episode_0083

“Ah. My head feels like it’s going to split.”

Thud thud. Clang clang. Thud thud.

I was on the verge of going crazy from repeatedly waking up and falling back asleep while being tormented by all sorts of noises throughout the night.

I swear I will never sleep in the Leaf City again.

Rubbing my throbbing head, I sit up.

“Huh?”

“Ugh…”

But at that moment.

Giné’s face and snout were right in front of my nose.

“Ugh! What the hell, you scared me!”

“Huh?!”

Startled, I kick Giné away with my foot.

The giant Giné flies off, making a loud commotion.

In that fleeting moment, the guy who had transformed into a girl cries out, hitting his head against the wall.

“Hey! Why did you kick me while I was sleeping out of nowhere!”

“You expect me not to kick when a giant Giné is flaunting its snout right in front of me?”

“What? Me? When?”

“Do you have dementia? That’s why bugs are not allowed. Look at Mijeong. How quietly she sits in the corner. Even now…”

“What are you doing here?”

“…It’s warm.”

“Why is a vampire looking for warmth?”

“… ”

The guy who should have been sitting there as he was when he fell asleep.

Now he’s curled up in the bed, shivering.

Seems like he’s becoming more human-like these days.

Who knows, maybe his heart will start beating soon.

Of course, that’s not really possible, but…

The current time is 8 o’clock.

Kern’s mornings start before the sun rises.

He probably finished the closing procedures for the Madogu a while ago.

It’s time to go and check on it.

I roll up Mijeong in the blanket and get out of bed.

“Ugh.”

“Apologize! For kicking me! Apologize!”

“But why aren’t you leaving?”

“What?”

“You’re free now. Hurry up and go get your magic replenished.”

The expression on Giné’s face, who was following me closely, freezes.

Since last night, after committing a pseudo-suicide in the dungeon, this guy has been completely liberated.

Now Giné and I are in an equal contractual relationship.

Giné has already fulfilled the contract.

Now it’s my responsibility to replenish his magic regularly.

Seems like he had forgotten about that.

“What does it matter! I’ll leave whenever I want!”

“I’m just annoyed. Please leave. Every time I see you, I think of your squishy belly and snout smell, and it makes me want to puke.”

“What did you say?! You’re being rude to a lady!”

“Goodness. You’re really becoming human. A monster at heart.”

“Anyway! I’ll accompany you until I receive the finished Madogu! I’ve been involved for a while, so I feel uneasy not seeing the outcome.”

I understand.

It’s like when the video you’re watching on the subway suddenly stops before the ending.

Something similar to that, I suppose.

“Let’s go, Mijeong. But what are you doing?”

“… Untangling.”

I’m already ready to go, standing at the entrance, but Mijeong hasn’t come out yet.

It’s strange.

Mijeong is still tangled up in the blanket, whimpering.

“Heh. Let’s just leave him and go.”

“I can’t go without him.”

“I could probably take his place.”

“Absolutely not.”

“…”

How can you replace a Guardian Knight who constantly activates protective spells and handles lightning and fire magic?

It’s an absurd idea.

Ignoring Giné’s stubborn expression, I unroll the bundled blanket and free Mijeong.

As soon as I do, Mijeong walks over nonchalantly and stands next to me.

That one moment of Mijeong’s expressionless face.

It distorts slightly when he glances at Giné.

“We were getting along, weren’t we.”

I thought we would become friends quickly since we are both monsters.

But it seems like the difference between a human-born monster and a pure monster is bigger than I thought.

“Oh. Could it be…”

Ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong.

I keep pressing the doorbell at Kern’s mansion, but there is no response.

Memories of when I first came here flood back, and anxiety creeps in.

“Could it be that he has dementia again?”

It’s only been a day.

Just one day.

Not even a full 24 hours, and he’s showing signs of dementia again?

It can’t be.

I haven’t received the Madogu yet.

Unlocking the lock with a familiar spell, I enter the mansion.

“Grandpa! Are you here? Hello?”

“… ”

No response, no sign of life inside, no matter how loudly I shout.

Reaching the door of the living room, I open it and peek inside, only to find the bed neatly made and empty.

“No way…”

I try to suppress my anxiety and leave the mansion, heading towards the garage.

However, strangely enough, the garage door is unlocked and slightly ajar.

Perplexed, I open the door, but there is no sign of Keren inside the garage.

Only Linda is sitting by the charging port with her eyes closed.

“This is driving me crazy. I need to leave here quickly…”

I have to leave this place before Yerina arrives.

Where on earth did Keren go?

As sweat starts to form on my back, I notice a paper box on the shelf.

Attached to the box is a note that reads:

– It’s a finished product. Understand that I can’t hand it over in person due to circumstances. If any issues arise, contact Linda to fix it.

Opening the box, a beautifully crafted pocket watch-like device, known as the “Lance of Longinus,” is revealed.

This is the machine that pierces holes in space and time.

Although I didn’t intend to name it that way.

Can’t I change it?

No matter how much I mentally shout “Item name change!” or “Rename!” nothing changes.

I eventually had to give up.

Since this name is only visible to me, it doesn’t really matter.

“Now, only one part is left.”

The remaining part is just one.

A component that acts as a navigator, sending me to the location of the final boss when traveling to the other world.

I can obtain it later at the San Francisco Maritime Fortress.

In essence, I’ve already secured the passage to assassinate the final boss.

“Are you satisfied with the finished product?”

“Yes. It’s perfect as always. Even though you’re old, your skills are still top-notch… Huh?!”

“Uh?”

“Huh?”

A voice naturally comes from behind me.

Realizing that it’s not Mijung’s or Sister Genevieve’s, I quickly turn around.

To my surprise, the breathtakingly beautiful face of a maid appears before me.

“What?!”

“Wow.”

Startled, Linda steps back.

As if she’s surprised herself…

Now that I look at her, her facial expressions are quite diverse.

The subtle movements of her lips and eyes.

If I didn’t know she was Linda, I could easily mistake her for a real person with such intricate and realistic facial features.

“I’m sorry for surprising you.”

“You. You still have an artificial soul.”

An ‘error’ in Linda’s logic circuit.

An error that briefly appeared and disappeared in front of Keren.

An artificial soul that reappeared after being corroded by the dungeon’s magic.

It seems to have remained intact in Linda’s logic circuit.

Even though the magic was supposed to have been completely absorbed…

It’s a strange occurrence.

“What happened? Weren’t you supposed to have absorbed all the magic?”

“It seems that the damage caused by the magic remains in the circuit. That damage triggered the error, manifesting the artificial soul.”

“So, the magic didn’t play any role from the beginning.”

“It seems that the magic clouded my consciousness, causing an obsession to harm people. So, I must have entered sleep mode for sure. But due to someone casting a curse with ill intentions, I woke up.”

“…”

We’re the ones who cast that curse.

Feeling ashamed, I turn my head to see Sister Genevieve also trembling, avoiding Linda’s gaze.

But thankfully, Linda’s forced shutdown resulted in no casualties.

Although a few mercenaries almost died, I saved them.

I managed to avoid the creation of the first murder machine.

“Your skin feels so real.”

“It’s silicone.”

“What about your hair?”

“It’s a donated wig.”

“Oh.”

Fascinated, Linda wanders around, feeling and touching various parts of her body.

She pats her head, touches her fingers, and observes the reactions.

When pressed hard, the metal inside can be felt, but a slight touch makes it indistinguishable from a human.

Suddenly, confusion sets in.

The confusion of whether this really is a robotic doll.

Even though it looks human, it’s too human-like.

“Wait, stay still for a moment.”

[Eek…]

Flutter.

Turning around Linda, she lifts her skirt and checks her back.

Unlike before when everything was exposed and the circuitry was visible, now the back panel is covered.

Lifting the back panel slightly reveals a tangled mess of wires and circuits I brought, all working together.

The sight is dizzying just to look at.

“Um… it’s a bit embarrassing to show the insides, so could you step out for a moment?”

Linda shyly requests.

From the perspective of a robotic doll, showing the inner machinery is like showing one’s naked body to a human.

Out of consideration for Linda, I cover the back panel and lower her skirt again.

“It’s really amazing. Keern Grandpa, you must have been so excited that you almost stopped breathing.”

“In fact, he had difficulty breathing and needed emergency treatment.”

“Huh. But where did Keern go?”

“He said he has achieved everything he wanted as an engineer and is going to ask for forgiveness from his wife and daughter for the mistakes he made. He wants to make amends.”

Having successfully operated his lifelong research project, is he now at peace?

In the process, he abandoned his family and now wants to seek forgiveness…

Whether he will receive forgiveness is uncertain.

But one thing is certain.

“He’ll get better.”

“Yes. His complexion has improved significantly.”

Keern’s symptoms of dementia will improve greatly.

He went crazy because he lost his will to live and fell into despair without any purpose.

As long as he has the motivation to treat his family well again.

Keern won’t be groaning like a 100-year-old man anymore.

That’s really a good thing.

“I understand why you left me behind.”

“Do you know why?”

“If a maid like you is around, the wife might get suspicious. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, you had to leave, right?”

“Buzz. Incorrect.”

“What?”

I thought she left because she didn’t want to hear the mechanical noises.

Linda smiles mischievously, drawing an X with her index finger.

Such a lovely smile.

“The reason Keern left me behind is different.”

“What is it?”

“Keern thanked you for restoring my logic circuit and handed me over to you. Now, you are my master. Please use me as you wish.”

What…?

Linda is now mine?

My eyes widen, momentarily speechless.