The next night, we had a quick breakfast and then teleported to my home. I was reluctant when Lia tried to force herself on our return trip, but I needed her help(money) for the reconstruction, and almost anything that I wanted to hide there had likely been revealed to her by now, so I allowed her to come.
With Aishie on my shoulders in her human form, I left the magic to Jeanne and felt the space around us shift. After the teleportation was complete, we were before the ruin of a tall castle. For some reason the undead working on that castle were familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Confused by this scenery, I asked Jeanne, "Are you sure this is right place?"
She hesitated but eventually nodded her head in shame.
"That's right. This, is your castle, Master."
"What a strange joke."
"...My apologies."
"Why are you apologizing? I'm just commenting on the odd joke you just told me. After all, that's the only way to describe this situation."
"..."
I wasn't angry, no, not at all, yet Jeanne lowered her head and wouldn't respond. How odd.
"Cut her some slack, Elios. You heard the report, you should praise her for doing this well against a berserk glutton blade," said Lia.
The way she said it made it sound like I was scolding Jeanne, but I understood what she meant. Expressing a fragment of my emotions, with a click of the tongue I replied.
"I know. I was just expecting a proper house to come back to after a long time at work is all."
As Lia shrugged her shoulders I glanced at the downtrodden Jeanne. Although my mood wasn't very good, this was more of a rant than a criticism so I didn't want her to feel bad about it.
Instead of more words, I pet her head to comfort her. I wasn't sure why, but she always felt both embarrassed and happy whenever I did this to. Like all of the other times, a faint smile appeared on her face. I knew this wouldn't be enough to erase her blue feelings, but that was fine. She looked better with a smile after all.
"Woah, there is a child here you know," I may or may not have heard that from a certain shameless woman but I ignored it.
While I continued petting Jeanne, I sensed one of my familiars coming to welcome me. I already knew that he had lost a bet and was forced to meet me, but as an understanding boss I would get back at them for that later.
"Welcome back, Master. It is a blessing to see you doing well."
Brad arrived in one jump that produced a small drift of dust and then greeted me with his best smile. I thought he was trying his best to be servile in order to avoid upsetting me, but once he spotted Aishie, his true nature betrayed him.
With wide eyes he asked in an astonished tone, "You had a kid, master? Wait, who's the moth-"
Before I could say anything Jeanne summoned her staff and slammed it into Brad's head without mercy. Judging from the faint tremor we felt, if it was against a normal human her strike held enough power to be fatal, but to Brad this was like a flick to the forehead. Nonetheless, it still hurt.
"Ouch, what was that for?" Brad asked while rubbing his head.
I wasn't so sure why Jeanne was so upset, because from Brad's point of view it wasn't too ridiculous to have such a thought since our auras had become similar after I became Aishie's guardian.
If it was Ein, then Jeanne would have surely given him a more powerful swing the second time, but as Brad was being sincere and had an innocent look in his eyes, Jeanne only glared at him. Therefore, it was time for me to interfere.
"She's not related to me by blood, but you could say I'm something like a guardian for her."
'Though it happened against my will.'
By the time I was done speaking, Brad had already finished showing any signs of being in pain and replied with understanding.
"I see. Nice to meet you, you can call me Chad."
"...Aishie."
I could tell that she seemed to be wary of Brad, but as this resulted in her adorably squeezing my head I ignored that trivial issue.
"Good. Chad, go tell those other two to meet us in the throne room."
"Immediately."
Brad then left as fast as he came, while the rest of us continued walking all the way to the throne room. Just kidding, like I would really drag my feet just so that those three would have to suffer from anxiety. For this case, I planned on simply being direct.
"Witch."
"Yes."
With that short interaction, Jeanne was able to grasp my intent and teleported us to the throne room. There was normally a spatial lock here, but it deactivated since I was part of the teleported package.
A few seconds after we arrived, Brad and two skeletons nervously entered the throne room and went down on one knee. Jeanne stood with Lia below my throne while I sat on the throne with a little girl on my lap. I was sure my menacing aura wasn't the best but this would be enough to get my point across.
"Firstly, well done on defeating the enemy and protecting our guests. I'm sure it wasn't easy."
Since all three of them expected disappointment, they were surprised to be praised instead. However before they let it get to their heads, I continued.
"But, my castle is still in this condition so be very mindful of your mistakes."
"Yes!"
The skeletons reflected on their failures that led to this result, or at least that's what I thought. However, Brad looked like he was completely exempt from my disappointment. Honestly, I wanted to wipe that pleased look off his face, but I didn't want to be a boss who found random reasons to berate his people.
"Moving on, I already have a general idea of everything but give me your reports on what has happened during my absence."
The first to give a report was Brad. He started with a summary of his battle in Count Tusk's territory and then talked about his role in the castle's reconstruction. He tried to make it subtle but despite his indirect wording I knew that he didn't actually help with the construction, he was busy 'guarding the perimeter'. However, I hid my exasperation and looked at Bony.
From him I got a more in-depth report about how his fight with that Poltergeist user went. As someone proficient in Dark Magic, I was interested in this foe, but from Bony's description it seemed that he only mastered Poltergeist. That was a good thing for us, but I was still disappointed. As I expected, Bony was the one managing the construction process along with help from Jeanne.
After Bony, my eyes landed on our new comrade.
Right as I was about to call him, I realised that I forgot something.
"Now that I think about it, you haven't been given a name yet?"
Since he wasn't a familiar but a more 'natural' creature, he was born with his true name in his mind, but there still needed to be a safe name for him to use, especially with Lia here.
"That is right, creator. However, may I put forward a request as it relates to this matter?"
I nodded my head at how polite this black and gold skeleton was. It was a prototype for a very amus-, I mean, important project I was planning so I was happy when I heard of his exploits.
'With enough time and data, it might not be impossible for me to try 'that'. And I already have the perfect test subject.'
I could see Jeanne being surprised by his behaviour, probably because he made a request on our first meeting, but since I didn't have a problem with it I didn't point it out. I was in a good mood thinking about my future experiments, so I gave a positive response to its request.
"Sure. Do you have a name in mind?"
"Yes, creator. I would like to be known as Al-mana."
Everyone raised an eyebrow once they heard that name. In a forgotten language it meant 'simplicity', and it wasn't a strange name in this world. However, similar to my name, it was one that had a rich history behind it. In fact, its legend was more impressive than the one my name originated from.
I asked with a solemn tone, "...You do understand what it would mean to hold that name, correct?"
"Of course, creator. I pledge to use my life to uphold the honour of this name. If I fail, let my body be broken and my soul scattered."
Sensing the faint traces of magic in that oath, I decided to agree to his request.
"Very well. From now on you may refer to yourself as Al-mana, or Alma if you so wish."
"Thank you, creator. You can trust that I will not smear the name of the Grand Sage."