Lloyd di Salarm, the Seventh Prince of the Kingdom of Salarm. That is my name.
I used to be an unremarkable, penniless mage, but I lost my life in a duel with a noble. By some twist of fate, I was reincarnated as the Seventh Prince of the Kingdom of Saloom.
Since I am the seventh prince and have no real claim to the throne, I was told I could live however I pleased. I took that as a golden opportunity to throw myself into the research of magic—something I could never afford in my previous life due to a lack of funds.
Lately, my studies have expanded beyond just magic. I've taken up swordsmanship, assassination techniques, and Ki Arts. I've even ended up with a Majin and an Angel residing within my own body... well, they say all paths lead to the mastery of magic.
And it is all necessary if I am to reach the pinnacle of the craft.
"—There we go."
I arrived in the Lodesto Territory of the Kingdom of Salarm using a Spatial Transfer Spell Formula.
This land, located in the southern part of the country, was once ruled by a Demon masquerading as a human. After I preemptively crushed his scheme, my father, the King, granted the territory to me.
I had come here today with a specific facility in mind.
Entering a tall brick tower, I was noticed by a massive figure in a black hood who was engrossed in a thick book.
"Well, well, Master Lloyd. You've been visiting quite often lately."
"Hey, Gitan. Working hard, I see."
The man removed his hood as he spoke in a soft voice, revealing a grotesque, hybrid form.
A bird's beak, beastly fangs, compound insect eyes... This individual, whose face was a patchwork of various creatures, was the man once known as Gitan, the Pope of this country.
Despite his high station, he had been obsessed with researching synthesis lifeforms—hybrids of monsters and humans—and was a madman who had even performed experiments on his own body. However, thanks to the purification magic I used, he now possessed the temperament of a saint.
"H-Hello! Good day to you, Master Lloyd!"
"Hey. You can relax, Lamia."
Lamia, who had been recording data nearby, noticed me and came running over.
She had the upper body of a human but the lower body of a snake. Lamia was a former adventurer who had been transformed into this state by Gitan. Now, the two of them were working together to find a way to return to their original bodies.
"Is the research making any progress?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, I wouldn't call it smooth sailing... but thanks to your support, Master Lloyd, we're finding the strength to persevere!"
"I'm glad to hear it. I'm looking forward to the day you both return to normal."
"Yes! Someday, for sure..."
If they succeeded, I would be the one to benefit from their findings.
Their deep insights into monsters and human anatomy were bound to be useful for my own magical research. I had dabbled in the alchemy of synthesis lifeforms once before, but because approaching the essence of life is considered taboo, there is hardly any literature on the subject.
Finding anyone even capable of researching it is a rarity, which is why I am supporting them with the full resources of my territory.
"Master Lloyd is my great benefactor," Gitan muttered to himself. "He rescued me from the darkness in my heart, restoring my sanity with a blow of pure love. To receive such generous support on top of that... I am truly unworthy. To me, he is nothing less than a god; I must live my life in service to him. Perhaps I should establish a new religion with Master Lloyd as its deity. Having been the Pope, I have the necessary know-how. If he gave the word, I could have it ready by tomorrow...! No, no, focus. I must complete the research first. I cannot stand at Master Lloyd's side in this state...!"
"Sigh, I want my old body back," Lamia whispered. "My mom and dad must be so worried... But I won't give up! I'll become an adventurer again, earn a ton of money, and make sure they can retire in comfort! ...Oh, that's right, Master Lloyd said he was an adventurer too. If I could join his party, I'd be rolling in gold... Hehehe, I've got to work hard so I can get back to normal as soon as possible!"
The two of them were mumbling to themselves with hopeful expressions. Well, motivation is a good thing.
"By the way, Master Lloyd, are you here for an inspection today?"
"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot my actual business. I'm here to collect more materials, if you don't mind. I need Gold Dragon Scales, a Magical Bird Beak, and an Eye of the Rock King."
"I see. Certainly."
As Gitan spoke, the items I requested began to sprout from his body.
Shimmering gold scales, a razor-sharp beak, and an ore that resembled a glinting eye. This was exactly what I needed.
Because Gitan's body was a synthesis of various monsters, he had the ability to manifest specific monster traits at will. Thanks to him, I had an unlimited supply of rare materials that were normally incredibly difficult to find.
Gitan plucked the materials from his body with a wet, tearing sound and laid them out before me. In no time at all, I had the exact amount I'd asked for.
"This is a big help."
"It is a simple matter, my lord. But if I may ask, what do you intend to do with such a large quantity of materials?"
"Oh, I'm building a golem. These are the components."
A golem is an artificial familiar created by human hands. It is a puppet that moves according to its master's commands—one of the secret arts of alchemy.
"I see. In that case, you will likely require a great deal more. I shall prepare anything potentially useful in advance."
"Thanks. I'd appreciate that."
As I thanked Gitan and turned to leave the tower, a mouth suddenly opened on the palm of my hand.
"Still, Master Lloyd, what's the point of messin' with a golem now? You can handle pretty much anythin' on your own, right, boss?"
That was Grimo, a Majin. I had disciplined him a while back and made him my familiar; now, he resided in my hand.
"Foolish Majin," a mouth opened on my other palm. "Master Lloyd's profound foresight is far beyond the reach of our meager understanding."
This was Jiriel, an Angel. He was also my familiar.
"Who are ya callin' foolish, ya damn sky-brat!?"
"You want to settle this, you pathetic demon!?"
They didn't get along, to say the least. I really wish they'd try to be a bit more civil.
The reason I wanted to build a golem was simple: I needed a training partner.
Against humans, it's too difficult to hold back enough to avoid killing them. As for the monsters roaming around, none of them can even remotely challenge me.
Those limitations were hindering my experiments. I wanted an opponent I could actually blast with my full power.
If I made a golem, I could put someone like Grimo inside to pilot it. It might actually be able to keep up with me, and even if I blew it to pieces, it wouldn't be a tragedy.
I had studied alchemy in the past, but while the outer shell was manageable, creating the nucleus that served as the power source was incredibly difficult. It required massive amounts of rare materials, so I'd never been able to build anything that truly satisfied me.
Back then, I'd felt I reached a limit and pivoted back to focusing on magic.
But now, with Gitan providing a steady stream of materials, I could finally see it through. That’s why I’d decided to start the project up again.
Hehe. I'm going to build the strongest golem I ever conceived.
Filled with excitement, I took the materials and used spatial transfer to return to the castle.