In the parlor of Brandelis Manor, the young man serving as the duke's messenger and Major William sit on the sofa, sipping tea.
"Has the Brandelis Clan fallen to such an extent? Such a large manor, and not a single servant in sight, not even someone to serve us tea; it had to be the butler himself." The young man frowned slightly, feeling a bit concerned about the reception upon entering the manor.
The Brandelis Clan is, after all, a noble family with a title, and they still have estates and manors. Logically, even if there were no adults left in the household, they shouldn't have fallen to the point where they couldn't afford servants.
Especially since Perfikot is a highly accomplished alchemist, any small achievement from her could be quickly turned into a lot of money.
So what happened to the Brandelis Clan? The young man thought with furrowed brows.
But Major William shook his head and said casually, "This is Perfikot's habit. After that tragic event three years ago, she dismissed all the servants and only kept the old butler, Mr. Foster."
"Ah! While it's understandable, for a noble household to have no servants is rather..." The young man didn't know how to articulate it, feeling that some level of noble appearance should still be maintained.
To this, Major William merely raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "And what gave you the impression that there are no servants in this room?"
"What?" Major William's words made the young man show a surprised expression, immediately glancing around cautiously. From his tense body and hand gripping a cane in a sword-holding stance, it was clear he wasn't as carefree as he appeared.
He surveyed the room but found nothing, with the only link to the word "maid" being a delicately crafted puppet stored in a cabinet in the corner of the room, wearing a fine maid's gown.
This made him question Major William doubtfully, "You can't possibly mean that puppet is the 'servant' you're referring to?"
"That's Perfikot's proud creation, the Alchemy Puppet," Major William introduced to the young man, then explained, "Perhaps because you've been in the colonies of the New Continent, you might not know about this. It's become a new fashion in Langton since last year.
Originally, it was Perfikot's birthday gift to the Duke, four heavy-armored knight-type alchemy puppets, placed by the Duke in his study and bedroom.
Normally, they seem like inconspicuous decorations, but once activated, they can show combat strength not inferior to formal knights—quite excellent defensive facilities.
Since they made their debut at the Duke's birthday banquet and were well-received by the Duke, they quickly gained popularity in Langton's high society. Perfikot seized the opportunity to start selling ordinary servant models of alchemy puppets, which were extremely popular back then."
"So this is the Alchemy Puppet? Even in the New Continent, I've heard people mention such things." The young man showed a realization, then his expression changed after a brief consideration, asking Major William, "William, do you think Miss Brandelis's research on alchemy puppets can be applied to larger things? Like building large machinery for houses or..."
Upon hearing the young man's inquiry, Major William thought for a moment before answering affirmatively, "It shouldn't be a big problem. Although I don't understand alchemy much, the principle should be similar, right? Perhaps this is why the Duke wants to invite Perfikot to join the crisis response committee."
"Regardless of the reason, at least we know now that this young lady has a place to showcase her talents during this crisis." The young man took out a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully cleaned his face, and tidied his appearance before sitting upright again, waiting for Perfikot to arrive.
Clearly, through this conversation, the young man, originally somewhat frivolous, finally took Perfikot seriously, planning to approach this task with the utmost seriousness.
Though he re-arranged his appearance, the hangover-like haggard look and sunken dark circles made him resemble a playboy indulged in excess, diminishing his solemn seriousness slightly.
Thus, this first impression of him by Perfikot was not particularly favorable.
"Long time no see, Cousin William. I recall your service time in the New Continent should be three years. Why return to Langton early? Did something happen?" Perfikot first greeted Major William, being fairly familiar relatives.
She had changed into a long straight skirt in vivid green, contrasting sharply with the flamboyant lace long skirts popular among noble ladies in Langton's upper society, giving her a somewhat plain, yet uniquely crisp and neat style that left a lasting impression.
Observing this youthful, stunningly beautiful genius girl, like a budding blossom yet to bloom, the young man's eyes momentarily flashed with amazement.
However, he didn't speak before Major William and waited for him to respond to Perfikot's inquiry.
"Long time greetings, Perfikot, you're still as beautiful as ever, like the most splendid bloom in the summer." Despite a worried expression, Major William greeted Perfikot appropriately.
After the three were seated again, Major William answered Perfikot's question, "I indeed returned from the New Continent early because an unexpected event occurred, altering the mission of Belona."
Belona is one of the Imperial Navy's newest cruisers, having been in service for less than two years, with Major William serving as an officer on it.
"From what I know, Belona previously served as the flagship of the New Continent's expedition fleet, executing a three-year patrol mission?" Perfikot snapped her fingers, causing the exquisite puppet previously stationed in the glass cabinet to move, open the cabinet on its own, come out, and proceed to fill a teacup beside Perfikot.
Holding the teacup, Perfikot scrutinized the two men in front of her, with a probing look in her eyes.
Major William nodded affirmatively and then explained, "Shortly after reaching the New Continent, we received new orders from the Empire to escort a scientific exploration team deep into the Arctic for research.
After conducting a nine-month investigation, the team came to a significant discovery, thus Belona was ordered to escort them back to Langton, I returned with them."
"A significant discovery? Could it be the global cooling?" Perfikot remarked offhandedly, but her words made the two men before her change their expressions drastically.
The young man, in particular, voiced an incredulous challenge, "How do you know about this? It's the Empire's top secret!"