Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 152: Treasure from the deep.

''Erm... is that okay?''

''...''

I don't know.

Isn't it such a delight when your eldritch creature posing as an uncanny deer suddenly jumps into a lake of immense depth?

No, seriously, though, I can feel that Blob is still alive and well, so it's probably okay. As long as another hydra doesn't show up, it'll be fine. Let's think of it as letting Blob go on a walk.

So I flop down the grass and relax my body, stretching my long legs and my wings to their limit.

''Hah...''

The sky is tall today.

As I silently watch the clouds floating by, a shadow falls onto me.

''Hey, aren't you worried about your... er... deer?'' Becky puzzledly asks.

''It's not a deer, and it'll be fine. Maybe.''

''Maybe...?''

The assistant nervously turns to the still lake, lifting her prop glasses. After muttering something to herself, she also flops down beside me, hugging her knees.

When I glance at that side, she is still looking at the lake's surface, which perfectly reflects the blue sky.

''By the way.''

''Hm?''

''You seem to know a bunch about tech.''

''Not much. I only know what I know.''

''That's a good non-answer, actually. Where did you hear that from?''

''Don't remember.''

''Huh...''

How should I say this... even though I've only known Becky for a short period of time, speaking with her feels quite natural—as if I'm having a conversation with my friend.

It seems Becky is also feeling the same, seeing her simmering eyes that are full of unrealized confusion sometimes.

Is it something related to those flashes of memories again? These days, I feel like I'm becoming someone else. Strangely, I don't sense panic, but is that a good thing?

I am undoubtedly becoming stronger, but is that really a good thing?

''...Hey.''

''Hm?''

''What would you do if you found yourself turning into someone else?''

''What? That's... a question.''

Perhaps mistakingly thinking that I'm taking a jab at her and her antics, Becky flinches and gives a nonsensical response. However, just a few seconds later, she seems to realize the intention behind the question.

''Er... I'm assuming you're concerned over this problem?'' She asks.

''Kind of,'' I reply.

''You need to find your values, then.''

''Values?''

''Not your body's worth or your mind's worth, but what you hold as important in regard to your morals. In other words, your principles of action—of what matters to you the most.''

Slowly, the assistant rises to her feet, removing her glasses as she becomes someone other than 'the assistant.' For a brief moment, her brown eyes that are looking down on me gleam a faint shade of pink.

''Machines also have values.'' She continues, her tone stable and aloof, unlike that of 'the assistant.' ''Zeroes and ones—they're what make them machines—digital, of course—but even if those machines were to be split in half or smashed into hundreds of pieces, we could still restore them and take a guess as to what they were used for.''

''You're talking about the software. What about malfunctioning codes?''

''That's the point. Those values wouldn't fail so suddenly if there weren't something alien that affected them, and by that point, they became something else—an altered version of themselves that didn't work well. I believe humans are the same. If, at the end of the day, you find your values unchanged, then I think it's pretty safe to say that you have remained unchanged.''

My... values.

No, seriously, I didn't expect something so edgy-sounding yet useful coming out of Becky, of all people.

Now, the question is—did any of my values change?

I still like horror, still like my friends and my usual hobbies, and I am still... sympathetic toward humans. So does that mean that even though I have strayed a bit from the path of ordinary homo sapiens, I am still Aurora?

The moment I flick my gaze up toward Becky, she lightly nods her head, looking real proud of her words.

''Well, just remember that it was me who told you these pieces of wisdom—''

Splash.

Suddenly, a splash of water is shot right before us. The two of us immediately turn our attention to the obvious source of water—the lake, and—

''GYAH!??! Save me!!!''

Before I know it, Becky has already jumped onto my body, locking her arms tightly around my torso while determinedly planting her face into my neck.

...You know, I haven't been hugged like this a lot.

''Hah...''

But I guess her fear is perhaps justifiable.

If I were a normal person, seeing a giant eldritch creature whose mismatched, thin, and hideous blade limbs carry an equally crooked body of a deer that has been split in half, revealing fang-like teeth growing out of its exposed inner flesh and organs, would make me scream.

Like a really, really grotesque spider, yes.

————!!

After a short and vividly inhuman screech, the creature drops stuff onto the ground and promptly disappears.

''...Weh?''

Which makes Becky turn around to see its absence... only to be greeted with the uncanny deer's face from before.

''Uuuuu...!''

Blob... you're amazing.

So it took a bit to peel Becky off my body, but here we are, enjoying the spoils my excellent new hire has brought to us.

''What in the world is this...?''

First of all, gold.

A ton of gold coins and bars. Sprinkled in some jewelry, too.

I'm not exactly short on money since Chloe is funding me pretty well, and even the emperor sponsored some of my earlier purchases for building materials, too. No matter how talented Sikare and the doc are, there will be something they can't get if limited to this forest.

But I can still think of uses for these golds. I can probably get a named item or two with this kind of wealth.

''Hey, congratulations. You're rich now.''

''Thanks.''

Ah... but I guess there's more down there? I don't think these are all, seeing how big the hydra and the lake are. I'm super rich, then?

Anyway, as curious as I am, I decide to dig through the pile of gold to see if there's something else mixed in them. Common sense tells me this stuff can be quite heavy, but in my hand, they're as light as plastic.

And eventually, something pops up.

I immediately notice it since its color is distinctly pinkish, unlike that of the surrounding objects.

''Wait, lemme see that!''

''...''

Of course, Becky immediately jumps in and snatches it away from me. I think I understand her feelings this time around.

Why? Because it's a computer keyboard.

Although broken in half and missing a few keycaps, it is still mostly recognizable. Now that I think about it, isn't it quite strange that there is advanced tech like automates or drones, but there are no computers or smartphones?

They have normal table phones here already.

Oh, right. The 'advanced tech' is supposed to be exclusive to Becky at this time. It seems I'm a bit out of touch these days, having spent time with her and not being a tech-savvy person in the first place.

Regarding Becky, if I were an ordinary person, I would probably wonder how a person who seems to be coming from another era is here. However, from a player of [Astra Magical Academy]'s perspective, it is quite obvious foreshadowing.

''Interesting... so it is an input device... but what language is this?''

This clueless, clumsy-looking woman... she is actually the Second Coming of Neveah, whether she knows it or not.