Chapter 165: What Exactly is the Copy Eye?
"Well~ I thought it was someone else, but it's our busy Minister Yotsuba~"
"Hey, can you cut out that annoying act?"
The moment he stepped inside, he heard that sarcastic, effeminate voice.
Dr. Stylish sat there, gazing at him with a resentful expression.
"Listen, don't look at me like that. I'm afraid I might lose control."
"Then don't hold back~"
Dr. Stylish made what she thought was a seductive hair-flipping gesture, giving Mahiro goosebumps all over.
And honestly, it came off more as affected than alluring.
"Can you act normal? I'm here on serious business. How's the drug coming along?"
Mahiro clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it, repeating the motion to control the overwhelming urge to throw a punch.
Noticing his mood seemed rather foul, Dr. Stylish decided not to push further and dropped the flirtatious act.
She muttered under her breath:
"Honestly, does Minister Yotsuba only come to see me about drugs? You never visit otherwise... Fine, fine, the drug is ready. Here."
Seeing he seemed genuinely close to hitting her, Dr. Stylish quickly retrieved a metal syringe from a drawer and handed it over.
"As you requested, I integrated the evolutionary abilities from Tyrant's gene into the drug. But it's truly remarkable—there should have been irreversible conflicts, yet using the virus as a carrier maintained all the genetic traits in a delicate balance..."
The more she spoke, the more amazed she became.
In genetic research, if she claimed second place in the entire empire—or even the world—no one would dare claim first.
Not even that alchemy-obsessed old hag Dorothea could compare.
But ever since receiving this Enhancement Drug from Mahiro years ago, she felt her entire worldview had shifted.
Especially after obtaining Tyrant's blood.
The virus in the Enhancement Drug could even neutralize the raging gene of a Super Danger Beast. If used to create an army of humanoid Danger Beasts, it might actually be possible!
Unfortunately, Mahiro kept strict control over the Enhancement Drug—even she had only managed to save half a dose.
And time was running out.
But now, she could finally focus on her research in peace.
Mahiro had no idea what schemes this woman was brewing, nor did he care to know.
After briefly analyzing the drug, he simply thanked Dr. Stylish and left.
There was no need to be overly polite with her—after all, he'd already paid the price.
He'd seen the half-dose of Enhancement Drug hidden in the drawer perfectly clearly.
"But I have to admit, she really is a genius..."
He examined the advanced version of the drug in his hand, growing more and more impressed.
The final product was even better than what Sumire could produce!
After analyzing it, it even gave him ideas on how to integrate new genes.
Like Demon's Extract, for instance.
Too bad she's such a creep...
But praise aside and jokes aside, experimentation was inevitable.
And as for the test subject, it would naturally be himself.
He picked up the syringe and injected it directly under his skin without the slightest hesitation.
As the medicinal liquid was injected, a faint coolness spread through his blood vessels.
But it seemed... that was all there was to it, with no other sensations whatsoever.
Had it failed?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the next second—
"Holy shit—"
A sudden, intense pain nearly robbed him of his voice, causing his entire body to convulse instantly. His hands clamped tightly over his eyes.
Yes, the source of this pain was precisely his eyes!
It felt as if someone were forcibly cutting into his eyeballs with a scalpel, trying to pry them out!
It hurt.
An excruciating, soul-shattering pain!
Every blood vessel and nerve connected to his brain felt as though they were being torn apart!
Yet, strangely enough, despite reaching such an extreme state, the "Regeneration" magic wasn't forcibly triggered.
This meant the transformation was benign and wouldn't harm his body.
Not only that, but his mind seemed to grow clearer. Despite the pain that felt as if it were tearing his soul apart, his consciousness remained perfectly sharp.
"Damn it, could this leave me with some kind of eye condition?"
At the very least, tears were now blurring his vision, and the pain made it impossible to keep his eyes open.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just then, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.
"Lord Mahiro, are you alright? I thought I heard you scream?!"
Seryu's concerned voice came from outside the door.
"I'm fine..."
He wanted to say that, but he couldn't open his mouth, forced to listen as the office door was pushed open.
As soon as she entered, Seryu saw Mahiro curled up on the chair, clutching his eyes and writhing in pain.
"Lord Mahiro?! What's wrong?!"
Seryu rushed forward, holding his arms as she asked.
Unfortunately, his tightly clenched jaw wouldn't budge an inch.
Seryu, frantic with worry, shook him repeatedly and forcefully, like a fool.
Why don't you go get Dr. Stylish instead!!!
Mahiro desperately wanted to retort like that, if only he had the ability.
But whether it was due to Seryu's shaking or not, the pain gradually began to recede.
He slowly stopped struggling and slumped back against the chair.
"Lord Mahiro!!!!!
"Alright, alright, stop shouting. I'm not dead... I'm still alive."
Leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed, Mahiro murmured a weary retort.
Yet, something remarkable happened: even without opening his eyes, he could clearly see Seryu's current expression—
Her face was on the verge of tears, and upon learning he was okay, she covered her mouth, trying her hardest not to cry aloud.
"Hey, why are you making such a tearful face? Don't cry, or you won't be pretty anymore."
Mahiro reached out, placing his hand on Seryu's head and gently stroking it.
But Seryu was both annoyed and amused by his words.
"Really, you scared me to death. I thought something terrible had happened to you, Lord Mahiro..."
"What could possibly happen to me? I just tried injecting the improved formula Dr. Stylish helped me with, never expected it to be this torturous..."
"That perverted Dr. Stylish again! Wait here, Lord Mahiro, I'll go drag her over to answer for this!"
Before he could finish, Seryu stood up angrily and was about to storm out.
Fortunately, he managed to stop the impulsive girl in time.
"Enough, enough, I'm fine. The formula improvement was my idea, and experimenting with it was my decision too. It has nothing to do with her. Don't go wreck her laboratory again."
Perhaps because of his influence, the relationship between Seryu and Dr. Stylish wasn't as good as in the original story, nor was there much respect between them.
They were almost like enemies.
Especially after investigating and discovering numerous stains on Dr. Stylish's record, and many shady deeds she had committed...
But Seryu did listen to him. When told not to go, she indeed stayed in the office instead.
However, when she turned around and made eye contact with Mahiro, she was shocked.
"L-Lord Mahiro! Your eyes...!"
"Hm?"
Seryu covered her mouth in terror, too frightened to speak.
"What's wrong with my eyes?"
"Y-You... you should see for yourself..."
Seryu took out a small mirror from her pocket and handed it to him.
When Mahiro looked at it, even he was startled.
"What the hell is this?!!"
In the mirror's reflection, his eyes were actually glowing with an ominous blood-red light. Most disturbingly, within that glow was a pentagram magic circle!
What the hell, is this the Copy Eye?!
It's not just similar to the one from Brave's Legend—it's practically identical!
Although his eyes were called "Copy Eyes," he had always thought it was a permanent-type magic, like Tatsuya's "Regeneration" that couldn't be turned off.
Moreover, it was fundamentally different from the Copy Eye in that he could also combine it with the "Eye of the Spirit" to analyze matter.
What he could copy wasn't limited to just magic either.
But now he wasn't so sure.
The glow in his eyes looked exactly like the Copy Eye. If this really was that thing... wouldn't it be too weak?
Because the Copy Eye itself wasn't powerful—what was formidable was the Solver of All Equations. But clearly he didn't possess that, otherwise he wouldn't have been unable to fully analyze the alchemy of the Holy Relic system.
Not only that, what he could do wasn't just simple replication, but rather a form of comprehension.
The kind of understanding that could make something his own and reweave it.
But now, he really wasn't certain anymore...
However, this glow came and went quickly. Gradually the light in his eyes dimmed, but it seemed to have left behind that strange pentagram magic circle on the surface of his iris, as if engraved there.
"Lord Mahiro, are you really alright? Should I go call Dr. Stylish to examine you..."
Seryu was quite worried, because everything that had just happened seemed far too bizarre, not to mention the scar-like marks now visible in Mahiro's eyes.
"...I'm fine, no need. I just need some rest."
Mahiro waved his hand and gently closed his eyes again.
They felt slightly sore and tired.
Though his response sounded somewhat perfunctory, he truly wasn't injured.
Thinking back carefully now, it was likely that Tyrant had stimulated his recessive genes, causing this phenomenon to manifest.
But was it coincidence or something else?
He wasn't sure.
Moreover, he couldn't even confirm whether these were actually Copy Eyes.
Unless he visited the Miniature Garden to consult the all-knowing Laplace Demon or used a Gift Card, he probably wouldn't get a proper understanding.
After all, that's how it usually worked in web novels.
"Alright, Seryu, please handle today's official business for me. I'm rather tired and will head back first."
"Okay... But are you really alright, Lord Mahiro?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. I..."
Thud!
Before he could even finish his sentence, Mahiro—walking with his eyes closed—bumped straight into a wall.
Though he could still perceive people, walking seemed somewhat challenging, as if he'd lost his balance mechanism and couldn't quite maintain direction.
Tsk...
"Nothing serious, no big issue. I'll adapt soon enough."
With that, he left the office.
Staring at the now empty doorway, Seryu couldn't help but feel concerned.
"Is Lord Mahiro really going to be okay...?"
Seryu's worries were justified, as when Mahiro returned home...
Whether it was Mine, Remus, or Womyn, they all looked at him with strange expressions.
"Hey, Lady Mine. Why is Master walking with his eyes closed? Is this some kind of performance art? Like those people dancing wildly on the streets?" Womyn asked curiously.
"Why don't you go ask the Master yourself?"
"Ask the Master?! I don't dare."
"If you don't dare ask the Master, then why are you asking me! Get back to work! Be careful or you'll go without dinner tonight!"
Seeing Mine's anger, neither Womyn nor Remus dared linger, and even the secretly watching trio of colorful little ones got startled and hurried away to work.
"Master, why are you walking with your eyes closed?"
Seeing that no one else was around, Mine stepped forward to ask.
"Oh, it's you, Mine. It's nothing, just that my eyes are a bit overworked. I'm somewhat tired, but I'll be fine after some rest."
"Eyes... overworked?"
Mine slowly formed question marks in her mind.
The concept seemed too niche for her to comprehend, as she knew her master's temperament quite well.
When it came to office work, he mainly slacked off and never worked hard enough on official duties to strain his eyes.
But since her master said so, as a maid, she naturally wouldn't pry further.
As a qualified maid, what she should do now was step forward to support her master and guide him back to his room to rest.
"Oh right, Master, I heard on the streets today that you made a bet with General Esdeath? Planning to have a large-scale military exercise competition? Do you need my help?"
Though Mine may appear thin and small, with hardly any meat on her bones, her skills are quite decent. At the very least, she ranks in the upper-middle tier even among elite groups.
When it comes to dissection and shooting techniques alone, she's undoubtedly the No.1!
"No need, it's just a minor skirmish."
"Only you, Master, would describe a competition with the strongest General Esdeath as a minor skirmish." Mine sighed softly.
But this was exactly her master's style.
"Oh, by the way, Mine, how do you know about this competition too? Has the gossip spread this widely already?"
Mine looked at him somewhat speechlessly, letting out a faint sigh.
"I'm telling you, Master, this is hardly just gossip. Probably everyone in the Imperial City knows about this by now."
Hiss—
Could it really be that absurd?!
In fact, it was indeed that absurd.
At the very least, the news about him and Esdeath having a team competition had completely spread throughout the military and even among the Imperial City's upper echelons.
Two days later, when he brought his people to the colosseum, the spectator stands were already filled with military personnel, including many nobles ready to watch the show!
But what surprised Mahiro the most was that General Budo—clad in black armor with yellow hair styled like Pikachu on his head—had also come!
This man actually voluntarily left the palace!
How rare.
It wasn't until he saw the girl standing beside Budo that he immediately understood.
Oh, so the Little Emperor had come too.
"Ahem, We happened to learn of this news, so We intend to serve as the referee for this competition. Do either of you have any objections?"
How could there possibly be objections?
Both Esdeath and Mahiro indicated they had no problems.
However, when Esdeath turned to look at him, her pale, beautiful face showed a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong with your eyes? Why are they closed?"
"Nothing much. Since I need to face your challenge with full effort, I'm just keeping my eyes closed for a while to conserve some energy."
"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Hearing this, the corners of Esdeath's mouth lifted slightly, filled with excited pleasure, her eyes brimming with anticipation.
She had waited far too long for this day!
Would she finally get to witness this man's full power?
Meanwhile, Nyau of the Three Beasts was also very interested in the two of them. A showdown between the strongest Lord Yotsuba and Lady Esdeath...
He was quite curious—would Lady Esdeath emerge victorious this time, or would Lord Yotsuba prevail again against Lady Esdeath who had developed super-strong skills?
The outcome was truly something to look forward to.
"Now We shall announce the competition rules!"
The Little Emperor held a prepared manuscript in hand, reading verbatim:
"To ensure the fairness of this military exercise, the upcoming matches will be determined by drawing lots. Both sides will take turns coming forward to draw their respective combat opponents."
"Of course, we must ensure soldiers face soldiers and generals face generals. Therefore, Esdeath and Yotsuba Mahiro will not participate in the draw—their match will serve as the grand finale."
"Moreover, this competition imposes no restrictions on weapons or techniques, but taking an opponent's life is strictly forbidden. Violators will be immediately disqualified and judged as losers."
"If neither side has objections, let the draw commence!"
Mahiro had brought six participants today, while Esdeath naturally fielded six as well.
Soon, the match schedule for all twelve participants was finalized.
Under everyone's gaze, the tournament bracket became clearly visible:
The first match would feature Wave, formerly of the navy, versus Tsukushi, the mascot girl from the assassination department.
When Wave saw he'd be fighting in the opening match against a girl around his age, his expression showed considerable surprise, though internally he grew solemn.
Observing the girl with her chestnut-colored bob cut who resembled an idol, he murmured inwardly:
"My apologies, but I must win this match..."
There was no helping it—last night, Esdeath had pumped up all of them with motivation.
If anyone lost their match, they'd have to endure her sadistic punishment!
That meant going through the same process used to torture prisoners!
Aside from Suzuka, that masochistic pervert who instantly flushed with excitement and anticipation, everyone else—including Liver—wore expressions of horror.
None of them wanted to experience being disciplined and trained by Lady Esdeath.
Nyau in particular had already gained deep personal understanding of this.
Therefore, they absolutely had to win today's matches!