Ch.109Chapter 109

Research was always like that. It was good at hitting roadblocks but rarely gave the feeling of cruising down an open highway. It wasn’t that such moments never happened, but most of the time, solutions that could make that possible didn’t readily come to mind.

Like when fixing a single equation suddenly made everything fall into place. Or when slightly changing the materials being used suddenly produced the desired results.

Sometimes problems could be solved in an instant, but that was rarely the case. The results that came from countless calculations and experiments couldn’t simply be dismissed as products of good luck.

This research was a process of trial and error to move toward results.

Using Ouroboros’s abilities, blood was extracted, utilized, and experimented with repeatedly to create something. What lay before Ouroboros was a mass of cells.

It grew gradually, then was eliminated, and the process started over again.

The researchers beyond the black mirror were repeatedly shocked by this bizarre sight that couldn’t be seen anywhere else. The very concept of creating an artificial Demon God wasn’t something that would occur to an ordinary person.

Yuria had no particular feelings about her ideas receiving such evaluations. She didn’t feel proud about attempting something others wouldn’t easily challenge, nor did she care about the sense of fear with which others regarded her.

Right now, this was research and time dedicated solely to Ourr and Ouroboros.

“It failed.”

“…We can’t just inflate cells randomly, and inserting Demon God-specific DNA doesn’t make it grow that way. Maybe what I thought was DNA is actually something else? Perhaps what functions as DNA in humans exists as something different in Demon Gods…”

Yuria formulated hypotheses about her research. Ouroboros stared blankly at Yuria, who had suddenly fallen into thought and started discussing difficult concepts.

She was experiencing once again the bewilderment of hearing someone speak without understanding what they were saying.

“…What are you talking about?”

“No, well. To mimic another Ouroboros’s body using Ouroboros’s cells, we need some kind of template, and I’m thinking about what that template might be.”

Humans stop growing—hands don’t swell up and height doesn’t increase crazily—because there exists a kind of template. Yuria called this genetics.

She thought that within the human species, one becomes oneself through the template of genetics passed down from ancestors.

But Demon Gods had fundamentally different origins. They couldn’t possibly have anything like genetics. Since Demon Gods formed when mana became extremely condensed in a space, gradually developing self-awareness and slowly constructing a body, they couldn’t be considered the same as humans.

Like how they could live without eating or sleeping. Like how they could eat endlessly without feeling full or stay asleep indefinitely if they chose not to wake up—they showed characteristics that were somehow misaligned.

Thinking about it that way, it seemed strange to look for something that functioned exactly like human DNA. There must be something else that played the role of DNA, and Yuria needed to find it.

She had never artificially created a living being before, but since she was essentially making an empty shell, there was no need to worry about souls or anything like that.

Ouroboros had said she would somehow manage the transfer herself, so Yuria decided to focus on the creation process.

It felt overwhelming to tackle what could be considered a major project alone—no, with just Ouroboros. The road ahead seemed long.

“Look at the time already. Let’s stop here for today. I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? You’re sacrificing so much for me.”

“Sacrifice, you say.”

Yuria made a self-deprecating expression. This was a place she came to produce research results quickly, but it was also a place where her mental state eroded with each visit.

She had to kill Ourr and kill Ouroboros. Going through that procedure repeatedly gave her the feeling that she was gradually breaking inside, and that wasn’t just her imagination.

Yuria gave a bitter smile at Ouroboros using the word “sacrifice” for her. Initially, Ouroboros hadn’t cared at all about killing, but the more time they spent together, the more they talked, the more normally she began to think and speak.

It was a peculiar case—whether Ouroboros was assimilating to human ways or gradually challenging Yuria’s own values that had been formed without strong convictions.

“I’ll administer the anesthetic now.”

“I could do it myself, you know.”

“Oh right, Ourr said she has something she wants to show you.”

Yuria was about to proceed when she searched her pocket. She showed Ouroboros a picture of Ourr that she had taken earlier at a café.

Ouroboros snorted at the image of Ourr eating cake. She stared at the screen for a moment before smirking.

“Why is that so black?”

“It’s called chocolate. It’s sweet.”

“Sweet? I like that. I want to try it next time we meet.”

Ouroboros smiled at Yuria, looking forward to the next time. Perhaps because she had an adult body, even her subtle smile seemed somehow mature.

**

“Yaaawn.”

Blinking consciousness. When I finally managed to get up, I was in a research lab filled with white tiles. I covered my mouth with my hand and yawned widely. It was strange how I always yawned after this.

It seemed odd to attribute it to taking too many drugs, since my body had something that reset when I died, so there shouldn’t be anything that would cause this.

I looked around with dazed eyes. Before, there used to be the smell of blood, but the technology must be improving because now there wasn’t any trace of it.

With no clock or window, I had no sense of how much time had passed. Since I hadn’t woken up from sleep but from death, it was inevitable that my sense of time had completely disappeared.

“Professor?”

“…Yes. You’re awake. That’s good. Let’s wash up and go home now.”

“Okay.”

I nodded.

I—Ouroboros says it’s fine, but the Professor doesn’t seem to think so. It’s natural for anyone to dislike the feeling of killing someone, and I was worried about the Professor.

Usually she tries to appear cheerful, but when she speaks with her strength slightly drained like this, I can’t help but be cautious.

After letting out a small groan, I reached out for the Professor’s hand as we walked side by side.

As I grabbed the Professor’s empty hand to walk together, she turned her gaze toward me. After we looked at each other for a moment and I grinned at her, the Professor finally relaxed her expression.

Her gloomy expression gradually softened until she was smiling.

That was a relief.

“…Good work today too.”

“Yes, indeed. You did well too, Ourr.”

We crossed the long corridor. The way home was quite far.

As soon as we got home, I took off my jacket and shirt. Although I had washed up and changed into my uniform at the lab, the uniform wasn’t entirely comfortable either, so I quickly took it off and hung it in the closet.

Before, when everything was too big, there was a sense of comfort despite the heaviness, but now that I had clothes that fit perfectly, they felt slightly tight, making me want to change quickly.

Next to the clothes rack was the animal pajamas Sera had bought me before. It was getting too warm to wear something like that, so I immediately turned my attention to the white shirt the Professor had bought me.

Short sleeves and shorts. After changing into comfortable clothes, I stretched my arms upward to confirm the current comfort. This T-shirt the Professor bought was extremely comfortable because it was a large size from the beginning.

As soon as I changed clothes, I ran to the Professor and held out my hands. The Professor looked at me with wide eyes, wondering what was going on, and I silently gestured toward her.

She looked hot wearing what seemed to be a summer research uniform. The Professor belatedly understood what I meant and nodded.

The Professor’s lab coat was placed in my hands. I took it to the closet and hung it carefully on a hanger. It was a bit long, but I could manage.

As I stared at it, I felt like trying it on once, so I took it out again and put it on. I turned toward the full-length mirror in the dressing room.

Maybe because it was the lab coat the Professor wore, it was too big for me and came down to my calves. The shoulders would droop if I wasn’t careful, so I had to pay a lot of attention.

As I shrugged my shoulders and fluttered the coat, the Professor, who had followed me, saw me looking in the mirror in the dressing room and chuckled.

“Does Ourr want to wear a lab coat too?”

“Ah, no…! This is, well. I was just wondering what it would be like to dress like the Professor…”

I laughed awkwardly with an “ehehe,” and the Professor, as if to say it was understandable, changed her clothes right there.

I had intended to hang up her lab coat because I was worried she might be tired, but thinking about it, since we had gone out together, I had momentarily forgotten that she simply needed to change clothes.

“Professor, the laundry basket is here.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The Professor patted my head gently.