Ch.297292 – Astarte

[Due to health reasons, Professor Margaret Lopez from Duke University will deliver the acceptance speech on behalf of NoName. We apologize to the audience for the long wait.]

Thud thud thud-!

“Name! NoName!”

Yoon-sul rushed out of the capsule barefoot and pounded hard on Name’s door.

Click-

Eventually, the door opened roughly as Professor Cheon came out with hastily put-on shoes.

Name was cradled in his arms, tightly wrapped in a blanket.

Her eyes were shut tight, making her appear unconscious.

“…!”

“Child, could you press the elevator button?”

“Oh yes…! Is Name okay? What’s wrong with her?”

“She has a high fever. Over 39 degrees.”

“Oh no… What do we do?! Call 119 quickly!”

“I already did. Has anything happened to Name recently? She said she’d miss the academy today too.”

“No… She was completely fine when we started streaming today! *sob*…”

“I understand. Let’s go to the hospital and monitor her condition. When I examined her with diagnostic magic, there didn’t seem to be any major physical issues.”

“Please…”

Though Professor Cheon was trying to reassure the young girl, his expression was also filled with concern.

Forced logout from virtual reality is generally avoided whenever possible.

This is because the brain needs time to readjust to the physical body in reality.

Nevertheless, cases where the capsule forcibly ejects a user from virtual reality are limited to situations where the user’s physical body is experiencing serious problems.

‘I hope nothing’s wrong…’

An ambulance with flashing green lights arrived rapidly, loaded them up, and departed.

Apart from the high fever, all vital signs including pulse and blood pressure were normal.

Seated beside the stretcher, Yoon-sul firmly held Name’s tiny hand until they reached the hospital.

She could feel slight movements at the fingertips.

Name seemed conscious but still too weak to open her eyes.

“It’s okay. Everything will be fine, Name. Once we get to the hospital, you’ll get better, so hang in there a little longer, okay?”

“…”

The first emergency room they visited had no empty beds.

The ambulance raced down an eight-lane road under the red moonlight, going from one university hospital to another.

It was only at the fourth hospital that Name received an IV drip and regained stable breathing with a more peaceful expression.

And the next morning.

When Name finally awoke from her deep sleep amid everyone’s concern,

The Name they knew no longer existed.

“Where… am I…?”

* * *

Divine punishment fell upon the sacred place where God was received.

Colorless dust clouds obscuring the sun and crimson flames offering an eternal sunset.

A single red rose bloomed on the chests of the clergy dressed in pure white priestly robes.

That was the only memory the girl could recall.

“Hurry! We need to escape right now! The witch is right behind us!”

A boy burst through the door.

Holding back tears that threatened to spill, he grabbed the girl’s wrist and led her outside.

The entire world was engulfed in flames, and acrid smoke claimed lives one after another.

The girl’s beautiful silver hair, praised daily by the bishops, grew increasingly disheveled as it collected dust.

Still, they had no choice but to run blindly through streets devoid of any signs of life.

“&@# Look ahead! Look ahead!”

“Huh?”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

They say only those who have stood at the crossroads of life and death can understand the fear of death.

Sharp golden threads like guillotines flew through the air and caught their ankles.

The witch who had reduced the entire Alpenheim Papal State to ruins had finally found them.

“Let’s end this game of tag. It’s enough now, isn’t it?”

Escaping from her grasp was impossible anyway.

The girl finally knelt down, tears streaming down her face, and began to beg.

“You… you came to kill me, right? Th-that’s it, isn’t it?”

“Hey! This isn’t the time! Get up now!”

“Please spare &@#’s life… I’ll give you anything… please… please…”

The girl began pleading in a choked voice.

Pushing away the boy who was tugging at her arm and whining, she grabbed the witch’s legs herself and buried her face against them.

“I… I did everything the w-witch asked…! I gave you the key to heaven and drew you a map of Alpenheim’s underground waterways! I did everything… I did everything you asked, so why… why are you trying to take everything from me! Why!”

The girl let out a scream that was close to a desperate wail.

The witch stared at the girl who was bursting into desperate tears, then said,

“You’ve changed a lot.”

She grabbed the girl’s hair and pulled with an emotionless gaze.

“You never had anything to begin with.”

Those ice-cold words pierced the girl’s heart like a dagger.

“Your body was always mine, and all these emotions you’re feeling now are completely false.”

Golden mana surged and enveloped the girl’s body.

The pain that had been tormenting her entire body disappeared like a lie, and her eyes began to close.

“Astarte!”

The enraged boy rushed forward to save the girl,

But what happened after that was not in the girl’s memory.

[I’ll at least preserve your memories.]

* * *

Things that exist in the space of nothingness inherently possess contradiction.

Therefore, they exist yet do not exist.

As consciousness drifted through the depths of the imaginary world, seemingly present yet absent, suddenly the ‘wall’ became loose.

“…!”

The concept of a girl was attached to something that did not exist, and the girl witnessed a magnificent light with her eyes.

Barely holding onto her fading consciousness, the girl reached toward the other side of the wall and squeezed her body through the gap.

“Huk!”

Thud-!

There was a sound. This meant that the concept of mass had been granted, and sensory organs capable of hearing sound had formed.

She sensed a presence in the dark room.

The moment the child was recognized, the room lit up brightly.

Photos densely covering the room.

A tall, handsome brown-haired brother, and a red-haired mage sister who looked ill-tempered.

“And… the former Saint…?”

The girl who had drifted into this unknown room looked around and discovered a child huddled in the corner.

“Hah, you’re really a funny one? How did you know to come in here too?”

When the gloomy child with a cast on her arm raised her face, the girl felt a chill run down her spine.

It was because she looked exactly like the witch who had killed her.

She could have believed it was the witch’s childhood self.

“Who are you?”

“Me? Wouldn’t it be proper etiquette to introduce yourself first?”

“Ah…! My name is… I am…”

The girl hesitated.

“You are Astarte.”

The moment the child spoke, a part of her memory returned as if by magic.

“…!”

“And I am Schadenfreude. You want to get out of here, don’t you?”

Nod nod-

The child pointed to the door.

“…?”

More precisely, slightly to the right of it.

“Oh, it was there? So you can see it after all. Open that and go out. An interesting world will unfold before your eyes.”

As soon as she recognized the door, the child who had been guarding the room disappeared from sight.

To escape this incomprehensible world, the girl stepped forward.

* * *

“Car…”

“What about this?”

“Train…”

“Then what’s this?”

“Wi-Fi…”

Name diligently answered the questions of the elderly female doctor who was showing her picture cards one by one.

Then she was given a short break.

After gulping down water from a disposable paper cup, Name tilted her head.

“I can’t remember my name… Who was I…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to force yourself to remember.”

“But did you ask for my name earlier?”

“Hmm?”

“Astarte… people always called me Astarte.”

* * *

[NoName Official]

<Community Post>

[Hello, this is Maru, NoName’s VTube editor.

I’m writing this post because many of you have been concerned and asking about NoName’s condition after her forced disconnection from the capsule during the collab stream.

During yesterday’s broadcast on October 25th, NoName showed symptoms of high fever and was immediately transported to the emergency room.

NoName underwent a comprehensive health examination at the hospital this morning, and I want to inform you that there are no major health issues so far.

However, along with psychological treatment for her current mental condition, it appears that long-term hospitalization will be unavoidable until she is sufficiently stable.

Therefore, we have decided to suspend ‘NoName’s’ Twissy and VTube operations for the time being.

I would like to convey sincere gratitude to everyone who has been supporting NoName.

As both a manager and VTube editor, I wish for NoName’s speedy recovery.

Thank you.]

“Did you post it?”

“Yeah. For now…”

“Sigh… How could a kid get this serious so suddenly… without any warning signs.”

“Watch what you say. Name will come to her senses soon enough.”

The brothers Seo Ma-ru and Seo No-eul came to visit Name in the hospital.

The doctor’s initial assessment of Name’s condition was ‘dissociative stupor.’

Who she was, where she had been, who she had talked to.

It’s an extreme form of dissociative amnesia where one cannot remember any information about their identity or parts or all of their past due to trauma or stress.

“Where’s Name’s father?”

“He was called in for police questioning about child abuse allegations.”

“What? Why him!”

“I guess it’s just a formality. He went with a doctor, so he should be fine.”

Name’s memories had been completely erased as if they never existed.

There was only one incident that came to mind that could have caused her stress.

‘The capsule.’

It’s true that she had been using it without any problems until now, but it was also hard to find any other reason.

“Who was that… Name’s game friend who came with her?”

“Kariri, I mean, Seol Yoon-sul? She cried all night and finally fell asleep just now.”

Seol Yoon-sul had been crying because she felt somehow responsible for Name’s collapse.

Silence once again settled in the empty hospital room.

The brothers stared at the empty bed for a long time, waiting for Name to return.

Knock knock-

“…!”

Eventually, an elderly female doctor entered the room holding Name’s hand.

Name came in with a pouty expression, her cheeks puffed out, dragging the IV pole with her other hand.

“Name!”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“…”

Name coldly walked past the two brothers, climbed onto her bed, and lay down.

She hugged a pillow tightly to her chest, curled up like a shrimp, and stared at the opposite side.

The attending physician handed the medical chart to the nurse and informed them of the patient’s condition in a gentle voice.

“The child’s fever has gone down completely, but she complained of a slight headache, so we gave her additional IV fluids.”

“Why did Name suddenly get sick? She was completely fine until now.”

“For now, we suspect anaphylactic shock, specifically an allergic reaction to the Aura Heart. May I ask if the child has recently received any medication in mana form?”

“Medication in mana form…?”

“For example, it could be healing magic, or any magic-based medication that directly affects metabolism.”

After much deliberation, the brothers exchanged opinions.

“Name’s potion pills? But those haven’t caused any problems for months.”

“The Demon King’s Horn? She’s been using that well for a long time too.”

“Or maybe… could it be from the National Competition? That magic with the sleep effect? Could something like that be the cause? But that was three days ago, so there’s a bit of a time gap.”

“It’s not a common case, but it’s entirely possible depending on one’s constitution. With small amounts, it takes time for the mana to circulate and naturally accumulate in the Aura Heart.”

“I understand for now… But what about Name’s memories… are they still not back?”

Every time they made eye contact with Name who couldn’t remember them, their hearts sank.

“Typically, recovery occurs within hours to days, and can take up to a month in longer cases… but since it’s a psychogenic issue, I can’t say anything with absolute certainty. And she’s also showing symptoms of dissociative identity disorder, commonly known as multiple personality disorder…”

“W-what? Name has multiple personalities?”

“However, dissociative identity disorder is not officially recognized by the academic community. Cases are extremely rare, and some view it as an exaggeration of other types of mental disorders. For now, all I can say is that we need to keep observing her, and I’m truly sorry about that.”

“No, it’s okay…”

“When the stressful situation is resolved, she may rapidly recover her memories, so it would be very helpful if you, as her guardians, could continue to talk to her about good memories.”

“Thank you for your advice, doctor.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“…?”

“She says her name is Astarte. I don’t know what that means, but if you know anything about it, it might be good to talk to her about such things.”

After the busy doctor left, Seo No-eul carefully touched Name’s shoulder to call out to her.

“Name.”

“…”

“NoName…!”

“…”

“Astarte!”

“Yes…?”

“Oh, she’s responding! She’s looking at us! Do you remember who we are?”

Seo No-eul clapped his hands and forced a smile.

Name slowly raised the arm with the IV drip,

“No! Our Name would never do this…!”

And gave them the middle finger.

* * *

Words spoken aloud can no longer remain secret.

The source of rumors floating around the internet could have been medical staff who forgot their duty, or perhaps patients who happened to overhear, but that wasn’t the important issue right now.

[‘Youngest Wolf Mathematics Prize Winner’ NoName Diagnosed with Dissociative Amnesia. Cause Under Investigation.]

NoName, who had achieved an accomplishment that would never be repeated in human history.

Rumors that she was burning her last flame in a hospital room spread widely overnight.