“Oh no. No······.”
Rumble.
A loud noise came from inside.
The cliff collapsed, and stones tumbled down with a crash.
It had been five minutes since I was carried out by a Blood Ghoul.
Eventually, that human could not escape until the Dungeon completely crumbled.
They must have met their death without moving inside the Dungeon.
“Why······.”
Thud.
I tried to get up from the Blood Ghoul’s back, but my legs were too weak to do so.
Sitting on the ground, I clutched my chest.
As I looked out at the completely collapsed Dungeon, an inexplicable pain filled my heart.
“Why did they risk their life······.”
What was so important?
A Mana Stone, no matter how expensive, is just a common rock in the end.
Why would they put their precious life on the line for that?
Human greed has always been something I could never understand.
They risk their lives for money and die.
They throw away their not-so-long lifespan on the ground.
I thought such traits of humans were exceedingly foolish.
As long as they are alive, they could at least touch money or something.
I thought I would never understand such humans for eternity.
Until today.
“Was it really that important······.”
Caught by that disgusting human, I had to be tossed around all day.
It was the first time I had been so close to a person.
I had learned curses before, but I was disguised as a ‘nun’ back then, not a ‘Monster.’
This was my first time interacting with a human as a Monster.
If there’s anything I felt in that short time.
It’s that Monsters and humans are opposites.
Monsters live to survive.
But humans live for ideals.
They step forward and reach out towards the invisible.
Even if they get hurt and narrowly escape death several times in the process, they do not stop.
They continuously dive into the invisible unknown like moths to a flame.
The thought that this appearance is foolish hasn’t changed even a bit.
Just like any other human, that human also seems foolish.
They seem reckless.
But because of that, they’re brilliant.
Unlike Monsters that kill to live and eat to survive.
The human who steps forward without hesitation shines so brightly.
For the first time, I felt admiration for a human.
From a being that was merely prey.
For the first time, I wanted to emulate them.
“Sigh…”
But that was the past.
That brilliant human is now dead.
Like a moth, they vanished in vain.
“Oh?”
I was startled by the sensation of something flowing down my cheek.
Tears were flowing.
Why? How?
Am I crying because of the human I saw today?
Am I shedding tears for such inferior beings?
No.
This isn’t like that.
It’s because that guy who promised to supply me with life force and demonic energy for a lifetime is dead.
I’m just regretting the death of my exclusive supplier.
That’s all.
Really······.
“You, aren’t you sad?”
“What······ about?”
Standing there with a blank expression was the Blood Ghoul.
As if it doesn’t matter to them at all.
They just casually look at the remains of the collapsed Dungeon.
Looking at my situation, it didn’t seem like we were just with each other for a day or two.
Yet, they don’t care at all?
“My comrade is dead!”
“What······ noise are you making?”
With a puzzled look, the Blood Ghoul stared at me.
I was horrified.
That human wasn’t even a comrade?
So they just tossed them aside like it was nothing, and left?
“This heartless monster! This is what a Monster is······!”
“······weird.”
You’re the weird one.
You have intelligence, right?
So even if you’re a Monster, shouldn’t you have a human heart?
Even I, who has only interacted with humans for half a day, can understand people already.
So why you!
How can you not shed a single tear!?
“Hey, where are you going?”
“······.”
The Blood Ghoul glanced at me, seemingly bothered by my inability to move from the numbness in my legs.
They began to step forward.
Toward the debris that had already settled down and was motionless.
Then, they stood in front of the rubble and extended their arm.
Mana gathered at their fingertips.
That’s when I realized what they were up to.
“······Huff.”
“What, what are you doing!”
“······Bang.”
Boom!
A concise spell was chanted, and flames erupted from the Blood Ghoul’s fingertip.
The spell crashed through the debris instantly, crushing rocks and melting them away.
Down there must be the human’s corpse······.
At that empty sight, I was frozen, lost for words.
Slowly, the dust cleared.
And what emerged from the wreckage was entirely unexpected.
“Uh?”
A hemispherical object that reflected everything like a mirror.
It was a dome with a smooth surface, showing no sign of being buried beneath the rubble.
In awe of the strangely unfamiliar sight, I went speechless.
The Blood Ghoul approached the hemisphere, placed their hand on it, and whispered.
“······Now. You can come out.”
Then, slowly, the hemisphere melted away as if it was dissolving.
What revealed itself behind it was that dislikeable human······.
‘He was alive?!’
He nonchalantly walked out as if nothing had happened.
Then he roughly ruffled the hair of the Blood Ghoul who had approached him.
“······Mana. Empty, huh?”
“Hey. I’m the one who needs replenishing! I nearly exhausted all my strength deploying that Heavenly Armor Plate.”
“······I don’t care. Just pet me.”
“You little brat.”
He showed the slightest signs of mana exhaustion, but that was all.
There were no injuries or marks on the human’s body.
He was completely fine.
“Huh?”
“Whoa······.”
A moment later, his gaze fell on me.
And only then did I realize the state I was in.
Sitting on the ground, dazed······.
“What’s this? You cried? Why?”
“Ah, I’m not crying!!!”
Rustle.
Out of embarrassment, I swiftly transformed into a centipede.
I truly want to die······!
“Ahhhhhh!!!”
If there’s a way to die, just spill it out!
Now I’m the only one feeling embarrassed!
You bastard, lunatic, madman!
*
“What do you mean a week? It ended in less than a day.”
Thud.
As he placed tools on the shelf, Cern lifted up his welding mask.
Since it was his first time taking on a commissioned job for something he had never seen before, he thought it would take a decent amount of time.
But once he got into the work, it quickly finished.
Of course, leaving out the part where the Mana Stone needed to be inserted.
Even though he was old and sick, his skill didn’t seem to have faded.
“Linda. Bring a towel.”
[Towel. I have brought it.]
Cern reached his hand back.
But no matter how much he flailed, nothing grasped.
Finally turning around, he saw Linda approaching empty-handed.
“What the hell. How can you not even bring a towel when there’s one right on the rack?”
[Command not recognized.]
“Forget it. What could I expect from you?”
Cern shook his head, then grabbed a towel from the laundry basket and wiped his sweat.
Linda’s core.
Since her logic circuitry had been extracted, it was only natural.
With just a few commands and low autonomy.
This was the appearance of most clockwork dolls.
It was just that Linda’s software had unusually advanced.
“Go back and charge up.”
[Switching to charging mode.]
“······.”
The sworn enemy that ruined my life.
He thought that if he took Linda’s logic circuitry and stuck it in the clock tower, he could finally move on.
He thought he might be able to relax now.
But that was too short-sighted.
Cern could never let go of his attachments.
Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could still hear Linda’s voice.
That voice that had cried out in anger at him when the clock tower crumbled down.
The resentful gaze would surface in his mind.
Even now, when that memory came back, it was still hard to endure.
That’s why he had gone crazy.
He felt he would have to die to be free, Cern shook his head.
“Mm?”
Then, outside, he heard slight commotion.
Not just one, but several.
It was definitely the man who had come during the day to wake Cern.
“Here it is.”
“Ah, I see.”
As he raised the garage door and called out.
The man was trying to open the mansion’s door without permission.
He was picking the lock quietly and swiftly.
He seemed to have a background as a petty thief.
“What business do you have this early in the morning?”
“I brought a Mana Stone. I was wondering if you might be in the middle of something······.”
“The work is done. It’s all good as long as I install the Mana Stone. Just hand it over.”
In the man’s hand was a large, shining Mana Stone.
Cern checked if it was suitable for magical tools, and it was perfect.
To find something like this in just half a day?
He was more capable than he looked.
Cern expected the cost to be quite substantial.
But now that he’d received the Mana Stone, it was practically like he had made it without any expenses.
“Just wait a moment.”
As he held the Mana Stone over the magical tool, it fit perfectly.
It was just the right size, as if measured with a ruler.
This would do.
Now, only minor adjustments were left before inserting it.
However, it was already late, and his eyes were getting tired.
He figured he would complete it in the morning and hand it over.
“It looks like it’ll operate without a hitch. Come back tomorrow morning to pick it up.”
It was a laughable statement.
This magical tool was missing one part and couldn’t operate right now.
Whatever part was left, he figured it would be sourced somehow.
Cern thought that way and turned around.
“Not leaving? What’s holding you back?”
“······.”
But when he turned back, the man and his companions remained motionless in the garage.
Did they have some other business?
“Just a moment.”
Soon the man rummaged through his bag.
He pulled out a complicated bundle of gears and placed it on the shelf.
Recognizing that this was a familiar machine, his eyes widened in surprise.
“I found this valuable item in the Dungeon. I’m not an expert, but I thought you, sir, would recognize its value. So I’m leaving it here.”
“······!”
He was only leaving behind logic circuitry.
Without a word, the man gracefully left.
Cern wanted to call out but already, he was gone.
“This is Linda’s logic circuitry. Why is it here······.”
He had only thought that the Mana Stone had been obtained from the black market.
But to procure a Mana Stone at this hour······?
There could be a way to get it from a nearby Dungeon.
It was the Black Star Dungeon.
If he had brought it from there, it would make sense.
How he could bring it back so quickly.
How he could acquire Linda’s logic circuitry.
“Ha······. Is this a dream or reality······.”
Cern stretched his cheeks and forced a laugh.
He never imagined he would get this back.
“It won’t work, though.”
Of course, he held no strange expectations.
This was a part that had been inside the ruined clock tower.
Even if it looked fine on the outside, it was likely damaged inside.
Now he lacked both the ability and the will to fix it.
He had no desire to do so.
“Since there’s no loss to be had······. Linda. Come here.”
[Yes.]
But, one never knows.
It was absurd, but he could at least give it a shot.
Thinking so, Cern called Linda to the workshop.
Soon, she approached and stood still.
As he went behind her, he could see the tangled gears inside her back.
In the middle of that mess, an empty space.
When he inserted the logic circuitry there, the circuits lit up, and the gears began to turn together.
Carefully inserting bolts.
Cern took Linda’s back cover from the corner of the storage and dusted it off.
He thought he would never cover this up again.
With a thud, he put the cover on, hiding the mechanical device inside.
“Linda.”
[······.]
With a hopeful heart, Cern called Linda’s name.
This was a command set to respond differently depending on the version.
The earliest model would respond, “Did you call me, Cern?”
The late model, which was in the midst of researching artificial souls, would respond, “What’s going on?”
[······.]
But Linda stood still, not answering.
Even when her master called, she didn’t even turn around.
He definitely had high hopes.
Cern sighed heavily and took off the back cover again.
Just as he was reaching for the ruined logic circuitry to pull it out.
“Ugh. I need to let go of the past. I should let go of the past—”
[Long time no see.]
“······?”
Cern jumped slightly in surprise.
Long time no see?
It felt like she was aware of the passage of time.
That couldn’t be possible······.
[Was the coffee I made you good? I need specific feedback so I can make better coffee in the future.]
“······.”
With a graceful turn, Linda spun around.
A faint smile graced her lips.
It was a expression he never programmed.
Cern was overwhelmed and lost for words.
The coffee from that day.
Now it was unmistakable.
Linda had returned.
The being who was merely an imitation of humans was now a real soul.
He hadn’t been dreaming that day.
Cern covered his mouth, wiping away tears, and finally managed to speak.
“I don’t remember if it was good or not······. You have to brew it again······.”
[Of course. The beans should be in the kitchen, right? I’ll be right back······ Ah! What’s with all this mess in the garage, Cern? Clean up!]
Tears blurred his vision.
The efforts of his lifetime were not in vain.
His research was not meaningless.
[Sorry it took so long. I should have visited you earlier.]
“No, I’m sorry. I’m the one who is sorry······. I’m so, so sorry······.”
Those thoughts made the tears flow endlessly down his face.
The essence of what everyone said was impossible and denied was now alive and moving in front of Cern.
