Naming

"Why..."

"What?! Why?!"

As Gordes was contemplating his next treatment plan, he turned around and found a blank-faced android woman standing next to him.

"Why? You clearly only saw us as simple props from the beginning."

The androids knew this. Although Gordes wasn't as extreme as Selenike, who sacrificed the androids at will, and Roche, who often used them as experimental subjects, he still treated the androids as mere props and batteries.

"Even if it's a prop, it shouldn't be wasted on meaningless 'losses'!"

Gordes responded impatiently to the question about the androids. Although Gordes himself didn't understand why he had suddenly stepped forward, witnessing "life" vanish before his eyes always filled him with a strange, inexplicable anger.

"All you've mastered are healing Magecraft for external injuries and basic resistance to mental manipulation. In any case, I haven't taught you how to treat underdeveloped respiratory organs. Of course, you won't know how to use things you haven't been taught."

"... That's indeed the case."

"This is what you were talking about, right?"

Rider's Master ran back, panting, holding a device that resembled an oxygen concentrator.

"This is it, bring it here."

As he spoke, Gordes snatched the item. He then glanced at Rider's Master: "You're not a combat-type android, and you already have physical defects. I don't understand how you've survived this long, but if you don't want to fall before the final battle, you'd better get out of here and sit properly!"

"Oh well..."

Seeing the android obediently hide to one side, Gordes, satisfied, picked up the tool in his hand and turned to the android lying on the ground...

After a flurry of activity, seeing the android girl's complexion had slightly improved, Gordes wiped the sweat from his brow. "Although you'll have to rely on this thing to survive for the rest of your life, at least you've saved your life..."

He then turned to the android still standing there and said, "Since we've gone this far, just take me to the other androids. They're probably just wasting their time anyway."

Upon hearing this, the android blinked in surprise.

"... Is this really okay?"

"If you don't want to, that's fine. But if you're planning to repeat that terrible, clumsy act every time, I won't stop you."

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

Gordes's every word was sarcastic, and he declared with an arrogant attitude:

"Nonsense, who else could you ask if not me? You can't even do something this simple and you expect to survive? You're really overestimating yourselves."

I really want to punch him.

This was the unanimous thought in the minds of all the androids still conscious in the room at this moment, and the android standing next to Gordes, as their leader, indeed did just that.

"Sa... Saber!!!"

Seeing the gleaming, sharp battle axe resting on his shoulder, Gordes trembled and cried out to his Servant for help. As for Saber...

"Seeing how close you two are, I feel relieved."

As she spoke, Saber picked up a roll of bandages from nearby and began to bandage some of the androids who had suffered external injuries.

"You idiot Servant, which eye of yours saw that we're on good terms?!"

"Then, I'll trouble you, Father."

"Stop it! I don't have a daughter as violent as you!!!"

Other--

I recommend a hardcore, action-packed, fighting-filled, visceral novel for young readers.

Kamen Rider, Mission Accomplished!

Synopsis: As a child, I wanted to be a hero because I admired the power of heroes.

Later I learned that being a hero is not easy, so I gave up on becoming everyone's hero.

I started wanting to be a hero to the people I love.

But one day, I realized that I loved too many people.

Friends of the past, friends of the present, friends of the future.

Even if we only met today, even if we will part ways tomorrow, I will still cherish these friends.

Traveling through different worlds, getting to know different people, the boy carrying his dreams is always alone.

Even so, when the cry for salvation is heard, the Kamen Rider will surely arrive.

"So, just you wait and see, my... transformation!"

Kamen Rider, Mission Accomplished!

(The author's writing style is perfectly capable.)

Chapter 271. Naming

"Caster! Here~"

Rider, who was pacing back and forth outside the room, looked up and saw a pale purple figure around the corner, and quickly waved to her. As Medea approached, Rider then noticed a small, thin figure beside her—

"Yo, Jack the Ripper- chan~ Good afternoon~"

Rider bent down and greeted the little girl holding Lily's right hand with a smile. He seemed to have forgotten that on the battlefield not long ago, this seemingly vulnerable girl had almost driven him and Master to the brink of death.

Jack the Ripper responded to Rider in a very open and generous manner:

"Rider, good afternoon."

"Mater seems to have some things to take care of, so I'll be looking after Jack the Ripper for a while..."

After briefly explaining the situation to Rider, Lily asked him, "So, Rider, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry, I almost forgot."

Upon hearing Lily's somewhat curious question, Rider scratched his sideburns, his face still bearing that completely unrepentant smile:

"I need your help with something, Caster. Let's go in first..."

As he spoke, Rider pushed open the door to the room behind him. Just as the thick door cracked open a crack, a voice that wasn't entirely unfamiliar reached Lily and Jack the Ripper's ears—

"Idiot, idiot, idiot! He clearly has internal organ problems, and you're still bandaging his external wounds!"

"This is...?"

Lily glanced at Rider in surprise, but Rider didn't answer. Instead, he pushed the door open with a creak. With a "creak," the entire room was now revealed to Lily:

In the center of the room, a fat figure frowned as he looked at the ashen-faced "patient" before him. After a brief silence, he offered his solution:

"Most of the internal organs are not functioning; they've been switched to a state where Magic Circuit replace organ function. This shouldn't be too difficult for you androids. Next!"

"..."

"The brain's commands are flowing backwards due to a malfunction... For now, consciously think of everything in reverse. Right is left, down is up, and to walk, move your arms up and down. After a month, your brain will get used to it and you can move freely without thinking. Next!"

"That's Saber's Master?"

Although they had only met a few times, Gordes's arrogant and disrespectful image was already deeply ingrained in Lily's mind. Now, suddenly seeing him helping the androids...

Unable to understand what had happened, Lily looked to Rider beside her for confirmation.

"Ah, that's him."

Rider had his hands behind his head, clearly not fond of Gordes.

"Really..."

"Rider, and Miss Caster?"

A sudden sound interrupted what Rider was about to say. The group turned around and found Rider's Master standing behind them, holding a roll of bandages in his hands.

"Master!"

Upon seeing her Master, Rider quickly went to support him, while also complaining, "Master, didn't that guy already tell you to rest more?"

"It's okay..."

Rider's Master gently patted the hand his Servant had on his arm and smiled at him, "I've already consulted Mr. Gordes; as long as it's not excessive, it's fine."

After speaking, Rider's Master turned her gaze to Lily: "I apologize, Miss Caster, for disturbing your rest. I was the one who invited you here. I felt that as Caster, you should have some solutions to the current situation."

Lily scanned the room. Although there were quite a few wounded and disabled androids, the room did not have a gloomy atmosphere. In fact, compared to their indifference during the last war, the androids now seemed to have a kind of "vitality".

The culprit behind all of this was the fat man constantly busy in the center of the room.

"Mr. Gordes may not say it, but he's been busy since this morning."

Ignoring the shouts of "Shut up!" coming from the other side, Rider's Master's eyes were filled with gratitude when he spoke of Gordes.

"That's amazing!"

Lily exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.

"Therefore, Miss Caster, although it may be presumptuous, I would like to ask you if you could lend a helping hand to these androids."

"Sure."

Lily agreed faster than the other party had expected, and Rider's Master bowed gratefully to the girl before him.

"Thank you so much!"

"But..."

"?"

"All I can do is repair the injured androids; as for those with congenital defects..."

Magecraft is not omnipotent; it cannot conjure things out of thin air. If it is necessary to repair or replace defects in an artificial human, then Magecraft with expertise in alchemy is required.

"Let me, the expert, handle this kind of specialized problem!"

After hastily gulping down a bottle of potion to perk himself up, Gordes, who had overheard Lily's conversation, frowned and looked over. "But let me make this clear beforehand, I didn't ask you to come and help."

"Then, those androids who were injured in the battle and are still able to move, please assemble here first."

Ignoring Gordes's awkward expression, the group quickly focused on the treatment in front of them.

"Oh, we want to help too!"

Jack the Ripper, who had been following Lily the whole time, also picked up a roll of bandage and chimed in. Although at first everyone thought that Jack the Ripper was just joking, to everyone's surprise, Jack the Ripper was surprisingly adept at treating external injuries.

As the moon rose higher in the sky, Gordes, having finally finished adjusting the last android, stretched and looked around the room.

Assassin and Caster, who had come to help earlier, had already been taken back to rest by their respective Master. Only Saber, Rider and his Master remained, along with --

A room full of androids

Seeing that the androids, who were previously on the verge of death, could now even walk with the help of other androids, Gordes, though he didn't say anything, couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes.

"Hey, you--"

Gordes glanced smugly at the female android "leader" holding a battle axe. Although she didn't speak, her smugness was obvious.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the android offered its assessment:

"Although you are arrogant and easily carried away with your pride, and are utterly hopeless as a human being, as an alchemist... you're not so bad."

"You bastard... don't you have any other explanation?"

"No!"

After receiving the android's crisp and decisive answer, Gordes gritted his teeth.

But when his gaze shifted to the gleaming battle axe in the android's hand, he decided not to stoop to her level.

"Forget it, I don't have time to discuss such boring topics with you right now. You... it's really troublesome to call me that. Why don't you two just give yourselves an easy-to-pronounce name?"

"Oh--"

After hearing Gordes's words, the android's perpetually indifferent expression finally softened, and he replied in a tone that could barely be described as "happy":