After leaving Lane’s office, Eno saw a young Sister pacing anxiously in circles in the first-floor lobby.
“Lady Eno, you’re finally out!”
“What happened?”
“You didn’t attend today’s service. The Cardinal flew into a rage and insisted on seeing which Magi Automaton you chose. The knight who notified me said he’s never seen the Cardinal so angry.”
“You’ve skipped training for two days straight, so the Cardinal must be trying to make an example of you.”
The young Sister was both anxious and worried, wringing her hands nervously.
Eno curled her lips, looking displeased.
“Those so-called Saint Candidates from the other Districts combined aren’t even my match. What’s the point in training?”
“Two new Saint Candidates arrived from other Districts today. I heard they’re quite strong…”
“Tch, so I just walked right into it, huh? No wonder the Cardinal wants to make an example of me. I get it, let’s head back.”
Hearing there were opponents, Eno straightened up and put away her casual attitude.
She looked down at Lulumia, who was still frowning in thought.
“I’d love to hold a welcome party, but today’s not the day. Mia, if you have any questions, ask Sharina. I probably won’t be back until very late.”
“Huh? I have to go back to the church too?”
At that, both the young Sister and Eno had question marks floating above their heads.
Then Lulumia realized— to outsiders, she was already Eno’s Magi Automaton.
Because she’d always planned on paying Eno rent, she’d never truly accepted Eno as her master in her heart.
As for why she wanted Eno to rent her, it was simply the lesser of two evils.
She had bigger goals; if the Workshop kept controlling her, all her hard work would just be snatched away by them.
Quickly falling into character, she lifted her head and fluttered her captivating, childlike eyes, asking expectantly and a little timidly.
“I… can I not go back?”
“It’s dangerous out there. Even though we’ve destroyed the smugglers’ base, there might still be some criminals on the loose. You can’t protect yourself, and you’re a perfect Magi Automaton—what if you get kidnapped again?”
Eno’s reasoning was very sound, but Lulumia had already prepared a counter-strategy.
She lowered her gaze, her voice tinged with sorrow.
“I want to pack my things… and say goodbye to my classmates…”
Oh…
For a moment, Eno felt like she was about to be melted by cuteness, nearly wanting to kiss Lulumia on the spot.
But gradually, her expression grew a bit odd.
In her memory, Lulumia, though young, wasn’t this childish.
What caught Eno’s attention in the first place was how Lulumia, facing her— a “smuggler”— was neither timid nor hateful, even bargained with her and had the guts to call her “crazy.”
No other Magi Automaton would have reacted that way.
Yet, according to the contract Lane gave her, Lulumia’s mental age was set at ten…
At the moment, Eno didn’t realize Lulumia was only this adorable when she wanted something—a green tea act if there ever was one.
“I never said you had to leave the Academy. If you want to attend class, you can. As for your luggage, do you need help? Just toss out the bedding and such, the church has better.”
“No, no, I can do it myself.”
Lulumia quickly insisted, then looked away, suddenly embarrassed.
“I also want to borrow a little money to buy some things…”
This embarrassment was entirely genuine—she felt like she was losing all her dignity, asking a girl of only fifteen or sixteen for money.
“Borrow? Here, you don’t need to pay me back. This is your pocket money—take it. If you run out, come to me again.”
Eno simply placed a gold coin in Lulumia’s palm, then crouched down, her gentle, elegant face showing a faint guilt.
“Buy whatever you like. I haven’t even fulfilled my promise to pay your debt, and I can’t even be with you today. Sorry, I have my limits.”
Why does this feel like a working mom’s flavor?
Grumbling inwardly, Lulumia nevertheless held the coin tightly and nodded vigorously, truly delighted.
“Don’t blame yourself, Sister Eno. I’m already so happy. This is a whole gold coin—a gold coin!”
“Just one gold coin makes you this happy?”
Eno couldn’t help laughing.
“Sister Eno—sounds nice. Call me Sister from now on.”
“Sister Eno!”
Eno’s satisfaction nearly overflowed from her face, and Lulumia could clearly feel her hand patting her head even faster.
She snuck a peek at Eno’s status panel—the titles “Insane Blood Princess” and “The Renegade” were glaringly obvious.
No matter how much of a good person Eno seemed, Amy had left her the same impression back then.
If she suffered a big loss from trusting blindly again, even in a novel, readers would be screaming at her.
Best to appease this ticking time bomb—at least she seemed easier to deal with than the Fourth Princess.
With the attitude of “calling her Sister won’t hurt me,” Lulumia called her Sister several more times in a row.
Only when the Sister urged them along did Eno reluctantly part from Lulumia, who finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had more important things to do.
After sleeping on Eno’s bed for a day and two nights, if she didn’t check on the printing press today and her blueprints had issues or Sean slacked off, tomorrow she’d be reporting to the Fourth Princess—literally with her head.
The Fourth Princess was more powerful and wealthier than Eno.
Just because Eno was easy to coax didn’t mean she could be complacent.
Taking ownership from the Workshop was only the first step.
Lulumia looked down at the gold coin in her sweaty palm—this was her startup capital.
“I’ve got to go see Sean right away.”
***
When Lulumia, wrapped in linen cloth—newly bought to avoid debt collectors—arrived at Sean’s house, she found a group of people arguing in his yard.
Lulumia peered around curiously, discovering most of them were familiar faces.
Besides Sean and his son, there was Jeanne’s older brother Geos, Lige, and her lackey.
The ones arguing were two men Lulumia didn’t recognize.
One, looking like a butler in neat attire, was berating a dark-skinned young man clutching a cloth sack, hurling insults like “If you can’t pay, I’ll smash your stall” and “pauper.”
“I’ll give you one more day. If you don’t pay tomorrow, the master will break your legs!”
“Yes, yes, I’ll definitely have the money tomorrow. B-but can I have my things back…?”
The dark-skinned youth looked eager to please, reaching out to the butler.
“Bah! That’s your lesson! Get lost!”
With a look of disgust, the butler kicked the youth over.
His sack flew from his arms, scattering wooden blocks all over the ground.
Watching him scramble to pick them up, the butler snorted, cursed him as “bad luck” and “pauper,” then left with the cold-faced Geos.
And then, naturally, they ran right into Lulumia at the gate.
The butler immediately noticed Lulumia’s dragon horns, and his expression shifted from contempt to friendliness.
Unfortunately, Geos was quicker, stepping forward with a voice laced with anger.
“My sister was in your care.”
Lulumia of course knew what Geos was referring to, and she met his gaze, arching an eyebrow and smiling.
“Not at all, I was simply repaying a favor. Please send my regards to Jeanne, and tell her if there’s a next time, I’ll be even more enthusiastic.”
Geos’s eyelid twitched. If Lulumia wasn’t protected by the Fourth Princess, he wouldn’t be holding back now.
“You’d better pray Her Highness stays interested in you for a while.”
“Ah, it’s not like I want Her Highness’s favor either. But what can I do? When you’re this cute, your charm just can’t be hidden. Not like some people—Her Highness doesn’t even look their way.”
“Such a punk.”
Geos felt if he stayed any longer, he’d lose his temper, so he just snorted coldly and strode off.
Only then did the butler realize that the person he was trying to curry favor with, Geos, actually had a grudge with this Magi Automaton.
His earlier friendliness turned into indifference as he quickly caught up with Geos.
“Mia, they didn’t give you any trouble, did they? Where have you been these last two days?”
Lige hurried over, grabbing Lulumia and, as if checking for injuries, kept pinching her through her clothes until Lulumia reassured her that she was fine.
“It’s a long story. I was with Eno the Saint of Purity.”
Being dragged into the yard by Lige, Lulumia honestly told everyone about her experiences.
She felt a bit guilty toward Eno, but Lige was the person she trusted most in this world.
After she finished, almost everyone in the yard stared wide-eyed—especially Lige, who grabbed both of Lulumia’s hands, her voice rising several pitches with excitement.
“Not only were you rescued by the Saint, but now you’re being adopted by her! That’s wonderful! Mia, you won’t be squeezed dry by that black-hearted Workshop boss anymore!”
“Did you tell the Saint about your situation? That crooked president forcing a little girl your age to curry favor with nobles for money—surely the Saint will stand up for you!”
“Exactly!”
“Drag him out and hang him from the streetlamps in the royal city!”
“Hang him from the lamp!”
…I’m sweating.
Lulumia felt extremely guilty.
At this point, she couldn’t possibly confess that everything she’d said in the cafeteria that day was made up.
She just wiped her forehead with her sleeve and tried to laugh it off.
“That’s all in the past now, Lige. If you keep dwelling on the past, you’ll only be unlucky. I’m very happy with the Saint, she treats me very well.”
“Right, Mia’s correct, let’s not dwell on the past anymore.”
Lige was truly happy from the heart, and Lulumia felt her hands getting even warmer.
She even saw a trace of guilt in Lige’s eyes.
“I’m sorry. If I’d known, I would’ve let you sleep in my dorm that night. Getting kidnapped and nearly losing your life… Good thing you met the Saint…”
“No, no, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise! Lige, you should be happy.”
I’m ashamed, I’m ashamed!
Lulumia screamed internally—the guilt was overwhelming.
Fortunately, everyone’s curiosity about the Saint was even stronger.
They all peppered Lulumia with questions: what kind of person was the Saint, was she as beautiful as the rumors, how strong was she, what did they talk about—soon the conversation flew off to the edge of the universe.
Lulumia patiently answered everyone.
She didn’t dislike this boisterous atmosphere.
Compared to talking with Eno, who was part of the church, these classmates (and not-really-classmates) felt much more approachable.
It had been years since she’d felt such a lively vibe free from personal interests.
When she finally grew tired, she changed the subject.
“Enough about that. Lige, why are you here? And what’s up with Geos and that butler-looking guy?”
“They came to cause trouble for that kid.”
The one who answered was Sean the carpenter.
He’d been sitting on a bench the whole time, listening. Only now did he tap his pipe and sigh.
“Didn’t I mention we needed someone who could carve type? This kid often helps me with engraving work, so I got him to help.”
Sean pointed to the dark-skinned youth who’d been bullied by the butler earlier.
“He loves reading—always borrowing books from people’s shops, but his family’s poor. When he can’t pay, he has to put it on tab. Well, now the collectors have come.”
“I see…”
Lulumia sized up the young man, who was giving her a friendly look from not far away.
He owed money too, but compared to the original body’s impression, this skinny, bookish youth seemed much more likable.
The wooden blocks he held should be the type she needed.
Without talking to him, she turned to Sean.
“I’m here to pay wages. Where’s the stuff? How did it turn out? Any issues with the blueprints?”
“No issues at all. The blueprints, miss, were beautifully done—I’ve never seen such clear plans. Didn’t have any trouble making it.”
Talking about woodworking, Sean’s eyes lit up.
He happily patted his butt and got up to take Lulumia inside.
Lulumia rolled her eyes inwardly—back in her previous life, she was a CAD expert.
How bad could her drafting skills possibly be?
“The stuff’s in the house. Cooper, bring your type blocks over for the miss to see.”
“O-okay, they’re all in this bag.”