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Chapter 21
After shaking off the troublesome observer and planning to check Elixir’s recipe, Karia returned to the Forest Grand Magician’s castle—and witnessed a most peculiar sight.
<Master, welcome back.>
<Ah!>
It wasn’t unusual for Andion and Alice to team up to clean, nor was it strange that Andion knelt and greeted her as soon as he saw her.
What was strange was Alice. This time, she didn’t leap from the window as Karia expected. Instead, she bowed her head there, and then, without running, hurriedly trotted down the interior stairs to the front door.
<Welcome back, Mistress!>
And she made an unfamiliar, unusually polite greeting. As far as Karia knew, the only ones living in the castle were Andion and Quack, so this sudden change seemed very suspicious.
Karia looked down at Alice with a complex expression, unsure whether to be pleased by her change or remain cautious, and carefully entered the castle.
“How have you been?”
<I’ve been good and waited patiently. I’ve been good.>
Was she asking for her head to be patted?
Karia placed her hand on Alice’s round head, feeling the overwhelming expectation in her gaze. Alice giggled happily and darted toward the central staircase, glancing back as if playfully pretending to escort Karia.
“You’ve cleaned up quite well.”
<Yes! When Andion went “whoosh,” the dust flew away. And when he went “whoosh” at each window, all the dust disappeared!>
“Good, good. Andion is really kind too.”
Indeed, the castle was now much cleaner than when she first returned.
The golems had done the cleaning, and Karia had used her magic. Ideally, she wanted to restore everything in the castle to its former glory, but too much time had passed, and even her magic wasn’t enough.
So she focused first on the essential parts of the castle—the frame and stairs—removing consumables like carpets and curtains with the intention of replacing them.
Of course, the biggest contributor to making the castle livable was Andion. By clearing the vines and weeds that had overrun the garden, he had made the castle visible even from a distance.
“What’s this?”
As she proudly looked around the improving castle and entered her room, she noticed something on the old table that didn’t seem to belong in a castle and asked.
The table was piled with ingredients like raspberries, apples, and mushrooms.
<There’s no food here, and it seemed you couldn’t stay long, Master, so I tried to find things you could eat.>
“From the forest?”
<Yes.>
Andion answered as if he had heard her question from outside the window. She hesitated, unsure whether to praise him or scold him.
His basic duty was to protect the castle, which meant he shouldn’t leave. If he were seen in the forest by others, it could be a problem.
‘Well… what exactly are we even protecting against now?’
The forest was saturated with mana, rejecting outsiders of its own accord. Karia had used magic to open a path, but it was impossible for other humans. So, no human would enter the forest.
Andion had said that no visitor had come to the castle for hundreds of years. It would be strange if anyone had survived in the forest without ever encountering this massive castle.
Karia concluded that no other races remained in the forest and, seeing the castle’s hospitality, bit into one of the apples on the table.
“This is very sweet. Thank you.”
<I’m glad it satisfied you.>
<Then… will it be here? Will it stay here?>
Alice excitedly clung to Karia’s leg. And Andion shouted “Alice!” to caution her.
Karia looked at the two golems, exchanging a silent conversation through glances, and asked:
“What’s going on?”
<Andion said that if Alice misbehaves, Master might not want to come back.>
“What?”
<Alice likes Master. She wants to be with you.>
Alice clung to Karia as if she would hold onto her ankles if she tried to leave. But when had Karia ever said such a thing?
She asked Andion to explain. He avoided her gaze and mumbled:
<I just said that if you misbehave, Master might not want to come.>
A slightly cheap excuse—but it wasn’t a lie. Karia couldn’t help but giggle.
She had always thought him serious, but now he made a cute little threat. Indeed, raising a wild child alone would require unusual methods.
Karia didn’t scold him; instead, she sat on the bed with Alice in her arms.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll be busy for a while. Once the urgent matters are settled, we can stay for several days.”
<I see.>
“I’d like you to do something in the meantime. Could you gather some things from the forest? They’re flowers that mainly grow near cliffs; the leaves are white, and the stems…”
Karia explained several ingredients for her elixir to Andion, who knelt attentively as if ready to take on any task. She had considered searching herself, but it would be good to entrust it to him if he could roam the forest.
The ingredients were rare, so finding them wouldn’t be easy. But Andion was a clever golem who never forgot what he heard, so he might find some clues while she was away.
<What is it?>
“Huh?”
As Karia took a bite of her apple, Alice tugged at her sleeve from the floor and pointed at Karia’s lips and the apple.
<This, red. Crunch crunch.>
“What… I already ate it. Unlike you golems, humans need food to live.”
<Alice wants it too!>
Alice ran to the table and grabbed an apple, pressing it against her head. But no matter how much she pressed it, the apple couldn’t be chewed.
Alice sent Karia a pleading look, and before Karia could respond, Andion intervened.
<Alice! You must not demand anything from Master. Golems exist to fulfill Master’s wishes. To ask something of Master is wrong.>
<But Alice cleaned so hard…>
Remembering that misbehaving would make Karia stop visiting, Alice just poked at the innocent apple. The once bright red, delicious apple was now bruised and battered.
“-If there’s a reward, you can work harder. What’s so hard about that? Andion, if you want something, say it. If I can grant it, I will.”
Karia couldn’t bear to see them in such a pitiful state. Their disappointed expressions reminded her of someone. She didn’t acknowledge that he was her lost child, Eddie—but refusing to acknowledge him didn’t mean she couldn’t help.
Want to eat? She could make a mouth for him. After all, they were her golems; refining them a little was no trouble.
Andion hesitated, unsure how to respond. But in truth, he had long wished for something.
<If it’s okay, I’d like to enter the mansion where Master stays and help more.>
Andion quietly expressed his long-held wish, avoiding her gaze in embarrassment.
Karia let out a short exclamation of realization. Indeed, it was odd that she and Alice were inside the castle while he communicated through the window.
She smiled, stood up, and gestured to both of them.
“All right, both of you, come out to the garden.”
Andion and Alice were side by side, their size difference starkly obvious.
To move together, it would be better if they were closer in size.
Karia extended her hand, manipulating mana in the air. Golden Asrai mist rose and enveloped them, causing light to pour from the stone golems.
“We’ll make them small, but compact and sturdy.”
The massive, mountain-like Andion and pebble-like Alice crumbled slowly, turning into sand-like dust.
Where they once stood remained a white, glowing substance—like the essence of their very will.
“To digest food, they’ll need organs.”
The falling sand became finer, turning into powder. The delicate particles, along with light, gathered and began to form shapes.
“To help with tasks, humans are better than animals.”
Being human also allowed Karia to summon them outside the forest if needed.
What gender should they be? Perhaps one male and one female. What age would be appropriate?
How old would be suitable for errands and not seem odd to keep around?
‘Mama.’
At that moment, a voice—or something like it—brushed past Karia’s ear. She momentarily lost her composure, startled.
Was it Alice? Or just the wind? It didn’t matter much.
The moment she heard that call, she thought of her lost son Eddie, and that changed the result of the spell slightly from what she had intended.
