The foothills of the Hayes Mountains.
A girl landed and rolled to kill the impact after she got down from a cliff over a five meter high. On her shoulders, a skull the size of a tennis ball floated freely. That girl was Adelia, after struggling through the heavy terrain and high levels of monsters in the Hayes Mountains she made it to the foot of the mountain and entered the territory of the Eldia kingdom.
Adelia shivered when she realized where she was.
"Master !" Adelia can't take her joy and happily hug Garius's head.
"Ah..Hahaha, looks like we have arrived after parkouring for one week. Soon we will arrive at Arvo."
"Yes Master !." Adelia straightens the two hands still holding Garius's head in the air, there light in her eyes.
"Then what are you waiting for, let's go! There is hot water waiting for us to take a shower!"
Adelia nodded and dashed east. It wasn't long before the City of Arvo was visible in the distance. Garius can only surrender to be in Adelia's arms.
°°°
"Why is it so cold today." Brian shivered in the room. He was still struggling with the diagram when he heard voices.
"Looks like you've made a lot of progress in research."
"Uh." he looked around and found a skull head the size of a tennis ball on his desk. "Master ?." Brian tilting his head sideways when he looked at the skull.
"What? Just laugh. I don't mind ."
"Ah? Sir!" Brian grabs the ball and spins around with Garius on his hand. "Hahaha! Master .. Master .. Master .."
"Ah, are you crazy because of too many diagrams? Hey put me down! Don't say it will be like this when I meet Paul and Sam."
"Master, look at this !" Brian excitedly went to his desk to pick up a parchment and showed it to Garius.
"Hmm? What is this ..." Garius used the [Magic Hand] and spread the parchment on the ground.
"This is my discovery, Master, I've found the part of the slave contract that functions to process orders and execute them." Brian is exited when explaining his discovery to Garius.
"Hou, in other words this is the Motherboard."
"Motherboard? What is Master?"
"Hahaha, later I will explain in detail what Motherboard is. But now I need your help to make something." After Garius spoke, Adelia came out of the corner of the dark room and showed herself to surprise Brian.
"Whoah! Eh .. Adelia?." Adelia didn't answer. She just nodded and took out some parchment and gave it to Brian. "Hmm? Is this Doll?"
"Hahaha, to be more precise this is a design for the Homunculus!"
"Eh .. Eh .. Master, don't tell me you told me to kill?"
"Ah? Of course not. Even though I say this is a homunculus design, I don't need any internal organs, I just need the outer skeleton. And for some parts I'll be using the Magic Beast's body. So you just need to make a metal skeleton."
"Oh Ah well, I'll prepare it immediately."
That way Brian goes into work mode and begins to forget about those around him. After he read the blueprint and understood the outline, he started moving and went out of the room.
"And .. He forgot me here .. Sigh ~"
"Pfftt." Adelia covered her mouth with one hand to hold back her laughter.
"Okay, our business is over here. Don't you want to meet Paul and Sam? I'll be here for a while to see what Brian has found."
"Yes, sir. Excuse me then."
Homunculus. Synthesis of the humanoid form with an artificial soul. Usually used as a puppet or slave. The homunculus was made by combining human organs to form one body. So sometimes people see the homunculus as a variant of the undead. The undead were humans who used means to keep them alive.
There are two kinds of undead. The first is an unintelligent undead created by someone or in this case the Black Magician by giving artificial souls to corpses. The corpse will turn into skeletons and zombies.
And the second type is the undead who have intelligence. Usually this kind of undead were humans who used the means to stay alive. The lich sealed the soul in the medium, the vampire mutated the blood, the skeleton king sealed the soul to his bones, etc.
Then what is the difference between a zombie and a homunculus. The artificial soul in the homunculus integrates into the body and prevents rigor mortis and the body from rupturing. Whereas zombie souls are not. So it's body will rot and crumble in the end.
"Hmm, so these bones will be made one by one which will then be refined. With a large magic circle which is a homunculus-making ritual. Master is great! But to drain mana while forging .. It doesn't seem like it will be easy." Brian started to raise his hammer and fill in the mana into the iron he was hammering.
While Brian was shutting himself up at the workshop, Garius also locked himself up in Brian's room.
"Morning Paul, Sam." Adelia came out to the shop after taking a shower. She returned to wearing her maid uniform.
"Adelia!" Sam jumped up and hugged Adelia. Meanwhile Paul just looked from a distance.
"Come on, sit here, I'll prepare breakfast. What do you want to eat."
"Don't bother. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Of course it's not a bother. Then just wait a minute, I'll be right back." that way Sam went to the kitchen and in the shop only Adelia and Paul.
"Haaah. I thought I would never see you again. Sometimes rumors are hard to believe." opens Paul.
"Fufufu, what rumors are circulating. I'm interested to hear about them."
"Yes, I also panicked when I heard it. But Mr. Brian immediately said that you guys are fine and don't have to worry. But I still worry. The rumors sound very detailed. An adventurer even had time to show off a bone he said. is the bone of a slain Lich. "
"Hmm, well I don't believe myself that I can get out of it alive."
While they were talking Sam came back from the kitchen. "Paul what are you saying, it's clear Adelia is back, there's no way all the rumors are true." said Sam.
"Yes, I'm just telling the truth, but there are new rumors that I haven't told you yet. But I think those rumors are also just rumors."
"Eh, new rumors?" Sam was interested to hear it, she asked as she put her breakfast and tea on the table. "Not much, just soup and bread."
"Mm, no problem. This is enough for me."
"Hey Paul, let's say it quickly, what other rumors you have heard, don't make me curious."
"They say that Mr. Garius is related to the Steinsburg family." when Adelia heard the word Steinsburg, she dropped her spoon on the floor.
"Ah Adelia, what's wrong with you. Humph because you said nonsense, Paul." seeing Adelia stunned she glared at Paul as if she said 'see what you did'.
"Ha..Hahaha but that's just a rumor, right. What does Mr. Garius have to do with a noble family?" Paul tries to explain.
"Let me get you a new spoon." Sam returned to the kitchen to get a spoon for Adelia.
"Hmm? Steinsburg? Can you elaborate?"
"Eh? .. They say that the Steinsburg family's third daughter is a black magician. And she is currently being held in prison."
"I see. I hope it's all just rumors." Adelia smiled at Paul. She calmed down and continued eating the bread.
After chatting casually with Paul and Sam, Adelia said goodbye to them.
"Very well, I will do the task of the Master. I will say goodbye."
"Okay, see you later." "Be careful."
Adelia didn't go to do the errands of Garius. She wanted to gather information about Emily and also go to the foothills of the Hayes Mountains to hunt and practice martial arts. After fighting with class A and B monsters, Adelia felt that she still lacked a lot in her martial arts and she would hone her martial arts at the foot of Mount Hayes with the monsters there. That way, Adelia took turns looking for information at the bar and practicing self-defense at the foot of the mountain.
Three days later in Brian's room, Brian opened the door excitedly.
"Master! I've finished making it !."
In the room, Garius and Adelia jumped from their seats. Garius dropped his writing instrument and Adelia, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulled out the knife.
"Haaah just Brian." Garius nodded at Adelia to take off her stance. "So, what does that mean it's over ?."
"The task of the Master. I've finished making it. Skeleton, yes skeleton .."
"Oh? Ohh. Where? show me quickly ."
Brian brings Garius to the workshop, on the table already lying metal bones that have traces of mana in them.
"Let me see, it's good. Good, I can use this thing. Adelia, take out the Magic Beast's flesh and skin, let me make the magic circle."
Garius drifts into the open in the workshop and starts drawing diagrams on the floor. A magic circle of two meters in diameter created using the blood of the Magic Beast is a magic circle that black magicians use for awakening rituals. But this magic circle has been modified by Garius because he will not use an artificial spirit, but rather mana like when he connected the Lich Core with his body. And the parts that will be combined do not have internal organs like the usual homunculus. So many parts of the magic circle are unused and much simpler to make and Garius is done half an hour later.
