Chapter 80: The Other Half of the Heart
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: The Other Half of the Heart
Tyrkanzyaka had intended to cook for him herself, but for a girl who hadn't set foot in a kitchen for twelve centuries, the room was a paradise of unfamiliar objects. She was more familiar with a mace than a spatula, a halberd than a ladle, and a saw-edged sword than a pair of tongs. Especially when they were pointed at her.
Left with no choice, the golem was to give a demonstration.
The golem was surprisingly skilled at cooking.
The only problem was that its small size prevented it from doing anything on its own, but Tyrkanzyaka solved that easily.
With a casual wave of her hand, a jet-black current formed around the golem. It gradually took shape from the bottom up, gently lifting the golem and enveloping its body.
The golem, momentarily disoriented by its new, higher vantage point, glanced around. The shadow that had risen above its head mimicked the movement. When the golem raised an arm, the shadow raised an arm. When it took a step, the shadow did the same. It was as if it had become a shadow puppet.
『This is…! No, this should be impossible even with the Military State’s technology!』
“It is the nature of a shadow to become infinitely larger than its source, or as small as a speck of dust. This shadow is exactly three times your size. It will follow your every move.”
The golem, now clad in the shadow, reached out. The shadow followed its movement, taking a pot from the cupboard and turning on the faucet. The shadow, it seemed, had substance.
The golem was greatly flustered as the shadow replicated its movements on a scale three times larger.
“Are you surprised? Be as surprised as you wish. Dominion and manipulation are my true powers. They are on an entirely different level from your tin-can puppet shows and playing in the dirt.”
『…Tin-can…. Hmph, I wish to deny it, but I cannot….』
Having acquired a new body, the golem moved its hands and feet busily. It soaked the beans in water, drained them in a sieve, then brought the drained water to a boil in a pot while simultaneously simmering the beans in a pan. Tyrkanzyaka watched the golem’s actions carefully, committing them to memory.
After a great deal of effort, the golem presented the finished dish and announced.
『It is done. Braised canned beans and a side of broth.』
“So this is how one cooks. Thank you.”
『Think nothing of it. This unit is prepared to offer you sufficient convenience.』
The golem’s actions were part of its own calculations.
The laborer had openly defied it, and the other trainee was not someone it could rely on. Furthermore, Tyrkanzyaka was currently the strongest and most influential being in Tantalus, so it was only natural for the golem, in need of internal information, to try and establish a connection.
“Good. Now that the tin can has served its purpose, it's time to put it away.”
『Tin…?』
There was, however, one problem.
Tyrkanzyaka had never intended to cooperate with the Military State.
“Now, go back to sleep.”
『Mmph? Sleep…?!』
Pluck. The shadow detached the speaker. As the golem reached for the speaker moving away from it, shadows suddenly swarmed from all directions, binding its arms and legs.
From the very beginning—or more precisely, from the moment the golem had shown hostility toward him—this future had been foretold.
Tyrkanzyaka looked down at the golem, now buried in darkness, and spoke softly.
“Since you taught me with such sincerity, I will not break you. However, I must ensure you don't speak out of turn. It seems you cannot speak without this.”
『………!』
“That seems to be a yes. I shall come for you again when I have need of you.”
Snap.
With a flick of her fingers, the golem’s body was engulfed in darkness and rolled away like a ball. Tyrkanzyaka placed the detached speaker on the highest shelf of the cupboard.
While the golem struggled alone in the darkness, Tyrkanzyaka picked up the plates with both hands and walked toward him.
“Here. I’ve brought you food.”
He was still sitting there, staring blankly. But as the smell of food stimulated him, his unfocused eyes faintly followed the plates. A glint of saliva shone at the corner of his mouth.
Appetite is the will to live. Seeing this in him, Tyrkanzyaka was overjoyed.
“Thankfully, it seems your appetite remains. It’s food.”
“…Food.”
“Yes. Food. Eat well.”
Placing the plate before him, Tyrkanzyaka sat across from him and watched. He stared at the food with hazy eyes for a moment before reaching out his hand.
Straight for the food.
“Wait!”
His movement stopped cold. He remained still, looking at her as if seeking permission. Tyrkanzyaka gently placed a spoon in his hand.
His body had not forgotten what it knew. After a moment of unfamiliarity with the spoon, he began to eat the soup before him as if he’d never stopped. At first, a few drops of soup spilled onto the table, but as he repeated the motion, less and less was spilled.
Tyrkanzyaka smiled with satisfaction.
“Yes. You haven’t forgotten everything. That’s a relief. Perhaps your memories will return soon.”
Even if he remained like this forever, Tyrkanzyaka would care for him for all eternity.
But that aside, she missed the way he used to be.
He had been arrogant. Subtly rude, without seeming to be. He treated the deep anguish of others as a joke.
But beneath it all lay a surprising cheerfulness and an understated consideration.
The fact that such a person had been reduced to a witless man who could barely speak constricted Tyrkanzyaka’s heart.
“The reason you’ve become like this… it must be because you breathed your soul into my heart.”
Even now, if she placed a hand on her chest, she could feel the pulse he had given her. A single card, emblazoned with a crimson heart, was embedded in her chest, now indistinguishable from her own heart.
She didn't know what it was or how it was made. But she knew one thing for certain.
Without some profound emotion, such a thing could never have been created.
“…Come to think of it, the Dog King didn’t bark at me earlier, either. Truly, I have received so much from you. And yet, I have given you almost nothing.”
The things she had received were too numerous to count. It began with interesting stories, then the heart massage, and finally, this beating heart itself. The series of gifts had felt so natural that even she, the recipient, hadn't realized she was receiving them until she looked back.
Compared to that, how little she had given him.
She had to repay him with her body and soul.
Clink. The sound of a spoon being set down. The bowl was already empty.
Tyrkanzyaka, who had lost track of time watching him, stood up again and spoke to him gently.
“Are you finished?”
He nodded.
He answered her questions without fail. He could speak simple words. He vaguely remembered how to eat, walk, and move.
She was beginning to understand. The only thing he had forgotten was himself.
In that case, she just had to remind him.
“Give me your hand.”
He extended his hand. Tyrkanzyaka clasped it tightly with both of hers and pulled it toward her chest.
“You may not remember, but you are my benefactor.”
His hand followed without any resistance. Cradling it preciously against her chest, she murmured.
“When my heart was still, with this hand… you touched it and made it beat. You awakened my time, which had stood still.”
A rather large hand. A touch that had hesitated, as if troubled, each time it passed between her ribs, yet had ultimately reached her heart and gifted her so much.
Fingering it, Tyrkanzyaka, now a girl once more, lifted her head.
“So do not worry. Take your time and find your memories. I will not leave until you tell me to go.”
It wasn't a vow. It was closer to a calm confession of fact.
She couldn't imagine this thought changing just because her heart was now beating.
As she spoke, Tyrkanzyaka looked at the hand on her chest and recalled the past.
“Even though I have my heart back, I find myself missing those moments when you sent electricity through it. Back then, I waited every second for your fingers to touch my heart…”
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
It was then, as she murmured to herself, that Tyrkanzyaka felt something was wrong.
Her heart was beating without the aid of Bloodcraft. Whether his hand was on her chest or not, it should beat all the same.
It was supposed to.
But for some reason, every time his hand drew near her chest, her heart beat more fiercely.
Even though there was no electricity flowing from his hand.
Her mastery of Bloodcraft made her all the more certain. Her heart was pounding like mad. As if it had found its lost other half.
Before, when her heart was stopped. The hand that had shot something intense toward her every time it approached. It was as if her heart remembered and welcomed it. The trembling grew with each passing moment. Tyrkanzyaka grew frightened, worried that her precious heart might burst.
But one thing was certain: her body and soul yearned to be just a little closer.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her face flushed red on its own, though she had done nothing. Feeling she would become strange if she stayed like this any longer, Tyrkanzyaka quickly pushed his hand away.
A deep sense of longing receded. Escaping the strange state, Tyrkanzyaka touched her own bewildered face, then the spot over her heart.
“Is it… broken…?”
In her current state, it was the only conclusion Tyrkanzyaka could draw.