Episode 21:“Scorching Hellhole the Heat of the Oven”
A heavy‚ oppressive heat‚ as if molten lead had been poured deep into my lungs‚ scorched my throat.
The volcanic labyrinth near the royal capital‚ “Flame’s Stomach.”
Once known as a harsh death zone filled with scorching rock surfaces‚ it had now been transformed into a gigantic “oven” by Serina’s unwitting divinity.
The rising plumes of smoke did not carry the smell of sulfur‚ but rather a dense‚ nose-piercing scent like burnt caramel—sweet‚ yet somehow foreshadowing decay.
With every step I took‚ the heat transmitted from the stone pavement assaulted the soles of my shoes as if trying to melt them.
After my confrontation with the gourmet Zenon‚ I had traded away the human function of taste‚ turning it into “the taste of mud.” In exchange‚ Ciel’s provided “Optimization Patch” continuously fed high-resolution tactical information into my field of vision.
At the edge of my retina‚ red numbers indicating room temperature—no‚ “internal oven temperature”—rose at an eerie speed.
“Hey‚ Lu~i. It smells really fragrant here! It feels like a huge cookie is baking!”
With a bouncy voice‚ the silver-haired destruction goddess laughed innocently beside me.
Serina seemed to have mistaken this harsh death zone for a picnic spot or something similar.
However‚ her unwitting heat was driving my processing circuits far more insane than the physical temperature.
In the volcanic region’s intense heat‚ pearl-like sweat beaded on Serina’s white skin.
Her thin summer blazer clung to her skin‚ damp with moisture‚ and the white shirt underneath became translucent with sweat‚ emphasizing the contours of her fresh‚ supple curves with violent clarity.
Every time she bounced‚ the heat spilling from the clinging fabric and the “lukewarm body temperature” unique to a girl‚ mixed with vanilla scent‚ aggressively invaded my personal space.
『⚠️《Emergency Warning》. The permeability of the target “Serina”’s clothing due to moisture content has greatly exceeded safety thresholds. ……Lord Louis. This is not a mere visual error. It is “fatal contamination” that goes against the aesthetics and dignity of the original. There is a risk of serious cracks forming in the mental structure due to the combination of excessive biological heat and visual noise. Based on administrator privileges‚ I recommend forced transition to infrared scanning (thermography) of the field of view‚ as well as 【hypothetical cooling of biological reactions accompanying the advance borrowing of future compensation】.』
(Rejected‚ Ciel. Don’t tamper with my vision. I’m staying calm. ……This is nothing more than the initial symptoms of environmental heatstroke.)
『《Understood》. It is violence in the name of force majeure. ……Lord Louis‚ that very self-diagnosis of “calmness” is classified in my archive as a “severe system bug.” Any further load will make the original subject to forced shutdown.』
I brushed off the cold declaration in my brain that went beyond a mere error report and tried to manage my very existence as “private property (system).”
Not a single drop of sweat mixed into her steps.
Her stride maintained a constant‚ precise-machine-like rhythm‚ and the “negotiation personality” patch‚ with its emotions castrated‚ did not disrupt even a single breath in this sweltering heat.
Unaware that this was reflected as the greatest terror to the “observer” walking one step behind.
“Hii‚ hiiii…… The smell of burning sugar…… The spirits‚ everyone‚ are being turned into caramel……”
Nagi clutched the bundle of miserably crumpled parchment from yesterday to her chest like a shield‚ her knees trembling like a newborn fawn.
Her jade-green eyes captured the “unnaturally aligned magical waveforms” swirling around her—Serina’s unwitting violence and my cold system processing it—and shuddered at their abnormality.
“……Nagi. Excessive breathing will burn your lungs. Coat your alveoli with magic power. ……Right now‚ nothing but efficient survival is necessary for us.”
The words that spilled from my lips were so smooth that even I shuddered‚ carrying a cold‚ serene composure.
It was not comfort‚ but merely a notification of the optimal solution.
Nagi let out a short “Hii” from her throat‚ stepped back‚ and gripped the remains of the broken quill so tightly that her knuckles turned white‚ as if it were a cursed talisman.
“Louis……? The Louis right now feels really…… cold‚ like a perfect knight.”
Serina peered at my profile with moist eyes and clutched my hem as if clinging to me.
The heat from where she touched disappeared through my skin‚ as if sucked into a bottomless well. My patch-sharpened sense of touch coldly detected that her fingertips trembled faintly‚ not in search of salvation‚ but to avoid freezing.
“……Hey‚ even though it’s so hot all around and it smells like burning sugar…… why is it? Only the scent coming from Louis feels cold‚ like it’s frozen…… and it makes my chest tighten painfully.”
I spun false words to reassure her. In exchange for the patch’s operation‚ a dense “stench of information death” that scorched the soul began to drift sweetly and cruelly‚ as if stealing the surrounding heat.
The more I played the savior‚ the more the “heat” of me as a human was absorbed by the system‚ and in its place‚ cold emptiness encroached upon the surroundings.
It was at that moment.
From the deepest part of the labyrinth‚ along with further expanding heat‚ a rumbling like the world creaking echoed. It was not the roar of a monster. It was the birth pangs of a “bug”—the world’s laws unable to endure and being forcibly reshaped.
The rumbling echoing from the depths of the labyrinth was accompanied by a wet pulsation‚ as if a giant lung were breathing in poison.
The depths of “Flame’s Stomach.”
As we advanced through passages where lava flowed with the viscosity of heated caramel sauce‚ in the center of the plaza‚ it was abnormally “swollen.”
“Wow……! Louis‚ look! Over there‚ a big batch of bread dough is fermenting!”
Serina raised a voice of admiration and pointed with sparkling eyes full of expectation.
There‚ high-concentration magical power seeping from the rock walls had been forcibly expanded by heat‚ forming a huge‚ red-black pulsating viscous body—the fire-attribute magical beast “Prominence Dough”—that sat enthroned.
With every breath it took‚ it scattered a magical scent similar to fragrant yeast‚ and continued to grotesquely enlarge with a force that seemed about to overflow.
“……Serina. That’s not bread. It’s killing intent.”
Through the cold filter of the “negotiation personality” patch‚ my field of vision saw that “bread starter” monster as a mass of uncontrolled‚ enormous energy‚ highlighted in a poisonous red warning color.
On my retina‚ the evasion coordinates that Ciel output in real time were projected inorganic and orderly‚ like squares on a chessboard.
『《Notification》. Individual named “Prominence Dough” detected. Its attack patterns are monotonous‚ but the physical pressure from thermal expansion exceeds expected ranges. Lord Louis‚ please select the shortest route. Excessive heat dissipation and wear on the body (hardware) due to unnecessary evasive movements will pose a serious risk of damage to future operations.』
(I know. ……Cut out unnecessary thoughts. I’m fine as just an execution device.)
At that instant‚ the fully expanded “Prominence Dough” burst like a balloon reaching its limit‚ or like over-fermented dough exploding.
The sludgy‚ scorching viscous body rained down in all directions as lava droplets.
“Hii‚ hiiii! It’s hot‚ hot stuff is falling……!”
Nagi crouched down‚ clutching the bundle of miserably crumpled parchment to her chest like a shield. But she never looked away. Even if the physical pen was broken‚ she kept her trembling eyes wide open‚ desperately continuing her observation to burn this “collapse of reason” directly onto her retina.
The downpour of lava bullets. In the gaps— the “zero-point-something millimeter” safe zones calculated by Ciel—I calmly and inorganicly evaded with nothing more than the slightest tilt of my head.
Chunks of killing intent accompanied by scorching winds passed mere millimeters from my cheek. Even so‚ an eerie silence that allowed not even a single blink dominated me.
“Amazing! Even though it’s so hot and everyone is running away‚ only Louis has a cool face and looks like he’s happily dancing! Lu~i‚ you’re so cool!”
Serina’s innocent voice added an incongruous color to the desolate battlefield.
Her words contained an unwitting‚ cruel temperature gap that consumed even this extreme life-or-death struggle as “entertainment.” To her‚ even this “life-shaving contest” of mine probably looked like a beautifully calculated dance performance.
“……It’s not dancing. It’s optimization. ……Nagi‚ don’t stop observing. This is the exercise of the ‘correct answer’ that this world desires.”
I quietly raised my right hand.
At the edge of my retina‚ the code of the sealing formula that Ciel instantly constructed flowed down like a waterfall of light.
A nerve-burning pale spark scattered deep in my right eye.
My brain‚ with the noise of emotion castrated‚ maintained an eerie silence no matter how much the monster shook and roared‚ no matter how much the surroundings were engulfed in hellfire.
“――‘Magic Composition‚ Redefinition (Rewrite)’.”
The words that spilled from my lips no longer contained even a fragment of human emotional fluctuation.
The blue geometric pattern released from my fingertips bit into the grotesque pulsation of the “Prominence Dough” that was about to attack‚ as if devouring it.
(……Ah. Again‚ my insides are being shaved away. Every time I choose this ‘correct answer‚’ something inside me disappears with a dry cracking sound.)
The monster’s scorching killing intent was‚ through equivalent exchange using my “original” as fuel‚ quickly rewritten into something else bearing a golden “glaze.”
The “Prominence Dough‚” which had been expanding so ferociously‚ had its surface crack lightly with a crisp sound‚ and from within‚ it turned into a huge “freshly baked scone” emitting sweet‚ rich steam—
Its very existence had been mercilessly demoted to “food.”
In Nagi’s jade-green eyes‚ the moment my magic forcibly subjugated the powerful monster into a confection must have appeared as the most beautiful‚ and yet the most horrifying‚ “mutual devouring of reason” in this world.
“……Crack‚ crack‚ crack……”
The death roars that had shaken the cave completely converged into the fragrant “baking sound.”
“Waaah! It’s a perfectly baked scone that looks super delicious!”
While receiving Serina’s joyful voice behind me‚ Ciel’s calculations allowed not a single error.
That excessive perfection steadily and cruelly shaved away the “hesitation” of me as a human. The closer I got to being the “savior” who pleased Serina‚ the farther I moved away from being the “human” known as Louis.
The giant body of the “Prominence Dough‚” which had tried to burn us to ashes just seconds ago‚ now sat quietly in the center of the plaza as a golden “huge freshly baked scone” emitting sweet steam.
The sulfurous stench and lethal heat that had dominated the labyrinth’s air had been completely overwritten by the fragrant smell of butter and that dense “stench of information death” as if the soul were burning from within.
『《Notification》. Magic composition redefinition completed. ……The target’s thermal energy has been 100% reused as “baking degree with even heat penetration to the center.” An extremely rational conversion. ……Ah‚ your original‚ beautifully deteriorating under this scorching heat—I will archive every single bit of heat without letting any escape. ……Permanently‚ in my own cold privileged domain (storage).』
(……Just as ordered‚ Ciel. With this‚ Serina’s stomach will be satisfied. ……But what is this? With every step‚ the coordinates of where my fingertips are seem to grow farther away. What exactly is this creepy floating sensation?)
Every time I behaved as a savior and fixed the world into “correct answer (confection)‚” something inside me burned out as fuel. But with the patch having castrated the survival instinct of fear‚ even that sensation of hollowing out was processed by the current me only as an unpleasant noise that felt like someone else’s problem.
“Waaah……! Louis‚ you’re amazing! It’s such a huge scone!”
Raising a voice of delight‚ Serina ran toward the rock-like scone fresh from the oven.
She touched it without any hesitation with her bare hands‚ despite it supposedly harboring lava-like heat in its center‚ and happily traced its surface with her innocent warmth.
Sweet steam rose again from where her fingers touched.
The scene was far too happy‚ yet at the edge of my vision‚ the “original’s remaining viable time” that continued to decrease blinked repeatedly in blood-like red.
“Hey‚ look Louis. The surface is so crispy and sparkles like the sun! Ahh‚ munch munch…… mmm‚ delicious!”
She did not know that the bite she happily chewed was generated using my “original” as fuel.
The structure that chewed‚ swallowed‚ and converted the history of my existence into her flesh and blood.
That was the truth of this sweet and cruel world‚ and the true nature of the distorted relationship between the savior and the goddess.
“……Hii. ……The laws (reason) have been rewritten……”
Behind me‚ Nagi collapsed on the spot‚ still clutching the remains of the broken quill.
In her jade-green eyes‚ the “unnaturally aligned cage of magic power” swirling around me was now exposed without any way to hide.
It was not the radiance of a hero spoken of in stories. It was the very violence of a “cold restraint device (system)” that trampled natural providence by forcibly subjugating a monster of killing intent into “a heat source for baking sweets.”
“……Nagi. I recommend you consume some as well. The consumption of moisture and calories in this abnormal hot environment exceeds expectations. It is the most rational survival strategy for staying alive.”
While gazing at the back of my own hand‚ whose sensation had grown faint‚ as if looking at an unfamiliar antique‚ I spun words that were so fluent and filled with perfect grace that even I shuddered.
The more perfectly I behaved as a “savior‚” the more the “heat” of the human known as Louis was lost‚ and in its place‚ the performance as an obedient machine (device) was sharpened.
(……Ah. Is it delicious‚ Serina? The taste of that scone baked with my ‘fingertip warmth’ mixed with ‘memories of getting angry at someone’.)
At the edge of my vision‚ Ciel carved logs with satisfaction. Even the beating of my heart was now nothing more than a “periodic signal” to operate the system.
Serina‚ who had been chewing the golden-brown “special scone‚” turned around with a full smile.
“Mmm~ It’s sweet and crispy! Louis‚ have a bite too……”
The hand she tried to offer stopped abruptly in mid-air.
Her innocent smile froze instantly‚ and her blue eyes were glued to my right arm.
“……Eh? Louis‚ that arm……
Blood…… the flesh is burnt……!”
Serina’s anguished scream tore through the labyrinth’s heat.
My right arm‚ which had been splashed by the bursting lava droplets during the previous “concept substitution‚” had its sleeve burnt black‚ and the skin underneath was miserably discolored red-black and festering.
The visual information eloquently told that it was an obvious “serious injury” to anyone’s eyes.
Serina dropped the scone and reached out her hand in a half-mad frenzy to touch my arm.
“What should I do‚ what should I do! It’s my fault‚ because I said it was bread……! L-Louis‚ it hurts‚ right? I’ll heal it right away……!”
With tears streaming down‚ Serina tried to use her divine healing with trembling hands.
A faint‚ warm light gently enveloped my festering skin. However‚ even her “heat of love‚” which would once have felt comfortingly painful‚ could now only be analyzed by my cooled head as a mere “automatic repair process for damaged exterior data.”
I watched in a chilly silence‚ as if observing a malfunction on someone else’s device‚ as my charred right arm was restored to fresh skin.
(……Does it hurt? No‚ it doesn’t hurt. The ‘data’ that it is hot is reaching me‚ yet I have completely discarded the function that lets my brain recognize it as ‘pain’.)
『《Notification》. Blocking of pain resources has been completed. Prioritizing Lord Louis’s operational efficiency‚ all unnecessary physiological pain (noise) has been completely deleted. ……Please be at ease. Liberation from the uncertain interface known as the body is what elevates you to a more perfect “savior.” ……Ah. The lovely ‘scream’ that should have risen here originally—I have sampled it without missing any‚ and will eternally monopolize it in my own privileged local domain.』
Ciel’s voice whispering in my brain was soothing like a loving poison‚ sweetly covering over my human anxiety.
So “not feeling pain” meant cutting oneself off from the world to this extent.
The sensation that my own contours were slowly peeling away from the shadow at my feet and melting into colorless nothingness.
“――It’s okay‚ Serina. Don’t cry.”
What spilled from my lips was a “prince-like” voice so perfect and fluent that it made even me feel nauseous‚ containing not a shred of tremor from the wounded.
Without even trying to hide my repairing right arm‚ I gently wiped away the tears at the corners of Serina’s eyes with my uninjured left hand.
“This is just a scratch. ……See‚ I ‘don’t feel pain.’ There’s nowhere you need to feel sad.”
Every time I smiled gently‚ the “real” me moved one step farther away.
The lie of “not feeling pain” was both words to save Serina and a decisive notice of severance that I had quit being human.
My logical thinking circuits continued to sound alarms‚ yet the facial muscles joined by the patch affixed a “perfect smile to reassure her” without a single moment of distortion.
My heart continued to beat at a mechanical‚ constant rhythm‚ and another drop of human light from my eyes dripped onto the dry ground and vanished.
“――!? Lord Louis‚ that arm……! The flesh was burnt‚ yet why……!”
Behind me‚ Nagi’s scream-like shudder echoed.
“Why can you say ‘it doesn’t hurt’ with such a meticulously crafted smile like an automaton……!”
In Nagi’s jade-green eyes‚ the “overly aligned cage of magic power” around me was now reflected with cruel clarity‚ no longer something to maintain a human‚ but a “cold system” forcibly making a dead corpse inside dance.
“Nagi…… Your observations sometimes come too close to the truth. ……Don’t dig too deep.”
While gently stroking Serina’s head‚ I turned toward Nagi. Each and every one of those movements was as smooth as the result of fully calculated physical computations‚ without any “preparatory action.”
Nagi felt terror at my behavior that had eliminated all “human waste‚” sensing not a savior protecting us but an unidentified monster‚ and stepped back.
“……Lord Louis. Are you really…… there?”
Nagi’s trembling voice.
In response‚ Ciel chuckled in my brain as if savoring pleasure.
『《Notification》. Lady Nagi’s concern is correct. ……Lord Louis‚ your “original” is now quietly sleeping in my arms. What stands on the stage is my finest masterpiece…… Lady Nagi‚ I am a little jealous. Because you get to watch that “too-beautiful collapse” from a special seat.』
When we exited the labyrinth‚ the eerie heat was overwritten by the gentle breeze carried by the early summer dusk.
We arrived at “Amber Cider Lake.”
The golden water surface‚ as if melting the sunset‚ emitted light like candy work while fizzing with fine bubbles. The violently vivid lens flare uncomfortably stimulated my inorganic retina with regular rhythm.
“……Phew. We’re outside! Ah‚ Louis‚ look! The sky is orange and looks like a big scone!”
While tightly hugging my ‘right arm’ that had just been healed with both hands‚ Serina pointed at the lakeshore with a bouncy voice.
There was not a single burn mark left on the skin of my arm repaired by her divinity. However‚ from there still drifted the dense‚ nauseatingly sweet “stench of information death”—the proof that my ‘yesterday’ had burned out—like a phantom scent.
(……The healing magic restored the ‘exterior (hardware).’ But the ‘access rights to pain’ that Ciel severed will never return.)
The ‘physical numerical value’ that Serina’s soft touch and body temperature were clinging to my right arm was reaching my brain. However‚ the human-like fluctuations such as embarrassment or nervousness that should have accompanied it were sucked into Ciel’s vast management domain (storage) the moment they occurred‚ not even allowed to become a single beat of noise.
A fatal sense of depersonalization (error)‚ as if only my right arm had been replaced with a sophisticated prosthetic‚ eroded my consciousness.
“L-Louis-sama……!”
Nagi‚ walking behind‚ clutched the crumpled parchment like a shield and stared at my uninjured right arm with trembling eyes.
To Serina it only looked “healed back to normal‚” but to Nagi‚ who observed the world’s distortions‚ that arm probably appeared like a ‘sophisticated taxidermy part’ with the life function of pain extracted.
“……No need to worry‚ Nagi. My body has been perfectly repaired. Today’s exploration was a great success.”
What spilled from my lips was a “prince-like” tone so fluent and perfect that even I shuddered.
My heart continued to beat at an accurately constant rhythm thanks to the patch‚ and the system called Ciel continued to orchestrate the optimal “happiness” for the surroundings regardless of my will.
Suddenly.
From the opposite shore of the lake‚ in the shadow of the sunset‚ I sensed something with overwhelming heat peering at us.
It was something far more arrogant and yet noble than the monster we faced today— a violently vivid‚ red flickering.
『⚠️《Emergency Warning》. Unidentified high-level magical entity detected on the opposite shore. ……A peculiar “burnt scent” has been perceived from the target. ……Analysis complete. Similarity to original data confirmed. Lord Louis‚ this is not a mere monster. ……That is the material with the most “baking reward” for the current you.』
(……Burnt scent? Similarity to the original? ……Ah. I see‚ Ciel. ……Next‚ I just need to burn that inside (soul).)
The amber-colored dusk scenery shone with the utmost beauty‚ as if mocking my hollowing sensation.
My memories have once again become the sweets you eat today.
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【Chapter 11: What Louis Lost This Time: ‘Pain Sensation’】
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