Chapter 40: I Caught the Demon Lord but I Run My Own Business (02)
An enormous amount of mana began to burst forth from the girl's body.
"This kind of thing? What exactly do you mean?"
"No, well... I mean..."
"Ha, you're complaining that a 300-year-old looks too young for her age?"
"I didn't say I had a problem with that."
"If it's not that, do you think I'm a narcissist because there are lots of homunculi that look just like me?"
I hadn't said that either.
"If it's not that, then what? Am I..."
Since I was out, I wasn't dressed for battle and hadn't brought my mana saver.
Without a weapon, I couldn't see a way out of this situation.
"I haven't really thought about the hero's current appearance."
"The work you are doing now isn't something to boast about, is it?"
"Is that what you were implying?"
At that moment, the oppressive mana surrounding me subsided, and Frederica Endymion, who was in front of me, coughed and looked away.
"Well, yes, that can happen. You end up doing one business or another just to make a living..."
'Isn't that embarrassing for her?'
After all, if you're 300 years old, maybe there's nothing left to be embarrassed about.
"Originally, anyone who comes here aroused and extracts semen while erect has no right to criticize this business."
"I'm not dissatisfied with this industry, but the hero I imagined was a bit different..."
"Ha, if you were a knight, you'd know about pensions, right?"
In the kingdom, knights and civil servants receive a pension after serving for a certain period.
Most knights who don't join high-paying private orders are in it for the state-managed pension.
"Do you know how much my pension is? 500 gold a year. 500 gold! Not old coins, but 500 gold in today's currency!"
"Wow, that's too little!"
Here, the cost of producing a homunculus is 200 gold, so that's 2.5 times the amount.
The cheapest artificial intelligence costs 500 gold, so by that measure, an option is almost a year's pension for Frederica Endymion, which might only cover some decent clothes or a hearty meal.
'That's outrageous, only 500 gold for a hero who saved the kingdom? Are they mad?'
I was about to rage at the kingdom's stinginess when I suddenly thought.
"What could you do with 500 gold 300 years ago?"
Frederica clicked her tongue at my pointed question.
"Thinking back, that was a lot of money back then!"
This old lady really has some nerve.
"It's especially true since the patents I filed early on for new drugs have now expired and even Endymion's alchemy shop treats my existence as if it should be hidden away like an old man in the back room..."
Suddenly, she began to lament her situation.
"So I used the money I had saved to create this workshop!"
Essentially, the old lady had used her retirement fund to establish this place.
"Initially, I planned to sell homunculi, but in these peaceful times, personal defense homunculi aren't popular. Too expensive, they say. So I recently developed a technology that could be mass-produced at a low cost."
She proudly tapped her flask as I had to admit I was impressed.
If an individual, not a large alchemical guild, could create and run a workshop producing homunculi, that was a remarkable ability.
Moreover, if I considered the amount of mana emanating from Number 3, this place was not producing combat homunculi not because it couldn't, but because there was no money in it...
'An individual capable of arming a military unit... If the royal family knew about this, there would be uproar.'
Especially since the kingdom was reducing its magical knight orders and increasing the royal guards, knowing about this would indeed cause a major scandal.
Considering that, continuing to sell as they were wasn't such a bad idea...
'Didn't look like she examined it much, why is she asking for it back?'
I grumbled inwardly while trying to carefully store Mollang's core.
"Handle that carefully."
I detached the soggy Mollang from my trousers and tried to help her stand, but Mollang, not knowing how to use her legs, couldn't stand up.
Instead, she tried to straighten her waist, mimicking the action she used to stretch her body when she was a slime.
'Guess you need to have walked on two legs before to use them...'
Accustomed to climbing up my body when she was a slime, Mollang clung to me and wriggled her face, but it clearly wasn't easy for her.
"Ha... what do we do with this?"
"Aren't you going to use it?"
How was I supposed to use Mollang if she couldn't even move her arms and legs properly? I might as well stick with the usual Mollang.
Plus, keeping her might lead to injuries, and the originally insensate Mollang was now constantly startled by the sensations of movement, so it was safer to send her back.
Upon hearing Frederica's words, I extracted the bead I had inserted into Mollang's body, and the homunculus that had been burying its face in my groin ceased functioning, while the slime in my hand reverted to a girl's form.
Not quite realizing she was back to her own body, Mollang immediately started climbing around me, eventually climbing onto my head and boldly placing her hands on her hips.
'Mollang suits this form better, doesn't she?'
Well, it was good to discover that Mollang had intelligence and could speak if she had vocal cords...
'It's a bit of a shame, though.'
Having taken away the homunculus body formed by Mollang without even getting to use it.
"It seems you won't use the homunculus as Mollang."
"She's not used to it."
"What a waste of materials... especially after I took a loss bringing you here for a tour."
I feel it's a waste too, but what can I do.
Moreover, who knows what might happen if Mollang stays inside.
'Should I ask Shuru to get inside instead?'
But Shuru is struggling with the poor air quality here, so asking her to do something in this state is like... she's not just a human, she's an animal.
'No, worse than an animal.'
Still, I had fun seeing the homunculus manufacturing process and even trying to make a homunculus with Mollang.
So, the tour of the homunculus workshop ended somewhat anticlimactically...
"You're just going to leave?"
"Even so, I have a sense of propriety, and it would be unfair if you visited our workshop and left without hugging a homunculus even once, wouldn’t it?"
"If you don’t like the ones made directly, you’re free to use any of the pre-made ones."
"This body? 'This body' can be provided."
On reflection, I didn't really want to.
She might look like a young girl, but inside is an old man, and even if you remove the insides, it feels wrong. It might even smell like an old man.
"Originally this body is not meant for such uses, but if you want, I can provide it. Just consider our workshop in your review..."
"Then let’s go with this person."
I naturally took Number 3's hand.
"It’s not that, but just a moment ago..."
'Even so, a body that had an old man inside is a bit...'
Frederica’s expression subtly changed, but it seemed she wasn't outright rejecting.
"If you really don’t want to, then it can’t be helped."
Number 3 just looked at Frederica without saying anything.
"That child wasn't meant for such uses either, but since we've already made a promise, there's nothing to be done."
Number 3 would be perfect!
I headed to the bedroom prepared in the workshop with Number 3.
'Ah... such a bedroom...?'
It was a stark space with a few makeshift beds where one could just lie down to sleep—apparently, it was just a sleeping area for the homunculi working here.
The emphasis on efficiency and the absence of any decorations felt a bit like a dormitory, which was strangely unsettling.
Holding hands with Number 3, I rekindled my excitement.
Ah, I left Mollang and Shuru with Frederica.
Usually, I would expect Mollang to be jealous and bite me, but strangely, this time she let me go willingly.
"I must inform you in advance that my body is not provided for such purposes, so you may be disappointed."
"I don't think I'll be disappointed..."
I started to cautiously feel Number 3's Breasts, and indeed, the Breast was soft, lacking the usual muscular tension of a homunculus.
'For this size, this softness... Last time, Naomi felt a bit more bouncy...'
Of course, Beastmen are stronger than humans, so their bodies are naturally firmer.
Feeling the soft Breasts through the clothes, the only disappointing thing was that Number 3 just looked at me expressionlessly as I touched her Breasts.
'She could be a little more embarrassed or playfully slap my hands away.'
"It seems you are already prepared."
Just touching the Breasts was enough to fully arouse me, and I felt ready to burst through my trousers.
"Shall we start right away?"
Apparently, no further preparations were needed, as Number 3 began to undress.
'It would be more exciting if she undressed with a bit of embarrassment...'
Anyway, even now, my lower half was responding, so there was no issue.
She began to take off her suit, and soon her uniquely pale homunculus skin was revealed, and she stood completely naked without a single piece of underwear...
That is, there was nothing.
There were curves for breasts, but no nipples.
The lines where the buttocks and thighs meet were visible, but there were no vital parts.
"What's going on? Why is there nothing?"
I mean, even Mollang had these parts, but they were missing here.
The breasts were just round sacks of flesh with no important points like nipples.
Not a matter of inverted nipples, but there was no sign of areolas at all, just the shape of breasts without any prominent parts.
Moreover, there should be a slight crease in the lower body, but it was flat, leading me to touch it in disbelief.
There should be at least two openings, but there were none.
Whether an entrance or an exit, there were none at all!!