The creature that had launched itself into Sherlock’s arms was only about the size of a medium-sized dog.
Its soft, snow-white body looked like a blob of jelly someone had drawn in five seconds and immediately given up on.
Perched atop that squishy, half-finished body, however, was the oversized head of a pink-haired chibi anime girl.
“Doro!” Sherlock caught the little creature with a delighted grin.
He picked up a steamed bun from the breakfast spread and brushed his hand across it.
Red lightning crackled around his fingers, and in the blink of an eye, the bun transformed into an orange.
“Orenji!!” The instant the orange appeared, Doro’s face twisted into the very picture of ravenous longing.
Drool gathered at the corner of her mouth as she stretched both of her tiny white arms upward, desperately trying to reach it.
After teasing his little Doro-dog for a few seconds, Sherlock finally handed over the orange.
He then looked up at the Ancient One, running a hand over Doro’s springy head as he raised an eyebrow.
“She’s adorable, isn’t she?” For once, the Ancient One had nothing to say.
She suddenly felt every one of her many years.
What sane person would sacrifice pieces of his own body to create something that could only just barely be classified as a living creature?
Of course, Sherlock would never admit that his real reason for attempting human transmutation had been to meet Truth.
Confronting Truth directly had allowed him to improve his understanding of alchemy at an incredible rate, making the entire process a rather unconventional form of training.
Doro had simply been an unexpected by-product of the experience.
He had already paid the price, and all the necessary materials had been prepared.
Under the principle of equivalent exchange, it would have been a terrible waste not to transmute something.
As for why that something had turned out to be Doro, the answer was simple.
By any ordinary human standard, Doro was unquestionably a monster.
Among Sherlock’s many alchemical creations, she belonged to the rare category he liked to call a successful failure.
That was also why the Ancient One frequently took Doro back to Kamar-Taj under the pretense of studying her and using her as a cautionary example to frighten the other sorcerers.
Whether she truly used Doro to scare her students or simply carried her off somewhere private to cuddle her was another matter entirely.
Sherlock had no way of knowing.
He had spent the past five years as a dedicated shut-in, with nearly all his attention focused on alchemy.
Watching the Ancient One’s mouth twitch, Sherlock set Doro down after she finished her orange and let her scamper around the study.
“All right, Ancient One.
Let’s get to the real reason you’re here.
Don’t tell me you came all this way just to bring me breakfast.” The Ancient One’s expression returned to normal.
She reached into empty space and pulled out something resembling a long spear.
The weapon stood roughly as tall as a person.
Its silver-white spearhead was nearly the length of an arm and engraved with intricate patterns, while the blood-red shaft was covered in golden cracks.
“The Holy Lance of Longinus,” she said.
“I would like you to repair it.” She laid the lance horizontally in front of her and gently pushed it toward Sherlock.
Rather than falling, the weapon remained suspended in the air and drifted slowly across the room.
Sherlock’s eyes widened.
He snapped his fingers, causing the unfinished breakfast to disappear without a trace, then hurriedly caught the floating weapon and carefully placed it on his desk.
His hands immediately lit with alchemical energy as he began examining it.
Several minutes later, he raised his head with an astonished intake of breath.
“Kamar-Taj really is sitting on a mountain of treasure.
You even have an artifact like this?” The Ancient One’s smile became even more mysterious, and amusement danced in her eyes.
“Have you reconsidered becoming the Sorcerer Supreme?
If you accept, every treasure in Kamar-Taj will eventually belong to you.” Sherlock rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the Holy Lance.
The Ancient One merely smiled and shook her head.
She reached into the air again, pulled out two bags of oranges, and handed them to Doro when the creature came running over.
Only then did she open another portal and prepare to leave.
Sherlock sensed everything without looking away from the lance.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
‘Mystery solved.
She absolutely takes Doro back to Kamar-Taj just so she can pet her!’ What a load of crap about using her as a “cautionary example.” If she liked Doro, she could simply admit it instead of inventing excuses.
As the portal’s golden light filled the room, Sherlock kept his gaze fixed on the lance.
“Ancient One, aren’t you worried I might disappear with an artifact this valuable?” Her expression did not change.
Without even turning around, she replied, “If you like it, you may keep it once you have repaired it.” Sherlock’s head snapped up, and he stared at her retreating figure in disbelief.
“You’re being that generous?” His surprise was entirely justified.
In the five years he had known the Ancient One, the most he had ever managed to get from her was the occasional meal and a little high-quality tea.
This was the first time she had ever handed him anything that could be called a mystical weapon, much less a divine artifact.
The Eye of Agamotto hanging around her neck did not count!
The Ancient One remained perfectly calm.
“The age ahead will descend into chaos, Sherlock.
Compared to Kamar-Taj, you are the one who will need this weapon more.” She paused just before stepping through the portal, then glanced back at him through the ring of golden sparks.
“Besides, I have watched you for five years.
I trust that you will not disgrace an artifact of this caliber.
The future has always been yours to shape, Sherlock.
Consider this Kamar-Taj’s investment in the man you will someday become.” Before Sherlock could respond, she stepped through and closed the portal without hesitation.
He stared blankly at the empty space where it had vanished.
Several long seconds passed before he finally pointed at it and erupted.
“Stop with that damn cryptic prophecy bullshit!
I’m just an ordinary slacker trying to enjoy his life!
Nobody is ruining my peace and quiet!”