Chapter 20
The person Young Master Lupin wanted to revive…
I looked back at him.
He had a grim expression, as if he was about to punch someone. I discreetly stepped back, just in case.
“What do you mean by that?”
As expected, his tone towards Knight Commander Edna was incredibly sharp.
“Exactly what I said. Zombie cores give power to dead bodies, allowing them to move. If we can figure out the principle behind it, wouldn’t that mean we could revive the dead in a perfect state?”
“That’s an impure thought for a paladin.”
“And you’re quite old-fashioned for a magician.”
Sparks seemed to fly between them. It would be troublesome if the young master started a fight in the heat of the moment. I had a feeling he would lose.
“You’re not even a battle mage, what makes you so confident? Just say you don’t have anyone you want to revive.”
I said, pulling the young master back. He let himself be dragged for a bit, then stopped abruptly.
“I do.”
He turned and looked at Knight Commander Edna again. A strange smile played on her lips.
“I have someone I want to revive. But I won’t.”
I patted his arm.
“Whether it’s a person or a dog, please stop picking fights with everyone. Ever since you were little, you’ve been picking fights with neighborhood thugs and…”
I almost revealed his weakness to everyone.
Unlike now, the young master was frail and short as a child. But he had heard somewhere that nobles should be righteous, so he would come home bruised and battered after fighting thugs every time he went out.
I wouldn’t have said anything if he had won those fights. But little Lupin always got beaten up.
Every time, I would go out with a broom or a poker and teach those thugs a lesson about true justice coming from fists.
That was then, this is now.
This was a Knight Commander. What were the chances of the young master, who wasn’t a battle mage, winning a fistfight? Zero, in my opinion.
So he shouldn’t act rashly. I didn’t even have a weapon to hit the Knight Commander with right now.
“Let’s go back. Okay? Let’s go back. Ah, I want to go home. Ah, I love housework.”
I tugged at his sleeve and looked around nervously.
He was still locked in a staring contest with the Knight Commander.
“If you could revive the dead, would you?”
Edna smiled slyly at the sharp question.
“Of course I would. We could summon sages who have grasped the truths of the world, or even bring back emperors who changed the course of history.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That wouldn’t benefit the world…”
“At the very least, it would be a great thing to be able to see the people we miss again. Lupin Zepetto, I know the rumors about you.”
The young master wrapped his arm around my shoulder and turned away.
“I don’t need to hear them. Let’s go, Estella.”
“Yes! But we’re picking up the vacuum cleaner I ordered before we go home, right?”
“Yes, yes…”
Knight Commander Edna shouted at the back of his head,
“I heard you were a wreck for a while after your favorite maid died.”
This time, my steps faltered. The young master tightened his grip on my arm and pulled me along.
“Estella.”
Although the Knight Commander was speaking to the young master, her voice seemed to resonate with me.
“There were many rumors in social circles, but none were as intriguing as the one about the Magic Society’s money. They say the maid that the doll maker Lupin Zepetto doted on died and became a zombie.”
It was definitely my story. Startled, I turned around.
“I was a zombie…?”
Knight Commander Edna was looking at me, not the young master, as she spoke.
“Are you sure you won’t regret not knowing more about the zombie cores? What about you, doll?”
“That’s…”
I hesitated.
The young master had promised a reward if I obeyed him and collected the zombie cores. I had something I wanted. The very thing I wanted as a reward.
A heart.
Even zombies had cores, so why couldn’t I have a heart?
Actually, not just a heart, I also wanted a stomach so I could eat with the young master…
Why did I want these things? Perhaps I wanted to become human again.
I finally faced the feelings I had been suppressing. Yes, I wanted to be human.
It was a bit of an exaggeration to say I was fine with being a doll. It was better than being dead, since I could stay by the young master’s side.
But I wanted to return to my original self. If I couldn’t be Anna again, I at least wanted to be human…
Knight Commander Edna keenly honed in on the desire I hadn’t realized myself.
“That means you can become human too.”
The young master’s hand on my shoulder trembled.
Why was he so shaken?
I placed my inorganic hand on his cold one.
“It’s okay.”
I said.
Knight Commander Edna tilted her head, humming curiously.
“I don’t want a heart if it means troubling the young master. I’ll just stuff some straw in my chest and live like in some faraway fairytale. If I weave the straw into a heart shape, it’ll look the part. Oh, cruel fate.”
I waved my hand dismissively and wrapped my arm around the young master’s waist.
“Estella, what are you doing?”
“If I were human, my heart would be pounding from this kind of physical contact. But now, I don’t feel anything. Even if I lifted you up, I wouldn’t feel anyth…”
I tried to lift him by the waist, but he grabbed my wrists and stopped me. He told me not to embarrass him in public.
“Why! I’m seriously considering the advantages of being a heartless doll!”
“Wait, Estella. Please calm down.”
He pulled both my arms behind my back and held them tightly. He looked like a policeman arresting a thief. Holding me like that, he said formally,
“Reviving the dead is dark magic, a taboo. I don’t want to think about such things anymore.”
“I know, I know. I’m just curious. But…”
Knight Commander Edna took out a zombie core from the box we had given her. The red, spherical core looked like a jewel, or a witch’s crystal ball.
“Do the old geezers at the Magic Society feel the same way?”
“…!”
“Lupin Zepetto, let’s assume you’re too refined to even consider such taboos. But what about other magicians? What do they think? You’re the only magician on this continent who can create and control such sophisticated dolls. The Magic Society will try to sway you.”
The young master’s face darkened. I tried to take advantage of this moment to escape, but I failed.
Instead of releasing me, he whispered,
“Be quiet. Whatever you’re thinking, don’t say it. If you absolutely have to say it, tell me in an hour.”
“But…”
“Shut. Up.”
“Yes…”
Just then, Knight Commander Edna tossed the zombie core towards us.
Taking advantage of the moment the young master’s grip loosened in surprise, I reached out and caught it.
“Hmm! I thought it would be hot, but it’s just lukewarm.”
“I want you to deliver this core to an old friend of mine. She might be able to offer some special advice regarding the zombie situation.”
“As I said before, I want to return to my earldom now.”
“That will be difficult before the Crown Prince gives his permission.”
Edna smiled mischievously.
“It’s best to meet her and then decide whether to go home. And you, doll.”
She suddenly blew me a kiss.
“Come find me if you want to become human. I don’t care about taboos.”
The young master turned me around.
“Let’s go, Estella.”
He seemed determined to return to the Count’s mansion. On the way back to our lodging, I fidgeted restlessly.
Ugh. I had finally ordered a vacuum cleaner that could be used as a weapon, but if we returned to the mansion now, it would just be an ordinary cleaning tool. What a waste of money.
“When we return to the earldom, we’ll have to make thorough preparations for the zombies, won’t we?”
Was it wrong of me to be secretly looking forward to it?
If zombies appeared, I could use my new vacuum cleaner to bash… I mean, defeat them.
“Ugh, I’m so disappointed.”
To miss out on the opportunity to become a brave maid…
The young master, as if understanding my sigh, said something unexpected.
“Are you that disappointed? By Edna’s words about becoming human?”
“Huh?”
Well, it wasn’t entirely wrong. I nodded.
I was incredibly disappointed.
“Of course. It would be nice to become human. I know the doll body is durable, beautiful, and has many advantages. But I can’t seem to get used to it. Having lived as a human…”
The young master’s gaze suddenly changed subtly. Right, he still didn’t believe I was Anna.
“Anyway, my heart is more human than anyone’s. I’m sure it’s warmer than yours. Nice and toasty.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
He chuckled and glanced at me.
“I’ve never seen magic that can turn an inanimate object into a human. But you’re special, so maybe it’s possible to modify you into something resembling a human.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m telling you not to stuff straw in your chest. I’ll make you a heart.”
He stared out the window for a moment, then turned to me. He gently tidied my messy hair and clothes.
“I like you because you’re a doll.”
It was an uncharacteristically affectionate remark. If I had a heart, it would have been pounding.
“I’ll make you a heart, but give up on becoming human.”
Those words stung a little. But what followed hurt even more.
“I don’t need a maid who might die. I won’t mourn the death of anyone other than Anna.”
I crossed my arms and leaned back, pulling away from his touch.
He had said such cruel words, so I had to be defiant.
“The person you want to revive is me, anyway. What’s the difference?”
It was time to make things clear.
That I was Anna.