Madam Doll's voice echoed through the room over and over.
"..."
"..."
An eerie silence soon settled over the room.
A bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down from the back of Lynn's neck to his waist.
Black String Moon still wore that vacant expression as she stared at the box on her lap, which her mother had tampered with, looking just like an ordinary doll with no signs of life.
A long while passed.
Lynn coughed and asked sheepishly, "Did Madam switch it out?"
Black String Moon closed her eyes and answered mechanically, "Yes."
Lynn asked somewhat awkwardly, "How much energy do you have left? Is it urgent?"
Black String Moon sat quietly without any change in her expression, her legs together and her hands resting on them, as though some fierce turmoil was taking place in her mind.
A long while passed.
She raised her chin, closed the box, and slowly floated up as though her body weighed nothing. Lynn's face was reflected in her pitch-black eyes.
"I need a large amount of energy to suppress the negative effects on my mind. Under the terms of the employment agreement, Master is responsible for helping the combat doll replenish her mana. Otherwise, I will be unable to continue fulfilling my protection duties."
Even under the powerful effects of the mental shock, her expression remained calm and mechanical.
An ordinary person would probably have been unable to speak coherently by now.
She spread her five fingers.
The threads controlling Lynn immediately vanished into the air with a rustle.
Lynn regained his freedom.
Black String Moon glanced at him. Her hovering body slowly settled onto the soft bed, kneeling with her back to him. She closed her eyes and rested her hands on her legs, presenting her back to Lynn with