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The person who peeked out at us was a girl of about fifteen, with shoulder-length orange hair. She had a cute face and was wearing a naive, innocent smile like a small animal. Her outfit was…

“A maid?”

She wore a navy blue long-sleeved dress with a matching mini-skirt, an apron with lace detailing on the chest, a white headpiece, and a red ribbon tie. The design seemed more focused on appearance than practicality, but there was no doubt it was a maid uniform.

“Why would there be a maid in a place like this…?”

Eren, gripping her spear more tightly, looked at the mysterious maid with obvious suspicion. Though her reaction was understandable, she seemed to have temporarily set aside her own identity as a maid after stuffing her soiled uniform into a bag.

“Hmm?”

Meanwhile, the unknown maid, half-exposed from behind the door, scanned our faces one by one with a slightly puzzled expression. When her eyes landed on me, they suddenly widened in surprise. Without any hesitation, she threw open the door and exclaimed loudly.

“Oh my! It’s been so long, Lady Clara! I’ve missed you! You’re as beautiful as ever, and I’m so glad to see you looking well!”

With a beaming smile, she snapped to attention and saluted with precision.

“Wh-what!?”

I couldn’t help but let out a bewildered cry. While I’ve grown accustomed to being mistaken for my mother, I’m still taken aback at times—especially in this case. Who on earth was my mother, that she would have had connections with such a mysterious maid?

Setting aside those thoughts, I figured it was best to correct this misunderstanding immediately.

“Um, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not Clara—”

I began to explain, but the maid suddenly clapped her hands together as if something had dawned on her.

“Ah, yes, of course! It’s been more than twenty years since then, hasn’t it? But Lady Clara, your appearance hasn’t changed at all—no, in fact, you’ve become even younger and more beautiful. Which means…”

The maid nodded repeatedly as if she completely understood and then spoke in a knowing tone.

“Ah, Lady Clara, so you’ve finally given up your humanity. Congratulations!”

She spread her arms wide, as if welcoming me to her crazy world.¹

“I have not given up my humanity!” How did she even reach that conclusion!? And more importantly… “From what you’re saying, it sounds like you’ve been here for over twenty years, right? Who exactly are you?”

She looked like a girl in her mid-teens, but if her words were true, she must be much older.

“Hmm? Why are you asking? It’s me, Coppelia, the automaton who’s the assistant and janitor of this laboratory.”
“An automaton!?”

I’ve never seen such a lifelike, indistinguishable-from-human automaton, not even in the academy’s alchemy department. Stunned, I stared intently at the girl who called herself Coppelia. Eren tugged on my sleeve.

“Um, Lady Jill, what exactly is an automaton?”
“Oh, well… It’s like an incredibly intricate marionette, I suppose. Normally, they can only perform tasks like playing the piano or writing letters…”

“Hmph! Don’t lump me in with such toys. My skeleton is made of orichalcum, my brain is powered by a philosopher’s stone, and my heart is a dragon gem. In theory, I’m a perfect maid who can operate indefinitely without maintenance,” she declared proudly, her chest puffed out with confidence.

‘Even if it’s maintenance-free, if there’s a software issue, that could be a problem… Actually, isn’t it a defect if she can’t even tell the difference between me and my mother?’ I thought, but decided to play along for now.

“So, beyond this point, there’s an alchemy laboratory, correct?”
“That’s right. Though alchemy is just one of the areas of research. As Lady Clara knows, the true research goal is immortality.”
“…Immortality?”

I couldn’t help but let out a groan. Immortality has been the eternal desire of rulers and women since ancient times, but in this world, if you don’t mind the methods—such as sacrificing large numbers of people to absorb their life force or merging with demons to become a magical creature—it’s somewhat achievable. However, because of this, it’s a forbidden, taboo subject in every country.

This wasn’t a topic I could brush off lightly.

“Master is still unable to leave the other side of the seal, but I’ve been terribly bored lately due to that brainless beast upstairs. I’d love to hear some news from the outside world after so long, so please, come in, don’t be shy.”

Coppelia seemed to have completely lowered her guard, opening the door to the ‘laboratory’ wide and beckoning us inside.

After exchanging glances with Eren and Vier, I decided to take advantage of her misunderstanding and allow myself to be invited in as ‘Clara.’

Judging by her appearance, Coppelia didn’t seem to have much combat ability, so even I, let alone Vier, could likely subdue her if it came to that.

“I see. Well then, I’ll take you up on that. Also, we might have another person joining us later.”
“Is that so? In that case, I’ll leave the door unlocked.”

Coppelia nodded without any sign of suspicion.

Well, I suppose it wouldn’t matter whether the door was locked or not if Bartholomew really wanted to come through. But it’s better than forcing our way in like robbers.

And so, we followed Coppelia through the door.

Author’s Note:

Coppelia’s name is as is (´・ω・`)

Basically, she’s not a homunculus, but a mechanical device with electric sparks running through her body.

By the way, she doesn’t have a conscience circuit or the Three Laws of Robotics.

Knocking etiquette is the same as in the modern day: two knocks for the bathroom, three knocks for close friends, and four knocks if it’s your first time visiting.