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Although the issue with the backpack of the thruster system had newly arisen, the completion of Hom’s unit was finally starting to come into view. Since Isaac and Romeo had offered to take care of cleaning up the workshop, I decided to focus on finishing the armor design and blueprints that needed to be ready for tomorrow.

If I could get that done, I would be able to entrust the mold production for the armor to Isaac and Romeo starting tomorrow, allowing me to concentrate fully on solving the backpack problem.

The unit’s armor materials could be reused by melting down and reforging the armor from both Legion and Löwe, and thanks to Nile having entrusted Löwe to me, all the necessary resources were already at hand—something I was deeply grateful for.

“Lady Leafa, the cleanup is finished, forsooth.”
“Thanks. I’m going to need a little longer over here, so you two go ahead and—”
“Whoaaaaah! This is so unbelievably amazing, it is!!”

Before I could even finish speaking, Isaac let out a cry of pure excitement after seeing the blueprint from behind me.

“A face like a bird of prey, and armor that evokes Hom’s usual outfit… This is seriously awesome!”
“Thanks. I wanted it to be instantly recognizable as Hom’s personal machine.”

Part of it was because I had gotten lost in thought, but truthfully, I had always enjoyed designing things like this. I based the color scheme mainly around white, leaving the joints their original alloy-black color to minimize the impact of paint on flexibility. The design for the back, where the backpack would mount, was only provisional for now, but once the rest of the body was assembled, adding the backpack later shouldn’t pose any problem.

To enhance both mobility and attack power, I decided to equip claw-like armor onto the toes and fists, adding yellow highlights as an accent across the overall design.

“This armor design is only possible thanks to the skills of you and Romeo. I can’t wait to see Hom’s reaction.”
“It makes me really happy that you trust us that much. I’m sure Hom will be thrilled too,” Romeo said, his voice bright with excitement, while Isaac stood beside him, nodding vigorously.
“We shall pour all our skill into crafting this armor, we shall!” Isaac declared enthusiastically.

In any case, it seemed their motivation had been fired up, and I was relieved to see it.

“By the way, have you decided on a name for the unit yet, have you?”
“Yeah, I’m planning to call it Altered. What do you think?”
“Altered… you mean as in a ‘Variant’?” Romeo asked, returning my question with one of his own.
“Exactly. This unit is no longer Legion or Löwe. It’s a one-of-a-kind machine made just for Hom.”
“And the face, like that of a bird of prey, is part of that, is it?” Isaac asked.
“Yeah. I designed it with an eagle in mind. I want Hom, who’s always striving higher, to be able to soar as high as she wishes.”
“…How touching… It is like a parent’s love, it is…”

As I answered, Isaac looked up at the freshly assembled frame of Altered and the design laid out before us. His hand brushed at the corners of his eyes as he muttered in a choked voice.

“Come to think of it, Leafa is Hom’s creator, after all…”

Hearing Isaac’s murmur, Romeo, too, blinked rapidly, as if trying to hold back tears. Ah, now that I thought about it, Romeo was a halfling, and Isaac had apparently known him for a long time. Maybe that’s why, even seeing me like this, they could so readily sense something maternal from me¹.

“Yeah. I believe it’s a parent’s duty to prepare an environment where their child can shine the brightest,” I said.

That belief was nothing more than the baton of love I had received from my own parents since the day I was born. Even if the form it took was a little different, as the creator of Hom, a homunculus, it was my responsibility to pour out my affection and continue to nurture her with care.

1. Robinxen: I got confused by this line for a bit until I remembered she’s stuck in perma-child form because she has anti-age magic overflowing from her. She’s saying that because of the association with a small race they don’t see her appearance a sign of immaturity.

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