"What are his vitals?"
"Steady, there was a small spike but it returned to normal."
Luna's clear childish voice answered me. In front of me was a slave I had bought. He was a murderer, so he was cheaper than Luna. A few copper coins and I had my first real test subject.
He was an adventurer famous for killing his party members after the hunt, but was caught by the adventurers' guild and converted into a slave.
His muscled body twitched on the operating table as I injected more muscle relaxers.
"Pass me the anaesthesia."
I extended my arm towards Luna, who was standing next to me with the equipment. For adventurers giving them only anesthesia was not going to work.
Injecting muscle relaxers, then the anesthesia, was the best way to keep him down. We'd learnt that when he had woken up ten minutes after the anaesthesia was applied. He had caused a ruckus, but thanks to my restraining magic, it had been a futile attempt.
The adventurer's eyes widened as he slowly started to fall unconscious. His struggles to keep his eyes open were unsuccessful and he eventually lost consciousness.
"How has training been going with the knight?"
I cut through the skull skillfully as I asked Luna. I had come to notice that I loved to talk during an operation, it kept me busy since cutting through a person's head was tiring.
Luna was the best companion since she rarely answered or just gave small answers when it came to the operation, and I could talk to myself for hours explaining everything to her. The only response I got was mostly nodding her head or her eyes lighting up.
She had become more expressive as we spent more time together. She would talk a little before going back to long bouts of silence. At least she could communicate now unlike the last time. This showed she was gradually getting used to me and warming up to me as her master.
"Good."
I nodded. The brain was now exposed for my studies. It was fascinating how similar the brains of adventurers and normal humans were. I had expected that since this kingdom was dominated by magic and growing physical strength, their brains would be more developed or an additional part would be added, but my assumption was wrong.
Both people from Earth and here had the same brain components. I have yet to see the brain of a magician or the other species and that just made me even more curious.
Would it be the same or will I get a different type of brain?
I threw those thoughts into the back of my mind. I had finally found what I was looking for. The submission spell. It was part of the obedience spell that was placed on slaves after being caught.
But it had a downside of its own. It was still a spell coined from magic, so it depended on which star the caster was. If the caster was a low-ranking magician, then a high-ranking magician could easily get rid of the obedience spell.
To my knowledge, that rarely happens, but what if?
It was something that had been bugging me.
"Young master his vitals have started to spike again."
Luna's calm voice startled me out of my reverie. I suppose I had been lost in thoughts and the study time had passed faster than I had anticipated.
I started to sew the wound up.
"Make sure he's healed well and don't forget to feed him."
I said to Luna as I cleaned up the blood on my body and removed the clothes I was wearing. Luna poured the healing potion on the man's skull and wiped all the blood that had managed to spill.
He was starting to wake up as his body twitched occasionally.
"What kind of Sweets do you want today?"
I asked Luna, who was walking beside me. Her eyes lit up at the mention of sweets.
"....Chocolate."
She said in a small shy voice. I could see the blush forming over her face. I chuckled.
" That's good, the cocoa should have fermented by now."
This world was backwards in culinary. Any sweets were only meant for the Nobels and giving Luna sweets was a privilege that I had granted to her. I didn't really care about the sweets but I needed her to feel grateful.
Despite the lack of new cuisines I wasn't about to go on a cooking rant. It was useless since I didn't know how to cook very well. It would be a waste of ingredients.
Making sweets was easier since it was more of an experiment with maple syrup and the cocoa I had found in our family estate.
It was in the back abandoned garden left for the insects to enjoy.
I didn't trust that Luna would remain loyal to me. Despite all the sweets I had given her it didn't give me peace. She was a talented child and she seemed to have been born in a noble household.
She had managed to master all the things maids are supposed to do from the head maids and her understanding of books showed she had the opportunity to learn.
Peasants didn't have that. I seemed to have gotten the perfect maid but I was still unsure.
What if someone comes and offers her shelter? Or someone shows her an act of kindness that could surpass what I had shown her. Or even break the obedience spell and set her free.
I would hunt her down and kill her, but what if I never find her? She is my first doll and losing her would be devastating.
I had to research more.....a way....a way to make sure she never leaves me. I didn't want her to even have the slightest chance of escape.
"Thank you master."
Three months later.
In the training grounds, swords swung and hit against each other, creating sparks every time they connected. The smaller fighter jumped back evading the oncoming sword. The man fighting back stepped forward and slashed missing her neck by an inch.
She took his momentary loss and aimed for his heart. He tried to counter but she wasn't to be outdone. The sword stabbed through the flesh on the shoulder lightly.
"You've grown kid."
The guard who had been practicing with Luna said. He held his bleeding shoulder and turned to look at me his eyes pleading. I chuckled, Luna had really done a number on him.
I was satisfied with her results. In three months she had grown so fast. She had gone from being too exhausted after a run to fighting a full five-star knight until he couldn't counter.
Knights were ranked a little differently from magicians. While magicians had twenty-four stars to climb through, knights had twelve. But reaching twelve stars was not easy. It required a lot of discipline and training to reach that star.
"Luna come here. You've done a good job."
Luna came running the moment I called. She was already proficient in all my commands. I looked her up and down, checking for any major wounds, but this time there were none, only superficial.
I could see the look in her eyes as she stood there frozen under my gaze. Despite her gaze being steady, I could see the fear in it. I had noticed it after recreating her face.
She feared me, her master. I did not like that. She was supposed to be the closest thing to my heart but she just couldn't erase the fear she had for me.
I had not done anything wrong to her and taken care of her as if she were my own, but it wouldn't go away. I had tried every means but nothing.
Her fear for me will be a weakness to me. I didn't want to be betrayed by my own servant.
I smiled at her and patted her cheek in congratulations. She had gained weight and her body was now like that of a normal child. She wasn't as emaciated as she was when I first found her.
"Young master... could you please release me from training, Miss Luna? She has grown too strong for this weak knight."
The guard's voice cut through my thoughts. I had forgotten about him. I nodded at his request. He bowed and left holding his stabbed shoulder. He was one of the guards I had asked to train Luna when I ran into him while taking a walk. He had been more than happy to serve the young master.
He had done a good job for the last three months in training her and I was satisfied. Luna had grown strong fast, I had expected she would surpass him soon.
"Are there any side effects from the increase in dosage?" I asked Luna," You have to tell me since it was twice the normal dosage."
I had created a strengthening potion specially made for Luna. It had been a trial at first, testing it on the slave until I was sure it worked, before injecting it into Luna.
The potion increased strength permanently and didn't change the shape or size of the muscles. Luna's body had responded better than I had expected to the potion.
She had been growing in strength with its help and natural talent. Today she had asked for twice the dosage, and I had been worried about her body falling apart, but it seems to have integrated well with her body.
All she had to do was train more.
"There is none."