A few days later, at Naoki's villa.
"So, doll-making, that is, the creation of life itself, uses the human body as a blueprint to produce automatic dolls that are very similar to the human body. Although not all doll makers have this goal due to different specializations, in the end, everything will return to the field of human body creation..."
The Logos React, which had transformed into Aozaki Touko, was explaining various key points in doll-making to Naoki.
Because he had to stay in this world for five years, Naoki was worried about delaying the doll's creation. So, before coming, he used the Logos React to read Touko's own data, copying all of her knowledge about dolls that was in her mind.
In other words, what was in front of Naoki now was a teaching machine that looked like Touko.
For more than a month, whenever Naoki had free time, he would take it out to study, trying to quickly finish the doll he wanted. His progress was now much slower than he had expected; forget about completion, even the sketch wasn't finished yet.
This was really annoying.
"The quality of a doll depends on two aspects: one is the skill of the maker, and the other is the magical materials used in its creation."
The Touko doll continued her explanation.
A skilled doll maker, even with just a pile of fertilizer, could make a good finished doll. Meanwhile, a bad doll maker, even if the most valuable magical materials were placed in front of them, would not be able to make a doll that met the standards.
Due to the Logos React, magical materials were not a big problem for Naoki. He didn't even need the materials themselves; he just needed a template, and the Logos React could perfectly replicate the material.
His biggest difficulty was the technique itself.
It was easy to say, but once he truly started, Naoki only then realized how ambitious his goal was. According to Touko, if he actually succeeded in making this doll, the Clock Tower would immediately give him the lowest rank plus a Sealing Designation order.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
After jotting down the Touko doll's words in his notebook, Naoki snapped his fingers, and the teaching Touko doll instantly shrank into a red sphere, floating back into his hand.
[Teaching process recorded, next teaching mode will resume from the recording point]
"Thanks for your hard work."
Putting away the Logos React, Naoki stood up and walked to the window, stretching his body vigorously towards the outside. Just at that moment, a figure appeared in his line of sight as usual.
It was Caren.
Since Naoki had said he could take care of her that time, Caren had become increasingly reckless. Every day after work, she would immediately come to his place to freeload meals, only returning to the church after finishing eating. Since he himself had asked Caren to do work similar to spying, Naoki couldn't say anything about her behavior.
It should be noted that regarding Caren's situation, Kirei miraculously showed no reaction at all.
'But... that's right, the Church there should also be very busy right now.'
The retrieval of the eighth Class Card had been a week ago. After it was retrieved, Naoki immediately handed it over to Rin and the others. It was estimated that the Clock Tower there had already begun researching it, and from the internal information of the Clock Tower that Caren had obtained earlier, it was estimated that there was a Church spy inside the Clock Tower. Now both sides might be planning something for the eighth Class Card.
Although all of this had nothing to do with Naoki whatsoever.
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
A knock on the door sounded from outside, then Gray opened the door: "Big Brother, can you come down for dinner? Sister Caren is back."
"Um, in a moment."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the dining room.
"You really come every day. Why don't you go back to the church for dinner once in a while? Pastor Kotomine must feel lonely."
"Good for him if he feels lonely." Caren said emotionlessly.
"He doesn't have many emotions. If he does, it's only when eating mapo tofu that he shows what's called happiness. The rest of the time, his face is always flat. Even if I die one day, he wouldn't react."
"Besides, I've already told him that for a while I won't be coming home for dinner because I'm supervising you. Let him take care of himself. So there's no problem at all."
Truly a harmonious father-daughter relationship.
But speaking of supervision...
"Lately, it seems I haven't found you putting any surveillance cameras in my room?"
"Hmm, because there's no money." Caren glared at him slightly with a blaming tone, "After all, someone previously caused significant damage. The Church's subsidy isn't much, and I paid most of it out of my own pocket, so now there's no money to buy new ones."
"The Church, as I recall, can use simple surveillance Magecraft."
"I can't."
The Church strictly forbade the use of most Magecraft, basically only the Baptism Rite was allowed, but Caren couldn't even perform the Baptism Rite. After all, her position in the Church was merely as an assistant; there was no need at all to learn magic.
And—
"After all this observation, I personally assess that someone like you actually doesn't need to be supervised at all."
"Then why are you still comfortable freeloading meals here? If there's no need for supervision, then go away quickly."
"Didn't you say you would take care of me?" Caren lay on the sofa and showed a slight, alluring smile, "Why, changed your mind? What a fickle man, full of lies. I'm painstakingly investigating the Church's secrets for your sake. If I get caught, I'll definitely be punished..."
"That's why I told you, didn't I? I will take care of you later."
As Caren said, she was now doing something akin to betraying the Church, following a Magus's orders to investigate the Church's secrets. If caught, she would definitely be treated as a heretic. And at that time, if she wanted, Naoki could accept her.
"But I didn't tell you to freeload meals here every day, for free?"
"How could that be? Occasionally, I also give you information that might be useful."
Saying this, Caren stood up and approached the dining table: "A snowy forest suddenly appeared right above the Great Hole. One or two Magus from the Clock Tower have already started going to Romania. Also, a Magus from Romania came to Japan."
"—How about that? Is that enough for you to feed me, okay?"
"Please don't use such ambiguous phrases."
"Just facts. After all, every time I come here, I always go home with a full stomach."