"Yes!"
Koyomi immediately bowed and responded, then raised her hand and clapped.
The sound of her clap echoed, and the Matrices outside the door walked in calmly. Instantly, golden hair shimmering like a rainbow filled the room.
The five young and beautiful Matrices, dressed in various outfits, entered the room like models stepping onto a runway.
"Oh? This is really…"
Aslan's eyes lit up slightly as he saw the five Matrices.
Though their eyes were somewhat vacant, Aslan could faintly see a spark of liveliness in them.
"Quite surprising. I didn't expect you to already have a bit of self-awareness."
Aslan had thought he'd need to expend a lot of energy to awaken their self-awareness, but it seemed he didn't need to worry at all. As long as he let them live like normal children, like Aurora, they would eventually develop true self-awareness.
Unlike Angra Mainyu, who, despite being a Last Trial of Mankind, somehow grew closer to the Winds of Decadence after being raised by Aslan and Ahriman. Without any self-awareness, it was more like an inevitable phenomenon.
It's estimated that Human History considered self-awareness a flaw in the Last Trial of Mankind.
Look at Dystopia. If Dystopia wasn't intentional, Aslan didn't believe Canaria could hide from Dystopia and gain self-awareness instead of losing her Spirit Status like the other "livestock."
Matrix No. 6, Hectos, wearing a kimono with her hair in a braid, looked at Aslan curiously and asked in a strange tone, "Origin?"
Aslan shook his head, then smiled at Matrix No. 6 and said, "The Origin died for causing trouble. Now, you can consider me the new Origin."
"Understood, Lord Origin." Matrix No. 6 said calmly, staring at Aslan.
Though her face was identical to Aurora's, she lacked Aurora's innocence. Instead, she had the calm and gentle demeanor of a refined woman.
"Since you've devoured the Origin, you are the new Origin. We will naturally become your strength. That is the law."
Hearing those words, Aslan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. This wasn't what he wanted. No wonder their self-awareness was so weak.
"Don't you want to live?"
Matrix No. 6 looked at Aslan with a hint of curiosity and said in a tone with little fluctuation, "Why live? The human form is merely a prison for us. The Beast Vassal form is our true body. Death in human form is liberation for us, freeing us from constraints."
Yet, Aslan could still see a trace of fear of death and a desire to live in Matrix No. 6's heart.
Seeing this, Aslan couldn't help but smile and say, "Don't you want to be like Aurora, eating delicious food, enjoying ice cream, and living every day?"
"Gulp."
Hearing Aslan's words, Matrix No. 6 couldn't help but swallow hard. She was clearly tempted.
After all, as a Matrix from the Chaos Zone, Giada hadn't treated her poorly but rather treated her on par with the original Fourth Primogenitor. Even Matrix No. 10, Dekatos, who had the strongest self-awareness and pursued her dreams and identity, was immediately set free by her.
Matrix No. 6 wasn't unfamiliar with enjoyment. It was just that, under the pressure of her mission, she suppressed her self-awareness.
Aslan raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers.
A table filled with delicious food, desserts, and ice cream beloved by little girls appeared.
"Don't you want to eat?" Aslan said temptingly.
The other four Matrices exchanged glances, then looked at Matrix No. 6, the most mature among them, with eyes full of desire.
They were just children recently released from their seals. Facing a table of delicious food, they were already impressive for holding back.
And Matrix No. 6, as the most mature Matrix, naturally took responsibility for leading them.
Finally, Matrix No. 6 couldn't resist the temptation. She looked at Aslan with eyes full of longing and asked in a low voice, "May I?"
She seemed to be asking not only for Aslan's permission but also whether he could truly let them live.
"Of course you may."
Aslan stood up and made space for them.
In an instant, the five Matrices eagerly rushed to the table and began eating politely.
Of course, Aslan didn't forget Aurora. Since Aurora had absorbed too much of his power and reached Five-Digit level, such immense power wasn't easy to digest or control. Aurora was usually a bit sleepy.
"Aurora, come greet your sisters."
Aurora yawned, seemingly not fully awake, rubbing her eyes. When she saw the other five Matrices, she instantly perked up. She joyfully led her sisters to eat.
"I want to share my favorite ice cream with you…"
Beside them, Natsuki sighed tiredly. Seeing six Matrices with identical faces, she couldn't help but rub her temples.
"I feel like sooner or later, my house will turn into a kindergarten."
"You should think of it this way: what if you become their stepmother one day?" Aslan couldn't resist teasing her.
Hearing Aslan's words, Natsuki couldn't help but sputter. "Then who's their biological mother?"
(Damn…)
Aslan immediately felt a headache. It seemed he hadn't gotten Leticia's approval yet. If Leticia and Karyou found out he'd created twelve daughters for Leticia…
Aslan didn't even dare imagine what would happen.
"You didn't get their approval, did you?" Natsuki said gleefully. "I didn't expect someone like you would face a day like this."
When she went to meet Aslan's "wife" she'd definitely watch a good show.
"Stop talking."
Aslan slumped sadly on the sofa, starting to think about how to face the inevitable shuraba.
Meanwhile, Natsuki laughed happily beside him. As for Koyomi, at some point, she had left, not forgetting to close the door.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Itogami Island, a dessert shop near the gate.
Liana Caruana sat at an outdoor table, drinking a glass of juice with a slightly sad expression.
"Sigh, where am I supposed to find the Matrices my King needs…"
After being transformed in Aslan's first experiment, Liana was sent out to find the other Matrices scattered across Itogami Island.
But Itogami Island was so big—how could she find the Matrices?
What experiment did Aslan perform on her?
Liana was confused. She felt no changes in her body. Nothing was added, nothing was missing. Even her Beast Vassal remained unchanged.
Had her King truly abandoned her?
Or was her King disappointed with her performance?
Or was there an accident in the experiment?
At that moment, a blond man with an open shirt sat across from Liana, smiling.
"What's wrong? Did your boyfriend dump you?"
Liana raised her head and looked at the man with an unreadable gaze.
"Do you know the feeling of being a loyal follower, chasing a grand existence, only to be abandoned?"
"That…" The man in the shirt was a bit flustered. "I guess I understand a little."
"If that person dumped you, you could just forget him, like finding another guy…" The man in the shirt said with a smile. "I know an interesting bar."
"I can't go." Liana's tone had no fluctuation.
"Eh, why not?"
"He told me to wait here to find something he lost. I think if I find it and return it, he might not abandon me."
The man in the shirt fell silent for a moment, stood up, and left while muttering, "Damn, I ran into a lovesick fool."
Liana sat in her seat expressionlessly. Aslan had told her that as long as she waited here, the Matrices would soon come to her.
Not long after, she heard a familiar voice. It was her younger sister's voice.
"Please, sir, eat the ice cream another time!"
In front of the dessert shop's display case.
A girl with brownish-black hair, wearing a long skirt and a leather jacket, was pulling a handsome girl with short blonde hair, dressed in a shirt and jeans, with a sad expression.
It was Veldiana Caruana, Liana's younger sister.
Upon seeing Veldiana, Liana immediately recognized her.
"But who's that in front of her…"
"What's this?"
The pretty short-haired blonde girl pointed at a five-scoop ice cream in the display case.
The shopkeeper saw her and immediately said with a smile, "This is our shop's special ice cream. Want to try it, kid?"
"Get one." The blonde girl nodded, then turned to Veldiana.
"My servant…"
"Yes." Veldiana's eyes were teary.
"Pay."
"Yes."
Veldiana tremblingly pulled her empty wallet from her leather jacket pocket. She rummaged through it, pulled out her last 10,000-yen note, and handed it over.
"The total is 3,000 yen."
The shopkeeper smiled brightly, took the note, paused, didn't take it, then took it again.
Veldiana watched her last large bill disappear and said with a slight choke, "Matrix No. 5, no, Your Excellency, that was my last money."
"So?" Matrix No. 5 turned to Veldiana, tilting her head.
"Uh… Your Excellency, may you be happy." Veldiana opened her mouth, ultimately swallowing the words she wanted to protest.
But as she saw Matrix No. 5 point at another sundae model, the tears in her eyes grew.
"Veldiana?"
A familiar voice reached Veldiana's ears. Veldiana froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up. She flew toward Liana.
"Sister!"
"It's alright, it's alright."
Liana patted Veldiana's back. She glanced at the blonde girl who never looked back. Matrix No. 5? Just as her King said.
Her King hadn't abandoned her. Liana's face showed joy, and her heart couldn't help but feel moved. Perhaps the chance for the Caruana family's revival was right in front of her.