第二十六章
“Now that Airenst has introduced herself, there’s no need for the rest of you to remain rooted to the spot.”
After Airenst returned to her seat, Kristia waved a hand at the other maids. The maid with flowing sky-blue hair, who had been the first to comment on Lisbeth’s introduction, stepped forward.
She addressed Lisbeth, who remained kneeling on one knee. “Then it’s my turn to introduce myself.”
“Mm, Olivia, you go ahead then.”
Upon seeing Kristia nod, Olivia’s face bloomed into a smile. She gestured with a hand.
“My name is Olivia Darkness,” she announced. “I am one of the Demon Lord’s personal maids, primarily responsible for the development of magic and magical tools. Please take care of me from now on.”
‘Eh?! Olivia Darkness?’
Upon hearing Olivia’s introduction, Lisbeth was utterly dumbfounded. He might not have known who Airenst, the great physician, was, but Olivia was a name he absolutely had to recognize.
This was because Olivia was the prodigious genius who, two hundred years later, would propel the development of magic across the entire world. Her developed spells and theories, whether for daily life or military applications, were considered the most cutting-edge the world had ever seen.
“Hey, Alex, I know you’re surprised, but don’t space out again!”
“Ah, you’re right.”
Seeing Lisbeth about to zone out once more, Clotilde shouted into his mind. Upon hearing her voice, Lisbeth finally snapped back to reality. “Mm, please take care of me,” he added.
Just as Lisbeth thought Olivia would conclude her introduction, Olivia suddenly walked over to him. She gently pinched his arm, then nodded.
“Mm-hmm, it truly is a body I created,” Olivia remarked. “You shouldn’t be feeling any discomfort or unease, should you?”
“Eh?! You made this body?”
If Olivia’s identity had merely startled Lisbeth, then her subsequent words left him utterly dumbfounded. Gazing at Lisbeth, whose eyes were now completely vacant, Olivia smiled faintly.
“Indeed,” she confirmed. “I put a great deal of effort into creating this body, so you must take good care of it.”
“Haha… hahahaha…”
“Eh?”
As Olivia’s words faded, Lisbeth fell silent for a moment, then let out a chilling laugh that startled everyone present. Seeing this, Olivia immediately extended a hand and waved it in front of him.
“What’s suddenly wrong with you?” she inquired. “Did something go wrong with your body, causing you to go mad?”
“Snap!”
“Eh?”
Lisbeth, however, did not answer her. Instead, he suddenly reached out with both hands, tears welling in his eyes, and clasped Olivia’s outstretched hand.
“Olivia! No, Lady Olivia!” he exclaimed. “Truly, no matter the era, you are the greatest mage in this world! This body is simply too perfect!”
“Especially this chest,” he continued, “it’s clearly a meticulously crafted masterpiece! Ah, Lady Olivia! In my heart, you are second only to the Demon Lord!”
“Lisbeth…”
Gazing at Lisbeth, who had clearly gone into another one of his fits, Hilda, standing behind him, sighed helplessly. She prepared to rap him on the head.
Before she could act, however, Olivia nodded in satisfaction. “Mm-hmm, so you really like the body I made! That’s wonderful.”
“I’m glad you noticed the chest,” she added. “I put a lot of effort into creating it!”
“Is that so, is that so! Thank you so much!”
“Hey… I can’t just pretend I didn’t hear that…”
Just as Lisbeth and Olivia were engrossed in their animated conversation, a young female voice suddenly emerged from behind them. The voice didn’t come from Kristia, but from the maid to her right—the last maid whose name Lisbeth had yet to learn.
When Lisbeth looked up, he saw a ten-year-old girl, roughly the same age as Kristia, with long golden-blonde hair, glaring at them with a displeased expression. Given her presence, it was clear she must also be one of the personal maids.
The little girl’s expression, however, was one of extreme displeasure, almost rivaling Kristia’s suppressed urge to unleash magic beside her. She slowly advanced towards Olivia and Lisbeth, then coldly questioned Olivia:
“Olivia! Why could you make his body so perfect, yet mine had to be that of a loli?!”
“Eh?”
As the little girl’s words fell, Lisbeth couldn’t immediately grasp their meaning. Olivia, however, understood the situation at once. She pushed up her glasses.
“I’ve told you before, Staros,” she explained, “your body was the first successful prototype. To ensure safety, we couldn’t add too many unnecessary features. Besides, aren’t you quite cute as you are now?”
“I don’t need to be cute!” Staros wailed. “I want big breasts that I can fondle every day! Wuwu! Damn it! I’m so jealous!!”
Watching Staros, who was now kneeling on the ground, crying profusely and pounding the floor, Lisbeth’s mouth twitched. He then slowly asked, “Um, don’t tell me he’s also like me, a soul thrown into a body?”
“That’s right~” Olivia chuckled. “And just like you, he was originally male~ So I think you two should get along well~”
“Huh?”