Chapter 64: Heartfelt Bracelet ③ – Shaldina and the Minos Dolls

A teleportation gate had been installed at Tasan’s villa—essentially the Torquetum hideout.

So we all returned to my house, which had effectively become a gate relay point.

I thought we’d go straight back, but they said we’d take a bath at the witch’s house first before returning.

I realized just how convenient things had become.

Then I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t seen Haiyaan in a while.

Well, it had only been about two weeks. But still, I hadn’t seen him the day before yesterday, yesterday, or today.

“Please tell me he’s not dead.”

I felt a little worried. If he were dead… well, maybe we could serve him for dinner.

Joking aside, I passed through the teleportation gate to the lab.

At first, the gate required a key to enter, but recently it had been left open.

That seemed a bit careless… hmm?

I was momentarily speechless when I saw what lay beyond the gate.

A corridor led to the lab. Along the corridor were four doors in total—two on each side.

At the end was the large lab entrance.

Actually, there was a staircase just beyond the entrance, but it was blocked by rubble.

One of the four doors was open.

Not the right-hand one with the training room, but the front-left door—and it was wide open.

“So they managed to unlock it…”

Then the front door opened.

A maid with black cow-like horns, blonde hair, and blue skin was carrying a wooden crate effortlessly.

She went into the front-left room.

“Is that a Minos Doll…?”

Her long blonde hair was braided. Her face looked like a younger version of Munieka-san.

She disappeared into the room with the crate, then returned carrying another.

She noticed me and gave a small nod. I returned the nod. She kept carrying the crate.

What were they doing? Curious, I approached.

The room beyond the open door was small—or was it even a proper room?

There was nothing in it. Truly nothing.

The room was completely white, with lines marked on the floor in squares… could it be…?

The Minos Doll maid with the crate appeared again.

I stepped aside so as not to get in the way, and she placed the crate within one of the square sections.

Then the section of the floor sank with a clunk.

“Of course.”

It was a lift—specifically, one for moving cargo.

“Um…”

I called out to the Minos Doll maid, and she stopped.

“?”

“Where is Haiyaan?”

The maid pointed at the lift. Ah, I see.

I thanked her, and then remembered to show her the bracelet.

It was a bracelet with a blue band and a black gemstone.

“…”

She looked at it as if it were something mysterious.

“Um, could you extend your arm?”

“…”

She stretched out her arm smoothly, and I placed the bracelet on her wrist.

“This is a token of my gratitude. Thank you for everything you do.”

Minos Dolls.

They were dolls reconstructed based on Munieka-san using the Minos unit as a model.

Since Munieka-san was a maid, they were maids too.

And they took care of my surroundings, since I had become Munieka-san’s master.

They even cleaned the house when I wasn’t home.

Currently, they were probably serving the Tasan family.

“…”

She tilted her head, examining the bracelet on her arm intently.

Did she like it? She looked at me, bowed her head, and I bowed in return.

Then she continued to look at the bracelet.

Wondering if she didn’t have to carry it, I used the lift to go down.

On the lower floor, there was a conveyor belt with crates being moved at regular intervals.

I wondered what was inside these crates—and why there were so many of them.

“Where are they taking them?”

What was that rabbit doing? I followed the conveyor belt.

It led to a large, pure-white space. It looked like a warehouse.

Shiro-san would probably be thrilled, but on closer inspection, countless black lines were drawn on the walls.

So mechanical… as expected, though.

The crates from the conveyor belt were stacked in the warehouse.

Another Minos Doll maid carried crates from the belt.

In the back, in what seemed like a control room, there was a rabbit in a lab coat.

It was Haiyaan.

“Haiyaan.”

“Wof!? How did you get here?”

“I used the lift. But more importantly, what are you doing? What’s in those crates?”

“Have you forgotten? The crates contain the light spheres.”

“No way… all of them…?”

He had consulted me about using the lab to mass-produce a product.

At the time, I had suggested the light spheres that Liv-san had given me.

“That’s right. There are over 10,000 of them in total.”

“10,000!?”

“For now, yes.”

“Isn’t that… way too many?”

“Wof, I thought the same. But Dova said it.”

“Dova? Of the Tasan family? Huh? Are you working with the Tasan family?”

“Introduced by Lupinas of Torquetum.”

“I see…”

“She said, ‘Yeah, it’ll sell. This will definitely sell.’”

“Well, she’s right about that.”

Every explorer would absolutely want one.

“That’s why they said they want 10,000 units to ensure sufficient stock.”

“So that’s what all these crates are for?”

“Yes. But a problem has arisen.”

“A problem? Surely not with the quality?”

“No. The quality is fine.”

Haiyaan took one of the spheres out of a crate.

It floated gently, glowing.

“…A light sphere.”

It was indeed a light sphere. Haiyaan explained:

“It was in the oldest database in the lab. Making it was easy.”

“So what’s the problem, then?”

“I mistakenly ordered 100,000 instead of 10,000.”

“Wait, what?”

“I meant to order 10,000, but I ended up ordering 100,000.”

“…”

I was speechless. That’s a mistake only a newbie would make.

But on this scale, it’s almost unheard of. Haiyaan gave a wry smile.

“Fortunately, whether it’s 100,000 or a million, there’s enough space.”

“More importantly… you can really make 100,000 of these?”

“Since it doesn’t require rare materials, we can create them using the lab’s infinite substance.”

“Infinite substance…?”

“It’s a material that can be generated in the lab. Nothing special.”

Even so, they can make an unlimited number?

This lab really is extraordinary. If handled incorrectly, it could end the world.

“Can’t you stop production?”

“I don’t know how to stop the line. It wasn’t in the database either. So we can’t use the lab until it’s finished.”

“You’ve never done automated production before?”

“No. We’ve never mass-produced anything. This is the first time.”

Haiyaan sighed and picked up a cup. A rabbit, yet so dexterous.

“What’s that?”

“Coffee. Want some?”

“I don’t do black.”

“The bitterness without sugar clears your head.”

Caffeine addict, huh? This rabbit.

Is it really okay for him to start off like this?

“Oh, right. Can I borrow the training room?”

“Sure, but what are you planning to do?”

“I want to practice with this.”

I showed him the Mokusen.

“Oh? A spear.”

“I haven’t really handled one before, so I want to practice.”

“Fine. There should be a spear-training program.”

“Really? In that case, please!”

“All right. Let’s go upstairs.”

Using the lift, I went up—and it was noisy.

Minos Dolls had gathered in the corridor. What’s going on?

Then the Minos Doll maid I had given a bracelet to suddenly approached me.

And, in a very natural motion, she gently kissed my cheek.

“Eh?”

“Wha—!?”

The others murmured in surprise.

After the kiss, she stepped back, smiling cheerfully.

“…”

“What’s going on, Wof!”

“Master!”

One Minos Doll, the only one with black horns but human-colored skin, shouted.

It was Shaldina. She was the only one with a cutlass at her waist.

She seemed angry.