A few days later, Maha and several others were summoned to the meeting room. Looking around, it wasn’t just the combatants but also those from intelligence and logistics that were present. It wasn’t uncommon for those with live combat experience to be called to meetings, but for so many divisions to be called upon was rare. Maha had a bad feeling about what was coming.
“What do you think it’ll be?”
“How should I know?”
“It could be a wedding.”
“So we were gathered to give our blessings? Unlikely. Who would even be getting married?”
“Someone unexpected. Maybe Diriyah is getting remarried?”
“Impossible. That woman cares about nothing but her own research.”
The two of us made light banter to pass the time until the captain, Ney, walked in with a woman wearing a white coat. All the chatter in the room ceased at once.
The woman at Ney’s side was Maha’s mother, Diriyah. She didn’t have the image of an alchemist that fought demons. Her hair was unkempt, and her clothes were threadbare. Her white lab coat was the only thing new on her, as well as the only thing giving her even the barest impression of a functioning adult. Diriyah did use alchemy, but she was less of a combatant than she was a scientist. She was also the woman who could be considered the brains of Al-kimiya.
“Everyone, we bring good news!” Ney began with a grin. Putting a smile on her already cute face made her seem even more charming. Though she looked like a small child, she was a dependable presence. It was almost magic the way her smiles set people at ease. “You’ve all fought well up until now, but the end of this conflict might soon be at hand.”
A commotion kicked off at those words. An end to the war? Every soldier dreamed of such a thing.
“Are the demons giving up on their invasion?!”
“Have we developed some powerful alchemy that can bring an end to the demons?!”
The excited soldiers spouted off their theories one after another. Ney let them clamor for a few moments before clapping her hands together to call for silence.
“I can see you’re all very interested in learning the particulars. I’ll leave that to my vice-captain here. Diriyah?”
“Right…” Diriyah scratched her head and stepped forward. Curtly, she asked, “You all know what a homunculus is?”
A few fidgeted at the mention of the word ‘homunculus.’ One said, “Of course, everybody knows. It's a long-held taboo among alchemists—artificial life.”
A frightening grin spread across Diriyah’s face as she said, “Humanity has always been on the losing end in this battle against the demons. It’s only natural, of course. Alchemists may be stronger individually, but there’s nothing to be done when we’re so vastly outnumbered. That’s not even mentioning the rate at which they proliferate. For every demon we kill, another is born. But we can amend that issue. Bolstering our dwindling forces with homunculi will bring victory within reach.”
The room began to clamor again. Most questioned whether it was even possible. They knew of homunculi as a concept, but making one seemed beyond humanity at the moment.
“I thought making homunculi was a lost art!”
“It was. But not anymore.”
“Then you successfully made one?!”
“But of course. I suppose I’ve kept you all waiting long enough.” Diriyah made a confident nod. “The first homunculus is already complete. Ruri, come in.”
“Yes!” A strange yet lovely voice answered Diriyah’s summons. The meeting room’s door opened, and a small figure entered.
“Huh? Ruri…?” Maha murmured.
“You know her?”
“…No. I just recognized the name is all.”
“Is that so? She’s cute. I’d say she’s my type.”
“Sure, whatever.”
“Why not make her your bride?”
“Just be quiet.”
The homunculus called Ruri resembled Maha slightly. Her silver hair seemed to shimmer in the light, and her eyes were a deep crimson. Her height was only slightly greater than Ney’s, but she could easily pass as Maha’s little sister. She walked nervously past everyone and lined up at Diriyah’s side.
“Ruri, greet everyone,” Diriyah ordered.
“Yes! Anti-Demon Homunculus! Mark One! Ruri! Hello everyone!” Ruri introduced herself, her speech strange and inarticulate.
“There are still problems with the speech cortex and some other areas, but those will be ironed out as we go. Not bad for only being made half a day ago, right?”
The reveal Ruri was only made half a day ago sent the room into an uproar for the third time that day. She didn’t appear ready for combat, only looking to be in her young teens, but her creation being just half a day ago placed her growth rate at around 7,300 times that of a human.
“Metako, is she…?”
“Yes, she’s a real homunculus. Furthermore, she has the same perfect connectivity to the Akashic Record as you.”
“Huh? Wait, what do—”
Before Maha could ask, Diriyah explained, “Ruri here was created from Maha’s blood, allowing her to connect to the Akashic Record. I’m certain her specs will prove to be even higher than Maha’s.”
There was a stir in the room. Maha’s face paled, but Diriyah didn’t seem to notice as she continued.
“No longer do we have to rely on Maha alone. These homunculi will fight for us now. Well, soon. We’ll need to hold out a little longer, but not much. Maha…” Still showing no sign that she noticed her daughter’s discomposure, Diriyah turned to look at Maha. “I’m assigning you to be Ruri’s instructor.”
“…What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. I’m ordering you to cram all your fighting know-how into Ruri here.”
“O-oh.”
Diriyah likely didn’t understand how Maha interpreted her order. Unlike most of the soldiers here, being removed from the front lines of combat was no reward for her.
…Am I of no further use to you?
“You’re overthinking it, Maha.”
Am I, though? She clearly prefers the homunculus over me, her real daughter.
An eddy of unpleasant emotions swirled within Maha. They were sourced from the deep rift between her and her own mother, but it was likely even Maha herself didn’t realize that. At any rate, there were a dozen things she wanted to say. But instead, she simply said, “…All right.”
“Yes! Thank you! Miss Maha!” Ruri excitedly said. She was all smiles, meanwhile Maha hung her head. I looked between them both and felt like sighing.
Maha was a soldier. To her, an order was absolute. Even if it came from her own mother, and even if she thought it was unreasonable, so long as it was an order, she would follow it.
“That should do it for today,” Ney said. “Moving forward, we shall plan our engagements around these homunculi. We’ll call this Plan Homunculus. You’ll have to forgive me for not coming up with something catchier.”
Ney brought the meeting to a close. Reactions to the news were mixed. Some had hope in their eyes, some were clearly doubtful, and others were unsure what to think. Only Maha’s reaction was different from the rest.
“…What worth do I have if I can’t even fight…?” She sighed for the third time today and murmured to no one in particular. Although I’m sure she wished someone would overhear her, her murmur went underheard by all.