"In the eyes of others, they could be called [outstanding]. But only I knew how many regrets lay within them."
"Regrets?" The little boy looked confused and opened his eyes.
Lycurgus raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the rock overhead and stare into the Nihility.
"My first work has already left me."
"And this second work was meant to be perfect."
"Until this very moment, I had believed so without doubt."
The little boy looked at him curiously and shuffled a small step closer.
"I don't understand. Are you saying your thoughts changed?"
Lycurgus shook his head, the motion stiff and precise.
"I will not change, but I am willing to admit it."
"Those twelve unpolished stones are ten thousand times more exquisite than any statue."
"As though they were mocking me, a failed sculptor—because once they passed through my hands, their innate excellence was destined to be diminished, even erased entirely."
He laughed at himself, and there seemed to be a faint crackle of static amid his mechanical voice.
"Heh heh. For the first time since my birth, I realized..."
"This shell merely carries the incarnation of the first genius's [obsession]."
"The seal engraved into the core of my mechanical heart permits me to pursue only one goal: [Destruction]."
Before the little boy's utterly bewildered gaze, he continued at length, as though giving a belated conclusion.
"Compared to that, those twelve glowing raw stones..."
"The freedom they possess may be far greater than mine."
Suddenly, a cool and commanding female voice rang out behind them.
"Is this your confession, Lord Lycurgus?"
Lycurgus turned around and saw Aglaea leading Tribbie toward them slowly along another path.
Aglaea's steps were steady, her dress gleaming with a cold gold-white sheen beneath the faint light, while Tribbie walked at her