Chapter 194: Peeking.

Veronica’s eyes have seen many things.

In the past, they were used to read emotions and detect lies.

The more she saw things with her eyes, the more her skill level increased, allowing her to see even more.

But along with that, she had to see things she didn’t want to see.

Things she didn’t want to see.

Things she didn’t want to know.

Those things gnawed at her mind and made her indifferent to everything.

She became unable to have expectations or hopes in people.

But that changed after coming to Slime Land.

There were so many good people here.

So, she wore the <Eyepatch Slime> made by Savior Lime and tried not to use her eyes as much as possible.

Because knowing unnecessary things could make her uncomfortable.

And the more she used her eyes, the stronger they became.

“Isn’t it a waste to keep covering your beautiful eyes? If you practice hard, you might be able to control it at will. I’ll help you.”

She changed her mind because of Savior Lime’s words.

During practice, she could be with Savior Lime’s clone.

Even if it was not the main body but something like reflected light, she wanted to be close to the sun.

Is this feeling toward Savior Lime faith, respect, or love?

Veronica still couldn’t clearly distinguish the identity of this small and precious emotion.

Even though she had eyes that could see through others’ emotions.

She couldn’t see her own emotions.

A while ago, Savior Lime mentioned that he was looking for a spirit-like entity wandering the internet without a body, and asked if she could see anything.

Thinking that if her eyes could see the color of souls, she might find that person.

As a result of practicing while seeing various things with Savior Lime, she became able to filter out quite a few things she didn’t want to see.

And she could see things that she couldn’t see before.

But nothing was visible.

Because Veronica’s eyes weren’t like a search bar.

Even if she looked at a computer, she could see the computer’s structure, but not the soul of someone connected through the internet.

After that, Veronica pondered if there was a way to help achieve what Savior Lime desired.

Still, no method was visible, but when President Lime started using <Terminal Slime> to replace undersea cables, the story changed a bit.

When looking at Deps, she could see various scenes from the information flowing through the internet.

She saw the scene where Savior Lime dies and the world ends.

On one day, she saw Uncle Red, the leader of the Slime Rangers, turning into a slime.

On another day, she saw Uncle Hans turning into a slime.

And on yet another day.

She saw herself turning into a slime.

The curse of lust, one of the curse fragments that dwelled in Savior Lime.

That curse still dwelled in her virtual self in the den of those madmen.

Her virtual self quickly acquired the [Mimicry] skill and didn’t get caught for changing appearance.

While maintaining her human form like that, she learned various things from the curse.

How to utilize what she sees.

How to manipulate people.

Her virtual self followed that voice and put all the madmen under her feet.

Around that time, Savior Lime in human form appeared.

At that moment, her virtual self gave up immediately.

Because she didn’t know what to do against the sun.

After that, several scenes came to mind.

Life with Savior Lime, called the Saint, wasn’t much different from now.

The positions were reversed, but Savior Lime’s warm attitude remained the same.

The way she put the madmen under her feet was quite shocking.

Like a noble villainess, she incited people, ruined them, and drove them even madder.

It was a process that stirred up sticky emotions and created an even greater hell.

Veronica wasn’t greatly shocked by what she saw.

Because she had seen much more disgusting and horrifying things in the den of madmen.

Separating what she saw from herself was familiar.

There was no shock, but there was learning.

Veronica understood the techniques that the curse taught her virtual self.

Now that she had eyes superior to her virtual self.

If she used those techniques, she could manipulate people like limbs.

But it meant nothing.

Because the opponent she wanted to use that technique on was the sun.

No tricks work against the sun.

There, Veronica realized.

Whatever exactly the feeling she had for Savior Lime was, it wasn’t faith.

It was a bit more personal and selfish emotion.

Veronica saw Savior Lime’s clone passing by.

These days, the clones were moving even more freely.

Suddenly, greed arose.

Since there are so many, wouldn’t it be okay to have one Savior Lime just for herself?

After thinking and organizing her thoughts and emotions for a while, Veronica went to find Hans.

She confessed her feelings to the fanatic who records and remembers every word of Savior Lime.

Hans was her teacher, and this feeling was betraying his teachings.

“Is that so.”

After hearing the whole story, Hans answered not as an executive of AlchemySlime Company, but as a priest who believes in the Alchemy Slime.

Ordinary people might not be able to read the expression Hans is making now, but Veronica’s eyes pierced through his emotions.

The emotion rising in Hans’s chest was not anger.

It was a bit of regret and joy.

“I hoped you would succeed my work, but Veronica is going on a different path. Lime-nim will be pleased too.”

Veronica tilted her head.

“Because Lime-nim wants everyone to have dreams and desires and pursue them. And fulfilling those desires is my joy.”

Veronica felt that Savior Lime wanted something from her and was pleased when she achieved it.

So she thought she had similar emotions to Hans.

But apparently, there was a considerable difference at the root.

Hans didn’t desire repayment, but she wanted Savior Lime to look back at her.

“Lime-nim always regretted that your emotions are faint and you desire little. If you know that you’ve developed something you truly desire, he will be genuinely pleased.”

Is that really true?

Just imagining it, Veronica felt the emotion in her chest slowly spreading warmth.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean your feelings will be accepted.”

Veronica knew that too.

Right now, Savior Lime’s interest and emotions are strongly directed toward someone else.

Because the time and history they built together are different, she had no confidence in winning.

But do I have to win?

Savior Lime is in a state closer to a god than a human.

Unlike humans, whose time and abilities are limited and burdensome to devote to just one person.

He has the capacity to share time and attention with many people.

The emotion Veronica harbored was not lust.

The relationship she desired was not that of lovers.

Savior Lime’s current form wasn’t suitable for such a role.

The relationship Veronica desired was.

Friends, lovers, family, spouses.

If you draw a square with these four as vertices, it was a relationship somewhere within that.

Friendly like friends.

Caring for each other like lovers.

Unbreakable like family.

Forming deep trust like spouses.

That was the kind of relationship.

“But among the scenes you saw, was there perhaps my scene as well?”

Veronica explained what she had seen.

Upon hearing the story, Hans made the <Wig Slime> wriggle and said.

“That sounds like me.”

***

Makina looked at the girl with the gemstone eyes with a complicated state of mind.

To have peeked at the simulation she was running.

It felt like she had been hacked.

Memories from 11 years ago also resurfaced, making a non-existent wound throb.

The simulation that she originally had no intention of showing to others.

The girl who saw it ended up harboring quite strong emotions.

Emotions closer to something sticky rather than warm and fluffy.

Even though it was something she had seen on her own, she felt a small sense of responsibility.

Fortunately, she didn’t think she wanted to go after that child.

Since that child, who hadn’t made even one lover until now, was impregnable.

During school days, that child was very popular.

It was natural, as he had all the elements that could attract popularity.

The scale of popularity during school days was mainly appearance, studying, and sports.

That child couldn’t study calmly because he was involved in so many things, so he wasn’t in the top ranks, but he was quite good at it due to his cleverness.

He was born with excellent athletic ability and naturally trained by adapting to various people’s hobbies.

His facial features were decent, and he always maintained a bright expression.

Up to this point, it was enough to be popular, but his personality was also good.

He basically maintained a pleasant attitude, but when necessary, he showed a serious and mature demeanor.

He listened to stories seriously and acted with consideration.

It was natural for people of all ages and genders to be swayed by that child.

However, surprisingly, he rarely got involved in romantic scandals.

It wasn’t that internet ghosts full of malice spread rumors to monopolize that child….

“Not today. I have an appointment with a precious friend.”

There were widespread rumors that he had a girlfriend.

The people around him thought it was natural for someone like that child to have a partner.

A pie in the sky.

That was that child’s position.

Still, there were girls who confessed their love to that child.

Those who were rumored to be dark or unable to control their emotions conveyed their honest feelings to that child.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have the confidence to spend my time only on you.”

That child always rejected them.

With an attitude that was so serious and burdensome that the person confessing thought, ‘I, I don’t want that kind of thing….’

It wasn’t that he hadn’t reached puberty.

And it wasn’t that he lacked sexual desire.

But why did he maintain such an attitude?

Makina subtly asked about romance while suggesting a dating game.

-Aren’t you interested in dating?

-I am interested, though?

-So, I’m enjoying this game too.

-In reality?

-Dating means handing over half of your life to the other person and receiving half of theirs, right?

-That half includes resources like interest and time.

-Right now, I have too many things I’m doing and planning to do, so it’s impossible!

-As long as I can judge this rationally, I don’t think I can do something like dating?

-Too serious?

-Love is something that should be treated seriously.

That child was a man who was overly serious and heavy to dream of fresh love.

It was a bit crude, but because that child was such a person, Makina felt a little relieved.

At first glance, it seemed like normal dating would be impossible for him.

On the other hand, it was scary.

If that child got into a love accident, the promise he made with her could be shaken.

Fortunately, such a thing didn’t happen.

Anyway, since he is the owner of such thoughts, if Veronica was influenced by the Curse of Lust and wanted to date that child, she would have walked a thorny path.

Even <Companion Slime> has been released, so there’s a high chance he would reject a request for a clone.

“You want my clone? It’s rare for Veronica to want something. Okay.”

Makina was surprised that her prediction was wrong.

That child didn’t accept Veronica in a romantic sense.

And that girl didn’t want that either.

Given that child’s personality, if someone confessed to him, he would definitely reject it saying his body couldn’t handle it.

Makina pondered for a moment.

Why did he so casually share part of himself like that?

Even if it was a clone, it was something strongly connected to him.

The answer came quickly.

That child had become able to handle multiple clones, so the scale of his life had grown enormously. For him, others’ one second was like thousands or tens of thousands of seconds.

He might be perceiving giving a clone not as giving something away, but as just sparing a little time.

It wasn’t the perspective or way of thinking of a human.

In a way, it was an extension of how he used days ending in 9 as much as possible just for Makina.

Suddenly, Makina felt like her eyes met Veronica’s.

The expression of the girl who had peeked at the simulation and learned dampness changed slightly.

It was as if she was provoking her to keep hiding.

Makina became slightly uneasy.

The fear of losing her place resurfaced.

Veronica’s fishing was successful.