Chapter 113: The Metamorphosis of Devotion(2/2)

Now, we were in a reception room filled with various decorations.

It was a transformed version of the classroom that had emptied after the students had left.

I quietly watched the turtle.

It clung to Tiena’s lap, whimpering as if complaining.

She gently stroked its head and smiled.

“Haha, is that so? But I’m sure Mira had no ill intentions. She probably just thought the turtle was cute.”

The way she communicated with the turtle looked completely natural.

That was probably because she was a doll herself.

I quietly poured tea in front of her.

Tiena gently ran her fingers over the teacup and smiled at me.

At the same time, a sharp gaze fell upon me—it was from Professor On.

It was a look I had become quite familiar with by now.

Of course, that didn’t make it any less intimidating.

I subtly hid behind Mira to avoid that piercing stare.

Seeing my reaction, Tiena lightly touched Professor On’s hand.

With that, his gaze shifted away from me.

“I never expected this child to change so much. I’m truly surprised. Perhaps you’ve made some progress?”

Tiena lifted her teacup, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

A faint expectation formed on her face.

Scratching my cheek, I hesitated.

Progress… I wasn’t sure if that was the right word for it.

Still, I had brought something to show her.

I rummaged through the dimensional pouch in my arms and pulled out a small bottle.

Inside, it was filled with magic-infused liquid.

At the center of it, a palm-sized doll lay dormant.

“Hmm, so you actually brought this all the way here. No wonder I felt a ticklish connection.”

Mira chuckled and lightly tapped the bottle with her finger.

The small figure inside twitched slightly before slowly opening its eyes.

The doll locked eyes with Mira for a brief moment, nodded, and then closed its eyes again.

Its appearance was almost identical to Mira’s.

Seeing it, Mira gave a faint smile.

Then, the sound of “Meeeng” rang out again.

The turtle, still sitting on Tiena’s lap, stared curiously at the bottle.

I set the glass bottle down in front of it.

Come to think of it, this was the first time the turtle had seen it.

The turtle started comparing its reflection on the glass to the doll inside.

Then, tilting its head slightly, it let out a confused “Meeeng.”

That was understandable.

The doll inside the bottle looked eerily similar to the turtle’s current appearance, as if reflected in a mirror.

I glanced at Mira.

Her face, resembling Professor Irien, frowned slightly at me.

For some reason, every doll I created seemed to resemble the professor more and more.

I nodded to myself.

Maybe this was proof of my loyalty—my deep admiration for her naturally shaping my creations in her image.

The turtle, dissatisfied with its reflection, threw a light punch at the bottle.

But it had forgotten one crucial thing—it no longer had the body of a turtle.

Its current form, resembling the professor, was quite delicate.

After striking the bottle, the turtle instead ended up clutching its own hand, rolling on the floor while groaning in pain.

“Meeeng,” it cried out in agony.

Watching this, I shook my head.

I could understand the turtle’s frustration.

Its sense of self had been based on me, meaning it had developed a masculine identity.

But now, it had taken on a girl’s appearance.

That form could no longer be changed.

The transformative power that had originated from the professor had permanently fixed the turtle’s body in place.

‘Well… wasn’t that a good thing?’ Being able to take on the professor’s form was a blessing in itself.

‘If anything, I had given the turtle an incredible opportunity.’

“Oh my, poor thing… Come here.”

Tiena picked up the turtle and held it in her arms.

The turtle’s eyes gleamed as it burrowed deeper into her embrace, clinging to her chest and whining.

Tiena only hugged it tighter.

Seeing this, Professor On’s gaze sharpened.

But perhaps because the turtle was now in a female form, his usual deadly aura was absent.

The turtle must have sensed this too, as it clung even closer to Tiena, burying itself completely in her arms.

From that position, Tiena glanced at both Mira and me.

I shook my head.

This creation was far from a success.

“As you can see, this doll was made using Mira as a base. But I failed to create a new soul within it. Only the body ended up resembling her.”

Hearing this, Tiena looked slightly disappointed—but only for a moment.

She soon chuckled, looking between the glass bottle and us with amusement.

“Haha, so you made this doll based on Mira? That means this child is also the same. The two of you must be very close. That makes me happy. Perhaps you might even be able to fulfill my request.”

She said this while stroking the turtle.

At that, Mira gave me a long, scrutinizing look before clicking her tongue softly.

I scratched my head in response.

“It would be better if it had turned out to resemble me. But this turtle… it’s not me it takes after. It’s Irien.”

“It’s Professor Irien from Evron,” Mira muttered, glancing at me with a sharp look.

Tiena blinked in surprise, glancing between the turtle and Mira.

“Oh my, is that so?”

“Which is why I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens when Irien finds out about this.”

Mira placed a hand over her chest as she spoke.

Her gaze carried a certain distance—one that felt almost like contempt.

I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Even I had to admit that things had gone a bit far.

But well, as long as I didn’t get caught, it was fine.

I looked at the turtle again.

It was still clinging to Tiena’s chest, burying its face into her.

Originally, I hadn’t intended to put the turtle inside that body.

I had planned to create an entirely new consciousness.

But none of my attempts could properly wield that power.

The result was simply a young girl’s body, trapped in that form.

To properly use that power, an exceptionally strong body was needed—one with an unshakable spirit.

And there was only one such existence by my side: the turtle.

And so, the turtle ended up with this form.

I didn’t fully understand how its body had been created.

I had only done my best to make use of the possibilities hidden within the professor’s remnants.

Neither I nor the turtle fully understood the process of transformation.

It simply happened because it could.

During the process of implanting the turtle’s soul, the power itself changed in unexpected ways.

Since it was just a fragment of power, that was inevitable.

But in a way, that was a good thing.

Thanks to that distortion, the professor wouldn’t immediately recognize the turtle.

A perfect crime… No, it wasn’t a crime.

I had acted out of pure devotion, and in the process, I had simply gained a little extra.

It was all to better understand the professor.

“I only did this out of my admiration for the professor.”

“That’s exactly the problem…”

Mira let out a small sigh.

“When did you get so sinister?” she muttered, shaking her head.

It seemed she had a major misunderstanding.

I had merely realized the truth—the professor’s grace, her blessings.

Tiena, watching us, clapped her hands together.

It was to draw our attention.

As we turned to her, she smiled brightly.

“Now, let’s get to the main point. I can’t keep you here forever, after all.”

I nodded.

This meeting had been arranged because she had a request for us.

‘A request… The thought made my body tense slightly.

Her previous request had been for a doll made from herself and Professor On.

‘Was she about to make another request like that?’

Noticing my apprehension, Tiena waved her hand lightly.

Then, she took an envelope from her pocket and placed it on the table.

“It’s nothing too big, so don’t worry. I just need you to deliver this to Mauro. I heard there’s a gathering soon.”

‘A gathering?’ I hadn’t expected her to bring that up.

But she was right—I was planning to head to the Stalactite City for the dollmakers’ assembly after this class.

I stared at the envelope in silence.

“You can open it if you’d like, but there’s no real need. You’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll deliver it to Mauro as requested.”

With that, I tucked the envelope into my pocket.

It was likely related to the dollmakers’ association.

If so, there was no reason for me to check the contents.

“Come to think of it, this will be your first gathering, Evron.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

A gathering of dollmakers… I was quite curious about how it would be conducted.

Noticing my curiosity, Tiena gave a slightly troubled smile.

“It’s probably not what you’re expecting. Just don’t be too disappointed.”

I didn’t understand what she meant at the time.

***

Standing at the gathering’s location, I recalled her words.

‘Don’t be too disappointed.’ Looking at the scene before me, I finally understood what she meant.

“Come on in. Everyone’s been waiting for you.”

Mauro peeked out from the cave and waved me over.

Yes, a cave.

That was where this gathering was taking place.

I glanced around.

We were on a small mountain, with the cave nestled in its midsection.

Sighing, I followed Mauro inside.

The damp scent of earth filled my nose.