180

I remember seeing it somewhere.

“Only in fiction is the one standing before justice always evil.”

In most matters, what appears before someone who believes themselves to be justice is another justice.

If the path they believed was correct leads to ruin, then the Empire’s end must have been even worse than I had imagined.

Since then, I had continued rummaging through the facility, and by the third day, it had reached the point where there was practically nowhere left to search.

From the documents and diaries I found, I learned many things, but very little of it was what I needed right now.

Most importantly, the crucial matter of the Nemesis Code ultimately remained unknown, and the fact that I couldn’t determine the reason why I rampaged so violently while unconscious was deeply disappointing.

Was it a characteristic of a genetically enhanced soldier like Goliath?

Or was it a precursor to the collapse of reason caused by the Nemesis Code?

Or perhaps it was the berserk reaction from the elf’s last resistance?

The fact that I couldn’t find the answer weighed heavily on me.

Additional information suggested that because the project had been pushed forward as if competing with the final weapon, unexpected malfunctions might have occurred.

That unpleasant possibility only intensified my anxiety.

If that really was the cause, then this search might have actually taken me farther away from the truth.

“There were gains. But the information I wanted most wasn’t obtained.”

I spoke aloud the result of this exploration and spent a while asking myself whether that was really the case.

“…I learned too many unnecessary things.”

That one sentence summed it up perfectly.

What the researchers back then thought or felt wasn’t important to me now.

What I needed was information to solve the problem right in front of me.

And even though I had once decided to devour other surviving test subjects like myself in order to live, I shouldn’t have delved so deeply into the circumstances of that time, which could dull that resolve.

If the last hope that appeared before me were someone who chose self-sacrifice for the Empire or for their family, could I really avoid regretting that decision?

(No… I already knew that.)

I shook my head and laughed bitterly at myself for simply being confronted with a reality I had refused to look at.

To begin with, even my own motivations included the seemingly noble reason of “for my family.”

But there was one sentence I just couldn’t get out of my head.

“Those fools who spout nonsense about living within human society after incorporating monster genes should think about the suffering of being kept alive.”

The day I could return to human society would never come.

It was something I already knew, but hearing it stated outright carried more weight than expected.

If someone said I had no place to live, it was only natural that I’d feel down, given the body I had become.

Then what if I changed my perspective and thought about somewhere outside human society?

Fortunately, I could say my relationship with that elf girl was good.

The possibility that I might have a place to live wasn’t low.

But for that to happen, I would have to do something about the Nemesis Code.

“So it all comes back to that…”

Either I devour someone and they die, or someone devours me and survives.

Or maybe I’ll search for another.

Or perhaps I’ll die without ever finding the next one.

I had already known that, but hearing it again made it feel cruel all over again.

I had no choice but to conclude that Dr. Zeta, who devised this, truly was a mad scientist.

“Even if it was for revenge, I feel like there were better ways to do it.”

It sounded less like an observation and more like a wish.

Was the Empire at fault for driving him to madness?

Or was he at fault for losing the restraint that kept him sane?

There was no point thinking about it, and in the end it always settled on the same conclusion: “I’m the one at fault for taking the bait.”

“The search is over. Let’s look for the next one.”

Sighing at the reality I couldn’t do anything about, I decided to end the exploration here.

Surely I would find it next time.

And surely it would be found the time after that.

For now, thinking that way was the limit of what I could do.

After packing my belongings and putting on my backpack, I left the research facility.

I had closed the door in front of the elevator, so there shouldn’t be many creatures that could enter, but worrying about it was only natural.

I didn’t think there was anything left unsearched, but if new facts came to light at another facility, there was a chance I might have to return here.

I wanted to leave it in as good condition as possible, and keeping intruders out would help with that, so I made sure to lock it up properly.

In any case, there was no point staying here forever, so I continued forward while exploring the forest.

Thinking about it, I remembered seeing the sign around here and immediately fleeing.

Maybe I should take a closer look this time.

As I casually searched the area, I discovered what appeared to be the remains of a house some distance away from the facility.

A house located far outside the urban area was suspicious to the extreme.

Because it was relatively close to the research facility, I wondered if it might be related somehow and approached it, but the building was mostly just a pile of rubble and had lost its original shape, so unfortunately there was nothing that looked like a discovery.

Even so, I continued searching persistently.

As a result, I noticed something strange underfoot and discovered that there was a basement.

“…And it’s this again.”

Inside the basement was alcohol, just like before.

I wasn’t very knowledgeable about alcoholic drinks, but even at a glance the basement seemed well preserved.

Looking around, it seemed this place had been some noble’s vacation villa.

In that case, would it really be a problem if I borrowed a few bottles from what appeared to be a wine cellar?

If it belonged to a noble, it must be good wine, so I took three bottles.

That was about the limit before it would start pressing against the space in my backpack.

I didn’t understand the taste of alcohol, but it wouldn’t hurt to know how my body reacted to it.

Since I might come back here again someday, I sealed the basement tightly.

Feeling refreshed by the small diversion, I changed direction and headed east.

The sun was still high, and the main reason was that I wanted to stop by the river once to replenish water.

So I carefully observed my surroundings as I ran east.

The spacing between the trees wasn’t very kind to my size, so it took longer than expected.

It was probably because I moved in a winding path to avoid destroying the forest.

Looking at the river reflecting the sunset, I let out a small sigh and set down my belongings.

“I guess this is as far as I’ll go today.”

I hadn’t traveled this area much, so there wasn’t yet a beast path—more like “my path.”

(Being this big really isn’t always a good thing.)

My schedule had shifted slightly, but dinner was decided: fish.

Lately I felt like I’d been eating nothing but meat, so it would be a nice change.

Since I had spent a long time in dusty places, I added a cold bath as well.

There was surprisingly a lot to do, so in a way it was convenient that I had stopped here.

First, I built a simple stove by the riverbank and lit a fire.

While boiling river water in a pot, I carried stones and made a small fish trap.

I tossed the fish I caught into it, transferred the boiled water to another container, and collected more water.

Repeating that process secured drinking water and fish for dinner.

After finishing that task, the next thing was washing up.

Using the towel in my hand, I wiped down my entire body thoroughly.

It started to feel cold, so I prepared a campfire.

I carried a suitable rock over, sat on it, and warmed myself.

From a distance it would probably look like a strange sight, but there was no one around.

Since it had become completely dark, I started preparing dinner.

I brought fish from the small trap in the river, scraped off the scales with a hatchet used like a knife, cut open the belly, and removed the organs.

Next I sprinkled a little salt on them and skewered them with iron rods.

Once they were set near the campfire, all that was left was to wait.

While watching the fire crackle occasionally, I sensed a presence across the river.

(…Humans. Three of them… no, four?)

At first I thought they might have extinguished their light and were observing me, but the footsteps were clearly coming this way.

The only humans who would come this far out were hunters from Seizeria.

Maybe they saw the campfire and mistook me for someone in the same trade, but shouldn’t they take a better look around first?

While sensing magical reactions, I shifted into a cautious stance, ready to respond to any attack.

I didn’t know if it was because I wasn’t moving, but one of them seemed to be approaching ahead of the others.

When that presence reached the riverbank opposite me, my ears caught a small murmur.

(Magical reaction detected. Chanting.)

I lifted my waist slightly so I could leap at any moment.

But the spell that was cast was only a simple light spell.

A sphere of light appearing under the faint moonlight illuminated the figure of the mage.

When I confirmed that figure, I couldn’t help murmuring quietly.

“Oh?”

Standing there was the first human I had met since becoming like this—the mage from Seizeria… the “boobs lady.”

I felt like I had heard her name somewhere before, but her image was so dominated by those abundantly ripe fruits on her chest that I couldn’t remember.

Seeing me apparently trying to recall something, the boobs lady misunderstood and let out a deep sigh.

Then, with the hand not holding her staff, she grabbed the collar of her dress robe and pulled it down.

Gazing at the splendid twin mounds revealed beneath, I nodded with satisfaction.

“As impressive as ever.”

Apparently she still believed that I identified her by her chest.

Now then… how long should I keep letting this misunderstanding continue?