Months passed, and Christian, who had expected to make an enemy out of the Liberation Front because of Malric, couldn't help but wonder why the script felt wrong.
Because in the end, nothing really happened.
No one came after him.
And Malric, aside from a few brief mentions of him to some of his colleagues right after the incident, seemed to have already forgotten him.
Shaking his head, Christian, who had been drifting in thought, turned his attention back to the task at hand.
He was now, naturally, back in his house, currently inside the workshop, having just finished constructing the assistant androids.
In front of him stood ten of them, five in a row, facing the five in the opposite line.
Their appearance naturally resembled humans and was nearly identical to Zero's.
But when it came to interaction?
They were completely different.
These androids were operated through high-level combat programs.
They were made purely for battle. Christian planned to send seven of them to assist Zero, while leaving the remaining three around the house to work under Alpha's supervision.
They were more cheaply made, fully replaceable… and if push came to shove? They would explode brilliantly and take the enemy down with them.
Christian stood there for a moment, admiring his work... admiring these ten soldier-like androids that exuded an intimidating presence...
Before suddenly pausing, as a strange sensation crept up his spine.
Goosebumps ran across his skin.
Even if they were his creations, they were still men, after all!
So, without a second thought, he quickly turned his gaze away from them and walked toward another place.
To cleanse his eyes, by staring at that ever-burning fire!
Despite how he had stopped training his Blacksmithing through the Idle Practice slots, Christian actually continued practicing it on his own.
And while some aspects were still too difficult for him to work on in reality, particularly those related to the fire attribute, there were still many other things he could improve through personal effort.
After all, while blacksmithing could be considered an ancient profession, thanks to technology, he could still generate a somewhat acceptable fire!
And with his now Expert-tier Mechanic skill, he had already made several modifications to the furnace itself.
As for his Harmony Physique? It was still in the making… not even at level one until this moment!
For every skill Christian had obtained so far, reaching level one had always been easy. But with this particular skill, the situation was different.
Christian needed to build the foundation for this physique first. And until that foundation was complete, he would never reach the first level.
From what he had understood over the past few months, that was the conclusion, he reached.
Once he finished building that foundation? He expected to be able to be able to upgrade it more easily.
But first… he had to cross that threshold!
With these thoughts swirling in his head, Christian continued striking at the crimson iron.
At this moment, he was forging parts for a sniper rifle… for Nina.
Christian had already made some small breakthroughs in terms of technology and firearm development.
But it still wasn't enough to create a weapon that felt truly superior to the ones already available.
That, however, would change… if blacksmithing was added to the mix.
After all, bullets that ordinary weapons couldn't endure, could now be made possible with materials hammered and refined through essence.
Everything would change, with blacksmithing and more sturdy materials!
He still remembered clearly the time he saw Nina throw a knife through a magic circle. That moment had sparked the idea.
If a single knife, thrown with only slightly enhanced strength and passed through a spell, could gain that kind of speed and power…
Then what would happen if she used the same spell with a sniper rifle and a bullet?
It was something worth looking forward to.
Because while Nina had once been a close-combat assassin, she was still a professional when it came to long-range sniping.
And with her strength as a mage steadily growing, Christian estimated that her combat capabilities would see a massive surge the moment he completed this new weapon for her!
So, as he hammered the steel, he couldn't help but start humming… clearly enjoying this feeling of combining two areas of expertise, along with other elements, to create something truly spectacular.
And time passed just like that.
Then, before he knew it, he suddenly felt the door to the room open, and someone stepped inside.
Glancing from the corner of his eye at the unexpected intruder, he saw that it was actually Sophia.
Were Alpha and Nina not available?
He wondered that to himself, as he began wrapping up his work for the day.
For Christian, his relationship with this old woman hadn't developed much, even after spending more than a year together.
Usually, it was Nina, or now Alpha who stayed around him, after all.
But with more work piling up around him, whether for business or for gathering knowledge, both Eva and his sister had become increasingly busy.
And naturally, Alpha, the android who could be more helpful to them than either Nina or Sophia, had also become more occupied.
Setting down the hammer, the one that always reminded him of Olivia…
Someone who had once said she would start coming more frequently, yet hadn't shown her face even once since, Christian finally turned toward Sophia.
He took the towel from her hand and began wiping the sweat from his face and arms.
And as he stared at her while doing so, he couldn't help but comment,
"You're really looking younger and younger lately."
Sophia offered a soft, gentle smile at the remark before she replied, "It's all thanks to the technique you gave me, that I managed to reach the first stage a few weeks ago. So again, I want to express my gratitude."
Christian simply nodded, not saying anything more.
Sophia, who was already around fifty years old, had always looked a bit younger than her age thanks to her practice of an essence technique.
But now, she looked like she was in her thirties.
Her appearance? It was… acceptable.
Actually, maybe she was beautiful?
After all, with the women surrounding him being so incredibly beautiful, his standards had become far too high.
Because when compared to those around him, be it Eva, his sister, or Nina… Sophia still fell far behind.