episode_0206

“More importantly, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“Hmm. I wondered why you visited, and it seems there was indeed a purpose.”

“It concerns Gaston Gallimard. Specifically, the academy’s dean.”

“……Oh?”

Geppetto, who had been flipping through books, lifted his gaze.

He then adjusted his glasses and directed his eyes towards me.

A rare flicker of interest appeared in his pupils.

“Has that time already come?”

“Do you know something?”

“I was asked for a favor. A very long time ago.”

“A long time ago… so you must have already spoken about it.”

“Indeed. About ten years ago, I believe. When I was deeply engrossed in homunculus research. To be precise, I had hit a wall and was wasting time. Someone suddenly appeared and offered to help with my research progress.”

“Help…?”

“In return, they asked for one favor. That when the time came, I would tell Pinocchio.”

“Tell him what?”

“A Shard of God.”

A sudden halt—.

I unconsciously flinched my shoulder.

Perhaps it was because the name that reached my ears was unexpected.

I quietly pondered the question.

‘A Shard of God… It’s clearly an item name.’

A Shard of God.

A name not found in the original work, existing only in the setting book.

It was an item, yet there was no record of any actual player ever acquiring it.

Among users, it was known as an item created purely for the developers’ lore indulgence.

Why was such an item being mentioned now?

Geppetto calmly continued speaking.

“At the time, the research made little progress. I faced failure repeatedly. I was stuck at the inherent flaw of homunculi, their short lifespan. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t erase that innate limitation. Magic stones, spells, engineering… I looked for answers everywhere, but I couldn’t even find a simple clue.”

“……”

“Then, someone handed it over to me. A stone called a Shard of God. It was only the size of a fist, but the energy contained within it was immense. I didn’t even dare to analyze it. I had never seen anything like it in my life.”

“……”

“Based on that shard, I achieved a completely new concept of alchemy. Ten years later, I finally completed the being known as Pinocchio. Though the fact that I received help from another during my research was bothersome… at that time, my desire to complete you was paramount, so I have no regrets.”

A story I was hearing for the first time.

I couldn’t help but remain silent.

‘A Shard of God.’

It had always been puzzling.

Even though I was born as a homunculus, I had a lifespan similar to ordinary people.

When it came to the lifespan of homunculi, it was normal for them not to exceed three years at most.

I had never understood it, but such a backstory existed.

I naturally fell into deep thought.

‘But, how…?’

At the end of the resolved question, another question remained.

A Shard of God. That unidentified item bothered me.

Moreover, it was a high-efficiency energy source capable of erasing the flaws of homunculi.

As a player who had almost completed 2000 playthroughs, it was an item even I had never seen.

How had such an item been obtained? I began to question its origin.

As I was lost in thought for a moment, a sudden deduction scratched at my mind.

I muttered faintly.

‘No way…’

Immediately after, my eyes met Geppetto’s.

His faded pupils held a meaningful expression.

I asked.

“Who was the person who handed the Shard of God to the Count-nim?”

“Isn’t it obvious enough? You must feel it too.”

“……”

“Gaston Gallimard.”

The name followed inevitably.

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

The Prophet had intervened not just with the main characters, but even with this turning point of mine.

To be precise, my very existence. They were responsible for one axis of my origin.

Was this what it meant to “seek out my own origin”?

‘Just how far…?’

With a complicated mind, I fell into thought.

***

The conversation was a series of shocks.

Though I too was surprised, it couldn’t compare to the other companions who came with me.

Because they had just heard the declaration that someone they had been close with for the past year was suddenly not human.

The children all looked at me with dazed eyes.

Regardless, Geppetto unilaterally concluded the conversation.

As if others were of no interest to him.

“……”

Naturally, the companions’ minds were in disarray.

They clearly hadn’t been able to follow the conversation.

Or rather, they had followed it, but couldn’t accept it.

A few even looked pale.

“Young, Young Master-nim…”

Even after hearing the explanation, it wasn’t something that could be easily accepted.

Facing the awkward atmosphere, I fell into thought.

A bitter smile spread across my lips.

‘This is troublesome…’

It was something I had been prepared for from the beginning.

Because to reveal this truth, I had chosen to travel with everyone.

If I had wanted to hide it, it would have been easy to hide.

As such, it was also a part that required my own resolution.

There was also a psychological burden.

‘It was about time to tell them, anyway.’

I couldn’t hide it forever.

Though eternal lies might exist, I hoped mine wouldn’t be one of them.

At the very least, I didn’t want to treat the people within my circle like that.

At the same time, I thought of a girl who wasn’t here.

‘Neria.’

The reason I didn’t bother to bring her along was clear.

Neria already understood this part.

We had been together since the early days of my possession, so it would be strange if she didn’t know.

At that time, as I was inexperienced, I lacked the leeway to hide anything.

Conversely, apart from her, no one else knew the truth about me.

At most, Kyle, and perhaps the sovereign I fought so desperately against.

I had revealed such a vulnerability to those before me.

“It must have been a bit sudden for you.”

I spoke, feigning nonchalance.

If I wavered, they too would waver.

“However, there isn’t a single lie in the story you just heard.”

Pinocchio.

Perhaps the very first name I was given, even before I was called Yuda.

I calmly peeled back a layer of my own lies.

As a doll crafted by Dr. Geppetto.

“I apologize for hiding it.”

A light bow of the head.

The children were at a loss as to how to react.

Regia, in particular, spoke with trembling eyes.

The girl’s voice trembled faintly.

“I… I don’t know what to say. I can’t follow the story…”

That’s right.

Because it was a somewhat unrealistic hidden story.

The girl with pink hair simply looked at me, her hands clasped together.

The other children were the same. All of them had unsettled gazes.

No one showed any negative feelings, but they couldn’t hide their bewildered minds.

I quietly sat down.

“……”

Silence descended upon the laboratory.

The children couldn’t bring themselves to speak.

“……”

Only Irene gazed intently at me.

At the upper garment I was wearing… or more precisely, at something beneath it.

Perhaps she was recalling a past memory. Our eyes met.

I nodded towards the fox.

‘As expected.’

Whether they accept it or not is a matter for later.

First, the process of making them believe the story was primary.

Irene’s gaze must have also carried that meaning.

I took off my coat.

“Perhaps it’s best to show you proof first.”

I loosened my tie and unbuttoned my shirt one by one.

At first glance, it was an indecent scene, but no one interjected.

Everyone simply watched, holding their breath.

Rustle—.

The red shirt was removed, revealing the skin hidden beneath the fabric.

At the same time, even the faint sounds of breathing disappeared.

The companions stared at me, even holding their breath.

To be precise, they saw my past.

“……”

My bare upper body.

With not a single thread covering me, my body was fully exposed.

My firm contours, the subtle muscles hidden by my shirt, and even my abs.

However, no one could feel pleasure at that sight.

Instead, they expressed dismay, covering their mouths.

“This… is my true form.”

Eyes of various colors.

Beyond them, my body, covered in scars, was reflected.

From knife wounds, to burns, to puncture wounds, and even strange surgical marks.

The surgical marks, in particular, branched out into dozens of directions, densely covering my upper body.

A body so battered that it was difficult to find any intact skin.

I gave a complicated smile.

“I’m finally telling you now.”

Behind the children’s horror, a bitter wretchedness flickered in their eyes.

The traces seemed to prove a terrible past.