Elena Miller, a member of the Mobile Strike Unit Marijan Ballet, felt frustrated even as she tried to inject the girl with an antidote-filled syringe.
“She got bitten, so why is she just standing there doing nothing…!?”
She had clearly seen the girl looking tearfully at the Tsuchinoko bite on her wrist, then wiping away her tears.
Then.
If she had been bitten, she should have realized how dangerous it was, shake it off, and run away immediately.
Why, as soon as the bite was released, did she act as if nothing had happened, smiling foolishly, stroking it again, and even hugging it?
Unless the snake’s body was smeared with honey, this bizarre behavior was simply unexplainable.
Elena stared at the girl’s moist eyes, utterly unable to understand her.
She kept fumbling with the syringe.
Maybe because she was distracted, the needle wasn’t going in properly.
Elena spoke up.
“Could you relax your arm?
It’ll be over in three seco—hm.”
She swallowed her words.
The girl’s body, from what Elena could see, didn’t look tense or stiff in the slightest.
Yet, somehow, as if her skin were made of thick wild animal hide, the needle just wouldn’t go in…
And Elena had no idea why.
She could only chalk it up to pure coincidence or a defective syringe.
After all, the girl’s arm felt soft and smooth, just like a child’s skin should.
“Damn it, what is going on…?
Just, just wait a moment.”
Muttering under her breath, Elena quickly replaced the needle and tried again.
This time, the antidote injected normally.
Only then did Elena relax, offering the girl some words of praise.
“Phew, so it was just a needle issue…
That must have hurt, but you held on well.
It’s all done now.”
The girl looked at Elena as if recognizing her effort.
And the fact that the needle suddenly started working properly right after?
Well, in her urgency, Elena never noticed and would never realize for the rest of her life.
Taking a deep breath, Elena adjusted the device on her wrist.
A wristwatch for Mobile Strike Unit members.
As a specialized supply item for unit operatives, it was state-of-the-art, using a holographic interface as its base.
Once the hologram appeared—
“What kind of background check takes all day…?
What? Denied?
Damn those bastards at the Fourth Research Lab.”
Request denied by the authority of E Lab Director.
Elena grabbed the back of her neck in frustration.
She had sent the girl’s photo ages ago, yet the response she finally got was utter nonsense.
“I should’ve known when they were dragging their feet on a damn background check.”
The Fourth Research Lab was already expected to be wiped out soon, but before that, when she returned to the Sixth Research Lab, she was definitely going to give them hell about this.
Closing the hologram, Elena looked down.
The girl was sitting there, staring blankly.
“Might as well access the database myself—it’ll be faster.
There’s no way a kid like this is above Beta rank.
She should just be a resident citizen, so her record should be there.”
The girl belonged to a different division, but as a veteran with over ten years of experience in the Mobile Strike Unit and a candidate for the next Alpha rank, Elena had considerable authority.
With a little bit of leverage, she could even arrange for the girl and her family to be transferred to the Sixth Research Lab.
There was no reason why a simple background check should be impossible.
That’s what Elena had thought.
But in reality, things were not that simple.
“What are your parents’ names?”
“…How old are you?
Your age?”
“Your residential sector…
No, where do you live?
C-17… That’s near where you were lying down last, right?”
No response.
Absolutely no reaction.
“This is bad.”
Elena swallowed dryly.
If the kid was just being rude and ignoring her, that would be the best-case scenario.
But, Elena’s sharp instincts told her otherwise.
“If someone talks in front of you, it’s natural for your eyes to follow them at least a little…”
That was exactly it.
The girl didn’t even twitch.
She didn’t turn her head.
She didn’t lift a finger.
More than that—her expression, her gaze, even her breathing.
These were things no one could consciously control, unless they were a top-tier actor.
Yet this girl showed nothing.
In a word—lethargic.
Yes,the girl was terrifyingly lethargic.
At an age where she should be bursting with energy, her eyes were utterly empty.
If this was simply the result of staying up all night…
She would have had to stay awake for at least a million nights straight to end up like this.
“This is just like…”
Elena compared the girl to her past memories.
The eyes of the infected, those quarantined in the IF-769-1 containment units—those who would die if they so much as looked in the mirror wrong.
And the girl’s eyes.
But it was obvious.
“No, even they didn’t look this empty.”
Elena clenched her lips.
There was a reason she hadn’t even flinched at being bitten by a snake.
Just how long had she been suffering to end up like this?
Her naturally jewel-like eye color only made the emptiness in her gaze even more disturbing.
Elena was at a loss for words.
Now that she understood the girl’s condition, any frustration she had felt earlier was completely gone.
Normally, Elena was the type to speak formally to anyone outside of her close comrades—even children.
Yet now, she wasn’t just dropping formalities—she didn’t even know what to say.
“This is driving me insane.
It feels like I’m talking to a doll.”
In Elena’s mind, this wasn’t just an issue of a bad home environment.
Even if a child grew up with abusive parents who beat them every chance they got, they wouldn’t end up like this.
And on top of that, the girl’s body showed no signs of injuries, not even minor scars.
“At first, I thought she was just a mature kid…
This is far from normal.”
If it weren’t for the built-in mental contamination scanner in IF-401, Elena might have suspected that the girl’s mind had been shattered in just the short time they’d been talking.
At this point, a background check was out of the question.
She hadn’t gotten any information from the girl, and there was nothing on her to verify her identity.
“At the very least, I need to know your name to do anything.”
Just as Elena was racking her brain—
“…Twenty.”
A small voice was heard.
Elena turned toward it and found herself locking eyes with the girl.
They were beautiful, jewel-like eyes.
“What?”
Caught off guard by the sudden response, Elena tried to recall what she had just said that might have triggered it.
And there was only one possibility.
“…Your name?”
Then, a nod.
The girl, who had been staring blankly at Elena, slowly opened her mouth.
“Sixty… Luegh…
That… Lugh.”
Her voice was awkwardly choppy.
Like she wasn’t used to speaking at all.
She looked old enough to be able to hold a normal conversation, but given the state she had been in, it made sense.
Elena didn’t rush her, instead listening carefully.
Seeing Elena’s patient gaze, the girl finally—
With great difficulty, spoke a single word.
“…Lugh.”
At this, Elena brightened and repeated it back.
“Lugh… So your name is ‘Lugh’?”
“….”
After a brief silence, the girl, looking as though she were thinking it over, eventually nodded.
Elena thought it was a relief.
Since it was quite a unique name, she figured she could find it in the database even without a last name.
“Thank you for answering my question.”
She had assumed the girl wouldn’t say a single word to the end.
Even though it was just a formal courtesy, Elena genuinely thought it was a good outcome and conveyed that to the girl.
The girl, meanwhile, watched Elena’s polite demeanor with a sense of pride—like a parent seeing their well-mannered daughter return home and bow respectfully, unlike a wayward son who caused trouble.
But Elena, busy operating the hologram, would likely never realize that in her lifetime.
Honestly, she was a little surprised.
Asking for my name?
Didn’t you people always call me whatever you wanted, even if I never told you?
From the most common Dragon God to:
Feathered Serpent, White Dragon, Dragon Maiden of the Eastern Sea Palace, Ongryong, Ananta, IF-017, and even Ancestor.
With names thrown around so haphazardly, the fact that they actually asked me what I preferred to be called—
That alone made me feel a little pleased.
Some of them just said their own names and then shut their mouths forever.
On top of that, she always used honorifics and didn’t prod unnecessarily.
Compared to some others, what a difference.
Honestly, Kang Hana is a fake priest.
This janitor girl feels way more like a real one.
One has nothing to offer except psychic energy.
The other does everything well except psychic energy.
It’s obvious which one is more capable.
Though the fact that she wanted to know my name but couldn’t actually read my psychic essence was a big problem…
But that was fine.
I could say my name out loud, after all.
She should consider it an honor.
Our high priest—
No, calling it that makes it confusing with all the past high priests.
I should just use a name.
Yes.
Only Mna, our high priest, knows this name.
Mna? Ancestor? Name?
No, Mna isn’t my name…
…Oh, right.
If I say it here, then you, little fat snake, will learn my name too.
Well, whatever.
Both of you, listen carefully.
Though it’s technically just an abbreviated version of my full name, I spoke it.
“…Luegh.”
I misspoke.
Ah.
That’s not my name.
“Ancestor. Name. Incorrect.”
A sharp rebuke in psychic essence flew at me.
Come on, that’s unfair.
I haven’t spoken in so long, I forgot how to position my tongue properly.
I refocused and got it right this time.
“Lugh.”
This time, I said it properly.
That’s right. This is how it should be.
“Lugh…
Is your name ‘Lugh’?”
Yes.
Little fat snake, remember it well. I’m not saying it twice.
I sent the thought out.
“Incorrect.
Lugh.
Name.
Masculine.
Feels off.”
…this brat keeps at it.
Should I just slice them in half so they learn their lesson?
What do you want me to do about the fact that my name is Lugh?
It’s not like I can tell you my full name is 『T—
Ah.
That full name is impossible to pronounce while wearing pajamas.
I glanced at the janitor girl, who looked busy.
“Lugh… Lugh… So it’s not Lug?
Then why isn’t anything coming up?”
She was completely lost in her own world, staring at the glowing holographic light on her wrist.
I can’t exactly go and say my name is ■■Lugh now, can I?
She’s amusing herself over nothing.
Would she like one of those glow-in-the-dark shells from the lake bottom?
Hmm.
Might as well set this little fat snake straight while I have the chance.
Listen, little fat snake.
Names carry power, so you can’t just go around calling them carelessly.
There are many dangerous names in this world.
But my thoughts were met with confusion from the dumb little fat snake.
“Understanding.
Difficult.
Meaning?”
Hmm… how should I simplify this?
Alright.
Basically, if I keep calling you ‘little fat snake,’ you’ll actually start getting fatter and fatter for real.
I gave the perfect example—one that would make sense instantly.
“!!!”
Trembling.
I could feel the little fat snake inside my arms shuddering in shock.
“Ancestor!
No!
Use different name!
Please!”
What’s the problem, little fat snake?
Calling a fat snake a fat snake—what’s wrong with that, little fat snake?
I bombarded it with psychic messages.
“Ancestor!
Stop!
Calling!
Name!
Cease!
Cease!”
And then came a distressed squeeeaaak sound.
Hehe.
I can’t tell you how lucky I am that this little fat snake appeared.
Without it, what would I have done?
Stupid little fat snake.
You’re so ridiculous.
That’s why you’re the best!