After dinner, the two returned to their room with their bellies full.
Because they had exercised a lot during the day, the result was that both had eaten more than usual.
Since it was not good to move vigorously right after eating, Rin did not start her leg training as planned but sat down to read a book first.
This was also a special task she needed to do every day.
If there was any word she did not understand, Rin would mark it and ask Tris later. Thanks to that, her vocabulary and reading comprehension gradually improved.
Moreover, the books she read were all specially chosen by Tris. They provided a wide range of knowledge: cooking, information about Magical Beasts, a general understanding of magic, history, geography, religion, etc.
Although those books varied in thickness and contained limited knowledge, not enough to make someone an expert in those fields, they were still a good way to broaden her horizons and give her a general understanding of essential matters.
Physical strength was, of course, important, but the strength of knowledge was no less so. That was what Tris always taught Rin.
While Rin was reading, Tris was busy with his puppets as usual.
Today, he was finishing the last parts of Puppet No. 6 that had been left incomplete before.
Sitting at the reading desk, Rin could not help but feel curious about the work her master was doing behind her.
If possible, she very much wished she could sit beside him and carefully observe. However, since she had been assigned the task of reading, Rin restrained her curiosity and continued to focus on her studies.
A peaceful period passed, just like every other evening, where both concentrated on their own tasks.
…
Closing the book she had just finished, Rin turned and asked:
"Master, about the magical puppet mentioned in this book, is it the one you took out at the training ground before? Why at that time…"
Before she could finish, Rin suddenly fell silent at what she saw. Her eyes widened, mouth agape, face full of astonishment (°ロ°).
At that moment, beside her master was something that looked exactly like Rin herself. From the face, hair, height, to the body's proportions, everything matched precisely.
If not for the joints at the arms and legs clearly showing it was a puppet, no one would think it was an artificial creation.
Rin: "Master, what is this?"
She hurried over and asked quickly.
While attaching the last arm to the puppet, Tris replied:
"I named it 'Servant', or you can call it 'Rin 2.0'."
Rin: "But what is it used for?"
'Could it be that Rin is not good enough, so master made a puppet as a replacement?
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ' Rin thought in fear.
Tris: "It has many uses. It can be suitable for assassination in certain cases. It can serve as a disguise, a substitute. For now, it can also be used as your training opponent."
Rin: "Training opponent?"
She curiously touched the puppet's face.
Rin: "A bit stiff."
Feeling the elasticity under her fingers, Rin commented.
Tris: "Of course, it's not real flesh. The puppet is mostly made of wood and covered with a special resin layer used to form the outer skin.
Although the artificial skin has a certain degree of elasticity, it cannot change the fact that inside it is still wood, not flesh and blood. Therefore, it is mainly used for outward disguise only. If squeezed, it will still be easily exposed."
Rin: "But how could master make it look so much like Rin? The face is almost identical."
Tris: "Using Space magic to precisely measure the proportions and contours of the face and body to recreate them. After that, it's just a matter of spending time coloring to make it look similar. But I also have other magic and tools to support this process, so it isn't difficult."
Of course, the level of difficulty in making it depends on the skill of the craftsman.
However, if you compare this puppet 'Servant' with the other puppets Tris has created before, it is certainly the simplest and easiest one to make, with a very quick completion time.
Tris: "Take out a set of clothes from the spatial ring for it. Remember gloves and socks too, to cover all the joints."
Nodding, Rin quickly took out a set of clothes to dress the puppet. But then, the puppet moved on its own, took the clothes from Rin's hands, and dressed itself without help.
Even though she knew puppets could move, seeing it suddenly act on its own startled her.
Rin: "Master, I've wanted to ask. Isn't controlling magical puppets supposed to require strings made of spiritual energy? Both the puppet you used at the training ground and this one seem to move without anyone controlling them."
Tris: "Using spiritual energy strings is just the most common method. In fact, there are other ways. But this is knowledge you must not casually reveal."
Rin nodded, realizing she had witnessed a rare technique.
In a few minutes, the puppet finished dressing. With all joints covered, it looked even more like a real person.
Seeing the creation, Rin once again admired the wonders magic could bring.
But then, it seemed master was still not satisfied with the puppet's appearance. He took out a mouth mask and put it on the puppet.
With half its face covered, the puppet began to speak:
"Rin hungry… Rin hungry… Rin hungry…"
Rin was stunned. Each time it spoke, the voice gradually changed, until it sounded almost identical to Rin's real voice.
Rin: "Master, this is…?"
Watching the puppet become more and more like herself, Rin felt goosebumps.
Tris: "I used a magic to imitate your voice. If it's to deceive others, it must be as real as possible."
Rin: "So the mask is…?"
Tris: "It's hard to make the puppet's mouth movements match speech. Covering it hides the mismatch."
Servant: "Master, Rin is hungry. Rin wants cake."
Then, to test more functions, the puppet ran around the room, jumped, and even threw punches. Its movements were more precise than Rin's daytime training.
'Master really doesn't intend to replace Rin with this, right? Σ(っ °Д °;)っ' Rin worried again.
Seeing the puppet perform better than herself, Rin couldn't help but feel inferior when comparing.
Then, Tris pinched Rin's cheek.
Tris: "Stop those messy thoughts. Focus, your evening training starts now."