To Become a King and a Magician

"Welcome back, Master. Would you like to eat first, bathe first, or—devour me?"

As Naoki stepped into the house with his suitcase and Gray after returning from London, those were the first words he heard.

At first, Naoki thought Angelica was pulling another prank under Mordred's instigation. Over the past four years, such incidents had happened more than once. Mordred was truly like a mischievous girl incarnate. Every day, instead of learning anything good, she only caused trouble for him. Angelica and Pandora were always her first victims.

So, Naoki initially planned to ignore it, but the next second, when his eyes clearly saw who stood before him, he was struck by indescribable shock.

"You… you… you…"

Overwhelming shock left Naoki stammering, unable to form a single sentence. Gray beside him was equally stunned, staring at the figure greeting them at the entrance.

Wearing a maid dress, Rei lifted her skirt slightly and smiled. "What's wrong, Master? Not used to this kind of greeting? Or are you so shocked to see me here that you're speechless?"

"Even the world's savior can face such an embarrassing moment."

This wasn't about embarrassment. Naoki, of course, recognized the maid before him—she was the Logos React he'd left in the leyline to absorb Mana. But the real question was why she appeared in this form! And looking like this!

[Vixen, she's me in this world…]

Manaka's slightly awkward voice echoed in his mind.

Naoki fell silent.

Manaka in this world?

(She's still alive—no, even though I suspected this, but… Huh? She's inside the Logos React?!)

[She likely preserved some of her power before being fully destroyed, escaped to the leyline, and attached herself to the Logos React, regaining a body.]

"As my other self said."

Rei approached Naoki.

"Though it's called regaining a body, it's more like fusion. All my remaining fragments have fully merged with this device and can't be separated—meaning, I'm now a simulated personality of the Logos React, much like Gray-chan's Mystic Code."

(A situation like Add's?)

With hands folded at her waist, Rei bowed slightly. "Allow me to introduce myself again. I am now an autonomous magical weapon formed based on your desires, with LogosReAct・Replica as its core, codename [Rei]."

"Please guide me moving forward, my friend."

Just before leaving, the greatest surprise—and greatest fear—appeared before Naoki.

◆◇◆◇

Half an hour later, at the Natsukawa family dining table.

Naoki, Gray, Rei, plus Angelica and Pandora—aside from Atalanta and Mordred, who were still at school, all the Natsukawa family members were gathered.

Looking at Rei, who sat across from him smiling, Naoki honestly felt like he was dreaming.

He'd once suspected [Manaka] might still be alive; after all, she was the Root's Princess, so it'd be strange if she just died like that. But he never imagined she'd be reborn this way! And turned into his own doll!

"Um, Manaka… no, Rei, your current form and name…"

"Hm? Don't you like them?" Rei, who had swapped her maid dress for casual clothes, stood and twirled. "This form and name were derived from the residual information you left in the Logos React. You intended to create a doll like this from the start, didn't you, Master?"

That was true…

"Can you change how you address that? Your other self in my head is going crazy."

"For that, I must respectfully decline, Master. Though I was once an omniscient and omnipotent individual, after dying twice and fully merging with the Logos React, my past is essentially gone. I'm now merely your doll."

[Don't say another word! How could I call this vixen Master?!]

"Seems my other self is a bit noisy." Rei frowned, sensing the emotions from her mind. "Master, if it bothers you, I can block her interference with you."

"Can you do that?"

Rei nodded. "My current power might allow it, and since the target is my other self, it's easier. But that's all I can do. My situation is similar to my other self's—my power is very weak, limited to abilities like telepathy. With a large Mana supply, I could recover gradually."

"Large Mana… a leyline?"

"If so, I might drain every leyline in Japan." Rei said calmly, uttering words that could make Tohsaka Rin's blood pressure spike. "But don't worry, Master. I'm your doll now, and we share a Master-Servant-like bond. I only need Mana directly from you."

"To recover to my peak power, it might take a few hundred years."

A few hundred years!

Naoki's body trembled violently. This wasn't just a juicer—it was an oil rig!

Seeing this, Rei quickly waved her hands. "Of course, I'm not saying I must recover to my peak. I'm not obsessed with omniscience or omnipotence, so I won't drain your Mana for centuries. Please relax—Master only needs to provide enough Mana for my daily consumption, once a day."

"Once a day… Building a connection circuit is enough?"

"Yes. Of course, if Master doesn't want me constantly draining your Mana, you could use the same method as with that Magician. I can simulate a body structure like hers."

As Rei spoke, her body, resembling Gray's, visibly transformed. In an instant, she grew to Aoko's size, and even her clothes adjusted to fit her new form.

Honestly, Naoki had initially wanted to create a doll for this exact purpose!

He was so moved he trembled.

"Big Brother…"

"!"

Gray's needle-like glare made Naoki shudder, and he quickly shook his head. "Enough, enough. A circuit connection is fine. I don't have any special interests—change your body back."

"Alright."

Rei's body promptly returned to its original form.

"Oh, Master, may I ask one thing?"

"I just learned the current time from Miss Tohsaka earlier—it's been four years… May I know how Ayaka is doing now?"