episode_0415

Inside the test tube, an artificial sapphire-colored liquid shone like a strange living creature beneath the ceiling lights. Resting still on the desk, the clear, blue drug subtly rippled as if breathing on its own, capturing the gaze of anyone who saw it.

“Here, this is the result Daphne Unnie asked for!” Phoebe carefully, yet immensely proudly, held out the test tube and exclaimed. Her voice was filled with the pride of a craftsman presenting a finished product.

Before that dazzling blue light, Irene was momentarily speechless and frowned slightly. How could she not know what was before her eyes?

“…What is this?”

She wasn’t asking because she didn’t know. It was a nano-enhancer. A dangerous legacy of a fallen research institute, it had vanished after countless controversies due to side effects as lethal as its efficacy. But Phoebe had recreated this, in such a short time?

Phoebe’s sharp gaze didn’t miss the shadows of caution and doubt that flickered beneath Irene’s calm expression. As if she’d seen through Irene’s thoughts, Phoebe waved her hand and said confidently.

“Hmph, don’t worry about safety! I’ve caught all the problematic unstable elements. At most, you’ll feel a bit sluggish? That’s a charming level of side effect!” She even gave a cheeky wink, but Irene’s expression didn’t soften. Just then, Daphne, who was standing beside her, asked without taking her eyes off the test tube.

“It really will be okay, right?”

“Oh, come on! Who was it who asked me to make this? Don’t you trust me? Even if I look like this, I was once called a ‘child prodigy’!” Phoebe puffed out her chest and exclaimed. In her sparkling eyes, along with certainty of success, a dangerous flame of fanatic passion burned. Irene momentarily fell deep in thought, wondering what the source of that confidence was.

Clearly, Phoebe’s ability itself was beyond doubt. The pharmaceutical companies secretly connected through the clan she belonged to and the Cascadia-side network. The Erosion Zone Syndrome treatment that had begun production there was showing superior effects compared to any existing drug. Even in Lumenex’s cold secret prison, her extraordinary brain and sharp senses apparently hadn’t dulled at all.

‘However…’ Irene glanced at Phoebe and muttered to herself. Apart from her ability, her usual unpredictable and unstable demeanor still made it difficult to trust her.

“The effects have already been verified! My cute animal friends gladly helped. Hehe.”

“…You definitely got their consent, right?”

“Of course! How much I cherish them. I wouldn’t treat them carelessly! It was voluntary, of course!”

Irene briefly turned her gaze and looked down at the small, fluffy puppy sitting obediently on her lap. The puppy, who had been gnawing on a dog treat, looked blankly at Irene with its round eyes, then happily chewed on its treat again.

‘Indeed, if there were really a problem, Violet wouldn’t have stood by.’

Nevertheless, the uneasiness in her heart didn’t easily fade. Daphne’s appearance was particularly troubling. In Daphne’s gaze, as she stared at the drug, there was a strange glint. It was eerily similar to Violet, who had been fiddling with the detonator of a suicide vest. Surely, that dangerous tendency hadn’t rubbed off on her roommate as well…

What ultimately amplified Irene’s unease was another piece of equipment Phoebe pulled out after the drug, radiating a cold metallic sheen.

“And that’s not all! I prepared this too, while I was at it! How about it? It’ll be much faster and more effective than taking it orally or injecting it!”

Daphne’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“This is it, Doctor-nim! The self-defense equipment I told you about last time.”

Daphne’s excited reaction confirmed Irene’s suspicion. ‘As expected, she’s really been influenced.’ To call the object before her ‘self-defense equipment’ was an understatement. Irene knew its true nature all too well. Equipment used secretly by some mercenary groups or radical clans, equipment deeply stained by the dark shadows of the battlefield.

Irene looked at Daphne and asked calmly but sharply.

“Daphne? Do you know what this is exactly?”

“Yes, Irene. It’s an automatic drug injection device, isn’t it?”

Before Irene’s eyes, on a cold metallic frame, lay an intricate device with three translucent cylinders embedded in a row. Designed to be worn on the shoulder and back, this device is an auxiliary system that forcibly administers drugs when it’s difficult to secure even the minimum time for injury treatment or stabilizing one’s condition during intense combat. It is primarily used to directly inject highly concentrated recovery agents, cell regeneration promoters, or combat stimulants that allow the user to exceed their limits, directly into the wearer’s bloodstream, regardless of their will.

The very idea of a second-year student, merely attending an academy, using such an extreme device, made Irene gasp and turn pale in an instant.

“Hold on, Daphne! This really isn’t right, is it? This isn’t something an academy student should use carelessly. Doctor Phoebe-nim? Are you really going to give this to Daphne as is?”

At Irene’s words, Phoebe, as if puzzled, merely shrugged and replied casually.

“Oh, don’t worry. Daphne Unnie has special healing abilities, so drug addiction won’t be much of an issue for her.”

No sooner had she finished speaking, Phoebe deftly flicked open her tablet screen.

“No, Doctor-nim, why the tablet all of a sudden… wait a moment?”

Before Irene could even stop her, Phoebe eagerly explained, displaying complex data graphs and diagnostic results filling the screen.

“Just look at this! I’ve already run precise diagnostics multiple times and even simulations. According to this data…”

At Phoebe, passionately expounding, Irene felt a chill run down her spine. It was eerily similar to the glint in Doctor Bernike-nim’s eyes when she had excitedly researched her own father, whose consciousness was housed in a mechanical body. She should have realized something wasn’t normal when Phoebe, despite being much older, freely used ‘Unnie’ and ‘Oppa’ honorifics with younger students and acted so familiarly.

But the milk was already spilled [an idiom meaning what’s done is done]. Now, with significant progress being made in her father’s body regeneration and prosthetic construction project, Helios, whether it liked it or not, was largely dependent on Phoebe and her unique research capabilities.

As if Daphne had read Irene’s complex feelings, she tried to reassure her in a gentle tone.

“Don’t worry, Irene! This is really just a backup for emergencies. Normally, I’ll try to use the exoskeleton’s auxiliary functions, and I’ll never abuse this device. And… who knows? In a truly critical situation, perhaps even Irene could benefit from this drug.”

Phoebe, as if she had been waiting, chimed in with Daphne’s words.

“That’s a good point, isn’t it? Daphne Unnie’s dream is to be a Healer, isn’t it? Getting familiar with various drug usages in addition to her unique ability will be a good experience.”

At the conversation between the two, which seemed decisively unhinged, Irene tried to retort a few more times but eventually closed her mouth. The clear reality that Phoebe’s diagnostic results showed no medical problems was forcibly suppressing her common-sense concerns. As she left the lab, Irene sighed and muttered, as if warning them softly.

“…If Violet finds out later, I won’t know anything. Maybe everything’s already been found out. All the animals wandering around here are practically Violet’s eyes and ears, aren’t they?”

At those words, Daphne’s face, which had been full of anticipation just a moment ago, filled with dismay. She hastily bent down in front of the puppies who had come to greet her down the corridor, and pleaded earnestly in an almost imploring voice.

“Um, excuse me, puppies… ah, she doesn’t know yet, right? To Violet… please keep it a secret… okay?”

The nearest puppy tilted its head and replied in a clear voice.

“Woof! Rest assured! The Master doesn’t know this fact yet. It’s extremely rare for the Master to directly check inside our network!”

Irene merely stared silently at Daphne, who awkwardly smiled with relief at those words, along with the bitter and complex thought that she truly was becoming more like Violet in many ways.

**

Facing the past head-on is as painful as surgery digging into raw flesh. Isn’t that true for me as well? Even at this very moment, in every single one of the over 15,000 connection lines in my central network, words like an unquenchable flame are etched like a curse. That is, hatred for ponytails!

「If you converted this into material energy, it would probably be enough to create an entire ocean and then some!」

Such deeply ingrained memories of the past remain forever, like scars dug deep into the flesh. The act of retracing past times is like stirring dirty, muddy water, filled with all sorts of refuse, with a long pole. If you’re lucky, you might pull up a piece of treasure submerged in the mud, but usually, a terrible, rotting corpse suddenly surfaces with a pungent stench that stings the nose. It’s natural for your brow to wrinkle in discomfort.

“…They were, simply…”

The defector sitting before me now was exactly like that. The image of someone struggling to feel their way with bare hands across the dark, damp bottom of the abyss of memories they had tried so hard to bury. After a long, heavy silence, the individual barely opened their dry lips.

“…They were civil rights activists. No, perhaps describing them only as such would obscure the true situation too much. They… dreamed of a complete overthrow of the existing social order.”

“A revolution, you mean?” I interjected casually. Exoria nodded, looking exhausted but clearly.

“Exactly. They sought to destroy the old world and usher in a new era. But Violet…” The individual suddenly called my name. Deep within those ash-grey eyes, complex shadows, which I couldn’t fathom, were deeply cast.

“By any chance, how much do you know about the era before the Great War, when this world was completely different from how it is now?”

“Ah, I learned about it in school. There were lots of kingdoms and empires ruled by kings and petty nobles. Unlike now, there was no magic.”

A subtle ripple spread across Exoria’s face upon hearing my answer.

“I see. Is that all you know about that era? Did they not teach anything else?”

“Yeah. Something about a steam engine being invented, laying down some railway tracks, and trade and industry becoming active… just that level?” I finished speaking and subtly glanced at Seijis, who stood beside me. Seijis merely continued to gaze silently at Exoria with an unreadable expression.

Suddenly, Exoria let out a deep sigh, as if drawn from the depths of their lungs. Was there something important I was missing?

“…It’s as I thought. They say history is written by the victors, and it seems reality here isn’t much different. Behind the dazzling stage of brilliant industrial development… horrifying truths, painful even to look at, were hidden.” Exoria’s voice was tinged with heavy sorrow and a subtle fervor of anger.

“So, what kind of people were in this revolutionary organization?”

“Honestly, the organization itself was crude. It lacked structure, and funds were always tight. However, its network extended beyond borders. Like-minded individuals from various nations secretly exchanged letters, held clandestine meetings, and dreamed of the day of change that was bound to come. They were naive and reckless, but I can boldly say one thing: Even if it was only for a time, their passion was a truth without a single trace of falsehood.”

Exoria paused for a moment and stared at a point in the air.

“It might be presumptuous for a foreigner like myself to say this, but among the monarchs of that era, and those called so-called nobles… there were truly too many who deserved to die. Blind to endless greed, they unhesitatingly committed unimaginable cruelties, treating their own people worse than livestock or insects. If one were to consider their level of depravity… it would be sacrilegious to even utter that name, that…”

Exoria’s face, as they continued speaking, turned deathly pale and contorted in extreme pain. The individual clutched their head and coughed violently, as if in a seizure. Amidst the choking coughs, red specks scattered, and blood-red flower-like patterns bloomed on the white handkerchief hastily pressed to their mouth.

「…I’ve shown a rather unseemly sight. This is due to a magical restriction, so please bear with me.」

With one last cough, Exoria wiped their lips, from which a little blood had seeped. The individual caught their breath and continued in a trembling voice.

“…At any rate, such wicked individuals brazenly sat on thrones, and sucked the flesh and blood of their people alive.”

“Wicked, you say? What exactly was it like?” I pressed, as if interrogating. Exoria seemed to be in pain just recalling it, closing and opening their eyes tightly.

“…Children less than five years old were thrown into suffocating coal mines and machinery crevices like consumables. If they collapsed from hunger, leather whips lashed out, and servants were beaten or made into playthings at their masters’ whims. Even so-called civilized nations like Arnor or the Parmia Empire, unhesitatingly pointed guns at hungry citizens begging for a piece of bread, and it was a daily occurrence to hang them on public gallows as a spectacle.”

On the handkerchief the individual held, their knuckles whitened from the force.

“Rulers, driven by empty greed and vanity, started wars, sending young lives into death traps. At the same time, they crushed the resistance of the people with one accord. Under suffocating despair, dreaming of a blood-stained revolution was inevitable. Yes, they might have seemed like dreamers, perhaps even madmen. But… I, who saw them firsthand, know. That they had no other choice. The true nature of those in power back then was no different from the greed shown by the clans of today.”

“No different from the clans?” My brow involuntarily furrowed. The clans’ actions were sickening enough, but was it that bad even in the old days?

“In fact, it might have been even worse.” Exoria wore a faint, bitter smile.

“Now, there is order and justification. Individual skill and ability are also recognized.” They were silent for a moment, as if choosing their words.

“Of course, even in that pitch-black darkness, there were not a few who tried to ignite the faint embers of change. Among the nobles who were oppressors, some sought to change the world peacefully. For example, Valefor, the Archmage of the Extremes, or Adriana, the Lightning Witch…”

“What?! No, wait. That old geezer did that? That’s impossible!” I involuntarily shot up from my seat. “That crazy Archmage?”

“…You didn’t know? Indeed, he was mainly portrayed as a hero of the Great War. However, in his youth before the Great War, he was a person who participated in civil rights movements with his fiancée.” Exoria, as if surprised by my intense reaction, offered a very faint smile.

“At any rate, amidst all that, the most radical factions discovered clues about how to open a dimensional rift within very ancient forbidden records. At a specific point in the North Pole of Trist, by combining ancient secret arts with the then-nascent scientific technology, they could open a door to another world… It was a preposterous possibility, yet not entirely impossible.”

Seijis, who was standing beside me, asked, staring at Exoria with a sharp, piercing gaze.

“The result, I suppose, is you, before our eyes. So, you helped them? Why?”

Contained within the question ‘Why?’ was cold caution and puzzlement.

“They… knelt at my feet and earnestly pleaded. To help them overturn this cursed world. And, even at my diminished level of power, I had the strength to make their wish a reality. That was all.”

“Wait, you’re an alien. Does that make sense? You just grant wishes to other people you’ve never met before?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t have?” The individual smiled sadly. “Violet, I was sincere at that time.”

In the emotions Exoria conveyed through the network, there were no more waves of excuses or self-justification. Only a cold, calm recitation of facts, like ice. I had no desire to dig deeper. It wasn’t interesting. In the heavily silence-laden air, I spoke.

“Ah, I see. Understood. Then I’ll ask about the details later. Let’s get to the main point.”

**

The framework of the operation to capture the killer was surprisingly simple.

“I can detect the location of the rogue agent from a relatively close range. And according to our information, the rogue agent’s unique ability’s effective range does not exceed a radius of several kilometers. If the distance increases beyond that, clear limitations arise in the clone’s reaction speed or continuous activity.”

“Hmm, that means, I spread out my detection network and wait, and if he gets caught, you pinpoint his exact location, right?”

Across the entire area where the killer might appear, if two detection systems were activated in tandem, it would only be a matter of time before he was detected. The core surveillance system consisted of me and this defector. My clones would spread out like a net across the entire southern district, standing guard, and the moment they detected his suspicious movements, Exoria would be deployed to those coordinates to track the exact location of the main body. The plan itself was clear. Though the deployment method was peculiar. I’d heard Arsite’s aircraft were excellent, but to patrol 24 hours then drop off like that…

「No, what nerve do they have to fly a stealth transport plane through an allied clan’s airspace? What if they get caught?」

「…This is purely a contingency plan for emergencies.」

“Anyway, I understand the operation itself. But how do we know when or where he’ll appear?” I hit upon the core issue. Exoria shook their head.

“The time won’t be an issue. So far, the rogue agent’s movements have been consistent. You can just recall the time periods when he usually began his activities.”

“Now that you mention it. There were no records of him rampaging in a busy district in broad daylight, were there?”

According to Exoria’s explanation, the individual seemed to have some kind of severe side effect. Perhaps it was the price for clumsily absorbing some of my power.

“It seems that in the process of absorbing some of my power, he mutated into a constitution that experiences extreme strain from strong light or specific wavelengths of light. Much like the ancient vampire legends. When I briefly contacted the rogue agent last time, I could detect some physical changes in him.”

“I see. Good.”

Thus, we concluded discussions on the detailed matters that needed to be confirmed before the operation’s execution. From compensation issues to post-capture procedures, everything was clearly laid out.

“Don’t forget what I said about demanding a high price for the reward conditions. And after capture, he’ll be transferred to a nearby safe house for a few checks, then handed over to our side—understood. So, all the main discussions are finished now, right?”

After hastily skimming the documents, I looked back and forth between the scholarship officer and Exoria, and asked.

“Yes, do you have anything else to say?”

I leaned back against the chair’s backrest and crossed my arms.

“First of all, for the rest of this week, don’t call me during the daytime, if at all possible! Unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Huh? What are you suddenly talking about…? I don’t understand.”

A question mark appeared on Exoria’s face. I grinned and declared.

“I promised the kids I’d go to an amusement park in a few days!”

Seijis, who had been standing silently beside me, had his eyebrows slightly raised in bewilderment. It seemed his expression indicated a need for a bit more explanation.