[Lobotomy Corporation] I'm an Abnormality...

A monster has appeared.. EP.36

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The corridor lay draped in pitch-black darkness.

The familiar faces of Hoon, the Shepherd, and the other staff members were nowhere to be seen. Even the usual chatter was absent.

Yet, the small bird staring at me was vividly clear.

What on earth was happening?

[ Oh my, why have you shrunk so much? ]

The bird's chirp echoed in my mind.

Uh, well... judging by the situation, it seemed this little bird was speaking to me.

"...Are you... talking to me?"

[ Yep! Long time no see! ]

I had asked just in case, but it was indeed the bird talking.

Of all things, now birds were talking to me. I was going mad.

But more importantly, what did it mean by "long time no see?"

Why was this little bird speaking as if it knew me well?

[ Have bad people appeared here too? I came to warn you. ]

I had no idea what it was talking about. Bad people? A warning?

...First, I had to correct it. The person it knew wasn't me.

[ It's okay now! If I punish the wicked, this world will be at peace! ]

- Flap, flap.

Before I could say anything, the bird flew off to the end of the corridor with a flutter of its small wings.

...That little thing had quite the speed.

But more than that, how could it just leave after saying its piece? I wanted it to hear me out!

I tried to follow the bird to clear the misunderstanding...

"Ugh..."

A sudden headache forced me to stop, clutching my head in pain.

...

And then, the phrase "Black Forest" popped into my mind.

It was a place I'd never heard of, yet it felt strangely familiar.

Ugh, it felt like nothing but incomprehensible things happened since I came here.

I just wanted to lie down and sleep. Really.

...

With nothing else to do, I followed the little bird.

Come to think of it, I had just ignored the staff members standing by and left.

Wait, if I had stayed put, I could have gone back to my containment cell, right?

...I was an idiot.

[ People have been committing evil deeds for a very long time. Why do they knowingly do wrong? ]

[ It's because there's no one to punish them. If someone took on that role, there would be no more evil in the world, right? ]

While I was regretting following the bird, it chattered away beside me, flapping its wings.

Honestly, I didn't understand half of what it was saying, or rather, almost none of it.

But judging by its tone, it sounded like we were old acquaintances...

[ So, I decided to take on that role. Ah, is my beak too small to punish properly? ]

"What are you even..."

[ I tore my beak and made a big one that can swallow anything! Want to see? ]

"Uh... huh?!"

The little bird's belly suddenly split open.

No, really, the red pattern on its belly literally opened.

Inside, a mouth many times larger than the bird itself was revealed, lined with countless teeth.

What the hell. That was a "beak"? Not just a pattern?

[ Amazing, right? Now I can bring 'punishment' to the wicked! ]

"Yeah... amazing..."

I had a feeling that if I said the wrong thing, I would be swallowed whole by that beak.

I should just stay quiet.

"..."

After walking a while with the little bird, we reached a large room.

The room was similar to the previous corridors, nothing particularly noteworthy, except for a large door that seemed out of place.

The door in the center of the room was barely holding its shape, made of dried-up branches.

"...What's that?"

[ You've reappeared, which means that 'monster' is committing evil again, right? This time, I'll definitely 'punish' it! ]

"What exactly do you mean..."

- Swoosh.

...And the little bird flew into the door, still spouting its incomprehensible words.

Talking only about itself till the end.

Just in case, I tried to touch the inside of the door, but only felt the hard texture of a blocked wall.

...

[ The little bird decided to use its beak to punish creatures that had committed evil deeds. ]

...

Right after the little bird went through the door.

- Ting.

A clear sound came from the entrance of the room.

A crisp sound, like tapping a glass with a spoon.

I turned my head instinctively to where the sound came from, and there was a bird with a long neck and bandages wrapped around it.

It was the "Judge Bird" I had seen before.

[ It's you... hello... ]

And like the little bird, its voice seemed to echo directly in my mind.

Unlike the little bird's, this voice was slightly deeper, presumably the voice of the "Judge Bird."

[ As expected, my prediction was correct... This place will soon be ravaged by monsters... No one should be eaten by them... ]

- Ting.

- Ting.

"..."

The "Judge Bird" slowly approached, making a clear sound like a tilting scale.

It seemed it was also heading towards the door behind me, just like the little bird.

What was this door that all the birds were entering?

I swallowed my questions and stepped aside to let the "Judge Bird" pass.

[ Now I can properly 'judge'... This scale that only tilts one way always has a clear outcome... ]

- Ting.

Just like the little bird, the "Judge Bird" entered the door after spouting more incomprehensible words.

...

[ The long bird weighed the sins of those who entered the forest for the sake of its peace. The long bird's scale was impartial and could measure the weight of any sin. ]

...

What was going on?

I've never seen you before.

Why were you talking like you've known me for a long time?

The only bird I had ever seen in my life was my friend's canary.

- Thud.

As I scratched the back of my head, unable to keep up with the situation, a heavy sound came from the entrance.

"Subdue it quickly!"
"T-Team Leader! This thing isn't taking any damage!"

Along with the voice of the bald man I had heard so often since I came here.

- Thud.

"Damn it! Stop the charmed ones quickly!"
"Stay still, Evangeline! Just keep reading that notebook!"

The sound of stomping footsteps and voices grew louder.

And I could see a large bird with many eyes moving towards the "door" like the other birds, with the bald man struggling beside it.

[ Don't worry, everyone. You'll be safe as long as I'm here. ]

[ Come here... I'll keep you safe. ]

But why was that large bird saying such strange things?

Hearing that from a creature that was clearly a monster felt... unsettling, to say the least.

[ ...Oh, it's you. ]

As expected, the large bird seemed to know me and spoke to me as soon as it saw me.

Ugh, having all those eyes staring at me was really creepy.

[ Hello, long time no see. Since our meeting, I've been roaming the forest. There might be a child who needs my help, you know? ]

"The 'Big Bird' is getting faster! Everyone be careful!"
"Ugh... uh..."
"Evangeline! Please snap out of it!"

...Come to think of it, people weren't responding to the large bird's words.

It seemed the staff, including the bald man, couldn't hear the bird's voice.

What was the mechanism? Was it telepathy or something?

Still, unlike the other abnormalities, this one wasn't attacking despite the staff's commotion, so it seemed like a good guy...

[ And I've realized something. If I kill it first... no creature will be killed by it, right? ]

...Not at all. Its way of thinking was too brutal!

"Ask the manager to shoot 'slowdown bullets'! It's too fast!"
"Aaaagh!"
"Evangeline, are you finally back? Help us!"

Watching the "Big Bird" walk calmly while the staff desperately attacked it felt strange.

[ I want to protect you too... but it seems dealing with the 'monster' comes first. Sorry. ]

After saying this, the "Big Bird" broke through the staff's attacks and entered the door.

...

[ The big bird decided to monitor the forest for intruders. The big bird's eyes could see far away, things we could and could not see. ]

...

So, what was this monster?

Just tell me. Why did you all know and I didn't?

"Damn it, what is that door..."
"The 'Big Bird' went inside and disappeared. What is going on..."
"...Wait? Aren't you the 'Little Girl'?"

One of the staff members, a green-haired man who was panicking after losing their target, finally noticed me with a surprised expression.

Took him long enough to notice.

Anyway, this was good. Since I had found the bald man, I could finally return to my small containment cell.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief.

"■■■■■!"

A roar of a colossal beast echoed throughout the entire company.

And, before my eyes, a monstrous [ Monster ] appeared, indescribable in its horror.

...

...

[ This place is too vast for our strength to protect the forest. ]



[ But there is no other creature that can protect the forest if not us. ]



[ If we were to combine our strengths into one, we could become much stronger. ]



[ The eyes of the big bird that can see a hundred miles away, the long bird that can judge the sins of any being, and the mouth of the little bird that can swallow everything will once again become one. ]




The end, once again, was reenacted.