Chapter 142

Gaining the ability wasn’t the end of the story.
The human body is a universe of countless cells that are organically connected. It is composed of an indescribably delicate and complex structure.
It’s not uncommon to suffer from side effects from just taking a cold medicine. With a drug that artificially awakens psychic abilities, there’s no guarantee of safety. There was a lot of uncertainty.
“Even ingredients are ingredients.
A monstrosity made entirely of human flesh. Kim knew a little about the process of extracting the factor. Compression and decomposition.
There’s no further explanation in the game as to whether this was deliberation or not, and I don’t really want to know.
Anyway.
From that day forward, Chelsea’s care was intense. Almost a dozen busy researchers were attached to her without her even realizing it. She was a patient, in a good way, and a guinea pig, in a bad way.
Either way, it wouldn’t have been wrong. He may not be a regular agent in the Lab, but he’s a valued colleague, and perhaps the most unique case the Lab will ever see.
Process aside, let’s just talk about the results.
Lasley’s factor was safely transplanted into Chelsea’s body.
“Ugh, man. You’ve got to keep the hype in check.”
Chelsea was worrisome, to say the least. In the early days, she was occasionally gagging, but by the third day, she was completely stable. There was no sign of hyperactivity.
The results of the examination were also good. Not only her body, but also her senses. There were no soap opera-esque problems, such as personality confusion, which was my biggest concern.
“They’re going to want to watch you take a shit, they’re not pervs.”
“That’s good, it shows you care.”
“I know that, but….”
Chelsea fingered her clothes absentmindedly. Thin, lightweight material that moved easily. It was more like patient clothes than pajamas. She sighed heavily.
“Sometimes I think he doesn’t even realize it.”
“Me?”
“Sometimes you just have to empathize with them, because they’re not looking for a solution.”
After a moment’s thought, Kim asked.
“Does that help?”
“Higo.”
I could explain this and that. Like, when you’re talking to women, you basically have to have an attitude that won’t get you called names. If you just pretend to listen and say something back, that’s half the battle.
“It doesn’t mean much.”
But Chelsea ultimately had a different answer. She has too much shame in her own life to point fingers at others. After all, Kim wasn’t exactly a bad person.
At least, it usually is.
It’s a problem because sometimes I go crazy.
“How’s your spelling.”
“I guess that’s not bad.”
Chelsea looked down at her hands. Slowly, she opened her hand, then closed it into a fist, twice.
I had no sense that I was taking another’s life into my body. Everything was the same. I didn’t feel any disruption, and only one thing was different.
I can spell. As natural as breathing.
It was like they were born with it.
“That’s a little scary.
The analogy of waking up and growing wings or a tail is a bit of a stretch. When you get a new part of your body, your whole body adjusts to it.
It was more like a machine. It felt like an external hard drive. It felt like I had a new part, Spell, without any disruption to my existing storage.
But she didn’t let her reluctance show. It was her own decision, and she couldn’t blame anyone else. Most of all, Chelsea realized that deep down.
How useful this inherited spell is.
It gave him wings as a shooter.
“I could put it to use right now.”
Chelsea clenched her fists, and a small chuckle came from beside her. Only then did she realize what she had just yelled.
“Oh, wait, I think I said something stupid….”
Turning away, I wonder if it’s not.
“Is that what you said?”
Kim smiled wickedly.
It was a picture of a vicious business owner.
* * *
It wasn’t just Chelsea’s problems that caused the late start.
After the summit, the public face of the Cellbrosics Labs had clearly changed, and we needed to recognize and capitalize on this. The Lab and Dustborne were no longer ‘unwelcome guests’.
The nemesis of the Legion. An armed group that knows more about the Legion than any other nation. This was a desirable situation for the Lab, even if it made the name ridiculous.
It wasn’t long before I realized the difference.
Kushan made contact with the Islamic State. By mid-September, an operational team arrived at the border, including Dustborne and a group of professors from Islamic State.
“Ah, you’re from the Celbrosics Labs, I’ve heard the story, and if you’ll excuse me, could you please provide me with something to prove your affiliation?”
“Wait a minute, is an employee ID and employment and wage verification okay?”
“Yes. That’s good enough.”
The officer at the checkpoint flipped through the documents Leila handed over. The verification process was quick. After granting her entry, he added a few words.
“Please step inside and your guide will be waiting for you. Thank you for your visit, and welcome to Ish’lard. I hope you take good memories with you when you go home.”
“Go, thank you.”
The hospitality of a valued guest was foreign to Leila, and for good reason. Rap always started as an uninvited guest.
It was the same everywhere. Before you could fight the Legion, you had to negotiate with the government or military. Helping those who weren’t ready to be helped was a futile exercise in meddling.
This time it was different: they were actually treated as guests.
“Haha, that’s not too unusual, is it?”
The guide sent from the ivory tower was a very chatty guy.
“The ivory tower is obviously the mainstay of Ishrad, as it is known to the outside world, but a person can’t live off of research alone, can they? Basic industry is essential for a country to survive.”
The taxi driver talked on and on. It was up to the professor and Leila to react. If Kim had been present, he would have remained silent, but they were in different cars.
Due to the number of people in the operation, the team had to run multiple vehicles. All Dustborn had to do was follow the lead vehicle.
“We try to automate as much as we can, but with modern technology, there are limits. There’s nothing that can’t be done with a human touch, and a lot of that work is going to third-class citizens.”
“Third-class citizen…?”
“I’m a citizen who hasn’t graduated from an academic institute. There are many reasons for this, but most of them are due to a lack of qualities as a researcher. Since tuition is free, there’s no reason to kick them out.”
The guide’s tone carried a subtle disdain for the workers. It’s an attitude that’s subtle without being overt. The sense of goodwill that humans in ivory towers take for granted.
“The ivory tower loves talent.”
It was a statement that was open to interpretation.
“That’s why we’re especially excited to welcome you. The work of the Cellbrox Lab is often the talk of the town, even on the ivory tower. The idea of a device that suppresses the output of a spell for the benefit of the spell user is something we’ve never seen before, so we were quite surprised.”
“……Spell is not something you get because you want it… it’s not given to you because you ask for it… and vice versa. Some people have a hard time controlling their powers.”
“Yes. There are a lot of papers in the ivory tower about the disabilities of minority spellcasters. Even though it turns out to be a matter of the power of the spell and the load it can withstand, it’s still an interesting topic.”
The casual way she used the word “disability,” Leila had a hunch. She realized that it would be hard to get along with this guide and the people she would soon meet. No matter how friendly they are.
People-pleasing aside. Wisma, the capital of Islamic Republic of Iran, was a very impressive city after days of traveling by road.
“Welcome, gentlemen. This is the ivory tower of my country.”
The guide’s face beamed with pride. It was worth it.
A giant dome surrounding the city itself. Curved buildings and vehicles traveling on bridges. Spiraling towers towering over the center of the city.
The texture of the air changed as I crossed the entrance to the dome. The temperature and humidity are perfectly controlled. Even in these times, round airships were flying low inside the dome.
“It’s like an artificial city.
It reminded me of an innovation city in Dubai or somewhere, with astronomical amounts of money. The difference is that we’re not talking about AI, robots, or the 4th industrial revolution, we’re talking about disasters and spells.
“I’ll show you to your quarters, but first, let’s freshen up for the night.”
The group followed the guide without complaint. The hospitality was a world of difference compared to my previous experience. The hotel we stayed in was not lacking either.
It’s a great time to be in the upper echelon.
Leila was a little touched, and Kim, though not as much as her, went about her day in a not-so-bad mood. A quick check revealed no surveillance cameras or bugs.
And the next day.
I had just finished an amazing breakfast that I couldn’t believe was made with cultured meat. Just as I was taking my time, my guide reappeared and we headed into the center of the city.
“I don’t know if you realize it, but there are a lot of research organizations in the ivory tower. Naturally, the best of the best are going to be overshadowed, and that’s directly related to their impact in the country.”
The guide, who introduced herself as Kelly, explained further.
“Only six organizations are invited to the regular symposium each year. It’s a huge honor just to be on the list, even if it’s a little hard to understand from an outsider’s perspective.”
It’s not just about honor.
With the six invited organizations comes enormous wealth and power.
The heads of each institution are called elders and are involved in domestic affairs as if they were aristocrats. The delegates at the summit were all longtime elders.
Soon after, the ops team was confronted by one of the six elders.
“You’ve traveled a long way to get here.”
He looked more like an aging politician than a hard-nosed researcher. The elderly man glanced at the agents. Then he tweaked his mustache and spoke.
“Dr. Kamael Rothfer, President of the Rothfer Institute.”
“Thank you for your hospitality. I’m Leila from Cellbrossix Labs, and this is…….”
This time, instead of covering it up with a wrap, he wore it proudly as Dustborn’s president. There was no room for cowardice. It was no secret that the lab had a collaborating organization due to past events.
Kamael, however, had never heard of it before.
“Alas, I see,” he said, “I have spent most of my time in the academy, and the stories of the world are in many ways dark; will you excuse me?”
“Rude. It’s not a great reputation.”
Even as he spoke, Kim didn’t miss a moment’s reaction. The place where Camael’s gaze had paused, and the signal Edwin had given with a wordless glance.
“I know.
This is the legion’s inner circle.