Robot Protection Zone Chapter 70

I got into an unfamiliar car.

Enoch’s owner, Amy, had kindly invited me to her home when she heard I needed to charge. As we drove, my eyes kept meeting those of the little girl smiling brightly through the rearview mirror.

Thankfully, it seems she doesn’t dislike me… I awkwardly smiled back, managing a small grin of my own.

After driving down a road densely lined with trees, we soon arrived at a massive mansion nestled in the forest. Its magnificent yet classic exterior made it look like a home where nobles of old might have lived.

I got out of the car and looked around at the mansion’s exterior. A place like this must be home to a large family… I resolved to charge up quietly and leave without causing any trouble, and prepared to greet them.

First impressions are important. I looked down at myself to straighten my clothes, but my eyes fell on my mud-stained outfit and filthy fingertips.

My expression darkened as I took in my shabby appearance. Looking like this… I’ll definitely be kicked out.

Enoch was only being kind to me because I was a fellow HumanBot, and Amy was just too young to be wary. But in the eyes of ordinary people, I was surely not someone they would want to let into their home.

With a heart full of trepidation, I entered the house, but an unusually quiet silence flowed through the interior. Feeling that something was odd, I glanced around. However, I couldn’t sense anyone’s presence anywhere.

Thinking it was strange, I asked cautiously.

“Where is everyone else?”

“The master’s parents passed away in an accident a few years ago, so now it’s just the Master and me living here.”

“Just the two of you in this huge place?”

“Yes. It is large for two people, but I didn’t want the young Master to leave the one place that still holds memories of her parents.”

“Ah…”

I could understand that feeling.

If I had woken up alone in my former master’s house, I probably would have never been able to leave it for the rest of my life. The house would have been filled with things that held memories of my master, and I would have lived each day soaked in longing. I might have never left that spot until my lifespan ran out.

But Mr. William had reached his hand out to me. Because Mr. William, who looked just like my former master, had guided me, I was able to step out into a new world.

Although now, I was on my way back to my former master’s house to turn off my power.

“Could you please wait here for a moment? I will be back with a charger.”

“Yes.”

Enoch, who had guided me inside, took Amy’s hand and quietly left.

After they were gone, I sat on the sofa and looked around the interior. Is this the drawing room? It had a quiet and cozy atmosphere. The sofa I sat on was so plush and soft, it felt like I was floating on a cloud.

How long has it been since I’ve felt this kind of comfort…

I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. My exhausted body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, and my battery was perilously close to empty. It felt like my power would shut off if I relaxed even a little, so I had to desperately cling to my fading consciousness.

“Didi, have you been waiting long…”

Returning to the drawing room, I could feel Enoch pause, as if he had spotted me with my eyes closed. Hearing his voice trail off, I hurriedly opened my eyes.

After confirming my movement, Enoch, who had a surprised expression, showed a look of relief. It seemed he thought my power had turned off.

“I’m sorry. The sofa was so comfortable that I… without realizing…”

“You must be very tired. I will show you to the guest room, so it would be best for you to rest there.”

“Yes…”

Unable to hide my embarrassed expression, I followed Enoch.

Enoch guided me to a guest bedroom. I was about to start charging the moment he handed me the charger, as it felt like my power could go out at any second, but Enoch gave me a set of clean clothes.

“I thought you might need these, so I brought a change of clothes.”

“Thank you.”

As I took the clothes from his hands, I fell into a moment of contemplation.

My battery is so low it feels like I could shut down at any moment… but with these clean clothes in front of me, I want to shed the dirty ones caked in dust and mud.

It should be okay if I wash up quickly, right?

As soon as Enoch left, I went into the bathroom right next to me and turned on the water. The warm stream flowed down over my head, slowly washing away all the grime from my body.

It was the first bath I’d had since leaving the house. I didn’t try to avoid the water streaming down my face, savoring its warmth.

“Come to think of it, how long has it been since I left the house…”

At some point, I had even stopped counting the days. I only vaguely remembered that a month had passed.

By now, Master must have noticed that I’ve left. Even if he hadn’t returned home yet, he seemed to be in touch with Sophia from time to time, so he would have heard the report from her.

I wondered how Master reacted when he found out I had disappeared.

I… I don’t know. He said he had a new lover, so maybe he was relieved that my troublesome existence was gone.

My purpose has now been served. Although I wasn’t able to help with Master’s original goal of restoring a HumanBot, I did contribute enough to promoting that new humanoid product. I suppose Master was satisfied with that much.

I wonder if Sophia and Eve are doing well…

I had left home without even saying goodbye to Eve. I could only hope that Eve wasn’t too upset when she came home and realized I was gone.

“……”

I hung my head gloomily.

The years I had spent with Master felt like a lie. Looking back on it now after time has passed, it just feels like I had a brief dream.

Meeting a new master, falling in love again… even though it was all my own misunderstanding, I was still happy. But now, I was just so exhausted that I wanted to rest in eternal darkness.

The strength drained from my body. Suddenly, my vision flickered. I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the warm water flowing down my cheeks.

“…Ah!”

Gasp! I snapped back to my senses. That time, my power had almost gone out for real.

Realizing that my shutdown was imminent, I hastily dried myself off and came out of the bathroom. A pleasant scent was finally wafting from my body. After changing into the clean new clothes, I sat down on the edge of the plush bed. Then, I connected the charger to the back of my neck and began to charge.

“Ah…”

It was my first charge in a long time. It felt like an empty vessel being filled. I let out a satisfied sound and flopped down onto the bed.

My weary body was so heavy I couldn’t move a single finger. As I entrusted my body to the soft bed, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Come to think of it, it’s been a really long time since I’ve slept with a ceiling over my head…

As I recognized that I was indoors, a strange sense of relief washed over me. I took a small, steadying breath and closed my eyes. And then…

I drifted off.

“Didi.”

How much time had passed? My body was shaken gently as someone woke me.

As I awoke dimly from my sleep, I slowly lifted my eyelids. I saw a shadow shaking me awake carefully.

“Master…?”

I blinked and mumbled softly.

But soon, my vision focused, and I saw wheat-blond hair and clear emerald eyes. Belatedly realizing the man before me was Enoch, I found myself, without meaning to, a little disappointed.

“I know you’re tired, but let’s eat dinner and you can finish charging.”

“Dinner?”

Dinner? Hearing Enoch’s words, I looked out the window in surprise. The sky had already grown dark. It had definitely been midday, but I had slept straight through until night.

Come to think of it, my body felt as light as a feather. I raised my hand and felt the back of my neck. I must not have even tossed and turned in my sleep, because the charger was still neatly attached. I wasn’t fully charged yet, but it seemed there was no risk of my power shutting off for a while.

I followed Enoch to the dining room.

Now that I had enough battery, I had the leisure to look around. Just as it looked from the outside, the place was unusually large. It was so big that it took a long time just to get from the guest room to the dining room.

When we arrived at the dining room, the first thing that caught my eye was the long table placed in the center. At the end of it sat Enoch’s young owner, Amy.

“Didi!”

Amy called to me with a welcoming face. Her bright eyes sparkled as they turned to me. It was the same pure, curious gaze she had given me in the car the whole way here.

I entered the dining room and sat in the seat Enoch guided me to. The table was incredibly long, but the three of us sat huddled together on one side.