Chapter 72: Pygmalion (4)
Mages were a race that did not understand restraint.
To Hecate—goddess of magic, who valued efficiency—this was enough to make her clutch the back of her neck and collapse.
And to make matters worse, Njord.
The things he had prepared were so valuable that most mages would never touch them even once in their lifetime.
That only made their eyes roll back further in madness.
‘So it’s because of those lunatics that I’m suffering…’
Katrin, already bloodshot and furious, pointed her thorn-vine staff at Njord.
“Then you must have discovered something, yes…? If not, I’ll treat you to a taste of hellfire.”
Njord saw that Katrin really intended to blast him with the flames of hell, so he hurriedly spilled everything he had figured out.
“Y-yes… of course! I found something when I met the head of the House of Cepheus!”
If he slipped up, he really might end up bedridden for days after tasting her magic.
“The head of the House of Cepheus is… an automaton maniac!!!”
The mood in the room immediately turned freezing cold—
As if the entire house was being encased in ice.
Even Catherine, an automaton herself, could feel the chill.
‘So this is what humans call… a frigid atmosphere.’
Had Njord heard that thought, he would have kindly corrected her:
‘No, that’s not a feeling. The house is literally freezing. We’re screwed.’
Katrin’s hair rose, her thorn-vines writhed like snakes.
Nox, watching from the side, didn’t bother stopping her.
Instead, she gave Njord a look that said, Really? That’s what you chose to say?
In truth, Nox found it entertaining. She just didn’t want to get caught in her disciple’s rage.
‘Heh heh. How does he always manage to say something so amusing?’
With everyone refusing to help him, Njord desperately clarified:
“No—no! I meant that the wife of Lord Cepheus is an automaton! Her name is Galatea! Isn’t that strange? A noble head taking an automaton as his wife!”
The thorny vines threatening him froze in mid-air.
“Continue.”
“A-ahem, well—you know I’ve been studying how much automatons are acknowledged here on this island, right? For the locals, automatons are basically disposable servants, or at best convenient helpers. Only a very small few treat them better. But the wife of the island’s most powerful noble family—an automaton? That’s suspicious.”
After thinking it over, Katrin slowly calmed.
Crude wording aside, if the most prestigious noble on the island openly presented an automaton as his wife, that was a strange matter.
“So, you think the head of the House of Cepheus—is directly related to Pygmalion?”
“Exactly. The only one who would truly love automatons like humans… would be the creator himself.”
Nox, who had been listening quietly, agreed.
“Hm. I believe he’s correct. There is something quite bizarre about this island.”
Nox’s agreement solidified Njord’s conclusion.
After all, Nox was mother to all monstrous oddities in the world.
“Still, you didn’t need to phrase it so crudely. I really must fix that mouth of yours.”
The thorn-vines resumed their assault, and screams echoed throughout the mansion.
“Gyaaaaa!!”
***
With their first real lead, they left the research of the Soft Heart to the mages and began digging into the House of Cepheus.
The more they Investigated, the stranger it became:
First, there were no humans in the House of Cepheus.
The automatons were so well-made that even divine senses could mistake them as human.
Second, the head of the house—Geppetto—rarely left the estate.
Even the island’s citizens barely knew him.
His wife, Galatea, was said to have been brought from outside the island.
Third, automatons had spread not just through the estate, but across the entire island.
The most horrific part was that some automatons were disguising themselves as humans and living among them.
“Damn… we noticed too late. We were too absorbed in the Soft Heart.”
“I agree. To think there are even mages who’ve been replaced by automatons…”
“I also believed that humans had finally found a way to draw magic from the heart like dragons…”
Their failure was due to one simple fact:
They were gods in human skin.
Just like humans couldn’t tell ants apart, gods couldn’t easily distinguish humans.
Even in mortal vessels, their minds were still divine.
“Something is about to happen, isn’t it?”
“Most likely. The Soft Heart is made by combining the Golden Race and humans.”
“Yes. And it seems Pygmalion possesses the means to transform humans into the Golden Race.”
“Do you believe Aphrodite is involved?”
“…….”
Njord’s question left the room silent.
None of them knew whether Aphrodite was involved or not.
If she was, things would become far more complicated.
What they didn’t know was that Aphrodite had already vanished from Olympus some time ago.
But because she constantly roamed around forming relationships,
No god found her absence suspicious enough to search for her.
While they were briefly pondering Aphrodite,
Nox—who had been quietly listening—spoke in a fresh, breezy voice like a spring wind.
“If she is involved, then we simply turn her back into foam. Isn’t that enough?”
“…….”
“Uh… right.”
Her light tone and the violent suggestion froze the atmosphere.
After all, there was a witch in the room capable of making that happen.
“Hahaha… I’ll take care of her first. Or we can try speaking with her… you know?”
Pretending he heard nothing, Njord hurried to talk about other options.
Katrin also quickly stepped in—worried her teacher’s reputation might be affected.
“Yes, yes. I’ve actually wanted to get closer to Aphrodite, so this may be a good chance.”
“Haha, exactly!”
“Hm… is that so? There is an easier method. But if that’s what you two want…”
Thankfully, it seemed Nox hadn’t truly thought deeply about that terrifying suggestion, and she dropped the subject.
Katrin immediately glared at Njord.
Why did you bring her here again?
***
Once the group had pieced together enough clues…
Deep beneath Cyprus, within an underground cavern,
Geppetto of House Cepheus walked alongside his wife, Galatea.
“Galatea. Once this is done, let’s leave this island and live somewhere quiet. Together… with the automatons.”
“Yes, my lord. I would like that too.”
“No, no—don’t call me that.”
“Yes. Husband.”
Geppetto frowned at being called “my lord,” but the title “husband” finally pleased him.
After walking for a long time, they stopped before a solid iron door covered with countless layers of magic circles.
Had any other mage seen the inscriptions, they would have been horrified—
The arrays were specifically crafted to kill intruders, in the most vicious ways possible.
When Geppetto placed his hand on the door, the circles vanished one by one and the door slowly opened.
K-KRRRUNG.
Beyond it lay…
Humans who had been stripped of various parts and replaced with automaton components, floating inside glass tubes filled with an unknown liquid.
Beside them were magical flasks, a dwarf’s arm, combustible test tubes, Boreas’s thermometer, a mana centrifuge—
Equipment only the most depraved alchemists would use.
But among all the horrors, one thing stood out:
Inside a giant glass tank was a single being.
Golden hair.
Fine, symmetrical features—eyes, nose, lips, all delicately crafted on a small face.
Skin that seemed like a mix of glossy chocolate and polished ivory—strangely beautiful, unnervingly so.
“YOU BASTARD, PYGMALION! THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY MY BLESSING!?!”
The being inside the tube shouted with a deep grudge.
Receiving that fury, Geppetto calmly peeled the skin off his face.
Ssshhhk—
“Oh dear, don’t call me that. Aphrodite. Or perhaps I should call you Venus, since you’re stuck in an avatar?”
Crack. Snap. Tear.
As he tore off the disguise, his body transformed—
The gentle, brown-haired nobleman vanished.
In his place stood a tall, sharp-featured mad alchemist, with pitch-black hair and deranged, narrow eyes.
“You, Pygmalion… I helped you because I admired your automatons… and this is how you repay me?”
“Haha, then I am grateful. If not for you, how would I have made Galatea into a new race of humans? How would I have perfected my automatons?”
“Then why betray me?!”
“Oh, simply because one day, some strange visitors came to me and asked—
‘Would you like to see a world without humans? A world of automatons alone?’
And so I replied—ahh, how could I refuse such a world…?”
Pygmalion’s eyes were vacant and ecstatic, as though he were feverishly intoxicated.
“You lunatic…”
“Oh, I accept the title. But I am still truly grateful to you. Did you know? I still go to your temple and offer prayers regularly?”
“…….”
Aphrodite’s expression twisted with disgust at his hypocrisy. Pygmalion didn’t care.
“If not for you, how would I have conceived the idea of merging humans with the Golden Race?”
With that, Pygmalion pressed a button.
The glass tank vibrated, draining the divine blood from Aphrodite’s avatar.
The harvested ichor was then funneled into an artificial heart—
And it began to beat.
“Gods are truly magnificent. Even a mere avatar of yours has such power. You know, the mages outside are on the verge of madness, screaming—‘How did he make the Soft Heart?’ Hahaha!”
Aphrodite bit her lip so hard it bled.
Had she known, she would never have visited this madman through an avatar…