"These homunculi are as follows," Mr. Mazzi began, his voice steady yet grave.
"Princess Maeve—Superbia, the Sin of Pride.
Benesha Badila—your sister, Sansula—Ira, the Sin of Wrath.
Mandane Esfahani—Acedia, the Sin of Sloth.
Haniya Nadibun—Luxuria, the Sin of Lust.
Minah Sawada—Invidia, the Sin of Envy.
Eliza IJzerhart—Avaritia, the Sin of Greed.
Kayla Graven—Gula, the Sin of Gluttony."
I narrowed my eyes. "So their personality deformities align with the Seven Deadly Sins?"
Mr. Mazzi nodded. "You catch on quickly. As expected from an S-Class student. My request is simple: I need you both to help these girls overcome their sinful nature and become virtuous young women before they graduate."
Sansula crossed his arms. "You said you created eight homunculi. Who's the eighth?"
At that moment, the screen behind Mr. Mazzi flickered to display a new image.
Sansula's eyes widened in shock.
"Maria Badila—Optima Prima. My very first homunculus."
The room fell into silence.
"She is the most corrupt of all her sisters," Mr. Mazzi continued. "I created her by combining the genetic material of all seven infertile couples. But none of them wanted to take her in. And the seven other homunculi refused to accept her as their sister."
His voice grew somber.
"Maria suffered deeply from loneliness and rejection. The isolation shattered her. She became resentful... and now, she wants to make her sisters suffer in a way far worse than they made her suffer."
Sansula clenched his fists. "Unbelievable..."
But the worst was yet to come.
"Maria manipulated your parents, Sansula. She convinced them to adopt her... and arrange her engagement to you. She's the one who forged you into the person you are today. You were merely a piece in her grand scheme—her tool to ruin the seven homunculi sisters."
Sansula stiffened. He looked like the ground beneath him had just vanished.
"This... this can't be true..." he muttered in disbelief.
"Unfortunately, it is." Mr. Mazzi sighed, rubbing his temples. "Maria also used one of your bombs to assassinate my daughter Zipporah and her husband, Yeshaya, while they were inside their car. That's why I cloned them... because I couldn't bear to lose them."
I took a deep breath, trying to process the weight of it all.
Cloning... Homunculi... Murder...
It was overwhelming.
"I want both of you to stop Maria before she causes any more harm to her sisters. But more than that—I want you to help her heal from her trauma."
I frowned, thinking it over. "I won't justify what Maria has done. But... I can't deny that being abandoned by everyone she was connected to must have been unbearable. I do sympathize with her."
Mr. Mazzi nodded. "We sympathize with her too. But sympathy alone won't stop her. She has taken too many innocent lives in her quest for revenge. We need to act before more people die."
I hesitated. "Shouldn't she be sentenced to death for these crimes?"
His expression darkened. "Maria is too intelligent. She's committed every crime without leaving a shred of hard evidence. The law can't touch her."
"Then how do we stop her?"
"Through rehabilitation. It's the only way. Zipporah and Yeshaya are here to guide Maria and her sisters toward redemption."
Zipporah stepped forward and handed us official documents. Sansula and I signed them, sealing our commitment to the mission.
Still, I could see the turmoil in Sansula's expression. "My own sister... my fiancée... they're homunculi..." He shook his head, struggling to accept it.
"I know this is difficult for you, Sansula," Mr. Mazzi said softly. "I'm sorry."
After a moment, he turned to me. "Hannah, I need to speak to Sansula privately."
I nodded. "No problem!" I stepped outside, giving them space.
A few minutes later, Sansula emerged, his face unreadable.
"Hannah, it's your turn," Mr. Mazzi called.
I stepped back into the office, closing the door behind me.
Mr. Mazzi's gaze sharpened. "There's something I need to entrust you with."
He opened a small black case, revealing a golden technical ring.
"This is a time-travel ring," he said, watching my reaction closely. "It allows its wearer to travel to the past."
My breath hitched. "Excuse me?"
"I gave Sansula one just now. But I created two. This is the second and last one."
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words.
"If the homunculi ever push the world to the brink of destruction, you must support Sansula in traveling back in time to stop them. You will retain all memories of the future—but your consciousness will merge with your younger self, preventing any duplicate versions of you from existing."
I clenched my fists. "Understood!"
His expression darkened. "There's one more thing. Keep this ring a secret from Sansula. Do not tell anyone about it. Only use it if you see that Sansula is unable to carry the burden alone. I expect him to struggle... and that's where you come in."
He leaned back, eyes studying me. "I know all about your past, Hannah. As humanity's strongest, you are the only one capable of defeating the most powerful homunculus—Prima Optima."
I looked down at the ring case, my fingers tightening around it. Then, I slipped it into my pocket.
"I won't let the world fall into ruin."
Mr. Mazzi gave a rare, satisfied nod.
"Good."