After shaking off the bothersome surveillance and returning to the Archmage’s castle in the forest to check the recipe for the elixir, Karia witnessed a most peculiar sight.
<Ah!>
It wasn’t particularly strange to see Andeon and Alice working together to clean. It also wasn’t unusual for Andeon to immediately kneel and greet her as soon as he saw her.
What was strange was Alice. Karia expected her to leap out of the window and come running again, but instead, Alice simply bowed her head politely from the window. Then, rather than running, she briskly walked down the interior stairs and came out through the front door.
Even stranger was the overly polite greeting she had never heard before. As far as Karia knew, only Andeon and Quackquack lived in the castle. This change was suspicious.
Karia looked down at Alice with a puzzled expression, uncertain whether to be pleased or cautious, and cautiously stepped inside the castle.
“Have you been well?”
<Yes, I waited patiently like a good girl. I was good.>
Was she asking to be patted on the head?
Feeling an eager expectation from Alice’s round eyes, Karia placed a hand on her head.
Alice smiled brightly, clearly delighted, and dashed off toward the central staircase. Looking back repeatedly, she seemed to be playing at escorting her.
“It’s gotten quite clean.”
<Right! Andeon went ‘whoosh’ and the dust flew away. He went ‘whoosh’ at each window and the dust disappeared!>
“Yes, yes. Andeon is very good.”
The castle was now incomparably cleaner than when she had first returned.
The golems cleaned, and Karia used magic. She wanted to restore everything to its former state, but too much time had passed—even her magic wasn’t enough for that.
So she focused on repairing the essential structures and stairs of the castle first, while removing things like carpets and curtains, intending to replace them later.
The greatest contributor to making the castle livable again was Andeon, who had cleared the weeds and vines from the garden, making the castle visible even from a distance.
“What is this?”
Feeling proud of the castle’s improving state, she entered her room—only to find something completely out of place on the old table.
It was covered with ingredients like raspberries, apples, and mushrooms.
“You mean from the forest?”
Andeon answered from outside the window, as if he had read her thoughts. Karia wasn’t sure whether to praise or scold him.
His main duty was to guard the castle, and for that, he shouldn’t leave it. If he was spotted in the forest, it could be problematic.
“Then again… what is there to protect it from now?”
This forest was saturated with mana and repelled outsiders on its own. Karia had entered using magic to open a path, but ordinary humans wouldn’t be able to.
And Andeon had said it had been centuries since anyone had visited. If any other being were still alive in the forest, it was strange they’d never encountered this large castle.
Karia concluded there were no other remaining races in the forest and took an apple from the table out of courtesy, taking a bite.
“It’s very sweet. Thank you.”
<I’m glad it pleased you.>
Alice clung to Karia’s leg excitedly. Andeon immediately scolded her.
<Alice!>
Karia, puzzled by the silent communication between the two golems, asked:
“What do you mean?”
“What?”
Alice clung to her like she might grab her ankles and beg her not to leave.
But when had she ever said such a thing?
Karia looked to Andeon, demanding an explanation. He averted his eyes and muttered hesitantly.
So it wasn’t exactly a lie—just a little manipulative. Karia couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
She had always thought of Andeon as dignified, but that was a surprisingly cute kind of threat. Still, looking after that whirlwind of chaos on his own probably hadn’t been easy.
Karia didn’t scold him, and instead sat down on the bed with Alice still clinging to her.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll probably be busy for a while. But once things settle down, I’ll stay for a few days at a time.”
“In the meantime, could you do something for me? I need you to search for something in the forest. It’s a flower that usually grows near cliffs, with white leaves and a stem that…”
Karia described several ingredients needed for the elixir to the kneeling and attentive Andeon. She had planned to search herself, but if he could move around the forest, she could entrust it to him.
They were rare materials, so she didn’t expect him to find them easily. But as a golem with a perfect memory, Andeon might at least find some clues while she was away.
“Huh?”
As she paused to take another bite of the apple, Alice, who had been fidgeting at her feet, tugged on her robe and pointed at her mouth and the apple.
“What do you mean? I ate it. Unlike you golems who run on magic, humans need food to survive.”
Alice ran to the table, grabbed an apple, and pressed it to her head. But when she brought it to her face, the apple just squished—she couldn’t bite into it.
Alice looked at Karia with pleading eyes, but before she could respond, Andeon scolded her.
<Alice! You mustn’t keep asking the Master for things. Golems exist to fulfill the Master’s wishes, not to ask her for anything. That’s not right.>
Perhaps remembering that misbehaving would mean Karia wouldn’t return, Alice sadly fiddled with the apple in her hands. The once bright red fruit was now bruised all over.
“—If there’s a reward, you’ll work harder. What’s so difficult about that? Andeon, if there’s anything you want, tell me. If it’s within my power, I’ll grant it.”
Karia couldn’t stand seeing her so dejected. That disappointed look reminded her too much of someone she didn’t want to acknowledge was lost—her own child.
She hadn’t accepted it, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t help.
If she wanted to eat, Karia could make her a mouth. After all, she had created them with her own hands. Making adjustments was no big deal.
Andeon hesitated. Even if his master told him to speak his desires, how could he dare…?
But in truth, there had always been something he quietly wished for.
He confessed his wish without meeting her eyes.
Karia let out a small “Ah” of realization. Of course—it was odd that while she and Alice were inside, he always had to speak through a window.
She smiled and stood up, beckoning to both of them.
“Alright. Come out to the garden, both of you.”
—
—
Placed side-by-side, the size difference between Andeon and Alice was enormous.
To have them move together from now on, it would be better if they were more similar in size.
Karia extended her hand into the air, drawing mana, and a faint golden mist began to swirl around them, enveloping their bodies. Light began to radiate from the stone golems.
“Since I’m making you smaller, I’ll need to reinforce you so you stay strong.”
Their massive rock forms slowly disintegrated, turning into dust like fine sand.
What remained in their place was a shining white essence—like their very souls.
“To digest food, you’ll need organs.”
The scattering sand became even finer, turning into powder. Slowly, with the light, the fine particles began to reassemble into new shapes.
“To help out more, a human form will be best.”
Human shapes would also make it easier to bring them out of the forest if needed. That gave them more options.
Should they be male and female, one of each? That way, she’d have all bases covered. What age would be best?
Old enough to run errands, but not so old it would look odd for her to keep them around.
“Mom.”
At that moment, a voice brushed past Karia’s ears.
She momentarily lost her composure in surprise.
Was that Alice? Or just the wind? It didn’t matter.
Because in that instant, she thought of her lost son, Eddie. And because of that, the magic resulted in something just a little different from what she had originally intended.
