-613- Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart

Liverpool.

This is a port city located in the northwest of England, one of the eight core cities in England. It is also one of the five autonomous cities in the metropolitan county of Merseyside and the capital of Merseyside. It is located 325 kilometers northwest of London, and a train journey to London takes less than three hours.

It is a renowned commercial center in the UK and the second largest commercial port. With a broad hinterland, a significant amount of cotton produced in Manchester is shipped from here to various parts of the world. This makes it not only a prominent trading port of the British Empire but also an academic city second only to Cambridge.

In this world, Liverpool is known by another name.

——— "Automaton City."

Even globally, this is the city where Automaton technology is most advanced.

So, if you were to look down from above, you would see a bustling scene in Liverpool, with pedestrians streaming through the city, making the shops and restaurants lively.

In addition to shoe shops, clothing stores, and jewelers, there are shops selling mechanical parts, magic items, and completed automata dolls. You can even see simple Automaton dolls selling bread and snacks.

In other cities, this is a rare sight.

In the sky of this prosperous and developed city, a crow appears to be flying from a distant horizon. It tears through the air with its broad wings and sharp turns, heading towards this city.

The crow is unusually large among all bird species, and as it flies, it scatters brilliant sparkles like sunlight into the air, making it very dazzling.

On closer inspection, this crow has three legs, a species not found anywhere else in the world.

The three-legged crow approaches the Automaton City, Liverpool, and eventually descends straight down towards the street. While spreading its wings, it extends its three legs forward in the air, gradually slowing down. It then effortlessly flips, landing in front of a magnificent building.

In the next moment, the three-legged crow completely transforms into a cloak-like shape and, with a twist, becomes a young man.

The young man is draped in a splendid pitch-black coat, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. His appearance carries both Eastern and Western qualities, resembling a mixed-blood, exceptionally handsome.

In this moment, the young man raises his head and looks at the magnificent building in front of him.

"So, this is the rumored Royal Academy, right?"

The young man mutters to himself.

Standing before him is a grand lecture hall, at first glance, it could even be mistaken for Buckingham Palace.

The brick-built surrounding wall is as high as five meters, and the stone door has gunholes, although these openings seem to be meant not to defend against external enemies but to shoot escaping individuals.

The evidence lies in the vigilant guards' gazes focused not on the street but entirely within the school grounds. Despite the overall conservative appearance, it exudes an imposing aura, much like a military headquarters.

However...

"This is more like a prison than an academy, isn't it?"

The young man remarks somewhat ironically.

Indeed.

Once you enter, regardless of being a student or an automaton, going outside without permission is strictly prohibited. The guards have the authority to execute automatons for such actions.

So, it's not entirely unjust to call it a prison.

"However, strictly speaking, it is still an academy," the young man remarked.

In the flourishing era of clockwork civilization at the beginning of the 20th century, with astonishing advancements in science and technology, humanity established a highly developed magical system.

———"Automaton Magic."

This modern incantation method revolutionized magical concepts, enabling the rapid, precise, and powerful casting of magic through automatons with built-in magic circuits and the puppeteers controlling them.

It eliminated the need for troublesome magic circles and lengthy incantations that previously constrained magus. This innovation was subsequently utilized for military purposes.

For example, in the UK where Liverpool is located, whether in the victory at the Battle of Trafalgar or the Battle of Waterloo, the achievements were greatly attributed to the pride of the UK—the Automaton Guild.

Not only in the UK but globally, in this era saturated with the atmosphere of world wars and the expansion of destructive weapons, the armed forces of major powers were vigorously seeking out talented puppeteers.

In such circumstances, nurturing emerging puppeteers and educating outstanding talents became a nationwide endeavor, almost a historical inevitability.

The institution before us is precisely the result of this development.

———"Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart."

This is the royal academy located in the Automaton City of Liverpool.

Though situated in the UK, it possesses autonomy, allowing outstanding talents from around the world, regardless of nationality, race, or gender, to study. In the present era, this academy stands at the forefront of Automaton technology and is an advanced institution in Automaton magic, attracting talents from all corners of the world. Graduates from here are practically spread across the globe, and upon successful graduation, they become capable officers highly valued by the military.

Nations and enterprises highly regard this advanced educational institution and its resources, continuously providing students and sponsoring exceptional talents to study here.

Even though the tuition for attending this academy is high, it is impossible to afford it with one's own means alone, unless one is a wealthy institution or even a country. Nonetheless, many enterprises and countries spare no effort in sending talents here, despite the substantial costs involved.

Now, the young man has arrived here.

And...

"You should probably get off me now," the young man coldly addressed the "certain luggage" within his coat.

At this moment, there was some movement in the young man's coat.

Specifically, a head peeked out from the coat.

Emerging from the young man's coat was the head of a girl with an exquisitely beautiful face, long straight hair shining black and cascading down like a waterfall, belonging to a stunningly beautiful girl.

However, at this moment, this excessively beautiful girl was tightly wrapped in the young man's coat, embracing the young man's body. She didn't mind the charming and delicate state of her own alluring and fragile body pressing tightly against him. Instead, her face was flushed, and she gazed at the young man with moist eyes.

"Have we arrived? Darling~" the girl said with an overly sweet tone.

However, the young man remained exceptionally indifferent.

"Who's your darling?" the young man responded.

"Don't say that." The girl twisted and turned, seemingly happy yet satisfied, pressing her body even closer to the young man, saying, "Nuragami's embrace is so comfortable and warm. Yaya can't bear it anymore."

"Is that so?" The young man closed his eyes, then with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, said, "Then hurry up and malfunction. Stop using that hand to touch me all over!"

Saying this, the young man suddenly knocked his fist against the girl's head, causing her to cry out in pain, holding her head, and teary-eyed, she crouched down.

The young man sighed.

"This is too much..." This was the young man's only thought.