I looked at the Homunculus after she declared she was ready. The official dress of the secretary was relatively simple but far from plain. The draped silk dress was fairly loose so as not to hinder movements during work, but it was official enough to remind everyone that the person wearing it was an official. The blue, white, and gold of Avalon looked good on her, and the high-heeled shoes completed the look of a professional secretary. She was standing casually, holding the folded duvet. She looked at me, and I found the colour of her eyes extremely intriguing. It was hard to describe them since she didn't have a unified eye colour; instead, it was as if green and purple were trying to combine yet stayed unmixed. However, the one thing that bothered me was that her facial expression was a bit lifeless, and her eyes were dimmed. Nonetheless, before anything else, it was a test time.
"Please, sit down." I sat at the small conference table and pointed out one of the chairs in front of it.
Without a word, she gracefully came closer and took a seat. She wasn't stressed or tense, and I must admit she looked natural. She put her hands together on the table and waited for me to continue.
"Do you know who I am?" I started with some of the most basic questions.
"Yes, my Lord. You are my Master, King Theon Avalon, The Righteous Dungeon, The Champion of Eriar, The Chosen of Archangel, The Bringer of Equilibrium, The Friend of the Eternals, The Protector of the Weak, The Bane of Void's Servants, and The God Slayer," she replied without hesitation.
"Do you know where you are?"
"Yes, my Lord. I am in your office located in Avalon, the capital of Arcadia," she replied calmly.
"Do you know who you are?" I asked, not knowing what I expected to hear.
"I am a homunculus, created as aid and secretary, for and by you, my Lord," she answered with a straight face and didn't change her facial expression even slightly.
"Is there anything that bothers you?" I asked with growing curiosity about her.
"Yes, my Lord." She nodded slowly, and for the first time, she didn’t reply instantly. Instead, she lowered her gaze. I gave her a few moments to gather her thoughts. I observed her as she tried a few times to tell me something, and for a moment, she had an expression of someone who knew something was fundamentally not right, but she couldn't put a finger on exactly what it was. "I am unable to precisely describe this strange feeling, my Lord."
"Don't worry. I will always answer your questions, so take your time." I calmed her down and saw her relax a little bit. Once again, she looked at me with a bit of a soulless gaze. "I prepared a test for you. Its purpose is to determine your competence and relevant skills as the secretary."
She shortly nodded in confirmation and followed my hand with her gaze as I pointed at the pile of documents. "I won't reveal the task before you as it's part of the test itself. You have about one hour. Please, start."
Without batting an eye, she gently placed her hand on the top of the pile and pressed the papers. Her touch barely compressed the pile; however, I quickly realised that she was using some kind of skill. I stood up, and after taking a seat at my desk, I appraised her.
Name:
Race: Human -> True race (hidden): Homunculus
Level: 1
Main Class: Private Secretary to the Sovereign lvl.1
Sub Class (hidden): Hexblade lvl.1
HP: 50
MP: 50
SP: 100
Str: 4
Con: 6
Dex: 10
Int: 10
Wis: 7
Cha: 9
Hmmm... Her stats were very similar to the stats Amber had when we met. However, she had far more skills than I had suspected. Of course, they all were level one, but she looked fairly promising. She had no name, which should be obvious, so I used the time she completed the test to think about something nice. As I watched her slowly sort the papers and carefully read their content, I realised I perhaps expected too much from someone as fresh as her. Yet, I couldn't have denied her dedication and focus, so I let her work and focused on my job as well. However, despite actually doing some of my planning for the campaign in Berna, I was unable to concentrate. Maybe I shouldn't have locked myself up for so long after all. The one hour I gave her passed in an instant, and I stood up, curious how she had fared. She looked quite confident and was awaiting my evaluation. I sat in the same chair as previously and smiled encouragingly at her. "All right. Show me and explain what you have done."
"I sorted the reports into three categories, my Lord. The least concerning reports..." She pointed out the largest pile and slowly moved her open hand over two more piles. "Here are the important but not overly concerning reports, and lastly, here are two reports which I categorised as very important."
I nodded with a smile. It was promising so far, so I let her continue. Before the test, I had only selected one report as being important. With growing curiosity, I waited to see what was important for both reports in her understanding.
"I believe these two reports are the most important at the moment. One seems to be simple, even a trivial note from the Scion Arani, who reported that Lady Lanka met the delegation from Metaka. He said that everything went smoothly during the arrival at the border, and the group is now heading together to Avalon. I would recommend a meeting with Queen Luna, Lord Ban, and Colonel Drake to discuss the security measures regarding the future Embassy of Metaka." She pointed out a note. "While it seems mundane, the second one came from Scion Jasper. In that report, he is estimating the resources and risks for the entire country due to the kingdom still not being fully unified."
"Why do you think this second report is important?" I asked with a neutral expression.
"Without strict resource management, the development of the Kingdom will be impossible, my Lord. That would not only hinder your most imminent plans but might also cause hard-to-predict problems in the near and distant future. After all, you have promised the people of Arcadia change and improvement in their lives. While most don't expect much, the groundwork was already laid. Avalon, Westwood, Wolf Manor, and the Kobold Dungeon, which is still under construction, have already put their mark on the people who saw them, and that news has spread. Maple Town, Pine Hills, Fravia, and Quaia are small communities thriving and flourishing, shining like the brightest examples that speak more than words alone. Some people have decided to trust in your words and told others about what they saw. They speak of the wonders of Avalon. The people give you the benefit of the doubt; however, their favour can sway from support to resentment depending on what you do, my Lord."
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I looked at her, stunned. While that reasoning bounced around somewhere in the back of my head, I would not have considered this particular report that important. Especially right now. Yet, her reasoning was sound, even coherent, and her conclusions were very plausible. I smiled brightly, but she tilted her head with little understanding.
"There is still much for you to learn, but I am certain you will exceed my expectations." I nodded in approval. I extended my hand, and after a moment needed to consider my gesture, she shook it. "Welcome to the team, Eva Alpha."
I felt a spark that jumped between our shaking hands and the sudden change in her expression. Her eyes shined, and she smiled with a surprisingly cute smile. Her face softened and became more natural as she suddenly started looking around the office with child-like curiosity.
"I'm glad, my Lord!" Her voice had changed a bit, losing its artificial tones. I was looking forward to seeing her grow.
"For now, let's take a walk..." I smiled.
•••
"Luna, my Darling..." I beamed an innocent smile as I teleported to the gardens.
My lovely Kitsune was resting on the sunbed despite today's colder temperature. She smiled at me but focused on Eva, who followed me a half step behind. Luna eyed her from top to bottom, but my secretary didn't flinch even one bit, which was fairly odd.
"Hello, Theon." She stood up and lazily wagged her tails, still looking at Eva. "And who you might be?"
"She is my new secretary,” I answered. “I wondered if you could ask your excellent helpers to show her the ropes..." I was smiling despite being absolutely ignored and pushed away.
Luna encircled Eva with an inquisitive look, and I could swear that she sniffed the air around her at one point. I wasn't sure if this situation was concerning or amusing, but I decided to wait. After a good five minutes, Luna finally approached me with a puzzled expression. Her ears twitched as her tails angrily whipped the air.
"Where did you find her?" she demanded.
"Nowhere... I made her." It was probably the stupidest answer that could have slipped from my lips before I had the chance to think.
"You made her?" Luna's tails stopped halfway in their tracks, and she froze completely.
"Yes, my Lady. I am Homunculus, created to serve as the Secretary of King Theon." Eva bowed to Luna with respect.
"Uh-huh..." Luna let out a heavy sigh. "That explains why she smells like Vali and Tisiphone."
Now, my Vixen gazed at Eva with much more interest than before. I gave her a few moments before I cleared my throat to get her attention. "So...?"
"Sure. I'll look after it." Luna waved her hand dismissively and returned to her sunbed. "Do you know where my office is?"
"Yes, my Lady."
"Then go there and wait for my arrival."
"As you wish, my Lady." Eva bowed politely and briefly looked at me to check if I allowed her to go. I nodded, so she curtsied to us and turned away, walking towards the Palace. She quickly disappeared behind the decorative bush labyrinth, leaving Luna and me alone.
"Thank you, my Darling..." I started with a happy smile that died the moment I saw her angry but worried face. "What...?"
"Theon, you should stop that work and return. We are worried about you. I am worried..." She started with care in her voice, but I raised my hand to stop her right there.
"Luna, I am almost done. If everything goes smoothly, I'll finally finish my overdue planning, building, and other work… maybe tonight or tomorrow."
"Theon..." She tried one last time, but I decided to finish all the piled-up stuff and be free for at least a little while.
"Luna, I really want to return home, but this paperwork only piles up. That's why I created Eva!" I answered back.
"Fine... Who is in that shell?" Luna almost hissed the question.
"What? No one! Homunculuses do not need souls or spirits to operate on their own!"
"Hmmm... I can't discern what she is, so I will pay close attention to her. Also, I will inform the other Queens about Eva and ask them for help. I can't say if I'm happy with what you have done, but please, for God's sake, refrain from creating new ones until we understand how they actually work." Luna pouted cutely, but I understood that she was angry. She sighed heavily and looked at me with concern. "Why?"
Instead of immediately replying with some stupid excuse, I sat on the sunbed next to Luna and took some time to think about the answer. Luna observed me with her ears still twitching angrily, but she did not press the issue. "If I have to be honest, I need a helper. While I could employ talented mortals, and trust me, I probably will… I need someone I can fully trust in charge of my office."
"So why not create a new spawner?" she asked patiently.
"Simply put, costs. Just how many secretaries do I need? A few hundred? A few thousand? The spawner creates denizens until the capacity limit for said denizen is exhausted. Spawner upgrades also cost a lot, which means the more specialised the denizen is, the more mana it will cost to create it. For example, my spiders are my most basic denizens since their role is to be simple monsters that will attack the adventurers and set rudimentary traps in more difficult areas. Their silk is just a by-product. Their spawner has a capacity of hundreds of thousands, and the full cost of their upgrades is just over one million mana points. On the other hand, the Archvampire spawner that spawns Vampire Lords, who, as you know, are the commanders of my Immortal Legions, can only produce just a fraction of that number. Currently, I have three hundred fifty-one Archvampires, of which just one hundred are Vampire Lords. The limit of that spawner is just one thousand denizens, and they are my rarest denizens by far. Yet, you know what they are capable of. Making their spawner wasn't easy, as it required a million mana points just to reach the level of spawning Vampire Lords. Then came additional costs of upgrades, not to mention resources needed to finish the entire thing."
"Mhm..." Luna briefly nodded, waiting for more. However, her moving ears suggested I should hurry up.
"Simply put, even the World System told me it was stupid to create an entire spawner of secretaries and proposed that I create a Homunculus instead," I briefly summarised, seeing her growing impatience.
"*sigh* So you did it just like that? Created her just because the System told you it's an option?"
"Well... Yes?" I was at a loss here. "Luna, I know I know nothing about magic and shouldn't meddle with things I don't understand. But no one warned me about Homunculuses. No one said anything when I created the bodies for Vali and Tisiphone."
"Fair..." She rubbed her eyelids and sat in front of me. "To be honest, I don't know much about them either. Mentionings of them were scarce in the records I still remember, but they were usually used maliciously by the people often associated with the forces of widely understood evil."
"Luna, I don't think she deserves such cold treatment," I replied after a moment. "It's unfair to suspect her of ill intentions only because someone evil used them maliciously. Sorry for the comparison, but that would be like saying all swords are evil because Korkas stabbed me with one. Or do we have to suspect every sword just because Lord Dickhead is a living sword?"
"All right, you have a point as well. But, please tell me the truth, you don't feel anything unsettling about her?" Luna nervously looked around as if she expected Eva to stand right behind her. "Her aura is so unnatural and... And strange."
"No?" I raised my brow curiously. "I can't say she gave me the creeps you described. But, admittedly, I am the last person you should ask about that..."
Luna laid down her ears but said nothing. I waited momentarily to ensure she had nothing further to say, but she was quiet. She leaned towards me and kissed me on the cheek. "I'm afraid I have to observe... Eva, and decide if I was wrong about her or not."
I simply nodded, and she vanished before I could say anything. Not that I wanted to, but I felt I should have. I read the description of the Homunculus a few times to see if it could explain Luna's odd behaviour.
You can create a Homunculus, an artificial person who can mimic the behaviour of various races. Powerful spirits or souls can possess the created puppet; however, a personality can also be installed, preventing future possession attempts. Skill level corresponds with the level of the created Homunculus.
Current races available: Human.
I could waste all day looking at this skill and still find nothing. Maybe she was just tired? After all, it was a tough few weeks for us all. Unfortunately, we were still far from vacation season...