Fate Apocrypha Volume 3

Chapter 2.4

Gordes was feeling agitated. This was nothing new to him, but it was not quite the same as usual this time.

"I'm sorry... there's nothing more that I can do."

Said the disheartened homunculus, and his patient who was lying on the ground patted his arm.

"Don't worry about it. You've done your best."

The other homunculus said somberly, her tone as that of someone facing her own death. The scene irritated Gordes immensely.

The homunculus lying on the ground was one of the prana provision types that were kept in tanks. Born defective, they were meant to spend their existence without ever coming out, only rotting away...

Fools! Damned fools, the whole lot of them!

Gnashing his teeth, Gordes could finally bear no longer and rose to his feet.

"...!"

Apparently noticing the approaching Gordes, the nursing homunculus tensed only for Gordes to ignore him, instead lowering himself and taking the pulse of the female homunculus lying on the ground.

"What are you...?"

Gordes tapped the girl's arms and shoulders, then the collarbones, and nodded to himself in satisfaction. Commanded to open her mouth, the homunculus did so despite herself. Gordes made a sound of contempt and explained.

"You simpleton. In case you could not tell by looking, her respiratory organs are undeveloped... there are ventilators set up inside the prana tanks. Bring one here, now."

"Huh...?"

Gordes glared at the bewildered homunculus, daring him to speak another word. With a flustered "Right away!" he ran down the hallway.

"Umm..."

"What?"

"Why? Why are you helping us? Weren't we just batteries to you?"

The homunculi knew that, while not nearly as cruel as Celenike and Roche whom treated them as breakable toys and test subjects, Darnic and Gordes viewed them merely as things.

"You still are, even now, but... argh! If you saw a human making a fool of himself at cleaning, wouldn't you want to correct them? It's just like that. Anyone would be annoyed by someone trying to clean a bathtub with a vacuum cleaner!"

Gordes was a fair bit too old to be suddenly developing love for his fellow man. This was merely the conduct of a veteran craftsman scolding his junior.

Shut up and pay attention!

"All that we have taught you are mending techniques to deal with external wounds, and simple ways of resisting mental domination. You could not possibly know how to heal a defective respiratory system. You never learned to."

"I... I see."

It was actually quite obvious. After all, it had taken the magi great effort simply packing in all of the most basic necessities into them.

"Are these what you were talking about?"

The homunculus who ran off returned carrying what resembled respirators under his arms.

"Yes. Give it here."

Snatching it from his hands, Gordes pushed a hypodermic needle into the female homunculus's vein, and connected it by a tube to a box of processed bone.

"What's that...?"

"A tool to circulate oxygen and assist breathing. Here, put this on.

Some life returned to the girl's face when she put on the mask over her mouth. Seeing this, Gordes said disinterestedly.