༺ No One Knows What This Is! (8) ༻
“So, where’s the successful experiment?”
Morning.
I asked this as soon as I got to the lab.
Then Elle Cladeco pointed at my bottom.
“Judas, you’re sitting on it.”
“The hell?”
I immediately stood up from my seat.
When I got up, the thing I had assumed was a new fur couch for the lab started to lumber around all over the place.
“That fluffy-looking thing?”
It was like a cloud sweeping the floors.
Cloud?
No, to be accurate it was closer to a mound of fur.
Is this what it’d be if someone sheared a lot of sheep and bunched all the wool together?
Crawl— Crawl—
But this wasn’t just a thing of wool, it was alive.
An artificial lifeform.
About the size of a large golden retriever.
The way it moved around was like seeing a pet that was let loose.
“This guy is Molu?”
I asked.
To which Elle Cladeco nodded as she was checking some charts.
“Yes, it is. It is the second homunculus to be created. An existence formed from nothing…. The extraordinary domain of the taboo and forbidden….“
Elle Cladeco’s eyes shined strangely behind her glasses as she said this. From my observation, it was half awe and wonder, half anxiety and disappointment.
“I heard it was rejecting evil karma. That’s the issue, right?”
I asked.
To this, the Priestess who had been petting Molu answered.
“It’s such a warm and soft child, and it listens to us. Even I have never seen such a pure-hearted creature. It must look like a foam created by angels.”
Fluff— Fluff—
The fur mound circled around Iris. It acted like a people-loving dog that hadn’t met someone in a long time.
“See? It’s very gentle and cute.”
“It certainly doesn’t seem malicious. Isn’t it a problem, then? We were wanting an artificial Demon King, not a friendly animal.”
My idea of the artificial Demon King was an evil being.
The kind of monster or cyborg that was created by a mad scientist.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Frankenstein.
Cyborgs like Ulterron made by Tony Starker.
But this is….
━Kong— Kong—!
“It barks like a dog, too.”
It really was cute.
Something that Naru, Cecily, and Hina would love if they saw it.
Herein lay the problem.
How do we turn this guy into a villain?
And more importantly, its refusal to become one was a big concern.
“Hey, what are you?”
I reached out to Molu.
When I did, Molu jumped back away from me.
It happened so quickly that I momentarily lost sight of it.
“…Seems like it has great physical abilities. What’s its level?”
It must be at least over 30.
35?
…No, maybe even 40?
Something that was just born yesterday was already level 40?
I was looking closely at the fur ball to try and gauge its exact level when Elle sighed deeply.
“We’ll have to keep researching and testing ways to level it and inject karma. The hunter’s situation with her sister may have the answer.”
“Since Cariote’s sister became a demon, you’re thinking we can do the same to this ball of fluff?”
“Yes. Of course, it’s only a theory for now. Hypothetical.”
Hypothesis and theory.
━Meoooow
“…….”
A fluffy ball of fur.
Barks like a dog, and meows like a cat.
It was a familiar yet alien animal.
* * *
“So, we need your help. There’s a creature called Molu. Wondered if you could taint it to become demonic.”
The basement in the Junk Mansion.
I watched the bound demon.
“Fools. Do you think this Astarosa will help you? I might if you untie me and prostrate yourselves at my feet like mutts!”
The three pillars of Pandemonium.
Astarosa, the Witch of Obsession.
She was, well, rather lively for someone who had been tied down to a bed for over 2 weeks.
“Do I need to bring Sifnoi?”
“Don’t you dare bring that raucous nymph!”
Creak— Crack—
At the mention of Sifnoi, Astarosa struggled vehemently, shaking the bedposts she was handcuffed to. Such an intense rage.
What had Sifnoi been doing every day down here?
“That nymph comes and blabbers nonsense every day such as how she stole pebbles or a handful of sugar from the kitchen!”
“I see.”
“And she reads the 300-page 「Nymph Declaration of Rights」 from morning until night whenever she gets the chance! She’s a despicable one!”
Now what is this 「Nymph Declaration of Rights」?
I was wondering about it when I noticed a book next to the bed.
It was massive, like a bible that was placed near the possessed girl by priests in order to exorcise her.
The book was titled 「Nymph Magna Carta」.
What on earth is it?
Flip—
I opened the thick cover.
“Article 1. All nymphs must live with the mindset of widely benefitting the race, the ‘Nymphean Ideal’. Nymphs are the most beloved beings….”
“Kyaaaaa!!!! Stop that!!!”
The Witch of Obsession started thrashing even harder as I started reading.
The way she lifted into the air was like a scene from a horror movie.
“Interesting. And this here is holy water?”
After I closed the book, I picked up the water bottle that was also on the table beside the bed. It was made of glass with a cork plug, the contents of it clear and transparent.
“That’s water purified by the nymph. The Ditch Water nymph Sifnoi washed her hands with it. They say water that has been used by nymphs for washing becomes a filtered and pure liquid.”
I turned around.
Cariote, who had suddenly shown up, took the bottle from me and shook it. I couldn’t believe what she just said.
How can water that someone washed their hand in become cleansed?
Wait…
“Come to think of it…?”
At the opening of the mansion’s pool.
I recall Sifnoi splashing around in the pool saying, “I am purifying the water…!”
I had she was just playing but she was actually improving the water quality.
“Now, Dina. It’s time for your medication.”
Pop—
Cariote removed the cork and held out the bottle to her sister. Dina Iscariote, no, Astarosa resisted obviously.
“Used water! That’s what you’ve been feeding me this whole time? I assumed it was holy water! You can’t call yourself my sister! You vile bitch!”
I guess that had been a secret.
The demon seemed to be immensely shocked by the unexpected truth.
Like, how people tended to learn their appetite after learning that their kimchi was made in China.
It must be something similar.
“Here, drink it. Dina, you need to come back to the kind and gentle child you once were.
“N-Noooo…!”
Astarosa turned this way and that to avoid the bottle held up to her face.
And just then-.
“Uggh, augghhh, ahhh, huaa, gyaaaa, hnnggghaaa…!”
Astarosa started to shake like someone who got electrocuted. She foamed at the mouth and her eyes flashed like she had rabies.
Both Cariote and I tensed at the sudden change in state.
Floof—
As if the power switched off, Astarosa completely ceased.
The abrupt halt after an intense bout of movement left a chilling atmosphere.
“…Ugh, my head….”
Soon, Astarosa made a strange noise and opened her eyes.
Blink— Blink—
Astarosa blinked her eyes.
“This is…. What was I…? I need to go draw water…. Where am I…? Cariote…? Cariote, is that you?”
Astarosa looked at Cariote.
Then Cariote responded, “What did you say? It can’t be, Dina, is that you?”, surprised by the change in attitude that had been vicious and aggressive the whole day.
“Cariote! You were alive! Ah, what’s this? Why am I tied to a bed? Cariote, what’s going on? Why am I bound?”
Cariote’s sister, Dina, looked at the bed she was tied to in confusion.
“Cariote, hurry up and untie me!”
“… No, you demon. You still haven’t turned back. You would have fooled anyone else, but not me.”
“…C-Cariote. What are you talking about? I’m scared…. What’s that bottle?”
“Drink, Dina. If you want to prove your innocence.”
“N… No…! Take it away! I said take it back… Fuck! Don’t give me that awful thing, you cursed hunter scum…! Umph, uooogh—”
Gulp— Gulp—
Cariote finally shoved the bottle into her sister’s mouth. It was pretty aggressive, the way she was being forced to drink.
“Alright. You’ve finished it today, too.”
Cariote removed the bottle only after every last drop was swallowed. Of course, since she was seen through her act, Astarosa spit curses at Cariote.
“You won’t die easy! Pfhooo—!”
She spit the last bit of water she was holding in her mouth, which sprayed into the air.
Some got on my face, too, and I was about to wipe it when—
“Wachooo!
I couldn’t resist the tingling in my nose and let out a sneeze.
“Wachooo! Achoo! Wow, what the hell.”
I kept sneezing.
Not only that, my eyes were itching and my nose started to run.
“What? What’s this? What is it? Achoo!”
I didn’t get it.
Cariote, who had been watching, looked between me, Astarosa, and the glass bottle. Then she spoke in realization.
“Judas, you must be allergic to ditch water.”
“…….”
Allergic to ditch water?
What’s that?
I’ve never heard of such a thing.
“It means your body can’t take completely pure water. I’ve heard about it but it’s my first time seeing the symptoms.”
“…….”
When I think of it, I sneezed when Sifnoi was splashing around in the pool. To think that it had been an allergic reaction.
Who knew I had this kind of weakness?
I didn’t.
“…….”
An unexpectedly critical weakness.
It was troubling in a lot of ways but at the same time, it felt odd. Having a weakness meant it could become a strength.
Swoosh—
Just then, Cariote took a bottle from the belt on her waist.
“This is spare ditch water. Judas, do you want to test it?”
A test.
I was about to nod when Astarosa threw a fit.
“That, get that water away!”
Astarosa seemed to really hate the water used by Sifnoi. To be fair, drinking water that someone had washed their hands in was a bit, well.
Soon, Astarosa opened her mouth.
“Fine! Let’s make a deal! You’re troubled because you can’t inject evil karma into that Molu thing, right? I can help! But you have to stop feeding me the ditch water!”
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