Chapter 207

News of the attack on the Xuran Imperial Palace spread across the continent, gradually becoming overheated and distorted.
It was an event that raised many questions. For example, how did the terrorists manage to break into the imperial palace, where did they procure such equipment, and which faction helped bring it in?
As such, there was a lot of back and forth from different perspectives.
The world was abuzz with unfounded conspiracy theories.
Some of the rumors were ridiculous, such as that Dustborn’s Kim was a shadow, or that Legion was just a front. Of course, it was all just propaganda and lies that Kim himself wouldn’t care about.
It didn’t even fall on deaf ears.
“Ughhh! What, what are you doing right now!”
“What’s the point? I’m done, put it away.”
“You cold-blooded…! Are you even human?”
Tam Tam howled as he watched his child (an armored vehicle) being destroyed in real time. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, but he didn’t care.
Tears usually come from yawning.
“What’s all the fuss about. You’re on schedule.”
Kim crossed her arms and snorted.
“We need to destroy as much evidence of our involvement as possible. Vehicles, guns, unused ammo, everything. If we can, we’d better erase it from memory completely. We don’t know what happened.”
“Well, I know that, because I’m not stupid.”
Even if you hide it in Bastitera Castle, you can’t be 100% sure it’s safe. It could be stolen by someone on the planet. Or a traitor within the lab.
Trusting your coworkers is definitely a virtue.
Whenever possible, avoid situations where you have to rely on trust.
“But…! I don’t feel that wayguuuu……!”
“Ding, ding, ding. There must be a breakup for there to be a new relationship.”
“Don’t try to be sneaky, huh? You told me to make it!”
“Hmmm. I guess you could call it a sidebar then….”
“What a bunch of psychopaths, what are you doing to my child!”
Tamtam fainted halfway through, but it was a minor incident. In the end, the evidence was destroyed without incident. The Legion’s gas masks, which were slowly being replaced, also left.
After that, well.
“Honestly, there’s nothing else to do.”
As he hurried to finish the matter, he was suddenly free enough to sit down to a leisurely meal with Ainoa, who was tired of her work and grumbling.
“It’s more like ‘don’t do anything,’ because just sitting here killing like Han Liang gives you an alibi, though you’re probably going to be blindfolded anyway.”
And so Dustborn and Rapp went back to their lives. Away from the hustle and bustle of the world. They’ve avoided contact with Kushan’s informants, and they’re not even allowed to cross the river.
“It’s important not to give them a reason.”
Ainoa nodded in agreement.
“If there’s a summit coming up soon, it’s time to be extra careful. Just relax and think of it as a vacation, because it’s going to be busy again from then on.”
“I’ve already told them to take a break.”
“Do nothing” doesn’t mean you have to breathe in the castle. If you catch the eye of an intelligence officer, you can overlook a minor aberration as long as you remain diplomatic.
“We’re all a little restless right now, our hands are empty after a big operation, but it’s nice to be able to flip the switch at will in times like this.”
“Are you talking about me?”
“I’m not going to pick you out and say who you are.”
I sip my tea with a grimace.
“Ugh. People.”
Ainoa sighed at Kim’s relaxed demeanor. But there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth that she hadn’t noticed the entire time they sat at the same table.
“Speaking of which, does Leila look a little better?”
“Why Leila?”
“Why, isn’t Leila the one who would have had the most to say about this? I wasn’t there, and I don’t know the details, but I’m sure she was far from moderate in many ways.”
Ainoa thought of the Leila she had been watching.
“She’s a little girl, not like everyone else.”
“I think that’s what you’re going to say.”
“I’m not the one to do it, am I? I’m the one to set the mood and get the nobles talking.”
“I wonder if the purge princess image is still out there.”
“I’m not going to miss it, I’m going to carry it for the rest of my life, if it’s comfortable.”
As far as I’m concerned, Ainoa Salviati was far from being a “wimp”. He’s the type of person who hesitates at first, but once he decides, he doesn’t look back.
But to Kim, it seems like a no-brainer, because he’s seen many sides of Ainoa over the years. She’s too generous to those who give her their hearts, and she’s often lonely.
“Don’t worry, Leila’s probably the least favorite.”
“Really? That’s a bit surprising.”
“I guess that means he’s becoming mentally armed.”
In the past, Ainoa’s words would have been met with a grunt. But just like Kim, Raila has been through a lot of hardships to get to where she is today, and she’s grown mentally with each one.
“I feel like I’ve been out of the loop since we last spoke.
Now there will be a responsibility on me to keep my head on straight. Kushan has stepped down, at least ostensibly, which will be a pressure, but a good change.
“Kushan, same old, same old.
Kushan and Leila.
As long as the two pillars don’t falter, the Celbrox Labs won’t fall. Not just now, but after the end. Long after the catastrophe is over, they will continue to atone for their mistakes.
The only thing left is the professor.
‘It’s time to get your memory back.
The professor’s forgotten memories and knowledge of the past. It’s essential to ending the catastrophe. It’s too early for a game, but there is a way.
It’s a memory that was artificially erased in the first place.
If so, you might as well get it back by human hands.
* * *
Bam, bam, bam.
Footsteps echo hollowly in an enclosed room.
Suddenly, the professor realized he was walking somewhere. His body moved without him trying to move it. He tried to turn his head, but his gaze remained fixed straight ahead.
The walls are a familiar color. The width of the hallway is also eerily familiar.
‘Cellbrox Labs….’
A laboratory built underground in Shalem. It’s the ‘home’ he hasn’t been able to return to since Shiran’s enforcers swooped in. It’s been a long time, but the professor’s feelings are far from nostalgic.
Somehow, it’s cold.
Suddenly, the professor caught a glimpse of prescience. He knew what was about to happen as if he had seen the same movie over and over again. As expected, “she” would come running out from around the corner.
Or not.
– ……Professor! You’re here!
Rich brown hair and puppy dog eyes. It didn’t go well with her pure white gown. But that was a distraction, and the professor felt a strong sense of familiarity.
She looks just like Leila. She looked like what Leila would look like if she grew up normally in 10 years. It wasn’t just their looks, but also their aura.
To my surprise, my mouth opened on its own.
– You found me, what can I do for you?
– It’s none other than, you know, the…. we talked about last time.
– Ah. Yes, I do remember that.
It took her a little while to recognize that it was her voice.
The same tone, yet so disparate. The tone is cold, lacking even basic respect, let alone goodwill toward the other person. The emotion of annoyance is blatantly evident.
– Didn’t I tell you we’d pretend you didn’t hear that?
– ……I wonder if you’ll take this seriously just one more time.
The woman who looked like Leila said, looking like she was about to cry.
– It’s too risky, and it’s not something a scientist should be tinkering with, especially now that other countries are involved. I think it’s time to get out, at least for me.
– I don’t understand your attitude, if that’s what you’re saying, shouldn’t 004 be retired as well, not taken care of like you’re doing now.
– That’s a nice way to put it. Doesn’t the professor care for him as much as I do?
– Yes. I don’t think it’s just a guinea pig.
The conversation continues in a dry tone.
– If possible, I would like 004 to be able to live as a human being, both personally and for the advancement of research. I think I’m doing more than anyone else in the lab to make that happen.
– …I give you credit where credit is due. Without you, I wouldn’t have accomplished half of what I have. Leila might not even have been born, which is why I’m telling you this separately.
– Thank you for your kind words.
‘Professor’ let out a dry sigh.
– But it’s dangerous, so let’s stop, we’ve come too far to turn back with just those words, we.
– …….
– I have to go, I need to check the progress of dose 004.
The scene quickly passed as my foot left the floor.
Upon closer inspection, there were many things about the lab that were different from what she knew. The faces of the researchers passing by were placenta, and there were far fewer elevators to get to and from the floors.
And.
In a white room, there was Leila.
– What’s the status of 004?
– Her EEG was a little unstable right after the medication, but it’s back on track now, and she’s noticeably stabilized every time the director visits, or should I say, her mother.
– Ha. What the heck does he want to do.
– Yes?
– It’s nothing. If you don’t have to take a neuroleptic, it’s a good thing. Tomorrow is…….
His gaze locked on Leila, number 004, through the window. She was similar in age to the one he knew, but almost everything else was different.
Cotton clothes reminiscent of a patient’s uniform. Medical instruments clinging to him in a clunky, clunky way. His mouth hanging open, as if in a daze, as he sits in the middle of a pile of baby blocks and stares up at the ceiling.
Then, slowly, his head lowers.
Empty eyes stared at the professor.
“……Heh!”
He jerked awake as if someone had plucked him out of the water. The professor reflexively raised his upper body. His clothes, drenched in cold sweat, clung to his skin.
With each exhale, the memory of the dream I had just had dispersed like smoke, but the emotions lingered. Things like sadness and frustration that are hard to describe in words.
“I had another strange dream….”
This wasn’t the first time. Ever since the day of the cataclysm, the professor had been plagued by strange dreams. Daily, if not daily, with a fairly high frequency.
“I forget the details quickly.
He assumes that dreams are not just fiction. He interpreted the phenomenon as if there was a box inside him, from which memories were leaking out.
I can’t wait for the day when the box is fully opened. That fact makes me nervous, but also relieved. The “professor” of my vague dreams is so different from the person I am now.
“Maybe I’m not ready yet.
There’s also the fact that there’s not much you can do about it. You can’t just sleep your way out of your memories, and no matter who you talk to, they’re going to be confused.
‘No. I’m not going to tell you what the prefect knows.’
There was a time when I thought it was …….
Until Kim came to the rescue.
“No long talks. Decide before the summit.”
“No, that. That’s not what you want, is it?”
“I’ll tell you what, I don’t have any connection to the old Celbrox Labs, but I have an idea. Leave it to me.”
He said, as if he could see through the professor’s troubles.
“You’re going to have to come to your senses.”