"The Master should bathe at least once a week. His smell is so strong you can see it. You have no idea of the things the neighbors say about you."
"Let them say what they want. Why do you even spend so much time dwelling on things that don't matter, like the smell of the person who made you? Turn off your olfactory sensors."
"I beg to disagree, Master. Why should this machine sacrifice its sense of smell for the sake of its master's selfishness? It is so questionable that I doubt your sanity."
"You are my maid!"
"Since when did you get the misconception that a maid will listen to your every word?"
How long is this going to go on?
Frau is so bored she's falling asleep.
And Jessica, on the other hand, was already asleep.
"I think you should stop them."
"I don't want to be a nuisance by getting in their way."
The basement was just as cluttered as the upstairs.
There were various oddly shaped glass containers, metal pipes and pots, bottled herbs and monstrous materials, countless scrolls on the shelves, and a large magic circle on the floor.
Perhaps he is an alchemist.
"Stupid! You're stupid!"
"00 bastard. 00 master. 00 alchemist who can only do 00 to 00."
"Damn it! Somebody kill me! I want to die right now!"
"Victory!"
The maid flashed a V-sign with her hand while remaining expressionless, but she looked somewhat proud of herself.
I don't care what just happened, I just want her to introduce us already.
And why don't you comfort your Master? He's crying.
"My name is Yabai, an alchemist."
Yabai, red-eyed, took a sip of his tea and introduced himself.
to him sat the maid.
"Hey, why are you sitting next to me? You need to know your place."
"Since when do you think this machine is beneath you?"
"All right. Do what you want."
"You just ordered me to, so I'm free to do it."
Yabai speaks again.
"So, Toru, you want to know about an ancient species, right? The dragon people."
"Yes, I'd like to know more about them. I'm willing to pay you whatever you want for that information. That is, of course, if the information is correct."
"I don't care about money. I want to know why. I'm interested in your motives."
"I..."
I'm speechless.
I don't know how I'm going to explain it.
If I start from the beginning, it will take a long time, and the fact that I am a dragonoid will be revealed.
Even I'm not stupid enough to think it's a good idea to reveal a secret to someone you don't even know you can trust.
"This man is 99.9% Dragonoid. And judging by his genetic information, he's the son of Master One."
"Oh, so you're a survivor of an ancient species. Then it makes sense."
"What!? How did you know I was a dragonoid!?"
The maid just revealed my identity to the old man.
What just happened?
"Kukuku, I see you're surprised. She has a human appearance, but she's actually a Golem, one of the original ones created by the ancient race... Life Support Golem LL-0223."
"Life support golem... In other words, it's an artificial object?"
"Yes, Master Two."
The maid made a V-sign without changing her expression.
Frau and Panda, who showed interest, approached the maid and observed her closely.
"She seems to be alive... Even if she's not real."
"Kyui."
"Of course. This machine is one of the beings that can be called the crystallization of wisdom.... It's a high performance maid golem that can meet all kinds of demands. Originally, it shouldn't be in a place like this."
"And you're also a first class foul mouthed one."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say old man. Have a cushion so you don't hurt your back."
Yabai was very angry.
The maid seemed to have no idea what was going on and didn't seem to care for it.
Kaede, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, laughs.
"Since you saw me, you've been calling me 'Master Two'. What does that mean?"
"No, Master Two. Yabai-Sama is a temporary master. The official master registered to me is your mother."
What do you mean by that?
"My mother is your first master?"
If so, why is she here?
I looked at Yabai again, he looked away, seemingly angry.
"Master, talk to this young man."
"I don't want to, you explain it to him."
"This machine doesn't know what happened before it woke up. It must be the genius alchemist, Yabai-Sama, who explains, as only you know the circumstances."
"Genius alchemist!?"
Yabai reacted with a jerk.
"I would like the rare genius Yabai-Sama, who is overflowing with talent and has won all kinds of honors, but has discarded them all to continue his research in solitude, to explain himself."
"Very well, I'll do it!"
The motivated Yabai begins to speak.
Yabai had always shown great interest in the ancient race.
In the process, he researched various ruins and artifacts, and managed to duplicate some of them, making Yabai's name widely known.
One rainy day, an unknown woman appeared at his door.
She was carrying something wrapped in cloth and told him she was a dragon person.
Yabai was skeptical of her words, but with the use of an appraisal scroll, he knew it was the undeniable truth.
He was very excited about it.
An ancient species thought to be extinct had survived.
There was so much he wanted to know, so much he didn't know what to ask, Yabai said.
The woman called herself "Kuon".
She was a woman of few words and, contrary to expectations, did not talk much.
A very quiet woman, she read a lot of books, strangely perceptive, a good cook, and a great cleaner.
She was very intelligent, and also seemed to understand Yabai's research instantly.
After staying here for a few days, she left the maid (the golem) and went somewhere.
"...Kuon never gave me an answer to all my questions, it's like she was trying to hide from something that was chasing her."
"What if she had no memory of who she was?"
"I don't think that was the case. It was Kuon who repaired the silly maid here."
Life support golem LL-0223 was fixed by my mother?
Maybe the thing my mother was holding back then was the maid.
Kuon... That's my mother's real name.
Although it's the first time I've heard a name like that, I like it.
"What do you know about my mother?"
"I'm afraid the memory of this machine has been deliberately erased. The only order I have been given is to serve this old alchemist."
So her memory's been erased.
That's not good. I thought I had found a huge clue.
I turn around and see that Jessica is still sound asleep.
I'll let her sleep a little longer.
"Did she say where she came from?"
"I don't know. I asked her where she was from and where she was going, but she wouldn't tell me."
Yabai continued his story.
"But she did tell me the reason she was traveling."
"What did she say!?"
"She said she was searching for a place where she can find peace."
Hearing this, Mom's happy smile flashed across my mind.
Mom had finished her journey. That place where she lived with me and my father was where she found peace, wasn't it?
When I think about it, I feel a warmth deep in my heart.
"That's all I needed to hear. Thank you, Yabai."
"Wait a minute. I don't know where she came from, but I know someone who might."
Really?
You should have said that earlier!
Yabai pulls an old book off his shelf.
He flips through it and shows me a page.
"In this world, there is a race called 'Celestial Beasts' who possess unimaginable power. It is said that they are the progenitors of the Beast Tribe, and that they served the ancient race."
Celestial Beasts?
A woman with fox ears who looked like Kaede appeared in the book.