Chapter 6
“- As expected, given how much time has passed, it’s terribly worn out.”
<If there is no response, you will be considered an intruder and dealt with accordingly.>
“Ah, this place is broken too… how upsetting.”
Next, what caught her eyes was the old, damaged body. After all, hundreds of years had passed, so no matter how much it was made of stone, it would have been worn down and corroded by rain and wind.
She gently stroked the fingers of Andion, which were cracked in many small places. Then she raised her hand toward him.
Sensing that she was about to use magic, Andion immediately tried to enter attack mode in response.
But what suddenly enveloped his entire body was neither an attack meant to harm him nor magic to restrain him.
<This golden mist…>
At the moment she saw golden mana rise from her fingertips like mist, Andion stopped his thought process.
The fundamental mission to eliminate intruders was overwhelmed by a strong emotion for the one he had longed for, wiping his entire manual clean.
“So, can you see who I am now?”
<-Master?>
“Well done, Andion.”
As her magic gently caressed his body, repairing the damaged parts, Andion finally erased all hostility.
Only one person could change him, who was made by the great mage Asmoff’s magic — the Master.
Andion accepted the woman, whose face and voice were completely different from the previous master, as his new master after the old one had left and he had accumulated a long time of self-awareness.
<Welcome back, Master.>
A beautiful smile returned. A confident face that deserved reverence. That way of smiling was no different from the previous master.
Andion felt a strange sensation as if what had been trapped inside him was melting away. Whether it was dried dust or longing, he couldn’t tell.
He stood there for quite a while, unable to take his eyes off the returned master.
<Since Master did not return, many alchemists came looking. Except for those who were pre-approved as guests, no one else was allowed in the castle; the rest left flowers at the front gate and left.>
“I see.”
<And then the Empress came dressed in black. She said to the air that ever since Master ‘passed away,’ the alchemists have locked themselves away and no longer cooperate with the country.>
As Karia opened the main gate and headed toward the main castle, she heard from Andion about what had happened during her absence.
She wondered why all those alchemists had disappeared without leaving a trace; it turned out they thought she was dead and shut themselves in to research until death.
Well, alchemists have always been creatures who focus only on their interests, rather than political or economic matters.
Before, there was a focal point called Asmoff, who held the dukedom firmly, so they reluctantly got involved in national affairs. But originally, they tried to run away at the earliest opportunity.
She quietly asked about Gilford and Eddy as well, but unfortunately, Andion said he hadn’t seen them again.
<Master, where have you been?>
“Hm?”
<Do you have another residence besides Lubaltberhi Castle? Have you always been there?>
“Ah, that is… Ah!”
Andion seemed not to understand what ‘returned’ meant to humans. Whether this was fortunate or unfortunate, Karia smiled bitterly and chose a good phrase.
While she was lost in thought, a wild weed from the garden scratched a red line across her arm.
Karia frowned from the sting, and Andion was even more shocked, dropping to his knees with a loud thud.
<I’m sorry, Master. Since I had no orders to tend the garden, I neglected these. Please wait a moment, and I will remove them at once.>
“It’s okay, take your time. I’m tired, so I should rest in the castle for now.”
Such small wounds were trivial to her after spending nearly twenty years on battlefields. She just wanted to rest somewhere comfortable immediately.
After dusting herself off, she had to think about so many things in just one day. She walked a rough path driven by the determination to confirm her past life and used mana almost all day, so her mental energy was drained.
If she opened that castle gate and entered, there was her nest. Her familiar and comfortable, intact home.
“Ah.”
However, what she overlooked was that as time had passed outside the castle, inside too, everything had been dormant for a long time.
The once golden-shining front hall was now entirely covered with spider webs, and dust and a foul moldy smell assaulted her face.
When Karia frowned sharply at the dreadful state of her home, Andion shrank his huge body anxiously.
<I will, I will clean up immediately.>
“Stop. If you go in, the situation will only get worse.”
Not only was there no cleaning done, but Andion himself wasn’t even the right size to pass through the castle gate.
He was originally a security golem made large and intimidating to scare off intruders. He never considered letting him inside.
Karia sighed deeply and turned away. If Andion couldn’t do it, she would create someone to do the cleaning. She yawned lightly from fatigue and reached her hand toward the air.
“A small but strong child would be good.”
She raised golden mana mist again and gathered the nearby solid stones. Making golems was something she had done hundreds or thousands of times. It was no longer difficult.
Then, for a moment, her gaze landed on Andion, who was kneeling quietly beside the castle watching her.
‘Yes, I never thought about it before, but having self-awareness is nice.’
Actually, Andion looked quite adorable to her. Recognizing the master on his own and following her with endless affection—she was surprised by her own feelings, as she’d never had likes or dislikes for alchemist-made golems before.
So if she were to make a new golem, it would be nice if it were like Andion.
With that thought, Karia gave the golem she was forming the power of thought to be able to think independently.
“- Is this enough?”
Slowly, the mana whirlpool dissipated into the air, and before her appeared a small golem barely reaching her waist.
Its appearance was similar to Andion’s—constructed from stones stuck together—but its arms and legs were well-crafted.
The golem stared blankly at her for a moment, then curiously moved its arms and legs and turned its head around to look at the surroundings. Its reaction was definitely different from the other golems she had made before.
<Master, are you alright?>
<-Master?>
The miniature golem ran up and stood before Karia in response to Andion’s worried question.
Its voice was higher and lighter than Andion’s and had less resonance. If Andion’s voice was like a church organ, this mini golem’s voice resembled a small clarinet.
Karia breathed heavily and leaned her back against the castle entrance. She really needed to rest her body now.
“Alright, my newly born golem, go inside the castle first, remove the spider webs, and open the windows for ventilation. Then go up the central stairs to the left side of the second floor. The first room there is my bedroom. Start cleaning from there.”
<Cleaning? What is cleaning?>
The golem tilted its round stone head in confusion. Karia felt a headache from the situation.
It was her first time making a golem with independent thought, so she had forgotten to implant basic common knowledge.
Making golems had been such a routine matter in the past that she had let her guard down and made this fundamental mistake.
Karia sighed deeply, soaked with fatigue, and slowly explained.
“Cleaning means making a dirty castle clean.”
<Why is it dirty?>
“Because the castle was left empty for a long time.”
The golem was full of questions and asked ceaselessly, and Karia explained patiently.
If it were before, she would have deemed this magic a failure, immediately silenced the noisy one, and calculated new magic, but now even that was tiring.
However, the golem’s next words made Karia lose her patience.
<But why do I have to clean? I didn’t dirty it.>
<Master created you for that purpose.>
Andion answered on Karia’s behalf, who was dumbfounded by the absurdity.
A golem is a being born by the master’s will; its raison d’être is to fulfill the master’s wishes. Obeying the master’s commands is both a duty and an honor, so how dare that impudent one say such a thing now?
<Was I created to clean?>
<Yes.>
<But if I don’t want to?>
Despite Andion’s persuasion, the mini golem refused to nod obediently. Listening to the endless exchange, Karia furrowed her brows and suddenly stood up from her seat, stopping them.
“Alright, I get it. If you don’t want to, then you can’t.”
<Can’t?>
“I know your mind is your own and I can’t change it at will.”
It was a waste of time to continue. Accepting her failure, Karia reached out her hand in front of the small golem.
