As the dark slowly fades in the light, I opened my eyes only to see I was standing atop the bed. It felt like a dream, but it wasn’t. I still don’t know what the world of archives can do to me, but it seems that I can take refuge whenever I don’t like this world, and gain knowledge that I don't know.

Perhaps because of my current family and lifestyle here. I didn’t want to leave, no. Even if I leave here, this is the original world. I can’t escape reality even if I want to. Not if I defy the logic and destroy it.

Also I arrived in this world before dawn or it’s almost dawn. However there are still many people in the house that probably checks my room. Hence, I looked around to see if there was something new here, if there was it only means that someone had been here after the [mana zone] block my channel.

Wait, I just realized it… The key for the world of archive is on my neck that only means I can supply the world of archive whenever I am. However I couldn’t do it. Was it because I’m in the world of archive and there’s a certain location that I have to pour into?

I’ll have to investigate it when I return.

If that was the case I could just leave the key of the world of archive in the original world and pour it mana from the original world using clones or dolls. Actually no, that’s stupid. If I leave the key that only means I can’t summon the portal to go back.

While thinking about it, I notice a slight change in my room. I lost my blonde hair doll that has the same appearance of me except for the hair, meanwhile the doll that morph into the Spirit Queen is at the corner of the room, unmoving and staring at the blank space in front of her. Her morph effect seem too ended and reverted to my appearance.

In this view, surely the room was very dark to even notice her. When I came to realize why she was hiding, it seems that someone came into my room and took the blonde hair doll. I immediately scanned the whole building and felt a group of people were gathering at the living room.

In the center of the room, I sense a bickering blue lightning on the floor that is coming to my direction, however it couldn’t make out of the room. Was that a mana line? I observed it more and a figure of one of my dolls was there, laid dead.

!?

They were in sorrow, Frey and Rachael were crying while the priest have their heads down. Should I really ruin the mood for them by simply supplying my blonde doll with mana? Or perhaps this is a great opportunity to escape my family.

No, I can’t. There are still many things that I haven’t learned here in this world. Before even starting at the world of archive, I should start learning here. Even though I have enough knowledge or even though it sounds like an excuse. I don’t want to leave for some reason, no perhaps I just want to live here with a luxurious and peaceful life.

No matter what, I shall have my peace and luxury life for me. Well, I can’t deny that I prioritize knowledge over peaceful life. Aren’t I to being honest? I unconsciously giggled my body.

I started to supply the doll with mana and it rose up from the dead. Everyone in the room was startled because of it. Somehow this feels so entertaining like a show of something.

Suddenly the blonde doll starts to spout out reports for me.

“– This doll have receive mana. Please give me orders my master Steph”

I too, was surprised by it. The people around the blonde doll became rejoices as they came closer to my doll.

“STEPH!!”

“You’re alive!”

Rachael, who was the fastest and has care among them, she leapt to my doll and hugs it tightly. Well shit, this is a complicated mess. How should I do this? Without me able to predict the doll’s next movement because I know that there is no change in her mana line. But it reported.

“– This unit has been considerably damage. Requesting help from main clusters”

Saying so, the silver hair in the corner of the room suddenly starts to move. Hey!!! It startled me even though it’s my doll. The silver hair doll starts to walk towards the blonde doll, she was clad in a black robe like mine. We have similar face and clothes, except that she has a shoulder-length gray hair and her robotic like speech.

Before she could leave the room, I stop her by changing a formula on the mana line to stop.

“– this unit has been considerably damage. Requesting help from the main cluster”

Even though she doesn’t have any damage in her appearance she kept reporting about her damage. Was it mental attack or spiritual attack? What should I do? She kept repeating her speech and while she was doing so, I thought of something.

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded about the blonde doll’s sudden behavior. They voice out with worriedness while Merry goes out the room with dissatisfied expression. It seemed that she plotted something in my doll, or perhaps. But there is no evidence.

“What’s wrong Steph?” Said father with a worried expression.

“Steph?” Rachael says as she let go of my Blonde doll and looks at it in with a worried face

Freya and Daniel was behind Father’s back while they’re tightly grabbing at the hem of their father’s clothes.

What should I do? I didn’t went in panic, there is so many options! But will leave the option of ‘killing them so that there’s no witnesses’ and ‘use large-scale memory sealing magic’ on the trash bin. I don’t want to show off because I’ll stand out! I won’t be enjoying my afternoon reading time! Wait, every time is my reading time.

I tried making the blonde doll to shut herself, but it seems that it cannot receive any mana line nor even change it… Should I make it Self-destruct and use blink? That’s optional… As I brainstorm about the situations in long-term of course Grim suggested.

[Suggestion. Instead of hiding, try to show off]

I was dumbstruck about that idea… Why would I do something for not-worth-it action? And in the long-term people would invite me and take advantage about me. It would become a hassle for me, even though I have power to… Wait… I have power to scare them off… I have power to make them not take advantage of me.

“Would that work?” I ask with a calm voice. “How will affect my future?”  

If I can make them fear me, they might not evolve themselves to me. Even if everyone becomes my enemy, even if everyone is scared about me, even if they banish me, but at the very least I have my peace and my peace alone is enough for me. Although, if I find this world to troublesome, I can just transfer to the world of archive.

As the people in the living room starts to ruckus and the priest are panicking as they try to heal the blonde doll and while the maids starts to murmurs and gives gossips. I listened to Grim’s analyzation.

[97% will work in the long-term, the people will be afraid of you. 2% they will banish you. 1% you’ll be taken advantage]

Should I really follow him? In the first place his just a tool with an intellectual mind. No, I’m a tool too in the first place… I shook my head to cast away my reimaging past.

Well there’s no fail in the analysis, it should be fine right? No, just thinking about it, it can theoretically work because humans have emotions after all…

“Fine. Tell me how should I do it?”

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Inside the living room.

Rachael tears swells up in her eyes and soon to fall from its face, so did Freya. Alusu tightly gripped at his knees through his brownish pants and his trembling self was seen. Even though he's a hero, they didn’t know that losing a daughter was a fatal damage to him. Let alone his wife.

The priest cast their heal attribute and healing magic to the fallen blonde Steph. Although earlier she rose up and said something, but she fell down lifelessly after a few minutes. Steph has stop supply her mana after all.

A cold run to their spines, it has been a few minutes since she fainted. There’s no telling that she’s going to wake up, her heart has stopped beating. Everyone knows that she’s dead, but the father couldn’t accept it, so as Freya and Rachael.

To Rachael, she won’t be able to move on after experiencing that pleasure.

A minute has passed yet still no signs of Steph’s moving. Alusu involuntarily let out a tear from his face, it was unacceptable to him. To think that his daughter would die without giving him a chance to make her recognize him as a father. Perhaps of the piano she played made him remember about his past life.

Her daughter, Steph, the only reminder of his wife… It was unacceptable. With his unbearable sorrow, he gave a punch on the floor, which made the ground to crack and tremor a little.

They look at Alusu with pitiful eyes.

“Shit!” he shouted.

But then, Alusu felt bloodlust from the door and couldn’t help but to withdraw his dagger under his suit. He threw it on the other party’s legs while turning around, the people inside the room was confused by his sudden behavior and just look to where he shot his dagger.

When he turned around he saw Steph, however this Steph has a dark gray shoulder-length hair and a green lifeless eyes. She is not Steph, but she is Steph. The gray Steph cast her gaze downward to where the dagger hit her. She didn’t show signs of pain, not even the slightest change in her expression.

They were confused and couldn’t utter a word except Alusu, he immediately asked.

“Steph!?” He asked with a rush of his voice and came closer to her.

However before he even come near her, Steph averted her gaze to him and all of the sudden they felt their body went numb as their mind went blank. They couldn’t think properly and just gaze at the alluring eyes of Steph.

Even though it was very scary, they couldn’t take their eyes away from hers. Their body trembles in fear as they were being attacked by an unknown pressure, and felt their hearts being tortured by a thousand needles, the pain couldn’t stop.

No matter what they did the aching in their hearts couldn’t stop. Rachael was delighted by her master’s eyes, she couldn’t help but to drool over it. Some maids and butlers have fainted, some couldn’t stand up and kneeled down as they look at Steph’s eyes.

The priest who has bit of conscious on them, they invoke a shield for mental attacks but it didn’t help them. They look at Steph’s eyes with fear running in their bodies. Grey who couldn’t bear to stand kneeled down.

Freya and Daniel fainted on the couch, and right beside them was Linux, who was very terrified but couldn’t stop looking at Steph’s eyes.

Steph look around as if she was looking for something, she then asked a question with cold voice.

“Where’s my doll?”

Alusu couldn’t utter a word, no. Everyone couldn’t utter a word under her pressure. Alusu and Grey who had slayed the demon lord from their hands have felt this kind of pressure, however this one is more powerful than the previous demon lord.

 – It was as if she’s the new demon lord

They didn’t have any movement to shake off that ideas. Steph steps forwards, the pressure becomes stronger. Steph didn’t mind the frozen-in-place Alusu and continued her walk as she suspects something in the middle of the living room.

When Alusu’s eyes couldn’t see Steph’s he went back to normal. But still the fear lingers in his body. He then asked to Steph with a shaking voice.

“Um… Are you Steph?”

Almost immediately, Steph replied without turning back “No, I’m a doll. The main is somewhere far, somewhere near. I don’t know”

Alusu was almost shocked by it, she has to be alive even without evidence. The doll in front of him had said it. She must be alive!  Or so the thought invaded Alusu’s mind. He went relief about it and ask more questions.

“How did you know about the dolls? And how did you get the materials?”

Steph had anticipated that question and replied nonchalant as she was bothered by a thought.

“Books and the maids”

Did he not see the books on floor? Steph questioned in her mind ‘or perhaps it wasn’t him that took my doll? If not, then it must be Merry’

Steph has no evidence about it, but somehow Alusu believes on it. He was easily persuaded by his daughter’s words. He was even confused by what she meant, but he believes it anyways without really knowing further.

Whatever the reason is, Steph continued her cold act. Steph came in front of the doll and ignored the horrified face cast each of their faces. Steph was used to this, being feared, being stoic, and being cold to others. This isn’t something new.

She didn’t do this because of Grim’s suggestion to revive her cold self. It was simply because she wants her peace. She just realizes it too. Whenever a beast came to their world, Steph would eradicate it for the peace of the world.

This was nothing new… She simply needs to terminate the beings that harms her peace, even if it’s a friend or family. After all this is her new life, a new life that isn’t controlled by somebody. A new life that she can fully control them.

‘This is for the best for my peaceful future’ Steph thought coldly.

When she came to her doll she clicks her tongue which made everyone’s body to twitch unconsciously. Even though her eyes weren’t visible to them, they still haven’t recovered like Alusu did. Perhaps fighting the demon lord made him this strong like no other.

“– A unit has been found damage, retrieval and repair is needed. Requesting retrieval help from the main group cluster” Steph said with a cold robotic voice.

It was clearly seen that she was angry. A conclusion came to Alusu ‘Perhaps she’s angry about her damage dolls… Not to mention, making doll vessels are hard’

Alusu then noticed that the dagger was still at Steph’s foot, there was no way that she didn’t feel pain, or perhaps she’s truly a doll like she said? Alusu doubt at first, but give up and believes it. It was simple words, yet somehow persuasive.

While Alusu was thinking about it, Steph turned around to him and walked near him. This time Steph wasn’t scary like before, Alusu went relieve about that.

“What do you plan for me?” Steph asked calmly with hollow green eyes stared at him.

“What do you mean?” Alusu was confused and simply taken aback.

“What do I do in my future?” Even though it was unnatural timing, Steph wants to know what her father’s thinks about her future.

If Alusu plans to make her life kind of hassle, then she would simply deny everything. If Alusu plans to make her life to be at peace, then she would simply reinforce that plan. After all, a tool like her can only make objectives through. If she decides it that way or if the plan is that, then all she needs is to execute it.

Alusu’s eyes strayed here and there before he replied to Steph with stuttering voice.

“Well…Umm…. To make you manage a fief?” He said half-heartedly “If you don’t want it, you can do whatever you want too”

With that, something inside Steph revive. The way she killed her previous family for the sake of the peace of the world, the way she defied the logic and destroyed it.

She won’t hesitate no more, after all she was given consent. Although, even without consent she would still do it. The first was from Grim, to be cold and terminate everyone that stands in your way, just like you did in your past life. The 2nd one was from her father, to do anything you want. It steeled her ‘this is my new life. I do what I want’

Steph was… Disappointed or at the very least. But that doesn’t matter, she would do anything for her peace. Even though her current life is peaceful, but not her future. She doesn’t want to evolve with other people and doesn’t want to work for other people. Hence everything is decided in her current life.

Then suddenly two dolls came in from the door and nonchalantly took the blonde doll with them. Alusu could only gaze at dolls that entered.

He then recognized the dolls, the other one was the previous assigned maid to Steph, Haley. She didn’t show up anymore, but to think that she’s alive and well, or so Alusu thought.

But when he gaze at their eyes, they seemed to be lifeless like the ‘Steph’ his currently talking to. Not only that, Steph said her material was the ‘maids’

“What about my debut? My social season?” She asked nonchalantly and made Alusu to return to their conversation.

Alusu pondered for a brief second before answering Steph’s question.

“About your debut, I’ll change your music debut to doll class debut. How does that sound?” He asked with a worried face.

At this moment, he considered Steph to be a talented child for dolls. She could create dolls, no. Rather than creating them, Steph merges the human beings and dolls. Alusu thought about that.

Even though it was out-of-norm, but it at least helps his daughter. He didn’t plan to scold her because he was too afraid that he might experience ‘that’ horrifying scene again. Her nonchalant cute image that burned in Alusu’s eyes disappeared and was replaced with cold and scary image.

As Steph anticipated, she nodded. The incoming debut party, she will engrave fear to the people that came in her, she will let people know that she’s not someone you want to bother and even if the royalty wants her, it would only mean a war between the Hero Alusu.

Seeing her nodded, Alusu continued.

“For social season, you will be having a tea party with a baroness and a high merchant youth that I know of, this afternoon, and this afternoon only”

Steph didn’t expected that her social season is only a tea party this afternoon. It was better than expected, she nodded and averted her gaze to Rachael who was having her delusional state. She called her out.

“Rachael serve me some tea in the library”

“Yes!” Rachael immediately dashed towards Steph and followed her from behind.

The people who couldn’t even think properly, they didn’t mind Rachael’s behavior.

Steph left the room. All of them were exhausted and was slightly recovered by it. In Alusu’s view, Steph was average. After all, it was the heroes view. But to someone like Linux, she was a monster that he cannot defeat. Hence he promise to himself to not evolve to her, not anymore. Not even showing hostility to her.

As they exited the room, Steph said nonchalantly to Rachael.

“You’ll head to the library first with a serve of a tea. I still have to set up something”

Confused by what she meant, Rachael gaze at her master. She was grinning, an evil grin she expressed on her face… Her first ever expression surfaced in her face. Rachael doesn’t know what to feel whether to be delighted by it or be scared.

Nonetheless she composed her shaking body but replied with a stuttering voice “Y-yes”