Drukan never expected to receive such concern from his employer, who was rumored to be a villainess.

He thought of dozens of ways to refuse, then pondered how to express them as gently as possible.

“It’s lighter than you think, but not so light that it feels unnatural.”

Of course, Serena didn’t care about such things.

Because after several days of working day and night, dark circles already covered half of her face.

Still, Serena, who had somehow managed to complete the prosthetic arm, beckoned to Drukan.

“Take off that prosthetic you’re wearing and sit on that sofa. Take off your upper clothes too.”

Drukan blinked.

Having lived as a hero for quite a long time and experienced many things, he found this situation quite unfamiliar and embarrassing.

“…I’m fine.”

“Try it on once, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.”

Of course, in such a case, Serena was confident she might faint.

But she had confidence.

The confidence that the moment Drukan wore this prosthetic, he would change that miserable reaction.

‘Well, in this era, wooden prosthetics are the best available.’

It’s surprising that infections don’t occur in those.

She was a bit doubtful whether the nerves were alive or dead, but the magic stone would take care of that through the mana circuit.

‘How could such engineering not develop?’

Honestly, she thought it was a similar world because there were no phones or internet, but when you dig deeper, there are quite a few differences.

“Hurry up.”

When Serena urged him again, Drukan had no choice but to follow her words.

After all, Serena Kelahinum was his employer.

Drukan took off his upper clothes and removed the wooden prosthetic.

It was called a wooden prosthetic, but in reality, it was just a piece of wood carved into the shape of a human hand with a hole drilled to fit the stump of his arm.

Still, Drukan had taken quite good care of his prosthetic.

He hadn’t had any major infections so far.

Click, click.

She took out the dark-colored prosthetic from the box and approached him, dangling it in one hand.

‘…Is it that light?’

It seemed lighter than he had thought.

Judging by the sound of metal clashing, it didn’t seem that heavy.

She started laying out screws, screwdrivers, magic stones, and magic powder on the sofa table one by one.

“Drink this first.”

Serena opened the lid of a bottle filled with green liquid and placed it in Drukan’s hand.

“What is… this?”

A pungent smell reached his nostrils.

“It’s a painkiller and sedative. It will dull your senses a bit, so it won’t hurt as much.”

“Hurt, you say…”

“Ah, I’m going to cut your arm with a knife to forcibly connect the nerves.”

She said, showing him a thin blade.

It was a shape of knife he had never seen before.

Though very small in size, it looked extremely thin and sharp. For Drukan, it would probably just cause a slightly irritating, stinging wound, but…

‘Deliberately causing a wound?’

Drukan didn’t want to endure that irritation.

‘I don’t know what to say.’

With her gaze urging him to drink it right away, he tilted the round glass bottle and gulped down the liquid with a refreshing taste.

When he just smelled it, he thought it would be unpleasant, but once it entered his mouth, it wasn’t as bad as he expected.

Drukan put down the bottle with a puzzled expression.

After about 10 minutes, Serena picked up the small knife.

It was a scalpel she had custom-ordered from a workshop.

To connect the nerves, the mana circuit had to reach the part where the nerves were, anyway.

Although it would heal quickly after applying a healing potion, some pain was necessary nonetheless.

Serena, without hesitation, placed the scalpel on Drukan’s arm, which had been cut off long ago and had become blunt, when she thought the effects of the medicine had spread.

Swish, swish

There was a scratching sound.

Yet Drukan found it incredibly strange that he didn’t feel any particular sensation.

His body just felt a bit drowsy, but there was no particularly unpleasant sensation.

He leaned back on the sofa with his slightly relaxed body and rolled his eyes to look at the empty potion bottle.

‘…What an amazing medicine.’

Drukan thought.

Because he had tried as many different medicines as the numerous wounds on his body.

He had been to various hospitals and monasteries and had taken various anesthetics and painkillers.

They all gnawed at his mind and made him feel absolutely terrible.

So he didn’t particularly like medicines in the painkiller or anesthetic category.

‘This one’s not bad, though.’

He rolled his eyes to look at his employer, who was busily doing something beside him.

‘Why did such rumors spread?’

It’s strange.

He is a hero.

Although it was an unwanted title, he was a hero nonetheless.

And in reality, he was also a hero blessed by the World Tree.

In other words, he…

Had a talent for recognizing bad things. Bad things, evil things, to be precise, things of that nature.

Although it relied on instinctive feelings, the rising discomfort or the sensation of something unpleasantly stroking the back of his head always reminded him of unpleasant sensations.

Usually, that was the case.

‘Except for the first time, I didn’t feel it.’

Even the unpleasant sensation he felt at first was a bit strange.

He felt angry to the point where he couldn’t control himself. That anger grew so large that it became hatred, rage, and also despair.

The changes in those emotions were so rapid that even when he reflected on it later, it felt bizarre even to himself.

Of course, Drukan isn’t without such emotions.

But when he couldn’t get that herb, it was particularly severe.

‘…Even if that herb only grows once every few decades.’

Drukan thought.

‘I think she would have sold it to me if I had asked.’

He could now assert with certainty.

She is not an evil person.

No matter how the world might define her.

Drukan, too, had no compromise when it came to evil. Perhaps because he had seen how cruelly they slaughtered many things.

Perhaps because he had seen how cruelly they took away many things.

Anyway, Drukan didn’t want to think of her as evil and didn’t decide that she was evil.

It was based on objective judgment.

‘But why with such a revelation…’

Drukan narrowed his eyes.

What evil person would act like this while looking at a prosthetic that no one cares about, that only elicits sympathy at first glance?

‘Although it’s unnecessary… but…?’

Drukan’s eyes widened as he was thinking.

Click, along with a sound as if something was connecting, he started to feel something from a part that had been missing for a long time.

He took a deep breath.

‘I think I can move it.’

The moment he thought that, Drukan decided to try moving his fingers.

And indeed, his fingers twitched and moved.

“Did you just move it, Drukan?”

“…Yes.”

Drukan looked at his arm with a blank face.

To be precise, he looked down at the iron arm that had newly taken its place where there had been nothing before.

He braced himself for the heaviness and lifted his arm with force. However, although it was heavy, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

It’s definitely heavier than a normal person’s body. But it’s not unreasonably so, and it seemed that with familiarity, he could handle it just like his own arm.

“…What on earth is this…”

“For now, you won’t be able to do delicate and precise work yet.”

Serena mechanically spat out the explanation.

After all, it was all Serena’s job to deliver and explain these kinds of magical engineering products that Lemerun made.

She lightly rubbed her eyelids. As the tension eased, fatigue rushed in.

“But the processed magic stone will create nerves. Like a mana circuit. So when the nerves and mana circuit are fully connected, you’ll be able to do more delicate work.”

Drukan felt like he was dreaming.

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and clenched and unclenched his fist once more.

Clank, clank.

Unlike a human hand, there’s a clanking, clanking sound, but it’s not that noisy.

Perhaps because the nerves or whatever weren’t fully connected yet, it didn’t move as naturally, but to Drukan, this was just like a dream.

“If the metallic feeling bothers you, we could cover it with artificial skin using special materials, but that would take a bit more time.”

Serena honestly just wanted to sleep now.

This morning too, she didn’t have much appetite and couldn’t eat properly, so Magnus was quite seriously worried.

‘…He probably won’t say anything if I sleep today.’

She thought as she rubbed her eyelids once more.

Drukan, who had been lost in the afterglow for a while, suddenly startled and hurriedly opened his mouth.

“…Lady Serena, can you really just give me something like this? This is… this is almost a miracle.”

“A miracle, huh.”

“Yes… I’ve never heard of anything like this anywhere.”

“Well, I’m glad a miracle happened for you.”

Serena said as she stood up from her seat.

“Until the nerves connect, don’t lift heavy objects with that arm. Don’t let it get wet, and don’t overexert yourself.”

Serena added explanations rapidly and then pulled out a pink potion from her pocket and held it out.

“This is a healing potion. If you drink it, the wound from connecting the nerves will be completely healed by tomorrow.”

“…Isn’t this a precious potion?”

“Precious?”

“Yes, alchemy is not common, and potions made by mages are expensive…”

“Ah.”

Did I start the wrong business?

Should I have just made and sold medicine?

Serena thought for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea.

Because while she would have to continuously make and sell medicine, with other things, she could just hand over the recipe and they would make it themselves.

Of course, she would provide the raw materials, but she thought it would probably be only once every two weeks or once a month.

“I’m going to sleep now. I’ll roughly explain the maintenance methods and such tomorrow…”

Serena’s eyes blinked repeatedly.

“Read through what’s on this paper roughly.”

Serena handed him a pre-prepared summary and manual.

“And, ah… let’s think about other things later.”

She started to walk away, stumbling.

“I’ll escort you.”

“If you insist.”

Serena obediently leaned on Drukan. As Drukan carefully supported her and guided her to her room…

‘Now that he’s got his arm back, I hope he’ll go off to save the world or something, please… Don’t let us get entangled any deeper.’

‘…Didn’t she say she wanted to live alone later? I should serve by her side for life. I should introduce my daughter soon.’

Today too, Serena, who was alone in her peace, dreamed different dreams.