The world had barely finished arguing about the Lunarian Principle and was still trying to process Blueprint and VRain when Lumen Enterprise announced another showcase. This time, the focus was for Eidolons only, a single announcement that managed to dominate headlines across both Earth and the Witching Hour for nearly a week.
Most people had heard the term before, but very few actually knew what it meant. The Lunarium used them, researchers discussed them, and Charlotte occasionally referenced them during lectures, yet outside those circles knowledge remained surprisingly limited. The public understood only one thing about Eidolons.
They were alive.
That fact alone was enough to make people a bit nervous. The demonstration took place within one of Lumen Enterprise's newer facilities, a sprawling complex built specifically for magical research and development. Representatives from governments, military organizations, universities, covens, and news agencies filled the observation hall. The stage remained empty for nearly thirty seconds before a portal finally opened and Charlotte stepped through. A few reporters immediately looked confused. The last showcase had been hosted by Aster; today it was Charlotte. Charlotte noticed the reactions almost immediately and just stuck out her tongue. Several reporters promptly gave up trying to understand what's going on with her (or his?) mind.
Charlotte smiled.
"Today we're discussing Eidolons."
The lights dimmed as a sphere of silver-blue mana appeared beside Charlotte. The mana twisted, folded inward, compressed, and then suddenly expanded. Gasps spread throughout the hall as a wolf stood where the sphere had been moments earlier. Its fur shimmered like moonlight, its eyes tracked movement naturally, and every breath, glance, and subtle reaction made it seem unmistakably alive.
Because it was.
The wolf trotted around Charlotte once before sitting calmly at her side.
"This is an Eidolon."
Silence followed. Then someone raised a hand.
"That's just a magical beast."
"No."
Charlotte scratched behind the wolf's ears and the wolf visibly enjoyed it with a wag from its tail.
"Magical beasts are naturally occurring lifeforms of our world."
She gestured toward the wolf.
"Eidolons are created with the user's mana. Well, if I have to guess, I'm the only one who can do it with how complex it is."
The wolf looked toward the audience as it sat beside Charlotte's side.
Several people shifted uncomfortably when it made eye contact however, Charlotte continued.
"It thinks."
The wolf barked.
"It learns."
The wolf tilted its head.
"It develops preferences and can learn to talk when it has gathered mana for a long time."
Charlotte then snapped her fingers, and the wolf dissolved into silver-blue mana. The flowing light gathered once more, reshaping itself before the audience's eyes until a sword emerged in its place. The blade hovered briefly in the air before drifting into Charlotte's waiting hand, drawing murmurs from throughout the room.
"This is also an Eidolon."
Charlotte swung the blade once, and to the audience's astonishment, the weapon immediately began complaining about being overlooked during the demonstration when it was still a wolf. Several people visibly jumped at the sound of its voice. Charlotte ignored the protest entirely, which only seemed to make the sword even more offended.
"See?" Charlotte said. "They have personalities."
The sword proceeded to grumble about favoritism in a tone that suggested this was not the first time it had suffered such an injustice. The audience could only stare.
Charlotte dismissed the sword, allowing it to dissolve back into mana. The silver-blue light shifted once more before taking on a new shape. This time, it formed a young woman. At first glance she appeared human, but a closer look revealed a subtle difference. Where her ears should have been floated two intricate mana runes, slowly rotating beside her head like luminous ornaments woven from living magic. The audience collectively forgot how to blink.
The young woman looked around curiously before offering a polite wave to the crowd. Somewhere in the audience, a notebook slipped from someone's hands and hit the floor. She instinctively turned toward the sound, concern briefly crossing her face as she wondered whether the person was alright. The simple reaction unsettled the room far more than any magical display had. Researchers immediately began taking notes while others watched in growing discomfort. The woman answered questions naturally, displaying self-awareness, curiosity, and independent thought with an ease that made it increasingly difficult for anyone present to think of her as a mere construct.
For the next hour, the demonstrations continued as Charlotte called forth Eidolons of countless forms and purposes. Some appeared as animals, others as weapons, creatures, tools, or humanoid companions. A few towered over the stage, while others were small enough to rest comfortably in a person's palm. Despite their differences, they all shared the same qualities: individuality, intelligence, and an unmistakable sense of life.
That realization quickly became the source of the problem. By the end of the presentation, public opinion had already begun to fracture.
Some people loved them. The idea of intelligent magical companions spread rapidly across social media, with artists becoming instantly obsessed while students, researchers, and countless others expressed interest for their own reasons. Some wanted to study them, some wanted to work alongside them, and others simply liked the idea of having a companion that could genuinely think and interact with them. For that portion of the public, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Others found the concept deeply unsettling. Questions emerged almost immediately.
Were Eidolons property or living beings?
Did they possess rights?
Could they make decisions independently?
Were they capable of refusing orders?
Every answer seemed to create even more questions, and before long the discussion had grown far more complicated than anyone expected.
Government agencies moved quickly. The debate was less about whether Eidolons were dangerous and more about what exactly they were supposed to be. Charlotte described them as creatures of mana, while some older witches went even further and called them outright heresy. Regardless of opinion, nobody could deny that Eidolons were intelligent. They could speak, learn, develop preferences, and interact with people in ways that felt undeniably alive.
Military organizations, meanwhile, became interested for a far simpler reason, and that part surprised absolutely nobody. They had already witnessed what a properly bonded Eidolon could accomplish through reports coming from both the Witching Hour and the growing magical beast hunting frontiers. Names such as Aurora Welsch, the White Calamity, Emilia Willow, the Witch of Malignancy, and Theodore D'Arcel, now increasingly known among hunters as the Viscount, appeared frequently within those reports. While each possessed considerable power in their own right, military analysts had also taken notice of the Eidolons accompanying them and the role those companions played in reconnaissance, support, coordination, and combat.
To many strategists, the conclusion seemed obvious. If a handful of individuals could achieve such results with Eidolons, then an organized military force equipped with them could potentially redefine modern warfare. The possibility was too significant to ignore.
A week later, representatives from several nations requested a meeting with Lumen Enterprise. Charlotte attended personally. She was Charlotte today. The meeting took place within one of Lumen's conference halls, with military officers occupying one side of the table and government representatives the other. Charlotte sat alone across from them, looking completely relaxed. In hindsight, that probably should have worried everyone more than it did. The meeting began politely. It did not remain polite for long.
The discussion eventually shifted toward the subject everyone in the room had been expecting from the moment they arrived. To the military representatives, Eidolons were not merely companions or magical curiosities. They saw adaptive battlefield units, intelligent support personnel, and a force multiplier unlike anything that had previously existed. Report after report had already demonstrated their effectiveness in the field, and the officers present were eager to explore what could be accomplished if such assets were deployed on a larger scale.
Charlotte, meanwhile, looked increasingly tired with every new proposal. What several officials interpreted as careful consideration was, in reality, growing exasperation. By the time the presentations concluded, she had already reached her decision long before the final speaker finished talking.
The refusal stunned the room.
Confusion spread almost immediately as representatives exchanged looks with one another. Some assumed she was negotiating. Others believed she wanted a better offer. A few seemed genuinely unable to process the idea that Lumen Enterprise would decline contracts worth fortunes. Charlotte calmly informed them that military agreements involving Eidolons were not something she intended to pursue, and the explanation only deepened the bewilderment.
Several representatives attempted to argue their case, pointing toward the strategic advantages, potential applications, and resources their governments could provide. Charlotte remained completely unmoved. Whatever reasons had brought them there, it quickly became apparent that they were not going to change her mind.
Most corporations would have accepted without hesitation. Many would have fought for the opportunity. Military contracts represented enormous profits, long-term funding, and influence on a scale most companies could only dream of obtaining. That was precisely why Charlotte looked genuinely confused by the confusion surrounding her refusal.
When one representative pointed out the financial benefits, Charlotte simply stared at her for a moment before laughing. The reaction immediately killed whatever confidence the room had left.
Money, she explained, had never been the issue.
The room gradually fell silent as Charlotte leaned back in her chair. Eidolons had never been designed for warfare. Several military officers visibly disagreed with that statement, especially after witnessing the capabilities demonstrated by Aurora Welsch, Emilia Willow, and Theodore D'Arcel as they fought the growing population of magical beasts. Charlotte acknowledged that Eidolons certainly possessed combat applications, but that only made her refusal more frustrating. The moment hope began to return to the room, she crushed it just as quickly.
Eidolons were being prepared for magical beast subjugation.
That answer caught several representatives off guard. Charlotte explained that the number of hunters operating between worlds had continued growing since the public revelation of the Witching Hour. Thousands of Bareblood hunters had already joined the effort to exterminate dangerous magical creatures, and entire industries had emerged around the practice. Training organizations, expeditions, guilds, research groups, and support networks had appeared almost overnight. Some hunted for profit, others for fame, while a few simply enjoyed the challenge.
Eidolons fit naturally into that environment. They could assist with tracking, investigation, protection, scouting, rescue operations, and countless other tasks that made hunting safer and more efficient. Above all else, however, Charlotte viewed them as companions. Partners. Not weapons for warfare.
Several military representatives looked disappointed.
Then Charlotte's expression changed.
The amusement vanished.
The casual confidence disappeared.
Charlotte's gaze swept across the table before settling on the assembled officers.
She told them that if she ever discovered Eidolons were being acquired through intermediaries, purchased through shell organizations, or otherwise redirected toward military use behind her back, she would not remain quiet about it.
Nobody spoke.
Charlotte held their gaze for several seconds.
"I mean that."
Several representatives suddenly found themselves remembering exactly who was sitting across from them.
Not the founder of Lumen Enterprise.
Not the headmistress of Lunarium.
Not the inventor responsible for half the world's recent technological upheavals.
Charlotte Sweeiz, the Heretical Witch.
The strongest witch alive.
The room remained silent long after she finished speaking.
One representative wasn't ready to give up.
He pressed further, asking what purpose Eidolons were meant to serve if they weren't being sold to the public and weren't intended for military use. Charlotte's smile widened slightly at the question, which immediately made several people in the room nervous. The officer continued regardless, pointing out that she had ruled out nearly every application they could think of.
So what exactly were Eidolons for?
Instead of answering immediately, Charlotte glanced upward. A moment later, she raised a finger and pointed toward the ceiling.