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The two templar knights, who had started to leave along with the adventurers serving as guards and the guild staff, noticed the commotion and returned from the hallway to the lobby.

“Huh? What’s going on in there?”
“Believe it or not, there’s a catfight between Lady Clara and the brat’s girlfriend.”
“They’re fighting over him?!”
“Well, they’re fighting over someone, alright, but it’s over the orange-haired maid. Seems like she and that girl used to date. And now, they’re trying to settle their past mistakes.”
“Lesbians, huh… Not my thing, but I won’t complain. Wait, isn’t that Guildmaster Karolos over there?”
“You’re right. I thought he disappeared after Marina chewed him out earlier for hitting on the new receptionist, but here he is again, chasing after another girl.”
“What a guy…”

The gathered crowd, peeking in with curiosity, was already spreading rumors.

Not a single person here seemed to feel any tension—everyone was just indulging in their nosy curiosity. But when I glanced at Colin’s girlfriend’s tense profile, I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling creeping up on me… Was I just overthinking things?

And then, as if completely oblivious to the atmosphere around her—

“Let’s see… Individual Identification Number θ-008… Oh! So you’re Number Eight—Eighette! Long time no see, Eighette! The last time we met, you were still inside Master Victor’s prized Cup of Hermes. He was tossing in randomly summoned spirits, specially selected shrine maiden blood, the s̲e̲m̲e̲n̲ of a high-mana nobleman acquired through back channels, and all sorts of other things. It’s impressive you’ve managed to maintain a human form at all. Good job, good job!

“Then again, even Dolly Kadmons, those bred from purebloods and magically modified as infants, only live about half a normal lifespan. And since you, Eighette, were an experimental body made for feedback purposes, isn’t your time almost up? You’d better enjoy life while you still can!”

With an overly familiar tone, Coppelia casually rattled off personal details—no, not just personal details, but what were clearly top-secret matters about the Church’s dark side and the tragic circumstances of her past.

The girl—whom Coppelia had referred to as “Eighette” (which, by the way, is not a human name)—had been frozen in place. But as the conversation progressed, the blood drained back into her once-pale face, and she started trembling.

Her complexion went beyond a normal blush and turned a deep, flushed red.

(Oh no…)

As Coppelia’s nominal master, saying this was awkward would be an understatement.

(I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.)

I pressed my hands together in my mind, silently apologizing as I averted my gaze and took a slight step away from “Eighette” (temporary name).

But she clearly had no attention to spare for me. Raising her head proudly, Eighette glared fiercely at Coppelia.

“Don’t call me by that ridiculous name! I have a proper name now!”
“Oh? And what is it?”

I want to punch that smug smile.

“I have no name to give to the likes of you!” With a furious roar, Eighette planted her feet firmly, standing her ground.

“Wow, you’re a pain…” Coppelia sighed and shook her head, looking utterly exasperated—only to be met with a unanimous You’re the problem here glare from everyone present.

Stomping her foot, Eighette launched into a passionate condemnation of Coppelia.

“The arrogance of treating humans as mere playthings! The audacity to toy with life without remorse! You who wear the guise of holy men but are nothing more than fiends in human skin! I live in hiding, bearing the shame of my survival, for the sole purpose of taking revenge on you all! To avenge my sisters—those ‘sacrificial lambs’ who were deemed failures and discarded like trash—I have endured, sharpening my hatred like a blade!”

“Aah, is that so? Sounds rough. Good luck with that~”
“Don’t act like this has nothing to do with you, watching from your safe little perch! You’re part of the cult I should be avenging myself on—no, you’re one of the root causes, aren’t you!”

“No no, I’ve already washed my hands of that world. These days, I’m just your average, run-of-the-mill maid, blending right in. If you really can’t let it go, go vent your grudge on Master Victor who’s still alive in this era. His lab’s located just past the boss room of the Labyrinth near Clarus, by the way.”

“…Hooh.” As most people stood there with visible question marks above their heads at Coppelia’s excuse—or rather, her completely absurd rant—I heard a small, intrigued hum from Emil. A fickle wind spirit whispered the sound to me.

Incidentally, I had no way of knowing at the time that this offhand comment from Coppelia would come to hold significant meaning later on…

“Don’t mock me! Or is that confidence I hear? You must be so satisfied, right? After sacrificing me and my sisters in your attempt to create an artificial saint—you finally completed your masterpiece!”

She flung her arm out and pointed dramatically—at me, for some reason.

“—Eh??”

A totally idiotic noise slipped out of my mouth.

“Excuse you, Lady Clara is not an artificial Saintess made by the Church. I mean, she does have some Dolly Kadmon genes, but still.”

Wait, what?! This is the first I’m hearing of this!!

“Lies! Someone this young, capable of advanced healing arts and proficient in multiple schools of magic… and most of all, that inhuman appearance!! If she’s not an artificial saintess crafted by the cult’s secret rites and bloodlines—then what the hell is she?!”

To Eighette’s desperate cry—(and excuse me, but ‘inhuman appearance’ feels like a low blow)—Coppelia responded proudly, puffing out her chest:

“She’s a mutated freak of nature!”

Author’s Note:

Since there were questions, here’s some additional clarification.

“Dolly Kadmons” (〈初源的人間〉) are essentially pure-blooded individuals born from generations of selective breeding within the cult—specifically among those with high magical power and aptitude for healing arts. Then, after birth, the infants are subjected to enhancement procedures.

In short, they’re the crystallized result of generations of magical hotties… ahem, let’s say diligently pairing off. So, despite everything, they are still human.

In contrast, artificial saints are full-on homunculi—created by tossing ingredients into an alchemical cauldron and having alchemists stir and mix them like some kind of grotesque recipe.

That research was later fed back into the development of Dolly Kadmons.

Also, the average lifespan of a Dolly Kadmon is around 40–50 years, whereas a homunculus lasts about 15–20 years.

Translator’s note:

Don’t you love eugenics? Also, it’s the author that wrote dolly kadmon on furigana for 初源的人間.

Editor’s note:

I had to come up with a title since this chapter apparently doesn’t have one.

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“You’re right. I believe Colin will be fine for now, but lost blood and stamina don’t just return overnight. Make sure he eats nutritious food and gets plenty of rest to recover. Now then, let’s take care of your injuries, shall we?”
“Huh!? N-No, my injury isn’t that serious—”
“That can’t be true. Even from a quick glance, I can tell it’s practically no different from a stab wound made by a sharp blade.”

Since the wound was on her back, maybe she wasn’t feeling much pain. But it was dangerously close to being a fatal injury.

Still, Colin’s injury was also a reverse-diagonal slash from behind—an oddly precise cut that seemed like something inflicted by a highly skilled assassin. Just how vicious are the slimes around here?

I mean, slimes are supposed to attack by charging or dissolving things, right? But are they really the kind of monsters that can slice someone so cleanly like this? My impression of them was more like semi-transparent, jiggly creatures crawling around like wobbly jelly. Clearly, my understanding of slimes was all kinds of wrong.

“Occasionally, a rare metallic-type slime is discovered around this area. That’s probably what you encountered.”

Kaisa seemed to pick up on my curiosity and kindly explained.

“That thing is absurdly powerful for a slime. It moves at incredible speeds and can freely reshape its steel-like outer layer to attack, making it quite a nuisance. …Well, it’s only exceptional for a slime. As long as you can land a hit, even a D-rank adventurer can defeat it.”

Ah, I see… So, it’s an abnormal slime. A mutated monster coming at you out of nowhere, that’s a terrifying thought. With that explanation, I could finally imagine the creature and accept the reality of it, so I nodded firmly.

“At any rate, I need to examine your injury first… Um, I’m terribly sorry, but since this is a treatment for a lady, could the gentlemen please step outside?”
“But we are duty-bound to guard you, Lady Clara…”

The three templar knights and Cestlavie wore reluctant expressions, but after I properly explained the reasoning and circumstances, the two female adventurers serving as my guards pounded their chests confidently and declared:

“We will protect Lady Clara even if it costs us our lives, so you can rest easy.”

With that reassurance (though, from my perspective, I couldn’t possibly overlook someone else sacrificing themselves in my place…), the others reluctantly agreed to leave.

“You’re truly loved by everyone, Lady Clara…”

For some reason, Colin’s girlfriend’s quiet muttering caught my ear. If we’re talking about love, a girl with a boyfriend like her is a million times more enviable, though.

Anyway.

“Well then, everyone except the ladies, please wait out in the hallway. Treating an injury is a race against time, so please hurry.”

After making that request, everyone left the room, one after another, leaving behind the unconscious Colin lying on his back, his girlfriend diligently wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and my bodyguards, Kaisa and Daniella.

“Are you sure about this? Won’t you be short-handed if something happens?”

Cestlavie was the last to remain, grumbling with a sour look on his face. But having a man present at the scene of a girl’s treatment would be ethically inappropriate, so I more or less shoved him out of the room.

“It’s all right. Besides, just in case something happens, I’ve already arranged for reinforcements on the way here.”
“Reinforcements…? Who?”

As if answering that question, with a loud noise, the thick door of the Adventurers’ Guild’s underground hazardous materials storage room was pushed open from the inside.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Lady Clara! Your ultra-competent maid, Coppelia, has arrived right away at your call!! Ah, so you didn’t forget about me after all. To think you deliberately kept me in reserve as your secret trump card for emergencies—just as expected of Lady Clara!”

With her usual energy, the maid clad in a French maid-style miniskirt was none other than the automaton Coppelia, crafted by the freak alchemist Professor Victor. She ascended from the underground with the same unshakable cheerfulness she had when we parted ways.

Following behind her, for some reason, was a Hobbit man about 140 centimertes tall, his face looking utterly gaunt and worn out.

““““““……””””””

“—Oh?”

Coppelia, noticing our bewildered expressions from not being able to keep up with her pace, turned her gaze toward Colin’s girlfriend, whose face had stiffened slightly, her posture seemed somewhat tense. Tilting her head with a puzzled look, Coppelia’s curiosity was clearly piqued.

“Could it be that the one over there is the failed artificial saint that my former master tried to create in collaboration with the secret society Morning Star of the Dawn within the Order…?”

“—!!” Colin’s girlfriend gasped sharply.

“I thought all of those were discarded, but it turns out the research was still ongoing, huh? Wow, what a surprise! —Well, Master Victor did take the research funds and just up and vanished before finishing the project, though.”

It’s probably not just from her injuries. Glancing at her, pale and blood-drained, I sorted through the scattered pieces of information in my head and reached a conclusion.

In short, once again, Victor and Coppelia are the root of the problem.