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It has to be said, under the care of a powerful department, preparing a small gift was surprisingly quick. When the Bangboo, painted to look like a miniature Salamanders Chapter Space Marine, was delivered, everyone in the Cunning Hares was utterly stunned.
"As requested, we have delivered this little novice," said the werewolf butler in a neat suit, opening the car door. A green little Bangboo hopped out.
"Wow… it really does look like a shrunken Ignis," Nekomata said, watching the tiny figure walk steadily and sweep a camera across everyone with a calm, measured gaze—it really did resemble The Salamander.
The little combat brother immediately noticed the towering Salamander. To get a better look at his face, it craned its neck—and accidentally fell to the ground.
Realizing its mistake, it immediately stood, snapping into attention.
"Are you my new guardian?" the little combat brother asked Ignis.
"Equipped with a human language module?" Billy asked, curious.
"Yes. Considering that Lord Ignis doesn't seem to use a Bangboo language translator, we installed a human language package directly," Lycaon explained.
"Hello there, little one." The Salamander crouched down—but even crouched, his massive frame still loomed over the tiny robot.
"Have you named it yet?" The Salamander asked the werewolf.
"Not yet. I thought it best to leave the naming to you," Lycaon said, bowing slightly. "After all, it's your assistant."
Looking at this little figure that shared some resemblance with him, Ignis felt stumped. Naming it… wasn't simple.
With the design of the little one, giving it a cutesy name seemed off, but a serious, battle-brother style name didn't feel right either.
In situations like this, it was best to consult others. The Cunning Hares already had their Bangboo, Amillion, so asking Nicole for naming advice was a viable solution.
"Nicole, why did you name Amillion that way?" The Salamander asked, his eyes sharp.
Nicole stiffened under his gaze and turned her face away—right into Amillion's curious eyes. The little Bangboo also wanted to know why it was called "Amillion."
Sweat beaded down Nicole's face. Should she tell them? The reason was utterly ridiculous!
But seeing everyone's expectant faces, Nicole confidently thumped her chest. "You want to know? Fine! When I found Amillion, I was dirt poor. I thought… if only I had a million, it would be amazing."
She raised her index finger.
"One million… a million… Amillion."
Though the Cunning Hares leader maintained a stern expression, it felt like something had shattered.
"This naming style… definitely has Nicole's signature flair," Lycaon said, trying not to laugh while also complimenting her tactfully. Ignis couldn't help but envy such skill and audacity.
"So then," Nekomata stepped over, picking up Amillion, "can we call it Max?"
The silly comment left everyone speechless. Amillion only hummed a few times. Even though the Salamander didn't understand, he could feel the little one's puzzled reaction.
In the end, everyone tacitly agreed to skip discussing Amillion's name and refocused on what to call the new little combat brother.
As a Salamander battle brother, Ignis wanted to give the little Bangboo a name similar to his own. But Nicole quickly vetoed it. She insisted the little one looked too adorable to bear a serious, stoic name like Ignis. It had to be cuter.
Billy suggested naming it after some green villain from Starlight Knight, but Nicole hand-chopped that idea out of existence.
Lycaon watched the Cunning Hares bicker with a mysterious smile, clearly amused but making no move to interfere.
The Salamander suspected the werewolf was secretly enjoying the spectacle, even while keeping a straight face.
Ignis crouched again, looking at the less-than-one-meter-tall, plump, rabbit-like intelligent robot. The little one tilted its head, studying him, apparently not understanding the purpose of this action.
New Eridu's Bangboo really was adorable. Even in the Salamander's paint scheme, the round, chubby form couldn't look imposing at all.
"Embo?" Ignis offered a word. "How about Embo?"
The little combat brother nodded. "Understood. I am Embo from now on."
"Embo… ember… the ember, right?" Lycaon looked at Ignis. "Similar to your name."
The Salamander didn't answer. In fact, the Salamander battle brother squad often liked names tied to fire or flame-like phenomena.
"Embo, huh?" Nicole crouched, picking up the little one. "Fits a chubby little guy nicely."
Embo seemed delighted with the Cunning Hares leader's embrace. In its logic core, being recognized by her—the unquestionable apex of the Cunning Hares—meant it could settle here. After Nicole set it down, the little combat brother bounced over to greet Amillion, chatting happily enough to cheer the older Bangboo up.
"Surprisingly good at making friends," Billy said, watching Embo lift Amillion's spirits. This little one was destined for greatness.
"Since the agreed delivery has been completed, I shall take my leave," Lycaon said, bowing, then climbed into the car.
The three female members of the Cunning Hares immediately fussed over the new little combat brother, touching and cuddling it with interest. Amillion, being an older model, was strong but not as refined in exterior parts. Embo, with flexible materials, had a noticeably better tactile feel.
Nicole quickly noticed Amillion's slight disappointment and scooped her up.
"Don't worry. I'll never abandon you," she murmured, stroking Amillion's head. "You're an important member of the Cunning Hares."
As a new Bangboo owner, Embo didn't yet know what to do. For now, it was still trapped in Nekomata's playful hands.
Embo was brought here mainly to provide assistance inside the Hollow. Whether it had combat capabilities remained uncertain. Most commercially sold Bangboos were domestic helpers, mainly running errands, but modified Bangboos could genuinely fight.
Amillion was a prime example. Nicole, being frugal, spent the limited funds on combat enhancements, so Amillion's overall intelligence was somewhat lower.
Even when "humming," Amillion didn't speak as fluently as other Bangboos, though the Cunning Hares could understand her. And anyway, what's a Bangboo language translator?
Embo's design was fairly accurate, though shoulder details and certain accents needed repainting to fully match a The Salamander battle brother.
While Ignis considered what modifications to make, Nicole nudged him with her elbow.
"You're not worried it's a little spy?"
"Honestly… a bit," Ignis shrugged. "But having it record my combat data and submit it back was part of our agreement."
"Not worried someone might exploit that data?" Nicole asked, watching the Bangboo being squished.
"Nope," The Salamander answered. "A Space Marine's true strength isn't in punch speed or shooting accuracy—it's in accumulated combat experience. Even if someone analyzed this, it'd be hard to counter. Besides, I haven't even used some extreme tactics yet."
The infamous terror tactics, for example, could still be devastating with the body of a Primaris Space Marine, even without professional training.
"Sounds ominous," Nicole said, shaking her head. "Since you've accepted it, take good care of the little one. Bangboos are smart—if you don't like it, it'll notice quickly."
"Understood," The Salamander nodded. "I'm already thinking about combat upgrades, since it'll be going into the Hollow. Not for killing enemies, but at least self-defense."
"Don't go turning it into a tiny mobile fortress…" Nicole had a bad feeling. If he started modifying it, the little Bangboo would end up looking crazy.
"Can this little guy calculate firepower allocation?" Ignis suddenly remembered a Bangboo he'd seen on the street shaped like a revolver.
That model could replace celebratory fireworks with functional bullets and remove targeting restrictions, enabling it to shoot at Ethereals or even humans.
Bangboos, then, had serious military modification potential. The previous Jaxcalibur Squad had even used them for bombing during a raid in Vulkan's district.
With the design already in the Salamander squad style… weapons were the next step.
Ignis had a bold idea: a Bangboo-sized grenade launcher, just the look, using normal ammo for self-defense and limited targets.
Paired with a tiny chainsword, this little one would have a grenade launcher on its back, a chainsword as tall as itself in its hand, shouting battle cries…
It was exciting. Easily recognizable as the Salamander's little brother. With minor language adjustments, it could feel like a chibi-sized Space Marine.
A round, plump, rabbit-shaped robot swinging a chainsword, shouting "For The Emperor," charging Ethereals, cleaving legs, and piercing cores—it was exhilarating.
Ignis wore a mysterious smile. Nicole knew he was scheming something insane. She wondered how long Embo would stay quiet; after modifications, it might become… manic.
The Cunning Hares leader sighed. None of the ones she "rescued" were simple. She just hoped Ignis wouldn't stress Amillion too much. Though not very bright, the little one was sensitive.
She patted Amillion's head. Missing an eye and an ear, it felt loved and didn't see Embo as a threat.
"Don't let Embo bully Amillion," Nicole elbowed Ignis.
Interrupted from his chainsword-and-grenade design thoughts, Ignis blinked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"It's like having one child, then suddenly another appears. The first feels their share of love is reduced, causing conflict. Be fair," Nicole said, holding Amillion close.
Ignis stroked Amillion. "Don't worry. I'll properly train the little one. And for fairness—if Amillion wants new gear, just ask. If I can make it, it's yours."
Hearing this, the combat Bangboo perked up, humming energetically. But Nicole's subtle expression suggested the requests might not be ordinary.
"Oh, by the way," Ignis remembered, "what's a Bangboo language translator?"
"A phone app. You can find it in the app store," Nicole said, carrying Amillion inside. "Oh, and Bangboo's electricity is your responsibility."
Half a year here and no one told me a single app could translate Bangboos… well, I never asked either.
"Brother Ignis! Embo reporting!" The little combat brother finally wriggled free from Nekomata's embrace, running to Ignis's feet.
It was impossible to dislike this little one—though the shoulder patterns were off and the colors needed repainting.
"Tell me, Embo. Do you know how to fight?" Ignis asked directly.
"Yes!" the little one replied crisply. "My factory settings include basic weapon use and tactical demonstrations."
"Curious… which Bangboo model were you modified from?" Ignis lifted it to eye level.
"Reporting, brother! I was modified from an anti-Hollow agent unit."
"Good, little one." Ignis set it down. "But from now on, salute like this."
The Salamander crossed his hands over his chest, thumbs clasped—like an eagle spreading its wings.
"This is called the Sign of the Eagle."
"Understood, Brother Ignis!"
Embo crossed its tiny hands over its chest. Without thumbs, it couldn't clasp them like Ignis, but Ignis reassured it that this was fine.
The Salamander took a photo of the little combat brother doing the Sign of the Eagle and sent it to Cerakos, eager to show off.
"Brother, may I charge now? Where's the charging dock?"
Embo's question reminded Ignis he didn't have a Bangboo charging dock in his room—he needed to set up a station.
He opened a shopping website, thinking through the setup.
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