Chapter 92 - Sleeping With the Enemy 5 (2/2)

Artpe let out a sigh as he looked at the empty seat.Maetel was also looking at Regina’s empty seat.She suddenly called out his name.

“······Artpe.”

“Huh?”

“Artpe usually acts on logic rather than feeling, right?”

“That’s right?”

“From the beginning to end, why are you trying to appeal to her emotions?”

Artpe stopped for a brief moment, but soon, he smirked as he turned to look at Maetel.

“In what way have I been appealing to her emotions?”

“Regina said she was a golem, yet you continue to treat her as a human with free will.”

“That’s because she possesses free will?”

“······yes, I see.”

Maetel didn’t show much surprise at his answer.She nodded her head.It was the same for Sienna.It seemed they had roughly known what was going on from the start.Her questions to Artpe were merely confirming her suspicions.

“Oppa.Regina isn’t a golem, right?”

Sienna asked the question.Artpe mulled it over for a brief moment.He decided it would be best to tell them the truth in advance if they were going to bring Regina into their party.

He calmly gathered his thoughts, then he spoke.

“Yes.If she is a golem, the magical engineering field will have to change their definition.”

It was true that the magicians had created a miracle.

The Demite could grow and use magic, but it possessed no vitality.However, it possessed a firm will, and the magicians used this will as a background to give it a body that can be used.

However, they were mistaken about one thing.It was the fact that they hadn’t created a golem with the Demite.In the end, golems were tools that always followed the orders of their masters.

Regina possessed independent consciousness, so how could she be a golem?

It was a bad joke.Currently, Regina was a Demite that had acquired a body.She wasn’t someone more or someone less than that.In fact, she was closer to being a human than a golem.No, it was more apt to say she was of a humanoid race that was infinitely similar to a human.

“It probably took countless trials and errors.They probably spend unbelievable amount of resources to create a body that can accept a Demite in its entirety.I applaud them for succeeding.However, that was all they were able to do.They couldn’t control her.They tried putting in control measures that would have worked on a golem, but it didn’t work.That is why they used the magic of suggestion.”

“Suggestion······.”

“Yes, it was the power of suggestion.”

Suggestion.

Regina had shown off this skill before.It was a type of magic that stimulated the opponent’s mind.It made the subject naturally trust and follow the caster’s words.Regina had nonchalantly hypnotized several thousand humans, yet she was hypnotized herself too.It was an amusing situation.

“When her body and mind was immature, the magicians continuously placed restrictions on her.They told her other golems acted in a certain way, so she had to act in the same way as the golems.They planted the idea that she would be in big trouble if she went against them.They told her she wasn’t capable of doing certain things, and she must follow only them.Countless suggestions were layered on top of each other, and these suggestions became absolute restrictions in her mind.”

“She originally had free will, but the suggestions…...”

They hadn’t been with Regina for a long time, but it was clear to them that she wasn’t living a free life.She had to swallow her words, because she couldn’t speak certain words that were forbidden to her.She had sporadically tried to escape, and he had also seen her repeatedly perform specific actions as if she was doing it out of obligation.

The only reason why she had conversed with Artpe’s party was the fact that his party was too powerful for her.Normally, she never conversed with strangers.

She conducted missions given to her by her ‘master.’After returning from her mission, she trained in magic, and she leveled up.She lived her life by repeating this cycle.

How could she have time to converse with others?

Of course, this was why the way she spoke was weird.

“······they are really bad people.”

Maetel came to a decision as to what was right and what was wrong.She no longer looked guarded when talking about Regina.Again, Sienna had a different reaction from Maetel.She became angry.

“They are really bad.I want to punish all of them.”

“Don’t worry.I’ll be punishing all of them.”

Artpe had expected such a response, so he replied in an apathetic manner.At that moment, Maetel asked him a question in an argumentative manner.Of course, he had expected this question too.

“Why didn’t you tell her this, Artpe?You had plenty of opportunities.”

“I had captured her as an enemy.Do you think the suggestion spell will break just because I spoke to her?It might have caused the spell to gain a firmer footing within her.”

“Then······.”

“That is why I sent her to Tiata.”

Originally, he had planned on wiping out the group of people that were called her ‘masters.’Afterwards, he would have slowly unravelled the suggestions ingrained within her.However, something unexpected had happened.He had gained a ticket from the Duke.The Artifact would allow him to send Regina to Tiata.His task became easier.

“She might be hurt more in the short term, but this method will allow her to heal faster.······also this will allow us to lessen the damage caused to others.”

“You want her to come to the Forest of Eternity, right? What’s there, Artpe?”

A bitter smile formed on Artpe’s lips.

“It’s something we have always seen.It doesn’t matter where one goes.The outward appearance of human greed can be changed, but it just lurks beneath the surface.”

At that point, Maetel and Sienna accepted his words, and they backed off.Artpe let out a sigh of relief when he saw this.The two of them were focused on Regina, so he was able to give an evasive answer.

However, Maetel’s observation was correct.For some reason, he had been empathetic towards Regina.

The fact that she wasn’t a golem didn’t fully explain his behavior.When dealing with Regina, he relied on an unconvincing possibility.He had been way too soft on her.Of course, he acted this way even knowing that there was a possibility she wouldn’t become a member of his party.

Regina had been shackled for the past 200 years just because she was born through the hands of magicians.In his past life, he had been bound by the Demon King.He felt an unbelievable amount of anger when he saw Regina, who was bound without her knowledge.She had done nothing wrong.He couldn’t let it be.

He had plenty coercive measure he could have used to completely bring down the Demon King.It would have allowed him to live a comfortable life into his old age.However, he hadn’t done pursued these course of actions.

Maybe, he had tried to come find Regina as soon as possible, because of this following reason.

‘I’m the personification of irrationality.I’m acting selfish by only being sympathetic towards beings that are in a similar plight as me.Who did this?Who the hell revived a lowlife demon into a hero?’

Still, there was nothing he could do about what had occurred.This was his life now.He let out a bitter laugh as he watched his party members firm their resolves to invade Aedia.He stopped thinking about such thoughts as he took out the Demite’s Gemstone.As if to say she understood his feeling, Roa let out a short meow.

Artpe snorted.

“I still won’t give you this, you dork.”

[Nyaa.]

On that night, Artpe was successful in refining the Demite.

The party departed with the king of Daitan, and the select elite soldiers chosen by him.They headed towards the capital of Aedia.