I didn't have to wait for long to see the uncle; about half an hour later, he came rushing to us while we were testing the weapons on a bunch of plates we were using as targets.
It was currently Olivia's turn; she seemed a bit uncomfortable using the sniper rifle. After all, out of all the weapons, it was the one that was too heavy for any of us to carry using our own. No matter how many times I told her aiming was futile, she would still put in the effort to try and move the rifle for the perfect angle.
The moment he saw him, Leo sprinted towards him to give a heartfelt hug while the rest of us simply watched the two of them from the sidelines.
"Lucy." He simply nodded my way this time, a greeting much colder than the usual.
"What is that?" He asked as he looked at the rifle on the ground lying behind the golden-haired lass.
"Oh, that's what I came here for. Can you take a look at them? I hoped by making these you could give me an allowance. My parents seem pretty strict about it, so that's why I came to ask you." I explained as I quickly turned around and headed to get the other weapon.
The machine gun was lying against a nearby chair, guarded by a bunch of butlers. They wanted to carry it, but I quickly snatched it from their hands to present it to the uncle with my own hands.
I can't wait to see his opinion.
Those two weapons weren't exactly the best artifacts; in fact, they paled when compared to something like the crown Leonhart has, but I hoped at least he could see some potential in them.
When I handed him over, he inspected it up close; he lifted it a couple of times to check the weight, and when he tried to aim it and shoot it at the targets past us, his eyes seemed mildly surprised.
"Why do you want an allowance?" He asked me before firing a couple of shots.
"It's not like you can use it up here; there aren't shops over here." He kept talking as he was shooting at the targets prepared by the many serfs.
Then before I could even answer, he lifted the weapon and fired a dozen shots to test out the limits of the homing projectiles.
"I just want a way to get some of the games I lost back, plus something extra," I answered.
I knew that being direct with him was the best choice.
"What else can you make?" He then asked me.
Yes! He saw some potential! I knew he would; he had to. He's known for using a large variety of artifacts; there would be no way he would pass an opportunity to get potentially infinite weapons.
He was interested; now it was the best time to show off.
"I can do anything; the more complex the ability of the artifact or the power, the more of my energy it consumes, so it takes more time for me to make more of it," I explained.
"Can I try the other one?" He then asked as he put down the machine gun.
Olivia and I quickly nodded in response.
As he tried to lift the weapon, the uncle seemed a bit taken aback by the weight of the weapon, yet he didn't struggle at all to lift it. This time he didn't expect it up close; he pointed the weapon upward and fired a shot.
The bullet made an extremely sharp turn, completely different from when I used it, and was much faster than when I used the weapon; before I could even blink, the target was destroyed.
"Wow." He let out a sound out of surprise after firing the first shot. He seemed surprised by the ability of the weapon and its power.
"Let's get inside; I don't think we should discuss this outside." His voice seemed cold and serious, unlike the usual warm and welcoming tone he always had.
After picking up both weapons, we headed back inside the mansion. He guided us towards his study room, yet only I was allowed inside. Leo stopped Olivia from entering, and before I could react or say anything, the door closed on them, leaving me alone with the uncle.
Ehm… is everything okay? Why weren't Leo and Olivia allowed in?
I didn't voice those thoughts; the tension felt suffocating, as if I were walking on a thin thread that was about to snap.
"I felt something somewhat ominous coming out of your weapon. How does your ability work?" He asked me in a serious tone.
Something ominous? What? What does that mean? I didn't feel anything; no, I don't feel anything ominous. Is it because of that thing? Huh, so it's not as sneaky as I thought.
"The ability to create a demonic artifact of my choosing also allows me to turn the wielder into a minion of mine," I confessed.
It was the first time the uncle had looked at me with such a serious look. It scared me so much it petrified my body.
I didn't think the uncle could ever look at me so coldly.
"Well, I haven't exactly tested the latter half of that very specific part of the power I gained from that demon." After an awkward pause I decided to say something to break the silence.
This explanation made the uncle raise an eyebrow out of surprise.
"I know it's a trigger I can only use when I'm fully transformed, but apart from that, I know nothing else." I repeated with a little more conviction.
That's when I saw a light fire in his eyes, the same fire that lit Leo's eyes whenever he found something that piqued his interest.
"Your parents won't be happy about this," he reminded me with a stern voice.
The mood finally began to soften, bit by bit, and so I slowly began to relax again.
Huh? I thought… really? Like this, when I was this close to getting what I wanted?
"I can convince my father." I hastily blurted out to save the situation.
This seemingly put a smile on the uncle's face.
"And what about your mother?" His tone had returned as usual, warm and kind, with a teasing smile on his face as he looked at me with warm eyes.
"Ugh." I had no answer.
"If you confess to her about that ability of yours, she might allow it; you could explain it as a shield. If you fill the world with your weapons, there will be no place on earth where you'll ever be in danger." He suggested it to me as he got up from his seat.
"B-but—"
Before I could reply to him, he had already closed the distance between us; he placed his hand over my hand.
"You're being too wary of her; she's your mother, and she only wants the best for you." He said as he began to roughly mess with my hair.
But is that really going to work? It's obvious that it won't! She hates you; if I mention you, she will say no. Will she even listen to the rest of it?
"Can't you do it for me? " I asked him.
"Don't be like this; have a bit of courage." He said, placing his hands under my chin to raise my head.
"You should tell her yourself; if I did so, it will have irreparable consequences between you and your parents." He warned me while looking me in the eyes.
Will it? Maybe my mother would be bothered by it, but I'm sure Father won't really mind; he never really hated you like Mom. The things he says in front of her are just to appease her.
"It's troublesome as is that you told me first; we wouldn't want to make this worse, right?" He added while gently petting my head.
"Give it a shot, you never know… I doubt your mother will refuse." He said before landing a gentle kiss on my forehead.
He then began pinching my cheeks affectionately, stretching them out a bit before heading out.
Leo and Olivia were still waiting for us outside. Leo was waiting patiently, leaning with his back against the right door; Olivia, instead, was browsing her phone in silence on the left.
When I walked out, Olivia stepped inside, and before I could blink, the doors closed in front of my face.
"So, how did it go?" Leo asked me, placing his hands on my left shoulder.
"He wasn't against it, at the very least," I answered as I threw a sigh of relief.
"Good for you. Want to play some SOL?" He then asked me.
"Yeah, why not?"