Everything went black. By the time I regained consciousness, I found myself in an unfamiliar place. My body, which had once been destroyed, was now reconstructed—fortified with an unknown type of metal. But the most drastic change was something else entirely. I looked… human.
As I sat up from the bed I had been placed on, my gaze landed on a girl standing in the corner of the dimly lit room. She was slender, with long, flowing hair and eyes as black as the abyss. Yet, the sheer intensity of the mana radiating from her was nothing short of terrifying.
"So, you're finally awake, huh? For a robot, you sure took your sweet time." Her voice was laced with impatience.
"A… robot? I'm not familiar with that term," I responded.
She narrowed her eyes. "Wait a second… What year is it?"
"If I'm correct… it should be the year 1491," I said hesitantly.
"Oh. Well, I may have slightly overestimated how long it would take to escape from that place." She let out a sigh.
"So, uh… who exactly are you?" I asked, still disoriented.
"Oh, shit—did I forget to introduce myself? My name's Liz. And since I was the one who rebuilt you, that basically means I own you. So from now on, you'll be following my orders. Sounds good?"
"Following your orders? But my mission has always been to eliminate the A-rank devil—"
"First of all, you should be more grateful for the upgrades I gave you. I even broke a damn nail working on you," Liz interjected, inspecting her fingers with mild annoyance. "Not to mention, I granted you the ability to use magic."
"W-wait, what?! Magic? That shouldn't be possible! Only living beings can generate mana!"
"Well, that's none of your concern, now is it?" she said with a smirk.
I clenched my fists. If I refused to comply, she would surely kill me. "Alright, alright. I won't ask any more questions. I'll obey."
Liz nodded approvingly. "Now that you understand your place, listen carefully. Your original mission remains unchanged—you'll track down the A-rank devil known as Lain."
"W-wait! Then why did you make such a big deal when I said I was going to do that?!"
Liz's expression darkened. "Don't you dare interrupt me while I'm speaking, you little shit." Her voice was sharp enough to cut through steel. "As I was saying—you're not going to kill her. You're going to capture her. Alive. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am! I'll make sure of it!"
"Good." She tossed a worn-out piece of parchment onto the bed beside me. "Here's a map. It should help you navigate your way to Brandoz. Though, fair warning—it's from when I was a kid, so don't expect it to be entirely accurate."
"T-thank you, ma'am."
"Now that you know your mission—get the hell out of my house. I'm not running a charity here."
"W-what?! Already? At least let me recharge my battery!"
Liz rolled her eyes. "Your upgrades allow you to absorb energy from sunlight. Like a solar panel."
"A solar panel…? I've never heard of such a thing. Are you some kind of inventor?"
She shot me an irritated glare. I quickly took that as my cue to leave.
"Okay, uhh… I'll be on my way now," I said, inching toward the door.
"Good. I expect you to capture Lain within a week. If you don't…" Her lips curled into a cruel smile. "I'll shut you down. Permanently."
"A week?! That's an utterly unreasonable time frame!"
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
I swallowed hard. "N-no! I understand! I'll complete the mission within a week!"
"Good. Now get out of my sight. You're wasting my time."
"R-right! See you, ma'am!" I stammered before hurrying out the door.