Luke Aegis, the descendant of the great hero Aegis who saved countless people by slaying the witch, had always dreamed of becoming someone who could help people ever since he was a child.
That's why, after discovering his talent for healing magic by chance, he had steadily worked towards becoming a doctor.
However, after becoming a doctor, he realized that there were far too many people he couldn't save, even with the healing magic for which he had been praised since childhood.
Among them, the most numerous were the heroes who had to fight directly against the monsters in the areas outside the barrier and near the border.
These people, who threw themselves into battle to protect others, often arrived with injuries that even the most skilled doctors found difficult to treat.
Every time someone who had sacrificed their body to protect others ended up as a cold corpse on the operating table, Luke felt a sense of powerlessness.
To save even more people, he obtained a Ph.D. in medicine and tried to learn everything that could be of help, but the number of people he couldn't save only increased, and his reputation grew without much practical benefit.
Feeling the limitations of medicine, he took a break from his work and attended a university reunion.
At the reunion, Luke met Satoru, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Though they weren't close friends, they had a certain level of mutual respect as geniuses in their respective fields, and they had a certain degree of familiarity.
Perhaps because he wanted to talk to someone, Luke, who rarely drank, got slightly tipsy and grabbed Satoru, who was lingering nearby, to confide in him about his troubles.
After looking at Luke for a moment, Satoru spoke.
"I've been working on something recently. If it's completed, it might help achieve your goal. However, I have my limits, and I need the help of someone skilled in medicine like you. Are you willing to help?"
Luke nodded, and Satoru, with a troubled expression, hesitated before speaking.
"The problem is that this is a very sensitive topic, and I can't just tell anyone. I need to know how committed you are."
Luke replied that he would do anything to save people.
Satoru smiled, raising the corners of his mouth.
"I hope you meant that sincerely."
After the reunion, Luke followed Satoru to a large research facility, signing a pledge not to disclose any information to outsiders.
When Satoru touched something, a hidden space appeared as the wall rotated.
Surprised by the existence of such a place, Luke watched as Satoru chuckled.
"It's too early to be surprised. The real thing is just beginning."
In a room that looked like a hidden laboratory, Satoru picked up a transparent bottle.
Inside the bottle were black fragments that looked like charcoal.
Satoru, holding the bottle to show the contents clearly, began to speak.
"You know that Astra defeated the Witch of Wrath, right? She left behind some items. This is a piece of the Witch of Wrath's heart, which Astra kept. Don't be too shocked. According to my research, it only contains strong energy and doesn't seem to harm humans. Luke, have you ever thought about how strong the witches must be, given that the monsters are already quite powerful? That's what I've been thinking about."
Satoru laughed, slowly shaking the bottle and examining the fragments inside.
"If we could use this to create a combat weapon as powerful as a witch, how strong would it be? If such a thing could fight in place of people, fewer would be injured by monsters, and many more would be saved. What do you think? If you want to quit, now is the time."
While the idea of using the witch's remains was unsettling, it seemed promising if it were possible.
Luke spoke, and that moment marked his entry into the "Witch Weaponization Project."
*
There are golems that can regenerate endlessly as long as their magic-infused core remains intact, though they cannot perform complex movements.
Satoru had created the first experimental subject, a metal golem, on his own.
"It was too slow and couldn't harness the power of the fragment used as its core. I thought about what was wrong and decided to try a human-like form, which seemed more suitable. It was better than before, but ultimately a failure. I tried to improve it, but my lack of medical knowledge made it difficult to go further."
The photo in the data of the second experimental subject showed a golem made of flesh instead of metal, resembling a human.
Satoru asked Luke:
"I want to confirm if a human-like form is suitable. Can you create a more human-like body?"
The third experimental subject, created to meet this request, was a golem in the shape of an ordinary adult male, more human-like than the second.
"The problem is that the golem can only perform simple commands."
The third, which moved with a creak, was discarded.
"Have you heard of homunculi, which ancient mages researched?"
Luke was familiar with the concept.
In modern times, it was applied to the cultivation of artificial bodies to replace limbs lost in accidents.
Homunculi, more difficult to create than golems but capable of performing complex tasks, were sometimes used as assistants by mages in the past.
"This seems to be the right direction. However, they lack the durability to be used as weapons."
The fourth and fifth, which followed, could understand more complex commands but were too weak to serve as weapons. They failed the durability tests and were discarded.
While they had not yet succeeded in cultivating a superhuman artificial body, the two managed to create a satisfactory strong body using several spells and chemical treatments.
It was a groundbreaking discovery by the two scholars, but it was never published due to the nature of their research.
"With durability solved, the fragments are now the problem."
The sixth, which passed the durability test, died from convulsions, unable to withstand the energy of the fragments embedded in its heart.
"I thought it was right to concentrate the fragments in the heart, but the energy seems too strong. Maybe I should distribute them."
The seventh experimental subject, with the seven fragments of the witch's heart distributed to the hands, feet, head, heart, and dantian, did not have convulsions but could not use the witch's power.
"Perhaps to use the witch's power, a similar form is better. What about a female form?"
The eighth, the first female form, was slightly stronger but still couldn't use the power and was discarded.
"The Witch of Wrath was said to be a girl with black hair and red eyes."
The ninth, created with this appearance, was slightly stronger but was discarded for the same reason.
Continued experiments and research led to improvements, such as using magic instead of food for movement, making the body more weapon-like. However, without the ability to use the witch's power, it was just a superhuman with enhanced abilities.
After a series of failures, Satoru suggested:
"Luke, what about creating a homunculus with emotions?"
Creating emotionless homunculi was already a topic of ethical concern in modern times.
Creating homunculi with emotions was strictly forbidden.
Luke knew it was something he should never do.
However, Luke was exhausted.
From the daily task of treating the human-like experimental subjects he created, who were turned into bloody messes in durability tests, to the familiar stench of burning bodies.
He began to doubt whether what he was doing was right.
Extreme stress can sometimes drive people to lose their minds.
That day, Luke crossed the line he had set for himself.
He remembered a question he had once asked Satoru.
Why the experimental subjects had such names.
Satoru answered that he named them after the Witch of Wrath, whose name he read in a book.
A homunculus with black hair, red eyes, and emotions.
Short for the tenth experimental subject.
Officially named Evangeline Decimus, she was born.
*
After school, Sylvia left a message for her bodyguard waiting at the school gate.
[Today, I have somewhere to go, so please go ahead without waiting for me.]
The bodyguard would probably search for her for a while, but she was already walking down the street with Yun Siwoo, having left through the back gate.
This was the biggest act of rebellion since she had enrolled in Aegis Academy, and Sylvia's heart was racing.
'Is this a hospital visit?'
Sylvia glanced at Yun Siwoo, who looked worried.
'Although it's unsettling to leave a man with such ulterior motives near Miss Scarlett...'
Especially the man who had tried to come between her and Scarlett.
But since he was the one who suggested visiting her and knew her address, they had no choice but to go together.
Trying to keep up with Yun Siwoo's quick pace, Sylvia glared at him discreetly.
She noticed something shiny on the road in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, it was a familiar red ring.
If her guess was correct, it shouldn't have been lying on the road like that.
Rushing past Yun Siwoo, Sylvia picked up the ring and checked the inscription inside.
A unique inscription, likely one of a kind.
She immediately recalled Scarlett's expressionless face as she took off the ring and dropped it on the ground.
'That can't be!'
Shaking her head to dispel the thought, Sylvia noticed something dark red, different from the ring's color, dried on the decorative part.
A mark she, as a hero, was all too familiar with.
Blood.
Sylvia's heart pounded ominously.
Scarlett, who was relatively strong, had not come to school without any contact today, and the blood-stained ring on the road.
No matter how she thought about it, it didn't bode well.