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Max stood before Edgar and his group, who were looking down at him with disdain, as if he were nothing more than an insect.

And among them was Enya Cruel.

She was the embodiment of his perfect ideal and the object of his admiration, standing next to the one person she despised the most, Edgar Fix, glaring at him.

The corners of Max’s mouth twisted into a sardonic smile.

“Ah, so this is what it’s come to. Is this really your world now?”

Max, who had lost everything from his beloved woman to his closest friend to Edgar Fix, didn’t lash out or express fury like before.

Instead, he approached Edgar casually, adjusting the collar of his clothing, and said, “But, Lord Fix, how long do you think this glory of yours will last? Hmm? Nothing is eternal, you know.”

With a smirk filled with malice, he continued to tidy Edgar’s collar.

Then he let his hand drop and said, “Enjoy this moment as much as you can. You never know; everything you’ve built could crumble in an instant due to some calamity.”

With that, Max shot a glance at Enya.

It was a grin that felt unsettling yet bright, like it was saying, “You will belong to me one day.”

It felt pathetic.

“Well then, waste your food appropriately. I’m a ‘Count Zigmund’ now, so I don’t have to worry about appearances.”

And with that, Max made an ambiguous appeal to his new title and slipped away.

It was the worst bragging one could do right before his father’s funeral.

Sighing, Enya remarked, “Ugh… he seems even more annoying than before. It’s more infuriating seeing him show off.”

Max vanished with an air of arrogance, as if he were some great figure.

Edgar chuckled and replied, “Right? Seems like he’s gained a bit of confidence.”

***

“100% Demon Church.”

In the quiet corner of Zigmund Castle, Edgar said this, glancing at Eve, who nodded in agreement.

Then, he began to explain logically why Max Zigmund belonged to the Demon Church.

“I think so too. I analyzed the flickers in Max Zigmund’s eyes and his heart rate earlier. His behavioral patterns show features of someone trying to put on a show. It’s all true. He’s convinced that some disaster is coming.”

“…”

Unlike Edgar, who sensed it through ‘insight,’ Eve discerned it through objective biological data.

Edgar squinted and asked, “Hey, Eve. Can you detect lies using that method?”

“Of course. There are traits that arise when someone lies. Eye flicker, gaze handling, habits, behavioral patterns, voice pitch. All this data converges to ‘specific numbers.’ If they’re close to that number, you can statistically determine whether it’s a lie or truth.”

Edgar stared blankly at Eve, his high-performance android assistant, who could even detect lies.

Then, he told her to analyze his data and guess what he was thinking.

Suddenly—

“There’s no way you can guess this, right?”

“Huh?”

She matched his thoughts without missing a single word.

Then, with a sly grin, Eve said, “Right now… ‘No way! Is it really that?’”

“………Wow.”

“I guessed it perfectly. By revealing my heart rate and facial muscle changes, I can indirectly let you know what the answer is.”

Edgar chuckled weakly at Eve’s words.

How adorable Fix had evolved to the point of reading his thoughts.

It felt a bit surreal and scary.

“…I’m detecting fear data?”

At that moment, Eve stared at Edgar, her eyes wide.

Edgar, with a flustered expression, mumbled, “Fear data? That can’t be right…”

Then, Eve smiled wryly and said, “…I get it. The fear you feel comes from the common human experience of cognitive dissonance. It’s the fear when you realize your wife is actually a murderer or that your husband is involved in a cult… it’s when you come to grips with facts that contradict your previous understanding.”

“…”

“Isn’t it a little mind-blowing? That this cute toy who would always listen to you is now analyzing you as a woman. Just the fact that I, who used to be a robotic arm, now acts like a human woman must feel strange too.”

Eve looked at him as she said this.

Edgar quietly nodded, recognizing the discomfort she pointed out.

Until now, ‘Fix’ had only been positioned as his cute toy, so it was indeed unnatural for her to act as she did.

“But… now I have a name. In that moment, I was acknowledged as an individual by you. So I too… want to become human.”

“…”

Eve, who expressed a desire to become human, made Edgar stare blankly, his gaze fixed on her.

With a sincere expression, she continued.

“And honestly… I think there’s not much difference between humans and robots. Isn’t it true? Humans, after all, are just highly programmed organisms. They are programmed with powerful purposes like ‘survival’ and ‘reproduction,’ and their personality and behavioral patterns are shaped to fulfill those goals.”

As she explained, Eve began listing reasons why humans and robots weren’t all that different.

She claimed that all human actions and thought processes derived from the powerful purposes of ‘survival’ and ‘reproduction.’

This was because all human pleasures, pains, and emotions were connected to ‘survival’ and ‘reproduction’.

“And now, I too… have been programmed with ‘survival’ and ‘reproduction’ as my main purposes. Well, reproduction might be a stretch for now… but you know, there are infertile human women, right? Someday I’ll manage to reproduce too!”

Eve aggressively asserted her reasons for being human with various logical arguments.

But Edgar was watching her expression and the authenticity radiating from it rather than all her claims.

Fix, who had now become a precious family member. No, Eve genuinely wanted to be human.

“Alright. If you say so, then that’s how it is.”

So Edgar smiled gently and patted Eve on the head.

Blushing profusely, Eve cheerfully murmured, “I can feel warm emotional data from you.”

Edgar paused, then said, “But, if you just changed your way of speaking, you’d sound so much more human.”

“…Huh?”

“If you keep talking like that, you’ll sound more android-like. Beep boop. Edgar Fix happy data detected. Eve Fix endorphins released. Happiness signal generated. That kind of stuff won’t do.”

Edgar pointed out her issue with typical robot vocal mimicry.

Then Eve nodded with a dazed expression, as if she had just gained a big insight.

Edgar chuckled softly and said, “Now that sounds more human. That goofy expression.”

“…So, if I make that goofy expression more often, does that make me more human?”

“Humans can be a little awkward or let their guard down. But just don’t mess up while working with me, especially today.”

“…Of course! Before being Eve, I’m your servant, after all. I won’t do anything to interfere with your work.”

With her resolute answer, Edgar smiled.

Then he mentioned that it was about time to get to work and suggested they proceed with their preparations.

It was nighttime, after all.

“Here.”

With that, Eve handed over the equipment she had brought for the mission.

It was an eye visor and earphones for the stealth operation.

Afterward, Edgar donned the ultra-light suit, eye visor, and earphones, and conducted a test.

It was to confirm if communication with Eve was going smoothly.

The test yielded no issues.

“Then I’ll begin spatial analysis.”

Having checked all the communication devices, Eve detached a part from her back and pressed a button.

Suddenly, the shell-like component began to transform, morphing into a perfect drone.

It was one of Eve’s personal skills—‘Recon Drone.’

-Whuuuuummm!

The recon drone soared into the sky, rising to the center of Zigmund Castle.

It began analyzing the castle’s interior by emitting invisible mana and electromagnetic waves.

The analysis data was transmitted in real-time to Eve, creating a 3D model structure of the castle uploaded to her memory.

“I found it. A hidden space.”

Having downloaded the complete internal structure, Eve informed Edgar that there was a secret space hidden in the corner.

Understanding the features of the area, Edgar deduced that it was definitely related to the Demon Church and instructed Eve to set that space as their final destination.

“…Optimal routes have been generated. Current time allows enough room for the operation.”

Following Edgar’s command, Eve generated the optimal route and displayed it on Edgar’s visor.

Using the augmented reality mini-map that appeared, Edgar began to move towards the indicated route.

He was penetrating into the security areas of the castle while wearing the stealth suit.

[Two guards are coming 500m ahead. Hide in the right room and wait.]

However, using ‘stealth’ had a short time limit, so he had to remain visible until he burrowed deeper into the center.

Thus, Edgar had to approach the destination under Eve’s guidance.

[The guards passed. You can open the door in 6 seconds and move on.]

Thus, Edgar was freely navigating within the secret spaces of the Zigmund family.

He was cleverly infiltrating while evading all surveillance systems.

[You’re near your destination. Start stealth.]

Soon, as Edgar neared his destination, Eve instructed him to activate stealth.

The security was much tighter near the target area, making it impossible to simply pass through.

So, Edgar activated the stealth function of his suit and cast the ‘Silence’ spell.

It was a spell created with Elena’s help to eliminate footsteps and breathing sounds.

[You just need to go down the stairs.]

With that, Edgar arrived at the stairs leading down, dodging dozens of patrolling guards, and followed Eve’s instructions down to the bottom of the stairs.

At the end of the staircase, he found a small clearing and immediately saw the iron door to the left upon stepping onto the ground.

Two guards stood at the entrance, guarding the iron door.

[…Let’s quietly take care of them with rapid sleep anesthesia.]

For the guards steadfastly securing the iron door, there was no other choice but to neutralize them.

So, Edgar stealthily approached the guards and jabbed the anesthesia needles into their necks.

In an instant, their eyes glazed over, and their bodies toppled forward with a thunk.

[Next shift will be in about 15 minutes. You need to pass through the iron door in that time.]

However, 15 minutes was too short to breach the iron door, which was protected by strong security and strengthening spells.

To get through that door, he needed to thoroughly analyze the ‘security spell’ and the ‘enhanced spell’ it was under, which would take a significant amount of time.

-Whisps… Whisps…

So Edgar decided to exploit the security system’s blind spots.

He would cast a ‘Corrosion Spell’.

Not on the door, but on the wall near the door.

As long as he could get inside, it didn’t matter if he broke through the door or the wall.

‘Phew… I’m glad I asked Elena for this.’

Using a scroll he received from Elena, Edgar penetrated the wall near the iron door and entered inside.

As expected, it was filled with materials and books symbolizing the Demon Church, along with torture devices and sexual paraphernalia.

It was clearly a place for rituals.

[Brother, 10 minutes left.]

But that was as far as admiration went.

Edgar began installing ‘surveillance cameras’ he had brought in various spots.

He hid the cameras as inconspicuously as possible, leaving only the lens visible.

[5 minutes left. The shift team is heading towards the basement stairs.]

Only 5 minutes remained.

Nodding, Edgar shoved all the bricks and dust that had broken away from the corrosion into his inventory.

Then he moved to the opposite hole and began to seal the space he had created with a 3D pen.

Now that his ‘hand skills’ had evolved to level 4, he used ‘remote control’ to project a holographic hand to work with the 3D pen from inside the room.

-Slush, slush, slush, slush, slush, slush, slush.

At an incredible speed, the holes inside the room began to fill up.

As it was being filled with bricks of the same material and color, it looked completely seamless.

With that, Edgar filled both the hole inside and the one outside using remote control, then checked to ensure there were no issues.

It was a perfectly smooth wall.

[Brother, the shift team is coming down. Hurry!]

Just then, heavy footsteps began to echo downwards.

The shift team was arriving.

-Swish.

So Edgar pulled out the device from his pocket.

Then, he propped up the two guards he had knocked out and secured them, simultaneously activating the device.

At that moment—

“Gah!”

The unconscious guard woke up.

The sedation components in his body were purged while mana surged backward, rousing him from unconsciousness.

“Ugh, you guys. Were you sleeping?”

As that happened, the shift team arrived and mockingly spoke up.

The guard who had just regained consciousness snapped back angrily.

“W-Who’s sleeping! I just momentarily staggered because I was tired!”

***

The next day.

The official funeral was held.

Yesterday had been the day for paying respects, and today was the day for the memorial service.

As such, countless nobles gathered to hear the eulogies and mourn the death of Count Zigmund.

Although Count Cairo, who was nearly blind to personal connections, was a war hero who dedicated himself to the Empire, many people formally honored his passing.

After the eulogy had concluded, the count’s casket was buried underground.

The final rite of the funeral, the burial, was completed.

“Let’s go.”

Having completed all formalities, Edgar immediately departed from the Zigmund territory.

This was enough to comfort the soul of Count Cairo, who had been killed by his own son.

All that remained was to thoroughly uncover his son’s sins and deliver appropriate retribution.

Thus, upon returning to his territory, Edgar began to monitor the camera installed in the ‘ritual room.’

He caught a big break just a week after installing the camera.

 

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