food—hard, long-lasting bread, nutritious nuts, and similar items—and handed them over to Ellie.

“Oh, thank you so much! Well, I do consume food in a way, but it’s different from how humans eat…”

She went on to explain a magical device she possessed called a void generator, which created a pocket dimension within her body. Anything thrown into it would be compressed and annihilated due to intense pressure. The magic essence of the substance would then be extracted in a pure energy state, which she converted into mana for her own use.

“If you can eat anything then…”

“Yes, as long as it can pass through my mouth and throat, almost anything is fine, even pebbles. Though they don’t look appetizing and have an odd taste. I’d rather avoid eating them,” Ellie explained, taking a bite of the hard bread. “This pitiful bread, too, has an unpleasant taste I’d rather evade…”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to endure it.”

“When I come to the surface, I’ll indulge in lots of delicious food!” Ellie exclaimed, her eyes almost welling up with tears as she nibbled on the bread, gradually consuming it.

Letty silently observed the scene and muttered, “But do you have the money?”

Ellie abruptly halted, and with a creaking sound, reminiscent of a rusty hinge, she turned her head towards Letty, her voice sounding teary. “Umm, do I get paid…?”

Letty let out a sigh. “That’s fair… But I don’t have that much money either, you know?”

“Now, now, energy replenishment is complete. We can leave whenever you’re ready!” Ellie broke the painful silence, her voice raised as she stood up.

Letty also rose to her feet, packing her belongings. “You’re not going to suggest something like ‘we need to bury the bodies,’ right?”

“Ah… I’ve been in the military several times, so I know how troublesome and time-consuming burials can be. Especially in a place like this, and besides, there’s no one left here… They appear to be enemies as well.”

Noticing the slightly curious tone in Ellie’s voice, Letty answered with a wry smile. After a brief nod, she walked alongside Ellie towards the door. The four motionless bodies bid them farewell.

“Ellie, you’ll take the frontline. It’s easier to secure firing lanes that way, right?”

“Yes, I can’t risk exposing my important master to danger by placing her at the front!” Ellie responded earnestly.

“Y-yes… I understand. In that case, I’ll guard the rear and the flanks and respond to ambushes.” Feeling a slight awkwardness from Ellie’s passionate declaration, Letty averted her gaze.

With a determined exhale, she couldn’t help but wonder why such a ‘mechanism’ was present—a somewhat out-of-place question.

Without hesitation, she drew her shortsword and positioned herself in front of the door. Murmuring a quiet incantation, accompanied by a subtle surge of mana, she cast a spell to detect enemies. Though the accuracy was somewhat diminished due to the door, it still provided the necessary information.

“Just outside the door, there should be a male corpse. And approximately 10 meters ahead, we should encounter the first enemy,” Letty relayed.

Ellie wore a puzzled expression. “I wish I had learned such subtle magic,” she mused.

“I’ve heard about it before… Was it the same in your era?”

Releasing a slight sigh, Letty stepped aside, granting Ellie the leading position in front of the door. Their expressions grew serious as they shared a brief glance, and upon noticing Letty’s approving nod, Ellie opened the door and stepped forward.

Ahead, at the end of the wide corridor where five people could comfortably walk side by side, a T-shaped intersection came into view. A massive silhouette loomed, catching their attention.

“Ellie, there’s an enemy presence at that corner. It’s probably an iron golem.”

“Understood!” she responded and stride forward confidently, undeterred by the revelation.

“W-wait, Ellie?!” Startled by her unexpected action, Letty hurriedly followed, maintaining a vigilant stance.

Their footsteps echoed down the corridor as the colossal form of the iron golem emerged from around the corner.

Recognizing its unmistakable shape, Ellie’s face displayed a knowing expression as she began to speak, “Under the authority of mana doll, eliminator identification number 739, I command you to halt immediately…”

“Hm? I suppose it doesn’t work after all.” As Ellie extended her hand towards the golem, a faint buzzing sound accompanied by a pale blue glow emanated from it.

In response, the golem’s head momentarily lit up in blue before swiftly transitioning to a blinking red light. It became clear to Letty that the golem was malfunctioning and rejecting the commands.

Ellie took a deep breath, allowing mana to gather in the palm of her hand. Once it had amassed to a sufficient degree…

“Mana Blaster.”

With those words, the accumulated light in Ellie’s palm erupted outward with tremendous force. The surging light instantly found its target, rushing towards the iron golem like a raging torrent before bursting.

An echoing metallic sound, resembling the shattering of something thick and hard, filled the air. After a while, as the torrent of light subsided, the remains of the iron golem, with its upper body completely obliterated, collapsed to the ground.

“Is this… your power?” Letty asked, her face mirroring surprise and confusion.

“Yes, it’s the Mana Blaster. What do you think?” Ellie responded with a cheerful smile, but Letty could only offer a perplexed expression. It wasn’t what she had expected, and her confusion was evident.

“Well, I didn’t claim to be the tactics class for nothing. But…” Ellie’s confident expression suddenly shifted to a slightly melancholic one as she approached the remnants of the golem.

She gently touched its surface. “This golem was indeed part of the facility’s defense system. But it didn’t respond to my commands.”

Ellie raised her head, her gaze shifting from the ceiling to the walls, squinting her eyes. “I recognize this ceiling and these walls. The lights are dim, and there’s hardly any paint left but there used to be signs and instructions here.”

She pointed at the wall, revealing scratches that could have been made by monsters, but there were no recognizable characters. It was completely blank.

“It’s really been 1,500 years, huh… I still find it hard to believe,” Ellie murmured, her words trailing off.

Letty struggled to find the right words to respond. The atmosphere was indescribable, filled with a sense of loss and the weight of time.

After a moment of silence, Ellie spoke up again, her voice tinged with resignation. “There’s no point dwelling on it, I suppose. I’m still here, functioning, and I have a new master to serve.”

Though her enthusiasm was diminished, Ellie mustered a smile, doing her best to maintain a positive outlook. Letty could only offer a troubled expression in return. It was evident that her facial expressions were not functioning properly.

“It’s a bit late, but are you okay with accompanying me? I’m not from the imperial, so…”

“It’s fine. You have proper authorization from the system. That means I can assist you. Perhaps there’s some trace of the past in your blood, Letty-san.”

Pausing for a moment, Ellie gazed intently. “Moreover, Letty-san, you’re a wonderful master. I can sense it. I truly can, I just know!” She spoke with a warm smile.

Oh no, that’s not right. I don’t want to display this kind of expression. My face remains stiff. No, what kind of expression do I want to show? Have I ever pondered that?

“I understand. Ellie, from now on, I’ll always be by your side…” Saying that, Letty gently took hold of Ellie’s hand. The hand that had been trembling slightly ceased its shaking upon the touch. No, it was frozen. “Ellie?”

“Huh?! Um… Ah, is this really the truth, Letty-san? How many hearts have you led astray before? You’re so mean!”

“I feel like I’m being treated very unfairly here…”

In response, Ellie tightly gripped Letty’s hand, a playful grin adorning her face. “I knew it. Letty-san, you’re a wonderful master!”

“I’m not entirely convinced…” For some reason, Letty couldn’t meet Ellie’s gaze and looked away.

Is this the second time this has happened? It’s strange how I feel in moments like these.

“Well then, to make you understand, let’s first find a way out of here and return!”

“Y-Yeah…”

At this rate, it’s hard to tell who the master is. Letty shrugged her shoulders and followed Ellie as they proceeded forward.

***

Author’s Note:

As always, she managed to overcome a dangerous request. She would return to the city, expecting her daily routine to resume.

But “always” is always snatched away unexpectedly.

Up next: Uninvited Guests

And the gears begin to go awry.