Chapter 214

The next day, the talks went well.
Cooperation schemes between countries were materialized and special treaties were signed. It was an encouraging outcome. It was clear that all countries present recognized the gravity of the situation.
“I just need to buy time.
Without Kim or Leila, you won’t be able to close the rift, but you can contain the blowing monsters and parasites. It’s enough to keep your guard up and not get swept away.
As Leila points out, the answer is not to chase the crack. There’s a much faster and simpler way. A solution that’s already been proven in the game.
At the end of the movie, Rapp has succeeded in eradicating the scourge.
After the devastation, the continent regained a small measure of peace.
However, it’s not a very pretty ending for the player.
‘Because it ends with Leila’s sacrifice.
I don’t plan to recreate it.
We’ll follow the same path, but change only the parts we don’t like.
When the talks were abandoned.
Kim relayed the policy to Leila.
“Cellbrox Labs and Dustborn will return to Bastitera first, and then begin responding to the Rift, depending on offers from their respective countries. This has been discussed with Kushan as well.”
“Okay, have you thought about headcount allocation?”
“That’s for the field to decide. If our side needs men, take them. They’ll be a tough nut to crack against the Kaiju and Parasites, and they could use all the help they can get.”
And with that, he moved on.
“I’m taking a professor and will be out of the office for a while.”
“What? At this time of year?”
Kim tapped my temple as he glanced at the professor in the room.
“I’m going to try to recover the professor’s memory.”
“Professor’s…!”
Leila’s eyes widened. She was silent for a moment, as if in thought, then nodded.
“If it works, yes. It could definitely be a breakthrough.”
“……Raila really thinks so?”
“Sure. You’ve been more deeply involved in parasite research than he has, and I don’t think there’s anyone who’s still ahead of him.”
Maybe she had already anticipated this situation to some extent, and had a solution in place. It was a blind spot that Leila hadn’t considered.
“But, ugh. Even if I get my memory back, there’s no way….”
“Given the circumstances of the professor’s previous discovery, I think it’s extremely unlikely that this is normal amnesia. It’s more likely to be artifactual, caused by some spell or device.”
The three recalled their first meeting.
The day it all started.
In retrospect, there were so many “coincidences” that happened there.
“How did the lab identify Tulavia?”
“…I had some unreliable information, and frankly, I was grasping at straws.”
“That lends more credence to your argument.”
The professor’s complexion did not brighten as he spoke. She balked at the suggestion that her awakening had been shadowed by someone else’s intentions.
“Maybe the professor’s memory is preserved in some way, and even if it’s not, the act of digging into the past could be a trigger of some sort.”
“I think it’s worth a try, but I’m still feeling overwhelmed.”
“I’m not saying I’m going to be walking around, obviously.”
That’s not even a decade.
In the meantime, the continent will be destroyed three times.
If you think of it, it’s there.
“We’re going to mobilize the spell.”
You don’t even have to come up with something clever yourself.
You can simply recycle the methods you used in the game.
A priest who sees into the past of others.
And Nephrites, experiencing the future.
They will guide you.
* * *
Getting Nepritis on board was a fairly straightforward process.
“I was wondering why you brought me here, and this is why.”
Nephrites, I hadn’t really talked to her much. No, except for their first meeting, when she fainted after spouting nonsense, this was the first time. It was because Kim was uncomfortable with her.
“My life has been saved by your grace. My benefactor has asked for my help, and it would be unjust to turn away, so I will try to help him, even though I have become an unworthy body.”
“Thanks, but what’s the point of joining….”
It’s also overwhelming.
“I recognized an angel when I saw one.
I’m sure you’re a little overwhelmed. It’s understandable. You’ve been tortured by your godmother and barely survived, so it’s no wonder you feel deep gratitude and grace.
It’s just a little too much.
“I know what you’re like, your spells are crippled and it’s hard to keep your eyes open.”
“I’m embarrassed to say, yes, I still have the scars from that time.”
I can’t get used to the way she talks. Originally, Nephrite was supposed to be a saint of Shamalsina, so she was supposed to be a noble character. Even her parents don’t talk to her like this.
If you’re comfortable with it, fine, but I don’t want to be more involved than necessary.
I feel like I’ve been relying on it more blindly than I used to with Asterisk.
“What if I told you there’s a drug that won’t cure it, but will make it better?”
“Drugs, you mean.”
“I see. My guess is that your situation is the result of your spell becoming too powerful for you to control. It’s the kind of thing that would happen if you were using the spell as an escape from reality while being tortured.”
“I’ve heard similar explanations from researchers.”
In other words, not much different from Asterique. There’s nothing quite like the [Vibranium Composite Blade] for Nephrite, but fortunately, there are some leftovers on hand.
“It’s an Isurad drug called AP-116. My team has already administered most of it, and so far there have been no significant side effects. It should help control the spell.”
“Does this mean …… will be able to see the world again?”
“If I have my way, yes. What do you want to do?”
Nephritis thought for a moment, then spoke.
“What can I do?”
“You’re decisive. Give me your arm.”
Nephrites sat back in his chair and obediently followed the instructions. His bare arms were free of unsightly scars, but the texture and color of his skin was slightly different in places.
Kim stuck the needle in without a reaction.
While I was injecting the drug, I heard voices.
“I’m in your good graces again, huhu, what can I do to repay you….”
Don’t do that…….
* * *
Many people didn’t leave the center after the prearranged schedule ended. It was a time of many solicitations that were never brought up publicly at the summit.
Meanwhile, Kim got right down to business.
Your companions are the Professor and Nephrite, and Altair, who will guide you to Vidia’s tower. It’s an odd combination, to say the least.
With AP-116, Nephrite’s condition quickly improved. His optic nerves were still weakened from not opening his eyes for long periods of time, but the part of the spell that was causing it seemed to be less taxing.
“If you’re ready, we’ll be on our way.”
Altayre slashed his palm and darkness enveloped the vehicle. Kim remained calm as the three men in the lab recalled their godmothers and scratched their heads. She could get used to it by now.
After running through the darkness, I found myself in an enchanted forest.
“I’ve always wondered, what forest is this?”
“Song Guohao, this is a top secret matter that should not be known to outsiders.”
“Of course. I wasn’t expecting that.”
By remaining unknown to the outside world, Vidia is able to maintain her current life. There’s nothing she can’t find if she sets her mind to it, and she’s not going to stay still.
If you want to maintain an amicable relationship, you need to keep your distance.
Altayre led the group to the tower as before. The tower hadn’t changed in all these years. The stone walls were still eerie in the torchlight.
“This time, the positions are reversed.
Unilaterally asking for help. Altair said Vidia owes him a favor, but that’s another story. There’s a limit to how far you can go with kindness.
And Altair is still giving him more than he bargained for. It’s time for Kim to give something in return, as he was half-heartedly extorted last time.
The priest welcomed the unexpected visitor with a smile.
“Someone did it, and it’s nice to see it.”
“I’m glad to see you’re still here.”
“I saw it right, not particularly better, not particularly worse.”
You stare at the teddy bear in your hand for a moment, then set it down on your desk.
“It’s a chaotic world out there, and if you’re tired of it, one of your options is to join us, and if you are, we’ll welcome you with open arms.”
“I’m not Vidya.”
“Even if we don’t share the same blood, there are ways to stay in the tower.”
The smile that had been so inviting melted away like paint in clear water.
“It’s going to be a lot of responsibility, but oh well. It won’t be hard.”
“I’ll specify …….”
“It’s good until the four of you are done, so don’t forget it. You might want to spend your old age in peace.”
I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life here.
“Let’s cut this short. I enjoy small talk, but I’m sure it’s hard for you to keep up with an old man’s ramblings. And some of the children are particularly weak.”
Nephrite’s complexion paled as she faced the priestess. She looked and sounded so much like her godmother that she wouldn’t have been wrong to say it was her. It was the perfect recipe for PTSD.
“What was the purpose?”
“I want to borrow your power.”
Kim gestured to the professor on his right.
“Can you take a look at this person’s past?”
Briefly describe the professor. The fact that she’d lost her memory, and the background we now knew. As the story continued, curiosity grew in the priest’s violet eyes.
“Funny ahaharogo.”
The priest is intrigued by the circumstances surrounding the professor, who seems to be nothing more than a frail human being, but who may have a clue in his head that could determine the survival of the continent.
It was the kind of stimulation you can only get in this world.
“If you’re right, then it’s not so irrelevant to us, for when the whole continent falls, the winds will blow here, too. It’s not worth the trouble.”
Kim’s face fell.
The buildup was eerily familiar.
Or not.
“It’s a little bit of a stretch, though.”
“……I thought you would.”
“I’m glad we seem to have come to an understanding, but don’t worry. A reward is only as good as the demand for it, and how much do we need here in seclusion?”
“Do you want me to bring you a bunch of cigarettes and DVDs of old movies?”
I jokingly mentioned it, and got a surprising response.
“That’s, hmm. That’s pretty tempting… hmmm.”
It’s easier to negotiate than you think.
* * *
In the end, the negotiations ended similarly to before. Just as Kim had been given the “right to help,” the priest said he would send Altayre later to deliver his demands.
Of course, fulfillment of the quid pro quo is on the agenda with Labs.
There was no reason for Kim to use a monologue to retrieve the professor’s memory.
And now, it’s time to look into the professor’s past.
“I don’t know what to say, I’m nervous.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah. I remember the memories, but it’s just… so sudden… to be at the center of all this. I mean, I’ve been trying, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been in the center of anything. Not much, to be honest.”
The professor had always followed in Kim’s footsteps, which was convenient in a way. Kim had always shouldered the heaviest responsibility and burden in the events of the past.
“I’ll do my best, I promise.”
This time it had to be different.
“Let’s get right to it.”
The priest’s hand rested on the professor’s head.
“I will look into your abyss.”