“Do you know Draken?”
[Not really. I’ve heard the name. Someone talked to me when I fell into the dungeon… his name was…]
“Was it Draken?”
[Yeah. That’s right.]
“Tell me more about it.”
I have to hear this.
Even if I run into Yerina late, I must know.
“Every detail: his appearance, his voice tone, and what he said. As detailed as possible.”
It’s embarrassing, but I still know almost nothing about the Final Boss.
The game has barely any hints about him.
There were hardly any descriptions.
The info about the Final Boss is practically non-existent, like a MacGuffin.
All I know is that the difficulty is incredibly high.
Besides the name, I know next to nothing.
[About the voice and appearance, I can’t say much. I was disconnected from the input device at that time… But strangely, information was directly fed into my memory.]
“What did he say?”
[That information is still here, so I’ll read it to you.]
So, as a clockwork doll, it’s impossible to forget unless I delete it on my own.
That’s good to hear.
Clearing her throat, Linda starts reciting in a emotionless voice.
[Static. Buzz… I, Draken. Buzz… I will grant you, buzz… power. Accept it. And help me… buzz.]
Returning to her usual voice, Linda calms down.
I thought her regular voice was emotionless, but going robotic makes it way more dry.
[Since I was disconnected from the output device, I couldn’t provide a response, but I conveyed my rejection internally. After that, I stopped receiving any more information. Instead, a large amount of demonic energy assaulted me, trying to take over my logic circuits… In the end, I had to forcefully shut down the system. Until someone wakes me up someday. And rescues me.]
With that, Linda smiles gently.
Indeed, the conversation between Linda and Draken was brief.
But there’s a lot we can infer from it.
‘It’s clear. That was an offer to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings.’
Draken would give her power directly?
I didn’t hear anything about that from Mi Jeong.
The Centipede Nun seems to have never met Draken either.
In other words, ordinary monsters have no business with Draken.
Conversely, it means that monsters that meet Draken are not ordinary.
They are at the top tier among monsters.
Monsters with intelligence that support Draken.
It was undoubtedly an offer for the position of the Four Heavenly Kings.
However, Linda refused it.
She never took one of the Four Heavenly Kings’ spots.
Instead, she ended up becoming a regular boss mob, attacking people under the control of demonic energy…
‘It means the spot for the Four Heavenly Kings could be filled again…’
Just like Linda received an offer.
It’s possible that Draken might make offers to others in the future.
In other words, the spot of the Four Heavenly Kings we just killed could be filled again.
In fact, the term “Four Heavenly Kings” doesn’t refer to four specific individuals.
There are only four potential spots for individuals close to the Final Boss.
The position of the Four Heavenly Kings can be empty or fully occupied.
For instance, both Belphegor and Kali are monsters from the underworld alongside the Final Boss.
But the other two spots were filled with individuals recruited from this world.
Just like the offer made to Linda.
‘At least in the game’s story, the spot of a deceased Four Heavenly King wasn’t filled.’
I don’t know if there’s a cooldown when a Four Heavenly King dies or if it’s hard to find suitable candidates.
But it’s certain that they can’t be immediately replaced.
Conversely, this means that as time extends, the spots can be filled again.
At the very least, it means I have to defeat all the Four Heavenly Kings and conquer the Final Boss in the volume of the game.
If I don’t want to see the spot of the Four Heavenly King I just killed being filled again.
Look how hard I worked just to take down Kali.
I might have to go through that ordeal several dozen or even hundred more times.
Thinking about it makes my head spin.
The in-game time in the original game is about two years.
I have to wrap things up within that time.
If time drags on, taking down the Final Boss might become impossible.
“Thanks for the valuable information.”
[Did it help?]
“It helped a lot.”
[Then I… ]
“What is it?”
Just as Linda stands up seriously.
She looks at me and bows her head.
What’s she doing?
Is she asking if there’s something wrong with her wig?
[Please pet me too. Just like you did with your companion.]
“She’s not a companion. She’s a slave.”
[I’m also your possession, right? So please pet me. I believe discrimination is wrong.]
“······.”
Maybe it’s because she’s a machine, but her logic is flawlessly perfect.
Well, petting isn’t a hard thing to do.
As I gently stroke Linda’s head, I feel the scratchy texture of the wig.
“What’s your hair made of?”
[It’s donated hair.]
“No wonder it feels so natural. But the touch feels like silicone, which is kind of off-putting.”
[The face is relatively realistic. While the hands are solid silicone, the face is intricately designed to express emotions. Go ahead, touch it.]
“O…h…”
I squeeze Linda’s cheek, stretching it out.
I poke her lips.
I touch around her eyes and even tap on her eyeball.
Sure enough, the materials themselves are indeed silicone.
But they feel much more realistic than solid silicone.
You can tell a lot of effort went into this.
With how hard they worked on it, no wonder there are rumors of falling in love with a machine.
Cern has no right to feel wronged.
[Hehe. This feels nice. This swaying. This texture. I’ll remember all of it. And when you come back later, pet me again. I want to compare if it remains the same or changes. If it changes, I’d like to know what changed.]
“Do as you wish.”
It’s time to leave.
Waving goodbye to smiling Linda, just as I’m about to turn around.
Mi Jeong seems to remember something, rushing over to Linda.
[Huh?]
“······I like it.”
Mi Jeong rolls up Linda’s sleeve and bites her arm hard, leaving tooth marks.
Then she dashes back over to my side.
She’s silicone, so those bite marks won’t disappear.
Yet, Linda just smiles and waves goodbye.
What a saint.
As we leave the Clockwork City.
We did some simple shopping.
First, I needed a backpack to cover the wireless communication device, so I bought a big one.
Trying it on, it fits perfectly.
And it’s also great on Mi Jeong’s back.
Anyone would see her as a weary pilgrim.
I bought another camera.
It’s not an expensive item but oddly difficult to find, unless in the Clockwork City.
Of course, it’s an early model, so the picture quality is terrible, exposure time is long, and it takes ages to develop.
But for someone who lived in modern times, a camera holds tremendous significance.
Memories may fade, but photos do not.
‘I got a lot from this.’
I gained a base in the Clockwork City.
Acquired a pretty and charming robot maid.
Created the magical tool I aimed for.
Shopped for various little items.
There were many unexpected rewards.
But…
“Why aren’t you leaving yet?”
“I will! I can go without you rushing me!”
Suddenly, my gaze falls on the Centipede Nun casually walking beside me.
Now that the ending has been seen, isn’t it time to go?
I’ve given her freedom, but she’s lingering unusually.
Something seems off.
“Before leaving, I need to recharge my mana.”
“Do as you will.”
“I also want to recharge my life force…”
“Whose permission are you asking for?”
“I told you back then! That I’d give you mana and life force as you wanted!”
“Did I?”
“Are you losing your memory?!”
My memory is hazy.
Did I really say I’d give her life force?
Suddenly, I feel dizzy.
To quickly extract life force from a giant centipede, I’ve got to do something…
“Ugh, that doesn’t seem right. I can’t do it out of sheer discomfort.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I can’t stick my hand into a centipede.”
“What do you mean stick? For life force replenishment, just a simple skin contact is enough.”
“······.”
The Centipede Nun tilts her head, puzzled.
No way. Didn’t we mean to say that?
Isn’t that the usual way of doing things?
My world has crumbled.
“Forget it.”
“What do you mean? I’m curious now!”
“······You’ll get hurt if you know.”
“Are you both irritating me? Ugh! Fine! Just give me your hand. Let me quickly absorb it. Aah! Finally, I’m free! It feels so refreshing! I was exhausted from being tossed around by this degenerate, filthy human!”
As I casually extend my hand, the Centipede Nun takes it with an audible irritation, filled with impatience.
And just like that, her transformation spell dissolves, revealing her giant form as she opens her maw.
“What’s going on!”
“Stay still! I need to gather mana inside me, so I have to be in my true form!”
“At least say something appropriate! Last time, you received life force in human form!”
“That time was different since I gave it all to the spell then! But to store it inside me, I can’t do it in my transformed state. Are you seriously trying to betray me? Not keeping your promise?”
“Just get it over with…”
I’m losing my mind.
So skin contact had to be done in her giant form?
Reluctantly offering my hand again, the giant centipede raises her body and opens her maw to welcome it.
Then my hand is sucked into her drool-filled mouth.
A strange sensation wraps around my hand.
It’s wet and so sticky that my finger can barely move.
Meanwhile, it feels like she’s pulling out my life force.
The grip is strong enough to crush my hand.
I can feel my life force being sucked away in real-time, which feels both unpleasant yet intriguingly strange.
Of course, I did not forget to also send my mana inside.
Once it seemed she had enough mana and life force, her grip weakened, and finally, I could withdraw my hand from her mouth.
“Ugh… Seriously? This has to be done regularly? How horrible.”
“Who thinks it’s good to put a filthy human’s hand in their mouth?”
“Wasn’t it for the sake of it?”
“Disgusting! Normally, I just touch a bit at the tip of my legs to absorb it… But your life force is high quality, so I wanted to absorb it completely with my mouth.”
“······.”
In the end, it didn’t have to be via her mouth, huh?
Disgusting as it is, it’s a done deal.
Wiping my hand with a handkerchief, I hand it to the Centipede Nun.
“This is a souvenir. Take it. When you need life force again, just contact me through Linda.”
“Sure, but… honestly, I’d prefer not to see you for a while. If I’m at death’s door due to lack of life force, I’ll reach out.”
“Sounds good. Bye. Just don’t tell anyone about me, or it’ll be bad.”
“Hmph. What kind of bad could happen?”
“I’ll report to the Four Heavenly Kings. That you betrayed them and cooperated with a human.”
“······!”
The Centipede Nun’s relaxed demeanor turns pale.
I don’t even have to worry about her spreading rumors after she betrays me.
I can just turn her in to the Four Heavenly Kings.
No matter how much she temporarily cooperates due to fear.
They would never forgive a Centipede Nun who lent her power to a human.
It seems monsters can sniff out each other pretty well, so she’ll get caught quickly.
What happens after that, she knows best.
“Okay, okay! I won’t say anything! I’ll just pretend like I never met you!”
“Well done. Be good from now on.”
“······Goodbye.”
“Ugh!”
Leaving the irritated Centipede Nun behind.
I start hurrying my way forward.
I need to catch the train and leave before Yerina arrives.
“But why are you still following me?”
“Why?! I clearly used a transformation spell…! Ugh!”
Just as I pretend to part ways, she suddenly morphs into someone else, and I can’t help but smack her head down.
As a person, the weak point is marked on the Poison Sac, so there’s no way I’ll get confused.
.
.
.
“You annoying brat! Arrogant human! I really, really dislike this! I shouldn’t be associating with humans!”
Such a fool.
Such an idiot.
I’m the one who’s a fool for even having a transient fascination with humans.
I pretended to let her go, only to chain her up right away…
It really irritates me to death.
“I can’t let this continue…”
Looking back, I check the train leaving the platform.
The humans have departed.
They won’t return now.
Only then do I feel relieved and take out the item I had tightly hidden away.
A magical tool filled with winding gears, shining with a dazzling color.
Something concerning time and space… what was it again?
Anyway, it was something expensive and important.
“Hehe. It’s not like I can use it for now, right? So it’ll be fine if I hold onto it for a little while.”
I can’t help but laugh.
What an idiot.
While he was so distracted by the pretty robot, he wouldn’t even notice something this important going missing.
I even put a charm on him, you know.
A curse that forcibly makes him lose control of himself.
Once that curse activates, it’ll be quite embarrassing for him.
“Hehehe.”
Just imagining how shocked and flustered he’ll be when he realizes the magical tool is gone brings me so much joy.
As per my original plan, I was supposed to sneak in a clone on the train to watch him panic in real-time.
But since my stealth failed, there’s nothing I can do.
“But what exactly was I planning to use a time-and-space-bending magical tool for… Huh?!”
At that moment.
The magical tool starts to wobble, transforming much like my own transformation spell.
Before I know it, all that’s left in my hand is a little monkey wrench.
The magical tool has completely vanished.
“Is it an illusion spell?!”
I thought I was good at magical detection!
How did I not notice?!
So I was tricked into stealing a monkey wrench from the beginning?!
“Uuugh!!!”
I start to bite my sleeve in anger.
And in the process, I feel something rustling in my pocket.
Something seems off, so I reach into my pocket.
And pull out what I thought was a handkerchief.
“Eh?”
What comes out is not the handkerchief but a charm.
It looks just like the charm I placed on that human.
The instant I recognize that,
The charm glows and its effect manifests immediately.
My sphincter…
“Ahhh!!! That crazy human!!!”
Swooshhh…
I really want to kill him.
