Hello.
I’m Linda, the Household Assistant Clockwork Doll.
My morning starts early.
First, I open the curtains throughout the mansion to let in the sunlight.
The morning sun will warm up the cold rooms from the night before.
Also, when the sunlight floods in, I can see the dust dancing well.
I open the windows for ventilation and shake off the dust that piled up overnight.
Even though it wasn’t used, I also shake out the bedding and neatly fold it again.
Dust on the floor is first swept up with a broom.
Then, I thoroughly mop the floor, and after that, I polish the furniture with a wet cloth to make it shine.
Dust accumulates on the dishes as well.
Even though the mansion is empty and there’s no one to serve a meal, you never know when the Master or guests might arrive.
I take out all the dishes from the cupboard and carefully wipe them one by one with a soft cloth.
To finish, I maintain the proper humidity with the humidifier and fireplace.
Hmm, perfect.
Thus, the morning cleaning is complete.
But there is still much to do.
As everyone knows, the fuel efficiency of clockwork dolls is not very good.
I need to recharge regularly.
Acquiring and filling the necessary fuel is also a part of my daily routine.
There’s no need to worry even if nobody is around.
The Master prepaid for a year’s worth of fuel.
All I have to do is fill up the fuel delivered every morning at the filling station.
Also, during my morning tasks, there’s laundry and gardening, but…
It seems I won’t need to do either today.
No one has visited at all.
I think it’s time for energy-saving mode.
If I stay awake, time just drags on.
Honestly, I’d like to just turn off until the Master returns.
Presence…
The moment I sit on my exclusive chair.
I hear the sound of someone walking on the grass outside, crunching softly.
It’s a person.
From the footsteps, it seems to be a light-weight woman.
With the tiny sound of jewelry jingling, she must be a noblewoman.
Thump, thump.
“Old man! Come out!”
A crisp, ringing female voice.
From the tone, she’s from the Northern Continent, particularly the northernmost region.
And considering the longer resonance compared to humans, she’s likely from the Beast-folk.
Could she be a royal of Palana?
Although Cern is no longer around, I can’t let her know that.
I have to act like a clockwork doll whose logic circuits are out of whack when others see me.
The success of developing an Artificial Soul is still a secret.
“Have you lost your mind again…? I clearly woke you up last time.”
Bam!
I heard a loud noise as the door bursts open.
Since no one came out, she apparently barged in like nobody’s business!
“Old man! I just wanted to ask you something!”
This is bad.
If she’s a Beast-folk, she must have an extraordinary sense of smell.
The cleaning in the mansion is done, but the garage isn’t finished yet.
I need to send her away quickly before she barges into the garage.
Hurrying out of the chair, I head toward the sound of footsteps.
“Who is it! Ah…”
Shock detected.
The moment I turned the corner.
A sword blade swung toward my neck but stopped just in time.
I almost staggered back in surprise…
Good thing I’m in energy-saving mode.
This state limits the expression of my emotions significantly.
By the way, she truly is a beautiful Beast-folk woman.
With blue fur and wolf ears.
I’m sure of it.
She’s a royal from the Frost lineage of Palana.
Cern is currently absent. Please visit at another time.
“What? Really…”
Ignoring my guidance, she pushed open the bedroom door and showed a disappointed expression.
I told you, he really isn’t here…
It seems my words aren’t convincing enough.
“When will he be back?”
I’m sorry. The input command is not recognized. Please repeat…
“Oh, right. This thing. I forgot it was a logic circuit-challenged tin can from the last time I visited.”
With a bit of a tantrum, she strides toward the door.
Why is she picking a fight after barging in?
If I activate security mode, I feel like I’d get sliced in half, so I decided not to provoke her.
Luckily, it seems she’s willing to leave peacefully.
“I’m sorry for breaking the door. I’ll call a repairman to fix it. But, huh? Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff sniff…”
Just before crossing the threshold.
It looks like she caught a scent of something and started sniffing around.
She’s checking the door.
Then, she sniffs the wall.
“Is this the place?”
She suddenly stopped right in front of me.
At that moment.
I realized too late.
The danger wasn’t just in the garage.
Thinking about it, I hadn’t cleaned myself yet.
“Sniff sniff. What is this smell?”
…
She scanned my entire body before starting to sniff at my hand.
The silver lining is that various smells are mixed on my hand right now.
Just the cleaning tools I touched this morning would add up to a dozen different scents.
No matter how sensitive a Beast-folk’s nose is, it would be hard to distinguish which scent is which.
“Damn. It seems right but I can’t really tell.”
Just when I was about to feel relieved…
A chilling thought suddenly hit me.
My head.
Especially the crown, where things rarely touch.
If I think about recent contacts, there’s only one thing.
The Master’s touch.
“It’s strange. I thought I smelled Yoo Jin, but where could it be?”
This is bad.
The Master told me never to make any connection between him and anyone who pretends intruded.
At this rate, I’m about to get exposed.
Should I pretend it was an accident and open the oil valve to cover the scent?
Such a drastic measure crossed my mind.
“Is it just my imagination…? Maybe I’ve been so lonely lately that I keep thinking I smell Yoo Jin everywhere. It was like that in Elvenguard too.”
Fortunately, the woman shook her head and stepped away from me.
It seems she didn’t think to smell the scent on the crown.
I quietly let out a sigh of relief inside the central processing unit.
“Hmm…”
As she left, the woman lightly pulled up my sleeve.
Then she made a subtle expression before closing the door and leaving.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
The sound of grass crunching faded away, and I checked under the sleeve she pulled up.
Oops.
There were distinct bite marks left in the silicone.
*
There were quite a few unexpected situations, but I successfully wrapped up my schedule in the Clockwork City.
I climbed onto the carriage bound for Basel.
Now, I need to check the letters already at Tay’s workshop as I’m moving the contacts and base to the Clockwork City.
Moreover, I should tell Tay that I don’t need to receive letters anymore.
‘By the way, I don’t have any mana stones to process this time.’
I’m returning to Basel after a long time.
But there are no mana stones to process.
The mana stones I got from this dungeon were already shoved into Longinus’ Spear.
‘Mana stone upgrades have been sluggish lately.’
I’m still using the mana stone I got from Lawrence, the contract holder of Belphegor, all this time.
Of course, I’ve never felt that the mana stone’s performance was lacking.
It still boasts the best performance among the existing mana stones.
Still, I don’t feel an urgent need for an upgrade right now.
If possible, I’d like to obtain a higher-grade mana stone.
‘If capturing the corporeal form of Belphegor is this impressive, how powerful would it be if I captured the original body?’
My goal is the true form of Belphegor.
In the past, when I encountered the Four Heavenly Kings, I feared I couldn’t win.
But now I know.
With the experience accumulated over 12 cycles, various traits, and hidden items, I can overwhelm the Four Heavenly Kings.
The Four Heavenly Kings are also growth types, not perfection types.
At this early stage, I’m at a considerable advantage with the fortune I gathered.
But the reverse is also true; as time goes by, the Four Heavenly Kings grow stronger.
What I swept all the fortunes for essentially means I gained powers that I should have obtained later.
In other words, the gap between the Four Heavenly Kings and me will narrow as time goes by.
I need to wrap things up as soon as possible.
Unless I suddenly awaken my talent as a Great Mage or realize the secrets of martial arts, a miracle isn’t going to happen.
In the latter half, it’s a given that I’d get reversed by the Four Heavenly Kings.
‘It’d be nice if the prophecy from the World Tree about the Four Heavenly Kings would come down.’
Still, with a wide network of information spread across Cologne, Elvenguard, Clockwork City, Palana, and Basel.
If any anomalies are detected, reports will come immediately.
If it’s a sign of activity from the Four Heavenly Kings, I’ll notice it right away.
I simply await the day they get caught in the net.
“But why are you taking so long?”
“…Slurp Slurp.”
I had a feeling that my energy was being drained continuously, so I lifted the blanket.
Mi Jeong is still sucking my blood from my arm.
Has it already been an hour…?
In the past, she would suck blood quickly and finish within 10 minutes.
But these days it feels like she’s taking her time, savoring it.
Is she becoming a gourmet or something?
“…Slurp Suck Squeak. Mmm.”
The problem is, we’re on a carriage packed with people.
That’s why I’ve covered her with a blanket.
I can’t let others see her feeding.
I really hope she finishes soon.
Yet, Mi Jeong keeps her head buried under the blanket.
She’s just happily sucking away at my arm.
“Hey… that’s not… is it?”
“Turn your head. It’s just a cold drink.”
People are glancing this way, and I wonder if I might get caught being a Blood Ghoul.
‘Was it around this time? When I was ambushed by bandits.’
I found the outside scenery rather familiar.
I had been here before.
Last time when I was heading to Basel, I got attacked by bandits here once.
I had a good time dancing with my sword back then…
In retrospect, I should have held back and avoided the commotion.
Drawing attention doesn’t bring anything good.
Notoriety display
[Yoo Jin: 7.75%]
[He is known to a few. His presence is small. Someone is feeling a strong emotion. Someone has complex emotions. Someone possesses a strong desire for ownership. Someone is feeling admiration.]
[Michael Jackson: 1.23%]
[He is known to a few. He is respected.]
[??? : 3.5%]
[He has started to make a name for himself. He is being forgotten.]
Back then, the notoriety that arose from cutting down the bandit horde, [???].
The value of [???] has significantly decreased.
The explanation that it is being forgotten seems to indicate it is continually dwindling.
If this continues, it might vanish soon.
“Stop! Stop! Everyone, get out now!”
Just then, the carriage comes to a screeching halt.
Could it be another attack from bandits?
I tense up and prepare to draw the sword I disguised with a bag around my waist.
But then I realize it’s heavily armed soldiers outside.
It seems it’s just a regular inspection by the Basel guards.
Of course, even regular inspections don’t go quietly for us.
I don’t have a means to prove my identity.
And Mi Jeong is a Blood Ghoul, after all.
No matter where we are caught, we typically end up being interrogated for at least an hour before being released.
“This is such a hassle.”
“…Ugh.”
For now, I pull my hands out from under the blanket and wrap them in bandages.
Mi Jeong looks a little sad, but it can’t be helped.
“Everyone, please show your belongings. If any prohibited items are found, you may be sent back or have them confiscated.”
This will be over soon.
The wireless communication device that looks suspicious and Longinus’ Spear has been disguised as a regular wooden box and pocket watch for a long time.
Since I disguised them using traits rather than magic, there’s no worry about getting caught.
“Hmm… What’s this?”
However, one of the guards rummaging through my belongings picks up a silver piece of metal from a corner.
A silver identification tag.
That’s definitely…
It was the tag from the bandit leader I killed when I was ambushed here.
I had kept it just in case.
“Captain! Here’s the tag of the notorious bandit leader!”
“What?!”
“Oh, shit.”
This is bad.
A one-hour inspection is about to turn into ten hours.
Sensing the disaster, I squeeze my eyes shut.
But the murmurs around me gradually fade away.
When I opened my eyes, I found all the guards kneeling to one side and bowing their heads.
“It’s a royal knight…!”
People lined up for inspection trembled and shouted.
Riding slowly along the mountain path is a knight in full armor on horseback.
Where there should be a family emblem, there’s the flag of the Galia Kingdom.
He slowly approaches and stops right in front of us.
“What’s the commotion here?”
“Sir, it’s just that this person had the tag of a bandit leader we were pursuing—”
“Oh, there’s no need to answer. I merely needed an excuse to talk to this one.”
The knight’s gaze remains fixated on Mi Jeong.
He then raises his helmet and reveals his face.
“It’s good to see familiar faces.”
With a complexion so pale it’s almost white.
Red eyes.
The knight, grinning and extending a hand for a handshake, is undoubtedly…
“A Blood Ghoul.”
