Seeing Lucian silently gazing at her without saying anything, the white-haired woman stared at him, a look of confusion appearing on her face.
"Master?"
Just like that, she merely called out and remained completely still as she lay on the ground, not caring at all that she was naked, nor minding Lucian as he continued to stare at her body.
"So... what's your name?"
Lucian, pondering for a moment upon hearing that the woman's voice was also exactly like Kiana's, asked calmly.
At the question, the woman immediately shook her head.
"I don't know. I only know that you created me, and I am the embodiment of your will. You can call me whatever you like."
Hearing this, Lucian paused.
'Embodiment of my will?'
Lucian frowned and thought hard for a moment.
Had he just been thinking about a woman when forging Origin and End earlier?
It seemed like he had briefly thought about Mei.
Could it be that, in that moment, his thoughts had influenced the process, shaping this Kiana's variant?
"Hahh..." Lucian sighed helplessly, then decided to give her an identity. "Well, from now on, you will be called 'Kiana.' You will be my attendant and one of Izumo's guardians."
*BANG!*
Just as his words fell, the door to the workshop was suddenly slammed open, and a large group of women poured in, with Mei at the forefront—each of them wore tense and anxious expressions and held a Sentinel.
Apparently, all of them had sensed the terrifying energy released by Kiana's birth just now and had immediately rushed here.
"Lucian! Are you alright?"
Mei was the first to rush in, asking anxiously.
Her violet eyes were filled with concern as she scanned Lucian's body with her gaze, and upon confirming that he was unharmed, she sighed in relief.
"Boss, what happened with that energy just now?"
Kyuusyou asked with an unusually serious expression, pushing up her monocle.
"Where's the enemy?"
Bianka asked sternly, gripping the black sword of Fate tightly, her icy blue eyes sharply scanning the room.
"Hmm? Why's there a naked girl on the floor?"
Senti, with her sharp eyes, asked, pointing directly at Kiana on the ground.
"W-What?!" Theresa exclaimed, her face slightly flushed. "Why is she not wearing anything?! Wait, who is she?!"
"Hmm, her figure... is quite nice..."
Xuanyuan stroked her chin and commented with interest, her eyes shifting back and forth between Kiana and Lucian.
"Hmph, nothing special..."
Sirin crossed her arms and snorted with an uncaring attitude, but her gaze lingered for a moment on Kiana's pale skin.
Ana and Azta instinctively took a step back, somewhat at a loss.
Sakura silently looked at Lucian and smiled, a smile that seemed somewhat malicious.
Himiko, on the other hand, was quite carefree and blunt as always.
"Boss, where'd you get this naked girl? Weren't you forging new Sentinels?"
Just like that, the group's gaze immediately focused on Kiana before they all turned to Lucian with eyes filled with questions, curiosity, and a hint of... something undefinable.
Lucian tiredly massaged his forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on.
"It's nothing. I just finished forging two new Sentinels, but it caused a bit of a commotion. As for her... she's... well... an extra that came with them."
He explained while gesturing with his chin toward the floating Origin before the forge, then toward the floating End beside the still-lying Kiana, before finally pointing at her.
"Extra?"
Mei's voice rose slightly as she fixed her gaze on Lucian, then glanced at the naked, curvaceous, white-haired woman on the floor.
In an instant, a strange, unexplainable feeling lodged itself in her chest.
Under everyone's gaze, Mei walked over to Lucian, almost instinctively reaching out to gently tug at the corner of his sleeve, as if asserting her claim.
"Then... who is she?" Mei asked, her voice holding a subtle, almost imperceptible tinge of bitterness. "Why... Why isn't she wearing anything?"
Lucian, feeling the slight pull on his sleeve, looked down at Mei, whose lips were pressed together while her eyes carried a hint of grievance and accusation.
Seeing her like this, Lucian wanted to chuckle, but held himself back before he gently but firmly grasped her hand, which had been tugging at his sleeve. Her hand trembled slightly as it attempted to pull away, but he tightened his grip, preventing it.
In that instant, the warmth of his hand enveloped hers, strangely soothing the faint irritation and unease in her heart, causing her cheeks to turn pink beyond her control.
"Basically, she's kinda like the embodiment or the will of End—that greatsword," Lucian said casually, glancing at Kiana, then at the black greatsword beside her. "Well, you could say she's just been born. Either way, she's my attendant now and one of Izumo's guardians—she's definitely gonna be a huge asset to Izumo. Don't underestimate her. If it ever comes down to a real fight, she's stronger than all of you put together."
"Mm-hmm! Master is right!"
Kiana, like an obedient fool, nodded enthusiastically at everything Lucian said, not caring at all if her words offended anyone.
However, the twelve women were apparently focused on something else.
""Master?""
All of them muttered in unison as they stared wide-eyed at Kiana.
*Whistle~*
Senti suddenly whistled with raised brows, her gaze turning playful.
"..."
Bianka fell silent, but if one looked at her face carefully, the corner of her lips kept twitching.
"Boss's attendant, huh..." Kyuusyou muttered in surprise, not even noticing that her monocle had slipped. "Damn... Mei's position is gonna be challenged."
"Boss..." Himiko called out, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. "You... You have that kind of fetish?"
Ana and Theresa covered their mouths, while Azta blushed shyly.
Sakura and Sirin remained silent, but their eyes held implications.
Mei felt a buzzing in her head as she realized that her entire role as Lucian's attendant, taking care of his daily needs, was now suddenly being intruded upon and disturbed by someone who had come out of nowhere.
What made it worse was that this intruder was also shamelessly calling him 'Master.'
'Should I call him Master too to stay competitive...?'
Mei couldn't help but entertain this idea, turning it over in silence.
"Alright, the show's over!" Lucian, sensing that the situation was getting out of hand, clapped his hands, then pointed to Kiana on the ground. "Take her to familiarize herself with the surroundings. From now on, she'll be called Kiana. Most importantly, she might be a bit slow in the head, so keep an eye on her. Don't let her cause any trouble."
He paused for a moment, then glanced at the floating Origin.
"By the way, this Sentinel is called Origin. I'll keep it in Izumo as a keepsake, to be found by someone destined to receive it."
He knew that Mei was the destined wielder, but for now, there was no need for her to take up Origin. Izumo's current military strength was not weak, and aside from his own influence, it could even handle space wars on its own, so the need to use Origin remained low.
"Boss, will Kiana be living with us, too?"
Sakura raised her hand and asked curiously.
Lucian nodded in response.
"Well, she's my attendant and also a guardian of Izumo now, so of course she will be living with us."
With that, from this day on, their home would have an additional lively, white-haired woman living with them.
===
Several days had passed since Kiana was born.
During these days, whenever Lucian read or signed documents at the main desk in the study, Kiana would quietly sit on the nearby sofa like a large dog waiting for orders, her big eyes never leaving him.
Whenever Lucian got up to pour tea, Kiana would immediately jump up to do it for him, only to fumble so badly that she nearly knocked over the kettle.
Every time she called him 'Master,' it sounded sweet and crisp, without the slightest hint of ulterior motive.
Mei, who witnessed all of this with her own eyes, could feel a small flare of jealousy rising within her.
Taking care of Lucian had always been her exclusive duty, but now there was suddenly a competitor, and this competitor was so enthusiastic about the role. Thankfully, Kiana seemed a bit clumsy and wasn't as meticulous or as skilled at cooking as she was, so for now, Mei remained Lucian's irreplaceable attendant.
Unfortunately, between Mei and Lucian, there was always Kiana in the middle, leaving them no time to be alone like before.
===
Years passed peacefully in Izumo until one day, a Stellaron entered the star system where Jarilo-VI and Izumo were located, heading directly toward Izumo.
What made matters worse was that not long after the Stellaron arrived, endless troops of the Antimatter Legion followed.
Coincidentally, the commander of this Antimatter Legion was none other than Lord Ravager Celenova, the one Lucian had previously been searching for within Jingliu's script.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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