Ch.129Become a Science Girl (3)

“Madness.”

When I heard the priest’s diagnosis at the Holy Spirit Center, I nearly fainted.

It must be a misdiagnosis. It absolutely must be.

But the world is cruel and gave the man no time to accept it.

The government temporarily housed his daughter Liza at the Western Holy Spirit Center, reassessed the severity of her madness, and immediately transferred her to Alcatraz Prison.

Alcatraz.

A place that, along with the Holy Spirit Center, treats those afflicted with madness.

While the Holy Spirit Center serves as a welfare facility caring for mild cases, Alcatraz is where severe cases are isolated.

“You’re saying my daughter is severely afflicted now!”

“Your daughter currently cannot distinguish reality. If left as is, serious problems could arise. Going to Alcatraz, where the Aether concentration is high, would be safer for her.”

Government officials always say that. To reassure civilians who know nothing.

But the government doesn’t realize that people aren’t ignorant—they actually know but pretend not to.

“My, my daughter is not a monster.”

When he came to his senses, he was back home. Collapsed at the entrance like a dying man, he painted vivid images on the floor using his dried tears as pigment.

Despair. Regret. Sorrow. Grief.

[“It’s a fine work.”]

He took out alcohol from the refrigerator. He didn’t know how many bottles he’d drunk.

Then he vomited everything he drank. His stomach felt unsettled as if he had anorexia. He wanted to spit out not just what he ate, but his gastric juices and stomach too, flushing them all down the drain.

Without his daughter, there was no meaning to life.

It didn’t matter why or where this emotion originated. She was the woman he fell in love with at first sight, and the child she bore.

“Liza, Liza.”

“Tsk, you’ve become a complete wreck.”

When he didn’t show up for work, a colleague came looking for him. The colleague clicked his tongue and helped him up.

“You can’t stay like this. You need to find some solution, don’t you?”

“But how…”

“First, let’s find out what kind of treatment your daughter is receiving at Alcatraz. I’ll introduce you to someone who works there.”

Through his colleague’s connection, the man was able to dramatically arrange a visit to Alcatraz. Normally it wouldn’t be allowed, but apparently there are people who provide favors if you slip them some money.

Hee hee hee.

“Face-to-face meetings are difficult, so we’ll arrange a video meeting for you here.”

“Why can’t I see my own daughter in person?”

“That’s the foreign spirit quarantine protocol. In cases of possession by Descartes’ Forces, especially severe cases, non-experts shouldn’t meet them.”

“I’m the foremost expert on my daughter. Do you know Liza better than I do? Huh? Do you know what kind of child our Liza is better than me?”

The guard wore a grim expression. He raised the electric shock device used to subdue those manifesting madness and quietly muttered.

“…Please leave now.”

“Wh-what? Are you serious? Have you lost your mind?”

The man was eventually thrown out.

However, thanks to the guard’s consideration, he received a video file of his daughter’s life in the correctional facility before being expelled.

[Daddy, Liza cold. It’s freezing here. Scary. Itchy.]

[People are screaming. There are many children. They all cry for their mommies. But Liza didn’t cry.]

[Because Liza doesn’t have a mommy.]

In the video, his daughter was scratching herself raw until she bled, grinning vacantly. She’s only ten years old. Yet her skin was cracked and her hair disheveled. Her eyes were completely unfocused, as if under general anesthesia.

The video automatically deleted itself after some time. Even the copies he had made in advance disappeared, as if they had been specially processed.

Hee hee hee.

“Damn it! Damn! God damn it!!”

He threw whatever he could grab. A bottle of alcohol hit the wall and shattered, and simultaneously, a frame fell from the shelf and broke.

A photo frame containing pictures taken with his wife. Pictures taken with his daughter.

“Kuh, kuheuuk…”

Why weren’t there any pictures of the three of them together?

Hee hee hee.

Suddenly he heard a chilling sound.

The man touched his lips. Was it a sound from his own mouth? Or was it the sound of a foreign spirit? Were the corners of his mouth turned down or up? Was he still normal, or not?

Should he just die like this?

No, Liza is still alive.

There’s always a chance, right? A miraculous recovery could happen.

[Q. Has anyone ever returned to normal after being possessed by a foreign spirit?]

[A. No.]

Still, she could get better.

[Medical Encyclopedia / Possession & Incarnation / Treatment Cases: Currently, there are no available treatment methods to attempt.]

What kind of family had he built, only for this to happen? Surely there must be some improvement possible.

“…It’s difficult.”

“And you call yourself a doctor!”

When he came to his senses, he was grabbing the doctor’s collar.

He knew it was rude, but it was too late. Fine, let’s see how far this goes. The man frowned and spat harsh words.

“I don’t understand why people praise you as a great doctor. You’re supposed to be so smart, commanding the 13 Constellation Seats! How can you not save one child possessed by a foreign spirit?!”

“S-someone stop him!”

Androids forcibly pulled the man away. The doctor smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes and adjusted his cuffs before sitting down. His expression was calm, even familiar with such situations.

“Please, sit down.”

The doctor personally brought jasmine tea. He sighed while rubbing his eyes. The man stopped his anger midway and paused.

“…My wife also died because of a foreign spirit.”

He was speechless because of the conversation topic that followed.

“After giving birth to our third son, my wife crossed the Milky Way shortly after. At first, I thought it was an acute illness or postpartum complications. But…”

“…It wasn’t?”

“My specialty is foreign spirit pathology. I can also perform autopsies.”

“…”

“My wife died because of causality.”

“…What does that mean?”

The doctor’s closed eyes slowly opened. His golden eyes, like gold dust melted with tears, shone gravely.

“It was likely Laplace’s Forces.”

“…!”

“This is something only I know in my family.”

“D-doctor… I’m sorry. I, I was so disrespectful.”

“It’s alright. Mr. Hendrik, who helped during the joint funeral, came all the way to the south seeking help, so I was simply doing what needed to be done. I understand your feelings well, so please don’t worry about today’s incident.”

The doctor rose from his seat, looking tired.

“But I don’t have any more time. As you know, this place is a battlefield right now. I am not only a doctor but also a military physician, so I must return to the barracks soon.”

“Dr. Rheinland, what should I do…”

“I’m sorry to say this, but truly, I have no advice to offer on that matter.”

The man gritted his teeth.

Was there really no solution left?

He had thoroughly searched for information but could only find out how long people in Alcatraz typically lasted. Adults averaged 8 years, children averaged 3 years.

And already, a year had passed.

“No, this can’t be.”

There wasn’t much time left.

***

Two years later.

“Hey, have you heard? A professor at Iryuel Academy is starting new research.”

“Come on, why bring up such boring topics at a drinking party? No wonder your wife nags you every day—ack!”

In the end, he couldn’t find any treatment.

There’s a folk saying that good things always follow bad things, but that’s just the Monte Carlo fallacy.

For a person to become stronger, they need adversity they can overcome. This current adversity is insurmountable. Before foreign spirits, individuals are this powerless.

What are the Constellations doing? What are the Examiners doing?

He felt utterly alone in this world.

“So this professor is a woman, young and extremely beautiful.”

“Oh? What’s her name?”

“Callis Stranov.”

“Let me see, let me search… Wow, she really is beautiful.”

He had lost count of how many bottles he’d drunk.

He must have burned through thousands of credits on alcohol by now. Even what he was drinking now was quite a premium liquor.

Suddenly touching his chin, he felt it was rough. His head felt heavy, and his face was greasy with sweat. It made him feel uncomfortable.

Of course.

He had tried everything.

Further research was meaningless. Searching for treatments was futile. Even a brief search revealed the same information. He heard someone had been cured and released, but it turned out that person had been normal all along.

This was truly the end.

All that remained was to hear the news of his daughter’s death and follow her.

“So, is this professor famous for being young and beautiful?”

“That too, but her new research is about, what was it? Gong? Gong? Gongguri? No, that’s not it. Gongcheonggi? Something like that.”

“Air purifier?”

“Come on, what air purifier? Do you think a professor would make something so trivial?”

“Listen, you’re the one who said ‘gongcheonggi’! If you’re going to tell me, be accurate from the start!”

“Stop talking nonsense and just search it up, that’s the most accurate way!”

The man pushed the bottle away and leaned back.

The thought of his approaching suicide made him feel detached yet afraid at the same time.

His judgment was impaired from being drunk. Yes, let’s empty just one more bottle. Just that one, and then go home.

Just as he raised his hand to call the serving android:

“Let’s see. Resonator? What’s a resonator?”

“Ah, that’s it! It’s a device that captures foreign spirits and destroys them! I remember now!”

“…!”

The man staggered to his feet and fell from his seat.

“Hey, mister! Are you okay?”

“W-what did you just say?”

He had found a breakthrough in the most unexpected place.