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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Squish- Squish-
Failed experiments lay scattered on the floor of the room, emitting a stale odor.
Saten and Hare sat perched on the edge of the bed, away from the scattered eyeballs, ready to have a conversation.
Hare covered her nose with her hand, her voice trembling as she spoke.
“S-Saten… D-Did you… make all these e-eyes…?”
“Yes, I made them with my blood.”
“T-Then, your wrist…”
“I cut it to draw blood, of course. The wrist is a good spot because it bleeds a lot even if you cut it.”
Saten’s wrist was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages.
Hare felt a sense of dread listening to Saten speak so casually about it.
Ignoring Hare’s reaction, Saten continued,
“I used my blood to make Mister’s eye. I wanted to give it back to him.”
“…C-Can you really make an eye just like that…? What about the size and all that-”
“When Mister came home and passed out, I sneaked up to him and measured his eye. 3.06cm wide, 1.89cm tall. Not a single millimeter off.”
“I-I see… So you… measured it yourself…”
Shiver-
Hare felt a chill run down her spine, hearing Saten’s confident voice.
‘E-Even if you want to make Mister’s eye… measuring the size and… trying to recreate it… I-Is a bit much…’
It would be one thing if she offered her own eye…
But to recreate Mister’s eye to prevent him from losing it again… That wasn’t normal!
To Hare, it seemed like Saten was desperately trying to undo what had happened.
Saten continued, asking Hare a question,
“So, Hare, why do you think the eye reverts back to its original state even after I perfectly recreate it, including the cells inside?”
“H-Huh…? A-Are you asking me…?”
“Yes, who else would I be asking? That’s Mister’s ‘eye,’ not his ‘ear.’ I’m asking you.”
“O-Okay…! I-I’ll answer…! But I don’t know anything about magic…! I-I don’t know why Mister’s eye is like that…!!”
“…I’m sorry. It was foolish of me to ask you. You wouldn’t know.”
“…”
‘Why did I feel bad even though she apologized…?’
‘W-Well, it’s a bit scary to talk to her, so I’ll just stay quiet…’
Hare decided to keep her mouth shut.
But at that moment, Saten started muttering to herself as if something had occurred to her.
The content of her mumbling was enough to send chills down Hare’s spine.
“I think the reason the experiment failed is because I used my own blood. But it’s the most efficient to use my blood, since it contains my mana… Maybe I need more test subjects…”
“W-What…? What are you talking about…”
“Hmm… Hare?”
Flinch-
Sensing an unsettling aura, Hare glanced at the exit, contemplating escape.
Oblivious to Hare’s thoughts, Saten asked with pure, unadulterated curiosity,
“Would you be my test subject? I’ll temporarily remove one of your eyes, analyze it, and create a new eye with your blood. Don’t you think Mister’s eye could be restored that way?”
“Uh…?”
‘Y-You want me to be your test subject…?’
‘You want me to give you my eye…?’
‘Even if it means Mister’s eye will be restored…! I can’t do that…!’
“N-No…! Even if Mister’s eye is restored…!! I won’t do it!! Mister will hate me if I’m not pretty…! I-I always have to look pretty for Mister…!”
‘I’ll be ugly if I’m missing an eye…’
At the age of puberty…
Hare, who had become conscious of her appearance, refused Saten’s offer.
However, contrary to Hare’s refusal, Saten’s determination was firm.
“It’s okay. I’ll create a new eye for you.”
Saten reached out towards Hare’s red eyes.
Hare flinched and screamed,
“N-No…! Get your hand away from me…! I-If it fails… my eye… w-won’t come back…!”
“It’s okay. If the experiment fails, the probability of the next one succeeding increases. Even if you fail, Luna and Estia will help, so Mister’s eye will be restored.”
“H-Hic…!”
Y-You’re crazy…!
This is insane…!
Saten’s hand, reeking of blood, inched closer to her eye.
‘N-No… My e-eye… I don’t want to…’
Hare whimpered, her voice trembling with fear, and shouted.
Her words pierced through the essence of why Saten was trying to create Mister’s eye.
“D-Don’t try to make up for your guilt towards Mister… by experimenting on my eye…! If you want to do it, d-do it with your own eye…!!”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Not with my red eyes…! Do it with your black eyes…!”
“No, I meant what you said before that.”
“…?”
Saten, with a blank expression, asked Hare to repeat her previous statement.
Hare tilted her head in confusion.
“You… you said you feel guilty towards Mister…?”
“…You’re saying I feel guilty towards Mister…?”
“Isn’t that… the reason you’re avoiding Mister… because of guilt…? I-It’s better for me if you keep avoiding him…”
“…”
Guilt.
Regret.
Hearing those words, Saten lowered her outstretched hand.
Then, to confirm, she asked again,
“You’re saying I tried to create Mister’s eye because I feel guilty towards him?”
“You didn’t do anything while Mister was fighting that woman… so you feel guilty… right…? T-That’s how I felt…”
“…”
While Mister was fighting that woman…
Saten didn’t participate in the battle.
It wasn’t a fight she could have joined in the first place, and if she had intervened carelessly, she might have hindered Mister.
However…
“You’re saying I feel guilty towards Mister… because of my judgment back then?”
“T-That’s why you feel guilty… and you’re trying to create Mister’s eye… to make up for it… right…?”
“…”
Saten couldn’t comprehend this situation.
Even though it was an emotion she felt, it was a distant, unfamiliar feeling.
She couldn’t be certain of the nature of this emotion, and she couldn’t trust Hare’s words.
Perhaps that’s why…
“Hare.”
“Y-Yes…”
“Leave. Now.”
“Huh…?”
Slam!!
Saten kicked Hare out of the room, finding her presence distracting.
Hare was relieved to be able to escape.
As Hare left, silence returned to Saten’s room.
Saten picked up one of the failed experiments that lay on the floor and stared into its lifeless eye.
“I was right to stay out of it. I wouldn’t have been any help in that fight.”
But…
“To think that it led me to feel guilty towards Mister… and that guilt… drove me to act…”
It was both intriguing and unsettling.
What exactly were emotions?
With those thoughts in mind, Saten crushed the failed experiment with her fingers and returned to her desk.
Then, she muttered a thought that had occurred to her.
“It seems I do need a test subject.”
Muttering those words, Saten immersed herself once again in the task of creating Mister’s eye.
The result… was another failure.
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Minerva’s library.
It was a familiar space, but today, it looked different.
Closing one eye made the library seem asymmetrical…
“How did you even design this place, Minerva?”
“The design isn’t important!! The library isn’t the issue here, Jun-woo!!”
Thwack- Thwack-
Minerva pounded on my back relentlessly.
She was small, but her slaps packed quite a punch.
“That hurts, Minerva.”
“Should I hit you gently then!? You need a good beating! You need to wake up!”
“Wake up to what?”
“You could have eliminated the Demon Lord later!! Why did you rush into the dungeon knowing you’d lose your eye!? You’re completely out of your mind!!”
…You were the one who gave me the problem.
I knew it couldn’t be helped, considering her duty as a Goddess.
But unlike me, who was satisfied with the outcome, Minerva seemed displeased with the results.
“Then what should I have done?”
“If you hadn’t gone to the dungeon! Nothing would have happened! Male adventurers were dying left and right, and the dungeon was about to be closed anyway! As expected of a Korean, you’re so impatient!”
“…”
She wasn’t wrong.
Minerva was speaking the truth.
But just because something was true, didn’t mean it was right.
I believed my choice was the right one.
“The Hero’s party grew from facing the Demon Lord. In that aspect, this is the definitive answer, Minerva.”
“Y-You idiot! Your eye won’t come back even if the Hero’s party eliminates a Demon Lord!? You need to think about the future!!”
“…”
The future.
It was indeed an important concept.
But not for me.
‘Once my revenge is complete, it doesn’t matter anymore.’
It probably hadn’t appeared in “Jun-woo’s Future” series that Minerva was always reading, but…
I had already decided on my own future.
After killing that porter who became the Demon Lord of Envy…
And eliminating all the Demon Lords who threatened Minerva…
I would end my own life.
So my eye… didn’t matter to me anymore.
“Are you listening, Jun-woo!? Why aren’t you answering me!!”
“…I was just thinking.”
“Think more carefully! Think about your body, you fool!”
“…Alright, alright.”
“Don’t give me half-assed answers!”
I placed my hand on Minerva’s head, who was still yelling at me and walked over to the sofa in the library and sat down.
Minerva’s anger still hadn’t subsided.
“You need to cherish your body-”
“Stop, my ears are bleeding, Minerva. More importantly, why did you call me here after everything was over?”
“Ah, that! I wanted to see you in person, and I had something to tell you… Anyway! Here, take this!”
Thud-
A strange, circular object landed in my hand.
“What is this?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? It’s your new eye. Or rather, it’s my eye.”
Hmm.
A new eye.
Minerva wouldn’t give me something strange.
Without any hesitation, I took off my eyepatch and put on the eye she gave me.
‘It hurts a bit.’
More importantly…
“Minerva.”
“Yes?”
“I can’t see anything. Are you sure this is the right one?”
“O-Of course! I wouldn’t give you something strange! Look carefully! This is how you use it!”
Saying that, Minerva closed one of her eyes.
Her green eye started to glow, and my left eye glowed along with it.
“What is this?”
“Vision sharing! I can see through your eyes now! Isn’t it amazing!?”
“…”
But I can’t see anything?
Minerva seemed to be seeing through my eyes…
But my left eye remained dark.
Could this be…
“Are you trying to keep an eye on me?”
“K-Keep an eye on you?! It’s a bit inconvenient to watch from above…! I-I wanted to see things clearly! To see things from y-your perspective, Jun-woo-”
“…”
“Ah, ah-!! Don’t wear the eyepatch!!”
Forbidden.
I needed the prosthetic eye, so I would continue to use it.
But I didn’t need Minerva’s surveillance to become even more intrusive.
“Y-Your perspective… It’s more immersive in first-person than third-person…”
Minerva muttered, sounding disappointed.
Being watched was extremely bothersome, so no matter how much she whined, I wouldn’t take off my eyepatch.
More importantly, there was one thing I wanted to ask.
“Minerva, what’s going to happen to the Hero’s party? I understand it was a learning experience for them, but I’m curious about their mental state.”
“Yes… You’re curious about their mental state…? Alright, I’ll read it to you…”
Minerva walked towards the bookshelf, grumbling to herself.
Then, she pulled out a book and started reading.
After quickly finishing the book, Minerva smiled.
Why was she smiling?
“Why are you smiling, Minerva?”
“Ah, nothing. The situation is a bit funny. Your story is always entertaining, Jun-woo. Although, losing your eye this time was a bit much.”
“…Anyway, I asked why you were smiling.”
“Luna needs time… Hare is fine… Estia is in shock… and Saten… Hmm, it’s a bit difficult to explain… It’s something unexpected… I wish you could experience it yourself, Jun-woo…”
Minerva smiled mischievously.
She said to me, still smiling,
“Jun-woo, once you leave the library today, check the alley next to it.”
“The alley?”
“Yes, there’s a black cat there.”
And…
“Give that black cat to Saten, it’ll become a good friend.”
‘…’
Minerva’s words were quite cryptic, but…
I had promised to give her a present someday.
So I nodded.
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[Saten is crazy af bro]
