Early the next morning, two pairs of eyes stared at each other on Laurent's large bed. Black pupils met crimson.
Silence…
Laurent admitted he'd slept exceptionally comfortably last night—perhaps even a bit too deeply—but…
What's this feeling of hands wrapped around my waist so early in the morning?! And why am I feeling soft breasts pressing against my back?! The only oppai I want belong to Jeanne! And why is this newly created homunculus lying half-dressed in my bed?!
Now, looking into those utterly emotionless red eyes, Laurent momentarily didn't even know what to say.
Justeaze tilted her head slightly, confusion showing on her face. She tentatively murmured, "Lord Laurent?"
Smack!
Laurent covered his face with one hand. He had the habit of sleeping naked, and combined with her barely-covered state, they were practically lying naked together.
"Put your clothes on properly."
Justeaze tilted her head again, straightened her clothes a bit, but it hardly helped.
"Let go. Stop hugging me."
Obediently, she released her hold.
"Why are you in my room?"
Laurent sat up. Justeaze followed suit, then blankly shook her head.
Laurent glanced at her sideways.
What's going on here? Was there some error in her creation? Does this woman feel some sort of affinity toward me?
His gaze swept over her body.
But that shouldn't be possible. Homunculi don't possess feelings; even Laurent only viewed them as tools.
Because, after all—that's exactly what they were. Just robots wrapped in human flesh, created solely to fulfill specific tasks.
But this one seemed... somehow special.
Knock knock knock—
Just then, knocking sounded at the door, along with a hesitant voice:
"Lord Laurent, the homunculus we created yesterday is missing from her room. Do you happen to know where she is?"
Laurent reflexively glanced at the woman beside him. Justeaze, seemingly understanding his look, began rising as if intending to leave. Laurent's mouth twitched slightly as he pressed her back down.
"Stay here. Don't move, don't make a sound."
Although it wouldn't really matter if others found out, Laurent didn't want unnecessary trouble. Explaining this would be too annoying.
"Haven't seen her. What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing serious. It's just that when we checked her room this morning, she wasn't there."
"Then keep looking. I'll be up shortly."
"Understood!"
After sending them off, Laurent turned his gaze back to Justeaze.
He had to admit, even if she was a homunculus, human instincts had made her extraordinarily beautiful.
Yet Laurent held no impure intentions. If he truly desired, in this vast Einzbern estate, what kind of homunculus couldn't he obtain? It'd be strange to develop feelings for a tool.
"Do you understand your purpose for being created?"
Thinking of this, he asked the question.
Justeaze appeared to think briefly, then said, "To serve Lord Laurent?"
Laurent's brows furrowed slightly.
Impossible. Those magi couldn't have possibly given such a bizarre directive to a homunculus. Moreover, Justeaze was their first semi-successful homunculus after centuries of effort, created specifically for researching the Third Magic. Wasting such a homunculus to serve him was completely out of the question.
As he pondered, Justeaze suddenly smiled softly.
"I haven't forgotten. It's to accomplish the Third Magic for humanity."
Yet, seeing even that faint smile caused Laurent's pupils to widen slightly.
The person before him… actually possessed human emotions.
Those magi actually achieved something impressive. It seemed his centuries here hadn't been entirely pointless.
"If you know your purpose, then you should clearly understand what you need to do now."
Getting off the bed and pulling on his pants, Laurent spoke without turning back.
Yet Justeaze showed no intention of getting up. Instead, she continued gazing at Laurent's back.
"What is Lord Laurent's wish?"
She asked curiously.
Laurent found this amusing.
"That's none of your concern. I'm more curious about why you climbed into my bed."
"Yesterday… Lord Laurent carried me back."
His movements paused slightly. "Just because of that?"
"You even covered me with a blanket."
"Is that not enough?" Justeaze tilted her head slightly again, confusion evident in her eyes.
Laurent sighed. "No, I just suddenly developed some curiosity about you."
"Then… should we do those things?"
Justeaze immediately moved her hands to her clothes as if ready to remove them.
Laurent turned back, his expression indifferent.
"If you know you're fooling around, then stop now. If you don't know, then start learning from this moment."
Ignoring her further, he dressed himself properly, then casually took out a slightly oversized outfit from his wardrobe and tossed it onto the bed.
"Put this on and come out with me. Later, I'll have them make you proper clothes."
Justeaze picked up Laurent's clothing and stared at it for a moment.
"Has Lord Laurent worn this before?"
"I have. It's been washed, and besides, I'm not capable of getting dirty in the first place."
Nodding silently, Justeaze began removing her clothes again.
Laurent watched her actions with mild annoyance.
Is she doing this intentionally, or does she really not know? Given her earlier behavior, this woman clearly had developed independent emotions and personality.
Yet now, she acted precisely like a typical homunculus.
"Let's talk clearly now. According to how they designed you, your consciousness and existence should repeat a single day endlessly or reset after fixed intervals. Your effective range is within the Einzbern grounds. Yet right now, it seems you've gained independent consciousness?"
"I don't know…" Justeaze stared blankly at her hands, then raised her eyes again to meet Laurent's. "But perhaps if I stay by Lord Laurent's side, it'll be fine."
Laurent felt slightly puzzled. Stay by his side? True, ordinary humans and magi couldn't bear his divine power…
With this thought, he approached Justeaze's naked figure and extended his right hand.
Golden radiance flickered, and a stream of divine power gently flowed toward Justeaze's forehead—then seamlessly absorbed into her body without any resistance.
Seeing this, Laurent's expression shifted slightly.
So… that's how it is…