Ch.124124. Capgras Syndrome

The possibility that this continent knows about Capgras syndrome is slim.

And I myself only have basic knowledge about it, ignorant of its causes or treatments.

But for now, more than that.

“Where is the professor.”

Subduing Aria, who was raging and charging at me, was the top priority.

KWANG!

“Kuk!”

Even with the Dark Spiritmaster’s protective magic, Aria’s tightly clenched fists easily shattered it.

As if proving she was indeed a regressor, she attacked with diverse techniques.

KUNG! KUNG! KUNG! KUNG!

Even when I used wind magic to float up and create distance, golden energy surged from her feet, accelerating her to catch up instantly.

‘She’s already mastered Golden Dragon Step.’

The most efficient and effective top-tier movement skill.

The most terrifying aspect of Golden Dragon Step is that it’s not constrained by space.

As Aria stepped toward the empty air, golden platforms appeared beneath her feet, allowing her to strike through the air.

With just a few leaps, Aria positioned herself above me using the Golden Dragon Step against my wind magic.

Her fist plunged downward from above.

“I won’t kill you. I need to know where the professor is.”

KUWOONG!

Instinctively, I raised both hands to block the fierce impact. That was the best defense I could manage.

KKUDEUDEUK!

Both my arms twisted and broke under Aria’s strike. My eyebrows twitched slightly from the pain as I gritted my teeth.

But it wasn’t over yet.

The impact sent me falling. I tried to curl up and use protective magic with the Dark Spiritmaster’s help again.

Perhaps because my arms were twisted?

The magic wouldn’t manifest properly.

The magic cast by the Dark Spiritmaster alone wasn’t enough to catch me from this impact.

Just as I resigned myself to enduring the fall, a massive golden butterfly appeared below, catching me softly.

Not only that, but a light gently healed my broken hands.

[A, a high-level spirit?]

The Dark Spiritmaster exclaimed in surprise, but I turned my gaze to the opposite side.

There stood Erika, who had followed me, manipulating magic with her spirit.

“Are you okay?”

“Somewhat.”

After this brief exchange, we both turned our heads simultaneously.

Aria, who had landed cleanly, was still glaring at us with murderous intent.

“So, Professor Erika is also pretending, huh.”

“…What?”

Erika looked at me as if asking what this meant, and I explained briefly.

“She thinks we’re impostors pretending to be us.”

“Are you saying she’s under some illusion magic?”

I shook my head at Erika, who was preparing to use purification magic.

Aria wouldn’t fall for something like illusion magic.

“It’s a type of mental illness.”

“…”

“I don’t know why Aria has been driven to this state, but we need to subdue her first.”

“This is extremely tricky.”

Erika bit her lip with a hiss. The situation was highly challenging—we needed to subdue her without killing her.

Our opponent was a master who had fought the Mage Inquisitors alone.

Even though Aria had the advantage in compatibility and the Chief Inquisitor was injured.

In this continent, people capable of such feats could be counted on one hand.

[I think we need to use mental magic.]

The Dark Spiritmaster’s suggestion was quite convincing. Since winning physically was difficult, a mental approach made sense.

Especially since she was in a very unstable state right now.

But we needed a formation for that. It wouldn’t be easy for just the two of us to create an opening against Aria.

“Waaaait!”

But this was the Academy, so naturally, people would gather as time passed.

Professors had already noticed the commotion and were rushing over.

“What’s going on here!”

“A-Aria, student?”

“Please withdraw your mana first. We need an explanation of the situation.”

While other professors tried to resolve the situation through rational dialogue, Karen, the school nurse and former mercenary, took a stance with disbelief.

“I didn’t know we had such a formidable student hiding among us.”

An incredible fighting spirit.

The killing intent that had been directed at me now spread wider and thicker, turning toward the professors.

“Even the professors? You must have worked hard to prepare all this.”

Aria was now convinced that even the other professors were fake. The situation was becoming increasingly serious.

‘Now is our best chance, while she’s unarmed.’

If she got hold of her greatsword, it might be difficult to handle her even if all the professors in the Academy gathered.

After all, she had faced the kingdom’s elite Mage Inquisitors alone.

‘She probably fought using techniques learned in previous cycles, and if so, she must have trained with a greatsword.’

If I were cultivating Aria, I would have recommended the greatsword path too—it has the best efficiency and the most unique items available.

No, it’s possible that I recommended the greatsword in the first cycle.

So her combat skills must be generally low. She would have to face us with just basic self-defense and movement skills like Golden Dragon Step.

Nevertheless, Aria’s fighting spirit was not to be taken lightly. Even a toothless tiger was too massive to dismiss easily.

Moreover, we needed to subdue her with controlled force, not kill her.

Even though I wanted to resolve this through dialogue, I knew it would be difficult and prepared to subdue her even if it meant taking damage.

“W-what’s happening?”

“Why are all the professors gathered?”

“Is there a fight?”

Students moving to their next lectures. Among them, I noticed several characters from the game, including Elenoa.

“AAGH!”

The moment she saw them, Aria clutched her head in pain.

“AAAAARGH!”

It was an unexpected situation but a perfect opportunity. I immediately signaled to Karen, and Erika’s spirit followed, casting supportive magic on Karen.

“Let’s calm down a bit!”

As Karen precisely struck Aria’s nape, Aria lost consciousness and collapsed.

Perhaps a technique learned during her mercenary days.

While grateful for the clean handling, I could only watch the fallen Aria with a troubled expression.

* * *

“So stay right there.”

Speaking toward the room where Aria was confined, she responded with a cheerful voice.

“Yes, Professor!”

Karen had said she would normally be unconscious for at least three hours, but Aria woke up after just ten minutes.

I knew she wasn’t an ordinary girl, but her extraordinary physical abilities impressed me every time.

Others worried that we might need to fight to subdue her again.

But if she truly had Capgras syndrome, there was another method.

Simply letting her hear voices without seeing faces.

When I had learned about Capgras syndrome, I heard several case studies.

One was about a man talking to his mother on the phone.

He would scream at his mother standing right in front of him, calling her an impostor mimicking his mother.

But when they sent his mother to the next room and had them talk on the phone, he calmed down remarkably and accepted the mother on the phone as real.

Not showing the face.

That was the way to keep Aria contained without harm.

“Wow, that’s fascinating.”

After hearing the full situation, Findenai clicked his tongue while looking at the door.

“You know all sorts of things, master. I’ve never heard of this disease before.”

Would anyone on this continent know about Capgras syndrome?

Probably not, I thought as I cautioned Findenai.

“If Aria tries to come out, call me immediately. Don’t let her escape, and don’t let her see anyone else’s face.”

“I got it already. Tsk, can’t even smoke in the dormitory.”

Leaving Findenai smacking his lips, I headed to the first floor of the dormitory.

Though it was the duty room in the women’s dormitory, several prominent professors were gathered there, with the Dean at the center.

“Sigh, I heard about the situation from Professor Erika. She’s suffering from some kind of mental illness?”

“Capgras syndrome. A mental disorder where one believes people around them are not real but impostors in disguise.”

“There’s such a disease?”

Karen, the school nurse, asked with a puzzled expression. Even someone knowledgeable in this field hasn’t heard of it?

Feigning disappointment, I nodded calmly.

“It’s a rare disease, not well-known. But that’s not the important part.”

Yes, what did it matter what Aria’s condition was called?

“Since there’s no standardized treatment for this child, we need to start looking for one now.”

Several professors immediately stood up at my words.

“Wait, shouldn’t we just send her to a hospital?”

“We are professors who teach students, not doctors who treat them.”

“Other students’ safety could be at risk.”

Such sharp responses from the professors were understandable.

They had indirectly felt how surprisingly powerful this student, whom they had considered merely talented, actually was.

If she went berserk again, other students could be in danger.

The Dean seemed to be leaning that way too, watching me with a subtle expression.

In response to these comments, Erika folded her arms and coldly offered her opinion.

“Aria student has been like this for only two days. Just two days ago, she was attending lectures normally.”

“…”

“This means there’s a high possibility that the cause of her change lies within the Academy.”

“B-but we can’t just leave her like this!”

One professor exclaimed in panic at the suggestion that the Academy might bear some responsibility, but Erika was firm.

“Professor Deus is the one who knows Aria’s condition and how to deal with it. If there’s a doctor in the city hospital who knows about her illness, then by all means, transfer her there.”

“…”

“If not, it’s no different from handing over a lab mouse for experimentation. Other students are important, of course.”

Her cold voice, devoid of any emotion, was all the more persuasive. But I could sense the deep trust she had in me beneath it.

“Aria is also an Academy student. I believe the quickest way to find a solution is to entrust this to Professor Deus.”

“Hmm.”

The Dean wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed.

“This year has certainly been full of incidents.”

Despite his grumbling, the Dean considered all opinions and reached a conclusion.

“Let’s observe her progress for now. If Aria’s condition worsens after about three days, we’ll have no choice but to send her to a hospital.”

“Understood.”

With that, the professors left, leaving only me, Erika, and Karen.

“Mind if I tag along? I’ll check if any hospitals in the city know about Capgras syndrome.”

Karen was intrigued, saying she had never known such a disease existed.

“So what’s your plan?”

Erika’s voice was gentle, unlike the cold tone from moments ago.

I stared at her briefly, surprised by the sudden change, then stepped outside.

“Aria complained of a headache while fighting us.”

“She suddenly did that when she saw the passing students.”

“It wasn’t simply because of the number of students.”

I had clearly seen the important game characters mixed among them.

“I think we need to meet some students.”

First, it seemed necessary to meet Aria’s former companions.