Chapter 119

Chapter 119

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 119: The Last Of Yours (1).

As I was about to head to Holy Spirit Hospital, a familiar presence trailed behind me.

“Why are you following me?”

“You’re the one following me.”

It was Zelnya von Adelwein. I knew bringing her along came with a 30% chance of her picking a fight at any moment.

“You’re living a funny life.”

“……”

“Can you manage your grades in the second semester if you keep wandering around like this?”

“……”

“Just so you know, I’m the one tolerating you.”

“……”

Yeah, like this. At least it wouldn’t be boring until we got there.

“Welcome, Young Master.”

Sonia’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a while, was cold and subdued.

“A lot has happened while you were away, Young Master.”

“What happened?”

“It would be faster to show you than to explain a hundred times.”

I had a hunch; something significant must have occurred.

As I followed Sonia into the infirmary, there was Ire Hazlen, slumped in a chair with a gag in her mouth. The restraints that had been loosened during our departure were now tightly secured again. Most troubling of all, the girl was unconscious.

“What the hell happened?”

“It wasn’t my intention. It just ended up this way.”

“This girl doesn’t look good.”

Zelnya, who had been silent until now, shot Sonia a glare before kneeling beside Ire. She carefully lifted Ire’s eyelid with her fingers.

“Bloodshot.”

Next, she pressed her hand against Ire’s forehead.

“High fever.”

Finally, she checked Ire’s limbs and back.

“Chills.”

She diagnosed.

“The highest possibility is an Outer God.”

“Was there a frenzy or something?”

“If that were the case, I would have contacted you immediately, Young Master.”

A Tempest. When an Outer God commits suicide or kills another of its kind, the resulting collapse can create a black hole that temporarily disrupts the Ether density of the Holy Spirit Hospital. It happened last time, and I nearly lost my life. But this symptom wasn’t indicative of a Tempest; it suggested that one Outer God hadn’t punished another.

“They touched the Constellation. In a place like this, they can’t drive humans insane directly, so they must have attacked the star to provoke its immune response. It’s not a common tactic, but there is precedent.”

“How do you know all that? Where did you hear it from?”

“I studied Outer God Immunology in advance.”

Zelnya lifted her head, a smile spreading across her face that clearly conveyed, ‘I’m smarter than you.’

I knew there was a way to handle someone like her.

“Wow, you’re really smart.”

It’s just mindless praise. People who love to boast often crave validation. If you can praise them just right without making it obvious that you’re feeding their ego, they’ll fall for it every time. That’s how I’ve managed to keep my professors happy.

“Zelnya, you could become an excellent doctor.”

“Shut—ha.”

Hmm.

The word “shut” slipped out too easily. It seems to have stuck to her tongue. Hmm. I wonder if she’s been talking nonsense that much.

“Seeing her drenched in sweat, it was clear she had fainted and woken up repeatedly. Hey, tin can. How many times a day did this happen?”

Sonia frowned for a moment before answering quietly.

“It happened seven or eight times a day. The priests helped her each time, but there were limits to their efforts. In the end, we had to restrain her.”

There was a reason Sonia looked so exhausted.

“They were outright trying to kill her.”

This was the story of Safaul. Unable to harness a proper energy source like Ire Hazlen and trapped within the Holy Spirit Hospital, they had decided on a more drastic measure. It was a choice truly befitting of an Outer God. Thanks to their actions, the Pron levels remained stable, but a new treatment method was desperately needed.

“What? Why are you looking at me?”

Zelnya stepped back hesitantly.

“You’re smart, aren’t you?”

“So what?”

“Can’t you solve this problem too?”

“If your father can’t solve it, how am I supposed to?”

Suddenly, he felt the sting of a low blow.

Ire Hazlen woke with a faint groan.

“You…”

“Yes, it’s me. Aidel.”

“Kyaaah!” she screamed, startled, and instinctively recoiled. At that moment, I felt a thrilling sensation brush past my philtrum.

Damn, I think I have a nosebleed. First, Sonia had punched me, then Rustila had whacked me with a wooden sword, Ceti had kicked me, and Zelnya had bitten me. Now, it seemed Ire was intent on drowning me in her panic.

“Don’t come any closer!”

I had forgotten about Ire’s mild phobia and aversion to men.

“You perverted freak…!”

“…?”

“Yeah, what is it this time? Mechanics? Electromagnetism? Just stop it already!”

Clearly, there was some misunderstanding.

I reviewed my inventory:

Calipers of Wisdom (Grade A).

Maximum Pron Increase Pill obtained during the Celestine Incident.

An envelope containing Cartesia’s hair.

The first two items were useless. As for Cartesia’s hair… I had no idea what I could possibly do with it.

“Ha, huu.”

“Are you okay?”

“N-not at all. Phew.”

There was no way to help Ire, who was suffering from a high fever and a pounding headache. The restraints couldn’t be released; with me as the target, we couldn’t predict what Safaul might do. In this world, it felt all too common to slowly collapse without any means or hope of recovery. Ire must have been wishing she could just bite her tongue and move on to the next round.

“Zelnya.”

“What?”

“Take care of her.”

“Why should I?”

“You’re a doctor.”

“I’m a rookie who hasn’t even performed a single surgery, let alone completed a residency. If I mess up and she dies, will you take responsibility for me?”

I gave her a light tap. “I’m not asking you to treat her.”

“……”

“Just call me if anything happens. I trust you.”

I left Zelnya with Ire and stepped outside with Sonia. Beyond the door, I could hear grumbling about whether this counted toward volunteer hours and why they had to take care of a fool from the outskirts. It was an ironic scene. In previous episodes, Zelnya and Ire had clashed, and ultimately, Ire had finished off Zelnya. That had been the story during their third year in college. I hoped things would be different this time.

But that wasn’t the only issue weighing on my mind.

“The country ordered you to hand over Ire?”

“It’s been happening for a while. At first, they sent recommendations, and today, they threatened to send someone.”

“Why are they acting up all of a sudden?”

“Aren’t they coming to explain that?”

When she was at the Northern Holy Spirit Hospital, the situation might have been different. However, since I purchased the land for the Southern Holy Spirit Hospital, I had submitted the patient list to the government. At that point, Ire Hazlen’s location became officially documented.

And then—

“Hello.”

The term ‘officially documented’ felt eerily similar to being ensnared by the government.

Men in black suits poured out from the spaceship that had descended beyond the dock. One of them, who appeared to be the leader, approached with his hand extended.

“I am Humphkin Rockdalman from the Outer God Management Bureau.”

“I am Aidel von Reinhardt. This is my android, Sonia.”

Aidel felt a firm grip in the handshake. This man must work out.

Mr. Rockdalman glanced at Sonia, who was dressed like a maid, his expression shifting to one of skepticism as he raised an eyebrow.

“This is the first time I’ve seen an android in such an innovative outfit.”

Interpretation: Are you a pervert?

“It’s a fifth-generation model. They say it has intelligence comparable to humans. This friend enjoys dressing like this.”

Interpretation: I am not a pervert.

“As mentioned earlier, we are here to take over the custody of Ire Hazlen, who is receiving treatment at the Holy Spirit Hospital in the south. Please cooperate with us.”

Rockdalman removed his sunglasses and blinked, surprisingly gentle in appearance.

But the conversation that was about to unfold would be anything but gentle. I knew I had to take the initiative.

Before Rockdalman could take a step, I interrupted him.

“I would like to ask why you intend to transfer custody and where you plan to relocate her if you do.”

“……I see. I will explain step by step.”

Rockdalman put his sunglasses back on, his expression growing heavier.

“According to Article 109, Paragraph 3 of the Outer God Management Act, if the Holy Spirit Hospital is used as private property, it falls under the Medical Health Act, just like private hospitals or nursing facilities. This act requires the recording and reporting of patient visit information to the federal government.”

“Yes. So, we reported it.”

To be precise, my father and Ceti had done the reporting. After all, I was neither a doctor nor the building owner.

“And the same law includes Article 121, Paragraph 1, which states that the government can restrict the fundamental rights of Outer God incarnates for public interest purposes.”

This was the reason why so many individuals could be imprisoned and beaten in Alcatraz. It wasn’t a regression of human rights; rather, if they hadn’t been isolated and restricted in such a manner, the Federation would have collapsed long ago.

I nodded in reluctant agreement.

“I saw the report submitted by the owner of this facility. Ms. Ire Hazlen has been diagnosed with an average of fifteen Outer Gods attached to her.”

This was true. The diagnosis had been made by my father, a renowned doctor in the Federation, which lent it considerable credibility. The fact that Rockdalman was here indicated that the government had only just become aware of this situation and was beginning to monitor it closely.

Mr. Rockdalman raised his voice slightly and continued.

“Fifteen Outer Gods—it’s usually an unbelievable story. Ordinary people lose their minds with just one attached to them.”

“Is that why you want to take her?”

“That’s correct.”

At that moment, a chilling realization struck me. The authorities weren’t going to such lengths merely to relocate the treatment facility.

“Where are you taking her?”

“To the Outer God Biology Research Institute, located in the northern galaxy, Toba planetary system.”

They intended to conduct human experiments.