episode_0480

“You didn’t think it would end like this, did you?”

I woke up to a voice disturbing my sweet sleep.

“Who, who are you… Ceres?”

Ceres is standing before your eyes.

‘···Ceres is not the only one.’

Isabel… No, Venus.

“···Where is it? How can I…”

“My agent is looking for you.”

I stared at Venus.

Is that all you have to say to me?

Why don’t you apologize to me first?

I waited for an apology and eventually gave up.

The judging was distorted.

“Put it away.”

“You’re still rude.”

Ceres’ eyes narrow.

Given the circumstances, I think it’s true that he saved my life.

─So?

“I have no reservations.”

“You probably don’t have it.”

Only then did it come to mind.

Rohan and Edeline are hiding in Grand Engineering Academy.

I am responsible for both of them.

“I’ll tell you straight. If you don’t accept our offer, the dragon watching this place from afar will kill you.”

Are you looking this way?

Unfortunately, the dragon was no longer visible.

“That bastard gets picked a lot?”

“Quuk! cancer! I was so angry! I convinced you, but now you will never receive help from a dragon again!”

Ceres laughed and scolded in a strong tone.

“What a petty guy.”

“That goes for you too.”

A dagger sticks in my solar plexus.

Ceres’ eyes turn to my crotch.

Just as I was looking down to see what was on it.

Something white was burning through my body.

That was a pretty familiar bug.

‘White ants?’

Only then did I realize it.

─I was sitting on a termite mound.

I died and was reborn.

With termites! Now I understand the situation.

‘···No matter what, you’re not born as a termite!’

“What should I do?”

“···It looks like you are finally understanding the situation.”

Ceres looks up at me with a sneer.

“Prometheus is not as interested in the subhumans of Pangea as he is in millet. But I’m interested in you.”

There are two servants steeped in lacism.

It’s absolutely terrible.

“Are you saying that I can stab you in the back at any time once the business is over?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think war is necessary to bring them back?”

“Okay. You are too lowly to know what you are thinking.”

“You people are too easily convinced.”

I know because I have used the servant’s power.

They become convinced of us too easily.

“Okay. So from now on, I plan to leave it to you.”

“···I was only told to cross the sea. In detail, how many demi-humans are in the human world?”

“Million.”

million.

If it’s a lot, it’s a lot, if it’s a little, it’s a lot.

It is definitely smaller than Pangea, which has a population of hundreds of millions.

“How long does it take to get there?”

Ceres’ eyes widened.

“From the end of the dark ocean, in four strides… about half a year?”

The average walking speed of an adult human is 8 rubits per hour.

192 rubits in 24 hours.

In 183 days…

35,136 rubits.

─17,568km?

‘Not like this!’

To put that distance into perspective, it’s almost half the circumference of the Earth!

“I guarantee that they will all starve to death in the sea.”

“You must find the means. Of course, I can’t get help from the dragon.”

Ceres must be planning on making me do it no matter what.

Since I made Isabelle Dantalian’s agent, I guess I won’t be able to give orders to Isabelle.

Judging by the fact that he saved my life even after persuading the dragon, it is clear that there was no suitable person.

I don’t want to fit in, but I also have no desire to live as an eyeless termite.

Isn’t it said that if your body is worth a thousand cat, your eyes are worth nine hundred cat?

‘Live a life worth a hundred nyang?’

I had to say everything I needed to say now.

“You need a tree to get over.”

“How much?”

“I don’t know. However, approximately tens of thousands of trees───”

“Find another way.”

Ceres’ voice was thorny.

…Still, I can’t help it.

Because wood is inevitably needed to build a ship.

“Please understand that even if we find a way, we will have to cut down some trees.”

“If you go beyond what you can understand, I will personally turn you into termites. I’ll make it impossible for you to die so you can only lay eggs for the rest of your life.”

The threat is really scary.

‘…I’m not very knowledgeable about ships.’

Even if we were to sail for one year, there would be tens of thousands of tons of food to feed over 100,000 people.

‘I’m sure I’ll have to make two or three round trips.’

I don’t know much about sailing, but I know that there are places in the big ocean where the wind doesn’t blow.

It was also said that if a ship gets stuck in a windless area, they will starve to death there.

That’s the beginning of the ghost ship.

In other words, a motor made from a steam engine is needed.

Suddenly, I remembered what Lu’s agent had said to me.

He said the devil’s agent would need Hwajeong.

‘Is this why it was necessary?’

“Hwajeong is needed. A lot.”

“Don’t tell Lou.”

It was none other than Lu who burned the Laobian Empire on behalf of the betrayed Prometheus.

I might be able to get help with my work for Prometheus.

Even if he doesn’t get the dragon’s help, he won’t dismiss human experience as his own.

‘I need Edeline’s help.’

And in order to mass produce steam engines, Heinrich’s… Doomheim power is essential.

“···How much time has passed since I died?”

“A hundred days have passed.”

─One hundred days.

If it is long, it is long; if it is short, it is short.

···Jules will be able to take care of himself.

With the Jules I know, it’s definitely possible.

“···What about Shir?”

“I’m healthy.”

Venus’s eyes, which are similar to Isabel’s but completely different from Isabel’s, are extremely disturbing.

You’re reading me.

Since Dantalian is not there, he must be reading my mind without filtering.

“What I mean is… how are you mentally? Am I no longer Eve?”

“The only thing that has changed is you.”

me?

“What does it mean?”

Could it be that my body has become strange?

I want to check it right away, but I don’t want to do it in an ugly way in front of the two servants.

“You are no longer Dantalian’s agent.”

“···Yes.”

“This means that the human nature that had been suppressed for a while is returning. Selfishness, lust, anger, longing…”

yes.

I had a built-in work ethic.

Because humans are animals that think through chemical reactions.

The chemical substances that accumulate are like lactic acid, which makes muscles tired.

Now I suffer from muscle pain in my brain… and stress.

“It would be good to avoid being unable to control your emotions and walking down the path of self-destruction. Because the Sia you killed wasn’t that kind of kid to begin with.”

Did he know the Widow Grand Duke?

“···I will listen carefully.”

“Okay. And I’ll work on your brain for at least some social interaction.”

“···Yes?”

“You can’t read people’s facial expressions.”

It was like that.

I can’t read people’s expressions, so I didn’t realize that Isabelle had killed Harold.

In addition, I was easily ‘confident’ in communicating with people.

Thanks to this, I misunderstood Lexi.

“The brain is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you become dull. Be grateful.”

Ceres presses the tip of his index finger to my forehead.

“Because not many people have received enlightenment given directly by a servant.”

The moment Ceres’ index finger touches my forehead.

“Ugh?!”

I feel like static electricity has been splashed in my head!

What on earth…!

“Ah?”

night?

* * * * * *

I sat on the rock and suffered.

‘I need clothes.’

If you go down to the city like this, you will be treated like a crazy person.

‘Just cover your crotch with leaves? Wouldn’t that actually be more perverted?’

I was just imagining it.

“···Kissing around.”

“──────?!”

I was startled by the sudden popularity.

“···Shii?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

In fact, Lexi’s eyes widened.

I don’t feel any presence.

I don’t know what this person is thinking.

I can’t get used to the disappearance of things that I took for granted.

As if my hands and feet had disappeared.

“Si.”

Lexi’s eyes narrow.

“Speak up.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“What?”

The narrowed eyes cannot return to their original state and even become slightly enlarged.

“I’m curious.”

“···What nonsense?”

“I am no longer Dantalian’s agent. I won’t be able to communicate with Shir…”

“Shir can also speak the common language.”

I see

That’s a real relief.

“Did you get angry while I was dead?”

“I can’t read minds like you.”

Lexi’s voice is gruff.

Apparently, he was upset about my death.

“Are you upset?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry for dying. But you came back, right?”

“That’s not it. ···Why don’t you trust us?”

“Yes?”

“What we have achieved is not light. There were hundreds of ways to kill the Grand Duke Widow.”

I think I was angry, not upset.

“It was all for you. But you don’t even give me a second glance.”

“Don’t be like that. How much help am I receiving from Sii?”

“······Do you know what you looked like?!”

Lexi’s eyes sparkle and she pokes my chest.

“You had half of your face blown off, with your internal organs spilling out, like a deer that was being harvested!”

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Calm──”

“Do we have to beg them to help us?!!!”

It’s a misunderstanding.

This wasn’t something Shir or Lexi could help with.

Especially about the widow Grand Duke.

“We all knew that you got caught up in some shit! Everything we accomplished was to help you!! Do you think running a country is easy?!!!”

I was so exhausted that my body began to tremble.

Every single shout from this person makes my flesh tremble… I am speechless.

It’s like hearing the growl of a wild beast.

It was a dragon’s peer.

“Zi, calm down.”

“Then explain!!!”

‘After coming back to life, I ended up dying within a day…!’

“Are we untrustworthy?! Did you come to hate us after meeting the white wolf?!!”

“Oh, no. That’s not it…”

There is no more yelling.

Jaan was just staring at me.

‘···You mean you will listen and judge?’

I feel a little relieved.

“···It’s not that it’s untrustworthy.”

“I thought it was dangerous because the other person is a monster that manipulates people.”

“A person who has received Dantalian’s blessing can use the ‘curse’ to self-destruct the opponent using his or her own life.”

“And I didn’t mean to die. My strategy was perfect, but the dragon took away Seth’s power to heal me!”

“He said I ruined his operation! It even took 100 days because that petty bastard was relieved?!”

It seems that Lexi didn’t know about the curse.

It was necessary to briefly explain what a curse is.

“···If Shi Yi had killed the widow Grand Duke, he would have destroyed everything he had achieved by now and committed suicide. The curse is absolute.”

I was the only one who could step forward to kill the Grand Duke Widow.

If someone other than me had come forward, that person would definitely have died.

“How much do I like Shii, but you make me do this kind of dirty work?”

“···Then you should have packed some medicine.”

“I was swept away by the avenger’s bomb and disappeared.”

“You were asking me for a favor.”

“Ah, don’t look at the results to find the cause. It’s all the dragon’s fault?”

It was when Isabel protected me with the power of a servant that was nowhere to be found.

All of my armor and blood were swept away by the explosion and turned into a mess.

“From the beginning, the Grand Duke Widow was going to die because of you. But why did you transfer your power to the white wolf?”

“···That’s also because of the dragon. Suddenly he tried to kill Isabelle. I handed it over to be screwed.”

“Do you know what the white wolf is doing right now?”

“What are you doing?”

“The White Wolf is spreading anti-servant ideology!”

Anti-Hain ideology? Isabel?

It was a flawless act.

“You’re doing well.”

“You’re good at it?! The soul is the foundation of a servant! The moment such an idea is accepted, it is as obvious as hell that this world will be destroyed!”

“Really?”

“Yes! As a result, everyone on Pangea dies. The life to be born in the future, you, me, Shirdo!”

This fucking world.

You just have to ruin it, right?

But I couldn’t tell my true feelings.

“The temple is very accepting of that crazy talk.”

“Okay. It was so crazy. Habstenburg was divided. Now we are on the verge of becoming a city-state.”

“Well, the servants will take care of future problems.”

“That has become impossible.”

“When you died, the fragments of hell hidden in your body became parasites on the white wolf. Losing control over the demi-gods created by the Thirteen Servants is dangerous, but now he has even gained the power of a murderer. This is all thanks to you.”

Lexi looks down at me solemnly.

Why are you looking at me like that? What are you asking me to do? Are you telling me to endure even though everything is taken from me?

“···You were only able to return because there was a servant who wanted you. This time it could have ended the same way.”

“But it came back like this.”

“Don’t play around. Because the moment you finish your work, you might die again.”

“Then what should we do?”

After thinking about it, Lexi spoke.

“······Entrust yourself to the white wolf.”

“···Yes?”

I don’t understand.

From this person’s point of view, Isabel would be annoying.

“First, we have to stop what the white wolf is doing.”

Why should I stop you?

They’re just paying for what they’ve done.

“I’m not interested anymore.”

“The basis of this world is servants. If anti-servant ideology spreads, will servants stay still?”

“Or what?”

“In the worst case, the servants may annihilate all the demi-humans and start from scratch.”

“But does that mean we should give up the freedom to express right and wrong?”

“Yes.”

···Sounds like shit.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of world you’ve lived in. At least that’s how it should be in this world you live in now.”

“I have no thoughts. Shii, do you want me to do as the servant wants?”

“···What?”

“I, Shiina’s servant, will move as I want───”

“You dumped the guardian who was looking after you so you could stretch out like that, right?!!”

Why are you suddenly angry again?!

“What does servant mean?! Because of that servant’s will, I lost my husband of a century and my child younger than you!!! I know that if you tie me up like that one more time, I won’t let you go!!!”

“I’m sorry.”

Lexi closes her eyes tightly.

Eventually, after I opened my eyes again, I returned to my normal self.

“···No matter what happens, ignore it and always find the white wolf.”

“Do you think it would be safer to be with Siyi than with Isabel?”

“···The white wolf regained his memories.”

“······.”

“They didn’t let me take your body. I got scolded so much. A guy who can’t even protect his companion… A coward who only cares about his own life…”

A sad look comes towards me.

“···You never once relied on me in the first place.”

The gaze is withdrawn, and Lexi moves away from me.

I just didn’t want to see that person get cursed.

Because he is the person I love so much.

However, I had no idea that this person would be hurt because of that action.

“Si.”

Lexi just turns her head and looks at me.

“I’m bored on the way. Shall we walk together for a little bit?”

I have to apologize.

Because my life is no longer my own.