It was an experiment called torture, and it was over.


    I don''t know how many hours, how many days it lasted.


    I don''t even know when it ended.


    All I remember is that I was in pain like hell for a long time and then I realized it was over.


    My memory often falters while I''m being experimented on.


    I remembered it well in the beginning, but lately I''ve forgotten quite a bit.


    Perhaps it''s the result of my brain trying to protect me.


    Because if I had to remember all the torturous experiments all the time, I would break down.


    So even now, I don''t know when the experiment is over.


    I found myself in front of Ershe''s room.


    I haven''t opened the door yet.


    I always do.


    Whenever my memory flies away after an experiment, I always wake up here, like I''m awake.


    I''m sure I''ve made it here on my own.


    But....as I thought, even without the memory, the pain and suffering of the experiment remains in my body.


    At any moment, my legs won''t be strong enough and I feel as if I''ll fall to the ground.


    It hurts all over my body, there is no part of my body that doesn''t hurt.


    But even so, I open the door, not letting the pain show on my face.


    You don''t have to try to smile.


    Because if you look at Elsie, your smile will flow out of its own accord.


    "...Elsie, I''m home.


    ''　Welcome back, big brother!


    I''m alive to hear it, to see it, to hear its voice.


    The experiment seemed to last about three days.


    Not long or short, considering what we''ve been doing.


    I remember the longest experiment was about two weeks long.


    Since then, I''ve been losing my memory of the experiment in progress.


    Sometimes the experiment was over in a few hours or so.


    So this experiment would be an average length.


    ''I''m sorry, Elshe I''m so tired today, can I sleep with you?''


    ''Of course!　Let''s sleep together!


    Ershe, of course, doesn''t know that I am being subjected to a torturous experiment.


    The reason I''m tired is that my work is hard.


    In fact, I''m being experimented on like it''s my job.


    I crawl into bed and lay down with him to hug him from the front.


    ''Heh heh ... I''m getting big now too, my bed is so small.''


    Hmmm.........would you like your bed to be bigger?


    ''No, I''m fine. I''m going to sleep with my brother, so it''s okay to be small.


    Thank you.


    Really, it''s soothing.


    The pain in my body feels like it''s slowly easing.


    The experiment is so hard, it''s killing me.


    I wouldn''t want to have to do it if I could, but there''s one thing I can count on.


    ''Hey, brother. Can you sleep with me until morning today?


    Yeah, I can sleep. It''s not like I''m going to wake up in the morning and you''re not going to be gone today.


    Well, that''s good, that''s good, that''s good.


    On days when there was an experiment, I could definitely sleep with Ershe until morning.


    Normally, after Ershe goes to bed, I tend to slip out for assassination work and the like.


    It would be nice if I could come back before Ershe wakes up, but as expected, I can''t do that every time.


    It''s always a lonely time for Elsie.


    But today, there is no way I''m going to leave her for work.


    Those guys also know that I''m exhausted to death from the experiment, so I won''t be putting in any work today.


    This is just.....................a joyous thing.


    ''Goodnight, Elshe........''


    Good night, brother.


    And we went to sleep.


    ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


    The man is checking the records of the experiment.


    He compares Elena''s experimental records that he had done earlier with the old records.


    ''''Hmm, it''s still growing but it''s not growing as fast.


    Create the strongest human being possible.


    That was the man''s goal.


    A man who is a nobleman wants power.


    It is power to raise his status, his authority.


    That''s why he wants powerful minions.


    But even if you hire all kinds of mercenaries and assassins with money, they are not as good as the strongest.


    I want a strong man like King Seldonia of the Kingdom of Harzion, a man who can build a country by himself.


    But that man has no talent for fighting, so he decides to build the strongest by himself.


    That is what this experiment is all about.


    In more than a decade, there have been dozens or hundreds of experiments so far.


    Only a few of them have survived.


    Very few have survived a year.


    Except for one exception, Elena Millwood.


    That one is the best for this experiment.


    The best at what it takes to be the strongest.


    At this rate, a man''s ambitions will be far away from him.


    ''''We need something........to stimulate them.


    In the experiment, they are inflicting pain and suffering as stimuli.


    But Elena has given them too much, so she must have developed a tolerance to them.


    What else would be a stimulus to give Elena........


    If I think about it for a moment, I can come up with an idea in a second.


    Someone that Elena absolutely, dearly loves.


    With that one, it would give Elena the most unparalleled stimulation.


    However, it would very likely put the man in danger as well.


    ''''Well, that''s all right. I knew I''d have to cross that bridge at some point.


    The man left the screaming laboratory and headed to his room.