NOVEL NEXT Ch. 28
Deltain’s work continued.
As always when he was immersed in his tasks, his sleep time was drastically reduced, and his mind was consumed solely with thoughts about the flaws in his designs.
This was no different when he went to the duke’s residence for Agnes’ treatment.
With dark circles under his eyes that rivaled Agnes’, Deltain absentmindedly continued to knead her body.
It wasn’t in a sexual way.
Deltain’s touch moved methodically along her muscles and veins, as if trying to analyze her anatomical structure.
“Deltain.”
“….”
“Deltain?”
Agnes called his name several times, but there was no response. His concentration was that intense.
His golden eyes, which Agnes loved so much, were burning brightly, but she was dissatisfied. She wanted those eyes to be directed at her.
“Deltain.”
“….”
“Dear.”
Flinch.
Deltain’s body shuddered. As he raised his head, Agnes deepened her smile and casually threw out some words.
“Honey, cutie, master….”
“Shut up.”
“Now you’re paying attention?”
“What do you want now?”
Deltain’s usual sharpness was gone.
Agnes giggled and placed a hand on his cheek.
“You looked tired, so I was cheering you up.”
“You need to relearn the meaning of the word
“Are you angry?”
“Yeah.”
“Want to touch my chest?”
Deltain’s frown deepened.
Agnes shrugged and said.
“I heard that men calm down if you let them touch your chest.”
“Where did you hear that… no, never mind, I can guess.”
Deltain clicked his tongue.
“That’s bullshit. At least as far as I know.”
“What do you know? You were a virgin until not long ago.”
“For a moment, I was thinking maybe you just staying in bed is beneficial for the world.”
“That would be troublesome. My place is by your side. I need to be in a body that can follow you wherever you go.”
“Then stay still.”
“Yes, sir.”
Agnes closed her mouth, satisfied, and let her body move according to Deltain’s actions.
She still didn’t know what he was creating. Yet, despite that, Agnes had a strange sense of faith.
Deltain, with that look on his face, always produced results beyond her expectations, so she didn’t believe he could fail.
Lovely.
That was how Agnes described Deltain. The way he burned himself for perfection, the life that didn’t wither despite that, and how he always granted her requests even with an annoyed expression.
‘… ah.’
Agnes suddenly shivered and erased her thoughts.
It was not a good thought to have.
At that moment, Deltain spoke.
“Don’t move. It breaks my concentration.”
“Sorry, you pressed a sensitive spot just now.”
“Do you have a sensitive spot on your palm?”
“When you touch me, my entire body becomes a sensitive spot.”
Deltain looked dazed. If one had to describe it, it was as if he was looking at something bizarre that he couldn’t understand, staring at Agnes with that expression.
Agnes burst out laughing and said.
“I’m wet. Want to check?”
“… get lost.”
Deltain’s face turned red.
“Lewd bitch.”
“I like it when you insult me like that.”
“If you’re going to seduce me, at least be creative. Isn’t physical seduction getting old? And I have no interest in a shallow woman who only knows how to seduce with her body.”
“For someone who says that you react the most to these kinds of conversations. It’s true what they say about the ones who pretend not to care about being the most lustful.”
“I’ve decided. First, I’m going to lock up the 7th princess and sew your mouth shut.”
“You’ll regret it. Without my mouth, I can’t please you.”
A prominent vein popped out on Deltain’s forehead, visible even with his narrowed eyes.
“I really want to punch you in the face.”
“You seem oddly fixated on my face.”
“Enough. I don’t know why I even bother talking to you.”
Trying to suppress his anger, Deltain took a deep breath and stood up.
“Are you leaving?”
“I have surgery tomorrow. No fun tonight.”
“Surgery?”
“Yeah, it’s for the device I’m implanting in your body.”
“Where?”
“Near your heart.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Not at all.”
“Alright, I trust you.”
Agnes, who was about to finish speaking, suddenly paused.
After making a
“You know, you’re the first man to see inside my chest.”
“Putting that aside, I’m probably the first person in the Empire to open someone’s chest. This fucking place has no concept of surgery.”
Deltain’s face showed clear frustration.
“… this place is really disgustingly primitive.”
Agnes couldn’t understand his words. Nor did Deltain expect her to.
He just grumbled as he left the room.
*
The interface still displayed the same screen.
Standing in the middle of the laboratory, Deltain cleared it away and looked at the partially completed magic engineering device.
‘The basic shape is done….’
The item was an alien form that had never existed in this empire before.
Naturally so.
It was one of the tools Deltain had handled back on Earth.
The object was a long tube with a pump and a round disk in the center. Its size was just about right to fit a human heart.
Specifically, it was designed to fit Agnes’s heart.
‘A ventricular assist device.’
The pinnacle of modern Earth medicine.
If it weren’t for Deltain, who had fallen into this world, creating this would have been an unimaginable miracle.
Of course, this wasn’t an ordinary ventricular assist device.
Although its design was inspired by one from Earth, its operation relied entirely on
‘No part of the device will be visible above the skin. It’ll be attached strictly to the heart.’
The entire device was intricately inscribed with magic runes, crafted from the powdered dust of mana stones.
There was only one rune left to engrave before the device was complete.
Deltain was deliberating on the last engraving.
‘I wish I could create an artificial heart….’
He didn’t know how Actrias would react if he proceeded. Since the curse was attached to Agnes’ heart as a concept rather than a form, he must also consider the possibility that the magic flower could transfer to another place if it lost its current hold.
That would be unacceptable. Deltain was not the kind of person to take risks that would throw away all the strategies he had been researching.
‘Even without the magic flower, her heart was already weak. The symptoms are similar to heart failure. This should be enough to assist her movement.’
Of course, it was impossible for her to be at a normal person’s level. If she tried running, she would drop dead on the spot, but that was something that could be warned in advance.
‘… still, it would be wise to set up a safety measure.’
Snap.
As Deltain snapped his fingers, mana began to take shape.
It took the form of a very thin, sharp needle.
Deltain guided it to engrave a mark in the center of the still-empty device.
‘The last imprint is a time spell.’
It would activate once, at the moment the heart exceeded its limits, consuming all the imprints to revert the heart to its state before stopping.
After pondering it all day, Deltain finally inscribed such a spell into the device.
Deltain’s concentration was unbreakable.
In the laboratory, the only sound was the crackling noise of the device’s surface being ground.
The night deepened, but Deltain did not rest.
Four days until the banquet.
After finishing the surgery tomorrow and getting sufficient rest, he would head there with Agnes.
As always, Deltain was envisioning a flawless blueprint.
And so, morning came.
*
That morning, the ducal residence was bustling.
Within the hustle and bustle was a clear sense of tension, anxiety, and a glimmer of hope.
There was only one reason.
It was the day Deltain Hebron would attempt a treatment unlike any before.
Even Duke Levadine, who was usually occupied with state affairs and would have been at the imperial palace by this time, was staying at the residence today.
“Agnes, are you sure about this? If you’re afraid, even now, just say the word. I’ll speak to the Count on your behalf….”
“I’m fine.”
In Agnes’s bedroom.
Having fasted since the night before in preparation for the surgery, Agnes spoke to Duke Levadine, who was more terrified than she was.
“Deltain may make mistakes, but he never fails.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“And this time, a mistake would mean failure, so Deltain will definitely succeed.”
Her conviction was unwavering.
Duke Levadine felt even more uneasy because of that certainty.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Deltain.
Given his achievements and what he had shown so far, he would undoubtedly succeed.
What was troubling him now was the unavoidable anxiety of a father.
After all, cutting open a person’s chest to insert a device was a bizarre and terrifying treatment method.
Duke Levadine’s fingers trembled.
He soon lowered his head and murmured.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For… giving you such a weak body….”
As the duke struggled to find his words, a maid knocked on the door.
-Count Hebron has arrived.
“Let’s go, Father.”
When Agnes smiled, Duke Levadine nodded.
He stood up and walked down the corridor. There, he met Deltain.
Deltain was carrying a box as big as a human torso, which purpose was unknown.
He looked as if he were about to collapse, his appearance exhausted.
“… you’re here.”
“Ah, yes.”
It wasn’t until the duke spoke that Deltain realized he had arrived.
This caused the duke to feel uneasy.
He worried about Deltain’s condition, as he would be performing the surgery.
“You look very tired. If this surgery isn’t urgent, maybe you should rest a bit…”
“No, it has to be now.”
Deltain shook his head.
“Right now, this moment, is the best time.”
And he began to walk.
As he passed the duke, Deltain said.
“Prepare some shoes. Fancy ones with heels.”
His voice was filled with overwhelming confidence.
*
“You’re here.”
Agnes greeted Deltain with a smile.
Deltain nodded in response.
“Are you ready?”
“You just need to be ready. Oh, my father was very worried. He thought you might fail.”
“I understand. It’s not an unfamiliar reaction.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s something I’ve seen before.”
Maybe it was the accumulated fatigue.
Deltain felt a need to be cautious as he found himself saying things he didn’t need to say.
‘I should speak less.’
This was the optimal state of focus for the surgery. He didn’t want to break it by risking a slip of the tongue.
With that in mind, Deltain firmly shut his mouth, and Agnes asked.
“Hey, if you fail this time, will I be your first failure?”
Her question was full of mischief.
It was also provocative.
It was the kind of conversation they always had.
But this time, Deltain’s response was different.
His dazed state. That was the problem.
Just like in the distant past, he was so absorbed in the surgery that he said things he didn’t need to say.
“… there was someone who said the same thing.”
“Huh?”
“Someone who always picked fights, saying that I’d trip up one day if I kept being so arrogant. I get it. He must have been jealous. We started out together, but I quickly pulled ahead. I was ridiculously talented.”
Deltain continued as he opened the box.
“… anyway, the point is, that guy eventually had to take back what he said.”
In his mind, the process of the surgery, which he had repeated numerous times, was already magically reconstructing itself.
“Seventeen times. That’s how many times I’ve attempted this, and how many times I’ve succeeded.”
Finally, Deltain turned to face Agnes.
“The success rate is 100%.”