Forty-two: You know, maids—kinda make the heart race, huh?

"Right! That’s the trick!"

I pored over Professor Jabil’s notes on the wooden automaton, churned out countless prototypes, kept studying until fresh knowledge took root in the sigil, even consulted Professor Jabil himself—and finally, the solution clicked.

"Professor Jabil originally tried adapting homunculus tech. Failed. After trial and error, he merged the techniques used in golems and gargoyles to complete the wooden automaton. But the intelligence and strength were… just barely there."

Of course, that wasn’t the professor’s fault. The fact he managed to instill *some* intelligence at all was proof of his skill.

Truth is, the deeper I dug into the notes, the more knowledge I’d pulled from the sigil.

And after studying the dragon materials granted by the Marquis, I finally had it—my perfect artificial magical construct, exactly what I’d been searching for.

After countless trials and errors, there she stood before me—ultimate artificial maid (…).

"Seriously made it, huh?"

Hey, thanks for making the body.

That’s fine and all, but…

The tech I had my eye on was a type of construct—Dragonfang Warriors, to be exact.

A type of artificial soldier made from a dragon's fang—extremely powerful monster.

Deep within the dungeons of the ancient magic era, they’re often found guarding treasures. That means they’re usually as strong as a dungeon’s boss level.

Built on the foundation of those Dragon Tooth Warriors, I poured in everything—Golem Gargoyle tech, and even the master’s Homunculus techniques, no holds barred.

That wasn’t enough, so I even brought in familiar spirit tech to keep things smooth.

The materials? Not exactly fancy.

Base made from a dragon’s fang. Skeleton reinforced with dragon bone. Muscles and skin built through homunculus tech—layered with dragon flesh and rare herbs. And I had Raidock embed a powerful monster’s magic stone at the core of the brain. It was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, truly unmatched in the world.

All at family prices—still, half my savings vanished. Oh well…

I handled the basic skeleton and fleshwork with alchemy. The final skin application and design? Left that to Leifan.

I mean, finishing off a female body? Too embarrassing to do myself.

Why a female form? Not just because I wanted a maid to help me, but apparently it had something to do with the dragon being female.

No matter what, it just wouldn’t work out as anything but a woman’s body.

Leifan got mad at me for making the chest so big on the maid dummy, but if I didn’t, the whole thing just wouldn’t balance right.

And it’s not wasted, okay!

There were a few hiccups, but after roughly placing the major muscle groups, Leifan put on the skin nice and clean (I hope).

I asked him to buy a maid outfit and dress her, but I’d rather forget the look I got—like I’d just asked him to set fire to a library.

“Alright, powering it up.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Channeling magic through the rune matrix, the maid dummy’s eyes slowly opened.

Beautiful eyes that glowed emerald green.

……Good morning, my master.

S-super! It can talk right from the start?

All thanks to Professor Javir. I asked him for advice a few times.

Luckily, since Professor Javir moved to the old frontier village, it’s been easy to visit.

I remember that day.

◆

Long time no see! Professor!

Huh… Craft. You found this place?

I heard from a merchant passing through that Professor Javir had moved here. Oh, here’s a welcome gift.

I pulled out a selection of fairly rare materials the Trade Guild had bought from the Adventurer’s Guild. The Golden Dune area’s still dangerous—lots of monsters. Especially Cyclops-level ones.

Makes sense. This land’s been abandoned by every nation for a reason.

Still, for the adventurers of the Golden Dune, it’s just the right kind of payday.

That’s how it is—what’s rare elsewhere gets sold at decent prices out here.

“Ah, that’s a relief, but—what in the name of the Seven Stars is that beast you’re riding!?!”

“A monster?”

I follow Professor Jabir’s gaze. There’s nothing monstrous about it.

Just a horse. Raised since the village’s founding, always with us during moves.

I picked it up recently, since we’ve been moving so much—perfect chance to get one when we relocated to the new frontier.

“Wait… you mean the Black Dragon, don’t you?”

“A dragon!?”

“N-no, no, just a name. It’s just a regular farm horse.”

“A farm horse!?!”

What’s the professor even freaking out about?

“Look at it—black and cute, right?”

“No, no, no! It’s—muscular! Muscular!”

...Now that you mention it, it’s gotten pretty well-built, hasn’t it...

Yeah, it does seem a lot more solid now.

Then again, I’ve been seeing it every day doing field work, construction—hardly notice the changes.

“Hmph! Not even a general could ride a horse this bulky!”

“True, the Black Dragon’s been getting my special stamina potion straight from the vial, but most town horses are about this size, really.”

Wait.

Horses were this big, were they?

Wait.

Now that Professor Javil pointed it out, I think horses used to be a bit less… intense-looking.

“Could probably crush a goblin just by stepping on it.”

“Eh? An orc would be a walk in the park.”

“Huh!? What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Professor Javil suddenly clutches his head and collapses to his knees.

The horse that’s been around since Goldendown was a village… well, it can fight like a proper warhorse…

But cavalry horses… normal… wait, no, draft horses…

“Even cavalry horses don’t usually have beasts like that! Not often, at all!”

“…Sorry. Now that you mention it, maybe you’re right.”

“Honestly! You! You!”

“How about I lend you a better horse next time?”

“Don’t! I don’t want one! Scary!”

Javil flails both arms wildly.

“Yeah, Professor Javil, it is a bit big for you, isn’t it?”

“A horse that could easily carry three grown adults? That’s not just a bit big! It’s monstrous!”

Come to think of it, horses are usually just big enough for one rider…

Three people? Yeah, that’d be pushing it.

“Ah… my head’s going to explode…”

“Sorry about that.”

“Never mind. You just came by to say hello, right?”

"No, actually... I’ve got something I’d like to run by you..."

After staying up late, he took my scattered ideas and shaped them into something practical.

That knowledge became the foundation for the much greater number of whispers from the sigil.

I visited him several more times after that, searching for solutions. The Black Dragon’s ease of travel made round trips simple.

And that’s when it hit me—applying the technology from the Dragonfang Soldiers.

"Hmm. Applying Dragonfang Soldier tech, I suppose that’s a decent idea..."

"Right?!"

"But if something like this gets mass-produced, it’ll be a real problem..."

"Uh? Did I say something?"

"Wha—?! N-nothing! Nothing at all! S-so, what were you planning to use this for, anyway?!"

"Ah? Oh, just looking for a reliable assistant who can keep secrets... and handle household chores."

"...J-just that?"

"Ah? Is that weird?"

I figured making my own would be the safest when it comes to keeping secrets.

"Ah? N-No, nothing at all. If it's not for war..."

"Huh?"

"Y-Yeah! Then just make it a familiar! Just one's enough, right!?!"

"Uh, one's plenty. A familiar, huh?"

Come to think of it, even though he's an alchemist, he's got all the usual magic stuff on hand more than an average mage.

"Right. If you make it a familiar, you'll already have the basics ingrained from the start, and it'll move smooth as hell."

Got it!

That's a blind spot I totally missed!

Anyway, there's nothing like a familiar right now.

"Just... not enough confidence in it..."

"Huh?"

"N-Nothing! I mean, yeah! Special magic stone... here! A magic stone packed with a maid's know-how, I'm giving it to you!"

"Really?!"

"Special, I say! With this, you'll be a perfect maid, no doubt!"

"Thank you so much!!"

Teacher's the best, no question!

I couldn't help it—I hugged him.

"Ah! Ahhh!"

"Ah! Sorry! I just got so excited!"

"Are you hugging every woman you see!?"

"N-no, I mean, you look like a kid, so I just—"

I’d treated him like one of the orphaned brats.

"You fool! How dare you!"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry!"

Teacher’s ears were red with rage.

Deeply ashamed.

"Right! Anyway, I’m giving you this magic stone—packed with the skills of the world’s number one maid. Don’t you dare mix in any swordsmanship or nonsense like that!"

"Wait—no mixing at all?"

"Could cause personality collapse. If you want it to go wild, go ahead."

I’m not doing any wild antics—no telling how long Leifan’d make me stand on my knees! Not happening!

Honestly, I just need to be able to help with alchemy and chores, and maybe fend off a few threats if things get rough.

"S-so, about this research paper..."

"Huh? I haven’t even thought about it, really..."

"Ah! Oh-ho-ho! Then, then, I could possibly give the presentation for you, hmm?"

"Eh!? Really!? Seriously!?"

"Y-yeah. If you’re okay with it..."

"I’m so happy! I’ll hand over all the research results to you, sir!"

"All of them!? U-uh... well, I suppose I could allow a co-authorship..."

"Wahhhhhhh! Thank you so much!!!"

"Ah! So that’s why you’re hugging me, isn’t it!?"

"O-oh, sorry..."

And so, my teacher promised to publish it as a co-authored paper.

What a kind teacher, even though you must be so busy!

It’s a real waste having Zaid attached to you like that. I’d love to pull him away and make him mine, but if I’m not careful, it could turn into a full-blown fight. So I’m just keeping my cool.

“Then I’ll show it to you when it’s done!”

“Hmph. I’d love to make it myself, but I don’t have the materials… or the time.”

“Yes! I know you’re busy, Master! I’ll work hard so I can give you a good report, as your disciple!”

“U-uh… I’m counting on you.”

“Yes!”

◆

After all that back and forth, the one-of-a-kind artificial golem maid was finally complete.

“So… any name in mind?”

“Hmm. Since it’s made from dragon bone, how about Ryuuko?”

“Whoa.”

“Name approved, Master.”

And so, I got my custom maid, Ryuuko.

Custom Maid