86 – 86 Episodes. Clan(1)
Hello.
I am the domestic helper, wind-up doll, Linda.
My morning begins at an early hour.
I first open up all the curtains in the mansion, letting in the sunlight.
The morning sun will warm up the rooms that cooled down overnight.
When the sunlight floods in, you can see the dust flying about better too.
I open the windows for ventilation, and dust off the particles that have accumulated overnight.
Though they weren’t used, I dust off the bedding too and neatly turn them down again.
The dust that falls to the floor, I sweep up initially.
As a second step, after mopping the floor, I polish the furniture with a wet cloth till it shines.
A considerable amount of dust accumulates on the dishes too.
Although the mansion is vacant and there is no need to serve meals, you never know when the owner or a guest will arrive.
I take out all the dishes from the cupboard and wipe each one with a soft cloth.
Lastly, I maintain optimal humidity using a humidifier and a wall heater.
[Hmm. Perfect.]
That concludes the morning cleaning.
But there are still many tasks to do.
As you know, the wind-up doll isn’t very fuel-efficient.
I need to refuel frequently.
One of my tasks is to purchase the lacking fuel and fill it up.
There’s no need to worry about nobody being around.
The master prepaid for a year’s worth of fuel.
All I have to do is, every morning, fill the tank with the fuel delivered.
There’s laundry and garden tending to be done during the morning chores…
But it seems like there’s no need to do either today.
There’s been absolutely no visitors, you see.
It might be appropriate to switch to energy-saving mode now.
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If I continue to stay awake, time will only slow down.
How I wish I could turn off the system completely until my master returns.
[Silence…]
The moment I sit down in my dedicated chair.
The sound of someone stepping on the lawn outside and walking towards here reaches me.
It’s a human.
Judging by the footsteps, it should be a lightweight female with low bone density.
The faint jingling of her jewelry makes it clear that she’s a noblewoman.
Thud, thud.
“Lady, please come out!”
A mellifluous voice of a woman.
The accent suggests she’s from the Northern Continent, specifically the far north.
And judging by the lingering resonance which is a distinct trait of the beast-folk compared to humans, she should belong to the beast-folk tribe.
Perhaps a royal from Palana?
Though Lord Kern has already left, I can’t reveal that to her.
Because, when observed by others, I have to pretend to be a clockwork puppet with its logic circuits removed.
The successful development of artificial souls is a secret thus far.
“She’s having another episode of dementia… I clearly woke her up last time.”
Bang!
A loud noise followed by the sound of the door opening.
She must have broken in, seeing no one answer the door!
“Lady, I only came to ask something!”
This is serious.
She’s a part of the beast-folk, they’re known for their keen sense of smell.
The cleaning inside the mansion is finished, but not the garage.
I’ve to turn her away before she stumbles upon the garage.
She hastily rose from her chair, heading toward the sound of footsteps.
“Who’s there! Ah….”
[Shock detected.]
Right at the moment she rounded the corner.
A sword blade flew at her neck, but stopped at the last moment.
She was about to be taken aback…
Thankfully, she was in power-saving mode at the time.
In this state, her ability to express emotions is restricted to a great extent.
But still, she was really a breathtaking Half Human woman.
Blue fur with wolf ears.
Absolutely certain.
She must be a member of the Frost Royal Family from Palana.
[Mis. Kern. She’s currently not available. Please come back at another time.]
“What? Really…”
Ignoring my guide, the woman opened the bedroom door and looked disillusioned.
She really is not around…
It seems my words mean nothing to her.
“When will she be back?”
[I’m sorry. That command hasn’t been inputted. Could you please…]
“Ah, right. This thing. It’s a hollowed-out tin with its logical circuit torn out. I forgot when I last saw it.”
Getting annoyed, the woman marched toward the door.
After barging in here, why is she picking a fight?
It would seem reckless to turn the security mode on, so I decided not to provoke her.
Luckily, she seemed to be planning to leave obediently.
“Sorry for breaking down your door. I’ll call a repairman to fix it. But, eh? Sniff. Sniff, sniff, sniff…”
Just before she passed the threshold,
She started sniffing around, examining her surroundings as if she detected a certain smell.
She sniffed the door.
She sniffed the wall.
“Is it here?”
You stood still and stopped in front of me.
Just then.
I felt a chill.
It wasn’t just vehicles that were dangerous.
Come to think of it, I was still in the process of washing myself.
“Sniff, sniff. What’s this smell?”
[……]
After scanning me up and down, you started sniffing the smell on my hand.
The good thing is that about now, countless smells are mingled on my hand.
Only this morning, I touched cleaning tools of several dozen types.
Even if you are extremely sensitive to scents, it would be hard to discern which smell is which.
“Oh, dear. I think it’s right, but I’m not sure.”
Just as I was about to feel relieved.
An eerie thought occurs to me.
My head.
Especially the crown of the head where things seldom touch.
There’s only one recent experience I had of something coming into contact.
The touch of my master.
“That’s strange. I’m sure I could smell Eugene. Where is it?”
I’m in big trouble.
The owner told me never to be caught associated with him, even if someone broke in.
At this rate, I’m going to be found out.
Should I feign a mistake, and cover up the smell by opening the oil valve?
Such an extreme measure was also being considered.
“Is it my imagination… recently,I’m so lonely that I keep smelling Eugene’s scent everywhere. It was the same in Elvengard.”
Fortunately, the lady lowered her head and distanced herself from me.
She didn’t seem to think to smell the top of my head.
In the central processing system, I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“Hmmm…”
As the lady left, she slightly raised my sleeve.
Then, with a subtle expression on his face,
He closed the door and left.
Sa-bak-sa-bak-sa-bak.
The sound of stepping on grass gradually receded, and I checked under the woman’s sleeve she had hurriedly adjusted.
[Ah.]
There,
Was a sharp teeth mark left on the silicone.
***
Despite the numerous unexpected situations, I successfully wrapped up my schedule in Clockwork City.
I took up my seat in a carriage towards Basel.
Though I would now be relocating my contact point to Clockwork City.
I still have to check the letters at Teyne workshop.
Furthermore, I have to tell Teyne that I will no longer be receiving letters.
‘I just realized, I didn’t leave any materials for processing this time.’
Going back to Basel after a long time,
And not having any materials left for crafting.
As for the materials I obtained from the dungeon, I stuck them into Longinus’ spear.
‘I haven’t been able to upgrade my materials recently.’
I’m still using the materials I got from the contractor of Belphegor, Lawrence.
Of course, I never feel that the performance of my materials is insufficient.
Still, they boast the best performance amongst all the materials that exist to date.
But that does not mean I urgently need to upgrade them.
If possible, I would like to obtain higher-ranking materials.
‘If this is what I get for capturing Belphegor’s contract body, how powerful would be the one from his main body?’
My goal is Belphegor’s main body.
Although I was petrified when I encountered the Four Heavenly Kings in the past,
Now I know.
Through 12 turns of experience, my various attributes and accumulated hidden items, I can overpower the Four Heavenly Kings.
The Four Heavenly Kings are still in a growth phase, not a completion phase.
At this early stage, they can’t help but be overwhelmed by someone like me, who has consumed all kinds of miracles.
But on the flip side, as time passes, the Four Heavenly Kings grow stronger.
The fact that I had swept away all the Karmic force essentially means I gained power that I would have acquired at a later time.
Which means as time passes, the gap between the Four Heavenly Kings and me is narrowing.
It’s imperative to end this as soon as possible.
Unless I suddenly open my eyes to the talent of a high wizard or realize the secret of swordsmanship.
Being overturned by the Four Heavenly Kings in the second half is a foregone conclusion.
‘I wish the prophecy of the world tree would offer some information about the Four Heavenly Kings.’
Nonetheless, Cologne, Elbengard, Clockwork City, Palana, and Basel, among others.
I have a pretty extensive information network spread out here and there.
If any anomalies are discovered, immediate reports are guaranteed.
If it is a sign of the Four Heavenly Kings’ activities, I would be able to recognize it promptly.
I can’t wait to catch those guys
“Turn your head. Quick. Hide.”
I feel people subtly turning to look our way.
I wonder if they will discover that we’re fugitives.
‘Was it around here? The place where we were ambushed by the bandits.’
The scenery looks somehow familiar.
It was the same path we passed before.
While heading towards Basil back then, we were once ambushed by bandits here.
I had a sword fight that time…
Thinking back, I should have just endured.
It was useless to draw attention to ourselves.
[Fame Ranking]
[Eugene: 7.75%]
[Known to a few people. Your existence is small. Someone harbors very strong emotions. Someone has complex feelings. Someone possess a strong desire for ownership. Someone cherishes longing feelings.]
[Heaven-Michael Jackson: 1.23%]
[Known to a few people. You are respected.]
[Unknown: 3.5%]
[Starting to gain notoriety. You are being forgotten.]
The reputation I gained by overcoming the bandit attack back then, [???].
The value of [???] has greatly decreased.
Seeing the description of being forgotten, it seems to be continuously decreasing.
At this rate, it might disappear altogether.
“Stop! Stop! Everyone, get off!”
At that moment, the wagon comes to a sudden, grating halt.
We weren’t possibly ambushed again, were we?
I’m tense, my hand reaching for the sword hidden in my bag.
I only realized when I see heavily armored soldiers outside.
It appears to be a routine check by the Basil guards.
Of course, for us, even routine checks never go smoothly.
I don’t have anything to prove my identification with.
And Minjeong is a fugitive, after all.
No matter where you get caught, you’re subjected to at least an hour of questioning before release.
“This is such a hassle.”
“······Ugh.”
Eman pulls his hand out from the blanket and wraps it in a bandage.
Mijeong gives a slightly regretful look, but it can’t be helped.
“Please display all of your possessions. If prohibited items are discovered, you must go back or have them confiscated.”
This will be over soon.
The suspicious-looking radio and the Spear of Longinus have been disguised as a simple wooden box and a wall clock for a while.
There’s no need to worry about being caught since the disguise was done with special characteristics, not magic.
“Hmmm…what’s this?”
But one of the guards rummages through my belongings.
He discovers a silver chunk that was hidden in the corner and holds it in his hand.
A Silver ID Tag.
Surely that is from…
When I was attacked here and killed a bandit leader.
That must be something that was hanging around the bandit’s neck, and I kept it just in case.
“Captain! Here’s the ID tag of a notorious bandit leader!”
“What did you say?!”
“Damn it.”
I’m screwed.
This one-hour investigation just turned into a ten-hour ordeal.
Feeling the screw-up, I tightly close my eyes.
The surrounding chatter gradually grows louder.
Just when I thought something was off and opened my eyes.
All the guards who were rushing towards me knelt on one knee.
Looking at one particular area with respect.
“It’s a Royal Knight······!”
From Noble mtl dot com
People waiting in line to be inspected shudder and shout.
Slowly approaching us along a mountain path is a knight in full armor, riding a horse.
Where the symbols of his lineage should be…
The flag of the Gallia Kingdom is depicted.
He slowly approaches, driving the horse.
He halts right before us.
“What’s the commotion?”
“Sir knight, it’s just that this fella had the ID of the leader of the bandits we were chasing-“
“Ah. You don’t need to answer. I just needed an excuse to talk to this person.”
The knight’s gaze falls harshly on Mi-Jung.
He lifts his helmet, revealing his face.
“A familiar face indeed.”
His skin is not just white, but pale.
Red eyes.
The knight certainly displays a grin and offers a handshake.
“To meet a kin here.”
He is a blood demon.