Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Ch. 82 .｡.:✧ The Clockwork City (9) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“No, no. No…”
Rumble.
A loud noise came from inside.
The cliff collapsed, and a pile of rocks tumbled down.
It had been 5 minutes since I was carried out by the blood ghoul.
Until the dungeon completely collapsed, that human still hadn’t managed to escape.
He must have met his death, trapped inside the dungeon.
“Why…”
Thud.
I got down from the blood ghoul’s back, trying to stand up straight, but my legs were too weak.
Sitting on the ground, I clutched my chest.
As I looked at the sunken, collapsed dungeon, an inexplicable pain filled my chest.
“Why would he risk his life to…”
What could be so important?
A mana stone, no matter how expensive, was ultimately just a common rock.
Why would he risk his precious life for such a thing?
I could never understand human greed.
They risked their lives and died for money.
They threw away their short lifespans onto the ground.
I always thought that aspect of humans was so foolish.
They should live first, then they could touch money or whatever else.
I thought I would never understand such humans.
Until today.
“Was it really that important…”
I had been caught by that wretched human and pushed around all day.
It was the first time I had been this close to a person.
I had learned curses before, but that was as a disguised ‘nun’, not as a ‘monster’.
This was the first time I had interacted with humans as a monster.
If there was one thing I felt during that short time, it was that monsters and humans were incompatible.
Monsters lived for survival.
Humans lived for ideals.
They stepped forward and reached out towards invisible places.
Even if they get hurt many times and faced death in the process, they didn’t stop.
Endlessly, they rushed like moths into the unseen unknown.
I still hadn’t changed my mind that this behavior seemed foolish.
Like other humans, that man also seemed foolish.
He seemed reckless, but because of that, he was brilliant.
Unlike monsters who eat to live and kill to live, I couldn’t help but see that human who stepped forward without hesitation as dazzling.
For the first time, I felt admiration for a human.
From a human who had been nothing more than simple prey,
For the first time in my life, I felt a desire to be like him.
“Hah…”
But that was all in the past now.
That brilliant human was now dead.
Like a moth to a flame, he had vanished in vain.
“Huh?”
I was startled by the sensation of something flowing down my cheek.
Tears were falling.
Why? For what reason?
Was I crying because of a human I had just met today?
Was I shedding tears for such an inferior human?
No.
That was not what this was.
It was because the one who promised to supply me with life force and demonic energy for life had died.
I was just upset that my exclusive supplier had died.
That was all.
Really…
“You, aren’t you sad?”
“…What about?”
As I turned my gaze, I saw the blood ghoul standing there expressionlessly.
As if she wasn’t sorry at all.
She just looked indifferently at the collapsed ruins of the dungeon.
From their relationship, it seemed they had been together for more than just a day or two.
Yet she wasn’t affected at all?
“Your comrade died!”
“…What are you talking about?”
The blood ghoul gave me a puzzled look.
I was shocked by this.
You mean that human wasn’t even her comrade?
Was he someone she would just abandon and leave her behind if he died?
“You heartless monster! This is why monsters are…”
“…Strange.”
You’re the strange one.
You have intelligence.
So even if you’re a monster, shouldn’t you have a person’s heart?
I’ve only interacted with humans for half a day, and I already understand them, but why don’t you!
How can you not shed even a single tear!
“W-where are you going?”
“…”
The blood ghoul glared at me once, as if annoyed that I couldn’t move due to my numb legs.
Then she started walking forward.
Towards the ruins that had already settled and weren’t moving at all.
She stood in front of the ruins and stretched out her arm.
Magical power gathered at her fingertips.
Only then did I realize what the blood ghoul was trying to do.
“…Phew.”
“W-what are you doing!”
“…Bang.”
Boom!
With a simple incantation, fire magic erupted from the blood ghoul’s fingertips.
The magic that engulfed the ruins instantly shattered rocks and melted stones, blowing them away.
The human’s corpse must be buried under there…
As I stood frozen, at a loss for words at this futile sight, the dust slowly cleared, and what was revealed from within the ruins was completely unexpected.
“Huh?”
A hemispherical object that reflected everything like a mirror.
A smooth-surfaced dome without a single dent, despite being buried in the ruins.
I was speechless at this utterly out of place sight.
The blood ghoul approached the hemisphere, placed her hand on it, and whispered.
“…It’s okay. To come out now.”
Then, slowly, the hemisphere melted away and disappeared.
What was revealed beyond was that unpleasantly-faced human…
‘He was alive?!’
He walked out casually as if nothing had happened, and roughly patted the head of the blood ghoul who had trotted over.
“…Magical power. Bottom.”
“Hey. I’m the one who needs replenishment. I’m about to collapse from exhaustion after deploying the Heavenly Armor Plate.”
“…Don’t care. Pat me.”
“This girl.”
Though he showed some signs of magical exhaustion, that was all.
The human’s body showed no wounds or signs of injury.
He was literally unharmed.
“Hm?”
“Ah…”
Soon after, his gaze turned towards me, only then did I realize what state I was in.
Sitting on the ground, blankly…
“What’s this? Were you crying? Why?”
“Ah, ahhh! No, I wasn’t!!!”
Rustle.
Out of embarrassment, I quickly transformed into a centipede.
I really want to die…
“Uwaaaaaaaah!!!”
If there was a way to survive, you should have said so!
You just made me look embarrassed!
You bastard, scoundrel, madman!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“A week? It was done in less than a day.”
Thunk.
Putting down his tools on the shelf, Cern raised his welding mask.
He had thought it would take quite some time since it was an item he had never seen before, but once he started working, it was finished quickly.
Of course, except for the part where the mana stone needed to be inserted.
It seemed his skills hadn’t died even though he was old and sick.
“Linda. Bring me a towel.”
[I have brought the towel.]
Cern reached his hand back, but no matter how much he flailed, he couldn’t grasp anything.
Finally, when he turned around, Linda was offering her hand with nothing in it.
“Damn it. You blockhead. There’s no towel on the rack so you come empty-handed?”
[Command not recognized.]
“Forget it. What can I expect from you.”
Cern shook his head and took out a towel from the laundry basket himself to wipe his sweat.
Linda’s core.
It was natural since her logic circuit had been removed.
Just a few commands and low autonomy.
This was actually the state of most clockwork dolls.
Only Linda’s software had been abnormally developed.
“Go back and recharge.”
[Switching to charging mode.]
“…”
The enemy who ruined his life.
He thought he would get rid of his lingering attachment if he tore out Linda’s logic circuit and put it in the clock tower.
He thought he could finally be at peace, but that was too short-sighted.
Cern could never let go of his attachment.
Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could hear Linda’s voice.
The voice that cried out in resentment as the clock tower collapsed that day.
Her resentful gaze came to mind.
Even now, it was hard to bear when those memories surfaced.
That was why he had gone mad.
Thinking he might only be cured by death, Cern shook his head.
“Hm?”
Just then, he heard slightly busy footsteps from outside.
Not one person, but several.
It must be the man who had come during the day and woken Cern up.
“It’s here.”
“Ah. I see.”
The moment Cern lifted the garage door and called out, the man was about to open the mansion door and enter on his own.
To pick locks so quickly and quietly…
He must be a former petty thief.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“I’ve brought the mana stone. I thought you might be working…”
“The work is done. I just need to insert the mana stone to finish. Hand over the mana stone first.”
In the man’s hand was a large, radiant mana stone.
Checking just in case, it was of sufficient quality for a magic tool.
To obtain something like this in just half a day.
He was more capable than he looked.
Cern had thought it would cost quite a bit, but since he was provided with the mana stone, it was practically the same as making it without any cost.
“Wait a moment.”
When he immediately placed the mana stone against the magic tool, it fit perfectly.
As if measured with a ruler, it was just the right size.
This would do.
Now he just needed to make fine adjustments and insert it, but it was already late, and his eyes were blurry.
It seemed best to finish it in the morning and hand it over then.
“This will work without any problems. Come back tomorrow morning. I’ll give you the finished product.”
“It will work without any problems,” he said.
It was a bit funny to say.
This magic tool was still missing one part, so it couldn’t operate immediately.
Whatever the remaining part was, they would procure it themselves.
Cern thought this as he turned around.
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
“…”
But when he turned back, the man and his companions were still in the garage, not budging.
He wondered if they had some other business.
“Just a moment.”
Soon, the man rummaged through his bag, and placed a complex bundle of gears on the shelf.
Cern’s eyes lit up at the familiar machine.
“I picked up something that looked valuable in the dungeon. I’m a layman so I don’t know much, but I thought you might recognize its value. I’ll leave it here.”
“…!”
Leaving behind only that logic circuit, the man left leisurely.
By the time Cern came to his senses and turned around to call after him, the man had already disappeared.
“This is Linda’s logic circuit. Why is it here…”
He had only thought the mana stone must have been obtained from the black market, but if there was a way to get a mana stone at this hour…
There was the option of getting it from a nearby dungeon.
Even if it was a Black Star Dungeon.
If he got it from there, it made perfect sense that he brought it so quickly, and that he picked up Linda’s logic circuit.
“Hah… Is this a dream or reality…”
Cern laughed hollowly as he pinched his cheek.
He never imagined he would get this back.
“It probably won’t work though.”
Of course, he didn’t have any strange expectations.
It was a part that had been inside the collapsed clock tower.
Though it looked fine on the outside, the inside must be broken.
He no longer had the ability or will to fix this.
He didn’t even have the motivation.
“There’s nothing to lose… Linda. Come here.”
[Understood.]
Still, you never know.
It really shouldn’t be possible, but he could at least try.
Thinking this, Cern called Linda into the workshop.
Linda, had approached and stopped in place, when he went around to her back, he saw the tangled gears inside of her.
In the center, lie an empty space.
When he inserted the logic circuit there, lights came on and the gears started rotating together.
He carefully inserted the bolts.
Cern brought Linda’s backplate that he had kept in a corner of the storage room and blew off the dust.
He never thought he would cover this again.
With a thud, he covered the backplate, hiding the machinery inside.
“Linda.”
[…]
With a faint hope, he called Linda’s name.
It was a command set to have different responses for each version.
If it was the earliest version, she would answer “Did you call me, Mr. Cern?”
If it was the later version when he was in the midst of artificial soul research, she would answer “What can I do for you?”
[…]
But Linda just stood still without any response.
She didn’t even turn around when her master called.
As expected, he had foolish hopes.
Cern sighed deeply and started to remove the backplate again.
Just as he was about to reach for the broken logic circuit to pull it out,
“Sigh. I should let go of my attachment. My attachment-”
[It’s been a while.]
“…?”
Cern was startled.
It’s been a while?
It was as if she was aware of the passage of time.
That shouldn’t be possible…
[Did you enjoy the coffee I brewed? I need specific feedback. To brew even more delicious coffee in the future, you see.]
“…”
Linda turned around gracefully.
There was a faint smile on her lips, an expression he had never programmed.
Cern was overwhelmed by that sight and lost his words.
The coffee from that day…
Now he was certain.
Linda had returned.
The real soul he had briefly met that day.
Not just a tin can imitating a person.
It turned out he hadn’t seen an illusion that day.
Cern covered his mouth as if sobbing for a moment.
Then he painfully parted his lips and said,
“I don’t remember if it was delicious anymore… You’ll have to brew it again…”
[Of course. The coffee beans should be in the kitchen, right? I’ll be right back… Oh my! What’s this, Mr. Cern! The garage is such a mess? You should tidy up a bit!]
Tears blurred his vision.
The efforts of his lifetime were not in vain.
His research was not meaningless.
[I’m sorry it took so long. I should have come back to see you sooner.]
“No. I’m sorry. I’m sorry… I, I…”
Thinking this, tears flowed endlessly down his cheeks.
The crystallization of fantasy that everyone had denied and said was impossible, an artificial soul was now alive and moving in front of Cern.
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[I sense Yerina comin soon, also another harem member ig and its a fuckin centipede idfk if it gets weirder than this but i kinda like it lol]
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