What the Hell is a Spinster Elf...?
Evangeline quickly skimmed through the research journal.
[Research Journal #678]
■■ Year ■■ Month ■■ Day
…A problem has arisen.
We succeeded in stabilizing the incubator, and all that was left was synchronization with the user.
But the moment we proceeded with synchronization, the incubator… devoured the soul of the connected subject. Is "devoured" the right word…?
No matter how many times we replaced the test subjects, it was useless…
Perhaps because we used souls as fuel for stabilization all that time…
The external terminal seems to judge human souls solely as… food.
How the hell do we solve this…?
I thought everything would go smoothly once stabilization was complete… but things have gone wrong.
[Research Journal #708]
■■ Year ■■ Month ■■ Day
The incubator has been extremely active lately.
It's not even being fed souls anymore, yet it's producing things on its own.
They weren't proper lifeforms at all.
Calling them "lifeforms God half-assed" would be high praise for those things. The forms they took grew further and further from any lifeform we knew as time passed.
But it was incredibly intriguing. New existences unknown to the world?
A minor accident occurred during the experiment.
A guard killed one of the incubator's lifeforms meant for testing.
Did he kill it? It's still wriggling even after being bisected. Was it even a lifeform to begin with?
"Disgusting things…."
Even she, who had faced all sorts of horrific and repulsive things over centuries, felt her stomach churn.
At this point, they should have realized their research was off the rails, yet they pressed on as if possessed.
Evangeline flipped through the journal faster.
Flip—
Flip—
[Research Journal #???]
■■ Year ■■ Month ■■ Day
…Cradle of Chaos
The prophecy of the one who gazes suddenly came to mind.
So that's it… What it created was never a lifeform to begin with…
This will probably be the last entry.
The laws around the incubator are starting to twist.
I've judged further research impossible.
We've decided to dispose of the incubator along with the lab using large-scale ritual magic.
The incubator will likely vanish without a trace along with the lab.
I'm glad we made this decision now.
The journal ended there.
…The lab was disposed of roughly two years ago.
"…Ellie, it would only be proper for this disciple to reap the seed you left behind…."
Using the external terminal 'server' handed down from her master, Evangeline could partially wield Eliana's abilities.
She used mental interference on the captured researcher's mind to scan it and root out everyone involved in the experiment.
She extracted the necessary info with her powers, killed everyone connected, and destroyed all related data.
This matter must never become public.
If the transferees learned of the experiment, it would sow eternal conflict between them and this world. The citizens would blame innocent transferees who knew nothing, demanding someone take responsibility.
Once hatred and persecution began, it would breed greater chaos and strife.
The record of this experiment was hers alone to bear for life.
"…The lab was scrapped two years ago… The monsters first appeared three months ago…."
From the journal, she guessed the incubator had survived even the massive ritual magic, eroding reality.
'A ritual powerful enough to obliterate the lab wouldn't lack destructive force.'
The twisting laws must have prevented its annihilation.
Was it fortunate? Monster damage wasn't severe yet. Around the old lab site, attacks continued, but people dismissed them as new monster variants.
'They're not much of a threat now, but who knows what variables might arise.'
It wasn't too late. If she swiftly erased their horrific creation from the world.
She believed cleanup was still possible, even belatedly.
*
The research site was fully eroded by chaos, transformed into an otherworld spawning monsters.
Hidden by a peculiar formation, the lab's existence wasn't visible from outside. Entering normally would have required special methods.
The lab crawled with monsters, but most were no match for her—tough vitality and bizarre abilities aside.
Yet when Evangeline reached the Cradle of Chaos, she failed to destroy it.
"What… the hell is this…."
*
She hastily gathered the heavyweights from each nation for an emergency summit.
She showed footage of everything she'd witnessed to persuade them.
She couldn't reveal the cradle research logs, but this would suffice.
They wouldn't budge. No one wanted to move first and take the loss. Letting it fester would hurt the affected nations without lifting a finger.
The half-hearted responses dragged on, and they missed the golden window.
Evangeline assembled an elite force with the host nation's troops and her connections to assault the cradle—but failed again.
Only after seeing footage of that failure did nations grasp the severity and form a coalition army late.
Thus began the full-scale monster war.
One day, a letter arrived for Evangeline.
The paper looked at least a century old.
Suspicious but curious, she read it.
The contents were brief.
Bird who seeks knowledge long imprisoned in the past. Are you in despair? If so, this letter arrives in due time. Heed this: Even if the sky closes and you're caged, endure. Your role remains. One day, a foolish clown who imprisons himself shall appear—awaken him and become his wings. Then the sky shall open once more.
"What the…?"
*
Evangeline ended her reminiscence.
She hadn't understood back then, but now she did.
Evangeline stowed the cube in subspace and massaged her temples.
"Haa… fuck… But awakening him is way too hard? This the right guy?"
*
The story was so shocking I agreed to end the chat.
Something more lingered, but prying felt pointless—she wouldn't tell.
The world ending because a transferee's external terminal went berserk? Unheard of anywhere.
"What the hell did they do…? Who even is Joodak to know this shit…."
Come to think of it, while gallery diving for transferee info before, I'd seen creepy posts like ghost stories.
(Mosaiced photo of something horrific not of this world)
(A lump of meat cradling something)
(Mosaiced photos presumed to be victims of the lab's inhumane experiments)
…Due to gallery rules, mosaics are unavoidable—sorry.
First off, this isn't fiction; it's real and happening now.
Our lab was founded to use transferees' abilities even after death.
……
……
……
What I know is abnormal…
I can't predict what changes these experiments will bring to the future.
But I can't ignore the victims anymore, so I'm posting this.
I'm under restrictions—I'll die the moment this posts…
Please don't dismiss it as fiction; spread this seriously.
The coordinates in the post above lead nowhere now, but someone will sense the spatial wrongness.
Please end these experiments…
And sorry… Lina…
I'd stumbled on it hunting transferee info back then and binged it.
Decades old, but post-Joodak… it's creepy now.
'Maybe it's real….'
After her tale, the post hits different….
"…Head hurts."
Hoo… Time for food. Need fresh air after that morning bombshell.
Clunk—
Opening the door, I bumped into Aisha heading to work.
Lately, we keep crossing paths at commute time….
"Morning, Soo-chan?"
"Oh, morning, landla—urk!"
Zing—
What…? My heart clenched like a vice.
Drip—
Cold sweat without cause.
…Instinct warning me?
For some reason, my mind flashed to my chat with Dennis before.
- In human years, 10 is like 120 for elves… Prof's basically turning 40 human-wise soon…
- Sigh… Bro, our world has tons of spinster elf urban legends. Elves over 400 without a mate? Total marriage poison.
'…….'
"……Morning, landlady sis."
Instinct picked the safest word, and the ominous pressure lifted.
"Landlady sis sounds off—call me Aisha sis from now on."
"Ah… sure…."
"So, how do I look today? Put in some effort—curious your take."
What now…
'Head's already a mess….'
Her sudden question blanked me…
But post-life-flash, my brain fired on all cylinders.
A random Nutube short replayed like a highlight reel.
- Listen up, guys. Two safe answers for this question.
- "You look young." Or "You look slim."
- Memorize these, sudden deaths plummet.
"……You look young and slim."
"Hm~ Right?"
…Did it work? Her lips curved, eyes crinkling happily.
'Thanks, my noodle brain… you saved me.'
"See ya later."
…Aisha left first; I followed down the stairs late.
Then I ran into Dennis prepping to head out.
He stood at his door, gaping at the entrance in shock.
Spotting me, he rushed over and shook my shoulders.
"My god, bro… what the hell did you do?!"
"…W-Why? What?"
"Damn it… You're in stage 1 already. Super dangerous! You've become the spinster elf's self-esteem booster!!!"
Thought he was joking, but his face was ashen.
"Wh-What… the hell does that mean…?"
Seriously, what?!