“Thank you, Rosie. I plan to do my best to live up to Father's expectations.”
“It will be fine. I finally wish you good luck. Then I’ll go first.”
As if a word of well-wishes were a blessing, Rosenit, who showed off her condescension again, left before me, regardless of the laws of the imperial palace.
Even the maids following Rosenit raised their heads stiffly looked at me and passed by in front of me.
Face-to-face with the heinous murderer was a great drain on mental energy.
It was time for me, who was left behind, to sigh inwardly.
“Direct knight... Are you taking it in?”
“Oh, Lord Millard? You haven’t gone yet.”
Sylvestian Millard was unable to take a step even though he had to escort Rosenit.
He was expressionless, but his eyes were shaking violently for some reason.
I answered simply.
“That’s right. I decided to bring in a direct knight.”
The silence was heavy. For some reason, Sylvestian seemed slightly shocked.
“Lord Millard?”
"Sorry. It looks like someone has been appointed. May I ask who that is?”
“If I say his name is Michaelis Agnito, will you understand?”
“Agnito...? Is he really the monster in the public prison?”
"Yes."
At that moment, Sylvestian's expression broke slightly.
He said, his face slightly distorted.
“If he's a knight, people around you..."
At that time, Rosenit, who was far ahead, called Sylvestian.
“Sylvestian, what are you doing there?”
“...I'm sorry, Her Highness the 8th Princess. I will go now.”
Sylvestian gathered his emotions again with an expressionless face as if he had never seen a disheveled appearance.
He returned to his doll-like appearance as a homunculus knight, bowed politely to me, and disappeared.
'Why is Lord Millard like that?'
My puzzlement did not last long.
This was because it was a person with whom I had almost no contact anyway, and I was busy with a long way to go.
I went with Cedella to the royal palace located in northwest of the main palace.
The Protocol Department is the department responsible for major and minor affairs of the imperial family.
He was also in charge of the selection ceremony for the royal family's direct knights.
Thanks to the royal order, the Protocol Department had already dispatched someone.
An elderly male official came out to meet me.
“I will serve you, Your Highness, 7th Princess.”
“Please.”
I entrusted myself to the imperial warp portal.
White light rising from the floor enveloped me and Cedella. The destination is the Homunculus training center.
The Empire's evil system, 'Homunculus Management Law'.
There are two main contents.
First, only the Emperor uses forbidden alchemy.
It is possible to create a homunculus, and secondly, the idea is to rank homunculus and give them differentiated roles.
In the Hadelamid Empire, approximately 100 homunculus infants are created each year, and they are all transferred to training centers.
As the saying goes, the training camp is in fact no different from a concentration camp.
The homunculus training center is located in a polar area that is not even on the map of the empire.
It is a facility built in the valley of the room, and can only be accessed through an ultra-long-distance warp portal.
Outside is an unsurvivable zone with snowstorms blowing all year round.
It was only after over 10 survival magic barriers were put in place that it was finally maintained as a place where people could live.
Here, homunculus are imprisoned for 15 years and receive training and education to become servants of the imperial family.
Among these, only Homunculus who received the highest grade through screening entered the palace.
They are eligible to become a knight of the imperial family or a knight directly subordinate to the imperial family.
Even if you are judged to be a higher grade, you will become a plaything of the imperial family and be used as a consumable thing.
Needless to say, the misery of the homunculus who received higher or lower grades was miserable.
If you get the rank of lieutenant, you will encounter a demonic dragon that threatens the empire.
You are sent to an outpost to subdue demonic beasts and must always be on the front lines of battles where life and death are at stake.
If you receive a lower grade, your mana circuit will be sealed.
Their labor is exploited by being put to work in dangerous and difficult jobs such as construction sites or mining sites.
'It's so strange that a rebellion doesn't break out.'
There are 13 layers of barriers spread out.
The sound of the harsh wind blowing rang in my ears.
The outside of the hemispherical transparent barrier was completely white.
When you go outside the barrier, it's as if God is nothing.
I felt like I could see this blank world as if I had not created it.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
“Take my hand, Cedella.”
I used my warming magic to keep me warm.
The entrance to the camp was in the center of the crater and had to be reached using flight magic.
This was a measure to prevent the homunculus from escaping.
The homunculus in the camp suppresses the mana circuit.
Since I was wearing restraints all the time, I was surrounded by natural prison walls.
It was impossible to go over the same crater.
A middle-aged nobleman and two adult Homunculus were waiting at the entrance.
“It is an honor to meet Her Highness the Seventh Princess. This is Baron Pete Erka, the caretaker. I was waiting for the call.”
“You’ve had a lot of trouble in a rough place, Sir Erka.”
“Haha, no. Then we will take you to a public prison.”
The corridor leading to the public prison was carved out of the rock and was lit intermittently with magic lanterns.
That was all they had installed.
In reality, it was more like a cave than a road.
'It feels like walking through a coal mine.'
Baron Erka seemed to think I would be free, so he brought up a story that might be of interest.
“Her Highness the Seventh Princess, do you know that? The homunculus that came out of the world has dark hair, like black or brown, right?”
"Yes."
“In fact, the homunculus in the camp have light and pale hair. The homunculus mana circuit restraints worn last a long time. This is because it blocks a vast amount of magical power, causing the hair color to become lighter. Only after releasing the fastball Homunculus have their natural dark hair color.”
“I know. That's why we keep the silver hair like Sylvester Millard. Aren’t homunculus receiving special treatment?”
Sylvestian was chosen by Rosenit because the decorative value of his silver hair was recognized more than his ability.
As such, the hair color of Homunculus was usually dull.
In my last life, Michael was the King of homunculus.
Michaelis Agnito also had typical black hair.
"Aha. Thanks to Sir Millard, this knowledge has now become widely known in the imperial palace. I learned this after I was appointed as a training center manager. Like an insect breaking an eggshell. It was as mysterious as it was before it came out and oxidized to black.”
It was a time when I wondered if he could compare the homunculus to an insect.
After a long chat, Baron Erka finally came to a conclusion.
“The monster in the public prison that Your Highness is looking for is still there. Since the mana binding has not been removed, you will be able to see the special hair color.”
“Oh, does that happen?”
Are I going to see a silver or blonde version of Michael?
I have only seen Michael with black hair that looks like it was cut from chestnuts for many years.
I could barely imagine it.
“We’re all here, Your Highness.”
What appeared at the end of the long hallway was a huge cavity.
As if looking at a Demon Dragon's Lair, in an open space, something is coming from the ceiling.
A cage hanging from chains was lowered.
The birdcage hanging in the air was the reality of what was called the ‘air prison.’
'There he is.'
A nervous me swallowed dry saliva.
The air prison was located so high that you had to bend your head so hard to see it.
I rode the disc wings and went to the door of the air prison.
I was finally able to see the inside of the cage in detail.
It's not enough to be locked up in a public prison.
Handcuffs and footplates with mana circuit restraints and restraint chains, and there was a homunculus there, whose freedom was double and triple bound by wearing a necklace.
A man with his eyes closed, leaning against the iron bars, looking as helpless as a captured bird.
He was Michael from eight years ago.
I realized something.
'Ah, so that's why your name was Michael.'
His hair color was similar to that said to be that of the legendary Archangel Michael.
The hair color was saffron, or pink.
It was a color I had never imagined: light pink. But again, it seemed like a good match.
I was wondering if there was anything that didn't look good on that face.
Even though he is now locked in a cage and looking scruffy, his sculptural beauty has not faded.
Because he was neglected in a public prison for three years, his hair grew past his shoulders.
Untrimmed hair gave the appearance of a man, it even made Michael, trapped in an iron cage, look like a mysterious beast.
If you are a member of the royal family with a perverted desire to possess, you should be given an iron cage.
They might say they will take Michael in and raise him.
While I was thinking about various things, Baron Erka came out excitedly.
“Look. Pink is so unique, isn’t it? It seems to be the most unusual of the Homunculus. I think this is why homunculus are called dolls.”
I did not respond to the disparaging words. Instead, there was a response elsewhere.
Michael, who seemed to be asleep until now, opened his eyes. Then he raised his head and met my eyes.
“Her Highness the Seventh Princess, do you know that? The homunculus that came out of the world has dark hair, like black or brown, right?”
"Yes."
“In fact, the homunculus in the camp have light and pale hair. The homunculus mana circuit restraints worn last a long time. This is because it blocks a vast amount of magical power, causing the hair color to become lighter. Only after releasing the fastball Homunculus have their natural dark hair color.”
“I know. That's why we keep the silver hair like Sylvester Millard. Aren’t homunculus receiving special treatment?”
Sylvestian was chosen by Rosenit because the decorative value of his silver hair was recognized more than his ability.
As such, the hair color of Homunculus was usually dull.
In my last life, Michael was the King of homunculus.
Michaelis Agnito also had typical black hair.
"Aha. Thanks to Sir Millard, this knowledge has now become widely known in the imperial palace. I learned this after I was appointed as a training center manager. Like an insect breaking an eggshell. It was as mysterious as it was before it came out and oxidized to black.”
It was a time when I wondered if he could compare the homunculus to an insect.
After a long chat, Baron Erka finally came to a conclusion.
“The monster in the public prison that Your Highness is looking for is still there. Since the mana binding has not been removed, you will be able to see the special hair color.”
“Oh, does that happen?”
Are I going to see a silver or blonde version of Michael?
I have only seen Michael with black hair that looks like it was cut from chestnuts for many years.
I could barely imagine it.
“We’re all here, Your Highness.”
What appeared at the end of the long hallway was a huge cavity.
As if looking at a Demon Dragon's Lair, in an open space, something is coming from the ceiling.
A cage hanging from chains was lowered.
The birdcage hanging in the air was the reality of what was called the ‘air prison.’
'There he is.'
A nervous me swallowed dry saliva.
The air prison was located so high that you had to bend your head so hard to see it.
I rode the disc wings and went to the door of the air prison.
I was finally able to see the inside of the cage in detail.
It's not enough to be locked up in a public prison.
Handcuffs and footplates with mana circuit restraints and restraint chains, and there was a homunculus there, whose freedom was double and triple bound by wearing a necklace.
A man with his eyes closed, leaning against the iron bars, looking as helpless as a captured bird.
He was Michael from eight years ago.
I realized something.
'Ah, so that's why your name was Michael.'
His hair color was similar to that said to be that of the legendary Archangel Michael.
The hair color was saffron, or pink.
It was a color I had never imagined: light pink. But again, it seemed like a good match.
I was wondering if there was anything that didn't look good on that face.
Even though he is now locked in a cage and looking scruffy, his sculptural beauty has not faded.
Because he was neglected in a public prison for three years, his hair grew past his shoulders.
Untrimmed hair gave the appearance of a man, it even made Michael, trapped in an iron cage, look like a mysterious beast.
If you are a member of the royal family with a perverted desire to possess, you should be given an iron cage.
They might say they will take Michael in and raise him.
While I was thinking about various things, Baron Erka came out excitedly.
“Look. Pink is so unique, isn’t it? It seems to be the most unusual of the Homunculus. I think this is why homunculus are called dolls.”
I did not respond to the disparaging words. Instead, there was a response elsewhere.
Michael, who seemed to be asleep until now, opened his eyes. Then he raised his head and met my eyes.
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