A Bracelet from the Heart ③ – Shardina and the Minos Dolls.
A teleport gate has been installed in Tasan’s villa, which is to say, Torquetum’s hideout.
So, everyone returned to my house, which has now pretty much become a gate relay point.
I thought they’d head back immediately, but it turns out they’re going to take a bath at the Witch’s House before returning.
It really hits home how convenient things have become.
That’s when I suddenly realized I hadn’t seen Hayyarn in a long time.
Well, it’s only been about two weeks. Still, I didn’t see her the day before yesterday, yesterday, or today.
“She’s not dead, is she?”
I got a little worried. If she were dead, well, I suppose we could serve her for dinner.
As I entertained such a joke, I passed through the teleport gate to the Lab.
At first, you couldn’t enter without a gate key, but lately, it’s been left wide open.
I really think that’s a bit much… Hmm?
Beyond the teleport gate, I was momentarily speechless.
There’s a passage leading to the Lab. Along the passage, there are two doors on each side, for a total of four.
Directly ahead was the large entrance to the Lab—a door.
Actually, there are stairs immediately below after passing through, but they’re blocked by rubble.
One of the four doors was open.
Moreover, it wasn’t on the right, where the training room is. It was the front left door. And it was wide open.
“They managed to open it…?”
Then, the main door in front opened.
A maid with black bull horns, blonde hair, and blue skin was effortlessly carrying a wooden box.
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 Munieca-san’s.
She came out immediately, disappeared back inside the door, and then carried out another wooden box.
Partway through, she noticed me. She gave a light bow. I bowed back. She continued on her way.
What is she doing? I wondered as I approached.
Beyond the open door was a small room. Or was it even a room?
There was nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.
A pure white room, with square dividing lines on the floor… Could this be?
The Minos Doll Maid came out carrying a wooden box.
I stepped aside so as not to be in her way, and she placed the wooden box on one of the marked squares.
Then, the section demarcated by the lines lowered with a clunk.
“Just as I thought.”
It’s an elevator. And a freight one at that.
“Ah, um…”
When I called out to the Minos Doll Maid, she stopped.
“?”
“Where is Hayyarn?”
The Minos Doll Maid pointed to the elevator. I see.
I thanked her, and then, oh, right. I showed her the bracelet.
It was a bracelet with a blue band and a black gemstone embedded in it.
“…”
She looked utterly perplexed.
“Um, could you hold out your arm?”
“…”
She smoothly extended her arm. I put the bracelet on her.
“It’s a token of my gratitude. Thank you for everything.”
Minos Dolls.
They are dolls reconstructed based on Minos Units, modeled after Munieca-san.
Since Munieca-san is a maid, they are also maids.
And they take care of my personal needs, as I’ve become Munieca-san’s master.
When I was away, they were the ones cleaning my house.
Currently, they should be serving the Tasan Family.
“…”
She kept looking at the bracelet on her arm, tilting her head.
I wonder if she likes it. She looked at me. She bowed her head. I bowed mine too.
Then she went back to looking at the bracelet.
Wondering if she shouldn’t be carrying boxes, I used the elevator to go down.
On the floor below, there was a conveyor belt. Wooden boxes were being transported at regular intervals.
These wooden boxes, what’s inside them? And why are there so many?
“Where are they taking them?”
What is that Hayarn up to? I followed the conveyor belt.
I emerged into a large, pure white space. It looked like a warehouse.
Shiro-san would probably be delighted, but looking closely, I saw countless black lines drawn on the walls.
It’s so mechanical. I knew it, though.
In the warehouse, wooden boxes transported by the conveyor belt were stacked up.
Another Minos Doll Maid was moving them from the conveyor belt.
And in what looked like a control room at the far end, there was a Hayarn in a white coat.
It was Hayyarn.
“Hayyarn.”
“Wof?! How did you get here?”
“I used the elevator. More importantly, what are you doing? What’s in those wooden boxes?”
“Have you forgotten? What’s in the wooden boxes is that Orb of Light.”
“Don’t tell me all of them…”
She had consulted me about wanting to create some mass-producible product using the Lab.
At that time, I had suggested the Orb of Light I received from Liv-san.
“That’s right. There are over ten thousand in total.”
“Ten thousand?!”
“For now.”
“No, no, isn’t that too many?”
“Wof. I thought so too. But Dova said…”
“Dova? From Tasan? Huh? Are you working with the Tasan Family?”
“I was introduced by Lupinus from Torquetum.”
“I see…”
“She said, ‘Oh, yes. It’ll sell. This will definitely sell.’”
“Well, that’s true.”
Any Seeker would definitely want one.
“So she said she wanted ten thousand to ensure sufficient stock.”
“Is that this mountain of wooden boxes?”
“That’s right. But a problem occurred.”
“A problem? Don’t tell me the quality…”
“No. There’s no problem with the quality.”
Hayyarn took an orb from one of the wooden boxes.
It floated gently and glowed.
“…It’s an Orb of Light.”
It was unmistakably an Orb of Light. Hayyarn said.
“It was in the Lab’s oldest database. Creation was easy.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s that I mistakenly set the production order to 100,000.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“I mistakenly set the order for 10,000 to 100,000.”
“…”
I was speechless. That’s the kind of mistake a rookie makes.
But this scale is rarely seen. Hayyarn gave a wry smile.
“Fortunately, whether it’s 100,000 or a million, we have the space.”
“More importantly, can you even manufacture 100,000?”
“Since it doesn’t use rare materials, it can be created with the infinite matter in the Lab.”
“In-infinite matter…?”
“It’s matter that can be generated in the Lab. It’s nothing special.”
Still, it can be made infinitely.
This Lab is truly off the charts. If mishandled, it feels like 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 the Lab can’t be used until it’s finished.”
“Haven’t you done automated production before?”
“I haven’t done mass production. This is the first time.”
Hayyarn said self-deprecatingly, picking up a cup. Very dexterous for a Hayarn’s hands.
“What’s that?”
“It’s coffee. Want some?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t drink black coffee.”
“The bitterness of unsweetened coffee will clear your head.”
A caffeine addict, this Hayarn.
Is it really okay for things to be like this right from the start?
“Oh, right. Can I borrow the training room?”
“I don’t mind, but what are you going to do?”
“I was thinking of practicing with this.”
I showed her the Mokusen.
“Hoh. A spear, is it?”
“I haven’t handled one much, so I want to practice.”
“Alright. I believe there was a spearmanship program.”
“Really? In that case, please.”
“Alright. Let’s go up.”
When we used the elevator to go up, it was somewhat noisy.
The Minos Dolls were gathered in the passage. What’s going on?
Then, the Minos Doll Maid I had given the bracelet to quickly approached me.
And in a very natural flow, she gently kissed my cheek.
“Eh?”
“Wha-?!”
The other Minos Dolls started murmuring.
After the kiss, she quickly moved away, smiling.
“…”
“What’s the meaning of this, Wof!”
“Master!”
A Minos Doll with black horns, but the only one with human-colored skin, roared.
It was Shardina. She was the only one with a cutlass at her hip.
She looked angry.