Chapter 169: Frederica Endymion (2)
Gush, gush, gush.
I tried to use the blanket Erin had brought me to plug the crack in the glass, but the fissure seemed larger than I'd realized. No matter how much I tried to stop it, the liquid kept spilling out. Worse, the pressure of the leaking liquid widened the crack, increasing the flow until more than half of the liquid had drained. Frederica's original body, which had been floating serenely inside, tilted and pressed against the glass wall.
"…Damn it. I've really screwed up."
I didn't know what this liquid was made of, but as it spread across the floor, most of it began to evaporate, leaving behind a fresh, sterilized scent in the otherwise musty storage room. It seemed to have disinfecting and purifying properties.
'If I leave it like this, Frederica's original body might fall through the crack. I should probably take it out.'
Recalling the large red button labeled [Emergency Release Button] I'd seen earlier, I pressed it. The top of the flask opened with a mechanical hiss. I placed a ladder beside the container, climbed up, and carefully pulled out Frederica's original body.
Drip...
Thick liquid poured off her body, but it evaporated quickly, leaving her skin dry and soft to the touch within moments.
Drip, drip...
Liquid streamed from her nose and mouth, evaporating as it came out. Once her lungs expelled the remaining liquid, I could feel her chest rise and fall as she resumed breathing.
Her large breasts moving rhythmically made it clear—she was alive.
'Is she still alive?'
I had assumed Frederica had kept her original body preserved, like some crazed magician collecting specimens of dead creatures. But now, seeing her breathing right in front of me, I realized she wasn't just a preserved corpse—she was alive.
'Hmm...'
To be sure, I lifted her eyelids slightly to check for a response to light. Her pupils contracted and followed the light source, confirming that she was not just breathing but fully alive.
"Is she in a state like a homunculus without artificial intelligence?"
Since Frederica's soul currently resided in her younger body, it made sense that her original body wouldn't exhibit any autonomous reactions.
'I should lay her down carefully and call Frederica to explain this.'
I gently placed her original body on the blanket I'd spread out for safety and was about to leave the storage room when…
'Damn, this is… erotic.'
Let's be honest—there was a mature, naked woman lying defenseless in front of me. Who wouldn't find that arousing? Denying it would be a lie, or at least a show of extreme restraint.
What's more, this version of Frederica's body was slightly more mature than No. 3's, with properly developed breasts and genitals, even a golden patch of pubic hair. It was essentially the ideal version of No. 3's design I had in my mind.
Instead of the sweet, artificial scent of a homunculus, there was a subtle, natural musk of human flesh wafting in the air.
'This body is over 300 years old… and yet it's in perfect condition?'
Unlike No. 3 or Frederica's current body, I noticed small imperfections on this one. Her fingers had faint burn scars where her fingerprints had worn away, and the tip of her left middle finger was slightly melted, making it the same length as her index finger.
Her body was covered with a soft layer of peach fuzz. As she lay naked, the cool air seemed to give her goosebumps. When I rubbed her arms to warm her up, the goosebumps subsided, and she relaxed, making it clear that her body was alive.
'I wonder about her breasts…'
No. 3 had claimed to perfectly replicate her mother's body, but touching Frederica's original breasts revealed an even softer, more supple texture. No. 3's breasts were designed to store mana, so they weren't meant to be touched, but Frederica's original breasts were naturally formed, filled with soft fat that made them incredibly pleasant to hold.
'Touching them like this is… making them react.'
Whether from the cold or my touch, Frederica's nipples, which had been flat at first, now stood erect, almost doubling in size. Initially, they had been cylindrical, with the length half the width. Now, the length and width were nearly equal, and I could feel the textured ridges of her nipple tips beneath my fingers. Her body was biologically optimized to produce milk.
'Why doesn't she just live in this body instead of that other one?'
As I kept kneading her breasts, Frederica's original body furrowed its brow slightly. Even without a soul, her body seemed to exhibit physiological reactions.
When I moved my hand down to her slightly soft lower belly, her hips instinctively twitched, drawing inwards. Her body's reactions to my touch made it clear she was biologically alive.
'Is this like being brain-dead? Though, in this case, her brain is alive, and her soul is just acting separately…'
As I rubbed her lower belly, my hand brushed over an odd texture. A little below her navel, on both the left and right sides, there were small puncture marks, as if sharp needles had pierced her skin.
'This is… around where the ovaries would be, anatomically.'
I was pondering the purpose of these marks when—
Bang!
"You… What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Frederica stormed into the storage room, trembling with rage.
"Frederica, I was just about to call you. Perfect timing."
"What the... it's already leaked out?!"
Bang!
Frederica quickly shut the door, fiddled with some security mechanism, and sealed the room further with an additional iron door. Her sudden, drastic actions even startled me.
She had completely cut off airflow, locking us in so tightly that not even a trace of air could escape. Clearly furious, her face flushed red, she began yelling at me.
"You idiot! How could you take that out?! Who touches someone else's belongings in their home without permission?! Have you no manners?!"
"It wasn't intentional! The thing tipped over, and the glass cracked—what was I supposed to do?"
"Then you should've called me immediately—no, wait. You can't leave this sterilized environment! Damn it, was this really the best course of action?!"
It became clear that the room had been sterilized by the vaporizing liquid that had spilled from Frederica's original body's flask. If her original body were exposed to the outside, it seemed like it would cause serious issues. To prevent contamination, she had deliberately sealed the storage room, ensuring the sterilizing vapor stayed contained.
"Fine, it was an accident, but why were you touching it? Do you know how shocked I was to sense someone fondling it out of nowhere while I was greeting a guest?!"
"...Huh?"
Her words prompted me to squeeze the breast of the original body again. As I did, I noticed Frederica's back arch slightly in response, showing an unmistakable sensitivity.
"So... does the sensation transfer directly?"
"Of course it does! That's why I rushed over the moment I felt you groping me!"
As Frederica reached out to grab her original body from my hands, I extended my arm to keep it out of her short reach.
Flail, flail.
"I... I can't reach...!"
Naturally, her arms were much shorter than mine. If I held it far enough, there was no way she could touch it. Watching her desperately flail her arms for a while was oddly cute, but realizing she might truly get angry, I relented and handed her original body back.
"Damn it. Until No. 3 sterilizes the area and brings in more sterilizing fluid, we're stuck in here like this!"
"My apologies. It really was an accident…"
"Ugh. I guess the flask must have degraded over 200 years. Normally, you couldn't break it even with a hammer."
After inspecting the broken flask, Frederica instructed me to clean up the shards while she carefully laid her original body onto a blanket soaked in sterilizing fluid.
"Thanks to you, we're stuck in here for the next 12 hours."
'That's... kind of dangerous.'
Being locked in a room with an alluring naked body, and its owner right beside it? Could my self-control handle that?
If I kept thinking of Frederica as a 300-year-old man, I might manage. But knowing her original body was that of a sultry older sister-type woman made it much harder to ignore.
Throb.
To make matters worse, my arousal from earlier—before Erin had interrupted—still lingered, keeping my lower half in a semi-active state.
'Damn it... I can't take this much longer.'
"What are you staring at so seriously?"
"..."
"Sigh. Look, I may have scolded you, but there's no need to feel so guilty. I'm the one who didn't properly explain everything and left you to stay here. That was my mistake. Even if all the guest rooms were full, I could've had you stay in my office like before. Instead, I let my frustration from earlier cloud my judgment and sent you here. That's on me."
"I appreciate your understanding."
"...But why do I feel like there's something... ominous rubbing against my back?"
"No, I was just trying to help clean up."
Since Frederica's small frame couldn't handle her original body properly, I adjusted the position myself, laying her head and body gently onto the blanket. Then, I took my damp shirt, still soaked in sterilizing fluid, and draped it over the body to cover her up.
'Why does this somehow look even sexier than being fully naked?'
The wet, white shirt clung to her skin, turning partially transparent and revealing the outlines of her body beneath it. Her nipples, in particular, pressed visibly against the fabric, drawing even more attention than if she had been completely bare.
"Thank you. Are you cold at all?"
"No, I'm fine. This is nothing."
Once Frederica seemed to calm down a bit, I sat down next to her and asked a question that had been bugging me.
"So, about this body—what exactly is it?"
"This is the original. My current body is something unique, crafted to fulfill the ambitions of alchemists. It's designated as Type 1. Type 2, as you know, was the body of the hero Frederick Endymion. And Type 3... well, you're familiar with her, aren't you?"
Her secretary, bodyguard, and a formidable hydromancer—Type 3.
"Are these different from regular homunculi? Did you spend more to create them?"
"The construction is entirely different. Regular homunculi are created using sperm as an energy source to manufacture a body from scratch. But these... the ones with designation numbers..."
Frederica's eyes shifted toward her original body, lying on the blanket.
"These were created by extracting eggs from the original and using them as the foundation."
"...What?"
"Don't misunderstand. No sperm was involved in this process, so these are essentially clones of my body. Unlike sperm-based homunculi, which can produce either male or female bodies, these only use female DNA. That's why even when I tried to create a male body for Type 2, it ended up being defective."
In other words, Frederica's current body was a homunculus clone created using her original eggs.
"So, in a way, this is your daughter."
"Call it a clone. Type 3 calls me 'Mother,' but it's not like she was actually conceived or born."
"Hmm, I see."
I casually shifted my gaze between the legs of Frederica's original body.
'Sure enough, the hymen is intact. This wasn't created through conventional means.'
"...Where are you looking?!"
"Just curious..."
"You keep doing weird things! How can I even look you in the eye?! I finally calmed myself down, and every time I glance at you, you're doing something stranger. What am I supposed to do with you?!"
Apparently, she was fine watching me use her homunculi and even pleasure myself in front of her, but when it came to herself, she couldn't handle it.
"Really? Knowing your secrets has actually made me feel more at ease."
As I spoke, her gaze dropped to my lower half.
"Is that what you call feeling at ease?!"
Oops. She noticed.
"Well, since I've been found out..."
I was reaching my limit.
"Why is that thing getting bigger?! Don't come closer—stay back! Stay baaack!"