5
Although Lilith initially backed far away from Rose, they eventually got past the misunderstanding, and now they’re getting along pretty well.
“—Which is when I told them: We’re part of the forces of darkness, wrapping the night around us and sleeping in death’s cradle. Leave now, or you’ll never see the dawn to this night… Cool, right?”
“That’s impressive, Lady Lilith! That’s the sort of line my grandpa used to say!”
Lilith has taken a shine to Rose, who has a tendency to make various painfully awkward and melodramatic statements.
Maybe it’s understandable. I mean, she does call herself Lilith the Black with a straight face.
She’s so cringey that she makes Rose, who was thoroughly infected by her grandfather’s bullshit, look normal in comparison.
“My grandpa would often say that the foolish dregs of humanity should just be destroyed by our hand.”
“Patrasche, your grandpa doesn’t feel like a stranger to me. I used to say similar things when I was a kid.”
It’s only been a few hours, but it seems they’ve found common ground. My grandiose boss and delusional subordinate are getting along fabulously.
“Yeah, I can’t think of you as a stranger, either, Lady Lilith. Your white clothes, your way of speaking—it all reminds me of my grandpa.”
I suppose when I think about it, Lilith and Rose are of a similar age, and neither of them really fit in with the world around them. No doubt they’ve got a lot in common.
Just then, as though having an epiphany, Lilith goes from cheerful to pensive.
“…Your grandpa wore a lab coat like mine? Meaning he was a scientist on this planet…?”
“I don’t know what a scientist is, but he often used to say he was going to make the greatest life-form there ever was, and then he’d cackle in that odd way of his.”
The description makes Lilith glance away for some reason.
…Oh yeah, that reminds me. She would often cackle in the operating room, saying something about creating the ultimate mutant.
According to Lilith, it’s a sort of ritual before rolling the dice on the mutant lockbox.
From the perspective of the mutant getting modified, it’s a hell of a thing to learn that whatever happens comes down to luck.
It’s things like this that doom her to perennial unpopularity in the polls.
“Well, unlike the other three lackeys, you’re pretty sharp. Oh, look at this, Patrasche. There’s a mysterious mushroom growing on the crook of this tree. I’ve seen them sprout near the roots and rotted trunks plenty of times, but… Hey, wait! Patrasche, stop!”
“They’re crunchy and pretty tasty. Would you like some, Lady Lilith?”
No sooner has Lilith pointed out mushrooms growing on the crook of a tree than Rose snatches a handful and begins eating them.
“P-Patrasche, in the wild, you need to be particularly careful with mushrooms. It’s risky to just randomly toss them into your mouth…and you’re eating those raw…”
Lilith is a bit repulsed as Rose pulls the raw fungi under her mask, crunching into them, and the little scientist does her best to explain the danger.
“I understand, Lady Lilith. I’ll make sure to cook them from now on! Oh, there’s some pretty mushrooms here, too. I’ll take them home and roast them before eating them.”
“You’re not getting it! You missed my point entirely, Patrasche! Don’t eat mushrooms you’ve never seen before! Especially not ones that are rainbow colored! That’s the mushroom’s way of saying it’s super poisonous!”
Rose, evidently having acquired a taste for poisonous mushrooms, begins gathering more as Lilith frantically tries to stop her.
“I won’t tell you not to eat them, but at least wait until I test them.”
“I understand, Lady Lilith. Let’s make a hot pot out of them once you’ve finished your tests. Orc meat’s been really cheap lately.”
Having taken a tour of the farms recently, Lilith’s expression freezes at the mention of orc meat.
“Um, are you really that hungry, Patrasche? Six, teach this girl some survival skills. Mushrooms are a big no-no. If you’re hungry and facing starvation, then bugs are the best source of nourishment. They look unappetizing, but they’ve got plenty of nutrients, and most are poison-free.”
“Lady Lilith, bugs are the one thing I’d like to avoid eating.”
“Uh, Lady Lilith, I can’t eat bugs, either.”
Our quick responses prompt Lilith to look at us like particularly dim children.
“What sort of miserable excuses for Kisaragi Combat Agents are you two? You’re happy to eat orcs capable of human speech, but you’re afraid of eating bugs?”
Lilith shrugs her shoulders in exasperation.
“Oh, hey, there’s a purple cricket over there, Rose. It’s croaking like a frog. Grab it for Lady Lilith’s lunch.”
“Leave it to me, Lady Lilith! I’ll go grab it!”
“Okay, okay, I was wrong! A croaking cricket is a bit beyond even my ability to eat! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
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