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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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I wanted to ask the moon.
What are you?
Why do you hate me?
And what are you planning?
But the moon, instead of its usual grotesque displays,
Simply stared at me, its gaze cold and repulsive.
Its presence sent shivers down my spine. I tried to meet its gaze, to challenge its dominance, but I couldn’t. I lowered my eyes, gasping for air.
“Damn it.”
I cursed, turning away. I had been cursing a lot lately.
I had picked up some bad habits from Dan. I had to stop this.
“Sigh-”
I craved a cigarette, even though I had never smoked before. I was beginning to understand Dan’s nicotine addiction.
When your mind was troubled, you needed something to hold onto, something to distract you,
And I had nothing.
A constant state of uncertainty,
Anxiety, ignorance, helplessness,
Even though I seemed to be gaining control of my relationships,
A strange sense of pressure, a feeling of being trapped, weighed me down.
Was it because I had never been in a relationship before?
Or were the females on this planet simply unusual?
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became.
It wasn’t just Aria and Arachne.
It felt like everyone, everything, was watching me, observing my reactions, waiting for me to make a mistake.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of being observed, of being tested.
Especially with that moon constantly watching me,
I couldn’t relax.
A shadow, swift and silent, moved beside me.
Even in the darkness, it cast a shadow, its presence undeniable.
“Daddy.”
Jenny. She circled me, her movements fluid and graceful.
“Jenny came to see Daddy.”
Her words, her tone, were childlike, but
Her body, no longer carrying any trace of childishness, was undeniably that of a woman. She was almost as tall as me now.
“Jenny, why are you here? I told you I would come to you.”
“I missed Daddy.”
“…Yes, I understand, but I haven’t told the other spiders about you yet. I’ll tell them when the time is right. So, come back tomorrow.”
I tried to gently push her away. But words weren’t enough to deter Jenny.
“Why? You said you subdued the spiders and made them your allies.”
Jenny cautiously approached me, circling me, her movements slow and deliberate. She crawled low to the ground, like a panther or a jaguar, but her tail, swaying behind her, resembled that of a scorpion or a snake.
“Daddy, we don’t have much time. We have to leave soon.”
Jenny was a chimera, a creature combining the traits of multiple species.
“…We?”
“Kyagh-”
Jenny opened her mouth, letting out a low growl, and I instinctively recoiled. Even though she was simply communicating, my instincts screamed at me to be wary.
“Daddy’s going to the desert. I’m coming too.”
“Calm down and lower your tail.”
Fortunately, our established hierarchy remained intact.
When I ordered her to lower her tail, she obeyed, pressing it against the ground. But it still dragged behind her, the sharp tip scraping against the earth, producing an unsettling sound.
“I know. Just tell the spiders about me, and let’s prepare to leave for the desert.”
“I’m not taking you. And I don’t even know how to get there. It’s still too early to-”
“What are you talking about, Daddy? You have the key around your neck.”
Jenny suddenly moved closer, pressing her head against my hip. She rubbed her face against me, her body twining around mine.
“Key?”
“Yes, the key. Silly Daddy. The whoosh-flying altar key.”
Jenny knew things I didn’t. Especially about the moon and the mysterious altar. This necklace was a key?
“…Even so, you can’t come. Go back.”
“Why do you keep telling me to go back? It’s strange. Why are you hiding Jenny? Why are you lying?”
Having offered valuable information, only to be rejected, Jenny’s patience was wearing thin. Her voice dropped, becoming a low growl.
“Daddy is too busy worrying about the spiders.”
Her words, sharp and accusatory, pierced through her soft, seductive demeanor, striking at my heart.
“…Jenny, don’t provoke me.”
“I’m not provoking you. Daddy, I’m trying to help you.”
Jenny was perceptive. While she respected me, saw me as her father, she also recognized my weaknesses, my vulnerabilities.
“Daddy, the spiders don’t respect you, do they?”
“Enough.”
Jenny climbed up my body, her arms wrapping around my waist, but
I pushed her away, my voice firm.
My hand trembled, betraying my fear,
But I had to do this.
“Stop it!”
“Kyaa-”
Jenny retreated. I had to constantly reinforce these boundaries,
To teach her what angered me,
What was acceptable and what wasn’t.
She was constantly testing me, pushing the limits of our relationship.
This was typical behavior for offspring,
But the problem was,
That the daughter was now far stronger than the father.
“Daddy, I’m coming with you. Understand?”
“…That’s not your decision. I don’t know how you found out, but don’t try to manipulate me with this.”
“No, I am coming.”
While Jenny retreated now, her voice playful,
This could easily escalate into defiance, rebellion.
And there was only one way to prevent that.
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“Amy.”
I returned to the cave, my heart pounding, and called out to Amy.
She had been tending to Isaac, nurturing Alraune’s sprout, and at the sound of my voice, she stood up, her expression welcoming.
“Doctor, you have returned.”
“We need to talk.”
Only Amy could stop Jenny.
I had to rely on her. But could I truly trust her to be on my side?
Amy prioritized my well-being,
But her actions weren’t always beneficial.
Yes, my physical safety was guaranteed.
But a human couldn’t survive on physical well-being alone.
Amy was the one who disregarded everything else,
And she wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate anything, anyone, she deemed a threat.
“…I just saw Jenny. She’s gotten bigger.”
“Her growth rate is accelerated. You must exercise caution.”
But on the other hand,
Amy was the only one I could discuss this with.
She was the only one who genuinely cared about my survival.
“I know. She came to see me and said she wants to come to the desert with us.”
“Someone is providing her with information.”
I suspected it was the moon. There was no other way for Arachne and Jenny to know about my plans.
Aria, who worshipped her ancestors, not the moon, wouldn’t have been involved.
Arachne worshipped the moon, and Jenny was a creature born from the grotesque moon monsters.
It wasn’t a coincidence that they both mentioned the desert.
The moon was clearly trying to interfere,
But I didn’t understand its current strategy, its seemingly indirect methods.
As if it was being cautious, wary of something.
Unable to use its full power,
It was resorting to manipulating the females on this planet, using revelations and prophecies to control them, to control me.
“Traveling with an uncontrollable entity is not advisable, Doctor.”
Amy, as always, viewed Jenny as a threat. I knew that.
“Yes, I know.”
But I had no choice.
“But I can’t leave her here. It’s too dangerous. For Aria, for Arachne, even for Isaac and Alraune.”
“…”
Amy couldn’t deny the possibility.
It was obvious.
If I left, Jenny would have no reason not to hunt the remaining inhabitants.
“I agree.”
“I’m taking her with us. You, me, and Jenny. Just the three of us.”
We would keep our desert expedition small.
I had initially planned to go with just Amy,
But Jenny had become a new variable.
“The only problem was how to get there…”
Now, it was time to put my plan into action.
We would gather our supplies, the food and water we had stockpiled, and leave. All I needed to know was how to reach the desert.
And then, I saw it.
“Jenny was right.”
The strange necklace, the one the corpse had been clutching when we first entered the altar cave.
A faint, white shimmer emanated from it,
And when I brought it close to the altar,
Something within the altar stirred, like metal filings drawn to a magnet.
“Amy, do you see this?”
“I do not understand.”
The preparations were complete.
It was time to leave.
I finally understood why the corpse had been there.
That male,
Had escaped from the desert, using the necklace,
Then, giving up on escaping the cave, he had drawn the murals and died.
“…”
Only one question remained.
Why had he fled the desert?
And why had he given up on escaping the cave, choosing instead to draw, his mind consumed by fear?
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